GenderSell: How to Sell to the Opposite Sex [Hardcover]

Judith C. Tingley Ph.D. (Author), Lee E. Robert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 1999

Books like John Gray's Men Are from Mars and Women Are from Venus and Deborah Tannen's You Just Don't Understand have illuminated the ways that psychological differences between the sexes affect personal and workplace relationships. But until now, virtually every book on selling has ignored these differences. And despite the fact that women make approximately 85 percent of the purchasing decisions on almost every product or service sold in America today, nearly all relevant books have been written by men and only address selling to men.

Drawing on original research -- the authors' Sales Preference Survey, with over 600 participating consumers -- this is the first book to apply insights about gender distinctions to the art of selling. Which customers relate best to questioning, and which to supplying information? Should you focus more on the process, or the product? When is the right time to close? In these pages, specific techniques and provocative case studies show salespeople how to increase their success with opposite-sex customers. The industry buzz has already begun: in response to articles on the topic that have appeared in trade publications, executives from IBM to Cadillac are clamoring for Gendersell to make it an integral part of sales strategies worldwide.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Want to add some sex appeal to your sales approach? Try reading GenderSell by Judith Tingley and Lee Robert. The authors believe that business leaders and sales professionals can dramatically improve results if they understand some general differences in the ways men and women behave and think. The heart of the authors' advice: Be open and adaptive when selling to the opposite sex. Take on the qualities and characteristics of the customer, they write. "When selling to a male, sell more like a man," write Tingley, a psychologist and consultant on gender in the workplace, and Robert, a sales executive. "When selling to a woman, sell more like a woman." That means men can often benefit from a feminine touch. For example, men should bear in mind that women like to talk about people and feelings. You can boost sales to women by showing how the product can be used and enjoyed, instead of rattling off facts and figures. And women should remember that men are impatient for the bottom line. When selling to men, women should build rapport through product knowledge and then quickly get to the point without any disclaimers. Some people may feel stereotyped by the book. However, the authors contend that their findings are based on a vast amount of research, including an original survey of 600 consumers and their preferences for dealing with sales pros. GenderSell is easy to understand and read. It's full of anecdotes about how to close a deal by first closing the gender gap. --Dan Ring

From Library Journal

Tingley, a psychologist and consultant on workplace communication, has previously published Genderflex (AMACOM, 1994) and Say What You Mean (AMACOM, 1996). Coauthor Robert is a sales professional and well-known commentator in the area of "performance." They feel that in the future, selling will be more of a one-to-one experience and that, with the changing of the work force, it is vital for salespeople to understand the differences between selling to men and to women and be able to relate to either. The authors devote much of their book to discussing the uniqueness of each gender's approach to the purchasing decision from the perspective of the buyer and seller; they also consider selling to a couple. The findings are well presented and interspersed with examples from their personal lives or consulting careers. Heartily recommended for business, public, and academic libraries; anyone selling any product or service would benefit from studying this work.ALittleton M. Maxwell, Business Information Ctr., Univ. of Richmond, VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1St Edition edition (April 2, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684843854
• ISBN-13: 978-0684843858
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #530,667 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Would have made a great magazine article, June 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: GenderSell: How to Sell to the Opposite Sex (Hardcover)

Yes, men and women use different approaches to how they buy and how they sell. And this book talks about the differences from the viewpoint of two women. To be balanced, wouldn't it have made sense for this book to be written by a woman and a man?

The first 60 pages of the book outline the author's experiences (lots and lots of "I did this and I did that") and the data that the authors collected from "interviewing 600 people." Unfortunately, the data is broadly summarized, and the reader doesn't get to examine the questions asked or the answers given. The rest of the book rehashes the first 60 pages, over and over and over again.

The key ideas discussed in the book could have been summarized in about 5,000 words, the length of an average magazine article. But the authors fluffed it up to fill 174 pages, slapped a hard cover on it, and charge you $24.00 for the privilege of digging out the few ideas you hadn't heard about or experienced before.

For me, the new idea from the book is that men are competitive in sales and women are cooperative in sales. Otherwise, you've already read the rest of the ideas in John Grey's "Men are From Mars..."

If you really want to be successful selling to people, regardless of gender, learn their communication styles and sell to that. Two great books on this topic are Shelle Rose Charvet's "Words that Change Minds" and Tony Alessandra's "The Platinum Rule." There are no generalizations about gender, and the approach works because your communication is always tailored to the prospects needs.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful!, March 20, 2001

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: GenderSell: How to Sell to the Opposite Sex (Paperback)

Judith C. Tingley, Ph.D., and Lee E. Robert tell you why men are super-salespeople on Mars but idiots on Venus. This challenging and important topic - selling to the opposite gender - is, in itself, a pretty tough sell. The danger is that it inherently involves working with gender generalities and variabilities, and we have all been properly conditioned against that. The authors are a couple of experienced veterans who sometimes seem to lapse into stereotypes. Anyone who has been in the sales trenches would have to agree they are on to something, however, particularly when their advice is specific. In fact, many of the common-sense pointers presented in these pages would be applicable in relationships both professional and personal. As such, we at getAbstract recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve his or her rapport with the opposite sex - for business or otherwise.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't be left behind in Sales!, February 24, 2001

By 

K Lennertz (Boca Raton, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: GenderSell: How to Sell to the Opposite Sex (Paperback)

You don't have to be in Sales or Marketing to benefit from this book because you are always "selling" something. And if you haven't read Dr. Tingley's book, then you are at a major disadvantage. GenderSell is a "must-read" if you plan to be successful now and even more so in the future. Let's face it - genderselling to women is good for everyone. And if you aren't addressing the needs of this critical market, you are going the way of the dinosaur. Genderselling makes sense and Dr. Tingley has taken her wealth of knowledge and experience and condensed it into a concise book for even the most "time-starved" without sacrificing on content. For women in Sales, this book provides you with wisdom on how to sell to males without losing yourself or sacrificing your integrity. No other book on this subject has been able to distill down the research in this area and presented it in an intelligent and well-thought out format. So if there is one book to read on this subject, this book would be the one.