Dishonesty

Dishonesty is not merely a short sighted marketing practice, it is a bad business decision in every way.

People choose to be dishonest in business for a number of reasons. Some feel it is faster, some feel that it is too hard to do it right, and others deceive themselves about what honesty and integrity really are. But anything less than complete honesty is a poor choice, and will come back to bite you.

It is, again, an issue of permanency. In business, your reputation is everything. Build a good one, and your business will gain momentum and marketing will get easier over time. Neglect to keep your reputation untarnished, and you'll spend all your time trying to attract new suckers, and your business will always be more work than it has to be.

Some people feel that it takes less work to get a customer to purchase if you use dishonest tactics. While this may be true of some customers, it is NOT necessarily true of the customers you really want. GOOD customers always take time to get, and they are the ones that will come back year after year.

When you make choices that lower your integrity, it eventually shows in all your business dealings. Honesty is something you either cultivate in its highest form, or your character will decline. It won't be obvious to you, but it will be clearly visible to others, and many people will simply NOT do business with you. Character shows, and people of good character won't do business with someone of poor character.

Dishonesty is always a shortcut that ends up being the longer road. It is never justifiable, and it always hurts you in the end.