Are women small business owners and managers particularly suited to negotiating deals with larger companies?
If so, why? B: In my book, I have written about three key traits that women bring to negotiating big deals: listening, alignment, and empathy. Women are socialized to practice these traits and rewarded for doing so; I think they are also characteristics that we like to bring into our business world. In a complex sale with a large company, you need to listen more than you talk in order to learn what the buyers are really looking for. You need to figure out how best to align your deliverables with the buyers’ interests. And you need to imagine yourself in their position in order to understand that they are fearful of making a mistake and it is your job to help overcome that fear. D: What stops women small business owners and managers from pursuing deals with larger companies? B: Two things: one, lack of confidence; two, lack of knowledge. The lack of confidence I call “the minnow mindset,” a reluctance to recognize that you are growing and gaining in capacity all the time—that it’s time
If so, why? B: In my book, I have written about three key traits that women bring to negotiating big deals: listening, alignment, and empathy. Women are socialized to practice these traits and rewarded for doing so; I think they are also characteristics that we like to bring into our business world. In a complex sale with a large company, you need to listen more than you talk in order to learn what the buyers are really looking for. You need to figure out how best to align your deliverables with the buyers’ interests. And you need to imagine yourself in their position in order to understand that they are fearful of making a mistake and it is your job to help overcome that fear. D: What stops women small business owners and managers from pursuing deals with larger companies? B: Two things: one, lack of confidence; two, lack of knowledge. The lack of confidence I call “the minnow mindset,” a reluctance to recognize that you are growing and gaining in capacity all the time—that it’s time
