Professionals seldom debate sales ethics. This is especially true during the hot pursuit of an opportunity, when there is pressure to make quick judgments about what claims to make.

A prospective client asks how well a professional firm knows banks. One of the firm's professionals answers, "Quite well. Over a quarter of our revenues came from the banking industry last year." If she had been given the chance to speak first, his colleague would have felt compelled to say, "We have only worked for one bank, but it was our largest client last year." Both statements are accurate, but they leave a prospective client with quite different impressions. The professionals make different choices in the tradeoff between accuracy and precision, a subject which I have discussed elsewhere.

Here I address the problem of discussing what is an ethical answer. The two professionals didn't debate the subject in advance, because they didn't know the question would be asked. And they will probably also avoid the discussion later, because the answer by then is a fait accompli. If Professional One knows that Professional Two would reject his answer, he will probably think her prudish, while Professional Two feels that Professional One's choice of words is unprincipled. Recognizing that accusations, whether spoken of implied, about a colleague's prudishness or lack of principles is likely to turn ugly, they simply don't talk about it. The more senior person gets his way. Or the one who speaks first sets the standard. That isn't the way to resolve ethical concerns.

I am not arguing for either answer here. Professional One may realize that his, though true, is potentially misleading, but believe that a little finessing is as acceptable in selling as bluffing is in poker. Professional Two may feel that anything short of the barest truth is dishonest. Both are defensible positions and do not necessarily reflect a lack of integrity by either professional.

Note that different clients might respond differently to the two answers, were they to know the whole truth. One might be a bluffer, herself, and appreciate good bluffing in selling, as much as she does when playing poker or buying something at an oriental bizarre. She may feel that the first answer proves the savviness of the professional, a trait she may value. Another buyer might feel he has been betrayed if told anything short of the starkest truth.

My concern is that if the issue is not discussed, it leads to permanent misunderstanding about what management considers acceptable sales behavior and what is not. In the absence of that discussion, the bluffs may get bigger to the point that they become bald lies. (The professional claims that his firm worked for fourteen banks when it has actually only worked for one.) And the true statements can become more and more detailed, to the point that they never put the firm in a good light. (The professional not only states that the firm has only worked for one bank, but then adds four reasons why that case is not relevant to the one at hand.) I have seen both occur during my career and both are destructive to a firm's reputation and its ability to get business. They inhibit the firm's ability to develop a unified sales culture.

To avoid this, I suggest the following:

• Openly discuss appropriate sales behavior from time to time, but focus the discussion on developing appropriate standards for the firm, rather than on accusations about personal morals, sophistication or attitudes. Talking about standards helps depersonalize the conversation.
• Welcome discussions of sales standards when someone else brings up the subject, regardless of how cautiously.
• Recognize that, while we can all agree that there are standards that are unacceptable, it is legitimate and probably good for the firm for people to believe in different standards, because firm standards should be challenged from time to time.
• Make it clear that the firm has standards that it will hold to, even if doing so requires reprimanding a senior person. Make those standards clear.

If you are uncomfortable discussing sales ethics or clearly stating firm standards, that, by itself, should be cause for reflection.