Tonight I am going to briefly discuss ethics in general and ethics when discussing business opportunities and income opportunities with others. (I say brief because there are classes taught in ethics, we are only brushing the surface here) Let us first consider what "Ethics" are.
If you look up "Ethics" in wikipedia, you will get the following definition, "Ethics (also known as moral philosophy) is a branch of philosophy which seeks to address questions about morality, such as what the fundamental semantic, ontological, and epistemic nature of ethics or morality is, how moral values should be determined, how a moral outcome can be achieved in specific situations, how moral capacity or moral agency develops and what its nature is, and what moral values people actually abide by."
Basically, in the business opportunity spectrum, ethics is treating people fairly and with respect. Ethics means that you are not going to tell untruths to people, that you are going to represent business opportunities fairly and equally, and you are going to be as honest as possible when asked questions about various income opportunities ("I don't know" is an honest and valid answer). There are many people out there that are going to give half-truths and make promises that they know, deep down, are never going to occur. Many sales people are going to use everything they can to sway the customer into believing what the sales person wants them to believe. They seek to manipulate values and behavior for their own gain.
This type of unethical behavior is what has given salespeople in general bad reputations, and multi-level marketing a major black eye. You see it on the Internet, get rich quick schemes, how to make $1,000 a week, etc. Everybody has their own spin on how to make money with their specific business opportunity. It is our responsibility to be honest with customers looking into second income streams and various business opportunities.
Ethically we need to let the people know the risks involved, that you may not make a lot of money, also that there is a tremendous amount of work involved in this type of income opportunity. Many who are looking at second income opportunities are not willing to put in the time and effort (especially if they are tired after working at their first job). It is our responsibility to work with each individual and find out what they really want and what they are willing to do to achieve that result. As much as I would love to say, "all you have to do is show the product and it sells itself", it is not ethically correct to do that. True, if someone sees a particular product work, they may be impressed enough to want to make a purchase. But first you have to get yourself in front of that person.
We have been so bombarded by people selling us stuff (from the Fuller Brush man and going forward) that we have become very cynical. This cynicism is probably generated by the unethical practices of some sales people. If sales people continue to make false promises of wealth, and falsely state that "with minimal work you too could earn thousands", when an ethical person comes along, nobody is going to believe them.
As you build your business, it is critical to treat people ethically. That treatment will pay dividends in all future dealings with the public. Once people realise that you are really stating the facts, you are not giving false promises, and that you are not "white-washing" the work involved, you will begin to be trusted. Once you are trusted, these customers will tell their friends of the ethical way you treated them. Then word spreads and business begins coming your way. But the minute you treat someone in an unethical fashion, they will tell EVERYBODY and even people they don't know. In a heartbeat, you will have developed a reputation for being unethical and continued business will not be in the stars for you.
We (Hawgwash, LLC) make it a policy to not promise more than can be achieved by a reasonable person. We do not approach anyone with a statement that with our business opportunity, they can earn thousands of dollars in the next few weeks. We allow people to see that we are in business, we let them know we have business opportunities available and opportunities to earn a second income, but after that, we expect interested people to and ask us further questions. I will not chase someone down and insist they must get into any particular opportunity. My personal feeling is that we are all adults, if someone is interested in what I have to offer, they will ask me, otherwise I leave them alone. Again, bringing back the advertising angle, I let people know I am in business, give very basic information and then, if the person is interested, I will provide more detailed information. I will not burden anyone with too much information initially and then badger them into getting involved in one thing or another. I put more emphasis in becoming a trusted, reliable source instead of how many people I can sign up in a particular business opportunity.
So in a nutshell, if you want to have customers come back for more of what you and your business have to offer, treat them ethically. Don't lie, don't candy-coat, don't make promises that either you or the opportunity cannot uphold. Treat people as you want to be treated. Your customers will thank you, your friends and family will thank you too and good quality business will come your way.
Until tomorrow...
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