Newsflash! Men are different than women and vice versa. In sales calls, you might want to take a look at an approach that embraces the subtle differences found in Mars and Venus so you write more business.

A new book, GenderSell: How To Sell to the Opposite Sex, proposes that sales is a process of influence and each gender has its unique area of influence you should be targeting. They suggest looking at your last few sales calls to figure out if you were more successful with one gender than the other.

After conducting interviews with more than 600 buyers, the authors of the book found that men wanted to buy from women who offered knowledge and got to the “bottom line.” Men want to stick with facts and figures. Conversely, women want to know that a male salesperson cares about the relationship he is building with her. In fact, a guy sticking with facts and figures (what he wants when he buys something) is often perceived as pushy and aggressive by women.

As accountants, keep in mind that you may be more technically oriented and may naturally drift more to the numbers end of the deal and, therefore, to closing more business with men. Women business owners are growing substantially each year. Make sure you are talking their language. Learn more about the GenderSell difference so you can close the gender gap.