General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMen: do you get insulted when companies use female sales reps dressed up to the nines?
I make all the IT purchases at the firm at which I work. This is mainly because people more senior than me used to make those purchases and ended up buying a whole heap of crap.
I generally don't respond to cold calls and the like, but someone ended up making an appointment with me for someone from some company touting customised middleware solutions or somesuch.
A rep turns up. Young, blonde, lots of cleavage and skirt well, well north of the knee. She was very coquettish, smiles and hair flicks and leaning in and the like, despite the fact that I was curt and terse with her and grew increasingly more so. I got rid of her within 10 minutes. She was a bit perturbed.
My blood runs cold when people attempt this sort of thing. The implication is that I am going to be so dazzled by boobs and arse that I am going to sign up for their software, which I find frankly insulting.
On the other hand, it is quite true that male sales reps attempt to project their own image as well (BMW M3, tanned, cut suits and cufflinks, bluetooth headpiece on the ear). They always seem to carry around iPads as well, even if they only use them for emails.
Nevertheless, I was surprised at how annoyed I was. Almost felt like calling the company and complaining.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)For instance, the only way I'm going into this thread is like this:
JVS
(61,935 posts)steve2470
(37,457 posts)zappaman
(20,606 posts)OffWithTheirHeads
(10,337 posts)RKP5637
(67,111 posts)jollyreaper2112
(1,941 posts)Full on porn with all the jiggly bits is honest. Bare breasts are honest. Putting naked people on the DVD case is honest. Using tits to sell beer is immoral. Using sex appeal to get sales is immoral. Flirting to get favors when there's no real interest is immoral. It's using sex for perverse purposes. It's just as sick for a woman to offer a blowjob for a promotion as it is for a man to demand one.
Use of sex in marketing makes me sick.
JVS
(61,935 posts)wear whatever they find most comfortable. I'm egalitarian like that.
htuttle
(23,738 posts)I've been in the business since most of the vendor reps were in grade school, and I look like a cross between the worst stereotype of an old Unix hack and Bret Spiner's character in Independence Day.
I'm usually able to raise a sweat on the sales engineer's forehead within half an hour.
KittyWampus
(55,894 posts)a short story.
htuttle
(23,738 posts)Tales of the Bastard Operator from Hell
Operation Vendordrome
http://www.reddit.com/r/talesfromtechsupport/comments/1w0cte/tales_from_the_unhelpful_desk_16_the_bofh_way_to/
1000words
(7,051 posts)I'm with you, though ... I find it insulting.
shaayecanaan
(6,068 posts)I'm not sure who to be annoyed at, the woman who was frankly unprofessional, the company or the men who obviously fall for it.
1000words
(7,051 posts)A good salesperson doesn't need to rely on gimmicks or sexuality to close the deal.
DebJ
(7,699 posts)performers who claim to be musicians.
lunasun
(21,646 posts)The front desk came to the back office and asked "who ordered a hooker? She's here"
Yeah they are always the same.....like they were formed on some pod farm
.....
annoying is a good word, although I find it freakish
(not in a sexual way)
doc03
(35,346 posts)insensitive or sexist so they can have your comment removed. So I plead the 5th.
JVS
(61,935 posts)This is a set up for a lose-lose situation in which the responder has the choice of being chastised for a) being so sexist and entitled that they see nothing wrong with professional women being forced by their employers to dress revealingly, or b) having the audacity to pass judgment on a woman's choice of clothing and applying sexist and possibly slut-shaming evaluations to their wardrobe choices.
shaayecanaan
(6,068 posts)Some people complain about being bombarded with sexualized images of women in the media, but according to at least some people with that same viewpoint, brandishing your breasts during an ostensibly professional encounter is apparently okay.
I do, however, get insulted by NFL logos and flags over every other product.
lpbk2713
(42,759 posts)Going overboard on cologne or perfume can be a problem with asthmatics.
1000words
(7,051 posts)I'm allergic to most.
arcane1
(38,613 posts)exboyfil
(17,863 posts)It makes me physically sick. My wife and daughters keep it to a minimum (not for me since I have never said anything).
Le Taz Hot
(22,271 posts)Lately I've been running into the perfume/cologne "sharers" at the grocery store. And the thing is, even when they're not there, their stank remains for several minutes. Last time I flew I was assigned a seat next to a perfume bather. I was wheezing within 3 minutes. The flight attendant was kind enough to move me once the seatbelt sign was off.
Gman
(24,780 posts)And I get rid of em quickly like you did. You want to say, "Please, I don't think you're gonna fuck me if I buy something,".
shaayecanaan
(6,068 posts)frankly, I didnt feel comfortable doing so.
11 Bravo
(23,926 posts)Codeine
(25,586 posts)as sales reps for small craft beer companies in Southern California right now. I don't find myself any more or less likely to buy beer from those ladies than I was from the hipster dudes with newsboy caps who used to be de riguer for the industry. Craft beer sells itself these days.
That said, they certainly are beautiful.
JVS
(61,935 posts)They were printing up free customizable tshirts and were willing to run things through the profanity filter ahead of time so we could figure out the best ones.
shaayecanaan
(6,068 posts)surely you jest.
Codeine
(25,586 posts)Stone Brewing (one of our largest and most-successful brewery suppliers) is rumored to be planning 160 individual beer releases this calendar year. I'll carry as many as I'm actually able to get from their limited production runs, and they'll all sell.
About five or six days back I picked up a whole new brewery line (a tiny little startup still doing single-barrel production) from a stereotypically-petite and tattooed alterna-hottie sales rep -- I'd have just as easily bought the beer from a 300lb sweatloaf. Her beauty, while undeniable, did not sell the beer.
shaayecanaan
(6,068 posts)people drink beer with sage and coltsfoot extracts for a month and then they move onto absinthe or yerba mate or some other hipster shit.
zappaman
(20,606 posts)Great beers but I get a little tired of them playing hard to get.
Stone, on the other hand, just makes great beer. The Enjoy By is especially nice.
Oh, and Lagunitas is a big favorite in my fridge as well!
Codeine
(25,586 posts)Getting a case of Pliny the Elder in is like finding a white lion in the wild. That said, boy does it sell when you do.
The last Enjoy By sold out the entire production run in a day and a half. Our allocation had the fastest shelf turnaround I've ever seen. They're coming out with an "Enjoy After" soon -- same gimmick, but now they recommend you cellar it for a year before drinking.
We sell the Lagunitas IPA quite well, but the rest of their line is iffy.
OriginalGeek
(12,132 posts)but if you ask me again in a few hours, I won't have.
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)We have a sales department for that.
Frankly, I didn't know this kind of thing goes on.
madinmaryland
(64,933 posts)what they were talking about. We had lots of work and the reps knew that we didn't have time to waste. Amazing what a lunch and learn would accomplish.
As long as they know what they are talking about and know the product, it doesn't matter to me. Much better than the cigarette addled geezers who come in and don't give a shit about the product and just want to talk their boat and their golf game.
Codeine
(25,586 posts)So nasty. Hard for me to take a sales pitch seriously when you smell like you've been bathing in an ashtray.
bluestate10
(10,942 posts)shaayecanaan
(6,068 posts)if you have faith in your ability to talk sense, then you don't need your breasts to make the sale for you.
I used to work with a lawyer who was a very attractive lady, but dressed quite demurely. Business suit, slacks, flat fully enclosed shoes. I respected her enormously. You could still tell that she was attractive, but she chose not to flaunt it. Bloody good practitioner too.
A bit like a client I have, who made his fortune in the ag chemicals business. Guy had some serious money, but drove a modest car, wore suits off the rack, had a Casio watch. He barely spoke above a whisper, but when he did people listened.
I tend to respect those who talk quietly and carry a big stick.
Boom Sound 416
(4,185 posts)Auggie
(31,173 posts)I saw all kinds of salespeople men and women, some dressed over-the-top and many not. I chalked it up to individual style (advertising is all about style anyhow). But I was looking at portfolios, not boobs.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)because they would be meeting with an equally well-dressed woman. But hey, I like the curves (except that time that I got Sharon Stoned by a woman from Deloitte Touche - that kind of bothered me).
steve2470
(37,457 posts)Aerows
(39,961 posts)You'd be surprised what people will do to sell consulting services to IT departments.
steve2470
(37,457 posts)Learned something new today, thanks for that Aerows ! Hope you're feeling better and staying warm !
Aerows
(39,961 posts)and I was asking about logistical concerns. I guess she thought logistics meant ... there, not the servers!
shaayecanaan
(6,068 posts)thats one way of putting it I suppose.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)Meaning no cleavage or excessive leg showing. Others that have arrived for meetings? Clingy pretty much does not describe it. Where are you, though? Are you in the Middle East? There is a very different standard for women here in the West than there is in the Middle East.
bluestate10
(10,942 posts)That happens.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)It's kind of hilarious.
AngryAmish
(25,704 posts)Google blackhawks ice crew.
She is an account rep for a loan shark/lawsuit loan outfit that too many of my clients have to resort to because they are crippled and getting evicted.
Anyway, they are all the same to me (or any lawyer). So they compete on sex appeal and golf outing. This particular companies golf outing is lacking (seven bridges? Really? Get me on ShoreAcres.)
Anyway, it is always nice to see beautiful women.
lumberjack_jeff
(33,224 posts)I hate "being sold" under the best of circumstances.
Whisp
(24,096 posts)yah, I don't understand that sex sells thing. It's embarrassing for everyone.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)I didn't realize when I was early in my coming out phase that everyone knew I was gay. I guess my girlfriend sending me a dozen roses on Valentine's Day clued them all in. Then this woman trying to sell consulting services to my company's IT department... Good lord.
Vashta Nerada
(3,922 posts)TheMathieu
(456 posts)But I'd sure appreciate the show.
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)Of course I'll never buy anything from companies that do that - how good can their products be if they can't sell on the merits?
Aerows
(39,961 posts)He freaked out when I described myself as well-dressed. I think that pretty much means, OMG you aren't at home, and why should a man have to meet with the likes of you?
shaayecanaan
(6,068 posts)Usually I don't get time because my fourth wife hasn't ironed out the creases on my spotlessly white dishdasha. I tried to sell her to the Taliban but the guy from FedEx wasn't having a bar of it.
BainsBane
(53,035 posts)Aerows
(39,961 posts)I already explained that I recognize that some women dress provocatively in sales. I'm just confused that you couldn't seem to differentiate between my description and a woman "dressed to throw herself" at you.
shaayecanaan
(6,068 posts)You said:
You therefore seemed to be saying that the sort of dress I described amounted to being "well-dressed". Frankly I would describe it as unprofessional.
You only described your mode of dress after I had made my comment.
Iggo
(47,558 posts)If she can do the job, what do I care?
Egalitarian Thug
(12,448 posts)The worst is the subtle intimidation/fear monger approach, that one would get you escorted from the building.
Or maybe the assume-the-mark-is-a-moron approach, that one really pisses me off, too.
So, I guess the answer to your question is, yes, I find it offensive, but less offensive than some other "sales techniques".
Sen. Walter Sobchak
(8,692 posts)Image is part of sales and I get that. As my girlfriend has taken a more public role in her company she has begun to look the part. Her role is in R&D, but in large deals that involve customizations she inevitably ends up at the table and not in a t-shirt and flip-flops.
If they're just a roaming "booth babe" who really has nothing to say, that does get on my nerves since at best they're a bungling intermediary or at worst something a little more tawdry.
TeeYiYi
(8,028 posts)...says more about you than the salesperson.
Your only concern should have been about the product being pitched.
So what, in the final analysis, was your problem with this woman?... Was she too attractive? Too refined? Too sharp? Too well dressed? Too knowledgeable about the product?...
Too female?
TYY
shaayecanaan
(6,068 posts)turned up in crotch-grabbing vinyl pants and a shirt that barely sufficed to cover his nipples, then I dare say I would have formed the same impression.
How you dress and how you conduct yourself in a professional environment has consequences.
TeeYiYi
(8,028 posts)If you had already determined who she was and what she represented; the value of her product based on her looks,... how did she make it past the front desk?
TYY
shaayecanaan
(6,068 posts)into making an appointment with me. That won't happen again.
badtoworse
(5,957 posts)Peregrine
(992 posts)Back in the 90's, I had the 1st runner-up from the 1980 Miss Maryland working for me as my business manager for the state. She is now a very sr. manager for the MicroSoft state business division.
JI7
(89,252 posts)and people actually want it they go out of business.
i have seen people dress in everyday wear like shirts and hoodies and do well because they know what they are selling .
i don't think it matters much in the end .
i actually think where looks matter the most is when it comes to how women are dressed for women's clothing stores. and men for men's clothing. because people are going for a certain look and they see the person whose style they are going for so they will trust them to help them out.
cherokeeprogressive
(24,853 posts)Lost_Count
(555 posts)NuclearDem
(16,184 posts)I can't think of a single uniform that does any servicemember of either gender any favors.
Except the blues. They made my ass look good.
Lost_Count
(555 posts)Big bucks for something thats just going to end up on the back of a chair while everyone drinks themselves to oblivion...
Gotta love ball season...
NuclearDem
(16,184 posts)Too much money, no real reason to wear it outside of the Air Force Prom.
Notafraidtoo
(402 posts)I just want to know if things work and the price is fair, if someone attempts to prime me i am well aware and find it insulting. If a sales rep flirts with me I find it disrespectful.
treestar
(82,383 posts)Like most of these attempts, they are just insulting, no matter who they are aimed at.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)Instead of checking out her skirt length etc., try to focus on the product or service being sold. Not all men are reduced to drooling imbeciles every time they encounter a young attractive woman during the course of the working day.
B Calm
(28,762 posts)Nice1
gopiscrap
(23,761 posts)WinkyDink
(51,311 posts)the nines."
Just sayin'.
mainer
(12,022 posts)Drug companies hired beautiful young women to talk doctors into trying their products. But with so many women now going into medicine, the gorgeous young gal rep isn't going to be as effective when the doctor is female. I wonder if they'll change course and hire gorgeous young men.
aikoaiko
(34,172 posts)Are you sure you're anger is not overcompensation for looking at her cleavage, unskirted legs, and tempting by her hair flicks and leaning into you?
shaayecanaan
(6,068 posts)How do you know I'm not gay? Or just hyposexual? A bit like that person above who made assumptions based on my middle eastern heritage. I thought that was stupid.
HockeyMom
(14,337 posts)Don't blast me, people, but that mode of dress is very common in South Florida. Men? If you see a man in a business suit, it means he is either an attorney or a banker.
My husband works for a small software company. The men always wear shorts to work. Business casual was eliminated years ago. You described perfectly how the (younger) women dress, except one item. Flip Flops. lol Plus, why do so many women have blonde hair here?
My uncle worked in insurance in Miami for about 15 years, and had a lot of stories about the conflict over the attire (or lack thereof) of female execs...He said part of it was the heat, part of it was the general laid-back nature of the city, and part of it was due to the Latino influence on the local culture...
dawg
(10,624 posts)It's an attempt to manipulate.
jmowreader
(50,559 posts)You folks who work in offices are lucky to not get a never-ending stream of old paunchy guys in ugly ties, like 90 percent of print products salesmen are.
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)nt
mythology
(9,527 posts)but I try to generally not support businesses that do that because generally they are trying to sell me on the salesperson and not the product.
But on the flip side, berating the representative isn't a good idea either. I'm not saying you did that, but I went to a linux conference last year and Google sent a rep, who was female and while I don't remember exactly what she was wearing, she was dressed in something business casual I believe. And yet she got attacked by people who disagreed with Google's business practices. I'm not sure that would have happened if she had been a man.
FarCenter
(19,429 posts)ksoze
(2,068 posts)Try and judge people by what they say and do - not on how they dress or the car they drive. You'll lower your BP and your firm will get the service from you they asked for instead of a Joan Rivers wannabe. A frumpy female or poorly trimmed male does not equate to a better rep.
alp227
(32,030 posts)TheFrenchRazor
(2,116 posts)that much on their appearance, i get the feeling that whatever it is they're selling may not be so great.
grahamhgreen
(15,741 posts)frwrfpos
(517 posts)I make 9.50 an hour and the reps I run into look tired and worn out as I do.
flvegan
(64,408 posts)If your product is crap, I'm going to know it after beta testing it (which I won't pay for) just as easily as I'll know it's great. It's a luxury of my industry and my position in my industry. How that product gets to my attention matters so little. However, if I get a little eye candy, then so be it. I call it "a perk" I guess.
The DU feminists will soon be calling for my head. Meh.
Sheldon Cooper
(3,724 posts)care about your head.
unblock
(52,253 posts)usually massively overpriced, if nothing else.
name not needed
(11,660 posts)CFLDem
(2,083 posts)That's one way to look at it.
KatyaR
(3,445 posts)They actively recruit from college sororities for good-looking women that they can train to sell drugs to doctors. Doesn't even matter if they have a science or chemistry background, they just need to look good and have a pretty smile.
shaayecanaan
(6,068 posts)are at least 6'2" tall, apparently. I'm not blind to the fact that men as well as women are often employed for their looks. I used to work for an ag chemicals company that had a male rep that was orange-tanned, broad, muscular and 6'4" tall. He made a hell of a lot of sales but I thought that he was a wanker anyway.
Even the contractors that work for charities trying to sign up people in the street seem to employ disproportionately good-looking women to flag people down.
Exultant Democracy
(6,594 posts)They tend to be people your eyes refuse to leave.