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Inspiration

How credible are you?

ales professionals are often stereotyped as slick founder of The Sales Leader, summed it up well. "By
and pushy rogues who bamboozle, charm, and focusing their efforts on creating a positive customer
mislead to win sales. And while some people experience based on openness and trust, top performers
S who fit this description do work in sales, I almost always enjoy an extraordinary level of repeat
believe they are in the minority, especially today, when sales," she wrote. "So what's the 'secret' to establishing and
internet review sites enable customers to wield significant maintaining credibility in the eyes of your clients – and
power. After all, one of the things you need to succeed in maximizing your repeat business? Don't lie. Ever. End of
sales is a good reputation. And an essential component of story."
that is honesty. This is particularly true in the payments
industry. Word, both good and bad, gets around our So be passionate about what you offer. Know your products.
realm at lightning speed. Use them. Why? Because when you're passionate about a
product or service, know it inside out, and use it yourself,
In Good Selling SM: Thirteen Weeks to Personal Success, Paul H. you will have absolutely no need to lie about it to get your
Green wrote, "The foundation of any good salesperson is prospects enthused about it, too. This passion will also
solid credibility. A prospect needs to believe not just in enable you to put more effort into your work, which will
your products and service but also in you. Tell the truth lead to further success.
and you'll always be able to look each prospect squarely
in the eye." Another time when salespeople are at risk of sliding
into lying is when they are having trouble meeting their
Now, if you are reading this, you are likely an earnest quotas. This can create negative energy that turns into
person seeking to continually develop in your career. panic and soon spirals out of control. To prevent yourself
And, while you do not fit the negative stereotype of from ever getting close to this state, rely on tried and true
a salesperson—not even close—it's still a good idea to goal-setting practices. Map out incremental goals that
conduct a self-assessment periodically that includes an cover your daily, weekly, monthly and even yearly goals.
honesty checkup. See, you don't need to outright lie to be When you break up that all-imposing sales quota into
dishonest. It's all too easy to omit certain facts or fudge specific, easy-to-reach goals, each small success builds on
the truth, especially if you're under pressure to produce. the last, your work improves, and you won't have to lie to
This could, for example, involve telling a merchant an hit your mark. And you can rest easy knowing you are
appealing new functionality is expected to go live within highly credible indeed.
months when it's still in development and hasn't even
been beta tested yet.
'Honesty is the best policy' still rings true

So when assessing your honesty, remind yourself that
honesty actually sells. Colleen Francis, sales coach and Kate Gillespie, President and CEO

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