Conversations with Women in Sales
Conversations with Women in Sales is a top podcast hosted by Lori Richardson. Every episode features a woman in sales who is doing incredible work, or an interview with a male ally, or conversation on a related topic. For the past 100+ episodes, guests share practical advice for advancing one's sales career. The podcast is dedicated to the memory of Barbara Giamanco, who founded CWWIS in 2018. Each episode features topics like: leadership, career management, dealing with imposter syndrome, overcoming adversity, sales and marketing alignment, B2B sales, strategic partnerships, building confidence, content creation and promotion, social media, building inclusive sales teams, and more.
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205: From Events to Leading Customer Success to VP Growth, Laura Lakhwara, Soapbox
07/02/2025
205: From Events to Leading Customer Success to VP Growth, Laura Lakhwara, Soapbox
Laura Lakhwara leads GTM teams and customers in transformative strategies that empower businesses to streamline operations and scale efficiently with AI, automation, robotics, and data-driven insights. She has an incredible background from working at IBM, a first-ever partnership with IBM and Apple, and other companies like UI Path and Softbank Robotics. We had a great conversation - her expertise spans market entry strategies, enterprise sales, customer success, and fostering customer-centric cultures that drive revenue growth and long-term partnerships. Follow Laura: More about Women Sales Pros - we have a website, we are on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Subscribe to our 2x a month news, and share the podcast with others! We'd love a 5 star rating and comments on iTunes if you are so moved! It really makes a difference. subscribe: Contribute: Past News Issues:
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204: The Activator Advantage, What Todays Rainmakers Do Differently, Karen Freeman, Co-author
06/04/2025
204: The Activator Advantage, What Todays Rainmakers Do Differently, Karen Freeman, Co-author
I had a great conversation with co-author of the new book, "The Activator Advantage"'s Karen Freeman. Here is some information about the book from DCM Insights: There is a growing problem in the professional services industry that is often acknowledged but rarely discussed openly: clients—even long-standing ones for whom firms have delivered unquestioned value in the past—are much less loyal to firms and partners than they once were. But top performers have figured out a radical new approach that is redefining what it means to be a "rainmaker" in today’s professional services market. Drawing on a comprehensive, quantitative study of nearly 3,000 professional services partners, The Activator Advantage identifies the five types of partners found across the professional services landscape and shows how only one of them—the Activator—drives consistent growth. Karen and I talked about what activators do: commit, connect, and create. Take a look at the book information here: More about Women Sales Pros - we have a website, we are on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Subscribe to our 2x a month news, and share the podcast with others! We'd love a 5 star rating and comments on iTunes if you are so moved! It really makes a difference. subscribe: Contribute: Past News Issues: Thank you for sharing these stories! We want to inspire women to consider a sales career, stay in a sales career, and / or get promoted into leadership in B2B sales. We champion our male allies as well.
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203: From Construction Engineer to Successful 2x Company Founder, Tracy Young, TigerEye
05/21/2025
203: From Construction Engineer to Successful 2x Company Founder, Tracy Young, TigerEye
Tracy Young has been on our radar for some time, having co-founded PlanGrid (acquired by Autodesk) and now co-founder of TigerEye - a GTM modern analytics platform. As a successful co-founder, Tracy has a natural sales background combined with her engineer background - a powerful combination. On the TigerEye website, the company's core values are: Wholehearted, Humility, Kaizen, Trust, and Simplicity. Tracy discusses how she leads the company and has battled in her own head what a construction CEO or a tech co-founder looks like. It looks like her: a petite, Asian woman. Tracy belives that the focus on a great leader should not be whether they are masculine or feminine but rather how they build their team - they have a vision, they're authentic, genuine, and are great communicators who care. Follow More about Women Sales Pros - we have a website, we are on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Subscribe to our 2x a month news, and share the podcast with others! We'd love a 5 star rating and comments on iTunes if you are so moved! It really makes a difference. subscribe: Contribute: Past News Issues:
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202: Supporting and Leading a Global Team in a We Culture; Erica Ettore, Workiva
05/07/2025
202: Supporting and Leading a Global Team in a We Culture; Erica Ettore, Workiva
Erica has helped build a global team at Workiva where everyone has a "me vs. me" mentality - working to improve ourlseves, not a competitive "me versus you" attitude. How can you get better? How can you deliver the best to your clients and internal consitutents. Erica was named "Manager of the Year" and she says it is because of her incredible team. We talked about holding people accountable - such an important issue for leaders to demonstrate. I love when Erica discusses what she looks for in top sellers (17 min in) Erica has people on her team from Amsterdam all the way to the West Coast of the U.S. She spent time at Morgan Stanley in Institutional Wealth Services, a few years at Direxion, and has now been at Workiva for 4+ years. More about Erica: More about Women Sales Pros - we have a website, we are on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Subscribe to our 2x a month news, and share the podcast with others! We'd love a 5 star rating and comments on iTunes if you are so moved! It really makes a difference. subscribe: Contribute: Past News Issues:
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201: Pivot and Grow in Your Sales Role, Amber Hayes, Voices
04/30/2025
201: Pivot and Grow in Your Sales Role, Amber Hayes, Voices
Amber Hayes is currently Director of Sales at a Toronto company called Voices, which is the #1 marketplace for voice-over. We had a great conversation about how you need to pivot and embrace change within your company so that it doesn't outgrow you. She started at Voices as a Project Administrator, and listen to the episode to learn more about her move to sales, and now sales leadership. Amber is in her 11th year at Voices - unusually long tenure so we know good things are happening there! Amber says, "We're in a really fast-paced industry and it's changing all the time. This company has had a refresh in our approach, I would say every year to every other year. It's never been stagnant. When I signed on. What was important to me is that the leadership wanted us to continue to be like a head competitor in the industry. And to do that, you need to pivot, you need to try new things, you need to change things up. And you do tend to cycle through leadership because the company can outgrow you if it's growing at a fast pace. And I think people miss that a lot, but I got firsthand exposure to it. So I was seeing some of our leaders that were great where we were at. They were doing an amazing job. But for the next steps we needed to go to, they weren't elevating as quickly as the company maybe needed them to. So you saw people kind of cycle through leadership at this company as the company outgrew certain, maybe certain people in certain roles, or maybe people wanted to step away from where the company was going." More about . More about Women Sales Pros - we have a website, we are on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Subscribe to our 2x a month news, and share the podcast with others! We'd love a 5 star rating and comments on iTunes if you are so moved! It really makes a difference. subscribe: Contribute: Past News Issues:
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200: Celebrating Conversations with Women in Sales 200th Episode, Alice Heiman, Sales Energizer and Podcast Host
03/26/2025
200: Celebrating Conversations with Women in Sales 200th Episode, Alice Heiman, Sales Energizer and Podcast Host
The time has come where we hit 200 episodes and it was a pleasure to have on good friend and "Sales Energizer" Alice Heiman. Alice also hosts a great podcast called . We need to keep talking about more women in sales and sales leadership since we still have huge opportunities for more women in sales and sales leadership. Alice and Lori talk about the last ten years of effort to help create inclusive B2B sales teams, what has changed, and what we still need to do. We remember Barbara Giamanco who started the podcast back in 2018. Her early episodes are really great and we encourage others to listen to them. Thanks to all those listeners who have helped it be an award-winning podcast! More about Women Sales Pros - we have a website, we are on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Subscribe to our 2x a month news, and share the podcast with others! We'd love a 5 star rating and comments on iTunes if you are so moved! It really makes a difference. subscribe: Contribute: Past News Issues:
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199: It is not What You Know but Who You Know, Cynthia Cross, Cox Business, Kansas
03/19/2025
199: It is not What You Know but Who You Know, Cynthia Cross, Cox Business, Kansas
Cynthia Cross was all set for a career in accounting when she went to college. A wise professor suggested she would not like that major and encouraged her to do something else where she could utilize her social skills and outgoing personality more. Upon graduation she moved to Wichita, Kansas and met a sales manager who encouraged her to get into a sales role. Cynthia says the throughline in her entire career has been who she knows, not what she knows. Good question for the audience - how are you building your network? Do you work at it every day or week? Most of us haven't been with one employer for more than a few years - Cynthia has now been at Cox Communication for over 17 years. Listen to her story and about her love of sales. But we both agree - sales isn't for everyone - is it for you? More about Cynthia: More about Women Sales Pros - we have a website, we are on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Subscribe to our 2x a month news, and share the podcast with others! We'd love a 5 star rating and comments on iTunes if you are so moved! It really makes a difference. subscribe: Contribute: Past News Issues:
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198: Self Care Strategies for Women in Sales, Katie McDonald, bNourished
03/05/2025
198: Self Care Strategies for Women in Sales, Katie McDonald, bNourished
Katie McDonald was in sales previously. Now she coaches women in self-care because of so many of us who have gotten burned out or just put ourselves last. Hear some of Katie's suggestions for your crazy busy life. She talks about "ME management" It's all about self-care strategies because the fact is most of us are running on fumes and we're borrowing future energy to get through today. Katie wants to disrupt that. When we think about what we're able to create in a compromised state she wants to leverage the wellbeing that we can create through our habits. Katie also says that to create sustainable change and also have a legacy, leave a legacy behind that's intentional and come from a place of nourishment and restoration instead of deprivation and denial is the goal. More about Katie: More about Women Sales Pros - we have a website, we are on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Subscribe to our 2x a month news, and share the podcast with others! We'd love a 5 star rating and comments on iTunes if you are so moved! It really makes a difference. subscribe: Contribute: Past News Issues:
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197: From BDR to AE to Director to GM; A Sales Journey with Sarah Kiley
02/26/2025
197: From BDR to AE to Director to GM; A Sales Journey with Sarah Kiley
Sarah Kiley has had a sales caree where she's risen through the ranks. She's built a reputation for aligning people, processes, and technology to deliver measurable outcomes. Whether it’s launching new products, driving cross-functional collaboration, or spearheading strategic initiatives, she has focused on creating value for customers, partners, and stakeholders alike. More about Sarah: More about Women Sales Pros - we have a website, we are on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Subscribe to our 2x a month news, and share the podcast with others! We'd love a 5 star rating and comments on iTunes if you are so moved! It really makes a difference. subscribe: Contribute: Past News Issues:
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196: From Teaching to B2B Sales, Samantha Craig, Senior Sales Manager, Semrush
02/19/2025
196: From Teaching to B2B Sales, Samantha Craig, Senior Sales Manager, Semrush
Samantha Craig wanted to be a teacher. She got through school but then had a hard time finding a job. She knew she loved to travel so she wondered if she could travel somewhere and teach. Sam ended up teaching for a year in South Korea. She came back to her home state of Massachusetts and realized she wanted to teach somewhere else so set off for Washington, DC. At some point Sam considered a job "until she got her teaching job" in an office. But not just any office. Sam said that if she had to work in an office, it should be an amazing one. She was interviewed in an amazing office and the hiring manager saw something in Sam for a sales role. This changed her life. Shoutout to Sarah Carcone! Listen as Samantha talks about her rise into leadership and what it takes to be successful. More about Samantha: More about Women Sales Pros - we have a website, we are on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Subscribe to our 2x a month news, and share the podcast with others! We'd love a 5 star rating and comments on iTunes if you are so moved! It really makes a difference. subscribe: Contribute: Past News Issues:
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195: From Business Analyst to Enterprise Sales - Do What You Love in a Sales Career, Kayla Burke, Microsoft
02/13/2025
195: From Business Analyst to Enterprise Sales - Do What You Love in a Sales Career, Kayla Burke, Microsoft
Kayla Burke is an Enterprise Sales Specialist at Microsoft and Founder of "The Tech Level" helping others to get a tech sales role. When Kayla graduated from college she became a business analyst but found that it didn't bring her much joy in her job. A random person told her about sales hiring going on at IBM and she ended up becoming a Business Development Manager - and has loved technology sales ever since. In addition to being an Enterprise Sales Specialist at Microsoft, Kayla launched a program to help get more folks into tech sales roles and has had great success at it. Kayla Burke: Kayla Burke LinkedIn: More about Women Sales Pros - we have a website, we are on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Subscribe to our 2x a month news, and share the podcast with others! We'd love a 5 star rating and comments on iTunes if you are so moved! It really makes a difference. subscribe: Contribute: Past News Issues:
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194: Focus on Prospecting with the Blitzmaster, Andrea Sittig-Rolf, BLITZMasters
01/31/2025
194: Focus on Prospecting with the Blitzmaster, Andrea Sittig-Rolf, BLITZMasters
I first met Andrea Sittig-Rolf in the early 2000's - we had both recently launched our B2B sales consulting businesses and she was about to get her first of several books published. Fast forward to now, and she has a 22 year track record of success in helping thousands of sellers and hundreds of companies with the "top of funnel" prospecting part of professional selling. More about Andrea: 2021 - 2024 CRN Woman of the Channel. Trusted co-selling partner for the world's top tech giants since 2002. Her company, BLITZMasters does workshops and has a co-selling platform. In this episode we talk about some sales and prospecting fundamentals. Andrea will give some hints to their formula for success in their Blitzes and prospecting in general. Follow Andrea here: More about Women Sales Pros - we have a website, we are on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Subscribe to our 2x a month news, and share the podcast with others! We'd love a 5 star rating and comments on iTunes if you are so moved! It really makes a difference. subscribe: Contribute: Past News Issues:
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193: Welcome the New Year with Resources and Shout-Outs, Lori Richardson, Women Sales Pros
01/28/2025
193: Welcome the New Year with Resources and Shout-Outs, Lori Richardson, Women Sales Pros
Our goal at Women Sales Pros is to help support women in existing B2B sales roles to thrive, to get into leadership if they want to, and to recognize the companies and allies doing great things. This is a short episode with host Lori Richardson to cheer on 2025 and share resources like these ones: Find podcasts, women in sales organizations, and more here at Women Sales Pros - Get an e-newsletter 2x a month with stories about women in sales and more resources subscribe: Contribute: Past News Issues: Follow "Conversations with Women in Sales" for previous episodes here: On LinkedIn: https://womensalespros.com/podcast/
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192: Be a Lifelong Learner in Sales, Ayana Gardner, Zoom
01/08/2025
192: Be a Lifelong Learner in Sales, Ayana Gardner, Zoom
Ayana Gardner was recently named as one of "300 Women Making an Impact in B2B SaaS" so it is great that she kick off our first episode of 2025. Ayana is a ZCX Channel Leader at Zoom. We are also starting 2025 with our Q1 sponsor, RapidScale. Ayana has been in sales for a number of years and loves her current position which involves working with Zoom channel partners - a huge opportunity in B2B sales as so many companies sell through channels of one type or another. Because she works for Zoom Ayana is virtual, and does virtual events and enablement within her role. Ayana talks about being a lifelong learner- how our company we work for will provide some foundational training and learning, but it is up to us to learn what we think we need or want so we can grow. More about Ayana: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayanagardner702/ More about Women Sales Pros - we have a website, we are on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Subscribe to our 2x a month news, and share the podcast with others! We'd love a 5 star rating and comments on iTunes if you are so moved! It really makes a difference. subscribe: Contribute: Past News Issues: Partnerships Unraveled Podcast that Ayana mentions:
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191: This Woman WAS Tapped on the Shoulder about a Sales Role, Tania Doub, Mindful Quadrant
12/31/2024
191: This Woman WAS Tapped on the Shoulder about a Sales Role, Tania Doub, Mindful Quadrant
I always laugh about how so many women do wait to be tapped on the shoulder by a leader in the company to move into a different role - this did happen to Tania who began her career in her 20's in marketing. Tania now is a successful author, former corporate enterprise seller, and now runs Mindful Quadrant. We had a great conversation covering a lot of ground. Tania is working on a new version of her great planner currently sold as "Work It - a Modern Day Sales Planner" and wrote a book called, "Work It, Girl - a Modern Day Career Guide for Women in Sales" Having worked at LiveRamp, Salesforce, Yext, Segment, and other sales organizations, Tania has been through a lot and learned a lot fo share with others newer to a sales career. Follow Tania: More about Women Sales Pros - we have a website, we are on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Subscribe to our 2x a month news, and share the podcast with others! We'd love a 5 star rating and comments on iTunes if you are so moved! It really makes a difference. subscribe: Contribute: Past News Issues: (all episodes accessible here)
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190: Advocate For and Believe in Yourself, Elitsa Zaimova, Sales Director at Preply
12/29/2024
190: Advocate For and Believe in Yourself, Elitsa Zaimova, Sales Director at Preply
When Elitsa and I spoke, we had many stories about competent women in sales and leadership roles who wait to get the "tap" on the shoulder to be promoted. Our male counterparts TELL their boss that they expect to be promoted many times and they initiate introductions with some of their C-level leaders, heads of other teams in their company and proudly state their accomplishments. Are we too shiy to also do that, or is it in how we were raised - "don't brag," my dad would tell me. Today in 2025 we say, "It isn't bragging if it is true." Listen to Elitsa share about her career. Born in Bulgaria, Elitsa visited the US a number of times, going back and forth, then moved to the DC area in 2011 and started working for CEB (which became Gartner later). She got great sales training (these were the "Challenger" folks) and really fell in love with sales. Due to an opportunity for her husband, she moved to Ukraine back in 2015 (no hint of a future war then). What was amazing was that when they did hear of turmoil happening at the beginning of 2022, they had to immediately leave Ukraine - while she was quickly building a virtual and in person sales team AND was six months pregnant. Any one of those three things is tough, but all together is incredible. Listen to her story, and also how she created her original role at Preply by giving feedback to the CEO. More about Elitsa: More about Women Sales Pros - we have a website, we are on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Subscribe to our 2x a month news, and share the podcast with others! We'd love a 5 star rating and comments on iTunes if you are so moved! It really makes a difference. subscribe: Contribute: Past News Issues:
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189: Journey from BDR to Enterprise Sales and Ultimately into Security, IT and AI, April Marks, Pangea
12/23/2024
189: Journey from BDR to Enterprise Sales and Ultimately into Security, IT and AI, April Marks, Pangea
April Marks leveraged the communication skills she got in college to help her launch into a sales career - first as a BDR, then right into an Enterprise Sales role. She is currently at Pangea. My current role enables customers to leverage processes integrating API-based security services and strategically managing enterprise accounts, currently at Pangea. I am driven by the mission to streamline security processes, which resonates with Pangea's innovative approach to delivering comprehensive services through a single framework. My commitment to fostering a collaborative culture and bringing diverse insights to the table ensures alignment with many organizational values and goals. In my experiences, I've led strategic customer engagements, expanding their use of services during crucial business periods such as new technical use cases, DevOps transformations, onboarding, and M&A events. I successfully proposed DevSecOps and AI processes, demonstrating my proficiency in these areas, and partnered closely with customers to tailor security solutions that matched their unique needs. My approach always involves a thorough understanding of customer metrics and standards, which has been instrumental in exceeding goals and securing marketable assets for the company. More about April here: April's recommeneded reading: The Dark Side Of Interpersonal Communication, Brian H. Spitzberg Positive Communication for Leaders, Mirivel More about Women Sales Pros:
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188: Excelling in the Male Majority Boys Club, Kaivona KP Parker,
11/30/2024
188: Excelling in the Male Majority Boys Club, Kaivona KP Parker,
Kaivona Parker works with companies and individuals to help get more underserved folks into tech sales and support and champion them to success. We talked about the notion of people saying to bring your "whole self" to work, but in reality we can't all do that. Kaivona wants to help build up those in sales to help them grow and flourish. She trains, coaches, and is an all around sales enablement pro, with career stops at Grainger, Yelp, Nestle', and Teachable, among others. Listen and share your thoughts - we'd love to hear them. Kaivona Parker: Women Sales Pros: @womensalespros on Instagram 2x a month newsletter about getting more women in sales; championing female sellers and sales leaders, and shining a light on our male allies: sign up: Contribute a story: Past News Issues:
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187: Ask Like an Auctioneer, Dia Bondi, Author, Speaker, Coach
11/29/2024
187: Ask Like an Auctioneer, Dia Bondi, Author, Speaker, Coach
The book has a mission: to help 1 Million women ask for more and get it. But it’s not just for women. It’s for you if you want to: Get the raise of your life Land that partnership that can change everything Expand your influence in your domain Secure that whale of a client Refuse to lowball yourself Use asking as a success strategy I was thrilled to interview Dia because as a former fundraising auctioneer myself, I know a bit about Dia's successes - A Communications Coach for two decades, Dia Bondi works with top CEOs, VC-backed founders, innovators, and creatives to speak powerfully and elevate their impact. After training as an auctioneer, Bondi translated the strategies she learned from the fundraising auctioneering stage into a program that helps women ask for more in their career and life. Based on the wildly successful keynotes and workshops, Ask Like an Auctioneer is an actionable guide that shows you the secret to getting out of your comfort zone and into your “zone of freaking out” (ZOFO). Women Sales Pros @womensalespros on Instagram, here on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/women-sales-pros/
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186: Rising in Sales Roles and Being Authentic, Anna Randall, TigerEye
11/26/2024
186: Rising in Sales Roles and Being Authentic, Anna Randall, TigerEye
Anna rose from inside sales support to a sales role at Oracle, to startup PlanGrid, then Autodesk (acquired PlanGrid) and now at TigerEye as VP of Sales. How did she do it? Anna is very conversational and I really enjoyed hearing her tips in doing well in sales and also what she has to say about AI. Listen to what she has to say about being a "lone wolf" and why you don't want to be that. Follow Anna here: Follow Women Sales Pros: @womensalespros on Instagram Sign up for our 2x a month e-news: subscribe: Contribute: Past News Issues:
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185: Moneyball Leadership: Win the Game by Changing the Way You Lead, Jaime Diglio, InFirst
10/30/2024
185: Moneyball Leadership: Win the Game by Changing the Way You Lead, Jaime Diglio, InFirst
Do you know what you want in your career? Many of us know we don't like where we are at or our role, but we don't know what we DO want. Jaime Diglio's new book, "Moneyball Leadership" is not just for leaders - it is a quick read for anyone wanting to get out of the "war room" as Jaime puts it, and into the "win room". Mindset is so important in business - especially sales and sales leadership. Jaime explains: "Today’s leaders are burning out at higher rates than ever before because they're measuring the wrong things and using outdated methods that work against the results they are trying to achieve — losing them money, time, and energy every day. In Moneyball Leadership, I reveal a better way to win that most are blind to. I offer a unique, proven blueprint you won’t find anywhere else, revealing the secret formula behind my clients' successes." Jaime will teach how to play (money)ball and Master the New ROI: Return on Interactions, changing how you see the game you’ve been playing your whole life. More on Jaime here: Jaime's TEDx talk: "From War Room to WIN Room - Change Your Room, Change Your Life" Follow Women Sales Pros on LinkedIn and Instagram 2x month e-newsletter with interviews and resources for more #womeninsales
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184: Career Opportunities for Women in Enablement, Sarah Gross, RingCentral
10/23/2024
184: Career Opportunities for Women in Enablement, Sarah Gross, RingCentral
My guest today is Sarah Gross, VP of Global Enablement at RingCentral. Sarah and I go way back, and most recently she became a new mom which has given her new perspectives about women and work. Sarah is also a top sales enablement professional who helps design process and support for sales teams like the ones at RingCentral. When Sarah and I first met, she was with Gartner, and has also worked at Procore and Vorsight in addition to others. Sarah calls enablement the "octopus" of an organization because it is the only department that touches every other department. Follow Sarah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahfricke/ Follow Women Sales Pros on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/women-sales-pros/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womensalespros/ 2x month newsletter on all things women in sales: signup: Contribute: Past Issues:
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183: Say What They Cant Unhear, New Book by Tamsen Webster
10/09/2024
183: Say What They Cant Unhear, New Book by Tamsen Webster
Brilliant business author Tamsen Webster has just released her newest book, Say What They Can't Unhear: The 9 Principles of Lasting Change. Tamsen describes the new book: The book is a compact and actionable guide that will get leaders (and others!) thinking differently about where change comes from and how to initiate it. By introducing and exploring nine “persuasion proverbs,” I highlight the behavioral, cognitive, and psychological principles that underpin lasting change, and offer a powerful alternative to the standard tactics of influence and persuasion. The outlined concepts are easy to remember, simple to implement, and will give readers the tools to transform any audience of lukewarm prospects into passionate believers. We started off talking about "ethical persuasion" - a huge important aspect in professional selling. Join the conversation and check out Tamsen's book. More on Tamsen More on Women Sales Pros All podcast episodes
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182: You can Get Sales Skills No Matter Where You Grow Up; Misky Sharif, Revolut
10/04/2024
182: You can Get Sales Skills No Matter Where You Grow Up; Misky Sharif, Revolut
Her parents were Somali refugees who ended up in the U.K. As a child, Misky Sharif learned to be careful around the drugs and crime in her low income neighborhood. She rose above it, while learning as she grew up. How many kids would dodge all of the negative and find something positive in that? Listen as Misky explains how. Misky overcame obstacles and currently is in FinTech as an Account Executive for Revolut, and if you are in sales and don't have an "accomplishment bank" - take a listen to the full episode - great action item to start one on your own today! Misky Sharif can connect via LinkedIn Womnen Sales Pros can be found on LinkedIn, Instagram, X, and other social posts.
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181: Sales Within Pre- and Post- Sales Functions, Deirdre Sommerkamp, Skillibrium
09/24/2024
181: Sales Within Pre- and Post- Sales Functions, Deirdre Sommerkamp, Skillibrium
Now more than ever, we are seeing the importance of how sales fits in pre-sale and after the sale, and how sales needs enablement like the examples Deirdre offers are what helps grow . Learning, practicing, executing and coaching is the repeatable cadence Lori and Deirdre talk about creating "work life harmony" and the value of keeping in touch with those you've enjoyed working with previously. We talk about "just in time" coaching and how adults learn. Deirdre helps Skillibrium to: Assess your team's skills Remediate with Learning paths Practice with Stand and Deliver Implement an Operational Cadence Execute with Sales Playbooks Predicably grow revenue Promote based on objectivity and Deliver exceptional experiences. More is at Women Sales Pros tracks top podcasts, books and speakers and has a 2x a month newsletter in addition to this award-winning podcast. @womensalespros
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180: Women in Sales Paid Less, Stay Longer, Produce Better Results, with Megan Ackerson, CHRO, Xactly
08/28/2024
180: Women in Sales Paid Less, Stay Longer, Produce Better Results, with Megan Ackerson, CHRO, Xactly
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 for more research, interviews, and recommendations to add more women into sales and sales leadership roles. Sign up for our newsletter for 2x month insights, ideas, and stories - and submit your own! Sign up: Contribute: Past News Issues:
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179: Convo with a Long Time Woman in Tech, Back when Both Bathrooms were Male, Gretchen DeKnikker
08/16/2024
179: Convo with a Long Time Woman in Tech, Back when Both Bathrooms were Male, Gretchen DeKnikker
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: Follow Women Sales Pros on LinkedIn, Instagram, X, and Facebook. Our 2x month newsletter, is all about celebrating women in sales with upcoming events, feature articles, and stories about our male allies supporting us. Past issues of . Please share this podcast episode if you find value in it! We love reviews on iTunes!
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178: Thoughts From a Woman Who Had a Billion Dollar Quota, Marva Bailer, Skillibrium Advisor
07/12/2024
178: Thoughts From a Woman Who Had a Billion Dollar Quota, Marva Bailer, Skillibrium Advisor
"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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177: When Former Teachers Get Sales Careers, Ashley Philipps, Author
06/28/2024
177: When Former Teachers Get Sales Careers, Ashley Philipps, Author
Ashley Philipps is the author of the new book, . 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. Follow
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176: Is Being a Seller or Manager a Sink or Swim Proposition Now, Michelle Benfer, Bill
06/20/2024
176: Is Being a Seller or Manager a Sink or Swim Proposition Now, Michelle Benfer, Bill
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 More from Women Sales Pros - sign up for our 2x month newsletter Page on LinkedIn "Women Sales Pros" or connect with Lori Richardson #seeitbeit
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