Women are strong willed individuals who can thrive in the male-dominated sales industry. Today’s guest will help us understand how women can thrive in the male-dominated sales industry. Thriving in the male-dominated industry Cherilynn Castleman released a book entitled, What’s in the C.A.R.D.S: Five Post-Pandemic Sales Strategies. She’s been in sales for over 25 years and was able to experience the global financial crisis in 2008 first-hand. When she first started selling, salespeople used to spend 20% of their time building relationships and 80% on sales. This book talks about doing the opposite. 80% of the time should be spent building relationships while the other 20% should be focused on sales. The book is about how to connect and build relationships with other people. It’s about collaborating with clients and becoming more emphatic. The Perfect Time to be a Woman Harvard Business Review released a study in May 2020 that women outsell men after a crisis. Women, by nature, are emphatic, collaborative, and open-minded creatures. The best time for women to go into sales is right now. For Cherilynn, there are three levels of listening: Restaurant listening - it’s when your brain thinks a 100 miles a minute. You think of what food to eat or what food you had last week. A lot of salespeople sell this way. They’re very knowledgeable, so when their client starts talking, the sales reps are already answering every question in their heads. Reflective listening - We’re taught this in school. It’s when sales reps reflect what it said back to the clients. They’d reflect the conversation and then they present their pitch. Empathic listening - this is listening between the lines and listening to the words that weren’t spoken. You do this by muting your brain and taking deep breaths. This will allow you to focus on what’s being said and what’s not being said. It allows you to connect to the people talking on a deeper level. The 4 Fs Ask people about the four Fs: Ask them what it was like for their first day of the pandemic. Were they worried about their job? About their production? Ask them what it was like the first time they were doing what they’re doing now. Then, listen carefully. Ask them about their failure. Ask them about their future. Ask them about their finest moments. Any sentence that starts with an ‘I’ is not being empathetic. When you talk to clients, always be present and be where they are. Be with their frustration and then allow them to formulate a solution with you. It’s not that people hate Zoom calls; it’s more like they hate the way you run Zoom calls. You have to be authentic. Women are okay with being a little bit vulnerable as opposed to men. Make yourself relatable. You don’t necessarily have to be formal and take on that sales voice every time you jump on Zoom. Pause, figure out your superpowers, and leverage them. Right now, sales is about being open-minded, about being strategic, and about helping the clients come up with a vision. “How Women Can Thrive in the Male-Dominated Sales Industry'' episode resources Connect with Cherilynn Castleman via LinkedIn. You can also check out her website. Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels:

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