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With over half the world’s population consisting of women, you’d think we’d be seeing close to a 50/50 split between men and women in sales. Yet, look at any list of the best salespeople and what do you notice?
Whether you’re envisioning a top sales exec, a pushy closer, or a door-to-door salesman, it’s likely an image of a man that comes to mind. Like many business-related fields, sales is an intensely male-dominated industry. With diversity, equity, and inclusion at the forefront of our minds, we interviewed some of the women leading the charge to see how female sales leaders are empowering the industry in 2024.
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While more businesses ramp up their diversity and inclusion efforts, the sales industry is still a few steps behind. In fact, the U.S. Census American Community Survey found that the sales industry has the third largest gender equity gap in America, despite studies proving teams with more gender diversity outperform those with less.
What’s more, fewer than 1 in 4 women in sales hold leadership positions – yet they fill a whopping 49% of lower-level sales and marketing roles.
Even though companies with a higher percentage of female executives were shown to have nearly 50% higher profitability than those with less, sales stats show that talented women continue to be pigeonholed into low-level account management and customer service roles.
This is especially true in B2B and specialized sales industries, such as communications and technology. Women make up less than one-third of B2B sales roles, and less than a quarter of B2B tech sales positions.
Sales Leadership Gender Demographics by Industry
| Industry | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| Apparel | 57% | 43% |
| Entertainment and hospitality | 50% | 50% |
| Banking and finance | 43% | 57% |
| Journalism, marketing, and media | 40% | 60% |
| Food and beverage | 40% | 60% |
| Health care and pharmaceutical | 40% | 60% |
| Retail and wholesale | 40% | 60% |
| Automotive and aviation | 33% | 67% |
| Technology | 30% | 70% |
| Communications | 15% | 85% |
Source: LucidChart
It’s not lack of effort that’s keeping women from rising through the ranks – in actuality, studies show that women salespeople regularly outperform men.
Yet, factors like the immense gender pay gap illustrate that a woman’s success in sales is often valued less than a man’s. On average, women earn 23% less in commission and salary than men, and the gap widens for those only on salary or hourly wage. And though nearly the same number of women and men negotiated their salaries and commission rates, men were more successful at getting what they wanted.
It takes a lot to be a successful salesperson. You need to ace tricky customer interactions, negotiating tactics, in-depth product knowledge, and so much more. But for women, the demands go far beyond knowledge and skill sets.
Historically, sales is a boys’ club – the more aggressive the tactics, the higher the success rate. With this reasoning, it’s no wonder saleswomen find themselves struggling to belong in the workplace. In addition to demanding quotas and difficult clients, women in sales also face:
One of the most prominent challenges women face in sales – or any industry, really – is overcoming bias and damaging stereotypes. In a workplace where aggression and dominance are highly regarded, 49% of women in sales fear they’re seen as too weak, while 14% claim they worry about being too assertive.
The belief that women lack the ability to be assertive – or come off as naggy or pushy when attempting to take charge – has consequently affected their promotion to higher-grade sales positions. Yet, antiquated testosterone-fueled decision-making is no longer a value clients hold in high regard.
While the sales industry has made (small) strides toward improvinggender equality in recent years, it has a long way to go in terms of addressing sexism in the workplace. Four out of 10 women reported receiving disrespectful or degrading comments at work, and 15% say they’ve received less support from senior management than men in the same roles.
You’d think women would be able to earn more respect by obtaining a higher level of education, but the opposite was proven true. 29% of women with postgraduate degrees say they have experienced small slights at work related to their gender, compared to 18% of those with bachelor’s degrees and 12% of those with less education.
A male-dominated industry inevitably fosters a “boys’ club” work culture — an environment based on the informal social networks Of male friendships in the office.
Think of it like a high school clique: those in the club get access to special information, networking opportunities, and promotions, while those on the outside can only speculate on what they’re missing. More than half of working women have been on the outside looking in.
But being excluded from the boys’ club can hurt more than your self-esteem. More than 1 in 3 women say they missed out on a professional opportunity because the conversation took place outside the office, and 37% say they weren’t promoted because of their gender.
Even when boasting the same job title, performing the same job functions, and meeting the same sales quotas, 53% of female employees have experienced double standards in the workplace — while less than a fifth of men have even noticed it happening.
Double standards could be as ridiculous as expecting women to clean up after a company party, but they can also hurt career development and growth opportunities. Women are often passed up for promotions or taking on larger clients, with 14% claiming they’re being held to a lower standard than their male colleagues. What’s more, 67% of saleswomen felt their knowledge was underestimated, and 30% said they’ve had coworkers question their authority.
Lack of women in leadership roles has serious implications for those striving for higher positions in sales. With so little representation, many saleswomen struggle to find a role model to inspire and coach them throughout their career journey.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that only 31% of sales managers were women, although both men and women hold roughly equal entry-level sales positions. This indicates that high- performing women are facing barriers to career progression and retention at a higher rate than men.
As hard as we’re trying not to impose stereotypical roles on women, it’s still widely believed females require special accommodations in order to fulfill their other duties — primarily raising a family.
In an environment where employees are expected to work long hours, a woman’s devotion to family may lead managers to believe she’s not cut out for more responsibilities or leadership opportunities. Women who took advantage of child-rearing accommodations offered by their company were stigmatized and saw their careers derailed as a result.
We talked to women making waves in the sales industry today for some words of advice. Co-host of the Enablers Podcast, Caroline Maloney, says:
“If you’re being treated in a way that isn’t congruent with your male counterparts, speak up. Talk about pay in the workplace. Talk about how you’re being treated by your sales leaders. Make sure that you’re not getting the short end of the stick, because at the end of the day, you are your best (and often only) advocate.”
Whoever predicted that “the future is female” was onto something. Excelling in sales is an uphill battle – especially if you’re a woman. But the impressive paths these saleswomen have forged prove it’s not impossible.
Melonie Dodaro, CEO of Top Dog Social Media and author of “LinkedIn Unlocked,” leaned into her communication and client relations skills to become one the world’s leading authorities on social selling. Today, she helps high-level sales leaders, executives, and teams achieve their business goals through lead generation and rapport-building.
“People don’t care about your business, they care about their problems. Be the solution they’re looking for.”
CEO of Top Dog Social Media and author of LinkedIn Unlocked
Thought leader, speaker, and bestselling author Jill Konrath is renowned for her ability to adapt fresh sales strategies to a constantly changing world. She’s advised some of the largest corporations – including Microsoft, IBM, and Wells Fargo – on how to improve customer acquisition and win big contracts.
“To be successful, it’s critical to tackle your fears. If you don’t, they become major obstacles that limit you.”
Author of More Sales, Less Time, Agile Selling, Snap Selling, and Selling to Big Companies
At just 24 , Nancy Nardin was tasked with selling the world’s first laptop computer, which led her to discover and harness the potential of the emerging “SalesTech” market. Since then, she’s been the go-to expert for all things SalesTech, proving women do have a place in technology sales.
“The one thing you’re putting off or dreading? That’s your brain telling you it’s the thing you need to do most. Get it done. Stop dreading. Do.”
SalesTech advisor and digital transformation leader
Known as one of the top sales influencers on LinkedIn, Lori Richardson is a strong advocate for women in sales. She started her career as a single mother at the bottom of the B2B sales ladder – 18 years later, she launched her own sales strategy firm to help teams succeed. Lori is also the founder of Women Sales Pros and the She Sells Summit, and host of the Conversations with Women in Sales podcast.
“Selling is really about having conversations with people and helping improve their company or their life. If you look at it like that, selling is a very admirable thing to do.”
B2B sales strategist and author of She Sells
While working as a young junior account executive at Yelp, Chantel George noticed how low gender and race diversity was within the company, especially in leadership roles. Fueled by the lack of WOC mentors who could have helped guide her throughout her sales career, George launched Sistas in Sales in 2017 – the first national organization to serve women of color in professional sales careers. With over 5,000 members, SIS has worked to empower WOC through networking events, training, and exclusive career opportunities in sales.
“To see this wave, this generation of women that are so intentional that they’re going to bootcamps because sales is a career they want, it takes me by surprise and makes me want to serve them more.”
Founder & CEO of Sistas in Sales
Despite the unique challenges women face in the sales industry, they’re revolutionizing modern sales strategies to play off their strengths – and it’s working better than past tactics. In fact, one study found that saleswomen were more likely to hit their quota compared to men.
Why? Because women are naturally equipped with the skills today’s customers, clients, and top companies find most valuable, such as:
Women are more likely to be people—oriented listeners, meaning they’re able to relate emotional messages and undertones in addition to retaining information.
An open ear will go a lot further than a smooth talker in sales — according to “The Tao of Sales,” 74% of customers are more likely to make a purchase if they believe they are being heard.
EQ can have a huge impact on how well a sales rep connects with their team and clients on a personal level. A study of more than 40 Fortune 500 companies revealed that salespeople with high EQ outperformed those who exhibit moderate levels by 50%.
Women have been shown to score higher than men in II of 12 emotional intelligence competencies correlated with effective leadership and management , with the greatest difference seen in emotional self- awareness.
Team collaboration is an effective strategy to reach a common goal. Studies show women are more likely to care for the collective and invoke collaboration, while men prefer to work alone.
Companies that promote sales team collaboration grow 2,5x more than companies that don’t. Sales reps who aren’t sharing best practices, new knowledge, or campaign insights are only slowing down team progress.
And while women make up just a small fraction of high-profile positions in the industry, they actually excel in leadership roles. Like we mentioned above, women are more likely to promote collaboration efforts among their teammates, which leads to higher revenue growth, productivity, and morale. In fact, women-led teams had a 94% win and quota attainment rate – three percentage points higher than male-led teams.
A gender diverse sales team is also an attractive selling point to many customers and clients. Having skilled saleswomen represent your company opens the door to a more diverse client group because they’re able to relate to a wider range of prospects. For example, a single man might hit a wall when trying to sell to busy moms or young college girls, but a woman who’s been in their shoes will understand the problems they’re trying to solve firsthand.
It’s obvious companies shouldn’t just hire saleswomen because it’s the right thing to do – it’s also the smart thing to do. But in an industry where women can expect to earn 21% less than their male counterparts, why would they even want to work in sales?
Businesses still have a long way to go in terms of gender diversity and inclusion in sales, but there are steps you can take to create a winning work culture where both men and women can reach their full potential.
1
67% of job seekers consider workplace diversity an important factor when considering employment opportunities.
Source: Glassdoor
2
83% of millennials are actively engaged at work when they believe the culture of their organization is inclusive.
Source: Deloitte
3
Employees with mentors are promoted 5 times more often than those without.
Source: Forbes
4
Women are 7.3% more likely to receive a high” performance rating than men — but their potential ratings are 5.8% lower.
Source: Yale Insights
5
Women who worked in sales and related occupations made 69 cents to the dollar men earned in 2021.
Source: Narrow the Gap
So the stats don’t look great – but that doesn’t mean things aren’t improving. Today’s saleswomen have a lot to look forward to as society continues to move toward gender equality and more diverse work cultures. Change takes time, but it’s change for the better.
In the meantime, check out a few first-class tips these entrepreneurial women shared to help you get ahead in the sales game.
“Use your voice, and forge a path ahead that might not be clear yet. Rely on your female mentors in particular, and develop relationships with women of all ages in all spaces. Wisdom is power, especially passed down from generations.”
— Caroline Maloney, sales enablement at Redis and strategic advisor at Outplay
“My career has been full of rejection, starting with being kicked off my college cheer team for my physical appearance. I was also told I had only been picked initially because there weren’t a lot of options. Ouch. Ultimately, I learned I didn’t want to be part of a culture or team that had intentions of changing me. Of course, I faced rejection as an SDR, and still face skepticism and criticism as a young female entrepreneur. As a woman, I constantly feel the pressure to ‘prove myself,’ but what has helped the most is knowing that what is meant for me will be. Without changing who I am – the right clients, mentors, and my own business objectives always land at the right time and right when I need them.”
— Katherine Caldwell, founding coach at Katch Consulting LLC
“As a woman, you have innate qualities that already make you a great asset to the sales environment. Women care, they are leaders by nature, influential, they are better problem-solvers and tend to be better teammates. Leverage all of those skills that make you a woman to build up your own sales personality. Now more than ever, the sales individuals who make an impact are those who are always true to themselves and their own process.”
— Valeria Barberi, inbound sales at Mailshake
“Build a community that includes male advocates. You need people who can provide guidance and support. You also need folks who are already in the rooms where decisions are being made to advocate for you.”
— Leslie Venetz, founder of Sales Team Builder LLC
Women make up just under 30% of the sales industry, with most filling customer service or account management roles.
Women succeed in sales the same way men do – they learn from their mistakes, study their customer service and communication skills, know how to network, and consistently look for ways to improve their strategy. That being said, women should lean into their natural strengths to forge their own path to success.
Caroline Maloney says, “Make a list of your passions, your work history, and your dream career. Draw parallels to crossovers between those three categories. That right there is your niche! Go chase it.”
Female sales leaders only make up 26% of the industry, yet studies show that women-led teams often perform better than their male-led counterparts. B2C industries, like apparel and hospitality, boast the most women in sales leadership roles compared to the communication and tech fields, which have fewer than 30%.
Women make an average of $61,000 in both salary and commission, $37,000 in commission alone, and $33,000 in salary minus commission. Compared to men, women earn 23% less in the sales industry.
Gender equality in the workplace isn’t about building women up or knocking men down – it’s about creating a culture that works best for everyone. However, the sales industry still has some unfinished business in order to level the playing field. If you’re wanting to improve productivity, attract new clients, and boost team morale, employing more women in sales will drive results – but it’s up to you to create an environment where both men and women can reach their potential.
