Tag: selling to women

If All Your Salespeople Are The Same…

A large company
fired or laid off
all their salespeople
who didn’t sell their products
‘their way.’

What was ‘their way?’
You guessed it.
It was the stereotypical white male way.

And that is fine
IF the company is only selling
to white males.

But guess what?
This isn’t the 1800s.
There are female CEOS now.
There are CEOs
who aren’t white.

And they often don’t like
to be sold
to
using the stereotypical
white male techniques.

I personally hate
that style of selling.

If you want
a diverse customer/client base,
have a diverse sales team.

Softening Words

For the longest time,
I would never state facts or opinions
with absolute certainty.

I wouldn’t say,
for example,
“The use of fossil fuels
IS making climate change worse.”
I would say
“The use of fossil fuels
MIGHT be making climate change worse.”

And this meant
men would immediately discount
or dismiss my contributions.

Many women moderate their statements.

Why?

Because many women
have dealt with violent men.

And violent men
don’t like it
when we use absolutes.
They will pound the sh*t out of us
for using them
in ANY context.

So we don’t use them.

And then we have to train ourselves
to use absolutes
in a business setting.

But if the woman is still living
with her abuser,
she has to remember
to stop using absolutes
in private
or she might die.

Remember this
the next time you are tempted
to dismiss or discount
a woman’s opinion
because she didn’t state it
with 100% certainty.

She has dealt with violence.
If you punish her for that,
you’re a f*cking jacka$$
and
you are also contributing
to that violence.

You People

I’ve walked out of businesses
because the salesman
used the phrase
“you women”
while talking to me.

It is disrespectful
and it conveys
the message
that person is NOT
on my side.
He doesn’t believe
he’s anything like me
and why would I buy
from someone like that?

This is true
for other demographics.

MimZWay shares
(this entire Twitter thread
is a must read
for salespeople)

““You people”?
Now the man could have
simply meant “people”
who dare to bring in
photos of what they are looking for,
trying to make his job easier –
but in case you don’t know –
the words “You people,”
is triggering for black folks.
It groups us –
and not in a good way.”

Align yourself with the customer
when talking with them.
Always.
And never put them
in a different group
than the one
you have put yourself.

And try not to be
a woman-hating or/and racist
a$$hat.