I diagree that honesty and success in sales cannot go hand-in-hand. No profession that I know of screens for honesty, so we get bad judges, bad lawyers, bad doctors, bad educators and bad salespeople and they all give their professions a bad name. But I know for a fact that there are some damn good people out there that sell. Rovin'...does this mean that a good Christian cannot be a successful sales person? Have you got the slightest notion of how things nuts things would be if all salespeople were dishonest?

kind of half in half. got to admit some of those salesmen got their success by not being very honest. yet you cannot say that about every salesman.there are some that are very good at what they do and they did honestly. too bad there is often the pressure of making money on commision only.

Sales is a skill, like any other. I've known some terrific salespeople that were completely honest. Also, slimeballs.

If you were totally honest, you could never be a successful salesman.

Salespeople never got their bad rap in the first place for nothing. While none have ever personally stolen my wallet, it's only because I refuse to leave any money on the table. Successful, defense attorneys also build rapport and develop repeat business - just ask O.J.

Successful salespeople build a rapport and develop repeat business.

Don't mistake astute business practice for double-dealing and dishonesty.

It does happen, but not all the time.  I believe that there are some very hard working honest 
salesmen.  Not everybody is alike.

Yeah, esp car salesman and mobil home salesman, they are the biggest damn crooks.

Depends.  Certain fields (used cars, get-rich-quick 'investment' schemes, anything involving 'rent to own' or 'no downpayment') attract crooked salesmen (and easy marks) like flies.  

If you're selling a product you believe in and have to depend on repeat customers, however, developing a reputation for honesty is the only way to succeed. 

Some have certainly made it this way, but in sales, reputation is everything. The most successful salespeople develop a loyal client base and attend to their needs. Responsiveness is the key word here. You have to know what your client wants. The stereotypical used car salesman on the corner might make a killing here and there, but rarely do they have any repeat customers, thus making them in the aggregate less successful than an honest, effective salesman.

Most of the salesmen that I've seen fit this description, but the long term successes don't because they never have anything come back and bite them in the ass.

One of the salesmen that I deal with at my work, waits untill the last minute to give me a plan to draw up, and has told the contractor that he handed the plans to me a few days ago. He has been caught a few times lying. (Why he still has a job here is beyond me.)