Why aren't there more women in sales, and what can we do about it?

After a recent drive to hire into their sales team, ebsconnect found women candiates were few and far between. But it shouldn't be that way, says Suzanna Chaplin (CEO, esbconnect). Here's why the sales'gender gap exists, and how to solve it.

After a recent drive to hire into our sales team at esbconnect, we had a great response and interviewed approximately 30 interested candidates. Of that number, how many do you think were women?

Two. Which represents under 7% of those interviewed.

Speaking to peers across different industries, it seems this is not an anomaly, but a common scenario. In fact, according to LinkedIn's Women in Sales report, only 39% of sales roles are occupied by women globally. But why?

Are sales teams stuck in the past?

When we think about roles in sales, we often imagine an intimidating, even cut-throat work environment. Traditionally, sales teams were all too often perceived as a kind of boys’ club - wining and dining clients; agreeing deals over perhaps one too many pints in the pub.

Sales roles can also conjure connotations of employment insecurity, due to the prevalence of sales targets and therefore an element of risk or unpredictability. So are these old-fashioned associations putting women off applying for these roles?

“Despite our best efforts, there are still too few women entering the sales arena,” suggests Jo Wood, managing director at The Media Exchange. “Perhaps they are still put off by the soft-skill stereotypical image - assertiveness, competitiveness and arrogance - portrayed in Wolf of Wall Street. Or maybe there just aren’t enough women to aspire to in sales leadership roles.”

Either way, says Jo, “when women do take the plunge, they definitely make the best commercial managers - and often gain rapid career progression.”

Meanwhile, Jemini Kukadia, senior account director at Teads, says: “There’s an under-representation of women in sales due to outdated stereotypes; a misconception that you have to put emotions aside to be successful.”

However, she says the industry has evolved over the last decade, “from the ‘car salesman’ style to a more consultative and interpersonal approach - allowing women to quickly develop rapport and therefore stronger, longer-lasting connections with clients.”

Leveraging the female skillset in sales

For those women who don’t think they ‘fit’ in sales, we need to change the narrative. Because in fact, women often have a skill set which makes them adept at establishing trusting client relationships that in turn deliver great sales outcomes.

Just as not all men are the same, neither are all women, of course. But research tells us that women demonstrate high emotional intelligence, have great people skills and value transparency in their working relationships. According to Forbes, women tend to ‘score higher than men in areas of empathy, interpersonal relationships and social responsibility’.

These skills also lend themselves strongly to the increasingly popular Challenger sales model, where empathy and emotional connection are fundamental to delivering results. In a world where we are increasingly irked by the ‘hard sell’ approach, and more motivated by a sense of doing what is right, there is real space for authenticity in sales - and every reason to believe that there are professional women out there to help fill it.

“Throughout my career, I've been fortunate enough to work with exceptional women in sales whose contributions have been invaluable,” says Shirley Smith, VP sales EMEA at Flashtalking. “Diversifying the sales force not only promotes inclusivity, but also enables companies to effectively engage with a wider customer base, driving innovation and profitability. Women bring unique perspectives, communication styles and relationship-building skills to the table, which should open more doors and will help companies grow revenue.”

So, how can we encourage more women into sales?

4 ways to bridge the gender gap in sales

1. Start the conversation earlier

“I would suggest it starts at school/university, when young girls are encouraged to explore their skills, as well as different sectors,” says Charlotte Yates, senior talent acquisition manager at Farfetch. “Looking back, I was encouraged to take part in debates, public speaking and drama lessons - although never with the purpose of potentially supporting me in a career in sales. But in my agency days, these skills gave me the confidence to speak to people I’d never met before, and make a cold call without fear.”

2. Keep the conversation going

Despite steady societal changes, we need to keep the narrative going. Acknowledging the gap, and in particular reinforcing there is nothing inherently ‘male’ about being a successful sales person, can only serve to help encourage women into these roles.

As John Ball, sales lead, Inbox Extend at esbconnect puts it: “There is no reason women should be less prevalent in sales roles, aside from societal ones. Women are equally likely to have the required soft and hard skills to be successful in sales. Men are over-represented in these roles because of historic patriarchal factors that have persisted, but I do believe this is changing. The 'male' culture around sales environments has waned compared to when I entered the field 12 years ago.”

It seems that the persistence of stereotypes is more prevalent the more senior the level, so we also need to encourage women as they climb the ladder. “I've observed there is much more parity between men and women in more junior sales roles,” says John. “Typically, women will choose to pivot away from more senior sales roles in favor of related senior roles such as account management, HR, or partnerships.”

3. Adopt targeted initiatives

Where resources and scale allow, targeted and structured initiatives have proven effective in driving greater gender balance in commercial leadership positions. For instance, through its dedicated Women in Sales program, Heineken increased the percentage of female senior managers in sales globally from 9% in 2020 to 19% in 2022 (and aims to reach 25% by 2025).

As the World Economic Forum highlights, not only does this help to convey the company’s brand values, but it also helps to deliver greater commercial success. Soliciting relevant input from the start, measuring outcomes at all levels of the organization and focusing on longevity for continued impact are all key to making a success of campaigns.

4. Make a clear call-out for soft skills

Recruitment collateral and media content needs to be very clear in specifying the skills expected for successful candidates, allowing women reading job descriptions and company literature to see they have the strengths required to excel in sales positions.

Paving the way for future women in sales

Ross Layafette, sales director at esbconnect, sums up our hope for the future by saying: “I have two daughters and five sisters, so knowing only 39% of salespeople are women is naturally concerning. I would love to think that the pathway is easier for women to thrive or enter the industry than before. I have worked under phenomenal female sales leaders and I know saleswomen who consistently over-perform in their role.”

At esbconnect, we know that sales teams need women to reach their collective goals, and we won’t stop until that parity is reached. Will you join us?

Also published in: The Drum