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Dear Quota Team

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I'm a woman who is relatively new to sales (this is my second year). I love the challenge and the money is great. However, I often get hit on by prospects/clients and it makes me feel really awkward. Thankfully, nothing too grotesque has happened, but the subtle (and not subtle) remarks or the way some prospects treat me is getting annoying. On one hand, my conversion rate for getting meetings off LinkedIn is great, but on the other, video calls can get really awkward and I'm always thinking of ways to try to “reduce” the attraction. I usually just brush the small remarks aside because I don't want to upset anyone and I want to close the deal, but overall, it's just draining. Is there anything I can do?

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Frustrated in New York

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Dear Frustrated,

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Your situation is more common than you might think. If you talk to female colleagues, you'll likely hear similar stories. If you can, ask some of the veteran salespeople at your company for tips on how they've handled things like this in the past.

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One thing you can do is be direct and immediately shut down anyone who makes an inappropriate comment by having a prepared, neutral response like: "Let's focus on how we can solve your business challenge." If it gets too personal, you want to immediately redirect the conversion back to business.

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And if interactions ever make you genuinely uncomfortable or cross the line, don't hesitate to get your management involved. Your safety and ability to do your job without being harassed are more important than any lost deals.