I'm a born-again feminist. Yes, I know, that's a pretty strong admission for a guy. But if my years of sales training have taught me anything, it's the power women have in sales. There are some companies and industries -- such as real estate, insurance, office equipment -- that have picked up on this and capitalized on it, but there are many more that need to embrace the power of women. And here’s another bomb (for some of you): Women have proven to be great managers, too.

Naturally, women don't sell better in all cases. But many reports show women emerging as the fastest growing segment in sales. And there are some very good reasons why I believe woman are better suited for selling. Among them:

o In their personal lives and in business they tend to create relationships better.
o They tend to sell based on personal input and business input rather than just business.
o They listen.
o They don’t have a sales history that they are tied to, so "new" works for them.
o In many areas, women who are good in sales are still enough of a rarity to create a buzz.

I'm not suggesting that this is earth shaking news. But here's the thing: As a sales teacher, I continually run into companies that continue to operate with male-dominated sales teams. While the excuses vary from, "It's always been that way,” to "Well, it's a man's product, so …," the truth is and the research supports this fact: Women are great in sales, and they are a growing force in sales.