The level of honesty someone exhibits is the most crucial character. The bottom line is if you can’t trust someone, you can’t accomplish anything positive with that person. Throughout the class, we have talked about different traits that make a good and lousy salesperson numerous times. Still, the one topic that has come up more than any other quality is honesty. In most of the clips we viewed exhibiting bad salesmen, the salesman showed complete apathy for what was true and used the knowledge gap between them and the customer to their advantage. Even with the knowledge gap essentially closed between buyer and seller today, the opportunity for sellers to be dishonest is still alive and well. However, there is one problem with dishonesty, especially in today’s highly connected world. I have noticed that whatever short-term game a seller may make from dishonest selling is often vastly outweighed by negative long-term consequences. The most significant impact is dissatisfied customers. And not just dissatisfied customers but angry customers. And from what I have observed in my own experience and this class, angry customers are just about the worst thing a business can have on its hands. Not only will angry customers not return to the company, but they will also go online and tell their friends and family to do the same. Angry customers will actively work against the business that wronged them and ensure that they dissatisfaction is felt. Simply put, no sale is worth creating an angry customer.
Secondly, back to an earlier point, nothing positive can be accomplished when you do not trust someone. This presents a massive problem for the dishonest seller because selling is supposed to be a positive experience for both parties. Honest on both sides of the selling process ensures a smooth and beneficial experience for all parties involved.