When I began this series highlighting professional HVAC saleswomen, I related that I had tracked down some of these women, and there was no cookie-cutter approach to their path to being a saleswoman in HVAC. Dr. Roseann Cyngier, president of Cyngier Heating & Air Conditioning, Cleveland, certainly fits that description.

This is the third article in a series that concentrates on the professional HVAC saleswoman. For those of you who are wondering where and how to find talented women who are interested in a career in HVAC sales, I’m delighted to introduce you to Gina Philippon and Charlene Faircloth.

Oh those wonderful women in HVAC sales! They come from all across the nation, twentysomethings to sixtysomethings who defy the long-held belief that selling in this industry is a man’s job. The sometimes surprising and circuitous paths that brought them into this industry is both fascinating as well as instructive.

How many HVAC contractors do you know who have professional saleswomen in their company? I mean specifically professional saleswomen who are going into homes and sitting across the table with homeowners to discuss their home comfort needs. Probably not many, if any at all. So why are there so few women in HVAC sales?

What do you do when you don’t know for sure what to do? Jacki Bradbury-Guerrero, owner of Coastal Comfort Heating & Air in Ventura, Calif., is in one of those areas that, like many, has been hit hard during this economic downturn.

Fewer women have lost their jobs in the downturn since they tend to be employed in education and health care, which are more stable during economic ups and downs. The upside: couples still have money to purchase HVAC equipment even if they have less of it, and thanks to the economic stimulus package, there is help on that front as well.

Good news! Renowned neuropsychologist Dr. Candace Pert has scientifically documented that smiling, literally using our facial muscles to put on a happy face, triggers specific brain neurotransmitters to shift the balance of the brain’s feel-good chemicals to overcome unhappiness.

The kids are romping, some laughing, some crying, and the dog is barking its head off. The mom, smack in the middle of this chaos, is your client. How in the world are you going to be able to have a coherent and productive conversation with this distracted woman to provide top-quality comfort for her and her family?

I submit to you that women and men react very differently to identical situations. Women are frequently insulted by questions that don’t bother men a bit. And, herein lies a most critical lesson and a major difference in selling to women.

Amused and outraged - now there’s a mixed emotion that many women are all too familiar with when it comes to dealing with technicians. Find out how not to leave women feeling amused or outraged.