Ethics

There is nothing more important in business than ethics.   A problem is that too few people believe in business ethics and somehow many people differentiate between work ethics and family or life ethics.  The concept is inherently wrong.  There is no difference between the ethics you would practice at work or in sales calls, and the ethics you would practice with your mother or your children.

The ethics we look at in sales revolve around what are we doing with, and for our customers.  Are we helping the customer with what they need, or are we trying to use the customer to attain what we need?  In a perfect world the relationship should provide both, however, and more often than not,  the goal of the salesperson and the goal of the customer can be at odds.  The customer wants the best and lowest possible price and expects the salesperson to yield to their demands.  In many sales organizations yielding price costs the salesperson real money.  A second scenario we can consider:  The company wants you to push one brand, and the company will pay you more for moving that product, but your customer wants to buy another brand that pays you less.  What do you do?  Do you pressure them away from their product of choice, or even worse fib about the features and benefits?   How do you remain ethical in these scenarios?

The ethics of the sale require you to be honest, but not to lose the sale.  Good salespersons can tell their customer the truth by creating a relationship with the customer, and within that relationship begin a give and take negotiation.  In the first scenario cited above a salesperson may yield some price for a commitment of some kind from the customer.  The process should be a negotiation where the price reduction is traded for something of value to the salesperson.  The salesperson’s time is worth money so if we can set the price quickly, come to a commitment on closing the sale,  and move on,  there can be a benefit to both parties.

In the second scenario the salesperson should remain honest with the customer despite the pressure of the company to move one product over another.  One part of working for the company and following it’s direction would dictate that the salesperson tries to find one feature or benefit that the company’s preferred product has over the competing products, even if it is not as good a competing product overall.  It is ok to tell the customer,  “I make more on this other product, and the company and I want you to consider buying it, but if my mother were buying one of these, the product you have selected is the same one I would  recommend to her for these reasons.  Here are the some special benefits of the product the company prefers that you buy, and it is a good product also.   The decision is yours.”

Anytime you come think that it is unrealistic to do your job and be honest with your customer’s at the same time pack up your desk and go fishing.  If you stay in that job that promotes dishonesty, and keep working for that company that demands you be dishonest in your daily work, even your mother won’t recognize you after a few years. Don’t forget to ask Dr. Billy if you have a business ethics question!