Success Doesn't Have to Cost You Your Soul: Cultivating a Character Ethic
Dear friends,
I have a confession. I don’t trust salespeople. And I’m quite suspicious of marketers. I feel the same way about politicians, lawyers and certain kinds of journalists. Skilled manipulators and persuaders rule the world and not all of them are good!
The slickness of salesman’s patter, the way he uses my name twenty times in each sentence, the grin that says we’re co-conspirators in the game of life all give me the peculiar sense that some part of my mind is being hijacked. And, yet here I am, grinning back as I reach for my credit card to pay for something I didn’t even know I wanted.
I drive home with a shiny new toy and the warm feeling that I’ve made a new buddy. But, deep down, I know that I’ve just been taken in again. Another victory chalked up to the art of effective salesmanship!
And yet here we all are on the opposite side of the sales desk. Is it our turn to learn and apply the dark arts of commerce or is there a better way?
When I read Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People a few years ago, I didn’t realise that I was about to read a book about business. Yet, I recall being impressed by the idea that some of the most successful business people attributed their success to the reliance on what Covey calls a “character ethic”.
Covey’s book laments the focus that sales and business books place on “personality ethics”, which emphasise the cultivation of the surface polish and slick technique that will lead you to “close the deal”. These manuals of the “greed is good” school of ethics may have lined some coffers, but they simultaneously contribute to the creation of a world full of sharks, manipulators and sleazy operators.
Taking the principals of the “character ethic” on board, encourages us to begin with the cultivation of inner qualities of integrity, humility, fidelity, temperance, courage, justice, patience and industry. When these become the driving force behind our actions and we act out of a genuine wish to help others and contribute to a better world, we can stop worrying about appearing to be trustworthy and actually become so. It moves us away from a focus on achieving goals at any cost toward becoming the kind of person to whom great things naturally happen due to the admiration, trust and confidence that those qualities inspire.
Thank you for reading and I would be very glad to hear your comments.
Peter
Recent Comments
17
Very good post Peter. It makes me wonder if more of these salespersons of interest chose to read this book, just how many more happy customers there would be in each of their respective niches? Interesting thought. Thank you.
Thanks RaeAnne! I suppose that it's too much to hope that everyone will operate according to those kinds of standards. But, I like to think that there is a place for people to succeed from a position of integrity. I really appreciate your comment!
I know of many salespeople who have read various books like Stephen Covey’s book and then pervert the information to meet their own selfish gains. Their application isn't exactly what those kinds of books and seminars teach, which is the point I think Peter was making. At least that what I gleaned from this post. :) ~Gaylon
It's too bad that money is at the base of most if not all business but its not the money that is the problem. It is the love of money that is the root to all "evil" or put another way: what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and yet lose his soul.
I do believe that most everyone came to WA because they wanted to learn how to make money online. Very few came here to just learn how to blog To learn how to make money online requires us to be mentally prepared to compete, not for the dollar but for the business. All business is helping others get what they need or want and the calculated steps the businessman/woman must take does not have to be devious but they must be calculated and executed with precision. I can honestly tell a person that it is possible to make 6-7 figures online but for me to tell them that I am doing it, is not true. I know how to do it and it has taken me almost 10 years to figure it all out but the truth is I am not doing it as of today. But I am getting hits on my site, I am building my list, and I am making some sales and everything I sell online, I have personally bought or acquired as a bonus for buying something else. If I give you my word that I believe the product is a good product, you can believe it is true. I hope to develop that kind of reputation. Because this is my definite purpose, I expect to prosper in all areas of my life including financially.
Many thanks for your comments, jd! Of course, I agree that making money is an important goal for all of us and just having integrity is not going to achieve that without knowledge and skills. But, building up slowly from a base of good ethical principals is likely to beat the get-rich-quick merchants in the long term. And, I've little doubt that you're soon going to start seeing the results of the honest hard work you've put in.
Good post Peter.
This really hits home with me because I own a bottled water distributorship and I'm not just selling a product, I'm selling a service. Which means that I have to have my customers trust me month after month to continue buying from me. Quite different than selling only one of *whatever* to as many people as you can..once.
David
Exactly. Building that trust is an investment in the future. You plant that seed and the tree will supply the fruit season after season. Thanks for your comment!
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Excellent post. I am convinced that building from an ethical base is the way to go. I think many people are becoming more discerning because they have been so bombarded by all the sleaze.
I agree, Erica. Internet users are becoming more sophisticated at identifying trustworthy sources and will turn on their heals and run if we don't give them good cause to trust us. Thanks for your comment.