Female client managers dominate China's private banks

Bank clerks of a private bank in China
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With their attentiveness and better communication skills, female client managers are winning over clients and dominating China's private banks.

Among the 15 client managers at a Beijing branch of China Merchants Bank, 12 were female, Bo Ruimin, a bank executive, said.

"When we were hiring, we did not have any preferences regarding the gender of employees.

Nevertheless, we ended up employing more females than males," Bo said.

Bo attributed the predominance of women among client managers to several personality traits found in women, such as their strength in communication and their greater ability to identify with others.

According to Global Entrepreneur magazine, men are inclined to make rational decisions. While this trait has traditionally served them well in the financial industry, it also handicaps them in their communications with others.

Men tend to reason with clients when their ideas differ, Bo said. While this insistence on facts could be an asset in their profession, it could also be a liability in customer service, Bo added.

In comparison, women excel in building bonds with customers with their thoughtfulness and attention to details in their interaction, leaving a good impression on their clients.

Bo also clarified some common misunderstandings about female client managers. While some believed that men could outperform women professionally, women actually rivaled their male counterparts in their jobs very often, Bo said.

"This means that if males are not much better than females in their appearances and personalities, their job performance will have to be a lot better," Bo explained.