I used to think company values were overrated, not literally values themselves but the ones you saw on walls in companies. The ones that seem to have the same words on a poster in reception: Honesty, Integrity, Respect, Teamwork blah blah. No one could remember them, and they rarely changed how people behaved or worked.
But I must be getting older as my view has since shifted. Years ago, we ran an event where a guest speaker said a bunch of things that clashed with who we were and what we stood for. It did not sit right; in fact, it was really embarrassing. I spent the night worrying unsure whether to let it slide or speak up. A friend told me, you absolutely need to say something, and she was right that it was important to call it out. It marked a turning point in how seriously I started to take values, not as overrated but as something that shapes everything, especially sales.
Because when values are done right, they are more than words on a wall. They guide how you treat your team, how you work with clients, how you lead, who you employ people and definitely how you sell. A great saying on values is that “if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything”.
Sales is often where values get tested the most. Think of wild claims by salespeople or selling to clients who are not a cultural fit maybe due to pressure to achieve results. Personally, I find that in slower times values become even more important for salespeople. Sales is a long game and too often short term gains cost us significantly in the long run.
Have you ever had a client who treated your team poorly, delayed payments, or pushed boundaries? That is not just a bad relationship. It is a values mismatch. We once took on a client like that. They were much bigger than us and early on the relationship felt one sided. Eventually we pushed back. They did not like it. But that moment helped us realise something important. The wrong client no matter the size, can cost you far more than they are worth. We have become much better at saying no when something does not feel aligned. That is values in action.
When your sales team truly understands and lives your values, it shows. They become more than just salespeople they become trusted advisors. They say no when a solution is not right which protects their and the company’s reputation. And clients feel that integrity. You can always sense when someone is just trying to make the sale and it is never a long-lasting relationship.
Good sales culture is built on trust, momentum, shared energy, and shared values. It is what carries people through the hard days and helps clients walk away not just with a product or service, but something that actually fits.
You cannot fake values. You either live them or you don’t.
If your team does not know what your values are, if you do not use them to make decisions, to choose your clients, or to guide how you show up in meetings, then what is the point?
But when values are real, when they are lived every day in how you work, how you sell, how you treat each other, they become your biggest asset. Especially in sales.
I should also say at this point that just because others have values that are not the same as yours that doesn’t mean that you are right or wrong just different. I should also say that our Indicator values are always a work in progress but it is high on the importance scale for us.