The female deal
Kirstie Nicols
- February 2009.
The Government's Equality Bill is the latest of a long-running series of attempts to level the playing field between men and women in the workforce. Just how much do differences between the sexes really still exist in the salesroom?
The winning sales team?
The sales market is often considered to be mainly a male workplace, with insistent and even aggressive selling tactics having a more macho reputation. However, some consider this type of selling to be no more than an outdated stereotype. Mary Cochlan from LearnDirect suggests this stereotype could be putting women off entering the market. ‘Women can be as good or better than men at sales, but don’t want to do it because they think there’ll be too much male pressure.’
But is the information correct, and are there less women than men in the market? Phil Cooper, who has been in sales for 18 years and is now Managing Director for Halfen, suggests it depends on the product itself. ‘I worked for a company selling household goods once, and there were almost as many women as men. Now I’m in construction it’s true that there are less saleswomen, though this is due more to that fact that more men apply than women.’
It has been known for a long time that in some industries, women are paid less than men, sometimes even when they work in the same position. The government’s new proposal hopes to eliminate these differences, or at least to narrow the gap between male and female pay. For those women who do enter the salesroom, do they feel there is a difference in the way they are treated and how they fare when it comes to promotions and bonuses?
Becky Hermes has recently been promoted to an external sales rep position after working internally for two years. She says that she feels there is definitely a difference between herself and her male colleagues. ‘I felt I had to work harder, be better and prove more in order to get my promotion. Now I’m here I’m always worried the figures will drop since I took over and people might start to think I lose clients because I’m a woman.’
Nice work
Not everyone agrees with her view of women in sales, however. Lora Divens works as a sales rep for a rival business. She says that although there are fewer saleswomen than men in her company, the ones that work there seem to bring in better margins than the men. ‘I’m very comfortable with the guys I work with, and although I’m sure I use a nicer sales approach with my customers than them it seems to be working, so I don’t feel pressurised by the company for being female at all.’
In fact some believe that women should be actively encouraged to join the sales arena. Phil says: ‘I think there are women that can do the sales job as well as me, and in some cases even better than me. There are men who can’t sell anything and there are women who can’t sell anything, but there are also men and women who can sell really well. It’s those people we want, and it doesn’t matter about sex.’
Although the stereotypical salesperson is upfront and insistent when selling, it is important to remember that this is not the only way to do the job. Lora says: ‘I think I’m much friendlier and more laid back to my clients than some of my colleagues, though if it comes to it I’m not afraid to be a bit more pushy. But then I’ve seen some of the guys be even nicer than I like to think I am so even that’s got nothing to do with being a woman!’
Women should not be put off finding a job in sales if it is what you want to do and what you are good at. If you don’t feel welcomed in a business and you think it’s because of your sex, then it is time to find a new job in a new company. In the end, all that matters is how good a salesperson you are and not what your gender is.
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