{"id":9976,"date":"2020-05-04T09:00:31","date_gmt":"2020-05-04T07:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/passodue.flywheelsites.com\/2020\/05\/04\/tell-the-truth\/"},"modified":"2020-12-09T14:47:34","modified_gmt":"2020-12-09T13:47:34","slug":"tell-the-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/2020\/05\/04\/tell-the-truth\/","title":{"rendered":"I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth"},"content":{"rendered":"

by\u00a0Alice Alessandri<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Alberto Aleo<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIs it necessary to always tell the truth when dealing with clients?<\/strong><\/em>\u201d\u00a0this is one of the most common questions we receive from those who take part in our courses<\/a><\/strong>. As the creators of the Sales <\/a>Ethics <\/a><\/strong>\u00a0method, our only answer should be \u201cOf course!\u201d.\u00a0In fact it is not so easy to be always completely sincere with clients<\/span>.\u00a0Not so much because of the budget<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0sales targets<\/strong> we need to achieve; in fact sometimes expressing our personal opinion<\/strong> can prove useless, if not detrimental to our clients. Let\u2019s see how and when this might happen, and analyse what serving the truth really means<\/span>!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Truth\"<\/p>\n

Photo Kristopher Roller by Unsplash<\/span><\/p>\n

Absolute truth<\/span><\/h2>\n

Truth<\/strong>\u00a0is a complicated concept: is it really possible to describe facts and reality\u00a0objectively<\/strong>?<\/span> Far from being only a philosophical statement, what we call truth is inevitably influenced by our \u00a0knowledge<\/strong> and point of view<\/strong>. If salespeople express their personal opinions \u2013 and truly believe their ideas correspond to reality \u2013 they might actually negatively affect the success of their negotiations<\/strong>: acting as depositaries of absolute truth<\/strong> they risk damaging themselves and others. When salespeople express their opinions or give unsolicited advice<\/strong> they forget that their job is to help their clients choose according to their own needs and reasons<\/strong>, without interference! Therefore we should try and avoid sentences which are based on our personal point of view<\/span>, such as \u201cif I were you I would\u2026\u201d<\/em>, unless explicitly required; or express absolute \u00a0judgments like \u201cNobody would buy a product with\u2026<\/em>\u201d, which are just opinions passed off as universal laws. Bear in mind that clients don\u2019t choose only to satisfy a material need<\/strong><\/span>: they take into consideration a range of intangible<\/strong><\/a><\/span> \u2013 yet very concrete \u2013 requirements which need to be respected and satisfied just like all the rest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2013 \u2013 \u2013<\/span>
\nTherefore if a client chooses a \u00a0particular drill model because \u201cit is beautiful\u201d, we should not comment that drills are meant to be useful instead of beautiful: who are we to judge their reasons and sense of aesthetics?<\/em>
\n\u2013 \u2013 \u2013<\/span><\/h3>\n

Free to choose<\/span><\/h2>\n

In our opinion truth<\/strong> and freedom<\/strong> are two linked concepts<\/span>. The former should allow us to act freely<\/strong> and consciously<\/strong>, aiming at our well-being<\/strong> and development<\/strong>. The tool to reach this is knowledge<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

During sale transactions successful salespeople should offer their knowledge \u2013 not their judgments or personal opinions \u2013 in order to encourage their clients’ ability to choose autonomously.<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

This means when we set up a negotiation we should not consider our own\u00a0purchasing motivations<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and should concentrate on those of our clients instead: it\u2019s them we have to persuade,\u00a0 not ourselves! As strange as it may sound, many salespeople tend to talk to themselves<\/strong> instead of addressing their interlocutors when they present their products or services.\u00a0But what if our clients’ values and objectives are different from our own?<\/span> We happened to be present at a\u00a0negotiation\u00a0where the seller kept describing the economic advantages of a particular choice, as opposed to a more expensive option. The client felt rather insulted and replied\u00a0\u201cListen, what made you think that I cannot afford the most expensive product?<\/span>\u201d.\u00a0Our personal opinions and prejudice towards what we are selling might keep us from seeing advantages<\/span> which could be noticed with a little more open-mindedness, objectivity and a different point of view. We are technically afflicted by information asymmetries<\/a><\/strong> which prevent us from really knowing what we sell, and consequently keep us from transferring this knowledge to our clients.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Free<\/p>\n

Photo Mohamed Nohassi by Unsplash<\/span><\/p>\n

Sincere and winning<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n

Becoming aware of our behaviour and of its possible side effects can help us develop a sincere and effective style.<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

Personally we think sellers who ignore their interlocutor’s reactions are aggressive<\/strong><\/span>. They proudly say things like \u00a0\u201cI\u2019ll say what I need to say because I\u2019m honest!<\/em>\u201d or risk offending their clients with remarks such as \u201cthe model you\u2019re using is rubbish!<\/em>\u201d. The attempt to impose our personal point of view as the only acceptable one might \u00a0generate in the clients a sense of prevarication which will inevitably turn them away.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another category we don\u2019t like is that of\u00a0passive<\/strong> sellers, those who put up with their clients’ choices and support them even when they are wrong<\/span>.\u00a0Sincerity is necessary to inform our clients when they are wrong:\u00a0customers are NOT always right<\/strong> and it is not ethical to indulge them just to make them happy<\/span>. If we realize that another product or service might better respond to their needs, we should direct them towards the best choice: they will be grateful!<\/span><\/p>\n

Another risky behaviour is the manipulative<\/strong> approach<\/span>, which reawakens the atavistic fear of the \u201cdeceiving seller\u201d. Misleading sales people, who tell lies or omit important information to persuade their clients to buy, enrich the collective imagination which contrasts ethics<\/strong> and sales<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Which allows them to express their subjective point of view<\/strong> and share their knowledge<\/strong>, bearing in mind that their clients’ experiences and opinions<\/strong> might be different but can\u2019t be ignored or be regarded as wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n

In order to fully understand who we are dealing with and what their reasons and purchasing motivations are, we need to listen<\/strong><\/a><\/span>: this is the only way we can guide our clients towards the right choice for them, facilitating their decision-making process.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"behaviour\"<\/p>\n

Truth<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0sales<\/strong>\u00a0are two concepts which \u201ccoexist with difficulty\u201d, just as objective vision<\/strong> and the condition of human beings<\/strong>. In order to close the gap between ourselves and reality it is necessary to be flexible<\/strong><\/span>, accept and embrace diversities. However we often pass off our opinions as the truth<\/strong>: that\u2019s because we need to impose our personal vision of the world. Of course as human beings we can\u2019t help but try to direct others: after all we have been programmed to pursue evolutional goals which require the participation of those around us.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Whether this behaviour is ethical or not does not depend on the act of trying to influence someone else; it lies in how we do it, more or less selfishly.<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

Trying to satisfy the clients\u2019 needs is the form of sincerity<\/strong> and altruism<\/strong> we appreciate the most<\/span>: the action of proper Ethical Sellers<\/strong>,\u00a0at the service of the\u00a0freedom<\/strong>\u00a0of their interlocutors!<\/span><\/p>\n

| partem claram semper aspice |<\/pre>\n
Did you like this article and you want to go deeper into the topics?<\/span>
\nCheck our tips below to continue training!<\/span><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cIs it necessary to always tell the truth when dealing with clients?\u201d\u00a0this is one of the most common questions we receive from those who take part in our courses. As the creators of the\u00a0Sales Ethics\u00a0method, our only answer should be \u201cOf course!\u201d.\u00a0In fact it is not so easy to be always completely sincere with clients.\u00a0Not so much because of the budget\u00a0and\u00a0sales targets we need to achieve; in fact sometimes expressing our personal opinion can prove useless, if not detrimental to our clients. Let\u2019s see how and when this might happen, and analyse what serving the truth really means!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":9979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[88],"tags":[241,294,239,255],"class_list":["post-9976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sales-ethics","tag-ethics","tag-freedom","tag-sales","tag-value","entry","has-media"],"yoast_head":"\nTell the truth • Passodue<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is it necessary to always tell the truth when dealing with clients?\u201d\u00a0Let\u2019s see how and when this might happen, and analyse what serving the truth really means!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/2020\/05\/04\/tell-the-truth\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tell the truth • Passodue\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Is it necessary to always tell the truth when dealing with clients?\u201d\u00a0Let\u2019s see how and when this might happen, and analyse what serving the truth really means!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/2020\/05\/04\/tell-the-truth\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Passodue\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/passodue\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-05-04T07:00:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-12-09T13:47:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/bright-bulb-dark-132340-copia.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"690\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@passodue\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@passodue\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Passodue\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/passodue\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/passodue\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company-beta\/10017842\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCbxyw6anbCWhBzUaNayFTMA\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/passodue\"],\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/#logo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Passodue.png\",\"width\":401,\"height\":112,\"caption\":\"Passodue\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/#logo\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Passodue\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/2020\/05\/04\/tell-the-truth\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/bright-bulb-dark-132340-copia.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":690},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/2020\/05\/04\/tell-the-truth\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/2020\/05\/04\/tell-the-truth\/\",\"name\":\"Tell the truth • Passodue\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/2020\/05\/04\/tell-the-truth\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-04T07:00:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-12-09T13:47:34+00:00\",\"description\":\"Is it necessary to always tell the truth when dealing with clients?\\u201d\\u00a0Let\\u2019s see how and when this might happen, and analyse what serving the truth really means!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/2020\/05\/04\/tell-the-truth\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/2020\/05\/04\/tell-the-truth\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/2020\/05\/04\/tell-the-truth\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"item\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Home\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"item\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/2020\/05\/04\/tell-the-truth\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/2020\/05\/04\/tell-the-truth\/\",\"name\":\"I swear to tell the truth, the whole…\"}}]},{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/2020\/05\/04\/tell-the-truth\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/2020\/05\/04\/tell-the-truth\/#webpage\"},\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/e2f27d16f0db802e888fe305f0ef8fc1\"},\"headline\":\"I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-04T07:00:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-12-09T13:47:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/2020\/05\/04\/tell-the-truth\/#webpage\"},\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/2020\/05\/04\/tell-the-truth\/#primaryimage\"},\"keywords\":\"ethics,freedom,sales,value\",\"articleSection\":\"Sales Ethics\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/2020\/05\/04\/tell-the-truth\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/e2f27d16f0db802e888fe305f0ef8fc1\",\"name\":\"Passodue\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3c0b663ce733b95d59fba2aa762af24ef020b1a5033417def4012f26fe7dac9e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Passodue\"},\"description\":\"Passodue, studio di consulenza e formazione, nasce nel 2012 dalla volont\\u00e0 di Alice Alessandri e Alberto Aleo di unire le loro esperienze per dare una svolta alla vita personale e professionale. Il progetto \\u00e8 basato sull\\u2019idea di cambiare la forma mentis del mercato rispetto ai concetti di \\u201cvendita\\u201d, \\u201cmarketing\\u201d e \\u201cleadership\\u201d dimostrando che fare business eticamente si pu\\u00f2 e pu\\u00f2 essere assolutamente efficace.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/bright-bulb-dark-132340-copia.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}