Is the phrase “ethics in business” an oxymoron? People who respond to Gallup’s annual honesty and ethics survey apparently think so. Only 15% of respondents in its 2010 survey said the ethics of business executives were either very high or high. The only occupations rated lower were politicians, advertising professionals, car salespeople, and lobbyists.

One reason business leaders get such low ratings: lack of credibility. The public doesn’t believe they or their firms are forthright in their dealings with customers and stakeholders (Toyota’s stonewalling on safety issues). They don’t believe they accept responsibility for their actions (Wall Street taking bonuses after crashing the economy). And they don’t believe they balance their need for profit with the interests of their customers (banks attempting to launch debit card fees).

Without the trust and admiration of its customers, companies face higher marketing and customer-retention expenses and difficulty launching new products. Solution: build ethics into every aspect of company marketing in order to win back consumer trust.

According to the American Marketing Association, companies that want to be trusted and admired must integrate six values into their marketing programs. They include:

1. Being honest: Making truthful claims about products and services and making sure they deliver on their promised value.

2. Taking responsibility: Accepting the impact of their products and services on customers, both positive and negative.

3. Adopting fairness: Balancing company needs with the needs of buyers, especially by avoiding false, misleading, or deceptive communications and knowing participation in conflicts of interest.

4. Showing respect: Acknowledging that all customers deserve to be treated as individuals, not as stereotypes, regardless of their gender, race, or sexual orientation.

5. Embracing transparency: Communicating fully about product pricing, financing, discounts, substitutions, as well as about company financial strength.

6. Being a good marketing citizen: Fulfilling the economic, legal, and social responsibilities that serve not only direct customers, but also society at large.

To win trust and admiration, don’t just post these values on your web site or office wall. Integrate them into your marketing program in order to make a positive impact on customer relationships. Here are some steps to consider:

• Remove hype from all product promotions. If you oversell your offerings, you will only increase customer mistrust.

• Explain not only the benefits of your offerings, but also the risks and consequences of buying them. Practice full disclosure in order to avoid producing nasty surprises for your purchasers.

• Stand behind your products and services. When something goes wrong, do everything you can to make your customer whole.

• Maintain marketing relationships (with suppliers, distributors, etc.) that benefit you and your customers. Try to remember that what’s good for you should also be good for the customer.

• Treat customers with the dignity they deserve. Remember that consumers aren’t just revenue generators. They are human beings deserving of respect.

• Bring sunlight into all your customer dealings. Show your customers—and your employees—that you have nothing to hide by fully communicating purchase terms and risks.

• Be a good citizen. Understand that successful marketing not only brings financial rewards, but also an opportunity to help others. Consumers admire firms that do good by doing well.

Consumer mistrust didn’t happen overnight. So rebuilding trust and admiration won’t happen overnight, either. But if you want to be the recipient of “customer love,” start reshaping your marketing ethics today. Who knows? Maybe you’ll end up at the top of the Gallup honesty and ethics survey!