Did you ever hear this one? Question, How can you tell when a salesperson is lying? Answer, his lips are moving.

All too often sales people are the butt of jokes that diminish the “brand” of the profession. The over all preponderance of sales people are knowledgeable and credible professionals, dedicated to providing honest and forthright solutions. That being said, as a profession, we are taught myriad “techniques” and “methods” for use in bringing a deal to fruition.

Many of these techniques employ disingenuous or sneaky tactics, the justification for using them being getting the sale at any cost. For those that remember the movie Glengarry Glen Ross, it further stigmatized the sales person image by portraying those who were ruthless sales people as the winners, and those of conscience and integrity the losers.

If you’re like me, you go out of your way to be genuine and forthright, always having the client’s best interests in mind. As much as anything, this is probably because I am always aware of the possible negative connotations attributed to less than scrupulous sales people and frankly, I want nothing to do with the image.

Manipulation is rarely a good thing. It is the act of trying to control a situation or person through deceitful or dishonest tactics. Honest is not a word that could be associated with manipulation. Manipulation should never be in a sales professionals play book.

The actual definition of moral persuasion involves the act of applying pressure to financial institutions, by governments that wish to bring about change in monetary policy and governance. However, for the sake of this thread, I would like to add a new definition.

Moral Persuasion; The act of wilfully and caringly using persuasion to guide or convince someone to make a decision you believe to be in their best interest.

Being able to practice moral persuasion starts with fully understanding your client. What makes them tick? What are their challenges and needs? What could they, or should they, be able to expect from a better solution?

Of course, the list of “points of understanding” one needs to asses before moral persuasion becomes a viable tool is lengthy, and rarely accomplished in one or two meetings.

If you’re a moral persuader, you look for and seek out how best to add value. Most importantly, if you can’t add value, you cease and desist from attempting to sell something that doesn’t achieve that goal. The moral persuader is profoundly distinct from the Glengarry Glen Ross image, as they never engage in undermining a client’s best interests.

If you’re confronted with a difficult client, a client perhaps that isn’t, or doesn’t want to see the value in your contribution, or worse, you sense doesn’t trust you, it doesn’t mean you should back off if you genuinely believe in what you are offering and are well meaning.

For the sales professional, it can be challenging at times to persevere with a client when confronted with constant and often nonsensical push back. In fact, you should persevere and feel comfortable in doing so, as long as your intentions are in the client’s best interest.

Finally, a professional sales person should never be shy about drawing on and utilizing all reasonable means to help client’s help themselves.