Research is challenging companies to try sales techniques far removed from male-oriented behavioral models.

Being a woman may not make you—or your sales force—good at selling to women. In fact, you may not be fully aware of the potential in selling to the businesswoman’s market. Many businesses aren’t.

According to Rebecca Maddox, founding partner of Maddox Smye, a Florida-based consulting firm that teaches companies how to sell to women, “Not all companies realize that women are making so much money, buying luxury cars and managing the family finances. And if they do, they might not know how to address it.”

Maddox Smye uses a behavioral approach to evaluate clients’ sales techniques independently and as compared to industry standards. That evaluation forms the basis for a personalized training program that teaches salespeople how their behavior affects female prospects—and helps them change behaviors that may limit sales to women.

Sending a Message
Marketing your company to other women as a women-owned business (if it is one) may provide a competitive advantage. A recent study from the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council showed that 79 percent of women are compelled to try a company’s product or service when they know the company buys from women businesses; 81 percent said that knowledge would moderately or significantly solidify their brand loyalty. Yet 76 percent of respondents were unaware of companies’ efforts to buy from women-owned businesses.

To get the most exposure in the marketplace, try these tips:

• Publicly identify your company as a women-owned business.
• Actively reach out to women-owned businesses that may need your products or services.
• Network through the National Association of Women Business Owners, the Women Presidents’ Organization and other coalitions of women-owned businesses.
• Consider targeting marketing or promotional campaigns toward women if that’s appropriate for the products or services you offer.

Training Your Team
To close the deal, your sales force can learn deceptively simple behaviors. One example: Slow things down. “Men tend to go right to the bottom line,” says Maddox. “An insurance salesman told us about a female client who started talking about jewelry,” she recalls. “Before, he would typically try to shut that down and move on, but this time, he slowed down. Though the woman came in to discuss just life insurance, she wound up buying health and auto policies as well.”

A simple focus on service, such as Maddox Smye’s signature “How can I be most helpful to you today?” also makes an impact. “One client told me he never used this line where it didn’t reap a reward for him,” Maddox says.

What I Learned
“One of the most relevant teachings I learned from Maddox Smye is that women respond well to salespeople who make connections for them, whether inside the organization or with other service providers or resources,” says Julie Keckstein, a Women’s Business Advocate at National City in Columbus, Ohio. “The program emphasized behaviors that you can practice until they become second nature,” she adds, “things you might have been doing before, but once you identify and label them, you can make them a habit.” To keep her clients connected, Keckstein shares information by copying appropriate people on e-mails and bringing people in her network together when she thinks that can be mutually beneficial.