Would You Sell to a Racist Bigot?

William Baker, who writes BNET's "Where's the Line" blog, has been asking some truly interesting questions about racial politics inside the corporation. In "Racism in the Office," he asked for (and got, big time) opinions about how to handle internal reactions to racially insensitive remarks. And in "Minority Hiring," he tackles affirmative action.

I thought it might be interesting to ask a question that deals not with all that touchy-feely stuff in the Human Resources department, but where it really matters -- in your own wallet.

Suppose you're working on a big deal and you discover that the customer is a bigot. Maybe he makes a racist joke. Maybe there's a picture of Hitler in his office. Whatever. You're completely, 100 percent certain the guy is a bigot. And you know that your product -- and only your product -- will make him even more successful and influential. And you'll get a big commission if the deal goes through.

Do you shake his hand and close the deal? Or do you flip him off and walk away?

Here's the poll. It's anonymous, so you can answer honestly. And before you vote, remember: IBM sold data processing equipment to Nazi Germany.

[poll id=9]