The Ins And Outs Of Online Business Ethics
In large part because the web offers a venue for virtual anonymity
, it has become a venue for questionable and often unethical sales practices. Given this fact, a good way for an entrepreneur to make their site stand out from the crowd is to engage in ethical sales practices. Indeed, those who do business online should always take ethical issues into consideration and know that the internet is not an ethics free zone. Successful online entrepreneurs will have to be aware of, and follow, basic online ethical rules.A basic ethical consideration you should always follow online is to never make a commitment that you will not be able to honor. Many people will claim that they will be able to do online work such as writing or editing that they will not be able to complete. It is a good idea to only accept online assignments and sales that you will be able to complete.
Another good rule is to always let your clients know that you will not be able to complete an assignment or sale on time. In many cases, honestly coming out and saying you can not do something will help you avoid losing a client.
A Very Unethical Practice
A very unethical activity that many people engage in online is to accept payment for work before they have actually done it. Many work websites allow people to claim deposits or advance payments upfront.
Although this practice is not necessarily unethical in itself it can lead to unethical activity such as claiming deposits for work you have not done. A good way to avoid this ethical pitfall is to never accept payment for work you have not done. Most work websites will allow you to waive the deposit or upfront payment.
Taking payment for work that you have not done is always wrong. The best policy is to not accept payment until you have completed the work. This way if you can not complete the work you will not have to pay money back. It will make your life a lot simpler and it will take away the temptation of spending money that you have not earned.
Another good suggestion is to never make any sort of payment to a person working for you online until they have completed the work. Following this standard can help you avoid getting ripped off and avoid disputes over uncompleted or unsatisfactory work. Think, how many times have you received an email from a Nigerian businessman asking you to hold $1 million in escrow?
Basic Online Sales Ethics
The most basic sales ethic is to not make any claim for your product or service that you can not verify. If you do not know whether your product can actually do what you claim it can do, do not make that claim.
If you are selling a gasoline additive do not claim it can increase the performance of a car unless you have evidence proving it can. Make sure it is legitimate and verifiable evidence such as a study not just a sales pitch.
A good rule of thumb is to never make a claim that you can not quickly verify it. If you can not make such claims about your product then it is time to find a new product.
Beware of Gray Areas
Many online marketers cross over into deception by going into gray areas. An example of such a gray area would be saying that your product can help everybody when you know it can not help all the customers.
Another is to not reveal drawbacks or limitations to your product service. This is not lying but it can be misleading or deceiving to the customer.
Failing to disclose all the details about your product is another practice that can be very unethical. It can also be illegal in some cases if you are not careful.
A good way to avoid this ethical trap is to disclose everything about your product. If there is something it can not or should not do come out and say so. Avoiding gray areas can help you avoid disgruntled customers and legal problems.
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