Strong ethical behavior is what separates the good companies from the great companies.
Most dealers are technically competent, customer focused, and understand the importance of sales. The great companies expand on these core competencies by adhering to ethical rules and regulations. The principles and values they adhere to are well grounded and widely understood throughout the dealership. This philosophy guides even the smallest decisions or actions.
Here are ways to ensure that your dealership has an ethical environment:
• Recruit people who share your company’s values.
• Post a written code of ethics on your bulletin boards.
• Offer training classes on dealing with ethical issues.
• Encourage firm responses to any level of wrongdoing.
• Provide expectations of behavior in dealing with employees, customers, competitors, and vendors.
It's important to insure that management sends a clear message to employees that ethical behavior is the foundation of a great business.
Mike Moore is the HVAC Training Director at HVAC Learning Solutions, an HVAC industry expert in sales, technical, and business training. Visit Mike’s blog for more insights. Mike can be reached on Twitter @hvaclearning or on Google+ at gplus.to/hvactraining.