H - onesty
E - mpathy
A - ppreciation
R - espect
T - ransparency
CORE VALUES
Guiding Principles in Sales, Marketing, and Life
It’s easy in sales / marketing to lose sight of the forest from the trees.
Our objective must be to serve the client over our own self interests.
Honesty.
Integrity starts and ends with honesty.
For years, sales teams have been trained to safeguard as much information from clients as possible, convinced that sharing their knowledge will somehow make them obsolete or broke.
Sales people have also been trained to become professional gaslighters, and spinmasters.
These same sales people act shocked and offended when clients don’t take their word as gospel, or employ a “trust but verify” approach.
Empathy.
Sales and compassion are not typically words that you see together in the same sentence. The pervasive culture of hard closing has convinced many in our industry that having consideration for your clients’ feelings is somehow weak, or will make you an inferior sales person.
In reality, being in tune with your client’s vulnerability as a decision maker, and understanding the stakes of their decision will make you a better consultant for them to lean on.
Appreciation.
Want to know the best way to turn clients into “raving fans?”
Take a genuine interest in them personally, and become a raving fan of them.
Not to go too Dale Carnegie on everyone, but…
Investing in the best outcome for your client isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s good business. When sales people become invested in a positive outcome for their clients, something magical happens:
More referrals, 5-star reviews on Google, and high client retention.
When we become obsessed with “the sale,” our clients’ Spidey senses start tingling, and their hackles go up, and rightfully so. It is our job as sales people to help diagnose what our client’s pain points are, and prescribe the best possible solution.
Respect.
Clients value their time and dignity above all else.
Be respectful of their time, by being prepared. Show that you respect their intelligence by treating them with dignity. Be decent, and demonstrate humanity, and your relationship becomes a partnership, not a zero-sum game.
Transparency.
In the Information Age, clients are more educated and business savvy than ever, and it is time for sales professionals to embrace this shift, and strive for symbiotic partnerships.
Build trust by offering up valuable “insider” data points that will help your client make the right decision, regardless of how it impacts your commission check.