A fellow who bills himself as an industry marketing expert recently sent me an email. It was a very well put together, nice-looking offer to procure more than 200 marketing ideas. To learn them all, I had to provide him with my contact information.

This guy made a critical error, from my perspective. He sent three of his marketing ideas as a teaser. Two of the three advocated dishonesty to get prospects attention. They weren’t whopping lies, just a little shy of 100 percent true.

It reminded me of another a marketing shady technique that an agent once shared with me. He had recently learned it himself and was excited about his success using it. Even though he had made sales using this method, I told him that I would never use it or advocate its use. He was shocked and asked why. I told him that my integrity was not for sale and by using dishonest tactics to make money was not worth the price of success.

A White Lie is Still a Lie

That’s because a “white lie” is still a lie. This is why I could never be a politician. It seems that they have become extremely skilled at the untrue.  That behavior has contributed to a culture in which it now seems acceptable to be dishonest — as long as the outcome is positive. After all, if everyone involved is better off, why not use a little fib now and then?

Here’s why: It is just not necessary. Lying is for losers who win by cheating. The outcome is bittersweet. Consider that:

• Water that is almost good, is not good.
• A marriage that is almost good, is not good.
• A kid who is almost good, is not a good kid.

An insurance agent who is almost good, is not, and being only slightly dishonest doesn’t help. It may put money in the agent’s pocket, but it’s still not a good thing. I was once told by a very high-producing agent that if he were just a little dishonest, he could increase his income significantly. When asked why he didn’t do that, he said it wasn’t worth the loss of integrity. He also said that he felt being dishonest caused more problems than he wanted to handle.

It takes time to apologize and fix problems caused by dishonesty. Dishonesty also spills into other areas by affecting your relationships and quality-of-life.

Prospecting should follow these same rules. Don’t offer what you can’t deliver. Much of what we offer is sometimes said to be too good to be true anyway. That’s enough to prove. You can’t prove that which is not true. You can only do what the politicians do . . . change the subject, like a sleight of hand. Maybe their constituents won’t notice?

Recently, while interviewing a prospective employee, I asked the young man a question. He proceeded to discuss something totally unrelated to my question. I asked again, and got the same results. So I didn’t hire him, because I couldn’t trust him. Our clients are hiring us to work for them. They must be able to trust us.

Don’t “Selectively” Disclose

I’ve met those who like to “selectively” disclose information about a product that has negative features, and only at the right time, after the sale is won. How does the client feel later when he discovers the truth? He may just keep the product, but he will not be happy and may say bad things about you.

I can honestly attest to having lost sales by disclosing all of the features of a product. In the mind of the prospect, I failed to make my case. Maybe I just needed to improve my presentation. If the product is good for the client, the client will likely buy it. If not, maybe it’s the wrong client, or the wrong product. I always blame myself for losing a sale. I’m the culprit. It won’t help to fudge by being dishonest. I just need to improve.

There are great products available to offer prospective clients. They work well with all of their good parts and seemingly apparent flaws. So, why not tell the prospect what to expect? If the product is truly good and the concept is sound, then the sale will be made and the agent’s integrity will be intact, creating future sales with good clients.

Some agents wonder why they don’t get referrals. Maybe it’s because they don’t appear to be completely trustworthy.

Relationship stress

Being in a relationship can cause everyday pressures for all of us, but some individuals may be experiencing symptoms of stress that may be a direct result of the relationships they are in.

Relationship stress is not only apparent in intimate or married couples. It is very common to experience relationship stress between friends, family, colleagues, managers, employees and even strangers. While a common cause of pressure in a relationship is arguments between people, there are other causes that may be affect a partnership. Lack of communication is one of the most common problems relating to relationship pressures. If you are angry or bothered by something somebody has said or done and you keep it to yourself, the pressure can build and worsen. The rise in stress levels caused by a lack of expression means it is important to talk about how you are feeling. This does not mean you have to admit everything that has annoyed you, but if you think it will eat away at you and return to the surface later on, consider having a calm discussion with the individuals involved.

Often relationship stress is not coming from the other person or people in the relationship, as many people believe it to be. A lot of the time, the actions of the already-worried individual can alter their thoughts and reactions. They may not be aware of it, but their own feelings could be damaging the relationship. Simply talking about what has bothered you can make you feel happier and improve your stress management within your relationships.

If you are feeling upset or angry about a relationship, a life/relationship coach may be able to help. They will offer support and help you recognise the issue and offer advice on how to deal with the situation. Whilst they will not tell you whether a relationship should end or who is at fault; they can help you understand what may have caused the problem, teaching you the techniques to managing stress within a relationship. For more information on how a life coach can help call us today!

Employee performance evaluations are an important part of managing your business. While few managers and probably even fewer employees look forward to these reviews, they can be very useful tools.

The performance evaluation process can force managers to objectively look at the employee’s capabilities, and provide guidance to help the employee improve. Reviews can be used to reinforce good performance and identify poor performance and establish an improvement plan. In addition, the process can provide a forum for employee feedback that can be useful in setting the business’s future course.

Finally, performance evaluations can help guide compensation adjustments.

Ensure employees understand the process

Most businesses use an annual evaluation process. While new employees should be reviewed after an initial period, annual reviews are probably often enough for other employees.

Employees should understand why they are being evaluated. It’s important to let employees know the evaluation process — in addition to helping determine pay adjustments — is designed to help them develop into more capable and valued workers.

Employees should also know the evaluation criteria. The more objective and concrete the criteria, the more likely the process will be appreciated. Here is a list of potential evaluation points:

• Attendance and punctuality
• Dependability
• Productivity
• Work quality
• Work consistency
• Knowledge of job
• Work skills
• Managerial skills
• Attitude
• Cooperation
• Enthusiasm
• Initiative
• Judgment

A worksheet with 1-to-5 ratings can be a useful tool.

What to cover

The evaluation meeting should be approached like an important business event. Some potential agenda items include:

Accomplishments. Use the meeting to praise the employee for accomplishments since the last evaluation. This can set a good tone and let the person know you appreciate their efforts. It also helps identify what’s important for the success of the business.

Strengths. Let the employee know you recognize what they do well. Try to leverage those strengths with new responsibilities.

Weaknesses. Also tell the employee about areas that can be improved upon. This can be done positively, especially if the process includes a plan to improve those areas.

Problems. If there have been problems or disappointments since the last review, identify them and discuss why they occurred and what can be done to avoid them in the future.

Document the experience

Most employees want to know how they are doing. If the evaluation process is handled well, not only do they learn what you think of them but also how they can become better employees. Be sure to document the process and meeting. While most evaluations can be positive experiences, they can also become the source of legal actions.