“Well, you know how salespeople are.”
That casual dismissal of unethical behavior makes my blood boil, and if you’re a professional salesperson, it should make yours boil too. Recently, one of my clients shared a story about a purchase gone wrong – the system they bought simply couldn’t do what the salesperson promised. When confronted, the vendor’s manager laughed it off with that infuriating phrase above, as if lying to customers is just part of doing business.
Let’s be crystal clear: It’s not. And it never should be.
For too long, our profession has carried the burden of a reputation we didn’t all earn, but one that too many of our colleagues have contributed to. We’ve all heard the stereotypes: the used car salesman, the snake oil peddler, the smooth-talking charlatan. They’ve become movie tropes, memes, cultural references. And frankly, it sucks. While unethical operators represent a minority in our profession, their impact on public trust has been devastating.
But here’s the fact: Every time a salesperson oversells capabilities, hides limitations, or obscures terms in an agreement, they’re not just burning one bridge – they’re torching the foundation of trust that every other salesperson depends on, including you and me. They’re making every future sale harder for everyone else in our profession.
So let’s talk about what ethical selling really means, because it’s not just about feeling good – it’s about building sustainable, lasting business relationships and maintaining professional integrity.
First and foremost, ethical selling demands complete candor about product capabilities. If your software can’t handle multi-currency transactions, say so. If your delivery times are typically three weeks instead of two, be upfront about it. If your service has limitations under certain conditions, make those clear. Yes, you might lose some sales. But here’s the truth: You should lose those sales. Because a sale based on deception isn’t a sale – it’s a time bomb waiting to explode. Sales based on deception are bad business – and bad business ends up sucking our time, our resources, and our souls.
Consider this: When you’re honest about what your product can’t do, something important happens. Your credibility about what it can do skyrockets. Customers begin to trust not just your product claims but your guidance as well. And that trust? It’s worth its weight in gold.
Let’s break down the core principles of ethical selling:
- Complete Transparency: Never hide or minimize limitations, costs, or terms. If there’s something the customer should know to make an informed decision, share it – whether they ask or not.
- Customer-Centric Decision Making: If a product isn’t a good fit, say so. Yes, you might give up a commission, but you’ll gain something far more valuable: a reputation for integrity. Some of my best, most profitable customer relationships have begun with a “no sale” because what they were interested in at the time wasn’t a fit. Customers remember that, and they’ll come back when it is a fit.
- Promise Management: Never make promises you’re not 100% certain you can keep. “I’ll check and get back to you” is always better than a commitment you might have to walk back.
- Documentation: Get everything in writing, not to protect yourself, but to ensure crystal clear communication about what was promised and what will be delivered.
Here’s what happens when we all embrace these principles: The entire profession benefits. Customer trust increases. The sales process becomes more efficient because we’re not wasting time dancing around limitations or managing unrealistic expectations. And most importantly, we build sustainable, long-term relationships instead of one-off transactions.
But there’s another aspect to this that rarely gets discussed: The toll that unethical behavior takes on the salesperson themselves. Every lie, every omission, every “slight exaggeration” creates cognitive dissonance. It chips away at self-respect. It makes it harder to look customers in the eye. It creates stress, because those salespeople have to remember what they said (something you don’t have to do when you tell the truth, as my Granddad used to tell me). And ultimately, it makes the job harder and less rewarding.
To those who say, “But I’ll lose sales if I’m totally honest” – yes, you might lose some deals in the short term. But think about this: How many referrals do you get from angry customers who discovered they were misled? How many repeat sales come from clients who feel they were deceived? The math is simple: Short-term gains from dishonesty never outweigh the long-term benefits of integrity.
For sales leaders reading this: Your role in this is crucial. If you’re laughing off unethical behavior or tacitly encouraging it through your compensation structures or sales cultures, you’re part of the problem. Create environments where ethical behavior is rewarded, where candor is celebrated, and where long-term customer relationships matter more than short-term gains.
I should add here that attempting to deceive, in this day and age, is largely a futile exercise. There are just too many ways to do due diligence now, and lies are usually – not always – discovered before the sale (yes, I know that my client is an example of when it doesn’t happen). I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: You can embrace transparency or have it forced upon you.
As a related issue, we used to say, “Treat someone well, and they’ll tell someone. Treat someone badly, and they’ll tell ten people.” That was in those ancient pre-Internet days. Now it’s, “Treat someone well, and they’ll tell someone. Treat them badly, and they’ll tell the whole world,” because people now have the ability to do so through social media, reviews, etc.
The future of our profession depends on raising the bar on ethical behavior. Every interaction with a customer is an opportunity to either reinforce or challenge those negative stereotypes about salespeople. Choose wisely. Because at the end of the day, “You know how salespeople are” should be a phrase that brings to mind professionalism, integrity, and trust – not a knowing chuckle about deception.
Our profession deserves better. Our customers deserve better. And frankly, we should demand better of ourselves.
