Fox, I'm with Musicman, " me toes are curling up here"!
All good stuff really.
On the gender thing, there are too many variables to give a straight answer, as I have known both men and women succeed and fail based on their gender.
It really depends on type of works, age groups involved and size of contract.
I said contract. (
what are you lot like)
I think age and how you present yourself have a more compounding effect then gender.
Smaller works have less for the client to consider, other then value, (
that sounded familiar) however the larger the contract the more confidence the client needs which can form the real basis for winning. (
damn, that bit didn’t).
These days we trade far less in the actual work, that’s often assumed as academic. the real product that is bought and sold is RISK and LIABILITY sometimes confused with ability.
Hypothetically speaking, I would not give a £500k contract to a 20 year old whatever sex they were, yet I probably would with a lesser valued contract.
I think flirting whist trying to win a contract is very dangerous as it assumes a number of issues, any of which could be insultive. After of course "who cares" it can be very healthy and life doesn’t have to stop outside your front door, its just flirting after all unless there is something to gain, then I think its something else.
Kick Backs:
I'm afraid these work on all levels, and although I have taken pride on never receiving or giving in the last 20 years, I know plenty of good people who do every day and not because their work is poor so they have to, which has nothing to do with it.
Often kick backs are built into a system and form part of a deal and don’t need to be cash. We all participate in them every day. If you think you don’t, your wrong! Ever thought about the 2 for1 down the supermarket or the free gift with your Nectar cards, they are all bribes one way or another.
Kick backs are not in themselves illegal, the trend is to keep them under the table to increase their value. The only thing that makes the act illegal is things like the tax laws, contract or morality issues, the rest unfortunately is simply our own opinions.
So providing it is legal, when does it become wrong, you could be stunned at how little support there is out there on a morality basis, as I was. "Ideals" are a wonderfull thing providing you can truly afford them, lets hope we all can.
I suggest the time when we will all know if it really mattered is when we reflect in our old age from a park bench somewhere. Who knows?
The flirting thingy was a lot more interesting...................
