Real-Life Decision Making
Salespeople are often confronted with difficult decisions. Profit margins
are the bottom line for business and industry: companies are in business to
make money.
That is why salespeople are faced with dilemmas related to profit making.
They are often under pressure from higher-ups to make important sales and
to obtain large accounts. Sometimes that means undercutting a competitor's
price, resulting in a minimal profit to your company and a low commission
for the salesperson. In business, there is sometimes a fine line between good
ethics and sound business practice.
You are a technical salesperson for a secondary wood products manufacturing
company. The company you work for manufactures joists. Your job is to sell
building products to general contractors.
Your company belongs to something called a plan exchange. The plan exchange
solicits plans from architects and contractors and keeps those plans in a
central location. Manufacturers play a monthly or yearly fee to view the plans.
You have been in touch with a general contractor who is building a three-storey
office building. The plans provided by the plan exchange tell you this building
requires 2 x 10 joists of No. 1 D. FIR (weight, grade, standard).
However, the contractor tells you he intends to use No. 2 SPF joists instead.
He has been a general contractor for 15 years, he explains. In his experience,
the No. 1 D. FIR joists specified in the plans are not really necessary, especially
considering the very light snowfall this area gets. After all, it's not
like the roof could cave in!
The contractor wants to substitute a different joist grade. He would certainly
consider doing business with you if you could provide him with No. 2 SPF joists
rather than the No. 1 D. FIR joists called for in the plans.
What are you going to do?