Be Sincere

A few days back, I was in a situation where I had to handle a very difficult customer. I engaged with the customer transparently, and at the end of the meeting, the client went back happy and satisfied.

A colleague who saw me handle the client situation wanted to understand how I deal with difficult customers and diffuse problematic situations without letting them escalate into potential conflict.

I responded that I don’t let my ego come in the way of accepting mistakes.

“I also acknowledge my mistakes sometimes, but it does not have the same effect. Why is it so?” was his question to me on the rebound.

That got me thinking. On a whim, I asked him, ” When you apologize or accept a mistake, do you feel sincere about it?”

My colleague did not respond. Instead, he became curious, ” why do you ask?”

My point to him was that sincerity is the display of genuine intent. You can never be sincere if your driving force, your intent, is to deceive someone. If you say sorry or accept mistakes without genuinely meaning it, then your intent is only to escape the situation, not apologize. The client will sniff you out.

On a broader note, if you want to sell something to someone or persuade someone on some issue, you will be more effective if you are sincere.

If you are sincere about the fact that your solution truly benefits the clients and adds value, you will be effective. However, if you try to fake sincerity without truly believing in the efficacy of your solution, you will struggle.

When you are sincere in your engagement with clients, you build trust, which then logically leads to a sale.

How sincere are you in your engagements with others?