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This week, we've talked about cognitive errors and cognitive biases,

mistakes in our own thinking and how that can lead us into trouble and

ways to protect against it.

One of the classic cognitive biases is deeply involved in our two

minute challenge this week, which has to do with commission sales.

Because it pits ourselves and

our self-interest against those of our customers and clients and

sometimes against that of our company We have financial interests and so we're

driven one way by those, or pulled one way by those, or tempted one way by those.

And then we have a larger duty to the best interest of our client or company.

How do we resolve those?

Let's hear what some of our experts think about commission sales and

the issues they raise.

>> I've seen this situation in different varieties or different forms.

You've gone into a shop, and you're looking for a new camcorder.

Someone is trying to sell you on a specific brand, a specific camcorder,

they tell you these features are perfect for what you need.

Hey, this one does this. You start asking, so

are you being incented to sell this camera

because this is the only one you talk about every time I have a question.

And if the person comes back and says, no, no, no, I am passionate about this camera,

I actually bought one of these.

These are the best by far.

That's different.

And the same thing with this product.

Now the level of trust you have for the salesperson is the level

of trust that person can establish is in the way they treat their customer.

If you are an account rep and

someone is asking you to push a product you know is not in the best interests of

your customer, you have a decision to make at that point.

If you are being rated or judged by a product that is not the best

fit to the customer and it's been pretty explicit that there's an expectation

you sell a product that you know is not the best fit.

You have to question whether that organization aligns with your values and

if it doesn't align with your values and the core beliefs you have, then you have

to question whether or not you really should continue to work for that company.

But you shouldn't compromise your ethics for short-term incentive or

even being judged for a product that doesn't fit that customer.

And if your values don't align with the organization,

then you might not be working in the right organization.

The other thing you have to consider is what effect is that going to have on your

reputation, that relationship the customer has and just whether or

not you become someone that's labelled as trustworthy.

If that person finds out later there is a better product, you're not just going to

lose that customer, you're going to lose your reputation.

You really want to make sure that you are thinking of a long-term and

not just a short-term gain of selling this product that management is pushing but

the long-term gain you can have from having a customer for life.

>> Commission sales are extremely common and they work very well.

You ideally, as a commission salesperson,

yourself believe in the product that you are selling.

If you feel good about the product and you can put forward honest

commentary to your prospects about it, then that's great.

I think that if you don't believe in the product that you're selling, or

worse you haven't even researched the product that you're selling and

you're just regurgitating drivel that you've heard from your employer,

that's not something to be proud of.

I would be very, very wary of making any recommendation

that was not in the best interests of client because the whole purpose of

the role is to make recommendations that are in the best interests of the client.

I think that if you find yourself in this kind of situation and

you find that your compensation is tied to giving bad advice,

then you want to find a different role.

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3.6.1: What Happened Next? Commission Sales

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