Anyone can say anything they want about their business… Insight into someone’s true character will be revealed in subtle ways. A client recently came to me with an issue. The solution included my suggesting that they purchase a certain software product that would enable them to accomplish some of their goals. The software was not very expensive – under a hundred dollars – and was something that could have multiple uses for projects within their business.
The client informed me that they had a friend who was a “computer guy”. This guy was able to get him any commercially available software – for free. He seemed proud of the fact that over the last couple of years he has not had to pay for any of his software products. I left the meeting feeling a bit disappointed in this insight into his character. What did he think telling that story would say to me about him and his business? The bottom line is that now that I know this, I wouldn’t choose to do business with his company. If he was willing to take a shortcut for something as little as $100 – what would he be willing to do if the stakes were higher? Integrity. You can’t fake it!
