Our next Women In Sales webinar, with the APS, on June 10th will explore how to attract, keep and develop women in sales. In this sales insight we consider career retention and the longer-term needs of women in the workplace.
How to keep women in sales
There has never been a better time for women to consider a long-term career in sales. The stars are aligning on several hugely important dimensions:
– Covid 19 and lockdown have completely reset patterns of activity and working hours. Locations from which to sell have changed.
– No longer is it necessary to go to the office, call centre or into customer premises.
– Technology has been embraced as a necessity and like any change, we are all getting used to it!
Professionalizing career paths
Huge emphasis is now being placed on professionalizing career paths through formal qualifications and continuous professional development. Initiatives such as Fundamental British Values and ethical selling practice are slowly but surely eliminating prejudice, bias, discrimination and other less savoury aspects of the commercial process. Enlightened attitudes within employers are responding to the needs of women in the workplace to attract, retain and develop talent.
Gender neutral?
Sales remains a tough and challenging environment and that aspect is 100% gender neutral. The lows can be low but the highs are hugely motivational. On an even playing field, it is statistically proven that women in sales perform above average and the trend toward women in sales leadership roles is positive.
“Inspirational women leaders in sales will further move the cultural needle but that means there needs to be a pipeline of energetic, competent candidates to take up those positions.”
The more empirical proof available to prove than women sales leaders perform the role differently, more compelling the argument to continue in this new direction of travel.
Continued reading about career development and workforce retention
- A better way to develop and retain top talent
- 5 proven ways to attract and retain women leaders – The culture of an organization or a department — or the views of a single manager — can have a direct impact on whether women stay with an organization or leave for something better. The informal patterns of influence and unspoken performance expectations play a role. And, of course, a woman’s individual experiences and perspectives are powerful factors, too. To attract, develop, retain, and promote talented women, organizations should take a broad view.
- 9 signs you are not taking control of your career
- 4 tips to keep your top talent
- why women make great leaders and how to retain them
