A Male In A Female Dominated Industry

My wife hosted one of those direct sales parties last Fall. There was a low level of turn out, so I decided to stick around and “seeâ€? what goes on at these parties. In my mind, the home party has always had a feminine connotation and concentration. Growing up I don’t remember seeing one male at my mom’s Tupperware® parties. I’ll ask you to remember if you have heard of one male Avon® “ladyâ€?! As the female consultant was half way through her demonstration, I said out loud, “Can guys do this?â€? I saw that the products were outstanding and it seamed so easy – assemble a recipe and let the women shop!

I chose to enter the female dominated world of the direct sales home party plan. As a guy, I looked at all the pros and cons of starting my own direst sales business. I Googled® the copany’s name with the word “sucksâ€? just to see what I would get. You know, I did not get one negative response back. I thought to myself that there must be something about this company if people aren’t bad mouthing it on the internet! I had no idea what it would be like to be a guy in this business, but I decided I was going to take it for all it was worth. I’d like to share some thoughts about the industry and what it is like to be a male in it.

The Direct Sales Party Plan has been a valid sales model for many years. Many of you know how the party plan works. The consultant is “invited� into a home that is filled with the hosts’ friends and family. Products are displayed and demonstrated and the host’s guests place orders. Free and discounted products are earned by the host based on the sales of her guests. A commission is earned by the consultant also based on the sales of the party. Everyone wins!

The predominant market for these parties has been females and the sales force representing these companies has been predominantly females. The company would often recruit women who were not in the work force (stay-at-home-moms). These women sell to the women who were in the work force, mostly at night, in a women’s home and without males present. There is a whole female dynamic that goes on at these parties, it is truly a women’s world. These women relax, they have fun, they enjoy the company of their friends…and they shop. Men often have no clue what goes on here.

So who says a male can’t enter this female dominated world? My recruiter didn’t. She told me that “anyone� could do this business. So what happens when a male enters this female dominated world? The male becomes a sales person, just like a female does when they join, although a male must do two things in the beginning. One, he must become humble. He must be willing to learn from women who are in his upline. Most of these women have been in the business for many years and are very successful in it. Therefore, gentlemen, we must put aside our pride and become “students� again. Men also are not used to being in the minority group. A new male recruit will gain an education in the world of minority status, which is very different from what they are used to in the work-a-day business world.

Second, he must become resourceful. Women do not shop like men! A new male recruit must not deliver a presentation as he thinks it should be presented. Why, because he will make the presentation as if he was presenting it to himself: Get to where the product is, take aim, shoot, bag. Just like he was going to bag a duck in the field. Notice there was no emotion involved. What must he know to become successful? He must know his product and his customer base. Stated another way, he must know who wants to purchase his products and know how the products are going to benefit the purchaser. (Basic salesmanship, right?) There are certain motivations that women have for making a purchase that men do not have. Women like FREE! They like to feel special. They want their friends to think they are being treated special. Therefore, male consultants need to know a female’s “need� for the product, their “desire� to get something free, their purchasing habits, in a nutshell, their purchasing motivations.

What type of male can do this? Any male! There is no “typical� male. Just as my recruiter said, “Anyone can do this business.� What a male needs is common social skills, ok, excellent social and communication skills. A male consultant must be willing to put someone else before himself. The sale must come second, after relationship. Women want relationship with their consultants, not just product! They also want value, not just product. Women want to feel that they are getting more than the perceived cost of something. So, if you can do that mister, you can become a successful male consultant in a female dominated industry.

I hope I have given some insight on this phenomenon. Please contact me at prepchef@msn.com or 916-743-8723

« Previous Post

Next Post »