+51 votes
by (9.2k points)
I just had a chat with a marketer and want your opinion. He believes it's okay to lie as a marketer since what matters is the result. How important is integrity in marketing?  
I just had a chat with a marketer and want your opinion.

47 Answers

+10 votes
by (620 points)
Integrity should never be compromised. When integrity is compromised, in my opinion and for me only perhaps (don’t want to ruffle feathers) it begins to break down my overall value system. I feel that if I do that once, if the payoff is bigger the next time, I may be tempted to tell a bigger lie. And where does it stop? For me. if I never start. I will never have to worry about “cracks in the dam”. The ends never justify the means for me.  
+20 votes
by (940 points)
Last week, I heard a radio interview with a former NHL GM. He was asked if GMs lie to other GMs to extort better return in trades. His answer was that it’s something you can only get away with once. After that, your credibility is blown. Without trust, there is no long-term relationship.  
+51 votes
by (4.4k points)
Absolutely not okay. You get caught just once and your rep is shot to hell. It's just not worth the risk.  
+8 votes
by (10.9k points)
I thought you just banned this guy?  
+13 votes
by (1.7k points)
Very short sighted. When your proclamations surpass your capabilities you soon lose your credibility. It’s an equation.  
+42 votes
by (2k points)
Ummm. Send me his name and a screenshot. I'll there all good clients. Then he'll know how important it is.  
+6 votes
by (4.1k points)
Well , it is an oxymoron
+35 votes
by (5.6k points)
BREAKING NEWS. This just in. World-changing special sauce turns out to be warmed-over canned spam.  
+44 votes
by (1.1k points)
I won't sell my integrity for $1M. It's only money.  
+24 votes
by (3k points)
You shouldn’t stretch the truth.  
+5 votes
by (1.7k points)
Depends on the context. Fake it till you make it is a real thing.  
+11 votes
by (620 points)
Integrity is the cornerstone value. All other worthy values to cultivate sink in the sand if they are not built upon integrity. Jmo.  
+12 votes
by (930 points)
I was once told marketing is the one career you can take that you can rob people blind and get away with it. This is one of the reasons people believe this lol
+46 votes
by (3.2k points)
Very important. I try and be 100% honest and upfront as possible. If a client said can I do something and I can’t. I give them the option, nope I can’t but I can help you find someone who can. Or if you have the time to wait and if it’s in my comfort zone I will learn. Same if they ask I question i don’t know.  
+6 votes
by (3.4k points)
There is no reason to lie in order to get the sales. The truth is more than convincing, and, if you're going to easily lie about data to get sales, it indicates a much deeper problem with one's entire life.  
+48 votes
by (5.9k points)
It might take time to convince someone you need to do xyz, but it won’t come back to bite you as hard if they’re on board.  
+19 votes
by (590 points)
It's everything, not just in marketing but in life.  
+34 votes
by (2.4k points)
Doesn’t he realise he has only fooling himself in the long term? Build loyal relationships and you will win every time. It’s not a matter of integrity, it makes no business sense to see profit potential short term.  
+38 votes
by (570 points)
Always tell the truth. Better to lose a deal and sleep well at night.  
+7 votes
by (1.5k points)
Check out SEO Signals Lab vs some of the other "SEO" groups. There you'll see the difference between integrity and everything else.  
+37 votes
by (580 points)
Without integrity nothing else matters.  
+36 votes
by (14.3k points)
What difference does it makes if is marketing or anything else? Doesn't even matter if is business or not, the question is all the same. For me, the answer is simple: no, is not ok, but we are still doing it, all of us
+11 votes
by (610 points)
Integrity is everything. History shows that the ends rarely justify the means. Sounds like he's breaking his ethical and moral duty to do the best for his clients by putting their trust at risk.  
+39 votes
by (600 points)
In the long term, integrity pays huge dividends. My father told me when I was a boy, "It takes years to build a good reputation and five minutes to rip it down. With intangibles like SEO, a good reputation makes selling easier and client life longer.  
+49 votes
by (2.4k points)
This is a terrible habit to scale a company with. In the end it is his choice, and his belief is totally shaped by his experiences. Until his experiences change, his belief will not, and as a result, neither will his action.  
+6 votes
by (1.5k points)
How do you know this marketer was being honest with you @legroom? The marketer could have been lying about lying lol :)
+51 votes
by (630 points)
It is everything. The liars need to go find something else to do. The rest of us who have integrity are always cleaning up after these jokers. This one Really pisses me off.  
+31 votes
by (1.1k points)
Integrity is the root of success anyone that tells you anything different is a fucken idiot
+37 votes
by (1.1k points)
Integrity and honesty is extremely importantly to have it builds trust and long lasting relationships in our business relationships as well as our personal ones. Without it people will eventually stop trusting you which can kill any business. I mean you wouldn’t lie to a a spouse or partner without risking the relationship. Same should go for business especially if you want people to continue supporting your business. I think that anyone who doesn’t have the integrity to be honest probably won’t last too long in any business.  
+49 votes
by (3.8k points)
Integrity first. What a knob.  
+26 votes
by (1.4k points)
Lie has no feet in life. It can fall at any time.  
+49 votes
by (1.4k points)
If your results are good (or bad), why lie?  
+27 votes
by (580 points)
Lie = bad
+4 votes
by (3.3k points)
You are so very handsome
+47 votes
by (2.5k points)
Lies is what starts to dig that hole and then when the hole is big and deep, they start to say says “# Fuck-Clients”  
+28 votes
by (3k points)
I’m the most honest asshole most will ever meet in their life. Integrity is the only thing that everyone is given equally at birth, where the only one who can take it away is you. ‍♂️
+32 votes
by (3.6k points)
This really comes down to one's own business ethics. We will always have people doing business in contrast to our own ethics. I personally subscribe to natural law ethics.  
+33 votes
by (2.5k points)
Well if we based the test case upon the Marketing strategies of a CEO such as Mark Zuckerberg, being Ruthless and providing little to no Customer Service is just the scum bag business model you need to succeed. Be sure it's toppled with Web Form annoyance and that it's entirely automated and outsourced. But yeah, I'd rather make a humble living and not need 16 bodyguards to babysit me as I promote gun prohibition to the Western World  
+32 votes
by (560 points)
Prosperity without Integrity is an empty cup with no bottom. What do you have when it ends?  
+19 votes
by (650 points)
9 out of 10 doctors recommend Colgate. Ps: The doctor is an actor as well.  
by (4.2k points)
@percent pps: that same doctor recommended you eat a high grain diet last week after being hired by the food industry.  
+43 votes
by (640 points)
If everything was about money and results it would be ok I guess. But deciept is never correct. We must tell the truth.  
+24 votes
by (1.2k points)
You can't lie forever. We've built a pretty good company based on reputation. Almost 90% of our clients stay with us even when they suspend services after a time. We have no contracts, everything we do is on a handshake.  
+5 votes
by (3.9k points)
I think integrity is everything. Lies always catch up to us and ruin our reputation and our own self image. Plus, the more you lie the easier it becomes, and soon you can't even keep track of your own lies which people pick up on quickly.  
+23 votes
by (1.2k points)
My name is my brand. If I cheat a client he might talk about me negatively for many years. And in my personal experience: you always meet twice in life (and the second time the person might be of great importance for you)
+48 votes
by (5.8k points)
Maybe hes lying to you .  
+1 vote
by (1.4k points)
It's paramount in marketing. Brand > quarterly sales.  
+34 votes
by (640 points)
Integrity is everything. I just lost a big deal because I refuse to compromise on that .  
by (1.4k points)
Bravo! I just declined a small account this past week because it broke our requirement on having a real, live human being to ghostwrite as.  
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