[Cochran]

As a former 20-something female selling to potential landscape clients (former because I just moved to the 30-something female ranks a few months ago...), I can say you have to feel confident talking to older women who are typically the same age or older than your mother.

It does take some practice selling to the "mom" type, especially as females when we are used to talking buddy-talk and such to females of that age group as they are typically our mothers or friend's mothers or aunts and such.

I was fortunate enough to be blessed with the gift of gab and a dynamic personality, so selling to older women was fairly easy for me to pick up. Putting here in a scenario to sell to only men only helps in that men would rather look at her than a male, not really the BEST way to sell jobs, but if it works.....

She needs to gather her confidence in selling to the 40 to 50 aged women crowd. Do you have another woman on staff in that age range that she could interact with?

In our area, the men typically make the majority of the decisions when it comes to spending money, so are these serious inquiries from the females without their spouses backing? Could that be the reason these leads aren't landed?

If you think the problem may be lack of confidence in her design work, give her practice designs to help build her design confidence. I know the more designs I do, the better I get. Or maybe you could ask her about specific parts of her design--why she designed a certain way, she'll tell you and that will help her build her presentation as far as the sales pitch she'll pass along when she presents the design. I've always been told ask WHY? 5 times....it's supposed to key the person in on exactly why they're doing something.

For example:
I'm going to the store.
WHY?
To buy a loaf of bread
WHY?
Because I want a sandwich
WHY?
Because I'm hungry
WHY?
I missed lunch
WHY?
Because I was busy working on a landscape design

Don't know how old all ya'll are, but remember back to when you were young and fresh and had to sell yourself to build your business and your reputation. Some people don't exactly have the confidence that others exude. This young lady may not have some of the confidence we have since she seems more comfortable working for an existing company rather than going her own.

I myself have no problem at all selling to the 40's crowd or older or younger for that matter. She's not dressing to youngish or inappropriately is she? Women have a big thing about type of clothing. Conservative is recommended. I am a khaki shorts or blue jeans with a kitted short-sleeved shirt type gal with my logo embroidered on the chest. Conservative enough for any crowd, yet stylish and comfortable.

Don't let her enthusiasm wane, once that happens you've lost a potentially good designer!