WHY YOU SHOULD LAUNCH YOUR SALES CAREER TODAY

Not too long ago I was overjoyed to wait in line. While not usually a happy occurrence, in this instance I was waiting in line for the ladies’ restroom at a sales meeting and the line meant there were a significant number of women in attendance.

Like many companies, The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America® is committed to recruiting, training and developing a diverse field force. One of our key initiatives is to help women succeed, and while we have many incredibly successful women in our field, they continue to represent a minority. This has been a stubborn, persistent gap, and this year we decided to take a fresh look at what was causing this nagging disparity. We conducted a study to see what we, and the industry, might be missing in terms of attracting successful women into our firms.

What we found was far bigger than what we expected. We realized that our findings uncovered the need for a much larger conversation with women and their perception of a sales careers. Our results showed it wasn’t that women aren’t interested in a career in financial services, it’s that women are not sold on a career in SALES…regardless of industry. These results have been captured in an infographic below, to read the full study, click here.

Across industries, I believe we need to help women overcome cultural, personal and industry barriers to understand that based on what they want in their careers — and in life — sales can be a great fit.

I think once women connect the dots, they’ll see that a career in sales can give them the type of life and balance they seek. And sales transcends all industries. While it’s my passion to help more women join and thrive in financial services, there are opportunities across all sectors. Consider your passion and what is meaningful and motivating to you.

By Emily Viner

Emily Viner, vice president of agency growth & development for Guardian, is responsible for field recruiting and the growth, development and retention of Guardian’s Field leadership and Management Bench. She is dedicated to helping women find their passion to succeed in a career in sales.