Sales has long been a male-dominated profession, but in today’s world, it’s crucial for women in business to become comfortable with the sales process.
One of the biggest barriers many women face when it comes to business growth is the fear of selling – whether openly acknowledged or not. The phrase “I hate to sell” is often repeated, especially within small business start-ups communities.But here’s the thing: it’s time to reframe that fear.
Women sell differently
We, as women, do not sell the same way. As women, we have untapped skills that can turn that conversation into a sale. Women often make better salespeople than men by utilising core, softer skills – namely listening. We can better connect with customers by listening to their needs and requirements, which means that the potential customer gains confidence in us more quickly.
Customers are now looking for authenticity. In a competitive marketplace with lots of choice, buyers want to know, like and trust the person they’re buying from. They don’t want a hard sell. In fact, they don’t even want to feel like someone is selling them something. They want to know the value and the results the product or service will bring. This authenticity is something that we as women do well.
Selling is serving. It’s helping the customer identify a problem and coming up with a solution. With women, we’re all about the relationships – and we nurture them. Depending on the industry, roughly two-thirds of new business comes from existing customers, while one-third will come from new customers.
By continuously serving and supporting customers by nurturing relationships, these customers can be counted on to close a sale. A business without sales is a hobby, and often an expensive one too. Nobody can take an offer you haven’t made them. By recognising the need to ‘sell more often’ first, then recognising that your feminine intuition and softer skills will work in your favour when it comes to nurturing and listening to your clients and customers, we can beat the fear of ‘selling’ and dispel any reservations we have about closing a deal and making more money.
Book a course or a coaching session with Tina from Tina O’Hagan Sales Training on “Relationship Selling “ and you will find that any fear of selling subsides.
