Winning an Ethical Battle
There’s no shortage of the words “ethics”, and “corporate responsibility” on all our local newscasts. People are much more in tune with taking a closer look at who their doing business with, and whether or not they’ll be around when we need them.
I recall around the holidays seeing blogs all over the Internet warning you not to purchase gift cards from struggling retail companies who may not be around when your gift is ready to be used. Or how to handle the changes that many companies are going through to try and stay afloat and avoid layoffs.
This has also trickled down to our clientele. So, how do we cope with a good client gone bad? I believe the first step is to communicate your concerns, provide information on options to consider, and help them to understand the impact on their clients, employees, and service providers.
I used to handle association management for a small organization with 180 members. I work through their Board of Directors, and have been faced with many ethical challenges. On numerous occasions, I have spoken the words, “using your position with the Board for personal gain”.
A few months ago, I received a phone call from a company wanting me, as a member of this organization, to support our local school district by advertising on their sports posters. They started the pitch off by mentioning one of the Board members as the person who suggested they call me.
By asking a series of questions, I found out that this Board member had provided our entire member contact list in exchange for a full-page ad at the half-page ad price. I contacted the school district and was able to find out that they weren’t even the “approved” provider to the school, and no arrangements had been made to rebate them any of the funds. Not only that, they were under contract with a supplier that prevented them from displaying anyone else’s posters. So anyone who would have purchased from this company, would NOT have their posters displayed anywhere at the school.
I contacted the Board, and reminded them that we’d put several safeguards in place to protect member’s contact information from being harvested for solicitations, and urged them to openly discuss this ethics breakdown. I asked for approval to notify the membership that this organization was misrepresenting their affiliation with the school district. I emphasized to them that they needed to remember they serve on the Board for the betterment and support of the organization, this wasn’t about their personal, or business development.
I did win this particular battle, and was able to alert the membership, receiving praise for our research and follow-through, but I don’t win them all. I can only hope to educate them to consider ethical options, and to think of the consequences of their actions, as we all should.
Sometimes I’ve had to stop doing business with clients because of their unethical practices – and you can, too. You can choose to do, or not do, business with anyone you like, for whatever reason you like. We are a reflection of the client’s we represent, and that can have a positive or negative impact on our credibility and reputation. I hope you take the time to consider your ethical options and make an effort to help educate others on good business practices. It’s in all our best interests.
Jeannine Clontz, IVAA CVA, MVA, CRESS, PREVA, EthicsChecked™, CRVA, owner of Accurate Business Services is a Past-president of the IVAA (International Virtual Assistants Association), and is an author, VA Coach, and speaker on business topics including business ethics. For her free 10-Step Guide to Finding the Right VA, send a request to: service@accbizsvcs.com. For more information visit: http://www.accbizsvcs.com, www.VAbizcoach.com or her book website http://www.entrepreneurialfreedom.com
Last time we discussed the top five mistakes to avoid when marketing your business, here are the final five!
Without marketing your business could stagnate, or even worse, close. Identifying and correcting some basic marketing mistakes will help you to promote and grow your business.
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