100 Skills of the Successful Sales Professional

CHAPTER 4

70 to 61: Building a Relationship

70. Is Upfront, Candid, Direct & Honest

Some of you may be reading this thinking—“those 4 words go together, why separate them out?” Here’s why: they all build credibility.

I think when we say these words, we reassure ourselves that we are doing all four of these. But when you think of how long business meetings are and how much of a discussion is organic/impromptu, you can realize… maybe not all the time.

Being upfront captures people’s attention, especially those particularly distrusting or skeptical of what you have to say. One of my favorite examples of addressing skepticism is from Adam Grant’s book Originals where he notes how you can take ammunition out of a cynic’s gun by leading with the five ...