Before we alienate the men in the audience, let’s be clear about one thing: there are women who are great at sales and women who are terrible at sales, just as there are superstars and dim bulbs among men. Today, we are simply going to examine some of the advantages that women have in sales – keeping in mind that these are generalizations and do not apply to every female sales pro.
Women Typically Have Strong EQ
EQ, also known as emotional intelligence, is the ability to key in on a customer’s emotions. Someone with high EQ is able to adjust their approach based upon the emotional cues they see.
Women Have Strong Listening Skills
Sales is about listening just as much as it is about talking – perhaps even more. If a salesperson doesn’t listen to a prospect and fully understand their needs, then the salesperson cannot effectively position their product to meet those needs. Rather than planning their next move while a customer is talking, women are more likely to be seen taking copious notes or engaging in another type of active listening process.
Women Build Strong Relationships
In general, women are more interested in building a relationship with a prospect or customer than they are interested in simply winning their business. This tendency can also be a negative when a sales cycle is fast. However, in positions like account management, women can shine, as they have all the time in the world to build long-term trust with their customer base.
They Relate Well To Other Women
Men can inadvertently insult a female customer with certain remarks or tones. They may not even know that they are doing it, as most women will just write off those situations as “men being men,” rather than confront it head-on, but they are unlikely to buy from someone to whom they cannot relate. Women inherently relate better to other women, and female customers may let their guard down with a woman much more quickly than they do with a man.
Mothers Have to Squeeze More Work in to Less Time
There is a negative stereotype that once a woman gives birth, she becomes less effective in the office. Quite the contrary. Mothers who want to continue to grow their careers often work harder than everyone else in the room because they feel (thanks to those negative stereotypes) that have something to prove. Parents also have places to be. While they may cut out the door at the stroke of five, you will also find them coming in to work early or working though lunch to ensure they can stay on track with – or outpace – their colleagues.
In any profession, it is important that people be judged as individuals, not by generalizations about their gender. However, diversity on a sales team is extremely important. You want a variety of approaches and perspectives to help you capture as many prospects and customers as possible. If your enterprise software sales company is looking to add more gender diversity to its sales team, contact Strategic Search Solutions today.