Reference no: EM131475605
Topic 1:
The Speedy Sale Discussion Case
1. Read the mini-case study: The Speedy Sale
2. Discuss the following with your classmates (You do not need to address each and every point, but use these in your evaluation of the situation).
A. What are the Ethical Issues?
What is the sellerâs duty to inform the buyer of all conditions of the sale?
Is it fair for a seller to make promises to a buyer that he canât keep?
Does a salesperson have a responsibility to his superior to make a sale, even if it might mean compromising his own ethics?
To whom is the salespersonâs primary responsibility: the customer, himself, his manager, or the company?
What sales practices are necessary for building trust and long-term relationships with customers?
To what degree should the sales manager demonstrate the ethical conduct she requires in her sales force through her own actions?
B. What Are the Possible Alternatives?
C. What Are the Ethics of the Alternatives?
D. What Actions Should Be Taken?
What actions should Sam take?
Which alternative would you choose if you were in his position? Why would you make that choice?
If you were in this situation, what would you do?
The Speedy Case
The Speedy Sale Topic: Unethical Sales Presentation Techniques Characters: Sam, Consumer electronics salesperson for an outlet of a major discount store Bernie, Samâs customer for a color television set Michelle, Sales manager for the consumer electronics department at the discount outlet Bernie is very interested in buying a color television. He tells Sam, the salesperson in the discount store where he feels he can get the best buy, that his old color TV recently died and he really misses seeing his favorite shows. The sooner he can buy and get a new TV delivered, the better, he explains. Sam knows that the particular model which Bernie seems to prefer by far to the others will go on sale for 15 percent off in three and a half weeks. However, he assumes that Bernie is not willing to wait that long and might look elsewhere. Also, Sam will not make as much commission on the reduced price. Therefore, he reasons that it would make little sense to inform Bernie of the pending sale. When Sam tells Bernie that the TV set he is interested in is currently out of stock and will not be in for another week, Beanie is dearly disgruntled. Fearing losing the sale, Sam goes out to the back room to ask his sales manager, Michelle, if anything can be done to speed up delivery. Michelle says that this would be impossible, and she suggests that Sam could tell Bernie that the store can get the set within 24 hours and simply sell him the demonstration model. Michelle explains that the demo is in as-new condition and Bernie will never know the difference. Sam feels that selling the demonstration model to Bernie wouldnât be on the level. Knowing that it will take five working days to have a new set delivered to the store, Sam thinks of a different sales strategy--tell Bernie he can get a set to him in two days, then call Bernie tomorrow to say it will be sometime next week due to a flood of orders at the factory. Sam wonders how he can lock in the sale today. Author: Geoffrey P. Lantos, Associate Professor of Marketing, Stonehill College.