So Seriously, What’s the Difference Between a Salesman and a Saleswoman?
Fewer comments in my life have been more impactful than when my boss at my internship told me to toughen up, follow the money, and pursue a career in sales. She believed that I was afraid to be in a competitive, male dominated career. At the time I had had my heart set on a career in Human Resources, and was taken aback by the scathing comments that she made about my “feminine” career choice. However, as I spent the next couple months looking for a job I never forgot what she said and ultimately realized that I wanted to test myself and go into sales. I accepted a position as a Business Development Representative where I was one of eight girls in a company of thirty-four employees. I was particularly drawn to this company as they had a female CEO, and I hoped that she would be a role model for my own future career. So far I am happy to say that she has met all of my expectations.
What I did not expect was all the talk of sports and fantasy football; conversations I felt lost in. During training a coworker suggested I add smiley faces to my emails to “flirt” with prospects to get more responses. Other conversations have also shown me that the business world is not as progressive as my ideal, straight-out-of-college mind might have hoped. Listening to things that have been said both to me and around me have made me think back to what my boss said to me during my internship about toughening up. If I want to follow the money and be successful in sales I need to stand up for myself — I might be in the minority at work but I couldn’t let that become my mental block and keep me from being successful.
I began to speak up when it felt necessary and, equally as importantly, I began to speak up when I wanted something. Stereotypically it is believed that men are able to go further in business because they take what they want, rather than females who wait for something to be given to them. The fact that I am writing this blog post is a testament to what a male dominated environment has taught me in such a short time. I have become comfortable volunteering to take on new responsibilities and offering up my opinion on new projects just as often as I’m involved in conversations.
I have followed the money, toughened up, and become a saleswoman. Working in sales felt like a risk for me as I was entering a male dominated career and knew that I would not immediately feel like I fit in. However, I have watched myself grow and achieve more than I would have expected. The moment I got my first lead I knew that I had not made a mistake, and that a competitive career in sales was the right position for me.
