Research has proven that women are a natural at sales and can potentially make a great living in the sales field. With that said, there seems to be an internal stumbling block for many women – overcoming our own negative perceptions about sales and selling. The only thing stopping most women from succeeding in sales is a reluctance to “sell.”
According to a 1998 study done at Ball University in Muncie, Indiana by Professor of Marketing Ramon Avila, females show better sales skills than their male counterparts. Professor Avila concluded that, “Women are more nurturing, have stronger listening skills and empathize better than males.”
Whether you are in direct sales, network marketing or a full time sales professional, possessing great “people” skills is an important element to a long lasting and income producing sales career. Successful sales professionals know that selling is a people-to-people business. Professor Avila went on to say, "In sales, you have to be really people oriented. You have to listen and understand the client's wants and needs. If you can empathize with what they are going through, you are going to do well in sales. Women are generally better at that than most men."
With Professor Avila’s study in mind, let me ask you this: Why are so many women reluctant to sell? I’ve worked with very talented women in business and have been amazed by how many talented and ambitious women will jeopardize their personal and professional goals because they were reluctant to “sell” the products or services they represent. Here are some of my conclusions, let me know on our forum if you agree or disagree or if you have others to add:
1. Women don’t want to be or appear to be pushy.
2. We would rather be liked than thought of as taking advantage of someone.
3. We don’t want someone to think we are making money off of him or her.
4. Women are more worried about being judged than men.
5. The belief in the product or service isn’t strong enough to overcome the reluctance to sell.
6. We would rather be liked than alienate someone by “selling” to him or her.
7. Women seem to take rejection more personally than men.
For many women going into a field that involves any type of sales is like a double-edged sword. Yes, women are people-oriented and empathetic and yet, those same skills and qualities can make us extremely sensitive to the feelings and reactions of others.
I’ll leave you with this final thought from Professor Avila’s study, "For women, sales can be a tremendous opportunity because of high pay and rapid advancement."
Here is an offsite link to Amazon.com - I'd like to recommend a favorite book of mine, "The Greatest Salesman in the World" by Og Mandino: The Greatest Salesman in the World: Gift Edition
Disclosure: I purchased this book to read and review. All reviews are solely mine. As an affiliate of Amazon.com I will get paid on any purchase of this product from the links within this article.
