I came across a very interesting article this week on women in sales and how gender influences sales. This article said that while the workforce is split just about 50/50 between men and women, only 39% of sales positions are filled by women. This article says that this is because “The sales world remains a boys club.” I think this is a very interesting accusation, because it paints women as an unwelcome minority. I’m not sure if this is true, however. Certainly, there are some fields that have been traditionally better suited to men or women. For instance, when I went to AAPEX in October (a trade show for the automotive aftermarket), the arena was filled with probably 98% men. However, I didn’t see myself as an unwelcome minority in that situation. If anything, I think it gave me an advantage to tell my story and explain why I was there, and it made me stand out as unique in that crowd. I think that women in sales can have a similar advantage. While the goal is obviously gender equality, I think women can use the imbalance to their advantage, to disprove stereotypes.
The article also talks about how women are often considered disadvantage in sales positions because they are not as tough and pushy as men. However, as Professor Sweet has talked about in class, these traits are outdated and unnecessary in the modern sales arena. Rather, traits like empathy, interest, and the ability to relate to the prospects are becoming increasingly important. Luckily, these are traits that both men and women can demonstrate. Rather than being disadvantaged in the sales arena, I think women will actually start to succeed at rapid rates because of their hard work and empathy.
BoweryJE22
I think looking at being different as being an advantage is really cool. It is all about you frame a situation and I think knowing how to frame situations is an important skill to have in sales. Finding problems and applying the proper solutions are imperative for being a successful sales person.
Who doesn’t love a good “underdog” situation? I’m not someone who is an extreme feminist, but it is interesting to think of how women are treated in sales now, in comparison to 50 years ago. I remember listening to my grandmother talk about her experience as a department store clerk. I was working in retail at the time I heard her speaking on this, so hearing about how she was treated so well, and people were respectful of her and her position. It’s fascinating to see the change in the times.