SPRING 2012

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 101
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS continued from page 100
Which brings us to the second situation. You have
some major difference of opinion in not only the degree
of what is expected, but a deep-seated difference of
opinion in the basic issues themselves. I’m not talking
about issues like you think you need to focus on your
current customers and your company wants
you to sell new customers. Those are
relatively superficial issues that fit
into the previous discussion.
Instead, I’m talking about
differences in fundamental
values and ethics. Here’s an
example from my own
experience. I once worked for
a company that introduced a new
product, and developed a quota for each of us
to sell that product. The problem was, the product
never worked. It didn’t do what the company said it was
going to do. We, the sales people, knew it, and the
company knew it. Yet, they still wanted us to sell it. We
were given quotas and strongly directed to go out and get
orders at all costs. They directed us to, in effect, lie to
our customers. I left the company shortly thereafter.
The issue wasn’t “Do I sell 100 or 130 of these”
That’s an issue of degree. Instead, the issue was, “Do I
lie to my customers” That’s an ethical issue.
If it’s an ethical issue, then I think you have only one
choice. Find another job. Life is too
short to spend it violating your
Sometimes
sales people can
get a little too
convinced of their
own importance.
ethics and compromising your
integrity.
That sounds simple,
and it rarely is that black and
white. It almost never
happens that your manager
sends you an email that says,
“From this day forward you will lie to
your customers.” Instead, it is more
likely that a pattern emerges over a period of time.
One incident is generally not representative of a character
flaw. But, when you see a pattern of cutting ethical
corners, of disdain for integrity, of fuzzy moral
boundaries, then you can conclude that those are
expressions of a corporate character flaw.
please turn to page 102