Tweet

The Glass Ceiling Effect In Selling

Written by: Virden Thornton

Article Overview: The "Glass Ceiling" that many women face today in business could give women an edge as sales professionals.

The Glass Ceiling Effect In Selling

A woman has a decided advantage as sales representative over her male counterpart. This "selling edge" is primarily due to the existence of the "glass ceiling" found in most business organizations today. The glass ceiling (women are still arbitrarily held back from
leadership positions) means that there are many more men in decision-making positions in businesses than women. Therefore, when cold calling, a woman has a better chance of getting an appointment for a sales presentation, than does a man. Women are also given more attention in their presentations and less resistance up to a point, than a male sales representative or service industry professional (accountants, attorneys, consultants, bankers, etc.). This advantage has everything to do with sex and the physical appeal of a woman. It is clear to me as a sales trainer, coaching sales representatives and service industry professionals in the field, that male decision-makers often use a different part of their anatomy than their head to make their buying decisions.

The female advantage in obtaining sales opportunities is tempered, however, by most sales women experiencing a greater difficulty in closing sales. The male ego gets in the way of the final decision; because many men can't allow themselves to, as they see it, "lose" to a woman. Therefore, female sales professionals need to execute a selling process that counters this knee jerk reaction experienced by many of the male prospects, customers or clients they try to sell.

I have seen research on this subject that says that an attractive women who effectively implements a step-by-step consultative selling system, can achieve a 30 percent higher closing ratio than a male representative using a similar selling process.

Related Articles
  A Woman\'s Edge In Sales
  The Nine Biggest Myths of the Workplace by Penelope Trunk
  The Revised Payment of Gratuity Act - A Boon for Private Sector Employees
  Why Glass Greenhouses Are Worth the Cost
  Shatter Your Glass Ceiling with an Internet Business

Article Tags:



Related Forum Posts
Re: Kevin's Case Study #10 - When to become an entrepreneur? - When the bug bite you. A lot of successful entrepreneurs started in their teens or at school. Selling sweets to fellow students or lemonade to firends in the neighbourhood.
Re: This is Marketing Warfare! - Hey GT, I guess this was from a while back, and it'll test your memory a bit but could you possibly elaborate on Unique Selling Proposition? Can you give us some examples of good USPs?
Blog pinging - Thanks Martin - yes, I do ping and it has been very effective. I'm currently on the first page of Google for Mastermind Group and on the second page for Selling to Small Business.
Business magazines - Fast Company is pretty good if you're into technology although it can be very on the edge. Entrepreneur has become one giant advertisement and I cancelled my subscription. Selling Power also has some useful content if you're looking at improving your sales skills / presentations.
New Guy Here - Automobile Industry - Hi Everyone, My name is Ray and I work as a sales trainer in the automobile industry. I have just completed a new training curriculum for automobile salespeople in the industry. It is called The Baby Steps of Selling Automobiles. I am beginning my marketing efforts through press releases and seminar formats. I joined the community due to my continued desire to work independently creating my own happiness and growth. Thank you for having me and I look forward to more correspondence in the future.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

How To Calculate A Minimum Fee For Your Services

Soda Vending Machine = Energy Hog

Sales Flubs

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.