20 Jul 2015
Words Brooke Kelly

‘Sell-ebrating’ the Difference

Every March for more than 100 years the world has marked International Women’s Day, to promote and celebrate women’s advancement.  It is a reminder that women are still under-represented in many industries and professions – property and sales among them.  So let’s take a look at why we should pursue greater gender balance.

Women are increasingly making their mark as highly effective, successful brokers and managers here at Resort Brokers Australia.  So it’s no surprise the water cooler discussions occasionally run to gentle jibes about our ‘wonder women’ and ‘super men’.

You’d be a brave (foolish) person indeed to suggest either gender makes the better salesperson.  Despite a good deal of research and analysis, even the experts haven’t reached any definitive conclusions one way or the other.

Indeed, the important question really isn’t whether either gender is better at selling.  What really matters is that they are different.  And it is the differences that need to be understood and accepted.

There is no denying, the sales industry has traditionally been male dominated.  And it still is.  But national sales manager Trudy Crooks says it makes good sense for Resort Brokers to work towards a better gender balance in the sales team.

Trudy cut her own sales teeth in the highly competitive London property market.  She regularly outsold the chaps, notching up plenty of ‘top sales agent’ awards, and rising to manage an elite Mayfair office with a team of 20 people.

“I think women have vital character traits and skills that can be a real advantage.  They’re often more organised, systematic and thorough.  And they’re better listeners, more intuitive and understanding,” she says.

The research supports her view.  This probably comes as no surprise, but men and women do think differently.

According to scholarly psychologists and neurologists, men can be better at dealing with facts and quicker to take action, while women are better at integrating the analytic side of the brain with the intuitive and social side.

A study undertaken by executive recruiters Mahlab said, “Women are often better listeners and tend to pick up more body language and voice inflection cues.” 

Specialists in corporate psychological profiling, Arch Profile, say women tend to be more helpful and attentive to detail, ideal traits when developing and maintaining relationships.

It’s a finding that strikes a chord with broker Carolyn Griffith, who had a long and successful sales record in the media, real estate and motor vehicle sectors before joining Resort Brokers.  She makes this very point in her own CV, stating her “firm belief that forming relationships and friendships is the winning formula to a successful sales career.”

Fellow broker Jenny Sorenson, whose sales success with Mitsubishi led to a senior executive appointment in corporate development, also reminds us that women have a real flair for and dedication to customer service.  As the study by Arch Profile found, men might take a more assertive approach, while women take the kind, helpful route.

In Victoria, broker Liz Galea has joined Resort Brokers after excelling in sales with leading accommodation chains and then running her own Quest apartments franchises.  Liz has found feminine empathy and communication skills are integral in a world where studies confirm women make or influence around 85% of all purchasing decisions.

“I had three separate women in one day tell me how nice it was to be dealing with a female broker,” Liz said.

It’s probably what entrepreneur Marion Luna Brem was referring to in her 2004 bestseller Women Make the Best Salesmen, when she said men could learn from the natural social skills and acute emotional antennae women possess.

Resort Brokers marketing manager Carla Cook, while not dealing at the sales coalface, applies her ‘feminine energy’ (to borrow the term used by Katrena Friel, author of Sex Sells) to creating powerful and persuasive advertising and marketing campaigns.

Carla observes that selling can be a tough job because salespeople have to withstand their fair share of knock-backs.  “Women are more sensitive and tend to take things personally.  Maybe that’s one reason men have been more likely to choose the profession,” she says.

“But women who can roll with the punches, and remember not to take things too personally, really excel because of their keen cognitive, listening and social skills.

“Men might be seen as more confident and competitive but, in our experience, women have no trouble getting in touch with their masculine side – if that’s what it takes – to close a deal.”

For proof that man and women work well together and contribute complementary skills, Trudy says, you only need look as far as the accommodation industry itself.  The vast majority of motels and management rights across the country are run by husband and wife teams.

“So the industry has always been way ahead of us, with so many women long holding equal sway as owners and operators.”