Throughout most of modern history, sales has been viewed as a male-dominated profession. Today, however, according to the National Association of Sales Professionals, women hold roughly 30 percent of roles in the industry and often dominate the field with their communication prowess and business acumen.

One aspect of sales that can quickly strike fear into the hearts of even the most seasoned salespeople, regardless of gender, is cold calling. Often considered one of the most challenging aspects of sales, cold calling requires diligence, a keen sense of adaptability, and excellent communication skills.

As women rise in the sales field, they bring a set of unique strengths to the table. The shift in the number of women entering sales and doing very well compared to their male counterparts begs the question: Are women inherently better at cold calling?

How women excel in cold calling

Studies have shown stark differences between how men and women approach cold calling and sales in general. Women are typically better at evaluating behavior, reading body language or spoken inflection, and active listening. Women are also more adept at displaying empathy and tapping into the emotions of their target customers, which may be why women close 11 percent more deals on average than their male counterparts.

When one conveys an empathetic tone, they build trust with the person they speak with. During a cold call, the time one has to build that trust could be less than a minute, so having empathy from the start is crucial. It allows salespeople to put themselves in the shoes of their customers, create stronger relationships, and, ultimately, close more often.

Developing empathy and active listening muscles

Anyone can develop empathy — it is not a singularly female trait — however, women may feel more naturally inclined to use active listening and an empathetic tone when cold-calling. To improve your empathetic tone during a cold call, start by slowing down your pitch and asking personal questions. This will help you develop a relationship with the customer and offer ways to find common ground.

Active listening is a critical part of empathy and successful cold calling. Knowing when to talk and when to listen can make the customer feel like they are the most important call of the day and make them more apt to listen when you speak.

Typically, men listen to elicit a great response, but this is not active listening. Women often listen in hopes of understanding, making the customer feel genuinely heard.

A recent study of sales calls made by men and women showed that while men may have listened for longer, women listened to and understood their customers on a deeper, more active level, which helped them close deals at a 54 percent rate compared to men’s 49 percent. The study also shows that silence is not the same as listening. While it illustrated that men listened for 58 percent of their sales call demos and women only listened for 54 percent, it didn’t show what men were doing while silent on the other end of the line to help close their deals. The closing rate shows that women were likely practicing more active listening and, therefore, could close more sales.

Challenges for women in cold calling

Although they have shown an aptitude for sales, particularly cold calling, women still face considerable challenges within the industry. Gender bias and stereotypes continue to cast a shadow of perceived incompetence over women in the sales space, causing them to be pigeonholed into stereotypical nurturing roles in the office rather than seen as tough negotiators or consistent closers.

As a result, women still find themselves the minority in sales environments, which can lead to feelings of isolation and a lack of representation. Additionally, there still exists a pay disparity among most industries, and sales has the tenth highest wage gap between women and men, with women earning $.91 to every $1.00 earned by men.

Furthermore, women often have a more precarious work-life balance due to family and work obligations. Their extra duties at home, their job, and child-rearing can create added stress and time constraints that negatively impact their ability to succeed in sales.

Even with the ever-present challenges faced by women, their skills in cold calling can be advantageous in lifting them to the upper echelon of sales success. By focusing on building relationships and confidence in sales, women can start to overcome these challenges.

Women clearly bring a specific set of skills to the sales world, especially with cold calling. Their high level of emotional intelligence, empathy, active listening, and ability to build a strong rapport with customers lead to success for many women in the industry. As more companies recognize how beneficial these skills are for all salespeople, the sales industry is bound to become more diverse, effective, and dynamic in the near future.