Start Your Own Business or Grow an Existing One

Hundreds of step-by-step video tutorials and tools show you how to find profitable markets, get product ideas, source the best products to sell, build profitable websites easily, and drive qualified traffic. Plus, discover how to outsource it all.

Everything you need to start or grow your own highly profitable web business — regardless of size or model.

  • 1,000s of ready-to-sell products
  • Ideal for any skill level or business
  • Learn anywhere, anytime, 24/7
  • Use it risk-free for a full 30 days

Want More? Click Here For Details »


Written by Michel Fortin
Comments

The 10-Point Ethics Checklist

The 10-Point Ethics Checklist

istock 000005722106xsmall 150x150 The 10 Point Ethics ChecklistToday, Sylvie and I stum­bled onto another bad Inter­net mar­ket­ing sin per­pe­trated by an online mar­keter. This per­son is not as well-​​known, but judg­ing from their style they’re def­i­nitely a stu­dent of some of the top “gurus.”

When we shared this with our plat­inum coach­ing group, a mem­ber sent this amaz­ing “10-​​point ethics check­list,” which he and his employ­ees use in his com­pany as guide­lines in defin­ing if a mar­ket­ing or busi­ness strat­egy is worth doing.

That list is noth­ing short of brilliant.

With his gra­cious per­mis­sion, Dar­rin Clement allowed me to reprint it here for you. I urge you to read it. Go through it when you’re think­ing about imple­ment­ing a new mar­ket­ing or sales tac­tic, or when you’re about to buy into one. It’s that pow­er­ful. Here’s the list…

  1. The Golden Rule: Would I want peo­ple to do this to me?
  2. The Fair­ness Test: Who might be affected and how? Is this fair to everyone?
  3. The ‘What if every­body did this?’ Test: Would I want every­one to do this? Would I want to live in that kind of world?
  4. The Truth Test: Does this action rep­re­sent the whole truth and noth­ing but the truth?
  5. The Par­ents Test: How would my par­ents feel if they found out about this? What advice would they give me?
  6. The Chil­dren Test: Would I be will­ing to explain every­thing about this to my kids and expect them to act in the same way?
  7. The Reli­gion Test: Does this go against my religion?
  8. The Con­science Test: Does this go against my con­science? Will I feel guilty?
  9. The Con­se­quences Test: Are there pos­si­ble con­se­quences of this action that would be bad? Would I regret doing this?
  10. The Front Page Test: How would I feel if my action were reported on the front page of my home­town paper?

About the Author

Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter, author, speaker, and consultant. Visit his blog and signup free to get blog updates by email, along with response-boosting tips, tested conversion strategies, the latest news, free advice, additional resources, and a lot more! Go now to http://www.michelfortin.com. While you're at it, follow him on Twitter.

Like this blog post? Buy me a coffee or send me a tip!

Last 5 Posts By Michel Fortin

Other Related Posts


Share
Category: News
Tags: business, checklist, conscience, criteria, ethics, Internet marketing, legal, marketer, marketing, selling, test
This post was written on Wednesday, April 8th, 2009. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Pinpoint Hungry And Highly Profitable Markets

Pinpoint Hungry And Highly Profitable Markets

New! Streaming video lessons show you how to identify hungry niches online and how to "read their minds!" Discover what your market wants and how to sell more to existing markets. Click for more »

«
»
  • Alex
    I would humbly suggest reading Atlas Shrugged.
  • @Alex - I love Ayn Rand!
  • I love the list BUT, obviously a conscious is required. Some people simply do not care if someone else gets hurt. Or, they justify it. Having been around the block more than once, I firmly believe that human beings can justify ANYTHING if they try hard enough.

    "It's not MY fault it's YOUR fault. My product may be less-than-perfect, but you were a fool to buy it without knowing what you are doing. Besides, did you even read it?"

    Or, "I am too busy to put lots of effort into this product and no other internet marketer bothers to create top-quality products, why should I be the only sucker? No one who buys it will even bother to read it so what difference does it make?"

    Or the classic, "everybody else is a rip off artist, why not me?" "If I don't rip them off, someone else will!"

    Just look at Wall Street.

    Am I being cynical again? Oh my goodness, I believe I am!

    Shame on me!

    Lorraine
  • @Michel Fortin -
    Ayn Rand creates great fiction. The reality her espoused philosophies create is slightly less than great.

    Just saying.

    Lorraine
  • Thank you I love that list and yes I am also an Ayn Rand fan.
  • @Lorraine Grula - Yes, "Conscience" is included. See point #8 in the checklist, "The Conscience Test."

    But if it doesn't go against their conscience because they will do whatever it takes to justify it -- at least to themselves -- then the rest of the checklist, the other nine points, also helps.

    Besides, Lorraine, this list was created by employees of this specific person's company. I think it's high-time marketers start using a similar list.

    Just saying. LOL!
  • I think the bottom comes down to this, and it's something I've said many times -- on this blog, at seminars, or on Twitter...

    Don't make money at the expense of others. Make money at the service of others.
  • @Michel Fortin -

    I do not disagree, I think it is high time marketers followed this list too.

    But I ain't holding my breath. Purple does not become me.

    :)

    That's all.

    L
  • Hey Michel - glad you liked it! It's great if this helps anyone, especially soloprenuers out there. I can honestly say that any mistake I've made in my adult life (yeah, I'm human!) would have been caught if I had just taken a few seconds to run it past this list first.

    But for those of you with employees, I would NOT suggest just using this list as is. You need to involve your staff in this process because you'll see them really step up to the plate. Their involvement will improve the list itself and also invigorate their commitment to it. Sure, you can suggest some of these. But an imperfect list created by your whole team is far more valuable than any "perfect" list force-fed to employees.
  • Excellent list. It seems that with the internet so many people lose the plot and go all 'tricky'. I think of my online stuff as I would when I had a bricks and mortar business.

    Would i do that 'face to face'?
  • Whether everybody else does this checklist or not, I think it makes a difference if *I* do it.
  • Brilliant. Send this list to Rod Blagojevich
  • Nick
    "Don’t make money at the expense of others. Make money at the service of others."

    That is the only way I can sleep at night.
  • Alistair Gray
    Hi Michel,
    Love the ethics test.

    I am a Rotarian and as such I work hard to adhere to the Rotary 4 Way Test in Life and all business dealings. I have shared it below.

    Is it the TRUTH?
    Is it FAIR to all concerned?
    Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
    Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

    Also Stephen Covey in his book 7 Habits talks about developing Win/Win situations otherwise it is a no deal.

    In the end it all comes down to values and your values determine your ethics and can you live with the end result.

    Cheers

    Alistair
  • If you operate your business like you are living in a glass house then the ethics list is a given. One thing the web has done is make consumer sales and most b2b sales transparent.

    In over 15 years of B2B direct sales it amazed me how certain companies and certain sales people really thought that they could do or sale pretty much anything as long as they did not go too far. I know one high-tech company that has used their product nda to limit public comments.

    I found it is easier to sell and market like you never know who is talking to who. I won one deal because I extended the terms agreed to with one division to another. My competitor tried to charge the second division more. While they thought their reasons for doing so were valid, the company did not.

    Oh, and it does make sleeping at night easier.

    John
  • Hi Michel,

    Grabbed this link off Twitter this morning first thing, The list to me is is the only to act, think, and live. Not only on the internet but in everyday life. Karma is a very powerful thing, I totally believe that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. We are building our community around these very rules.

    That may be one reason we are not huge and mainstream. There are allot of people that are going to have a huge surprise at some point I am afraid. Greed dose some strange things.

    Thanks for the post
    Brad West ~ onomoney
  • A very insightful list that provides a great mental reference point before you put something out there on the net.

    I certainly agree with you 'Don’t make money at the expense of others. Make money at the service of others.' ... a great saying!

    Thank you for sharing,

    Karl
  • Hi Michel,
    good ethics, treat people like you would like to be treated your self.
  • Joyce Matthew Chavez
    @Michel Fortin - Hello Michel, I totally agree, do unto others as you would have done unto you. I have not been on the internet for a long time, as I was widowed in Nov. 08, but am happy to get you on my first come back. Thank You, Joyce
  • I like the list but sometimes it is frustrating to see that people circumvent ethics for profit. Seemingly with no nagging of conscience.
  • Thanks for sharing those guidelines. It is frustrating to think that many of those who want to succeed are willing to trade their integrity. But mind you, to those that seem to have no "conscience" at all; it will catch up with them someday -- for sure. I am a great believer of "what we sow, we shall reap".

    I hope a lot of people read this checklist. More power to you....
  • I just found this article that might be of interest...

    http://mikeyounglaw.com/wp/2009/02/05/internet-...
  • Michel,

    Thank you for the link, Mike Young with 27 years of computer experience and to beat all an attorney with integrity. That is a rarity in itself. seems to have great knowledge about the value of being honest. I have all the faith in the world that we will prevail because of our honesty. Seems to be the hard road to take at times though.

    Thanks
    Brad West ~ onomoney
  • I particularly love the "Would I be willing to explain everything about this to my kids and expect them to act in the same way?" part. I think as parents, this one resonates with most of us. If our actions don't meet this one, it's time to rethink our strategies!

    Thanks Michel for sharing this post.

    Cenay'
  • @Darrin -

    I salute you and Michel for this checklist; It is so profound!
    I am a newbie at Newtwork Marketing but have been a long time practictioner of training & coaching whether professionally or personally. It really is a "wake up call" for those who are so "into the thick of thngs" and tend to take what we practice for granted. To be jolted by this list is a callback to the sanctity of llife and the purpose of being here.

    Thank you so much for this & may I have your permission of share it in my new blog. It is a blog dedicated to newbies helping newbies in the industry. This sharing would definitely benefit all that comes in touch with it.

    Respectfully yours,

    TJ Goh, Lead Traffic Sponsors
  • Sam
    You have no choice but to deliver by the highest standards with this checklist. A lot of marketers need to come on over and read this because their is so much useless junk out there.
  • Hi Michael-

    Great checklist! I also wanted to say THANKS for the audio's in the BM package.
    You gotta go see what I wrote about you in the Catapillar forum...
    Can I republish this list on Article Gallery with a link back here?
  • That's true, good post. It all comes down to keeping it real, if you can do that at the end of the day, other people will notice that too and start trusting you, marketers especially can spot frauds, and it only hurt you, not them.

    Terrance Charles
    http://twitter.com/TerranceCharles
  • Great list, Michel. I especially love #3. I ask myself that question all the time.

    Ryan
  • The list is somewhat very idealistic. I wouldn't want to sound cynical, but at some point I'd have to agree with Lorraine. There are people out there who would be willing to take advantage of other people just to get what they want. Some would go to great lengths. Sad, but true.
  • Michael, just visiting your blog for the first time, and it was an epiphany to find that list and the long list of respondents. It heartens me to think that the industry I've worked in so long is populated by people I didn't know existed - people I actually would feel good about knowing. Thanks, and you have a wonderful blog by the way.
  • Mark
    First, much of the list could be boiled down to "will it shame/guilt you," (#5, #6, #8, #10, perhaps #1) which is an overly simplistic view of ethics. I could feel shame for not wearing traditional dress when visiting aboriginee Australia, for example, but it doesn't mean I believe that it's morally wrong to dress as I choose.

    It's also not universally applicable (e.g. atheists)

    But mostly the whole list feels fluffy. #3 is redundant after #1 (if the entire world is literally doing the same thing, you're inevitably being subjected to it), and the whole post could probably be stripped down to either #1, #8, or maybe both.
  • @Mark - Mark, of course the list is idealistic. It's not meant to be a clearcut definition of ethics by any stretch. Ethics is neither universal, nor as black-and-white. It depends on one's culture, moraes, and social conditioning.

    So you're right. It's moral relativism.

    However, I think you're missing the point.

    Sure, this list is not meant to be all-encompassing or applicable to every situation. Certainly some are atheists, others don't have kids, some may have criminal parents, etc. And I also agree it may appear as reductionistic and fluffy to some.

    But how many people, if you stripped the list down to one or two of these as you suggest, would still answer in the affirmative? Some might. Thus, the list, in my opinion (since I'm not its author), provides for some people variations to help explain, clarify, emphasize, or support #1, which ostensibly is the Golden Rule.

    As an aside...

    Admittedly, your comment seems to be dissecting the list based on its wording, not on its intent or meaning. And, sad to say, that's the same process unethical marketers use to justify their actions to themselves.

    In other words, those who act unethically, albeit what they do may be entirely legal, do so by following, and rationalizing their activities and behaviors with, the letter of the law rather than the spirit for which the law was intended.

    One can certainly find some way to circumvent the law. Similarly, one can certainly find some way to justify their behavior, too. Persistence is not a talent exclusive to ethical people.

    But regardless, the goal of this list is not to set some standard in stone, or to be incite scrutiny based on its wording or relevancy, but to get you to think -- whether the entire list applies to you or not.

    Nevertheless, I appreciate your feedback.
blog comments powered by Disqus
Pinpoint Hungry And Highly Profitable Markets

Pinpoint Hungry And Highly Profitable Markets

New! Streaming video lessons show you how to identify hungry niches online and how to "read their minds!" Discover what your market wants and how to sell more to existing markets. Click for more »