In 30 seconds
The traditional sales stereotype is no longer effective. Simple transactions are now done online, and superficial client interactions are a thing of the past. Today’s professional salespeople focus on cultivating trustworthy relationships grounded in shared values, expertise, and savvy business acumen, marked by authenticity, empathy, and logic. Women have been at the forefront of this sales transformation, leveraging qualities such as collaboration, vision-sharing, resource orchestration, empathy, deep listening, and problem-solving. They also excel in open-mindedness, stakeholder management, teamwork, and understanding client emotions.
Men embracing these human-centred capabilities see rapid improvements in business relationships. Organisations improving gender balance in sales and sales leadership experience increased profits. Selling like a woman pays dividends.
In 2 minutes
The traditional journeyman sales stereotype is no longer effective in our complex value-add, solutions-oriented business world. Simple transactions can be done online now.
Having a coffee catch with no good reason, talking ‘at’ clients about product features, doing deals at mates’ rates, and transacting a sale are no longer the domain of professional salespeople today.
Building trustworthy business relationships based on shared values, domain expertise and business smarts are part of the new sales standard. That, accompanied by authenticity, empathy, and logic are the hallmarks of what clients and businesses are looking for in salespeople today.
This is why women are leading the way in transforming the sales profession for the better.
20+ years of research shows women bring specific qualities and capabilities that differ from the traditional sales stereotypes; these are not exclusive to women, men can adopt them too, it’s just that women usually make the most of them, consciously or not, and this makes a huge difference to sales and business success.
What are these qualities?
- Collaboration
- Creating a shared vision for success
- Orchestrating internal resources
- Empathy
- Deep listening
- Problem-solving
Other qualities women deploy include open-mindedness, stakeholder management, teamwork and understanding, and managing client emotions that help facilitate relationship-building and create a loyal customer base and therefore, better sales results.
This is what most clients are looking for. According to Forbes, 74% of clients are more likely to buy if they feel they’ve been heard and understood.
When men adopt the human-centred capabilities women use, they see the transformation in their business and sales relationships quickly. For instance, one of our clients, a man in a key account management role, transformed the nature of his relationship with a grizzly, aggressive client of 15 years into one of collaboration and mutual prosperity when he changed how he asked questions and positioned himself as a genuine partner.
Smart organisations are rectifying the gender imbalance in sales and sales leadership and enjoying the results: Organisations see greater profits with more women in sales.
We have clients asking us to deliver training for women on how to empower them to reach their potential and sell more confidently, especially in male-dominated industries.
And more businesses realise the value – revenue and reputation – of training everyone in their sales teams, regardless of gender, in human-centred sales practices and strategies that are designed for collaboration and win:win mutual prosperity, not combat.
It pays to sell like a woman.
Remember, everybody lives by selling something.
Testimonial
“The change has been outstanding. Two years ago I couldn’t have imagined that Sales would be in such great shape already. I thought it would’ve taken years but here we are now with a fantastic sales team, sales infrastructure and processes, strategy and culture that is growing and making a huge difference to our business and our clients. As an accountant, I knew very little about sales but Barrett’s Sales Strategy & Operations Framework and the Barrett team have steered us in the right direction.”
Related Topics
A Sales Career is Brilliant for Women
The Biases and Challenges for Women in Sales
A Year Ago
Decarbonisation in Tendering – Who Leads and Who Follows?
Three Years Ago
A New Chapter in Barrett’s 25-Years History
Ten Years Ago
The History of Sales Methodologies
New Article Email Notification