Many women dislike the idea of working in sales because, on the surface, it seems manipulative, high pressure, and aggressive. Plus, they often think they won't be as good as their male counterparts and that they won't get taken seriously.
Lorraine Ferguson is the author of The Unapologetic Saleswoman Breaking the Barriers, Beating the Odds. She sat down with Mike Montague, Global Head of Content at Sandler, for a one-hour conversation to dispel these myths.
Lorraine is the woman from whom all unapologetic saleswomen should take advice.
Why? She faced and overcame the issues women in sales deal with daily. Plus, she's helped hundreds of women do the same.
The most common things she tells Montague that get in a sales woman's way are
- Nonsupportive beliefs about the sales profession – that selling is somehow wrong or unethical by nature
- They need to be loved. Women have a very high need for approval. It works against you in a sales situation
- Childhood messages/scripts about how girls should behave
- Reliance on product knowledge. They want to be an expert and prove themselves
- Lack of or ineffective selling process
- Lack of confidence is the #1 barrier Lorraine sees in women; this means they're constantly questioning whether they're supposed to be there. Women use it as a roadblock to taking risks
On the flip side, gave eight solid reasons why women are great salespeople. They are naturally
- Inquisitive/Intuitive
- Relationship Builders
- Listeners
- Confidantes
- Nurturers
- Problem Solvers
- Honest
- Good at Smelling a Rat
She started selling using traditional, high-pressure, cutthroat sales tactics, and felt like she couldn't be herself. That changed when she discovered the Sandler Selling System. "It fits women like a glove," she told Montague.
The Sandler Selling System helps women develop a sales mindset of being gatherers of information instead of spewing it, which they naturally do anyway. Transferring these skills to a sales call helps women feel in control and empowered – most critically, confident.
It further helps women see that their job is not to convince the prospect to buy. It is to convince yourself that the buyer has a problem, and the need to solve it is imminent and they can solve it.
Subsequently, she gives three crucial things that unapologetic saleswomen need to do every day.
- Modify nonsupportive self-talk – it manifests into lower performance faster than the speed of light
- Journal – you should do this during your morning routine. Start by listing things for which you're grateful. Then, write about the day as if it already was successful and what behaviors you used to make it a success.
- Gives herself credit – women tend to play down their successes. Unapologetic saleswomen do not stand down.
The conversation ends with Ferguson giving the most important tidbit for unapologetic saleswomen to remember. "Leave your mom home." Women have been socialized from a young age not to speak up, act like a lady, or that being "good" is getting told what to do. That is not how you approach a sales call as an equal. How can anybody else see you as an equal if that's not how you see yourself?
