Sales, Ethics, and Company Culture
I recently had a conversation with a fellow sales professional about one particular company and our personal experiences with their sales practices. Their front line people are not transparent and they are manipulative.
Although this may appear to help the bottom line, questionable ethics in the front line sales process will have a long term negative impact on the company culture.
The sales associates who are the most successful with these tactics will naturally get promoted and they will train new people on their techniques. The better their people are with these practices, the better their supervisors look leading to further progression in the company.
Subtle deception or worse is what leads to success in this culture.
If you were running this company, could you trust your direct reports to not deceive you?
If you were an employee, could you trust management?
If you were a customer, would you stay with this company?
What happens when these practices are perceived to define an entire industry such as banking, mortgage lending, auto sales, and government?
The bottom line is that long term health and success of both people and companies is tied to the level of their ethical standards and transparency as well as putting the interests of their clients ahead of their own.
What has been your experience regarding manipulative business practices?
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