| Success in sales does not go to the one who
has the lowest price.
Nor does success in sales go to the one who has the best
customers.
And, success in sales does not go the one who has the most
intelligence.
Who really achieves success in sales? The people who
practice integrity with every person with whom they come in contact. There is no
substitute – no alternative – to consistent integrity.
Eleven years ago, I left my corporate career working in
sales management for a Fortune 100 company. I began traveling the globe, working with
salespeople across more industries than I can even begin to count. Over the years, I've
personally met with thousands of salespeople, each with their own level of success and
failures. I also have met with hundreds of sales managers, VPs of Sales, CEOs and others
from the "C-Suite." All those interactions and opportunities to learn about so
many industries has revealed to me more than ever what it takes to remain at the top.
People who are at the top year in and year out are those
who walk and breathe integrity in everything they do. This is true in good economic
periods and bad economic periods, through global upheavals and company chaos. The
consistent factor to success is not an external circumstance, but rather an internal
commitment to a high level of integrity. These are the people who do not necessarily close
every deal or land every new big hot account that comes along. However, in their actions
and attitude, 365 days a year, they walk with integrity.
How would you define integrity?
I would define it as adhering to strong moral and ethical
standards, regardless of the situation or result of such commitment. In other words,
integrity is not a commodity you can casually use when it benefits you, and carelessly
throw aside when it doesn't. Consistency is one of the hallmark signs of true integrity.
As a consultant for more than a decade, I have had the opportunity to watch several people
over the course of not just weeks or months, but years. If you have been in sales a long
time, you too have had the unique perspective of spotting the people others trust and want
to follow. Sometimes this person holds official capacity as a leader, but often the
"leader" is not high up in an organization. Regardless of a leader's
"official" position, they likely wield much influence because of their
integrity.
Integrity starts with allowing yourself to be personally
and publicly accountable for everything you do and everything you think. In fact,
integrity is more about holding yourself personally to a higher degree of accountability,
because the real onus of integrity is how it guides you each day in your actions and
activities. Accept 100% responsibility for how you carry yourself and do so with a high
standard.
When it comes to strengthening integrity, here are some
points to consider:
- No one can be forced to operate with integrity. It's
completely an internal choice that is reflected in external actions.
- It's never too late to start. If you have struggled with
integrity in the past, begin today to set a new course. In small ways and big ways, begin
to line up your actions and attitudes with a strong moral and ethical standard.
- Accept the fact that you may not close every deal, because
you are not willing to compromise your standards.
- The real measurement of integrity is what you do when nobody
is looking and when nobody will ever find out what you have or have not done.
- Learn from those around you who live and breathe integrity.
Become a student of their approaches and reactions – not just when the circumstances
are good, but particularly when the circumstances are hard. As much as you can, surround
yourself with these people. More than likely, they will not only have the highest degree
of integrity, they will also be the most optimistic.
Whether you have been in sales a short time or for years,
you owe it to yourself to achieve a level of success that is rooted in integrity. That
kind of success cannot be matched. You will find yourself experiencing long-term success,
and best of all, it will come in ways you least expect it. |
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Mark Hunter, "The Sales
Hunter," is a sales expert who speaks to thousands each year on how to increase their
sales profitability. For more information, to receive a free weekly email sales tip, or to
read his Sales Motivation Blog, visit www.TheSalesHunter.com.
You can also follow him on www.Twitter.com
(TheSalesHunter), on www.LinkedIn.com
(Mark Hunter), and on his Facebook Fan Page, www.facebook.com
(The Sales Hunter). |
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