I've been a huge fan of The Karate Kid series for my entire life. Seriously.

My favorite memory to stem from the trilogy (yes, trilogy, for I do not count Hilary Swank's 1994 blasphemous disaster as part of the series) takes place when I was a child. Growing up as a small, round boy in Omaha, Nebraska, I can remember trying so hard to master the crane kick (refresh your memories below).

I would literally spend hours in my backyard trying to balance on one foot, arms extended, and then with one fluid motion, release the other in the air with such grace and power. Almost without exception, I would fall flat on my butt every time. Perhaps I didn't have the strength or the balance yet. Lesson learned - football was really the sport for me.

Fast forward to my adult life and I still find myself taking away relevant insights. Several days ago, in fact, I found myself watching The Karate Kid II. In this one scene, the teacher (Mr. Miyagi) is explaining to his student (Daniel LaRusso) why he didn't challenge his best friend (Sato) to be with the one he loved simply because he didn't believe in fighting.

"Never put passion before principle. Even if [you] win, you lose," the instructor says.

Let that one sink in for a moment.

As many of us continue to lead our firms toward hopeful economic recovery and prosperity, I believe we should heed these words carefully. Salespeople have a natural proclivity to win. It's what we do. And many of us are financially incentivized toward that end as we should be. However, selecting the right kind of clients to work with cannot be overlooked. Does your prospect share your company's value system? Could your client acquisition actually inhibit your company's long-term vision from becoming reality? Is your company's core ideology, and that of your prospect, even considered as part of the sales process? If the answer to any of these questions is no, you may want to re-examine your approach (especially if you are regarded as a leader in your company). Aligning your rewards system with short-term and long-term goals is a great place to start. Otherwise, sure, you'll still be paid commission, but likely at the larger expense of wasted (and potentially aggravated) resources from managing a client that wasn't the ideal fit. Remember, too, many of us will need the help of those same resources for the next sale.

(Insert very respectful, lowly bow here.)