Fans of the Tour de France and cyclist Lance Armstrong read last week how Jan Ullrich, his arch rival, slowed down the pace after Armstrong fell during a grueling portion of the race. It showed great sportsmanship and an attitude of dignity for his profession.

In car sales, most of us earn our pay based on performance. In many dealerships, the challenge to finish ahead of someone else creates nothing less than a cut-throat environment. Split deals and "who’s up" arguments permeate the sales manager’s office far too often. So what should your approach be?

I guess that depends on what you want in return. If you take an approach that attacks other team members, cheats them and literally steals their opportunities, then you should expect to be treated the same way. If, however, you want to be treated with respect, honesty and fairness, you need to treat others the same way.

"I'm really grateful for Jan for remembering my gesture of two years ago. What goes around comes around," said Armstrong, who waited for Ullrich when he crashed coming down a steep descent in the 2001 Tour. "The tables were turned two years ago when I did what I did. I appreciated he did what he did."

Professional courtesy will do more than just return a favor. It will establish you as trustworthy and deserving of consideration for promotion. It will also go a long way to making you feel good about yourself. And that’s important to being able to sell effectively.

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