Sales can be a scary thing to do for anyone and can seem especially daunting for women. It is generally seen as the realm of the men, the car salesman and the schmoozer. While it is the home of the smooth talking male it actually is the realm of women and an industry which seems to be ahead of the curve in terms of evening out the work force.
Direct Sales as an industry makes up over $30 billion in sales a year with over 15 million employees. A whopping 87.9% of that number are women according to the DSA (Direct Selling Association). Marital status and age were not a prime factor in the selection of employees either. The obvious thought is that of young girls just out of college or university selling to men in business suits. But the most common age groups are between 35-54.
Women sell in all industries ranging from :
- 32.8% clothing/accessories/personal care
- 25.6% home/family care/cookware
- 21.4% wellness
- 4.0% leisure/educational
- 16.2% services/other
Women are adaptable, thrive on diversity and change, which is why they are perfect for the workplace and not simply certain industries. Hopefully times will continue to change and women will see this type of success across the entire board in the future.
Hilary Brooks
Hilary Brooks is President, CEO of A Virtual Edge, a full-service virtual assistant company, and Owner of freelance web design company Small Biz Web Whiz. Hilary and her team offer a wide variety of services to busy entrepreneurs, speakers, coaches, and bloggers, providing the office and creative support they need to succeed without all the hassles of hiring a traditional employee.
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This is so true — “Women are adaptable, thrive on diversity and change, which is why they are perfect for the workplace and not simply certain industries.” I really hope we continue to make a difference in all kinds of industries! 🙂
I agree, women has reached a great height and they have proved that there’s nothing possible for a woman today. They adjust themselves in any environment and make their environment very friendly. Not only they do their work properly but also they encourage their team. But still in some of the industries women are lacking. Hope this lacking will not be for long and women will cover-up all the fields soon.