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| | The Marketing, Channels/Partnership & Sales Execs Network is not currently active and cannot accept new posts | | The guys' opinions would be appreciated here | Views: 552 | | Sep 03, 2004 5:03 am | | The guys' opinions would be appreciated here | # | 
Denise Michaels | | Hello Fellow Marketers:
Do you think there are differences between the way women sell and the way men sell based on your experience? Do you think there are any personality differences between men and women that might impact the way they solve sales challenges?
I'll give you an example from a non-sales profession:
Before women started becoming police officers about 30-35 years ago it was thought that women weren't big enough or tough enough to do the job. Police officials and the public were surprised to discover that the women cops used their communication skills to talk their way out of situations instead of fight with the bad guys as much. Something that hadn't been seen in the police dept before. The common thinking back then was that you had to be kind of a big brute to be a police officer. Our gender difference was actually a benefit in a job that was thought of as very ill-suited to women before then.
Obviously I have some opinions on the topic when it comes to women in marketing and sales (both good and bad) - based on my experience and the experience of the men and women I've coached over the years - but I'd love to hear from some of the gentlemen here about their point of view about women in sales and how as men and women we might do it a little differently.
All the best,
Denise Michaels
TFM Network Moderator
PS: Calling women business owners! Don't miss out on my TFM teleclass coming up soon. Yes, you can be a woman, be yourself and still market effectively - and put more cash in your purse. What a relief! Check it out and decide for yourself. Go to http://www.denisemichaels.com/TFMteleclasses.htm Private Reply to Denise Michaels | | Sep 03, 2004 8:45 am | | re: The guys' opinions would be appreciated here | # |
Ron Olinger | | Denise,
Here is one man’s perspective.
Yes there is a significant difference between the way the men and women sell. For instance, men and women’s communication style is different; women are more emotionally attuned to the buyer; and according to the statistics that I have seen, women can be better closers. (That last comment will assuredly get some contradicting comments).
Thanks,
Ron
> Denise Michaels wrote:
> Hello Fellow Marketers:
>
>Do you think there are differences between the way women sell and the way men sell based on your experience? Do you think there are any personality differences between men and women that might impact the way they solve sales challenges?
>
>I'll give you an example from a non-sales profession:
>
>Before women started becoming police officers about 30-35 years ago it was thought that women weren't big enough or tough enough to do the job. Police officials and the public were surprised to discover that the women cops used their communication skills to talk their way out of situations instead of fight with the bad guys as much. Something that hadn't been seen in the police dept before. The common thinking back then was that you had to be kind of a big brute to be a police officer. Our gender difference was actually a benefit in a job that was thought of as very ill-suited to women before then.
>
>Obviously I have some opinions on the topic when it comes to women in marketing and sales (both good and bad) - based on my experience and the experience of the men and women I've coached over the years - but I'd love to hear from some of the gentlemen here about their point of view about women in sales and how as men and women we might do it a little differently.
>
>All the best,
>
>Denise Michaels
>TFM Network Moderator
>
>PS: Calling women business owners! Don't miss out on my TFM teleclass coming up soon. Yes, you can be a woman, be yourself and still market effectively - and put more cash in your purse. What a relief! Check it out and decide for yourself. Go to http://www.denisemichaels.com/TFMteleclasses.htm Private Reply to Ron Olinger | | Sep 03, 2004 12:28 pm | | re: The guys' opinions would be appreciated here | # | 
Paul Bradley Cordle | | Hi Denise,
In my opinion, women typically make better salespeople than men.
90% of sales is trust. Men have to overcome a negative stereotype of a "slick talking salesman", while I don't believe that is the case for women.
When you think of a slick talking salesperson does anyone think of a woman?
Warm regards,
Paul Bradley Cordle
Not necessarily because they are more skilled at sales
> Denise Michaels wrote:
> Hello Fellow Marketers:
>
>Do you think there are differences between the way women sell and the way men sell based on your experience? Do you think there are any personality differences between men and women that might impact the way they solve sales challenges?
>
>I'll give you an example from a non-sales profession:
>
>Before women started becoming police officers about 30-35 years ago it was thought that women weren't big enough or tough enough to do the job. Police officials and the public were surprised to discover that the women cops used their communication skills to talk their way out of situations instead of fight with the bad guys as much. Something that hadn't been seen in the police dept before. The common thinking back then was that you had to be kind of a big brute to be a police officer. Our gender difference was actually a benefit in a job that was thought of as very ill-suited to women before then.
>
>Obviously I have some opinions on the topic when it comes to women in marketing and sales (both good and bad) - based on my experience and the experience of the men and women I've coached over the years - but I'd love to hear from some of the gentlemen here about their point of view about women in sales and how as men and women we might do it a little differently.
>
>All the best,
>
>Denise Michaels
>TFM Network Moderator
>
>PS: Calling women business owners! Don't miss out on my TFM teleclass coming up soon. Yes, you can be a woman, be yourself and still market effectively - and put more cash in your purse. What a relief! Check it out and decide for yourself. Go to http://www.denisemichaels.com/TFMteleclasses.htm Private Reply to Paul Bradley Cordle | | Sep 03, 2004 1:22 pm | | re: The guys' opinions would be appreciated here | # |
Padraic Confrey | | Hi Denise,
To cut to the chase about men and women and communication. If you take a group of people (women)and for thousands of years there survival and success cannot be assured by their physical prowess. And physical prowess is the controlling dominant factor of survival and success. Out of sheer necessity this group would have to develope a communicative edge over the contolling dominant factor. And if success in sales is dependant on developing relationships and if relationships occur in language, I would say women have an inherant predisposition to being great sales people. I would also say that women like men have personal obsticals to over come to fulfill on that possibility.
Padraic W. Confrey
> Denise Michaels wrote:
> Hello Fellow Marketers:
>
>Do you think there are differences between the way women sell and the way men sell based on your experience? Do you think there are any personality differences between men and women that might impact the way they solve sales challenges?
>
>I'll give you an example from a non-sales profession:
>
>Before women started becoming police officers about 30-35 years ago it was thought that women weren't big enough or tough enough to do the job. Police officials and the public were surprised to discover that the women cops used their communication skills to talk their way out of situations instead of fight with the bad guys as much. Something that hadn't been seen in the police dept before. The common thinking back then was that you had to be kind of a big brute to be a police officer. Our gender difference was actually a benefit in a job that was thought of as very ill-suited to women before then.
>
>Obviously I have some opinions on the topic when it comes to women in marketing and sales (both good and bad) - based on my experience and the experience of the men and women I've coached over the years - but I'd love to hear from some of the gentlemen here about their point of view about women in sales and how as men and women we might do it a little differently.
>
>All the best,
>
>Denise Michaels
>TFM Network Moderator
>
>PS: Calling women business owners! Don't miss out on my TFM teleclass coming up soon. Yes, you can be a woman, be yourself and still market effectively - and put more cash in your purse. What a relief! Check it out and decide for yourself. Go to http://www.denisemichaels.com/TFMteleclasses.htm Private Reply to Padraic Confrey | | Sep 03, 2004 1:50 pm | | re: The guys' opinions would be appreciated here | # | 
John Lang | | Hello,
My experience is that everyone, regardless of gender, sells according to his/her own style. Professional sales people--who do well--share commonalities that transcend female/male/young/old etc. Communication skills are the foundational commonality among these sales people. The best sales people that I know are masterful researchers who can amply apply and frame the information that they gather into a compelling and inviting presentation of their suggested solution. Too, these sales people tend to be objectively oriented rather than goal oriented—meaning that understanding and solving a problem interests them more than closing the deal. Closing the deal for them is the bonus of the work. I know an equal number of men and women who do this well. I do not work with many point-of-sales (retail, etc.) sales people, however.
Regarding the women police officers' use of communication skills, you write:
"Our gender difference was actually a benefit in a job that was thought of as very ill-suited to women before then."
This statement seems a little questionable to me. I would suggest that women chose to use their communication skills more regularly than their male counterparts in this context--but that choice is not necessarily related to gender or sex in general. Gender roles within that system/context aren’t indicative of gender roles overall.
John
> Denise Michaels wrote:
> Hello Fellow Marketers:
>
>Do you think there are differences between the way women sell and the way men sell based on your experience? Do you think there are any personality differences between men and women that might impact the way they solve sales challenges?
>
>I'll give you an example from a non-sales profession:
>
>Before women started becoming police officers about 30-35 years ago it was thought that women weren't big enough or tough enough to do the job. Police officials and the public were surprised to discover that the women cops used their communication skills to talk their way out of situations instead of fight with the bad guys as much. Something that hadn't been seen in the police dept before. The common thinking back then was that you had to be kind of a big brute to be a police officer. Our gender difference was actually a benefit in a job that was thought of as very ill-suited to women before then.
>
>Obviously I have some opinions on the topic when it comes to women in marketing and sales (both good and bad) - based on my experience and the experience of the men and women I've coached over the years - but I'd love to hear from some of the gentlemen here about their point of view about women in sales and how as men and women we might do it a little differently.
>
>All the best,
>
>Denise Michaels
>TFM Network Moderator
>
>PS: Calling women business owners! Don't miss out on my TFM teleclass coming up soon. Yes, you can be a woman, be yourself and still market effectively - and put more cash in your purse. What a relief! Check it out and decide for yourself. Go to http://www.denisemichaels.com/TFMteleclasses.htm Private Reply to John Lang | | Sep 03, 2004 3:16 pm | | re: re: The guys' opinions would be appreciated here | # | 
Dave Harkins | | I really don't like to apply generalizations to this topic. I would agree with Denise's original post that women typically have a different approach, but I'm not sure this makes the whole gender better at sales (or marketing for that matter.) To agree with this would suggest that we would only hire women for sales positions to ensure a higher rate of sales, yet we know that this isn't true.
Sales and marketing success depends on the knowledge and attitudes of the individual, not on gender.
Best,
-Dave
> Paul Bradley Cordle wrote:
> Hi Denise,
>
>In my opinion, women typically make better salespeople than men.
>
>90% of sales is trust. Men have to overcome a negative stereotype of a "slick talking salesman", while I don't believe that is the case for women.
>
>When you think of a slick talking salesperson does anyone think of a woman?
>
>Warm regards,
>
>Paul Bradley Cordle
>
>> Denise Michaels wrote:
>> Hello Fellow Marketers:
>>
>>Do you think there are differences between the way women sell and the way men sell based on your experience? Do you think there are any personality differences between men and women that might impact the way they solve sales challenges?
{SNIP]
>>All the best,
>>
>>Denise Michaels
>>TFM Network Moderator
>> Private Reply to Dave Harkins | | Sep 03, 2004 4:47 pm | | re: re: re: The guys' opinions would be appreciated here | # | 
Jonathan Weaver | | Dave, I am with you... generalizations are very dangerous in sales...
what level of selling are we talking here?
level 1 no competitor in the marketplace... show people how it works and bingo get the order?
level 2 one or maybe two competitors so out benefit the competition?
Level 3 where there are dozens of products that are great so we sell the client on why our company is better?
Or
Level 4 where we position ourselves as the solution to the clients needs?
90% of men and women do a terrible job in selling!
very few are focused on meeting the demands of the client
( though I admit women tend to be better listeners ) most salespeople are focused on their practiced "presentation" with almost a "don't interrupt me" focus once they have done away with preliminary chit chat!
Once you get a sales professional be they male or female who is at level 4 in selling, they make sales people of either sex look bad by comparasin.
just my 2 cents worth!
Jonathan T Weaver
www.jonathantweaver.com
> Dave Harkins wrote:
> I really don't like to apply generalizations to this topic. I would agree with Denise's original post that women typically have a different approach, but I'm not sure this makes the whole gender better at sales (or marketing for that matter.) To agree with this would suggest that we would only hire women for sales positions to ensure a higher rate of sales, yet we know that this isn't true.
>
>Sales and marketing success depends on the knowledge and attitudes of the individual, not on gender.
>
>Best,
>-Dave
>
>
>> Paul Bradley Cordle wrote:
>> Hi Denise,
>>
>>In my opinion, women typically make better salespeople than men.
>>
>>90% of sales is trust. Men have to overcome a negative stereotype of a "slick talking salesman", while I don't believe that is the case for women.
>>
>>When you think of a slick talking salesperson does anyone think of a woman?
>>
>>Warm regards,
>>
>>Paul Bradley Cordle
>
>>
>>> Denise Michaels wrote:
>>> Hello Fellow Marketers:
>>>
>>>Do you think there are differences between the way women sell and the way men sell based on your experience? Do you think there are any personality differences between men and women that might impact the way they solve sales challenges?
>{SNIP]
>
>>>All the best,
>>>
>>>Denise Michaels
>>>TFM Network Moderator
>>> Private Reply to Jonathan Weaver | | Sep 03, 2004 6:13 pm | | re: The guys' opinions would be appreciated here | # | 
Chen Sun | | Definitely.
Men are allowed to be more assertive, ruder, and argumentive.
Women, generally have better "real salespeople skills", because they generally read non-verbals better and know how to suggest. However, because they listen too well, are perhaps too agreeable, and may not be coming up with or persuading new ideas. Also, women generally talk with less degree of authority, due to social training.
Men have the advantage of having wives that advise them and take care of them. Thus, they can focus on and learn more of the sales skills. Men are smarter than women because they have wives. :)
So much for the advantages and disadvantages of the sexes. What good does this do you?
Chen Sun
WebAndNet.com
a Web Inventions eNterprise, WINning Solutions! TM
High-profit dealers' products for web designers, marketing strategists, and sales coaches.
> Denise Michaels wrote:
> Hello Fellow Marketers:
>
>Do you think there are differences between the way women sell and the way men sell based on your experience? Do you think there are any personality differences between men and women that might impact the way they solve sales challenges?
>
>I'll give you an example from a non-sales profession:
>
>Before women started becoming police officers about 30-35 years ago it was thought that women weren't big enough or tough enough to do the job. Police officials and the public were surprised to discover that the women cops used their communication skills to talk their way out of situations instead of fight with the bad guys as much. Something that hadn't been seen in the police dept before. The common thinking back then was that you had to be kind of a big brute to be a police officer. Our gender difference was actually a benefit in a job that was thought of as very ill-suited to women before then.
>
>Obviously I have some opinions on the topic when it comes to women in marketing and sales (both good and bad) - based on my experience and the experience of the men and women I've coached over the years - but I'd love to hear from some of the gentlemen here about their point of view about women in sales and how as men and women we might do it a little differently.
>
>All the best,
>
>Denise Michaels
>TFM Network Moderator
>
>PS: Calling women business owners! Don't miss out on my TFM teleclass coming up soon. Yes, you can be a woman, be yourself and still market effectively - and put more cash in your purse. What a relief! Check it out and decide for yourself. Go to http://www.denisemichaels.com/TFMteleclasses.htm Private Reply to Chen Sun | | |
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