"Serve with Integrity"

Friday was the George Washington’s Birthday that many of us grew up celebrating, and last Monday was the new federal holiday honoring George and our other Presidents. That got me thinking about George, and the first thing that came to mind was the old cherry tree legend – the one about “I cannot tell a lie.” Of course there’s “Honest Abe” also.

What a legacy to be remembered as being honest, as someone who told the truth. I don’t think we’re talking about tactless truth where you tell people that their shirt is ugly or that they should get a haircut or that their joke wasn’t funny. I think we’re talking about an admirable character trait that serves a person in life as well as beyond that.

Look at how many years have passed since Washington or Lincoln served in the Presidency, yet honesty is still ascribed to both. It is not limited to them. It’s just that when we think of them we also think of their character.

The trait of being honest is part of a larger set of character traits called integrity. This is what you stand for. It’s also what you won’t stand or put up with – how you won’t go against your own core beliefs.

My senior year in high school, I was a member of the Key Club, the high school organization of Kiwanis International. That year, the theme of the annual oratorical contest (which I incidentally won for my district) was “Serve with Integrity.”

At that time, integrity wasn’t a concept that was being taught in school. I’m not sure it is today either. Needless to say, I had to do some research before I could prepare my address.

That was a great experience and one I still remember. I think “Serve with Integrity” is a great life motto.

It means regardless of what we’re doing – building homes, selling them, advertising them, designing them, decorating them, inspecting them, appraising them, lending money on them – that we are known as a person of integrity. That we are not more interested in the sale or the paycheck than we are the customer. That we truly believe in what we are doing and consider it to be an admirable calling. That we approach our work with a wholeness and completeness that allows us to give our all in the pursuit of it. That it requires and receives our honest effort and our honest dealings with our customers. No shortcuts. No hedging.

This is what I mean by “Serve with Integrity” and I think our customers will admire us for it and want to work with us.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Roy G. Biv and Your Sales Presentation

Often there is more to something than it first appears. After you learn more about it or investigate it a little, it becomes clearer what the overall situation is.

Let me illustrate with light – good old sunlight.

You might remember using a prism in your high school science or physics class. If you did you’ll remember that what appears as white light can actually be broken into various component parts through the use of a prism.

A prism is simply a solid triangular or pyramid-shaped piece of glass that interrupts the incoming light and bends it. Some of the light has a relatively short wavelength and others are longer. The colors range from red to violet, with orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo in-between. In fact, you might recall “Roy G. Biv” as the way to remember the colors.

So what does this have to do with sales? Everything.

When people contact you or walk into your sales center, at first everyone seems relatively the same with no distinguishing needs or issues – until the conversation starts. Then you can begin separating people according to their needs, level of interest, and ability to make a decision.

In effect, your initial discovery questions act as a type of prism to begin sorting your customers according to their abilities as you find out how you can help each one and learn who the more serious ones are.

Certain parts of your presentation may be essentially the same regardless of the customer – your location, your chief features, your builder story – yet most of your presentation and conversation with your customers will need to be tailored to their personality, what they are looking for in a new home, and how soon they are prepared to act.

This can only happen after you learn something about them.

Just remember that when people walk into your sales center or contact you by phone or email that some will be very interested in what you have to offer and some will have almost no additional interest. Some will need a home or be willing to purchase within days and some never will. It’s up to you to sort out which person is which – much the same as a prism separates light by its various wavelengths.