1. There is there an increase in the number of women primarily responsible for purchasing decisions. What is the number one factor influencing this trend?

2. What should be the primary focus of businesses today in order to capitalize on the number of women buyers?

3. What do women look for when selecting a vendor, company or brand?

4. What are the crucial differences between how women and men buy products and services?

5. What are the top mistakes that sellers make when selling to women?

6. What are the important considerations that should be factored into every sales interaction with women?

7. Are women naturally better at selling to other women?

8. What would a female seller need to learn to successfully sell to women?

9. What are the fatal mistakes that men should avoid when selling to women?

10. How can a seller or company get repeat and referral business from women?

 

Five Questions for Kelly McCormick

Q: What makes you qualified to discuss how to capitalize on the female market?

A: I have owned three successful businesses. The first was at age 21. As a woman in business, I have sat through hundreds of sales presentations. Unfortunately, most of them have been horrible. Think used-car salesman and you’ll get the picture. 

As an entrepreneur myself, I was determined to not inflict any hard-sell techniques on my clients. Instinctively I knew that there had to a better way to connect with buyers. It became my mission to find an authentic way to sell.

In college, I studied social work, which included courses in psychology and sociology. Combining this information with my experiences in business, my first sales program came to life.

The mission became my life’s work. For well over a decade, I’ve been teaching, speaking, and writing about how to sell without selling.

Q: Why are you not offering information about selling to men? Why do you focus specifically on selling to women? 

A: I still offer information that can be applied when selling to men. The first sales program I ever developed, OutSell Yourself®, teaches the fundamentals of selling. Thousands of professionals have increased their income with that information.

I now focus on selling to women because I recognized that sellers would benefit from my knowledge about the specific buying styles of women, especially since women make 80% of all buying decisions. Over the years, when teaching men and women how to sell, it became evident that our styles are radically different. Not only do women and men communicate and listen differently, but the way we approach buying situations—and even what we look for in vendors—couldn’t be more diverse.

Q: Can your techniques be applied on a global basis or is it a North American concept?

A: My techniques on how to sell to women are being applied globally today. Several of the corporations that I work with have salespeople, dealers, and franchises who sell internationally. I also send out a Communication E-tip by e-mail that is read worldwide. Selling to women is a universally hot topic. 

Q: Have you changed your purchasing style based on what you’ve learned? 

A: The biggest change in my purchasing style is that, like many women today, I will shop around until I find the seller who will take the time and interest to understand my needs. 

Recently I bought a new car. The biggest consideration wasn’t which model I would buy. Like most women, I had already done my homework. The final purchase choice came down to which seller would take the time to listen, then sell me what I needed, instead of trying to sell me a car that would meet their quota. Four years ago, when my last car purchase was made, that option wasn’t even a reality.

 
Q: As you examine the trends of the increasing buying power of women in the marketplace, what do you find the most frustrating and, conversely, what do you find the most positive in your work with people in this arena?

A: The most frustrating thing I encountered with my work on how to sell to women was trying to get companies interested in the topic.  Five years ago, I approached several businesses and corporations who were already hiring me to teach sales. The goal was to get them to try a pilot of my How to Sell to Women program. The answer, and I’m paraphrasing, was, “No. The women’s market isn’t big enough. We’ll just stay with your OutSell Yourself program. We wouldn’t want to lose any of the male market.”

I didn’t give up. When I came back armed with stats, including how much money women spend annually in the US, $6.1 trillion, CEOs and vice presidents of sales rethought the whole idea. They then got very excited about educating their sellers on how to sell to women.

I’m pleased to report the feedback that companies meeting a woman’s high buying expectations are actually exceeding a man’s buying expectations. That is very positive news.

 

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