I couldn’t believe my ears. The equipment manufacturer’s sales representative said, “Mary, What’s the big deal? Everyone including my boss knows about this little ‘arrangement.’ We do what we have to do to make the sale.”
A New York City commercial printer was asked to attest that he was trading in a competitive brand non-existent press in order to receive a bigger discount. Who’s it hurting?
Does that question bother you? Is lying okay if no one gets hurt? Who has the right to ask customers to compromise their ethics in order to make a sale? Who decides if there is an injured party? Let’s not get the attorneys involved!
As long as the printer lied, he’d receive the “competitive equipment replacement discount” and everyone would go home happy.
The printer hadn’t spotted the fake trade-in document. I uncovered it while preparing to review and negotiate a lease contract for him.
An isolated case? Hardly!
Within a few months, I found another fake trade-in in Missouri. Same set up but this time the scam creator was a dealership owner.
Against my recommendation, both printers acquiesced in order to receive the so-called competitive replacement deal. They both told me that saving the perceived $4,000-$7,000 was worth it to lie.
The Lucky Day Discount
Why couldn’t the discount be explained in a truthful way? Call it the ‘Tuesday discount’ or the ‘lucky day discount.’ ‘My boss is feeling generous and I can offer you a once-in-a-life-time deal.’
When companies brag that they set records by displacing more competitive equipment than ever before, the bodies are buried.
Don’t put your customers in this compromising position. Do business with integrity. You’ll sleep peacefully.