
Character and Competence Are the Secret to Sales Success
When you read books about business development and sales, you’ll find lots of information about processes and techniques.
But you’ll find far less about the competencies required, and even less addressing the character needed for success.
Your Character shapes how you engage the world around you, what you notice, what you value, what you choose to act on, how you decide, and the list goes on.
A primary goal in sales is to inspire trust with your customers. Customer connection is formed when they have confidence in 2 of the 3C’s: Character and Competence. Â
Character is your integrity, purpose, and intent.
Competence is your capabilities, skills, results, and track record.
To successfully develop trust, you must have both.
Character is the price of entry and is a critical differentiating factor for you.
But an also important and often ignored side of Trust is Competence. You might think if a person is honest and sincere, you will automatically trust them.
But what if they can’t deliver the needed results?
As they say in Texas, “Nice hat no cows” or in DC “They are nothing more than an empty suit!” trust can quickly fall apart once someone doesn’t keep their word.
Remember, it’s Competence that determines what a person can do.
Commitment determines what they want to do, and Character determines what they will do.
Focus on the 3C’s for success in your sales or business development role.