A Vice President of Sales for a large insurance company was
interviewing young sales reps from other firms for a new prestigious
position with their company.
"I'm sure you can understand," said the Vice President of Sales to the first applicant, "that in business such as this, our personal integrity must be beyond question. So what I need to really know is, are you an honest salesman?"
"Honest?" replied the young salesman. "Let me tell you something about honesty and how it runs in my family. I'm so honest, that I paid back my father all $25,000 he lent me for my education, even though at that time he was suffering from severe heart disease." At that moment the salesman looked up and said, "Rest in peace, Pops."
"That's very impressive," said the Vice President of Sales. Just how did you pay your father back so quickly?"
"Well, with the commissions from the term insurance I just sold him. Dad always used to tell me that honesty was the best policy."
Moral of the story. True sales professionals know that because of inherent conflict of interest, it's best never to do business with close relatives. When you stop and think about it for a moment, you'd have to give your family member a hefty discount, which means low margins and hardly any commissions, and should anything ever go wrong with the product or service you'll have to give the platinum family level of warranty. More time and less money are not the way to riches my friends. Avoid the turmoil, send your family to the competition, and use them to get all the info on your competitor that they can lay their hands on!
"Honesty is the best policy." - Benjamin Franklin
"Confidence.... thrives on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection and unselfish performance. Without them it cannot live."
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
"I'm sure you can understand," said the Vice President of Sales to the first applicant, "that in business such as this, our personal integrity must be beyond question. So what I need to really know is, are you an honest salesman?"
"Honest?" replied the young salesman. "Let me tell you something about honesty and how it runs in my family. I'm so honest, that I paid back my father all $25,000 he lent me for my education, even though at that time he was suffering from severe heart disease." At that moment the salesman looked up and said, "Rest in peace, Pops."
"That's very impressive," said the Vice President of Sales. Just how did you pay your father back so quickly?"
"Well, with the commissions from the term insurance I just sold him. Dad always used to tell me that honesty was the best policy."
Moral of the story. True sales professionals know that because of inherent conflict of interest, it's best never to do business with close relatives. When you stop and think about it for a moment, you'd have to give your family member a hefty discount, which means low margins and hardly any commissions, and should anything ever go wrong with the product or service you'll have to give the platinum family level of warranty. More time and less money are not the way to riches my friends. Avoid the turmoil, send your family to the competition, and use them to get all the info on your competitor that they can lay their hands on!
"Honesty is the best policy." - Benjamin Franklin
"Confidence.... thrives on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection and unselfish performance. Without them it cannot live."
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
