A discussion about business ethics, character traits, integrity, and values

“Nothing breeds more quickly or with more negative impact than discomfort,” says Ronna Lichtenberg, author of It’s Not Business It’s Personal. “If you feel uneasy and self-conscious when you’re around another person, he or she will feel the tension and the relationship will suffer. The goal is to go into business situations feeling comfortable in your skin, knowing who you are and not pretending to be anyone else, and thereby making those around you feel comfortable themselves.”

This is true in all situations, but perhaps more so in selling. My first few sales jobs, I never quite got over my discomfort, and it limited my success. I knew the products, the benefits, what to say, but my uneasiness was repulsive. I eventually overcame it when I just stopped caring what other people, especially strangers, thought about me. Before I could do that, I had to start liking myself a lot more.