Chapter 3 Ethical issues in selling Flashcards
are the principles governing the behavior of an
individual or group.
Ethics
this principles establish appropriate behavior
indicating what is right and wrong.
Ethics
defining the term is easy, but determining
what the principles are is difficult.
Ethics
what one person thinks is right another may
consider wrong.
Ethics
creates conflict toward each other
Personal, Company and Customer Needs
to maintain good
relationships with their companies and
customers, salespeople need to have a clear
sense of right and wrong so that their
companies and customers can depend on them
when questionable situations arise.
Many companies have codes of ethics for their
salespeople to provide guidelines in making ethical
decisions.
Company Policies -
people acquire
their values and attitudes about what is right
and wrong from the people they interact with
and observe.
Values Significant to others –
SELLING ETHICS AND RELATIONSHIPS
Relationship with customers
Relationship with the Salesperson’s
Company
Relationship with colleagues
Relationship with competitors
deliberately presenting inaccurate
information, or lying, to a customer is illegal.
Deception
are payments made
to buyers to influence their
purchase decisions
confidential information
will not trust the
salesperson, who will then be denied access information needed to make an effective sales
presentation.
Bribes
– are payments made to buyers
based on the amount of orders placed.
Kickbacks
_________________ may be illegal –
determining gifts and entertainment
activities are acceptable and which are not
brings up ethical issues.
Bribes and kickbacks
Check your motives for gift giving. The gift should be given foster a mutually ________, _________ , not to obligate or pay off the customer for placing an order.
beneficial,
long-term relationship,
Make sure the ______does not violate the customer’s or your firm’s policies.
gift
The safest gifts are __________ business items
imprinted with the salesperson’s company’s
name or logo.
inexpensive
– Some customers try to take advantage of their status to get special treatment from salespeople.
Special Treatments
offering information about a customer’s competitor in
exchange for an order is unethical.
Confidential Information
– salespeople engage in ______________ when they ignore the purchasing agent’s policy, go around his or her back, and contact other people directly involved in purchasing decisions.
Backdoor selling
– many companies provide their salespeople with cars and reimburse them for travel and entertainments expenses.
In using the company’s ________________, you
should act as though you are spending your own money.
Expense Account
– to monitor work activities, many
companies ask their salespeople to provide daily call reports.
Reporting Work-Time Information and
Activity
the ethical approach to leave a job includes the ff:
Give ample notice. If you leave a job during a busy
time and with inadequate notice, your employer
may suffer significant loss sales opportunities.
Offer assistance during the transition phase. Help
your replacement learn about your customers and
territory.
Don’t burn your bridges. Don’t say things in anger
that may come back to haunt you. Remember that
you want to return to the company or ask the
company for a reference in the future.
Switching Jobs -
– includes unwelcome
sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, jokes, graffiti and physical conduct.
Sexual Harassment
Customers as well as ___________ can sexually harass salespeople.
The ff are some
suggestions for dealing with sexual harassment
from customers:
Don’t become so dependent on one customer that
you would consider compromising your principles
to retain the customer’s business. Develop a large
base of customers and prospects to minimize the
importance of one customer.
co-workers
Tell the harasser in person or write a letter stating that the behavior is ___________, is
_______________, and must be stopped. Clearly indicate that you are in control and will not be
passive.
offensive
unacceptable
Utilize the sexual harassment _______ of your firm and your customer’s firm to resolve problems.
These policies typically state the procedure for filing a ________, the person responsible for investigating the
complaint, the time frame for completing
the investigation, and the means by which the parties will be informed about the resolution.
policies
complaint
– salespeople can behave unethically when they are too aggressive in pursuing their
own goals at the expense of their
colleagues.
Taking Advantage of other Salespeople
Making false claims about competitors’
product or sabotaging their efforts is clearly
unethical and often illegal.
Another one is
criticizing a competitor’s products or
policies.
Although you may be tempted to
say negative things about a competitor, this approach usually does not work.
Relationship with Competitors
