Get All Access for $5/mo

Want My Business? Don't Lie to Me. The quickest way to make this millionaire's blacklist is to make something up when establishing a connection.

By Carol Roth

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

mediaphotos | Getty Images

All relationships are built on trust, including business relationships. Trust is a very fragile thing -- it takes a long time to earn and one misstep can break it forever. Given the importance of trust, it amazes me that there is a trend (or maybe a trend re-emergence) among salespeople that runs completely counter to trust -- lying.

Recently, I have been getting a barrage of emails filled with blatant untruths. For example, a few weeks ago, I was an expert speaker at a Silicon Valley tech conference, focusing on how to market to small businesses. My email address, which as a speaker is usually not distributed, was given out to attendees. I got many form emails about meeting at the event (one, embarrassingly, from a person who I already knew). Then, I received one from a salesperson who said I had met his colleague (I didn't) to discuss cloud solutions for my business (I didn't) and he wanted to follow up and discuss it further.

It was pretty obvious that he had taken my information from registration, because I used my holding company name for registration, which is not something that I talk about in day-to-day business.

Related: 22 Qualities That Make a Great Leader

Another salesperson pulled my name off a form email with the incorrect middle initial (I have two and it was the second one), saying we had done business before (again, we hadn't).

I wish these were isolated incidents, but I get these types of emails daily. And, in talking to other business owners, I know others do too.

If I know that you are lying to me, I will never do business with you. Period.

Sales is a difficult industry and cold-calling (or emailing) is harder, but it's no excuse for making up a fib. Here are a few approaches that you can use instead:

1. Use humor.

There's nothing better in my world than a good laugh. Humor can break through barriers, so, if you find a clever, funny and perhaps self-deprecating way to introduce yourself, do it. It softens the blow of busting into someone's email, LinkedIn messages, etc., and you have a better chance of getting their attention -- maybe even a little bit of their time.

Related: 5 Habits of the Wealthy That Helped Them Get Rich

2. Do some research.

The availability of information online can provide you with background details to leverage and find commonalities. Most salespeople (and other people who pitch, like public relations professionals) are very lazy and fail to personalize their connection attempts. While sales is often a numbers game, sheer mass generic pitching is going to be much less effective than taking a little bit of time to personalize your introduction to show that you have some idea of who you are talking to and why you are reaching out.

3. Don't forget about them!

When you reach out to someone, make it very clear why they will benefit from giving you their time and attention (on a personalized basis, per above). People are busy, and if you don't make it clear why they should care, they won't.

Related: Habits of the World's Wealthiest People (Infographic)

4. Get an introduction.

Warm leads are more likely to be successful than cold leads, so lean on your network for referrals and introductions. If someone already knows, likes and trusts you, they can really help you establish a relationship with a prospect in their network. Just don't go back to the untruthful scenario of finding connections in common and saying they referred you when they didn't.

Relationships and trust are more important than ever before in business, so don't start things off on the wrong foot by breaking someone's trust before you've even had a chance to build it.

Carol Roth

Entrepreneur, TV host and small business expert

Carol Roth is the creator of the Future File™ legacy planning system, a “recovering” investment banker, business advisor, entrepreneur and best-selling author. She is also a reality TV show judge, media contributor and host of Microsoft’s Office Small Business Academy. A small business expert, Roth has worked with companies of all sizes on everything from strategy to content creation and marketing to raising capital. She’s been a public company director and invests in mid-stage companies, as well.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Starting a Business

How to Find the Right Programmers: A Brief Guideline for Startup Founders

For startup founders under a plethora of challenges like timing, investors and changing market demand, it is extremely hard to hire programmers who can deliver.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Marketing

Many Brands Risk Being Left Behind By Overlooking These Critical Advertising Steps

Learn how to use smart marketing tools and AI to optimize online advertising and maximize ad spend in today's competitive landscape.