Liars, Cheats And Charlatans
Since the beginning of time people have had to deal with liars
, cheats and charlatans. One of the most famous was Charles Ponzi, who in the early 1900's, invented the "Ponzi scheme" which is a scam that relies on a pyramid of investors who contribute money to a fraudulent program. The most recent, high profile cheat was Bernie Madoff who bilked almost 65 billion (yes, billion!) dollars from investors over a period of twenty plus years.
A charlatan is the ultimate sales person although they are incredibly unethical. They possess the ability to persuade, cajole, encourage and convince people to part with hard-earned money. And not just a few dollars, but tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, and in some cases, even millions of dollars. As an outsider, we shake our head and think, "How could people fall for that?"
However, these pitchmen know how to manipulate people, tug on their emotions, concoct a great tale and spin their story to each person's motives which, in many cases, is get-rich-quick. They often develop a close relationship with their 'victim' and know exactly how to convince them to invest.
Back in the early eighties, a good friend of mine came across an advertisement that stated she could earn several hundred dollars a week stuffing envelopes. My friend was a stay-at-home mom so she thought this would be a great way to supplement her and her husband's income. She sent a 'small' investment of $32 (to cover the mailing & registration costs) and waited patiently for the materials and information to arrive. (You can see where this is going, can't you?). After several weeks of waiting and a call to the Better Business Bureau she came to realization that the ad and the program was a fraud.
So where am I going with this?
Virtually everyone has encountered a liar, cheat or charlatan in their life. From the curbsider who sells you a used car that is a lemon, to the sales person who says that 'everything' is covered under the extended warranty program, to the person who tells you an expensive system is guaranteed to improve your company's results. We've all been there. And so have our customers and prospects.
And in today's highly competitive sales world, there are many people who are willing to stretch the truth, mislead, and misinform prospects in order to capture a sale. It's a safe bet that all of your prospects have encountered at least one of these sales reps. Is it any wonder that they won't take your call or that they are skeptical about your offer? Can you blame them for refusing to listen to your pitch?
This means that you need to find ways of establishing your credibility. You need to demonstrate that you are reliable and trustworthy. Although you may behave in an ethical manner, new prospects may still harbor seeds of doubt until you prove otherwise. Here is a simple way to achieve this.
ALWAYS do what you say you will do.
Sounds simple, doesn't it. After all, you're honest and would never consider misleading a customer or prospect, right? Well, let me ask you this: have you ever forgotten to make a follow up call, been late for an appointment, or stretched the truth about a product's capabilities? Then, my friend, you have just given your prospect a reason to doubt you.
Unfortunately, you don't get as many second and third chances as you used to. That means you need to be ultra-aware of the promises and commitments you make, particularly, if they're made in the spur-of-the-moment. Before you agree to something, make sure that you can deliver. If you anticipate challenges in your ability to executeand this includes your companythink twice before you make that commitment. Even a minor mistake can cause a prospect to label you as a liar, cheat and charlatan.
by: Kelley Robertson
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