I received many responses to yesterday's 'Sex for Targets' article. And yes, it seems I may have been a little naive.
Our Vision at SBA Interactive is to positively change the perception of Sales as a Profession in Nigeria; thereby developing Sales Professionals that are Highly Professional, Highly Skilled, Knowledgeable, and Dedicated to Service and Adding Value.
But it seems the issue of 'Sex For Targets' may be a fairly major obstacle.
Below are a few more interesting comments from readers;
'I'm pretty sure our bosses know what some of the female sales staff get up to, but I don't think they care; so long as they meet their targets.'
'And what makes this thing worse is that some of the men have zero respect; to the extent that they call you a prostitute to your face.'
'Some of them don't even try to hide their intentions. They blatantly tell you, "Yes I can help you. But you know what you have to do first.'
'This matter is not just about women. It happens to guys as well.'
'Our boss encourages us to wear short skirts and and short dresses so that we can show off our legs. And she's a woman!'
'I keep hearing this thing. But I've never actually experienced it. I honestly believe there's an element of greed in this; in that some girls actually want to do it for the money as well as to have easy access to rich men. We live in a world where everyone is in a hurry to get where they want to get to. So for some of these girls it's just a means to an end.'
So can anything be done about this?
Or is the final statement / quote the real issue here?
In my opinion, in order to reduce such harassment, We need to address the issue of 'Suggestive wears by ladies' , knowledge base on the value the product or services they are trying to sell carries.
ReplyDeleteI know there are targets and deadlines being hammered on bosses also, but if they can be reasonable enough to calm down and listen to their colleagues and help them out.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Some ladies don't dress like they need respect. they dress to advertise themselves before advertising the product / service they have. If this can be addressed then just maybe things can get better for sales people.
As I said on your twitter page, Respect is an individual thing and if i a business meeting, the sales person respects himself or herself, the other party if in his / her right senses would be able to read the lines and know if to approach this person or not.
ReplyDeleteNot saying we don't have pervs out there that despite your respectful stand, they will still try their luck. But let each one have a standard to live up to.