Exclusive with the Founder of Sales Ethos, Ben Lai
Ben Lai started his career in nursing. With a calling toward professional speaking and training, he switched to the sales profession. Ben brought with him three nursing disciplines: a caring attitude, ethical practice, and a scientific mindset. He now coaches entrepreneurs in a wide variety of industries to sell ethically and effectively.
For more details, visit their website here.
Here we sit down with Ben, to know a bit more about his journey as a coach.
Q. Tell us a little more about your journey as an entrepreneur — how did you get started? What inspired you?
Ben: When I transitioned into sales, I was shocked to see the unethical practices of the profession. From lying and misleading clients to fabricating capabilities, I sadly saw it all.
Determined to maintain my personal integrity, I focused on selling responsibly, ethically, and truthfully. Unsurprisingly, this approach earned the trust and respect of clients. In turn, this led to the achievement of my sales targets.
When I started Sales Ethos, I was determined to transform the sales industry by making ethical selling the norm. To achieve this, I used my personal experience and 15+ years of extensive research to create a program that would resonate with my clients’ personal values. I wanted to put people front and center of the sales equation.
Q. What’s one thing in your routine that you do consistently that has made a huge difference in your personal or business life?
Ben: We are very fortunate to live in a time where self-development is at our fingertips. Without investing any extra time, a person can convert their daily commute into a virtual classroom through audiobooks or podcasts.
The primary reason I was able to establish this business is that long ago, I decided to spend at least 15 minutes a day listening to audiobooks. Over 15+ years, I have studied hundreds of books and incorporated their principles into my courses. It has also made me a better person and entrepreneur!
Q. Who are your mentors and inspiration? and what knowledge or insight did they give to you that was valuable?
Ben: There have been many! Zig Ziglar’s enthusiasm and energy were the inspiration that propelled me into the sales profession. He was the living embodiment of sales integrity and effectiveness.
Jim Rohn has been a primary source of wisdom and motivation to pursue this profession. I can never get enough of listening to his keynotes and courses.
Q. What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Ben: I am most fulfilled when my clients prosper. When they achieve higher revenue and career satisfaction, I know I have made a tangible difference.
Oftentimes I work with entrepreneurs who provide excellent services, but lack the confidence to promote themselves. It is very gratifying to see them grow personally and professionally.
Q. How do you market your business, and which tactics have been most successful?
Ben: I have dabbled in nearly every marketing strategy under the sun, however, I have learned the hard way that dispersing my attention yields diluted results. Consequently, I am now focusing on business networking, LinkedIn, and my website as lead generators for my business.
Q. What have been your biggest failures or challenges?
Ben: My biggest failure was bringing my frugal mindset into the business. Just because I can build my own website doesn’t mean I should. The journey to delegate and spend money on professional services was difficult but essential to my business’ growth.
Q. How did this failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?
Ben: Now that I am investing in marketing and professionals to help me grow the business, it can now grow beyond me. Like everyone else, I only have 24 hours in a day, which means I need to be very protective of how I spend that time.
Q. If someone was to create a TV show about you, what would it be about and what would it be called?
Ben: I think it would be fascinating to have a reality TV show that showcases sales professionals. The show would follow me coaching salespeople on live deals.
For those in the profession, this would bring light to effective and ineffective practices. And for those who are not, it would make them more aware of and resistant to manipulative tactics.
The show would be called “The Greatest Sales Professionals”.
To keep up to date with Ben and his journey, connect with him on LinkedIn.
