"Most people will talk the talk, few will walk the walk; be amongst the few"

Dr. Steve Maraboli

The above-mentioned quote places emphasis on the difference between those who merely talk about their intentions, plans, or ideals, and those who take action to achieve them. 

It encourages people to become part of the minority who turn their words into deeds, by demonstrating integrity and commitment through their actions as opposed to just their words.

In a post-trust world, I ask you to reflect upon the following questions:

• Are you leading your sales life with congruency?

• Does the walk match the talk?

• Does the way you carry yourself online match the way you carry yourself offline?

• Does the way you carry yourself out in the community match the way you carry yourself with your clients?

Dr. Lance Secretan is a spiritual thought leader, the world’s top authority on inspirational leadership, a trailblazing teacher, advisor and expert on corporate culture. His latest book is Reawakening the Human Spirit.

He once said that authenticity is the “alignment of head, mouth, heart and feet – thinking, saying and doing the same thing consistently.” 

My friends, one could additionally say that this is one mighty-fine definition of congruency. 

Effective sales professionals consistently match their words with their actions. 

In turn, this builds trust and earns them credibility. Trust is earned when you're able to walk the walk and talk the talk. 

Sales professionals use clear and concise language to communicate their vision and beliefs, however; it's their actions that ultimately determine the validity of their words.

Alignment and the congruence of your beliefs, words and actions creates trust. 

Trust is the most valuable currency you can earn as a sales professional. 

Some of you might be asking yourself, what does congruency have to do with sales? I'm here to inform you that it has everything to do with sales.

When thinking of congruency, let's look no further than to Carl Rogers to help bring this into a sales context. Carl was an American psychologist and among the founders of the humanistic approach (and client-centered approach) in psychology. He was widely considered to be one of the founding fathers of psychotherapy research.

In psychology terms, Rogers went on to say, "a therapist should be in a congruent state to best serve their client within the confines of that therapist-client relationship."

Are you carrying yourself in a congruent state to best serve your clients?

Carl Rogers went onto say,

“It means avoiding the temptation to present a facade or hide behind a false mask of professionalism or an attitude of superiority. It’s certainly not simple to achieve such a reality. Being genuine involves the often challenging task of becoming fully acquainted with the flow of experiencing that’s going on within oneself”.

Reflection questions:

• What words stand out to you the most?

• How are you presenting yourself to your clients and future clients?

• What are they experiencing in your presence?

Loop all this back into building trusting relationships.

Trust is earned through your actions. Please key on this one... How many of your clients are watching your actions or for that matter your in-actions?

If your actions are not in congruence with what you say, then how legitimate are you through the lens of your clients' eyes?

If you believe that your clients are important to you and you value building meaningful relationships, then you must spend quality time with your clients cementing those relationships.

Congruency isn’t about big actions. It's about the little things.

Congruency leads to connection and deep conversation. 

I ask you to think about how salespeople are perceived, now think about what it means to be congruent.

The more you know about yourself the more you grow, plain and simple, yet so difficult.

What makes you tick? 

What makes you come alive? 

What do you really know about yourself?

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CONGRUENCY MATTERS

"Integrity means congruence. Words and behavior match."

Nathaniel Branden

Derived from the Latin word “congruere”, which means ‘to meet’ or ‘to agree’, congruence is the point at which your principles and beliefs align with your thoughts and actions.

Congruency will keep you at the top, especially in a world full of empty suits.

Plain and simple, congruency enhances credibility. Actions not aligning with words creates doubt and erodes trust.

Becoming congruent requires you to personally reflect upon yourself, your actions, your thoughts and how you carry yourself. 

This means you must become hyper-vigilant and observant of yourself.

"Integrity is congruence between what you know, what you profess, and what you do."

Nathaniel Branden

Whether it be in your personal life or professional, remaining congruent will be tested.

Think about all the incongruent, mismatched and misaligned moments that happen in any given day, week or month within your working environment.

Often, we do what we are told, and we continue these patterns over and over, repeatedly without giving it much thought. Sounds a bit like sales autopilot to me.

Sales is an emotional rollercoaster. It tugs on our heart and wears on our minds. 

However, to become truly fulfilled, we must act from a place of congruency.

To be congruent, who you are, what you say, and what you do must be aligned.

Please follow along with me on this one... Spend any amount of time in sales and you will have been faced with "what is right versus what is wrong" actions and behaviors.

When you find your heart and mind being pulled in opposite directions, or when your deeds collide with your thoughts; your body senses it and you start to experience the effects of incongruence.

Stress, inner conflict and disease thrive when congruence is threatened. I know you all get what I am cooking because we all have experienced it.

E.E. Cummings wrote,

"To be nobody-but-yourself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting."

My challenge to you... With trust and credibility constantly being questioned, you must practice congruency and lead your life in an authentic manner. 

WHAT WILL YOU DO NEXT?

Someone who lives in congruence, will carry themselves in direct accordance with their vision, dreams, values, mission, beliefs and goals. They do not waiver from them whatsoever.

Will you be willing to carve out your own unique path paved by a deep understanding of yourself?

The road to self-discovery will unlock a treasure trove of opportunities. This could be one of the single hardest things you do, but the rewards are endless.

Reflect for a moment...

• What inspires you?

• What are your strengths?

• What's your personal mission statement?

• What are your core set of values?

Enhance your congruence by becoming mindful, careful and consciously observant of your words and actions.

To help with becoming congruent, develop the habits of:

• Thoughtful communication

• Self-awareness and reflection

• Accountability

Leading with congruency... Amazing things start to happen, and you notice:

• Your confidence soars.

• Your desire to make a difference becomes apparent.

• You start to feel a sense of calmness.

• Things start to fall into place with your sales career.

• Your client's start to notice.

When your actions match your values, it gives your clients and future clients the confidence that you lead authentically and act with integrity.

This alignment ensures that your decisions and behaviors are consistent and predictable, making you a reliable sales professional. 

This also fosters a strong, positive reputation and enhances your credibility, which is mission critical for long-term success and loyalty.

I will leave you all with something to think about... does your walk consistently match your talk?

Originally published on Larry Levine's LinkedIn.