Gender Bender: Female Entrepreneurs Keep Speaking Out June 10, 2008
By Kelly McCormick
A few months back, I asked female entrepreneurs "What should vendors know when selling to you?" and shared their responses in "Gender Bender: The Real Deal on Female Entrepreneurs." The women (ages 29 to 79) had a lot to say. This month, I'll share some more of their insights and feedback, which went straight to the heart of sales. Get ready for the report card.
Sales Grades
The bad news: Companies and sellers still don't understand many key things about how to sell to women business owners.
The good news: The female "solo-preneurs" offered tremendous insight as to what you should know about their buying style—information that could help continually increase your profits, stressed the women. So let's get started.
She Doesn't Buy Gadgets
"Provide a high-quality product or service." The business owners were firm on this point, and they also advised not to "tell a woman she needs to try gimmicks or tricks." The reason's simple: Women don't buy bells and whistles. They invest in solutions. One of the biggest mistakes a seller can make is to try dazzling a woman with glitzy features. She's not buying it.
Businesswomen also find it a waste of time to work with vendors who "speak about features without talking about the benefits." They're equally unimpressed when sellers "speak in acronyms" or any other techno-babble language.
To succeed, a seller must recognize that women need realistic solutions to meet their business needs.
She Urges You to Simplify the Process
Today's businesswoman has moved beyond multitasking. She handles so many details that she's now described as multi-minding. In the solopreneur role, the average woman wears all the hats in her business. She continually looks for ways to make each task simple and do-able. This carries into the buying process, too.
Female entrepreneurs want sellers "to simplify the process" and "offer clarity." You can do this by "addressing the needs we reveal to you." When you do respond to those needs, "we want you to tell us in a way that we can picture ourselves using your product or service and seeing real results."
They also want sellers to provide "acknowledgment when a problem can’t be solved." Does this mean you'll lose the sale? Not necessarily; you may be able to provide an even better solution. Even if she doesn’t buy right away, she could come back in the future and/or recommend you to others. All because you simplified the process, were honest and earned her trust.
She Expects You to Follow Up
Women don't just invest in product and service solutions—they invest in you, too. You may think you simply sold her a commodity, but in her eyes you just became part of her team. If she has any problems, your number's now programmed into her database. She expects you to "provide service" and "after-care."
Here's a valuable insider's tip: Don't wait for her to call you. About a week after she's made a purchase, contact her. Ask if she has any questions. Don't be surprised when she gasps in amazement. It’s not every day that someone offers to help her. She'll often make it a point to tell others about you.
Final Thoughts
Get to the heart of sales. Offer female entrepreneurs' realistic solutions and simplify the process. Then make sure to be a helpful resource—during and after the sale.
Sales & Marketing Management Magazine
This article is brought to you by Sales & Marketing Management, the leading authority for executives in the sales and marketing field.
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