Episodes
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Xactly is a tech platform for assisting companies with compensation and forecasting with the sales team, and has been around since 2005. They started sharing research about men in sales roles versus women in 2014 or so - quite some time ago, and just released their 2024 research results which includes the following:
● Representation disparities: The gender ratio in sales is alarming. Women are underrepresented in sales roles, constituting only 34% of the sales force and only 29% of sales managers.
● Female salespeople earn less: On average, men earn 3.5% more than women as salespeople, and 3.7%* more as sales managers when it comes to fixed pay. Without adjustment of outside factors, men earn 9% more than women as salespeople, and 13% more as sales managers.
● Pay gaps widen over time: At the start of salespeople’s careers, men earn 2.2% more on average than women. After 2 years, this gap widens by 30%. After 5 years, the gap increases even more significantly, with a 77% increase.
● The gaps differ from industry to industry: The pay gap varies significantly across sectors, with female sales professionals in the Life Sciences and Pharma space reporting a 9% gap in pay and Manufacturing space with an 8% gap. It might be more opportune for women in sales to enter the Financial Services industry, where no pay gap was reported.
● State-by-state disparities: The state sales people live in seems to correlate with the pay disparities. Colorado and New Jersey hold the largest pay gap between men and women at 7%, with Georgia and Washington claiming the lowest pay gap at 1%.
● Performance remains unaffected: Despite the overwhelming disparities in representation and pay, female sales professionals consistently outperformed their male counterparts. Female salespeople outperformed men by 1.5%, and female sales managers outperformed by 3%.
● Loyalty is not a factor: Women tend to show greater loyalty to their Sales teams, staying with the same organization on average four months longer than their male counterparts.
● Unfair impact on quota assignments: Many organizations do not seem to recognize women’s higher performance. On average, male salespeople are assigned 3% higher quotas, and male sales managers are assigned 5% higher quotas, suggesting that sales teams assign men to higher potential sales territories or opportunities.Follow Women Sales Pros for more research, interviews, and recommendations to add more women into sales and sales leadership roles.
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Gretchen launched Unbound and Unbothered, a career coaching business for women in tech in 2021. She helps high achievers who are stuck, stifled or at a crossroads ditch the stress and overwork to have a life and a job without burning out.
Since she and I both got into tech in the "early days" (me earlier than her) we had a great conversation - I reference the title because we both worked for at least one company where the bathrooms were both for the guys since we were the first or second female hires.
Be sure and follow Gretchen here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchend/
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"A billion dollar quota is like a 100K quota - you have to be comfortable talking about money with others" - one of the topics guest Marva Bailer and I bond on in our conversation shared today. I'm thrilled that our sponsor, Skillibrium, brings on advisors like Marva so that we can have real discussions around how to be successful.
Marva was in sales before she learned how to drive - she and I share that young entrepreneurial spirit as well. Marva got into health, wellness and personal development before it was cool - and these are big topics in a successful sales career today.
Join us for a fun conversation about coaching, personal growth, and professional development as well - share your thoughts, and please share the podcast with one other woman or male ally if you can.
@womensalespros on Insta
@marvabailer on Insta
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Ashley Philipps is the author of the new book, The Teacher's Guide to Changing Careers. Being a former teacher myself, I am always up for hearing about others who left the admirable profession of teaching due to the lack of pay, and who got into sales roles.
Ashley's book showcases other careers, but she did go into B2B sales and we talk about that on this episode.
You will also hear my tip for those in the job market - what is the best way to approach someone who is well connected, instead of saying, "Hey if you know of anyone hiring...." What do you say instead?
Ashley's book will certainly help teachers who feel like they are underappreciated, underpaid, and who are interested in continuing to be a teacher as a professional seller.
The good news about the B2B sales profession is that IT is also an admirable profession - a helping profession. Even with new AI tools, complex sales won't happen without empathetic, communicative, collaborative sellers like many former teachers can be.
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I have known Michelle Benfer over the years and it was great to catch up with her in her role as SVP Sales, Business Line Owner at BILL. [Bill is (according to their website) the intelligent way to create and pay bills, send invoices, manage expenses, control budgets, and access the credit your business needs to grow—all on one platform.]
Michelle is a sales leader and in our conversation we talked about how things have changed in sales, how there is some "bad behavior" happening more than before due to the tougher economy and some advice for reps about taking control of their destiny and the big job that front line sales managers have.
Fun fact: Michelle's mom was her sales role model, setting up calls like today's BDRs and SDRs do. When her parents started thinking about college for her and her siblings her mom got a job at Boston College so her kids would get free tuition (perk of working at a university). Mom was smart!
More about Michelle Benfer, ex Hubspot, Limited Partner at Stage 2 Capital - now at Bill.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellehughesbenfer/
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Page on LinkedIn "Women Sales Pros" or connect with Lori Richardson #seeitbeit
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What is it like when two data focused people get together and talk? It does get a bit nerdy, but that's what I like about Sara, who lives in Stockholm, Sweden.
Sara has been doing nearly all roles - from individual contributor - like SDR, BDR, AE and all the way up to VP and CRO. Now she is running two companies, "Break the Box" and "Skills."
Like many of us who came from little money, Sara was amazed when she got her first paycheck in her sales career and said to herself, "I will never have to be hungry again."
That's why we talk about sales being a game-changer for those new into professional selling. If you are having a tough time at the moment - stick with it because sales can be such an amazing career if you are motivated, good at it, and have support from the company you're at.
Sara talks about her journey from selling consumer products where half of the sellers were women to being the only woman in the room and how she adjusted - and what many of us learn over time to "fit in" versus being ourselves - it is an interesting point in our conversation.
Also, Sara gives a great tip on what to say when someone sales something really inappropriate in front of you and others. Check it out.
Connect with Sara here on LI:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/saralstorm/
Learn more about Women Sales Pros here - we support all of the women in sales orgs and communities: https://womensalespros.com/
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We have had sales leader Gabrielle (GB) Blackwell on before (episode 85) and happy to have her back discussing some of her recent posting about toxic boss behavior in the sales workplace. GB and I were talking about more women than usual leaving B2B sales - something I am posting more about now as well.
GB shares her story about some really unhealthy situations she's found herself in previously - note we did not name names - it's not about that. It is about helping others in the same spot to see the red flags we may have missed or thought they were just part of being there.
I stand by what I say: "Go where you are celebrated, not tolerated."
GB talks about how if you are a woman, be sure and get feedback.
Get feedback not about your personality, but about skills. This is something GB noticed she'd get.
If you are a manager and simply write off a rep and don't give them any feedback, that's a form of abuse. (note: Manager, it is your JOB to support and develop all of the reps on your team)
What have we missed? Share in comments on LinkedIn or elsewhere. Keep this conversation going. Let's not lose women because of something that is changable with support of women in sales and our male allies.
Reach Gabrielle here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielleblackwell/
More Conversations with Women in Sales here: https://womensalespros.com/podcast/
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How can you be in intergrity and hide part of your story? That was one of the big takeaways from my conversation with Jaime Konzelman, sales leader at tech company Rackspace.
Jaime wrote a memoir called, "Dealmaker" that chronicles her life from college into exotic dancing and on into a stellar B2B sales career.
Jaime has done big deals - hundreds of millions of dollars worth, at companies like IBM, Unisys, and Xerox. She leads teams of sellers now. Jaime knows her stuff.
Let us know how you like the episode - and please give us a rating on iTunes if you will - and a comment - and share with other women to help inspire them.
More on Jaime: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkonzelman/
More podcast episodes from Women Sales Pros:
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Shoutout to our sponsor, Skillibrium! https://skillibrium.com/
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When Meredith graduated from college, she taught English as a second language in Spain. She had graduated in 2011 and from Spain saw and heard that her friends back in the San Francisco Bay / Silicon Valley area were all getting tech jobs. Friends encourged her to hurry back and get on with a big tech company.
Using her background as an NCAA varsity field hockey athlete, she walked into a sales role at Yelp - a super fast growing company at the time.
We talked about office dynamics at some of the companies Meredith went on to work for. She said that she had left amazing opportunities because the in-office dynamic was so intolerable. A boy's club.
Listern to her journey and currently Meredith is at pclub.io working to grow sales there, and also at Meredith Chandler Consulting
Connect with Meredith here.
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If you have ever wanted bigger deals to build or to work on, you need to know our guest this episode, Dr. Barbara Weaver Smith. Having known Barbara for the last 10 or so years, I don't know why she hasn't been on the show sooner - and today she is talking about a new service she's launched utilizing generative AI, "Barbara AI" and the launch of her online Whale Hunters Institute.
Barbara runs The Whale Hunters and is entirely focused on helping people win bigger deals through a process she's refined over the last 20 years. She is author of "Whale Hunting with Global Accounts" and co-author of "Whale Hunting - Land Big Sales and Transform Your Company"
Listen to Barbara's journey from education to non-profits to sales and how she is still contributing massively to the sales field through her new online institute.
She's the first person in sales I have seen using AI the way she does.
Barbara Weaver Smith https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbaraweaversmith/
https://thewhalehunters.com/the-institute/
Find more stories of amazing women in sales at Women Sales Pros and "Conversations with Women in Sales podcast. If you LIKE what you hear, PLEASE review on iTunes - it means a lot. Women Sales Pros consults with companies to help them find, hire, and retain more great women for their sales teams. https://womensalespros.com/
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It started for both Cherilynn and me by selling Girl Scout cookies. Like me, she LOVED selling cookies, and it seems to be one of the commonalities in our sales careers.
Cherilynn Castleman wants to empower 1 million women for C-suite success by 2030!
She is a force to be reckoned with - listen to our conversation and how we both want everyone to know how selling is really helping others.
Learn sales skills and become "too good to be ignored" - as Cherilynn says.
Follow her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherilynn-castleman/
Women Sales Pros hosts this podcast and also "The News" newsletter for things happening around the sales ecosystem for women in sales. Follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and wherever women in sales is being discussed.
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Hannah and I had a rousing conversation about all things sales. Hannah is founder of Revenue Funnel and is based in London. She and I talked about many topics - including:
A Conversation with Hannah Ajikawo - Journey from Sales to CEO and Founder of Revenue Funnel
In this episode, Hannah Ajikawo, CEO and Founder of Revenue Funnel, discusses her journey through experiences in Sales to forming her company. Raised in inner-city areas heavily influenced by crime, Hannah obtained a degree in Criminology and Social Policy before finding her way into Sales. She discusses her experiences working across various companies, and how her curiosity about the functioning of companies led her to setup her own business. Hannah also talks about the importance of networking and continuous learning for success in Sales. She advocates for keeping focus on improving specific areas based on individual needs. Furthermore, she emphasizes the critical role Sales plays in personal development, stepping into power, and generating wealth.
00:00 Introduction and Guest Presentation
00:38 Hannah's Journey into Sales
01:01 Transition from Academia to Sales
02:24 Challenges and Triumphs in Sales
05:42 Personal Struggles and Career Progression
09:32 The Shift to Consulting
10:34 The Importance of Authenticity
12:24 Advice for Job Seekers
18:09 Hannah's Involvement in Sistas in Sales
21:32 Recommendations for Aspiring Salespeople
28:32 Conclusion and Contact InformationReach Hannah on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-ajikawo/Reach Lori Richardson and Women Sales Pros on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/scoremoresales/
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In a candid conversation, communication expert and sideline reporter for the Seattle Seahawks and the Seattle Mariners, Jen Mueller shares her perspective on maintaining focus and supportive beliefs amidst challenging times, such as a difficult economic climate or personal setbacks. She discusses the significance of honesty in assessing failures and emphasizes the importance of competing against oneself to improve. Jen also highlights the value of small, incremental successes in boosting confidence.
She provides insights from her experience with athletes, drawing parallels between the sports and professional world, underscoring the need to start fresh after every setback, utilizing team support, and focusing on strengths. Finally, Jen suggests proactive measures such as celebrating small victories to build momentum towards success.
00:00 Introduction and Welcome
00:40 Discussing Mindset in Difficult Times
01:39 The Importance of Honesty and Self-Competition
03:02 The Power of Starting Fresh and Focusing on Strengths
05:20 The Role of Teammates and Celebrating Small Wins
07:03 Conclusion and Contact InformationWelcome new Premier Sponsor Skillibrium.
Find all of our episodes on iTunes or at https://womensalespros.com/podcast/
Your host for Conversations with Women in Sales is Lori Richardson.
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Carole Mahoney has written an excellent book for sales professionals and entrepreneurs on collaborative selling and in changing the sales industry. She mixes in stories, anecdotes and statistics to help one learn and improve around critical sales skills and mindset for success.
00:00 Introduction and Guest Background
00:59 Carol's Journey and Book Contribution
02:48 The Impact of 'Buyer First' on Salespeople
04:57 The Concept of Collaborative Selling
09:20 The Importance of Mindset in Sales
10:56 Overcoming Non-Supportive Beliefs
17:49 Personal Growth Through Writing 'Buyer First'
19:39 Dealing with Bad Sales Days and Final Thoughts
Find Carole on LinkedIn
Order BuyerFirst on Amazon or here: https://carolemahoney.com/books/buyerfirstbook/
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I hadn't planned an episode about "She Sells" but jumped at the chance when a wonderful interviewer, Caroline Jones, offered to ask me about it. This session is dedicated to those who helped me with their stories and stats which are included in the book. It is exciting, too, that it just won "FIRST PLACE" in Top Sales Magazine's Sales Book of the Year. Wow.
00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:26 Discussing the Impact of 'She Sells'
03:06 The Importance of Male Allies in Sales
05:20 The Journey to Writing 'She Sells'
07:11 Addressing Gender Disparity in Sales
07:50 The Impact of the Pandemic on Women in Sales
15:21 The Importance of Diverse Representation in Sales
18:59 Overcoming Biases in the Hiring Process
26:13 Career Growth Opportunities for Individual Contributors
28:51 Promoting Diversity and Inclusivity in Sales
33:28 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsThanks to Caroline - check out her podcast, "Rep Matters"
Find "She Sells" on Amazon - Kindle or paperback. Writing a review really matters - please consider it for either the book OR the podcast!
Join the Women Sales Pros newsletter where we share interviews and discuss upcoming events from all of the women in sales communities.
Need some help finding more women for your sales team or retaining them? Check out Women Sales Pros or reach out to Lori directly through website or LinkedIn.
Visit us on Instagram or X @womensalespros
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Kristie's parents were both in real estate sales and Kristie grew up hearing her parents talk at the dinner table about commissions, sales, and more. After getting a degree in Journalism from University of Kansas, she ended up as a waitress and then worked for the legendary Kansas City department store called The Jones Co (later became Macy's)
Kristie worked as a sales leader for companies like Network Solutions, Gainsight, and Netskope. Listen how the universe conspired for her to start her own sales consultancy.
This year, 2024, Kristie's new book, "Selling Your Way In" will launch.
Get updates about the book here.
Follow Kristie Jones on LinkedIn here.
Podcasts brought to you by Women Sales Pros. Reach out to help sponsor our efforts!
Women Sales Pros has updates on our LinkedIn page, and on our website.
Reach out to Lori Richardson through her LinkedIn profile.
Know of a female sales rep or leader we should interview? Reach out to Lori.
Thanks for listening, and the ultimate gift is for you to share on LinkedIn AND/OR post a review on iTunes plus a blurb as to what you liked about it. Thanks in advance.
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We had a big year at Women Sales Pros and now are going through the review of all of our wonderful podcast guests in 2023. I would like to thank all of our guests for their focus and contribution to topics we discussed such as:
Getting into sales in the first place as a woman or another "only"
Growing in your sales career
Becoming a sales leader - what is required?
Dealing with a "male majority" environment and if you are a leader, how you can improve it.
Various industries, like avation, SaaS, and manufacturing.
Fundamentals for sellers.
And other topics.
We also discussed how you can give us a "5 Star" rating and you can post comments on iTunes which greatly helps our visibility. I'll personally give you a shout out if you and two other people go to iTunes, listen to an episode, and rate it - if all 3 rate it, I'll talk you up on the next episode.
Donate to the Sales Education Foundation's Giamanco Memorial Scholarship for Women in sales programs here: https://salesfoundation.org/barbara-giamanco-memorial-scholarship-fund/index.php
Follow us @WomenSalesPros on Instagram, X, LinkedIn and Facebook.
Send us names of amazing women we should interview - or male counterparts. They must be in B2B selling or managing currently.
Thank you to our listeners, we'd be nothing without you!!
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Riley Blaisdell is currently a Major Market Account Executive at Paycor. In his AE role, I'd say Riley has done more for helping shine a light on women in sales than many senior leaders I know. He has done this through his growing visibility on LinkedIn. Right now during "Women in Sales" month, he's talking up different women in sales each day.
I noticed that Riley has this list of women he gladly shares anytime one of the "bro's" in sales will post a number of guys and here will come Riley's list of some amazing women in sales and sales leadership he's been introduced to.
We wanted to talk Riley up in this episode to show that as a male ally, you don't have to wait until you have a power role in your company to speak up and support the effort for more #womeninsales - you can do it now. If you like the episode, please comment and share it. Ultimately a 5 star review and comment about the podcast on iTunes is a winning move we'd love to see.
Riley Blaisdell on LinkedIn - connect with him!
He references the work of Brene' Brown
If you enjoy this podcast, consider a donation to the Barbara Giamanco Memorial Scholarship to give scholarships to women in Sales Education Foundation recognized Universities and Colleges here.
More at Women Sales Pros - where we're working to help change the face of sales.
Follow Women Sales Pros on LinkedIn, as well as President Lori Richardson
Recommend a woman in a sales role or awesome male ally! They could be featured next.
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Rana Salman, MBA PhD, is the author of the new book, Sales Essentials: The Tools You need at Every Stage to Close More Deals and Crush your Quota. She is CEO of Salman Consulting, started in research, and stumbled (as she says) into sales and consulting. Rana is also co-founder of WISE (Women in Sales Enablement) We had a great conversation about her childhood and how her dad's sales role made a huge impact on her.
For more info: www.salmanconsulting.com
Follow us on Twitter: @SalmanConsult
email me: [email protected]Women Sales Pros can be found on Instagram and X @womensalespros
Connect with us on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/company/women-sales-pros/
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Miram (Mimi) Ebrahim is Brand Sales Leader for the GTM Team at Yelp. She has been in sales and sales leadership for more than eight years and has a background in television production and has an MBA. We talked about how she got into sales in the first place, what she loves about sales, and has tips for reaching prospects in addition to lots of other great advice. "When I think of No, I think of KNOW" and she tells her reps, "Your goal is to build momentum"
Miram talked about staying motivated and being not just a woman in sales, but Egyptian and also a mom.
More on Miram here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miramebrahim/
Conversations with Women in Sales podcast now has over 160 episodes with amazing sales contributors and sales leaders - large companies and small - new reps and seasoned veterans. If you like the podcast, please SHARE it with another woman or a male ally. Please rate it and review it as we do not get many reviews and really could use them. For more help with adding women to your sales team, reach out to Lori at Women Sales Pros.
https://womensalespros.com/
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