SALES ETHICS

It Has Been Said That Sales Ethics Is An Oxymoron

It Has Been Said That Sales Ethics Is An Oxymoron

Introduction

One of the main responsibilities of the sellers is to be honest and ethical in dealing with the actual and potential customers. With the growing competition in markets, however, sellers in contemporary sales settings seem to have forgotten the ethical standards and values of doing business. Sometimes presented as an oxymoron, the relationship between ethics and sales requires a particular analysis. Morality and ethics are certainly normative discourses that seek to regulate our conduct and actions. However, they are distinguished by their specific status. Most authors believe that morals are universal in nature, while ethics are subject to a society's norms and moral standards. When deciding the ethical decision, the seller will have a tendency to make a choice (unknowingly) between different forms of ethics.

As such, the term 'sales ethics' itself does seem to be conflicting since profits and morals usually do not go hand in hand. According to sales professionals and the experts, the driving force behind immoral dealings is more often than not, the pressure to do business in the combative marketplace of today. The stress brought on by quotas, pay plans, job insecurities and a selling environment that encourages fierce competition in too many cases erodes the morality of individual employees with the sole focus of 'Profit & Sales'. In such situations, it becomes an apparent choice between making sales and following one's morals. Therefore, the issue arises of whether sales ethics actually an oxymoron.

Body

Before discussing sales ethics, this essay first defines the constituents of ethics in the business world. The word ethics is derived from the Greek word 'ethos' meaning culture of an era. It is a science that studies the behavior of man under the concepts of good and evil. Codes of ethics are a set of rules and standards that describe, in a dignified way, what marketing specialists should expect from each other. The codes of ethics encourage ethical behavior eliminating opportunities for unethical behavior, because they contain a clear definition of expectations and applicable penalties for the violation of the rules.

Ethics is a key concern for the daily relationships with customers and employees. Ethical marketing decisions feed the trust between buyers and sellers. The ethical transgressions destroy confidence and make it difficult or impossible for the operations to run smoothly. A survey recently found that 38% of adults over 30 years believe that corruption and deception are necessary to advance. Consequently, companies must create an ethical environment and protect their interests defended by individuals willing to take advantage.

There are many conducts that would constitute as unethical behaviour. Misrepresenting intent, price discriminating, faking personal relationship, exaggerating performance of product or even disparaging a competitor's products are all such examples. Unethical behaviour can be found anywhere. A classical example of unethical behavior relates to Ford Motor Company. In 1968, the company stuck with its decision to continue selling its Pinto model despite the discovery of ...