Providing trusted proof DEI commitment

Sales is often the first contact prospects meet and thus become the face of an organization. After a contract is signed, they often remain a key contact point for customers. To be successful they need to know their market intimately, understand the needs and expectations of all players in the market, and be able to respond quickly.

Customers are becoming more conscious

It is almost certain that acceptance of diversity is growing. Prejudices of many kinds do still exist, unfortunately. But pressure to embrace differences is growing as well as the understanding of the benefits diversity, equity and inclusion brings. This has not eluded the business context.

Successful sales managers will have recognized that customers are becoming more conscious. They have high standards as to whom they work with and are willing to take their business elsewhere if their expectations are not met. Building trust is crucial role in any relationship.

A Gartner Brand Trust Survey on B2B and B2C relationships showed that 81% refuse to do business with or buy from a brand that they don’t trust and 89% expect to disengage from a brand that breaches their trust. It also showed that 74% expect more from brands not just aroundproduct performance or durability but also on how brands treat their customers, employees and the environment.

Connecting with customers

When a company is implementing DEI into their operations, sales naturally have an invested interest and a role to play. Building stakeholder trust goes way beyond displaying diverse teams. Customers are increasingly demanding proof of DEI performance.

To be credible the company’s approach on DEI must be implemented and operationalized deeper into and across the organization. It is very similar to other issues the company has to tackle, such as quality or environmental management. Moreover, it is common knowledge that a well implemented and certified management system goes a long way to meet customer expectations.

Being able to demonstrate trusted proof of an organization’s performance and commitment is essential. As for other issues, national and international best-practice standards exist to guide a company’s DEI journey and against which independent verification can be achieved.  One such standard is ISO 30415 Human resource management – Diversity and inclusion.  ISO 30415 is structured around seven principles areas. It provides guidance on how to address inequalities in organizational systems, policies, processes and practices. Its requirements help define diversity and inclusion within the company context and structure the implementation of initiatives.

Once compliant systems and processes are implemented, a company can seek a scored assessment from an independent third party. In addition to an audit report with the overall score and identification of gaps to be addressed, it yields a trusted verification statement issued by the certification body. Instead of scrambling to source evidence of the company’s DEI commitment in different places, the verification statement provides trusted proof of commitment and performance in one document.

An additional advantage is that by undergoing an annual verification, customers will see continued improvement and be reassured that the organization is truly committed to DEI as opposed to meeting a one-off check to land a contract.