We have assets and we know it. I am talking about our sexuality and playing that card. Please don’t click away, you. With a company named “Sell it Like a Woman,” I can’t resist this topic, and I know it can be a polarizing powder keg. I believe we are different from men — Duh. Haven’t you experienced using the very same words only to find they have a different meaning to them? It can be both frustrating and kind of funny for all of us. And it validates that we are different; not better or worse — just different. We have some advantages that I want to illuminate so you might acknowledge them consciously and decide how or if you will use them.

It’s always interesting to get messages from unlikely places when I am thinking about what to blog about. This one came a couple of weeks ago when I was driving on the freeway and listening to the radio. I heard Catherine Hakim interviewed. She is the author of Erotic Capital, a sociologist and a professor at the London School of Economics. I was intrigued and titillated when she stressed the importance of tapping into your erotic side. Simultaneously I felt just a little annoyed when I thought “not this topic AGAIN.” To be transparent, I liked her explanation so I will share it with you because it’s real and we can be conscious about it.

Let’s be honest here: most of us know we can call upon our powers of attraction in the boardroom and the bedroom even if we don’t always play that card. The way Hakim frames it makes you reconsider cultivating your erotic appeal. She calls it the 4th dimension to social, cultural, and financial prowess because it capitalizes on personal career advancement.

Hakim’s controversial point of view is that erotic appeal combines sex appeal, fitness and social skills. I want to add brains in here but I didn’t write the book. She went on to state that erotic appeal could be used very well in politics, art and sports. I say, in business too. Do you dare?

I usually call it the “It factor,” an amalgamation of all your strengths, mystery and charisma. When we don’t repress our looks, social savvy and all our education and wisdom we increase our “It” factor. When we feel good, it is sexy. People move towards you like moths to a flame and respond to your vibe. I invite you not to downplay your charms — see them as value-added gifts and enjoy all the chances you can to use them. If you feel resistant, just notice it. Does it serve you? If not, I was helped and healed when I read Marion Woodman’s book, Conscious Femininity. It will open up your world, and today we need to access our womanliness too. Not only can you dazzle others, but you will also advance causes and light up other people, too. Your whole package makes it easier to put your ideas across and engage and enroll others.