The more I learn about the world of advertising and marketing, the more I believe that honesty really is the best policy.  This may sound like a very naive and gullible way of thinking, especially in advertising, but the desire to please the customer is so strong in our industry that we can be tempted to stretch the truth beyond reality; the competition is so great that we can lose sight of staying grounded on a foundation of honesty.  Interviews with potential employers, meetings with clients, deadlines, and employee relations all depend on trust.  Trust comes from being honest.  Many people get caught up in promising more than they can deliver, but if you give a client any reason to believe that you are being less than honest, you risk the loss of their trust.

We need to constantly remind ourselves of a very basic principal – treat others the way you would like to be treated.  It's not that hard!  We are living fast-paced lives, but at the end of the day how you get there is often more important than where it gets you, and delivering first class results on time is the way to get there.  I recently read a post at ZDNet explaining how many Local Area Network companies are coming out with overpromised connection speeds.  Although the statement is false, it makes other companies have to live up to those same numbers, otherwise customers who aren’t so computer savvy wouldn’t think of purchasing a product from a company with lower, real numbers.

Sure we want to do everything right, on time, and within budget, but the greatest amount of satisfaction comes when we do it with honesty and gain trust.  Think of how much easier it will be to achieve the next goal with that kind of foundation in place!  This is my request to keep those good feelings rolling, and to encourage others to do the same – whether it’s in a business relationship, or in your personal life.  I’ll step off my soapbox now, but just keep these words in mind next time you run into a similar situation.

Andy Brown graduated from the University of Kansas with a B.S. in Marketing.  Despite the fact that BIGSHOT is dominated by Missouri grads, Andy will remain committed to his KU roots, and promises to paste Jayhawk stickers all around the office at every opportunity.  Other than being a KU fan, Andy has a passion for going above and beyond, and making exceptional work even better.  Learn more about Andy.

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