Gensler notes that taking up a salesperson’s job at the company was an opportunistic opening that happened in my life, which was in response to the long-term goal and desire of my life (2). The entire idea was based on the paradigm of treating others just as I could like to be treated by others, often referred to as “The Golden Rule of Selling” (Donoho, Heinze and Kondo 3). It is an idea that revolves around the concept of putting other people’s needs ahead of one’s personal needs besides to construct genuine relationship among the customers. Besides, the rule applies for those in business rivalry,
A study by Gensler shows that the philosophy of the Golden Rule of Selling entails key defining elements which are discussed hereafter (2). According to Peppers and Rogers, one of the strategies is to develop a genuine relationship with the customer by directing them to the right product even if such a product belongs to a business rival. Genuine relationship is the key word (3). An inner urge to do serve others defines the occupation because of the desirable opportunities it presents.
However, the purpose of life can be reflected in serving others, family members, providing emotional support to others, making others comfortable and serving to make a difference in the lives of others.
However, fulfilling life’s purpose of serving others requires that the salesperson should acquire the requisite knowledge and skills for the job. Knowledge about business rivals and their product offerings provide the necessary framework to determine what people want besides being evidence of what the salesperson knows. The degree of care provides the key to the knowledge on what the salesperson does to the customer.
It is evident that customers love to interact with the salesperson on a one-on-one basis. The intrinsic motive of the salesperson is integrity or sincerity and the desire to serve the customer and provide them with products that meets their needs and expectations. Despite the goal being to encourage people to buy products and increase sales and make good profits, the aims of a good salesperson is to serve the customers so that they live better lives (Singh and Venugopal, 4).
The underlying paradigm is to make the needs of other people to come first before focusing on one’s personal needs. Despite the prepositions about the Golden Rule, it is important to distinguish the rule with other suppositions about it (Smith & Taylor 5).
Among the key elements to use in contrasting a good salesperson with a salesperson include corruption, selfishness, comprehension, and being easy to follow, which should be the factors that do not define the golden rule (Jelinek 7). However, to make the greatest sales, the great mystery can be used to guide the salesperson’s philosophy based on the great harvest law of sales, which connotes that a person can only reap what they have sown. Such a practice when done on others with the elements of compassion, love, and kindness, the same will always be done on us (Jelinek 8).
The rationale is to be selfless and establishing good relationship with the customers. When the principles of love are practiced in the context of the business environment, the resulting effects are based on the philosophy that reflects the principles of the Golden Rule.
Works Cited
Donoho, Casey, Timothy Heinze, and Christopher Kondo. “Gender Differences in Personal Selling Ethics Evaluations Do They Exist and What Does Their Existence Mean for Teaching Sales Ethics?.” Journal of Marketing Education 34.1 (2012): 55-66. Print.
Gensler, Harry J. Ethics and the golden rule. New York: Routledge, 2013.
Jelinek, Kate. “Deviance at RKGA LLP.” Issues in Accounting Education 27.2 (2012): 475-491. Print.
Peppers, Don, and Martha Rogers. Rules to Break and Laws to Follow: How Your Business Can Beat the Crisis of Short-termism. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2012.
Singh, Rakesh, and Pingali Venugopal. “The impact of salesperson customer orientation on sales performance via mediating mechanism.” Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing 30.5 (2015). Print.
Smith, Paul Russell, and Jonathan Taylor. Marketing communications: an integrated approach. London: Kogan Page Publishers, 2004.