Breakthrough With BSR: THE PRUDENCE OF HONESTY

When I bought my car I wanted to film the window panes. My intention was to block the heat during the day, not hinder visibility. As it is, it’s unlawful. My friend who lives in the same society had newly opened a shop for car accessories. He said he will do the filming for my car. The darkness of the film is within the permissible range, he confirmed, and it’s specially made to block heat. I, of course went for it.

I later discovered that he cheated me. The film was not the promised one and did not provide any respite from the heat. Now I am reluctant to even buy a car perfume from his shop. I always think that the bottle might be filled with water.

The question is –

Does cheating earn you money? Then what’s the point of being honest?

The answer is -

Cheating does earn you money. But there is a ceiling to it. A limit to how much you can earn through cheating. While there will always be a group of people whom you can cheat and stay afloat in your business, the expanse of that group exhausts very rapidly. If you are looking at growth, and making your business bigger, quality of product or service cannot be compromised. That’s the bottom-line difference between the shop at the corner lane and big brands.

The absolute necessity of honesty in business has been confirmed by all great businessmen, like Narayan Murthy, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Laxmi Mittal and Mukesh Ambani. They have not only preached it but lived by it.

Honesty in business is not just a saintly preaching statement but a vital success mantra.

Why?

Because all the big names in the world of business have stated, that for a business to sustain beyond the cursed 3 years and grow, it is important that the first level of your customers always comes back. Their second visit establishes trust. This trust creates demand, makes opportunity for the second layer and thereby expands the business. It’s all very simple. While new entrepreneurs pin-up complicated layouts detailing their business, a whopping 62% shut shop because they fail to calculate the human angle to it. What do we mean by the human-angle? It means that a product or a service is sold to a human being. While a prudent business plan includes knowledge and careful financial planning, it is paramount to first ensure the quality of the product and services sold. Any dilution in that sector means compromising with the very foundation. And a weak foundation doesn’t hold a structure.

Cheating cannot sustain a business.

Honesty in business means giving the customer what they want and a happy customer will always give you what you want – that is more business.