In the world of sales, there are often no right answers. What would you do in this tough sales situation? Make the call below, and see instantly how your judgment compares. Final results will appear in LBM Journal. Be sure to check back next month for a fresh Tough Call.

Tough Call - Too Much Candy?

An outside sales rep takes the casual dress for your big deck event a little too far. What would you do?

Finally, after a long, harsh winter marked by dismal sales, the sun is shining and business is beginning to pick up. Armed with the knowledge that the decking market is growing, you’ve beefed up your offerings of treated wood, composite, and PVC decking— with a comprehensive display in your showroom, and a full size demonstration deck off the parking lot in front of your store. To position your store as the place for decking products, you planned a big promotional event—advertised directly to your customers and through your local paper and with live radio remotes, a community group raising money selling grilled burgers, brats and soft drinks, games for kids and prize drawings for homeowners.

To fire up your staff, you offered bonus spiffs on any deck sales that happened during the event. And to keep the atmosphere relaxed, their uniform for the day was a company ballcap, and you asked them to dress “vacation casual.” Frankly, you hadn’t given their attire a whole lot of thought—figuring that people would dress casually yet appropriately. And you were right, with one very notable exception.

Candy is one of only two female salespeople, and ever since she was promoted from inside- to outside-sales early last year, the formerly meek and mild-mannered Candace has been a human-resources challenge. It’s not her attitude—she’s very positive. And it’s not her sales—she is a consistent top-producer. The problem is her dress: her skimpy attire has created friction with both male and female colleagues. She doesn’t do it to be provocative; she just doesn’t get it. Over time, she’d agreed to dress more conservatively—so you thought the problem was resolved.

You thought wrong.

The day of your big outdoor deck event was unseasonably warm—forecast to hit 95 degrees at its peak. Instead of khaki shorts and polo shirts, like most of the other staff, Candy showed up wearing her company ballcap—and a bikini. In answer to your immediate question, she replied: “No, I didn’t bring any other clothes along. This is what I wear on vacation. Why do you ask?”

Thanks to heavy promotion and live radio spots, you expect lots of people, so you need as many salespeople on hand as possible. But you don’t want to alienate families—especially since women are often the decision-makers. Cars are pulling into the parking lot, and the first customers are walking toward the deck—and your bikini-clad employee. If you’re going to act, now’s the time.

What would you do?

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