Why Women Have an Edge with Communication Skills & Why More Women Should be in Sales   

Women have the ability to truly shine in sale roles, however, in my observation, the leadership teams for most sales organizations have less female leaders than other teams within the organization like Marketing or Human Resources. Which is unfortunate since sales jobs can be very rewarding both financially (say goodbye to gender pay gaps after that first commission check!) and personally. And according to Monster.com the top-paying sales jobs are in the software, consulting services and medical fields — industries who tend to have less women as a percentage of their workforce.  Therefore, for women to be able to rise to these higher-paying slots, they need to focus on honing their sales skills, most notably in the area of communication and consider companies that sell enterprise software, consulting services and medical devices.

So let’s have a look at the landscape for women in sales: they are generally found more in the retail, real estate, and hospitality sales sectors, rather than the ones listed above. Given that women as a whole have an advantage when it comes to communication (science has found that a protein in the brain bestowing verbal skills is actually higher in females than males), they can bring that considerable advantage to the sales profession.

Software and consulting-services sales (my focus) can be a challenging work environment, especially for those in a field sales role, given that the job is demanding, both physically and mentally.  The professional in this field will likely spend long hours on the road away from home, has to stay current on the ever-changing technology environments, and is in a constant quest for more “pipeline,” plus larger deals.

However, both the retail/real estate/hospitality and software/consulting-services sectors have this in common: a good communication style is key.  In fact, in software and consulting service sales, as with other face-to-face sales roles, trust and personal connections are crucial for success. “People buy from people they like and trust,” is a saying often uttered by senior leadership teams.

Excellent Conversation, Rapport-Building, and Listening Skills Should Be Paramount

Women really excel in these areas.  In technology sales, being willing to listen to the client’s problem, taking good note of the issues, and then following up with clear solutions (ideally, on  how your products can address those issues) is the way to build trust. And each gender will handle this process differently. According to a report by management consultants Focus International, “The styles that men and women use to communicate have been described as ‘debate vs. relate,’ ‘report vs. rapport,’ or ‘competitive vs. co-operative.’ Men often seek straightforward solutions to problems and useful advice, whereas women tend to try and establish intimacy by discussing problems and showing concern and empathy in order to reinforce relationships.”

In fact, it has been my experience that to be a trusted advisor for a client you have to show concern and insight regarding the problems of their business/industry; this is above all not something that can be faked. So, again, females have the potential ability to discuss business problems better by leveraging how they generally establish relationships.

That said, being in sales can create fear in some women, due to its high-pressure environment. However, it’s important to overcome that fear by focusing instead on the key strengths that help establish a great client relationship: listening, building trust, knowledge, and being able to command a room. These communication skills, several of which come more easily to females, can turn any woman into a top-selling sales professional! And while some women shy away from commanding a room, since it draws attention, this is not a scenario to avoid, but rather embrace and practice. Why? Because in sales, there is a team of people that make a sale successful — from the experts in the room to the client – but it is the sales professional’s unique role to take command and drive that meeting. Having confidence and doing lots of research/homework are ways to be able to take command.

Conclusion: Women Have Natural-Born Skills for the Sales Profession

In the past, the way that women form relationships has been looked down upon (or overlooked completely in the business world), but it is that very skill that can make women highly successful in sales. Many of them, in fact, are also able to foster relationships among co-workers and use that to ensure they are bringing the best people to their client for a successful sale.  So women need to embrace the strengths they possess in conversation and expression to excel and rise to sales leadership positions.

Other reasons this female facility in interacting with others is useful: business clients today want a sales representative who isn’t trying to shove a product down their throats, but instead someone who empathizes with the challenges in the world that are hitting their own businesses. They want a representative to listen to them and then help solve the problem. This is where women can take their interpersonal skills and ability to listen to what their clients’ needs are, without thinking “How fast can I sell them something?”

Women can also help lead their male co-workers to follow this example of taking extra time to develop a worthwhile, trusted business relationship. A truly good, experienced, top-of-the-line sales representative knows they cannot fake concern, and clients know when the sales representative is not fully engaged or willing to dive in to solve complex problems. So if all work together to raise the level at which they interact on a human level, even when in the business realm, it’s a win for everybody. And, in the end, women can use their unique strengths in this area to also, down the road, propose and even sell top money-making solutions.