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THE WISE WARRIOR  

I’m sure you’ve heard the old cliche’ “Honesty is the best policy.” In fact, you’ve probably heard it so it doesn’t mean anything to you anymore. It should. When it comes to business, not being honest with your customers will harm you in the long run.

Your customers can sense when something isn’t quite right, and it’ll drive them away. Even if they believe you, there will be a point when they find out you weren’t telling the truth – and it’ll be more devastating to your relationship than anything.

Instead, be open and honest with your customers at every chance. They will trust and appreciate you, which means they will keep coming back every time they have a problem that you can solve. I should note, that honesty comes from more than just your words.

Honesty also needs to come from the representation of your brand. This means being honest with yourself. Your branding shouldn’t appear like a luxury item when you’re trying to appeal to a wide variety of clientele.

You want your customers to look at you and your business, and instantly get a feel for who you are and what you represent. The moment they feel like their assumptions were wrong, they will start to doubt every part of your business.

To make this even a little more complicated, I should also mention that honesty is subjective. You can be honest and someone else’s opinions will contradict what you said. I know this all sounds like a lot to take in, but luckily we have an expert on honesty in business who can really explain how this simple practice can bring in a lot more revenue: Peter Kozodoy

Peter is an Inc. columnist, keynote speaker, Inc. 5000 serial entrepreneur, and the Partner and Chief Strategy Officer of GEM Advertising.

His articles on business, leadership and entrepreneurship regularly appear in Inc., Forbes, The Huffington Post and more. His work at GEM has been featured in CNBC, Yahoo!, Bloomberg, Reuters and MarketWatch, and has earned him Telly, Pixie, Communicator, Aurora, Davey and W3 awards.

Peter has spoken at Microsoft, the US Department of Commerce, CEO Clubs of America, Digital Book World, Quinnipiac University and other organizations on topics including the Millennial mindset, consumer experience, and the power of honesty in achieving both personal and professional success.

He is a member of both Entrepreneur’s Organization and the Young Entrepreneur Council, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in Economics from Brandeis University. He is currently pursuing an MBA from Columbia Business School (Class of 2019).

He is also a three-time New England figure skating champion, a black belt in Taekwondo and a SAG/AFTRA professional actor.

So download this episode today to learn all about his insights as an entrepreneur and true leader.

THE WISE WARRIOR 

“We have more opportunities to choose honesty than any other generation.” – Peter Kozodoy

Highlights –

• When you say something, always ask yourself “Is that true?”
• As a leader, you need to lead your customers to the products you think will serve them best.
• Make sure your marketing is an honest betrayal of your products.
• People will or won’t buy from you based on how they feel about you.
• Honesty has subjectivity to it.
• Millennials value honesty more than any other generation.
• We’ve become a business culture of execution and not empathy.
• Be aware that you might be dishonest with yourself.
• Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable.

Guest Contact –

• Peter’s Website
• Peter’s Twitter
• Peter’s Facebook

Contact Jeffrey –

• Website
• Coaching support
• My book, LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer’s Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible is now available!
• Watch my TEDX LincolnSquare video and please share! 

Resources –

• 12 Must-Have Mindsets for Uncommon Entrepreneurs! A FREE tool for Creative Warriors to help you get clear on the ways you need to think differently to get the results you want. We’ve been handed a whole bunch of malarky about who we are and how business works that simply doesn’t work for us. It’s time to set it straight! This tool will give you the insights you need to think your way to success as a Creative Warrior and keep you on track.
• Check out the Creative Warriors RESOURCE page! A collection of the best companies, hand-selected, to help you succeed! You’ll find vendors, services, products, and programs to help you Create, Serve, and Be Prosperous! All these companies have been used and approved by Jeffrey and most are used every day in his business.
• Music by Jawn

Affiliate Links: Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means that if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products and services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”