Protect your reputation in the sales community!

After being in the recruiting industry and having met many people through my career, I can sincerely attest that it is a small world, people talk and word travels fast.  When that word is about you,  you want it to be a positive one.  You want people to respond to your name positively and hopefully send business and referrals your way.  Having a poor reputation will surely ruin your chances of success.  When it comes to building your reputation, the one rule of thumb is "Don't burn any bridges".   In all situations, especially in business, be respectful of people and their time.  But most importantly, be honest.

Let me share a story with you:

A candidate, that I will refer to as Johnny, called me to help him in his job search.  After running a particular job by him, Johnny asked that I try to get him an interview.  After submitting his resume, my client responded by saying that she thought his name sounded familiar but would like to meet with him.  I scheduled him in to meet with my client and on the day of the interview, Johnny was a no-show.  I promptly called Johnny and he made an excuse as to why he didn't make it and wanted to reschedule.  Not only does blowing off an interview soil the reputation of a candidate, but it also turns out that Johnny had met with my client for several interviews 8 months ago.  They made him an offer and then Johnny went missing – he never called them back to accept or deny the offer.  Therefore my client passed on his candidacy on the spot and red flagged his name for future consideration. 

In this case, Johnny burnt the bridge between a potential job and also stained his reputation with me.  Since this incident my client has moved on to a new company as their hiring manager. Therefore, what Johnny did not realize that because he has burned that bridge he not only shot himself in the foot with not one company, but two.

The moral of the story is be honest and do not play games.  Treat everyone with the respect that you would want to be treated with.  It's a small world and karma exists.