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“I’m every woman, it’s all in me.”
Chaka Khan, “I’m Every Woman”
In today’s workplace, thanks to
the Suffrage act and feminism, there are more workers in all levels
with the Y chromosome. This trend has been happening since the
’70s, with Germaine Greer leading the way. It seems that the boys
in different industries are not dominating anymore, except maybe in
the tattooing and motorcycle engineering professions. The ladies are
beginning to take the lead especially in one department: the world
of sales.
Most companies now seriously
consider hiring Filipino women specifically for sales jobs because
these ladies are persistent, aggressive, know how to charm their way
to close a sale, ambitious and patient.
They are persistent because when
they have the discipline, see that they can get anything, they will
stop at nothing to get it done. Another quality here is tenacity,
because they do end up getting it done. And that usually equates the
difference between an efficient and an inefficient employee.
“Aggressive?” you may ask,
“A Filipina?” Well, have you ever seen a woman on the mission to
find the best bargain for those shoes that she’s been eyeing for a
month? They will do anything to get it and fight for it especially
if it is 70 percent off, even if she has to fight off 5 other 6 and
+ sized women. I have heard men’s complaints that will attest to
the catfight (albeit polite) that breaks out in these scenarios.
Charming, ah the wiles of a
woman! This is perhaps her best and oldest weapon in her arsenal. We
are inherently programmed to bat our eyes, have that high-pitched
sing songy voice that will get that sale closed. Again in the
metaphor that is a shopping SALE, they will beg for those shoes from
the salesman, making tawad as much as she can. It’s a normal
practice that also works in sales. With a drop in the octave of the
voice, she can charm her way to closing a sale with a languid
“thank you” that rolls off the tongue like silk.
Ambition is almost the root of it
all. Most women nowadays are driven about how much they can achieve.
It’s like they will stop at nothing to achieve the impossible, be
it a seemingly impossible grocery list or a merger for an
international company.
Patience is generally quantified
as a Filipina trait. We have always been the more patient species as
we Filipinas have learned to take a lot in our time. But this trait,
coupled with the rest of the traits mentioned above, can be deadly.
It means that we wait for the best opportunity to strike, and when
we do, it will be aggressive and tenacious in getting the best deal
at the best price.
Because of these characteristics,
the ladies run the sales department in most companies. They will be
the ones to bring home the sale and make sure that it moves in a
reasonable pace. This keeps their contemporaries on their toes and
tend to work harder.
Everything should have a balance
though, and a woman will know when to stop and is usually more
sensitive than their male counterparts. Our soft side can be used to
our advantage when certain situations call for it. And though there
is a tough saleswoman that confronts you, there’s a soft
understanding person lurking inside, difficult as she may be to coax
out.
But if you’ve got the right
stuff to cajole her out of her shell, you may be able to set up more
than just a deal. But that’s for another column.
[Jayjay Viray is the Country
Manager of JobsDB Phils, Inc. Log on to www.jobsdb.com.ph for job
opportunities. For feedback, e-mail feedback@jobsdb.com.ph.]
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