Last week I saw a sales manager tell a rep it was ok to discount and then deny to management he had authorized that discount. It reminded me of a question the author Byron Katie asks which is, “do you compromise your integrity for harmony”. She goes on to explain the damage created by compromising our integrity in order to maintain false harmony. In the sales world I see how sales professionals compromise their integrity to make the sale just as the sales manager did. Unfortunately this is short term thinking but the damage to the client, company and sales organization is always long term. Before we talk about the different ways I see salespeople and sales managers compromise their integrity let’s define it. Webster’s dictionary defines it as: adherence to moral and ethical principles; honesty. I see it as honoring your word, doing what you know to do, doing what you said you would do and doing what others expect you to do. The observable behavior I notice when a sales professional compromises their integrity is duplicity. This is where they speak or act in two different ways concerning the same matter with intent to deceive, mislead or double-deal. Some of the more common ways I see sales reps compromise integrity to make a sale are:

1) Failing to address an issue important to the prospect hoping they won’t notice
2) Misleading or use misinformation about a competitor to win the business
3) Omitting important information because the additional cost may kill the deal thinking they can charge for the extra services after the sale
4) Promising information or quote by a specific date when the rep knows they can’t make the deadline
5) Giving their word to do something but view it as an intention not a commitment
6) Lying on a cold call to reach someone
7) Letting the prospect railroad them into doing something they don’t want to do out of fear of losing the opportunity

Some of the common ways I see sales manager’s compromise integrity to make the sales are:
1) They tell a rep to discount and then tell their boss the discount wasn’t authorized
2) They over promise and leave it for the support people to clean up
3) They undermine a sales rep by offering the client a discount at the end of the quarter just to make the managers quota
4) They offer a discount or better terms unnecessarily killing the company’s profit margins
5) They are so consumed with their own performance they don’t properly coach, mentor or develop the sales team

I could drone on about ethics, regulated industries, code of conduct and all kinds of other things but I won’t because I see this as an individual issue. The bottom line is it is up to each of us as a salesperson, sales manager, executive and/or CEO to not compromise integrity to make a sale and it is up to us to correct it when it occurs.