Integrity drives sales

Preparing your communication tool kit is an on-going process of refining your message for different audiences. There are many vehicles through which to deliver your message but you, the entrepreneur, remain the best communication tool. All successful entrepreneurs have a talent for sales: they listen well, are able to connect to their audience and project integrity.

In my CIBC Presents Entrepreneurship 101 lecture last Wednesday, I had several guest speakers (albeit all virtual). One of them, Dave Rose, spoke at length about the personal attributes sought out by investors. Integrity topped his list and I would put it as one of key attributes of any sales superstar.

According to the dictionary, integrity is ” adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.”

Put yourself in the place of your potential customer, investor or strategic partner. Or, look at your behavior when you are the buyer, not the seller. Aren’t you drawn to the supplier who you know will treat you fairly? Smooth talkers will come and go; knowledgeable experts help us understand how something works. But the thing that attracts us to do business with a person more than anything else is a person’s integrity.

Entrepreneur’s Toolkit

I mentioned a lot of articles in my lecture that would help you with your communication tools. Below are the links to all of them:

Downloads and resources

Weren’t able to attend the class? Need some notes or want to look something up? Click below for all of the goodies from the lecture. Watch the video and the slide presentation below.

CIBC presents Entrepreneurship 101 2009/10 – Week 20 – Communication Tools for Entrepreneurs from MaRS Discovery District on Vimeo.
Communication Tools for Entrepreneurs: How to make your idea credible and understandable
View more presentations from MaRS Discovery District.