Why bother to do business ethically? Here's why....

Hello Dien & all:

I read this board almost daily. I keep promising Rick I'll join in a little more often.. and your post just called out to me to add my two cents worth. : )

Yes, you are so right. It is important to maintain one's ethics in business if one wants to stay in business. However, there is another issue that is sadly lacking - particularly on the Internet. That issue is to also have responsibility and accountability.

Far, far too many people give advice about matters which they are not qualified to give advice for.

For example, how many people are selling books about how to make money online, when the author has never sold a thing online before their "how to make money online" book. You know?

I get potential clients contacting me on a regular basis telling me that they want to help people make money online. I ask them - very plainly - how they plan to teach anyone what they have not yet learned themselves. That usually draws some silent thought. I actually had one gentleman honest enough to tell me "You know, Linda... that's NOT what I wanted to hear. But... it's probably what I NEEDED to hear."

I personally know of multitudes of people that obtained their "professional" status with a piece of software. For example...

...website designers that bang out websites with an html editor and haven't the faintest clue how to manipulate html or optimize their websites, nevermind writing copy that actually sells.

...search engine submission services that can't even get their own site into a search engine, much less anyone else's

...press release writers that use the media blaster and haven't a clue how to submit a press release the right way

...writers that don't know the difference between an advertisement and an article

...consultants that don't know a thing about how to sell on the Internet, but will be happy to offer their opinions for a dollar figure.

and the list goes on, and on.

The sad thing is that many of these people "think" they are professional. They believe that the software is all they need to do the job. They are not "doing what they do" with any thoughts of being un-ethical. They simply don't know any better. They bought a piece of software that said "this is all you need" and they believe it.

The next saddest thing to a 'professional' that does not know his/her own trade is the person whose "referral" is up for sale for the right price. Personally, I will NOT recommend a product or service unless I use it myself and am willing to put my name and reputation on the line along with that referral. The number of people that "recommend" a product because of the commission paid is pathetic at best.

One of the latest trends is to bang out an ebook and sell it. The number of poorly written ebooks filled with typos and poor copywriting is staggering. Pair that with the fact that there is no regulation regarding accuracy of information and it becomes truly scary. The thought that innocent people are buying some of that stuff and following poor advice is just sad.

So, for anyone looking for guidance or services online, please know that the web really calls for a great deal of "buyer beware" or you could end up paying for poor advice in lost sales. That's not to say that there are "no" good people in these fields... there are - just that there are also people that don't know their jobs as well as they should.

For anyone doing business online, remember that the Internet is not an entity unto itself. We are not marketing "to the Internet". The Internet is a means of communication, and nothing more or less than that. It is, hands-down, the best
form of communication available today for speed and reach, but it is still communication. With people.

People like you and me. People with feelings, like yours and mine. We just want to be respected and know that we are dishing out our hard earned cash for something of value. We want the people taking our money to care about what we needed and paid them for. Good old fashioned service still kicks butt like nothing else.

Despite the popularity of all the "Insider's Secrets" programs out there, I don't believe success is a secret. Success is a gift that people give you - in return for what you give them. Ethics, responsibility and accountability are among the best things you can give your customers. Pair those with a great product or service and you'll be on the right track.

Okay... getting off the soapbox! *g*

Just my two cents..
Linda Caroll


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