Why women make great salespeople
Women make great salespeople for the same reasons anyone does: they listen well, ask good questions, follow up and stay steady under pressure. Those are skills, not traits you’re born with, and the research we could verify backs that up. One large call analysis found women reps had 11% higher win rates on average, and a pay study found women hit or beat their quotas while still being paid less. Being a woman doesn’t make you a good closer. Practice does. That’s what She Sells trains in Australia and the US, through live coaching and role play, with placement support for She Soars graduates.
What the research actually says
There isn’t much independent, peer-reviewed research comparing men and women in sales. Most of the useful data comes from sales software companies looking at their own customers’ numbers. That’s still worth reading, as long as you know where it comes from. Here’s what we could check on the original pages in October 2026.
| Source | What it found | Caveat |
|---|---|---|
| Gong (2017 analysis of 30,469 B2B sales calls) | Women’s win rates were 11% higher than men’s on average. Women moved deals to the next stage 54% of the time, men 49%. | Fully onboarded reps only, at similar companies. It shows a pattern, not the reason for it. |
| Xactly (2019 gender pay gap report) | Women were 29% of sales reps and 26% of sales managers, yet tended to hit or exceed quota. Teams led by women had 94% win and quota attainment rates, compared with 91% for male-led teams. | Vendor data from a sales pay software company. Women account executives earned a median 22% less than men. |
| US Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025 annual averages) | Women were 47.4% of people in sales and related occupations, but only 30.2% of sales representatives of services. | Counts who works in sales, not how well they sell. |
So what can you honestly take from this? Women are not worse at sales, and in some data sets they do a bit better. But these studies don’t prove women are “naturally” better, and you’ll see articles online that stretch them that far. We couldn’t find an equivalent Australian study we could verify, so we’ve left the AU side out rather than guess.
The bigger story in the data is that women are under-represented in the higher-paid selling roles and paid less for the same results. That’s a reason to get good at selling, not a reason to doubt yourself.
The skills that win sales (and why many women already use them)
When you look at what a good closer or appointment setter actually does on a call, it comes down to a handful of skills. The US government’s O*NET database lists active listening and speaking as the top skills for sales representatives of services. Plenty of women have spent years using these skills at work and at home, often without calling them “sales”.
Listening properly
Interesting detail from the Gong data: women in that sample actually talked slightly more on calls (a 46:54 talk-to-listen ratio, against 42:58 for men), and Gong found talk time wasn’t what separated winners. So the “women are better listeners” line doesn’t really hold up. What matters is how you listen: hearing the real reason someone booked the call and playing it back to them.
Asking better questions
Great salespeople diagnose before they prescribe. If you’ve been a teacher, nurse or retail worker, you already know how to ask the question behind the question. In remote sales that becomes a structured discovery call.
Following up without being pushy
Most sales aren’t lost on the call. They’re lost in the silence afterwards. Organised, friendly follow-up is a skill, and it’s one you can learn with a simple system.
Handling “no” without taking it personally
Rejection is part of every sales job. If that’s the bit that scares you, read our guide on how to overcome fear of rejection in sales. It gets easier with reps, for everyone.
Selling with integrity
People buy from people they trust. Being honest about who an offer is not right for is often what makes the right buyer say yes.
Want to see if you’d make a great closer? Book a free call with the She Sells team.
Why the stereotypes don’t help you
You’ll hear plenty of “women are more empathetic, so they sell better” talk. It sounds flattering, but it’s not a fact, and it can work against you in two ways.
- It makes skill sound like luck. If you believe selling is about personality, you’ll stop practising. Good closers keep drilling their frameworks long after they start.
- It boxes people in. Plenty of brilliant saleswomen are blunt, analytical and data-driven. Plenty of brilliant salesmen are warm and great listeners. Your style is yours.
A more useful way to think about it: whatever your background, you’ve probably built some skills that transfer straight into sales. Name them, then sharpen them with structure and practice.
What actually holds women back in sales
If the research shows women perform at least as well, why are they under-represented in the better-paid roles? The data above doesn’t fully answer that, but some of the barriers are easy to spot.
- Pay gaps. Xactly found women in account executive roles earned a median 22% less than men, and the gap widened with seniority.
- Rigid hours. Traditional sales jobs often mean office hours, travel and evenings out. That’s hard to fit around school pick-up (or the school run, for US readers).
- Confidence and visibility. If you’ve been out of work raising kids, applying for a sales role can feel like a big leap, even when your skills are there.
- Commission risk. Many remote sales roles are commission-heavy or commission-only. That can be fine once you’re skilled, but it’s a real risk while you’re learning, and results take time.
Remote sales removes some of these barriers (commute, office hours) but not all of them. You still need the skill, a legitimate employer and realistic expectations.
How to turn your strengths into a sales career
- Learn the two main remote roles. Appointment setters qualify leads and book calls; closers run the sales call. Start with what a remote closer does.
- Write down your transferable skills. Listening, explaining, calming upset people, organising follow-ups. These are your evidence in an interview.
- Get a framework. Good instincts aren’t enough. You need a call structure you can repeat on a tired Tuesday night.
- Role play, a lot. Practice with feedback is how instincts become skill.
- Check the job before you take it. Ask about base pay versus commission, lead flow, and whether you’d be an employee or a contractor. Be wary of anything that asks you to pay to join or recruit others.
New to all of this? Our guide to getting into sales with no experience walks through the first steps.
Where She Sells fits
She Sells is built for women, especially mums, who want remote sales careers in closing and appointment setting. She Sells describes itself as the #1 female sales program. There are two main programs (see our programs):
- She Launches is the foundation: live coaching, role play and frameworks. It doesn’t include direct placement.
- She Soars is the career program through the She Sells Cert III in Remote Sales certificate. Once you’re certified, our recruitment team works with you to land a role within 90 days, or your money back.
I started as a primary school teacher in a small town, and my first month in remote sales in 2020 made $440. That’s not typical and it’s not a promise, but it shows that the skills are learnable. Most people start slowly.
Frequently asked questions
Are women better at sales than men?
Not as a rule. Some studies, like Gong’s 2017 call analysis, found women had slightly higher win rates on average, and Xactly found women tended to hit or exceed quota. That shows women perform at least as well, not that gender decides who sells best.
What traits make a good salesperson?
Listening well, asking good questions, following up consistently, handling rejection calmly and being honest with buyers. These are learnable skills, and they matter more than personality type.
Why are there fewer women in sales roles?
In the US, women make up 47.4% of all sales and related jobs but only about 30% of services sales representatives, according to BLS 2025 data. Pay gaps, rigid hours and fewer women in sales management are likely parts of the picture.
Can I get into sales if I’m shy or introverted?
Yes. Many good salespeople are quiet. A clear call structure and lots of role play matter far more than being outgoing.
Is remote sales a good fit for mums?
It can be, because many roles are flexible and worked from home. Be honest with yourself about commission-based pay and the time it takes to build skill, and check every role carefully before you start.
Ready to turn your strengths into sales skills? Book a free call with the She Sells team.
Results vary. Nothing here is a promise of income. See our earnings disclaimer.
