[Nzoner]

Originally Posted by RJ

About 25 years ago, when I first started in sales (not cars), I had a customer who was a car salesman. For no apparent reason he said to me, "people say salesmen lie, but the customers lie a lot more". As time went by I gradually learned what he had meant. The lies vary but common ones would be about prices or services offered by competitors. Interestingly, most people will recount tales of their lies to salespeople, often even exaggerate them, to show how shrewd or clever they are in negotiating and purchasing. Of course, if a salesperson were to do the same to them they'd be (rightly) incensed. The point is that honesty in business is a two way street.


Personally, I've found that honesty in selling is far more profitable in the long term than lies. Lying to customers, in fact, is the quickest way to a short sales career. It catches up fast. And as someone mentioned in another post, the easiest sale is the repeat customer who was happy with your products and services before. As to customers who lie, when a salesman has a good trade built up he can afford to broom the people he isn't comfortable dealing with......which takes time but is kinda nice when you get there.

From someone who has been in sales 25+ years I couldn't have said it better myself.

I learned a long time ago there's a very fine line between being a great salesman or a great con-man.Learning to be a great salesman will keep you in the business as a career.