WOMEN IN TECH AND SALES — Data Driven Investor — Medium

Presently, there’s a lot of light shining on women in the place of work. However, tech sales is another area where women are taking critical seats in the uppermost echelons of the businesses. Now more significant than ever, there is a noticeable increase in women dominated in industries. Industry statistics show that 25% of salespeople in the tech industry are women.

Sales are not just about closing the deal and making a profit. It’s a task that calls for fantastic communication and relationship-constructing competencies, internally and externally. Women can be great professionals and use their knowledge as well as the in-built project management skills as a mindset to listen thoughtfully and responding to prospects connecting them to the solutions they need.

Evidencing this trend, more and number of female workers coming into tech field are now making it in the corporate world and getting top positions as CEOs of technology firms, as consultants and developmental and project leader positions as well as using their charm and women approach in achieving their goals.

Can Women Make Tech Businesses More Profitable?

Let me set the record straight: Women have the requisite skills. Technical expertise isn’t just enough to succeed in tech sales. It takes excellent relationships to score meetings and seal deals, and women in sales have those in spades. Women build trust and credibility up front. Women remember details, ask insightful questions, listen intently to the answers, and collaborate to find solutions. And apart from the fact that women are born winners, of course, they are just as capable as salesmen of figuring out how the technology works.

The current appointment that had drawn pretty an interest among the tech network turned into that of Virginia “Ginni” Rometty, the first-ever female CEO of IBM, one of the international’s biggest tech corporations to this point. Who is exceptionally credited for her management in the organization’s worldwide business marketing and strategies, in addition to her contribution to IBM sales in 2010, which passed ninety-nine billion dollars?

These three facts below illustrate that women are sure to do a top-notch job in these roles.

Women Can Change the Perception of Sales

The notion that an effective salesperson has to be quite aggressive, pushy, and perhaps even manipulative — are qualities that are more frequently associated with men in the workplace. But, as customers have become more and more wary of those dated and slimy sales tactics and it is also bad for business, especially in tech sales, women have a real opportunity to shift the manner that clients and colleagues alike reflect on consideration of sales.

Things, like building a healthy relationship, interest to detail, and agree with customers, are the qualities that make for a powerful salesperson today. And, all these traits are inclusive of a woman.

Women Have Strong Emotional Intelligence

Unquestioningly Without a doubt, both men and female gender offer value and certain personality traits. Studies have however shown that “Women tend to possess better emotional intelligence than men, in general. This form of empathy fosters rapport,” explains Dan Goleman Ph.D.

These emotional strengths serve them well when it comes to connecting with customers and closing deals. That’s an important skill to be successful in sales — meaning women can bring something different to the table in tech sales careers.

Women Tend To Be More Collaborative

Sales are traditionally viewed as a highly competitive career field, in which everyone is eager to meet their quotas and get new customers. Although, success in tech sales also requires salespeople to be highly collaborative. From IT departments to product development groups, salespeople may be way more effective once they’re inclined to collaborate across the corporation.

This is an area where many women excel. Women are more willing to work with others, as stated by economists Peter J. Kuhn in a paper titled “Are Women More Attracted to Cooperation Than Men?” Women place more trust in the people around them and, thus, being more collaborative than their male counterparts.

Frankly, women have characteristics and skills that make them natural fits for sales, like the ability to build trust, listen and provide recommendations, nurture relationships.

VERDICT

The truth is we need more women in sales and leadership not only because it will help diversify companies, but also because it will contribute to the transformation of the industry and the art of selling. Women and other underrepresented groups bring experiences and knowledge that will reshape the industry and have a direct impact on the evolution and growth of any company.

If you’re a startup and have the opportunity to build a new sales force, or if you’re a company rethinking your sales talent strategy, evaluate gender diversity as a critical component. Set dreams for the range of female dealers you want in your agency and aggressively pressure on the figures.

Originally published at https://medium.com on June 30, 2019.