The Four Sales Agreements

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The best books on sales are not specifically and directly about sales. Something titled, “How to Sell” could give you the mechanics, but it’s the nuance behind the step-by-step process that can move you from a transactional, one-off experience to a profitable, lifetime relationship.

In 1997, a man named Don Miguel Ruiz published “The Four Agreements.” To date, 9 million copies have been sold, and an equal or higher number of lives have been changed by the book’s simple wisdom. I believe it should be required reading in schools (along with Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People”).

The Four Agreements are:

1. Be Impeccable With Your Word
2. Make No Assumptions
3. Don’t Take Anything Personally
4. Always Do Your Best

I use these lessons regularly as a filter for things I might be struggling with or suffering from. For example, a couple of years ago I was doing some expert witness work for the prosecution in a case and was due to be deposed by the defense attorney. It was not something I had ever done before and there was a lot riding on my performance, so much so that I was prepped and tested for several hours in order to be at my best. Needless to say, I was very nervous as the day approached.

But then I thought to myself, “Wait a minute. Let’s think about the four agreements. Will I be impeccable with my word? Yes. Am I making an assumption? Yes, again. I’m assuming it’s going to be an anxiety-inducing grilling. Am I taking it personally? No.” And I concluded, “All I can do is my best.” And with that, a calm came over me that permeated right through the experience. Later, I was told that the defense moved to settle the case in part because he was not able to rattle me.

The four agreements have a place in your sales day, too. More than just being a filter, they can be a guide for helping you to work through issues.

Be Impeccable With Your Word

Duh. I mean, we’re salespeople. Aren’t we impeccable by definition? But seriously, this is not just about telling the truth. It’s being direct and authentic. It means speaking with integrity and clarity. Don’t gossip. Never manipulate. Avoid criticizing your team and even your competition. If there is fault to be had on your side, own it. Internally, encouragement goes a long way. Gratitude for a job well done or extra effort put in on your behalf is magical and rare. There’s plenty of upside with zero reasons to be anything but impeccable.

And when a job goes awry, impeccability can result in a better turnout than if the problem never happened. That is, how you handle the situation can impress the client to the point where their confidence in you and your company rises. Taking responsibility instead of making excuses shows the client you can be trusted with additional work.

Finally, it is important to not only choose your words carefully but also the medium used to convey them. The written word is far more powerful than the spoken word. Talking to a client, they can hear the inflection in your voice. Sarcasm and humor come across in their intended purpose. Put those same thoughts in writing, however, and things might not go so well. Always reread an email and remove any comments you believe pose a risk of being misunderstood.

Make No Assumptions

I was recently involved in a contentious exchange with a vendor. Taking my own advice about being impeccable with my word, I carefully crafted a long email, using direct language meant to express my upset without also including the anger and betrayal I felt. Several days went by without hearing back. My mind raced to wild extremes. I plotted next moves, including canceling current projects and even dissolving the relationship entirely.

One week later, I sent a follow up message: “Are you sure this is how you want to handle this situation?” This time, however, I communicated via email and text message. It was a long shot, but the one assumption I made in this situation was the email being received at all.

Shortly after sending the text, I received a reply: “I never heard back from you. Been having problems with that email account. Please resend.” And with that, I took my finger off the nuclear bomb button that would have made a bad situation far worse. Thank you, Don Miguel Ruiz!

Take Nothing Personally

This one has two sides. Imagine your boss unfairly heaps criticism on you. This Agreement instructs you to not take it personally. It’s another person’s poison that you can choose not to accept. However, the opposite is also true. If your boss heaped praise on you, you can’t take that personally, either. It’s nice to hear, certainly, but anything that comes from the outside — positive or negative — must be ignored.

Let’s say you are out there working hard at sales. You are doing all the right things but, unfortunately, the results (sales) are not happening. Alternatively, what if you had a record sales month? In either case, do not allow criticism or praise to penetrate.

You are the best judge of your achievements and skills, so long as you ...

Always Do Your Best

I love the example the author gives to exemplify this last agreement: “Forrest Gump.” All throughout the movie, all Forrest Gump did was his best. Never once was he concerned about the outcome, just the actions: friend, son, soldier, and even pingpong player.

This is your North Star. Do your best as a salesperson. Make the most of every selling day. Identify and achieve your top priorities. Include new business activity each week. Be respectful and show gratitude toward your coworkers. Work to stay ahead of your customers. Improve your selling skills on a regular basis by keeping up with new technologies, such as AI. Be supportive of your sales team and especially the younglings who are just starting out. And throughout all of these actions, ignore the outcome. It will take care of itself.

Don Miguel Ruiz didn’t write his book for us, but he might as well have. One or two bad months, and our minds tell us we are going to fail. A client yells at us and we crumble. Regularly, we question the wisdom of our career path. The dark clouds gather and fear grows all around us. Let these four lessons light the path to escape temporary negativity as they have mine all these years.

The fundamentals of sales are timeless. So, too, is the advice to communicate with integrity, practice self-belief, question assumptions, and run, Forrest, run.

And that’s all I have to say about that.