It can be difficult getting to know a new prospect. Salespeople walk a fine line between learning about prospects and communicating about their offerings. Starting a conversation with a woman prospect is different than with men.
Selling to Women Tip #1: Ask about Her First
Start the conversation by asking your woman prospect about herself. Don’t introduce yourself first. Women often become very interested in learning about others. If you start the conversation about yourself, she may spend the entire conversation asking questions about you. Then you’d never learn anything about her– and how can you sell to a stranger?
And don’t worry, you’ll have an opportunity to talk about yourself soon enough! Reciprocity is built into women’s natures. She will certainly ask about you and what you do.
Selling to Women Tip #2: Your First Question Sets the Tone
Asking a woman about herself can be tricky. Avoid making assumptions about your prospect’s life situation. Don’t assume she is a career women or a stay-at-home mom. You set the stage for a friendly conversation when your first question to her is neutral.
To avoid awkward situations, try these opening questions:
- What keeps you busy these days?
- What gets you up in the morning?
Selling to Women Tip #3: Listen for These 3 Key Things
It may be true that women have a lot to say, but if you listen for these three topics, you’ll be well on your way to a successful sales conversation:
- Information about her family and lifestyle that help you understand how your offerings could help her.
- Interests you share in common that can start to build a friendly acquaintanceship.
- Something you can follow-up on later to show her you were listening and care about the conversation you shared.
One of my woman friends, a regional director at a major insurance company, was training a salesman to be an insurance agent. He wasn’t fresh out of school; in fact, this man was mature, confident and fairly seasoned in his profession. During his training, he accompanied her to a networking event– a meeting of the local chamber of commerce. At this meeting, she observed that although 25-30% of the attendees were women, he didn’t talk to any of them.
Oh yes, this advice is definitely true. But it is also completely unhelpful to a salesperson who doesn’t understand female gender culture.
The salesperson thinks he’s making friends and developing mutual respect through his “credentialing” introduction that described his success and acumen. Although the personal small talk went on a little longer than he would have liked, he feels like he helped the prospect narrow her focus and concentrate on what’s important.
The prospect thinks the salesperson is a bit arrogant and wonders why the first part of the meeting had to be all about him and his bragging. And she’s annoyed that he ignored all the important life details that she took the time to share. She’s also off-put that he expected her to know what products she wanted this early in the process. She might think, “You’re the expert. I told you about myself and what I need. Why don’t you suggest what products would be best?”
Perhaps you’ve taken my advice that