Some Thoughts on Integrity

What are the characteristics of a high-integrity salesperson? If you are looking for evidence of integrity in sales, consider the following:

1. Integrity is about doing the right thing, even when nobody's looking.
2. High integrity sales people make it ok for the customer to say "no".
   
3. You can't win 'em all. Disappointment over the facts is a hobby for small minds, and does not reflect high integrity.

If your product or service isn't right for a customer, a high integrity salesperson will know it, accept it, and move on. High integrity sales people also do not "throw grenades" into their own company when deals don't take shape. They understand how to work within an organization to get things done, within the rules, even when the sale doesn't go their way.

For me, I do not believe the customer is always right. I believe the customer is always the customer. The customer is the lifeblood of the business, but the business cannot be sacrificed to meet the customers' needs. That sacrifice is called "selling at any cost", and it has more to do with desperation than integrity.

The salespeople I admire are the ones who place the customer's needs first. High integrity sales people then become so involved with what those needs are that they know how a deal will take shape (or not). If they lose a deal, high integrity salespeople are disappointed, but rarely surprised, because (by definition) they know what's right for the client. If integrity is important to you, you want to do what's right.

Being able to push back from the table and understand that a deal is not right for a customer is a mark of integrity. It is a powerful position in negotiations, when you want to win but you don't have to. The high integrity sales person thinks and behaves in a way that serves the customer - helping them to find products and solutions that truly fit.