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Sell Like a Girl
Leslie Buterin
Frustrated with rejection at the top? Wondering who’s greasing whose palm to get access to the million-dollar decision-makers? Working at convincing yourself that the CEO/President isn’t really THE Top Dog for your particular product/service?
All you’ve gotta do to change this frustration and rejection to outrageous success is this. Learn to think like a girl …
You’ll be relieved to know that “sell like a girl” isn’t going to require you he-men to sound “fem” on the phone or your she-women to sound “sultry or whiny” it does mean that you’ve got to think differently than you’ve been thinking about approaching the upper echelon.
Surf the net, read the articles about sales and they reek of testosterone—power, speed, obscene sums of money begging to get into your pockets, get to the decision-maker at all costs. Overall there’s not one thing wrong with testosterone—after all it’s half of what makes the world go round.
However, testosterone will get in the way when you’re dealing with the number one person you need to know to get to the Top Dog decision makers. Yep, I’m talkin’ about the gatekeeper.
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Oh, I know there are lots of connections made on the golf courses but no one comes near the success rates of those who know how to treat the gatekeeper on the other end of the line. Listen up now, I’m givin’ you an insider’s secret from the Ladies Powder Room … Sales Professionals of America, you be nice to the Executive Assistant and she’ll be nice to you.
Don’t you dare write this off as “too simple” , resist the temptation to think, “kick it up a notch this isn’t how the big deals are made.” Because the results of heeding this counsel will make your head spin. Like appointments with $1.3 Billion dollar decision makers, meetings with executives who prior to using this method had been unreachable for more than 20 years, sales cycles shortened from 6 months to 2 weeks … and the accolades go on and on.
So what do the folks who’ve learned to Sell Like A Girl know that you don’t know? This is it—the single most important person you need to know to get scheduled on the Executive’s calendar for a sales call is more likely than not, a girl—actually a professional executive assistant who is female.
What does she want? To introduce her executive to the sales professionals that are savvy to the ways business is done at the top.
Why is she interested in that kind of relationship? Because her boss, the executive, has included her in his directive to seek out new ideas to help the boss take the company where no man has gone before! The Top Dog is eager to hear about new ideas that’ll reduce expenses, increase revenues and keep his company ahead of the other guy. Her boss wants to meet a sales pro like you—because you have a lot to offer.
Now, that you know the secret key, beware of getting your tail caught in the closed gate because of your approach.
When testosterone meets estrogen, it’s a different experience than when testosterone meets testosterone. Or when testosterone wannabees (how a lot of women have learned to behave in business) meet the gatekeeper.
The executive assistant uses the language of business, she’s bottom line, brief in use of words, deliberate in her focus—and she appreciates being treated by you as the second most powerful peron in the organization.
Give her the information she needs and is looking for to communicate to the executive. That is simply your name, your phone number, and what’s in it for the exec if he does business with you.
And be polite. Tell her you appreciate her and thank her.
True she isn’t the decision maker—but she is the single most important key to getting to the decision maker. Learn how to think like a girl and your calendar will be packed with executive level sales calls. Your other option? Continue to bang your head against a solidly locked door. Come on, give it a try; you don’t have to tell a soul … just sell like a girl.

BuyMontanaNow
2 months ago
6 comments
I think she is right. I've make some of my best sales contacts by first connecting with the person answering the phone (which happened to be female). The fine line that I have to walk, however, is to not portray that the interest in that persons life, or how their day is going, leads them to think I want a date, when all I am looking for is a business connection.
HarrietAlison
2 months ago
222 comments
Think like the Executive assistant whether male or female. If they like ti they will be more confident and exciied when (if) they tell their boss about it
pcarletti
4 months ago
10 comments
AMEN!! Professionals always deal well with Professionals - the Executive Administrator did not get to where she/he is by being a wimp or ignorant!!
rich34232
5 months ago
606 comments
I like the message of treating the gate keeper with respect.However sell like a girl seems to be demeaning to women in general. Sell like a professional.
taniapeterson
8 months ago
2 comments
Thank you for this valuable information. As a new business owner I have to admit that I have not thought to be nicer than the absolutely necessary to the gatekeeper. Putting her in the second most important place is really something I would appreciate it myself. I will give it a try.