How many women did you see on your ballot during the last election? I bet there weren’t very many. That’s why a book like Pearls, Politics & Power, which Elizabeth Amorose and I are reading as part of the New York Women Social Entrepreneur’s book club, is still so relevant.

Author Madeleine Kunin, who served as Governor of Vermont and then as U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland, offers a quick primer on the challenges faced by women running for office and a blueprint for overcoming them. Throughout the book she weaves in her own personal stories, as well as anecdotes about historical figures, and interviews with female politicians from around the globe.

Kunin also challenges her readers to consider why so few women are represented in elected office. Of course, there are lots of reasons: women are reluctant to give up their careers, privacy, time with their family; most people cringe at the thought of fundraising; and there’s a general apathy about the relative impact a single elected official can make.

I can relate to those concerns, but I still want to see more women elected to office — on both sides of the aisle. Why? Because women do bring a unique perspective as daughters, sisters, wives/partners, mothers. We make up half the population. And many of us occupy (or juggle) the traditional roles of caregivers, home makers, health care liaison, PTA representative, household budget czar so we feel the effects of policy every day. Finally, we have the intellectual capacity, experience and skills to be successful — our whole world will be a better place when we play more of a role in shaping it.

What if we approached this political challenge like a business problem, thinking strategically, creatively, and tactically. What if we took the time to understand our target “customer,” honed our messages, and implemented a truly integrated campaign? I bet we could gain some market share.

It’s not as hard as it sounds. In fact, the process would look a lot like the projects we tackle every day:

1. The stupid questions are the ones you don’t ask.
Every strategy has to begin with the fundamental questions: Who are we trying to reach? What issues do they care about? How can we reach them? The net can be cast widely, but differences in interests and preferences need to be acknowledged and respected. The exercise is valuable because it usually reveals opportunities for outreach and common concerns that smart messaging can address.

2. Positive messaging isn’t overrated. It’s underplayed.
Women’s personal narrative is strongest when it focuses not on gender issues (“she brings a women’s perspective”), but on practical assets that play to most women’s strengths: experience, ability, empathy, ethics. A willingness to change the status quo, to reframe the debate, to offer new solutions. These are things we can all get behind.

It’s also critical, in any pitch, to talk about results. Ask any CEO: Statistics, anecdotal evidence, testimonials — there are many tools that can help prove progress. We also have to remember, like a good sales team, that the pitch never ends: Relationships are built over time, with frequent dialogue and responsiveness to feedback.

3. Presentation counts. A lot.
The truth is, most people have to modulate their natural communication tendencies, adopt stronger vocabulary and cultivate more confident body language. It’s not about being more “male,” it’s about being more effective. This principle extends to every touch point. Marketers know that investing in good design makes the information easy to digest and fun to consume. In the political sphere, that’s sure to pay off in dividends.

Two more words: social media. It’s the key to educating, organizing, and mobilizing big groups. It’s easy to personalize, update and disseminate. And it’s cheap. You can use it to connect with voters in a totally authentic, personal way. If you do it right, you’ll turn every follower on Twitter into a tireless PR flack and every friend on Facebook into a well-informed ambassador.