Every month I receive a variety of questions from salespeople and their managers. These come from a variety of sources - my live seminars, the monthly phone seminars, questions that are sent into my newsletter, and issues that arise in the course of my consulting work. Out of all of these, I select those that I think have the most universal application, and respond to them here.
What do you do with the person that implies they want something, i.e. gifts, to do business?
My personal philosophy is not to provide personal gifts for corporate business. That doesn't mean that I don't occasionally send a gift to one of my clients, but it is more in the form of "thanks for your continued business" than it is an incentive to do more business. There's a fine line between a gift and a bribe. I'd rather be well inside that line by walking away from any piece of business that I thought was tainted.
On the other hand, I understand that personal incentives are routine in some other countries. So, I think you need to get your manager's opinion and your company�s policy on this. Then think through your own personal ethical position, and make a decision from there.
- * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * -
If you have any comments or questions, email them to me. I do, of course, reserve the right to edit.
Here are a few articles by Dave
that you might be interested in reading:
- On Entertaining Your Customers... How much time should I spend entertaining my customers? Good question. The world of the field salesperson is changing rapidly these days, and everything is in question. The practice of entertaining customers is one of those issues that needs to be rethought. First, let's consider whether or not you should entertain your customers. In these days of e-commerce and Internet communication, is there a place for this age-old practice.... {Read More}
- The Ten Commandments for the Ethical Salesperson... This may be another definition of integrity -- the courage and conviction to walk away from an unethical short-term gain in return for a long-term gain. In other words, always be willing to give up a sale or some immediate advantage if you must stretch the truth or act unethically to get it. For example, you may have an opportunity to acquire a quick sale because your customer has misunderstood the specifications or features of your product. It's tempting to take the order and not say anything. But that would not be ethical.... {Read More}
There are also many other action-packed articles for sales professionals that offer how-to solutions to every day sales problems that you can read online at www.davekahle.com/article.htm.
|
