As some of you know I was recently inflicted with passing a kidney stone. If there was ever a tool to force you to watch daytime television… this was it! It has been very difficult to work, read, or study. I have been able to watch 10-15 minute segments of television and, quite frankly, what I saw made me more nauseous! I don’t mean to be overly critical, but daytime television is stocked with insincere politicians, info-ads, breaking & tragic news and reality shows stocked with people behaving badly to get fame. Going channel to channel took me from a bad place to a worse place.
Which raised the question – where did quiet integrity disappear to? Whether watching our Mayor of Toronto abdicate his responsibilities or celebrities behaving badly, I was hard pressed to find people of character and integrity. Until I thought of our profession! Over the course of the year I typically meet 250-300 sales professionals, executives and business owners. Almost without fail they are people of intelligence, education, good humour and strong values.
It really shouldn’t be a surprise…
Being successful in sales and leadership requires humanity, decency and integrity. Customers and employees quickly ascertain if their sales representatives or leaders are lacking in any of these core qualities and find alternative people to work with. To succeed in sales, today’s representative has to have a genuine interest in their client’s success and a genuine approach that never leaves client’s second-guessing your sincerity. It is no exaggeration that top sales people display these traits on a consistent basis.
