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Sales Training: Knocking the Competition Is Bad Business Ethics and Fails to Increase Sales
Many of my speaking presentations along with sales training workshops involve the integration of sales behaviors and business ethics. One of my most favorite questions to ask is “Who is you greatest competitor?”
The responses I usually receive are numerous and usually not the one answer that I am seeking. in business and even in life, our greatest competitor is the Status Quo. In sales, the goal of those crazy busy sales people and small business owners is to move their prospects or potential customers from where they are now (the Status Quo) to a new place.
Recently a client shared this powerful story that emphasizes why knocking the competition is bad business ethics and will not increase sales. She had just locked the front door to her business, placed the closed sign in the door and was just about to exit using the backdoor when she heard pounding on the front door. Standing at her closed door was a woman she did not recognize. Even though she had another appointment, she went to the door, opened it and explained she was closed and on her way to teaching a class.
The woman failed to listen and barged into the business because she had to talk to her as one business owner to another. My client then received a very loud earful about her unethical business practices and how she was stealing this woman’s clients.
Business Ethics Is All About Your Character
Imagine walking up to a restaurant for an early morning breakfast and before going in, you make a decision to buy a newspaper from one of the various vending machines. However, before you can deposit your coinage, you observed the following:
Two small business owners or possibly businessmen walked up to another newspaper vending machine. One deposited the proper coins and opens the door to take his paid for newspaper. Then he asks his companion if he would like one as well? A second newspaper is removed without payment. The companion then jokes about receiving 2 newspapers for the price of one.
I personally witnessed this scenario. What I did was to take the necessary coins from my own pocketbook and deposit them into the machine. I opened the door and then closed the door without taking a newspaper. The two small business owners or executives now stared at me in disbelief.
As I approached the restaurant door, one of the businessmen opened the door, but he could not look me in the eyes. He knew he did wrong, but he thought that no one else would see. And he probably else thought that everyone else does it so why not?
Increase Sales by Demonstrating Appreciation Through High Business Ethics
Are you appreciative of your loyal customers and those business interactions that increase sales?
Do your customers know that you are appreciative? If you answered yes to the second question, how do you know this to be true?
Many times sales professionals from all types of industries be it real estate, banking, manufacturing, construction, legal, retail or service believe that their clients know of their continued appreciation. Yet, how do these know this to be true?
From my business coaching training practice, I believe that many loyal customers are taken for granted because sales professionals fail to put in place an appreciation plan to develop and strengthen loyal customers. This plan would have not only have detailed information on each loyal customer, but a plan to connect with customers on a regular basis.
The foundation for this plan is the sales professional’s high ethics. These ethics are located within the values statement found within the strategic business action plan. Examples of high ethics or values are appreciation, gratitude or thoughtfulness.
