I was talking with Southwest’s Jonathan Nield the other day, and found out that he is getting back into the marketing end of business.
The usual expression among sales and marketing professionals is “Welcome to the ‘Dark Side!'” Mostly because of the “dark” reputation of sales and marketing as professions.
This got me thinking about the fact that most of the sales and marketing professionals I know now are the most scrupulously honest people in business.
What’s changed? Two things, actually.
First, the economy.
Second, the transparency of media.
The economy has forced many of the salespeople and marketing professionals we affectionately called “shysters,” “hucksters,” and “snake oil salesmen” out of the business.
When people have less money to spend, they do their homework more carefully. People who were, ahem, less than perfectly honest tend not to survive such scrutiny.
Regarding transparency of media – the Internet has done many things good and bad, but among the good is that due diligence for purchases is much easier. It’s possible to verify facts from a second (or third or more) source. You can find reviews of products and services from former customers and third parties.
I have to laugh when politicians get caught in the “Internet fishbowl.” Representatives used to be able to say one thing in Washington and another thing in their hometown, but now everything is preserved and broadcast on YouTube and Twitter. Things they say in a Tea Party Rally are likely to be repeated back to them at a Sierra Club benefit. Facts can be looked up instantly, and any discrepancy in their message is instantly held up for public scrutiny, commented and dissected by bloggers and pundits.
While some of this dissection can be taken too far, one thing is for sure- duplicity is out of fashion! And it’s not as easy to get away with as it used to be, even for people who used to have a talent for that sort of thing.
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