In the last post, we talked about the importance of being a humble HERO.  Hopefully, you’ve had a chance to observe the effects of humility in your sales day.  So let’s move on to the next characteristic on the list of HERO traits: ethical behavior.

Should we call out the Myth Busters or the folks at Coast to Coast AM?  After all, there’s no such thing as an ethical salesperson, right?  Wouldn’t you expect to see something like that in the same room as Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster?  Strange as it might sound, I want to assure you that there are, in fact, a lot of ethical salespeople out there; we’re doing our best to make sure there are many more.

How can I say that, though, when most of us have been manipulated by a salesperson into buying something we didn’t really want or need, followed almost immediately by feelings of “buyer’s remorse”?  What about all of the people feeling this pain right now as they see their mortgage payments double, all because an unethical mortgage salesperson talked them into buying a product that really wasn’t right for them?  Unfortunate as these encounters are, I’d like to think they are the exception, not the rule.  They just happen to stick in our memories for a lot longer than the good experiences we’ve had.  So how can you be sure you are an ethical salesperson, a true HERO of the economy?

First, understand that being ethical means doing the right thing for your customer, always.  No questions, no hesitation.  You just do the right thing.  This can be difficult at times, especially when the right thing to do is to not sell your product to the customer in front of you.  Being ethical means having the courage to say “You know, I really don’t think this a good fit for your situation” and to refer them to someone else, even a competitor, who can help.  The reward, though, is immense.  Not only will you sleep better at night, you’ll probably also get great referral business from that person.