Put Ethics into Action

March is National Ethics Awareness Month, which makes it a perfect time to have a discussion with your team about ethical issues related to insurance sales and marketing.? We know that when trust is diminished, sales can suffer.? Following is a ten-point plan, as outlined in the timeless article, The Power of Principles, for emphasizing ethics in your organizational culture.

Here’s a quick summary of the plan:

1.?????? Create a written Code of Ethics specific to the sales and marketing practices of your firm.

2.?????? Define the parameters for management decision-making that will form the acceptable boundaries for managerial actions.

3.?????? Use real-life sales and marketing scenarios as a basis for ethics discussions at staff meetings.

4.?????? Engage sales and marketing practitioners in the planning phase to discuss the pros and cons of marketing / social media campaigns and sales activities from an ethical viewpoint.

5.?????? Require marketing proposals and sales campaign documents to incorporate ethical considerations.

6.?????? Implement a Privacy Policy and publish a Privacy Statement.

7.?????? Use professional assessment tools to assist in sound hiring decisions.

8.?????? Establish due process for dealing with any violation of your Code of Ethics.

9.?????? Reward sound judgment and recognize ethical behavior that exemplifies the culture you wish to create.

10.?? Practice exemplary leadership. This is one of the most powerful and proven methods of building a team that lives by a code.

Do you have suggestions of your own that can help owners and managers drive and maintain high ethical standards throughout their organizations?