Forget About The “Leadership Secrets of Attila The Hun”!

If you’re like most small business professionals, you’ve got a stack of business books sitting somewhere near your desk — many of the classics that every smart business manager supposedly needs to read. However, some of these “classics” didn’t became popular because they were particularly insightful but because they reinforced conventional business wisdom of the time.

Many small business books perpetuate the use of harmful myths and, unfortunately, some of these myths have become strongly ingrained in the business lexicon. These myths are harmful because they misapply “established knowledge” and result in many professionals practicing unprofitable business tactics.

In this article I’m not talking about truisms that fail in specific cases but, rather, business phrases that are often false, even though they may seem true on the surface.

For example:

1. A good salesperson can sell anything

Actually, no. A good salesperson in the wrong market or unfamiliar with the needs of their customers can not sell anything. Each industry and regional market is different, and you’re only as good as your knowledge of the prospects’ needs.

2. The customer is always right

This cliché dates back roughly 100 years. Most people call it the “Field Rule”, named after the Marshall Field’s chain, where it was famously put into practice. The Field Rule came from the French phrase “Le client n’a jamais tort” (”The customer is never wrong”) back in 1908. Whoever is responsible, should be smacked in “le bouche.” This is a perfect example of marketing fiction being perceived as fact. In reality, to say that “the customer is always right” implies that the salesperson is always wrong and, thus, does not engender the customer’s trust or respect.

3. Anything 80 percent complete is “good enough”

This myth is just plain crazy and confusing. Does your employer (or client, if you’re self-employed) compensate you 100% for 80% of your effort? No, they require 100% effort for 100% compensation. Anything worth doing is worth doing right — and completely. If we’re talking about launching a product, the same rule applies. It should be no surprise that releasing an “80% functional” (read: incomplete or unstable) product into the market can cost your company its reputation and you a lot of time and money.

Get Real

These few examples of “off-the-shelf” knowledge demonstrate that just because it’s in black-and-white does not necessarily mean it’s true — or relevant.

It’s a sad reality that such business myths are still being perpetuated by modern day professionals — many of whom should know better. Just recently, two of my Conversationalist colleagues overheard an experienced sales exec recite cliché #2 in a client meeting. This just means that it’s even more important for the rest of us to validate the business advice we are given before adding it to our professional repertoire and putting it into practice. Skip the unsubstantiated clichés and the unproven, of-the-moment thinking and the business world will be a better place.