Do you think about ethics when you consider sales?
Most people don’t. You’re far more likely to hear people associate sales with negative connotations that illustrate how manipulative salespeople can be – often selling people something they don’t even need. Have you ever heard the phrase, ‘he could sell sand to the Arabs?’
The day of the slick, snake-oil salesman is gone. Reputation is now King. And to forge ahead in sales these days, thankfully, you need to be an ‘Ethical Seller’.
So what does this mean? Let us explain by way of a parable (we’ll even make the language Biblical!);
There once were two bicycle shop owners in Galway. One day a boy came to town with his father, looking for his first ever bicycle. Nothing would do for this young boy but to have a bike of his own, and since it was his 6th birthday, his father succumbed to his boy’s desire.
He went into the shop that had a very conscientious and ethical owner. The Dad explained that it was going to be his child’s first ever bike and that he really looked forward to it. The owner showed the father a range of sturdy bicycles and asked some searching questions:
‘Can the boy cycle already?’
‘Not really, I’d like to teach him on this bike that we are buying.’
‘Does the boy have any brothers or sisters?’
‘Yes, he has a brother and sister – both younger.’
‘What sort of area do you live in?’
‘We live in the countryside – it’s a lovely, quiet area – a little hilly but it’s fine.’
Based on these few questions the business owner picked out a beautiful, bright red, sturdy model.
‘I think this bike would be perfect for your son,’ said the shop owner.
The Dad looked at the bike, and immediately looked at the price. ‘€200 is very steep for a child’s bike’, he said, ‘I noticed some Superhero bikes in the other bike shop, for only €50 – can you match that price with any bikes in your shop?’
At that point the shop owner explained the following:
‘We don’t stock those brands in our bike shop. Our shop sells quality bikes that are made to last and they simply cannot be purchased for that price. This other bike is more expensive, but it will last for years to come – so you’ll be able to hand it down from child to child. It’s also much safer than that other model. We could stock those models, but we’d be inundated by complaints – of that, I’m sure.’
The Dad thanked the owner but said that he would much prefer to buy the cheap bike and take his chances.
The other shop owner had no hesitation in selling the Superhero bike and even told the Dad that it would be perfect for his child.
Three weeks later the Dad returned to the conscientious owner.
‘Okay, I’d like to buy that bright red bike. My boy had a horrible experience with the Superhero bike. It was terrible to learn on, a hard bike to pedal, and much too heavy for him over our countryside. And it’s already falling apart. I brought it back to the other shop and told him that I won’t deal with him anymore.’
Twenty years later the boy returned to the conscientious bike shop owner.
“Matt,’ he said, calling the shop owner by name, ‘I’d like to get in to some mountain biking this year – what do you have to recommend me… and by the way, you were spot on about that time trial racer – as usual!”
Okay, so that’s the parable! Apologies if it’s not up to Biblical standards but we hope it illustrates a point! The ethical seller put his long-term relationship first, which meant that he put his customer’s interest first. This meant losing the sale initially, but gaining a reputation for being knowledgeable and conscientious.
Becoming an ethical seller means: putting your customer’s long-term needs before your own short term wants.