Sales Ethics is an Opportunity and Factors Influencing Salespeoples Ethics - Essay Example

THEORY EMPHASIS Student’s Name Course Date Sales Ethics Introduction Sales ethics has been by many people as an oxymoron as they wonder how one can be a sales person and at the same time be ethical. However, I disagree with the statement that sales ethics is an oxymoron and I see it as an opportunity instead. This is because all forms of business have to care about ethics at all times for it to withstand the economic times. Sales ethics is an opportunity Many sales persons believe that for them to make better sales, they have to manipulate the truth. However, the truth is that being truthful while selling is not only a moral choice but also a necessity for success in the sales. Shoppers are changing their shopping habits and they no longer consider businesses that make huge sales but they consider those whose activities are ethical. The connection between the company and the customer is the sales person. The company’s ethics are however judged based on how the sales persons relate to the customers. There are four questions that may assist the sales person to relate well with his or her customers. The first question is how the sales person’s decision affects other people beside him/her and his target. Where a sales reports makes more sales that he actually sold, or falsely induces customers to take up the products during the promotion, this is a form of cheating that may affect the customers in adverse ways. It is important for the sales person to consider the effect of the decision to the company, the customers and to his integrity.1 The other question involves considering which is the best way to success. Is it by making much sales or making loyal customers. One the sales person makes one customer; they begin a journey into building trust. The relationship between the customer and the sales person is built upon trust. This is because many customers will not buy from companies that they do not trust. When the sales person spends time building trust with the customers, they become more loyal and consequently improve on one’s targets. The other question is whether ethics and service are intertwined. Whatever is good for the customer must always come before whatever is good for the sales person. Going an extra mile for the sake of the customers creates a dimension towards building trust as well as alleviating customer’s worry. Showing the customers how they are valuable can be achieved by being honest and committed to meeting their needs2. The last question is what the paybacks of the sales person’s actions are. Negative actions may have both positive and negative paybacks. Some of the negative paybacks of unethical sales actions involve loss of trust and integrity of the company as well as of the sales person. Some of the unethical actions may jeopardize the company’s reputation and is therefore important for the sales person to consider this3. How to maintain sales ethics Maintaining ethics in sales is however not an easy job but it is very important for one to succeed in sales. However, it is an effort of both the individual who is conducting the sales and the organization being worked for. Below are some tips that may help one to keep observing ethics while promoting products. For the individual Consider the reason for conducting the sales: it is important for one to rethink the reason as to why he or she is conducting the sales. Inmost cases, it is to increase the profitability of the business. However, one also needs to ensure the sustainability of the profits. Failure to observe sales ethics leads to loss of trust from the customers and they eventually stop doing business with the person. The volume of sales and the profits may go up but this may only be for a short while and then they go down when trust is lost4. Acquiring a strong position: this indicates ensuring that one stands out from his or her rivals by being clear, dynamic and different. This involves considering what one can offer the customers in a unique manner so that they can keep noticing the sales people and their business. Whatever the sales strategy that will be adopted establishes one’s brand. Customers will therefore search for companies that have appealing brands. This will attract customers in a genuine way and create an opportunity for growth and expansion. Making use of agility and speed: the sales person needs to be alert physically, emotionally, mentally and financially so that he or she can maintain the competitive benefits. This means staying ahead of the competitors such that one is the best in all the fields. Customers will definitely come to such a business without any coercion or being told any lies. This is a genuine and ethical way of attracting and maintaining customers5. For the organization: It is important for the organization to create an environment that encourages its sales team to conduct their work in an ethical manner. This may involve the organization in focusing on developing an ethical context that addresses some of the issues that are faced by the sales people during the course of their work. The context should as specific as possible to those issues so that employees will have a clear answer when faced with ethical dilemmas. The organization should also hire sales people whose values match those that are established in the organization. Employees should be assessed during the hiring process to see who will fit within the ethical climate that the organization has set6. Organizations also need to train their sales team so that they can be able to deal with the dilemmas that they find themselves in while they are out in the field. Ability to maintain ethics is a skill that must be instilled in the sales people. This is because a salesperson may have all the necessary skills for selling but may not be bale to maintain sales ethics. Sales managers must also promote ethical selling through their actions. This involves systems of monitoring ethical behaviors as well as rewarding those who maintain ethics. As they interact with the sales people, it is important to emphasize to them on how sales ethics can generate an opportunity for success7. Factors influencing salespeople’s ethics Personal ethical values An individual’s ethical values affect his or her ability to make ethical sales decisions. This plays a part in the relationship that the sales person maintains with the people he or she interacts with. Their personal values therefore impact their ability to make ethical decisions while conducting sales8. Cognitive moral development These determine the ability of the person to reason morally and make ethical judgment. Cognitive moral development can be seen on the reasons that the sales person uses to justify the choices he or she makes. The stage of moral development that the sales person is at affects how they respond when faced with ethical dilemma in the sales process. The organization’s style of supervision Those who supervise the salespeople impact their ethics ion various ways. For example where low sales may result to loss of employment may force the sales person to apply unethical means of attracting customers such as telling lies about the products. Some sales people will only maintain ethics when under supervision. Where there is no supervision, they conduct business in their own unethical manner. Failure to supervise such people may therefore lead to unethical sales practices9. Organization’s ethical climate Ethical climate refers to the practices and procedures that the organization perceives as ethical. The organization has its acceptable behaviors that are considered ethical. This also influences the sales people to consider behaviors that are considered ethical by the organization and apply them to their customers. The ethical climate however varies within various organizations due to the workforce diversity, employment history and the type of goods or services the organization deals with. Ethical organization climate may therefore assist the sales person in avoiding unethical behaviors that may bring him problems with the organizational management once they are reported. The sales people will therefore develop long term relationship with the customer which is backed by the organizational management. Many organizations have the written code of conduct which dictates what is accepted and what is not accepted by the organization. The employees including the sales people must comply with it to maintain the organization’s good reputation10. Conclusion I disagree with what many people believe about sales ethics being an oxymoron. I believe that sales ethics is an opportunity for the sales people to ensure success of their businesses or the organization they are working for. Most people are nowadays considering facts when they shop for goods or services. They want to maintain a god relationship with the service providers to avoid moving from one seller to another. In this case, they aim at building trust with the sales people. However, this trust can only be built if the sales people talk the truth and are observing business ethics. Bibliography Victor, Bart, and Cullen, John. The Organizational Bases of Ethical Work Climates. Administrative Science Quarterly. 1988 (March):101–125. 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