Is Sales Ethics an Oxymoron - Coursework Example

Sales Ethics and Oxymoron Student Name Tutor Course Date Introduction Sales ethics has become an important subject of discussion among both the business owners and the customers1. Most companies have been able to succeed within a very short time, winning the hearts of the customers while others have not. Some companies have operated for a very long time but have made little progress. Sales ethics is thus considered as an important determinant of success for most organizations. A number of sales personnel have been accused of stretching the truth about their products so as to lure unsuspecting customers to purchase the products. This has worked for some but the results have always been short-lived. This is because once the customers discover that they have been short changed, the trust for that particular company will fade. This creates a lot of difficulties for the company. On the other hand, companies with good business ethics will always have an advantage as the customers will always come back2. The paper seeks to determine whether sales ethics is an oxymoron. Sales ethics and oxymoron I disagree with the statement. Sales ethics will ensures that the company is able to gain fully from the trust of the clients. Once the company has won the trust of the clients, it will become easy for the company to make profits and register high sales. Total disclosure of the details about the products of the company is very important. This mainly proves that sales ethics is not oxymoron. According to statistics, it has been reported that 84% of the companies that practice total disclosure among the top performer is in the world. However, those that do not disclose the details of their products only accounts for 16% of the top performers. Most customers will always base their purchasing decisions on the past experience3. In the event that the customers were not satisfied then it becomes difficult for them to purchase any goods from the company again. If the sales ethics were to be oxymoron, then most companies would be experiencing huge losses due to the customer dissatisfaction experience. However, this is not the case and many more companies continue to succeed based on their ethics. The decision taken by the sales person will always go along way in determining whether the ethics are oxymoron or not. It is evident that most of the companies always make adjustments on their prices. However the effects on sales in mot cases do not change even when prices are increased. However, this is only in those companies that practice total disclosure. However, when companies that do not practice disclosure make such move then it becomes quite difficult to attract customers. Sales ethics is thus not oxymoron and it does not act in favor of the companies taking advantage of their clients4. The issue of ethics in business is quite delicate. The salesmen basically aim at making profits. Sales ethics will always demand that the sales people should not exploit the customers when carrying out their businesses. The salesmen are also expected to makes as much profit as they possibly can without going against the business ethics. If they are able to make much profit without the customers complaining, then it proves that sales ethics is not an oxymoron. The issue of continuous improvement has also been on the discussion of many people in the business world5. Continuous improvement is there to identify weakness that may occur in the course of conducting business. When it comes to business ethics, it is evident that there is no way a salesman will be completely ethical. Due to the presence of opportunities, the salesman may end up with several mistakes. The improvement process will thus carter for the ethical errors. It is true that no one can be perfect on any matter and the same applies to the sales ethics. At one point, the salesman may identify an opportunity and take advantage of it. He or she may end up going against the ethics without their intentions. This does not mean that they are not ethical or that sales ethics allows ethics to be broken. The sales ethics is thus not oxymoron but more of an opportunity (Hoover, 2001). This is because anyone will agree that a sales person must make a profit so as to keep the company moving6. Although the salesmen will always be concerned with making profits, the sales ethics is still not oxymoron. This is mainly because the companies will always give the customers the opportunities to respond so that they can be served better. Most customers will always respond well with the full knowledge of the profits amounting to billions that the companies make. Once the customer is satisfied then the rest do not mater since it is the role of organizations to ensure that customers are not exploited. The goals of most of the organizations is also to ensure that they make as much profits as possible so as to ensure that the company grows. This being the goal of an organization therefore means that it is right for the company to come up with strategies that will deliver the goals and objectives. In most cases it however evident that the companies will always have limitations or procedures that will be followed when trying to achieve the set goals7. Customer satisfaction and the price the company will have to pay is always a consideration. The sales ethics is thus not oxymoron as it seeks to ensure that both the business people and the customers benefit. When the company achieves its goals of making profits, the customers will also benefit from this move. This is mainly because the services to the clients will improve as the company will have a better capacity to handle the clients. The sales ethics also allows the business owners to transform their goals to be mainly to make as much profits as possible. This should be done without interfering with the rights of the clients. Ethics is very important in business as it lays out the rules that need to be followed when implementing the organizations strategies. Although the businessmen and salesmen are not perfect enough most of them are very ethical8. It may be difficult to draw a line between ethics and business but business ethics is still considerate to the clients. Business ethics is not oxymoron as compared to other professions where malpractices also occur. The comparison with other fields shows that business ethics is a win –win situation unlike the other professions where the client does not benefit at all. It is also important to note that the clients may at times not be ethical at all in business. Some clients steal from the salesmen while others will demand for a refund even when they know that they are on the wrong. This highlights the fact that the business people may end up making losses due to the failure of the customers from becoming ethical9. It is thus important to note that the ethics goes beyond the business people. Some customers can also make mistake and go against the ethics of the community. Mistakes may occur but that does not mean that the entire sales fraternity is not ethical and that the rules are oxymoron. Companies have been able to develop and make profits while at the same time meet the demands of the customers. A few sales people may also go against the ethics but there is always a price to pay for that. This is because the salesman acts as a link between the customer and the company. The company thus ends up losing due to the conduct of the salesman (Kelly, 2002). Conclusion In conclusion, sales ethics are very important to the business. This is mainly because ethics determine the fate of the company. Sales ethics are mainly for the purpose of ensuring that the customers are not exploited by corrupt salesmen. However, despite the ethics, it is important to note the companies need to make profits so as to enable it run its operations. The profit making process should be fair and not for the purpose of exploiting the clients. It is also evident that businesses that do not give total disclosure about their products or engage in unethical issues suffer a lot of losses. This results from lack of trust from the clients who prefer not to purchase products from the company again. It is also clear that companies that maintain ethical issues are ranked among the top companies in the world. Such companies will always have total disclosure about their goods and services. This shows that despite making profits, the sales ethics is not oxymoron but it is quite practical and fair. References Kelly, E. (2002). Business ethics an Oxymoron? Phi Kappa Phi Journal Fall. Goudy, G. (2003). Name an oxymoron: Business ethics. National Association of Credit Management. Vega, G. (1998). Ethical telemarketing: Oxymoron contested. St. Johns University, College of Business Administration Fall. Schmidt, D. (2008) Isn't Business Ethics An Oxymoron? Retrieved on 24 April 23, 2012 from, Hoover, H, (2001). Business Ethics: An Oxymoron? Retrieved on 24 April, 2012 from, Edwards, L. (2004) Business Ethics: An Oxymoron? San Diego Magazine Print Edition. Retrieved on 24 April 23, 2012, from, Houser, S. (2010) The Truth about Truth in Selling: Sales Ethics is NOT an Oxymoron! Eyes on sale magazine. Bucaro, F. (2004). Sales Ethics: Oxymoron or opportunity? Negotiator magazine. Schabes, M. (2010) Ethical sales: Not an oxymoron. Retrieved on 24 April 23, 2012 from, McCarthy, J. (2002). Sales Ethics & Behavior. Retrieved on 24 April 23, 2012 from, Read More