Conversations with Women in Sales
Conversations with Women in Sales is a podcast hosted by Lori Richardson that highlights women working in sales and related topics. Episodes feature interviews with successful women in sales, as well as male allies, who share practical advice for career advancement. Past episodes have addressed leadership, career management, imposter syndrome, overcoming adversity, B2B sales, building confidence, and creating inclusive sales teams. The show is dedicated to the memory of Barbara Giamanco, who founded the podcast in 2018.
Episodes
219: A Performance Plan Story (PIP) with a Happy Ending, Incredible Seller Jill Fratianne
I met Jill when she was two years into her sales role at Hubspot. She visited the Women Sales Pros annual event at Simmons College in Boston and she was there representing Hubspot since no one else from Hubspot would stop by. Jill said, "uh, I'll come by" - and am I glad she did. It was the start of a great friendship that has lasted almost as long as she's been at Hubspot - we met 14 years ago.
217: On Mindset and Success, Dan Tyre, Tyre Angel
Need a dose of energy and enthusasm? Feeling down? Listen to and watch Women Sales Pros friend and ally, Dan Tyre, who joins the Conversations with Women in Sales podcast to talk about the most important aspects of becoming successful in sales or sales leadership - mindset and attitude. Dan champions mindset and his big goal now that he's been so successful in business is "Do More Good For the U
216: Thoughts on AI, Tamar Gill, eCore
Tamar is the founder of eCore Services, a company she's bootstrapped and is celebrating six years in business with a team of 150 remote workers around the world. I've gotten to know Tamar this year, as she sponsored the #Salesdecadesproject as well as generously sponoring other women in sales and in business organizations. We talked about: Tamar shares her path from nonprofit work to becoming a
215: Joanne Black, Sales Decades Project Honoree Celebrates 30 Years Running Her Business
Joanne Black is a 2026 Sales Decades Project Honoree. #SalesDecadesProject She celebrates 30 years running "No More Cold Calling" consulting, training, and coaching business. Joanne is open to connecting on LinkedIn - just make sure you customize the "ask" - say you heard about her on this podcast. Founder, No More Cold Calling Sales leaders often think they have a pipeline problem. More often,
214: Celebrating a Career in Sales and Leadership; Maria Boulden, Advisor, Board Member, Ex DuPont, Ex Gartner
Maria Boulden got a degree in Chemical Engineering because she learned that a Chemical Engineer would be the highest paying engineering job possible. She was a rising star at Drexel University and landed a co-op role at DuPont while still in college. Since most of the sales roles were held by engineers back in the late 1990's / early 2000's it wasn't that hard of a transition when she landed her f
213: Know Your Why in Moving up the Corporate Ladder, Lynn Hidy, Author
Lynn Hidy has been helping inside sales teams and sales leaders for years. Her new book, "Mastering Inside Sales Leadership: Your Get-It-Done Leadership Success Guide" is available January 8th. Lynn and I sat down to talk about sales leadership and career pathing in sales. More about Lynn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynnhidy/ Learn about her new book here: https://masteringinsidesalesleadersh
212: What Does Good Outbound Look Like? with Shay Keeler, VP Sales, Common Room
Episode 212 here, with a great sales leader named Shay Keeler, VP of Sales at Common Room. Shay spent 4-1/2 years at Outreach, starting as an Account Exec and getting promotions throughout her stay there. Now she is at Common Room as VP of Sales. We talked about her meteoric rise in various organizations - what it takes to get a promotion into a new role or one you've never done before, and how se
211: Have You Built Your WIN Room? Ideas for Inspiration in Your Sales Role, Jaime Diglio, The WIN Room
Jaime Diglio and I have a lot in common when it comes to our beliefs for success in sales. Mindset is where it's at - first and formost. Jaime created a program that takes you from your "WAR" room in your head into you "WIN" room. She agrees that the most important first sales conversation is the one you have with yourself. Are you down and need a boost? Listen to this episode and we'll cover t
211: Highlights from Conversations with Women in Sales 2025 w Lori Richardson
Hear some of our favorite takeaways from the following Conversations with Women in Sales guests: Jen Waltz Ayana Gardner Amber Hayes Ashley Wilson Kelly Hippler Cynthia Cross Erica Ettore Tracy Young Laura Lakhwara Dr. Jane Sojka Kayla Burke You can catch the FULL episodes of any of these snippets on iTunes or on Youtube - start by going to https://womensalespros.com/podcast/ We're on Youtube ht
210: New Book, Women and Power, Dr. Jane Sojka, Sales Professor, U of Cincinnati
It is an amazing new book: "Women and Power: Your Guidebook to Risk, Resilience, and Confidence" by U of Cincinnati sales and marketing professor Dr. Jane Sojka released in August, 2025. It's all about ways women can rise within a B2B sales career - and it happens to be good for men, too - and really anyone who wants to be more successful with their ideas, goals, and plans. There are four parts
209: Forget Stereotypes about Sales and Consider the Career: Kelley Hippler, Chief Revenue Officer, Briefly
Kelley and I had a great conversation about her sales career - some of the highlights below: As a seasoned Chief Revenue Officer with over 20 years of global commercial leadership experience, Kelley specializes in driving sustainable revenue growth and transforming sales organizations. She is a strategic, data-driven, people-first leader committed to achieving challenging goals through thoughtful
208: Selling, Leading and Inspiring in the Partner Channel, Jen Waltz, Founder, Imajenative
I had such a wonderful conversation with Channel Sales Leader and Mentor Jen Waltz. As Chief Information Security Officer of Imagenative, Jen is: FOUNDER and CISO. Empowering Your Business to Scale, Secure and Succeed. She helps with: Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies: Help partners build, deliver, and manage cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions. Enterprise IT & Digital Transformation: Ad
207: Put Yourself Out There and Learn AI, Ashley Wilson, Co-Founder, Momentum AI
Listen to Ashley Wilson, Co-Founder of Momentum and the great conversation that happened. We talked about her career journey from sales and marketing to co-founder status. We also talked about the adoption of AI and how things are changing. For years, in sales we had trouble with the data that lives in conversations on sales calls and in written form has long been left out of crucial follow up by
206: Despite Family Expectations She Became a Sales Leader, now Immersed in AI, Nhungly Dang, PipeVisionIQ
Nhungly Dang and I had a great conversation around what four careers her parents expected her to do, and how she found her way into business and ultimately leading SDR and BDR teams to great success. Now she leads PipeVisionIQ as a consultant after more than 12 years building front line sales teams. Nhungly has developed SDR workflows that are data-driven, technology-driven and adaptable to any o
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 expertis
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 f
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 Simpli
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 - s
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
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 Sales Talk for CEOs. 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 t
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
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 wan
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: https:/
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 j
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 sal
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
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 - https://womensales
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 sa
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
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
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
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
187: Ask Like an Auctioneer, Dia Bondi, Author, Speaker, Coach
The book Ask Like an Auctioneer 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
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
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.
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 a
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 b
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 Exec
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.
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 und
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
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 sh
177: When Former Teachers Get Sales Careers, Ashley Philipps, Author
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
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 talke
175: Insights from a Sales Nerd, Sara Storm, Break the Box and Skills.
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 a
174: Signs of a Toxic Work Environment in Sales, Gabrielle (GB) Blackwell, Lattice
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 -
173: No Shame in Sharing Your Journey, Jaime Konzelman, Rackspace
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
172: Another Teacher Goes into B2B Sales, Meredith Chandler, Meredith Chandler Consulting
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 r
171: A Role Model for Anyone Working Bigger Deals, Dr. Barbara Weaver Smith, The Whale Hunters
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 Th
170: Learn How to Really Sell and Become Too Good To Be Ignored, Cherilynn Castleman CGI
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
169: From Criminology Studies to Sales, Hannah Ajikawo, Revenue Funnel
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
168: Staying Focused in Challenging Times - Quick Episode with Jen Mueller, Talk Sporty to Me
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 o
167: Buyer First by Carole Mahoney of Unbound Growth - Book Review
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
166: Interview of Lori Richardson and She Sells book, with Caroline Jones, Rep Matters
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
165: How the Universe Conspires in Sales and Business, Kristie Jones, Sales Acceleration Group
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
Conversations with Women in Sales Year in Review, Lori Richardson, Women Sales Pros
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"
163: Greatness is Defined by Character, not Gender; Male Ally Riley Blaisdell, Paycor
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 gladl
162: From Research to Sales, Rana Salman, PhD, Salman Consulting
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
161: For the Love of Sales, Miram Ebrahim, Yelp
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 KN
160: Lessons from a Senior Biz Dev and Sales Manager, Rhasheeda Hughes, PowerReviews
After hearing Rhasheeda Hughes on a panel webinar, I had to invite her to join our podcast so that others could learn about her journey and her strategies for being a successful woman in sales leadership. Rhasheeda has a proven record as a sales expert, trainer, and team leader with a reputation for enhancing organizational capabilities. She led a national team of 10 Account Managers with full re
159: Perspective From a Sales and Leadership Coach, Tara Ryan, InfiniDEI
It was a LinkedIn post that got my attention. Sales managers are acting poorly, according to Tara Ryan's coachees. As an Executive and Leadership Coach, she's heard more complaints from women in sales roles about managers with lack of empathy, perhaps fear-motivated. I couldn't let the conversation go - so we recorded. What is important to you in a sales manager? I wrote about making reps more
158: Amazing Careers in RevOps, Bayley Fesler and Annie Jones, Xactly
When you think about careers for women in sales, we typically talk about revenue responsibility roles plus sales leadership. In the past 5-7 years we started to see sales enablement roles as well as RevOps. .Personally I get a little confused between enablement and ops, so I brought on a team of RevOps leaders at Xactly to help us understand what their roles are and how they both got into them. Me
157: Dreamed of Being a Supreme Court Justice, Ended Up in Cyber Security Sales, Jaquelin Jenkins, Tangible
Jaquelin Jenkins is Executive Director of Client Services at Tangible Security, having worked previously at Citrix and other orgs. She graduated from University of Alabama with degrees in Political Science and Communications - so how'd she end up in sales roles? Listen to this episode and learn how she pivoted once she realized how much she loved working with people and the idea of sales in her he
156: Traits and Qualities of a Sales Leader, Radhika Shukla
Radhika Shukla is a long time sales leader in the tech sales space, working for big brands like Microsoft and IBM. in Radhika's own words, she wants everyone to master the art of Sales: Serve passionately, Connect authentically and Thrive collectively. We have a wonderful conversation about all of the skills and traits that women bring to the table when we are able to be our authentic selves. Joi
155: On Getting Fair Compensation, Dan Goodman, TruCommish
This is an important episode for anyone who has ever been paid less than their peers doing the same role, or who was fired while pregnant (yep, it still happens in 2023) or who got downsized and didn't negotiate severance - my guest, Dan Goodman will cover it all. Dan is Founder and CEO of TruCommish, an app that helps verify true commission - and Dan also has been shining a light on horrible com
154: Life in the US in a Sales Career, Niyanta Khatri, Logitech
Niya Khatri is a long way from her home of Kathmandu, Nepal. She is a Millenial b2b seller who has lived in Pune, India, Colorado Springs, Toronto, and now the Bay Area, SF. She brings a wonderful and different perspective as a woman of color, as a woman "up and coming" in sales, and has openly helped her employers to improve revenues by looking through a different lens. We had a fun conversation.
153: Keep Your Personal Brand Positive, Katherine Andruha, Simpplr
Katherine Andruha has been leading sales teams for 14 years at brands like Aruba Networks, Anaplan, Sugar CRM, Cloudflare, and now at Simpplr. Katherine's advice, "Focus on your job, and hit your numbers - you'll be OK" - She also advises to speak up about your career goals and be intentional. Katherine is now focused on strategy in her leadership roles. She encourages women to not just settle f
152: Lessons from a Global Sales Leader, Lori Harmon, Cloudflare
Lori Harmon is a consummate tech sales leader. I've had the pleasure to know her over 8 or 9 years. In her recent role at Cloudflare, Lori is Global Head of Business Development. Reflecting on her 20+ years of building, leading, and transforming inside sales organizations, and as author of "42 Rules for Building a High-Velocity Inside Sales Team: Actionable Guide to Creating Inside Sales Teams Th
151: One Woman's Success in Enterprise Sales, Karen Keating, Salesforce
Karen Keating is a Strategic Account Director at Salesforce. She's created a great life through professional selling - and always working at the Enterprise level of selling. She lives in Utah where her passion for the snow continues. We had a great conversation about how she got into sales in the first place and someone "saw" something in her to encourage her to consider selling. Once she got bit
150: The Approachable Sales Leader, Ang McManamon, Crunchbase
It doesn't seem fair that our society has developed boys and men who can be loud and agressive and everyone thinks that is fine. When a woman is not even agressive but assertive, and speaks up, she is often labeled one of an assortment of names - one is five letters and starts with a B. Women who thrive in sales leadership learn the "dance" between not being "too much" and being "enough". There i
149: An Amazing Leader in the Aviation Industry, Stephanie Chung, Global Brand Ambassador & Speaker
Stephanie Chung is a transformational expert and a commercial strategist with passion for people. Stephanie serves on many boards. She's led businesses through significant change in unprecedented times which has given her great appreciation and resolve to align organizational goals and amazing teams behind a shared vision and purpose to achieve the desired results. As an accomplished, innovativ
148: Rising in Sales Leadership Alongside Motherhood, Tonni Bennett, VP Sales, Daily
Tonni has been a sales leader in tech companies for over 14 years. I wondered how she started out in a leadership role so early in her career. We also talked about momhood / parenthood as she now has two kids so juggling family as well as work and a sales team is a lot. We talked about how great leaders who ARE parents can be in hitting goals and being productive. We also talked about how many wom
147: Women who Rise in Sales Roles: Nirvanna Lildharrie, Column
If nothing else, connect with Nirvanna to follow her LinkedIn posts and shares - she is so great at putting things "out there" on topics like leadership, stress, inspiration, and dealing with change. I met Nirvanna in Boston a number of years ago. She's always been focused on her professional development, and committed to being in a leadership role. Learn how she rose from individual contributor t
146: For Best Prospecting Results, Know Your Value Prop and Pain Points, Nancy Calabrese, One of a Kind Sales
Nancy Calabrese is Founder and CEO of One of a Kind Sales - a lead generation and appointment setting firm working primarily with B2B companies, helping them grow revenue. Her team loves cold calling, lead development, and top of the funnel services. Most people don't, so this has given Nancy a robust business for many years. In our conversation she'll share her story, how she grew to love sales s
145: What's New for Women in Sales in 2023, Quick overview, Lori Richardson, Women Sales Pros
This is a quick teaser about what is ahead for 2023 on the podcast, Conversations with Women in Sales, as well as with the "women in sales" community. Lori is solo on this one to share some information and perhaps a little inspiration at the end.
144: Brief Wrap Up of the Year in Review on Conversations with Women in Sales 2022, Lori Richardson, Women Sales Pros
We had so many wonderful episodes this past year. Lori Richardson, podcast host, will share the top listened to episodes and some of her favorite topics and guests. Plus she puts out a call at the end for everyone to do a hard look at their past year and review, then set some stretch goals and find an accountability partner or team. Lori mentions free tools to download for helping you evaluate 20
143: Sales Leader in a Telecom Company, Laura Colón, Vonage
Laura Colón focused on public relations in college at the suggestion of a counselor. She learned, however, that PR does not pay well right out of college. She went a different direction and ended up in sales, but is grateful for the learning she got about communication and PR which has helped her first as an individual contributor in sales, then as a sales leader. Laura has worked on both coasts,
142: From Teaching and Physical Fitness to Sales Career, Porchia Jenkins, TripActions
Porchia Jenkins is currently Manager of Mid-Market Sales Development at a company called TripActions. But Porchia didn't start out in college thinking about going into sales... nope, she was focused on kineseology and exercise science. Got her Bachelors degree, and then her Masters in it. She was ready for her career in physical fitness - first working with adults, and then with kids. Somehow she
141: Love Your Team: A Survival Guide for Sales Managers in a Hybrid World, Helen Fanucci, Microsoft
Helen Fanucci has written a much-needed book in "Love Your Team" and it is different from so many other sales management guides because it helps managers, whether new or experienced to understand what to say, when to say it, and actual wording suggestions. Helen has brought her years of sales leadership currently as a senior leader at Microsoft and previously at Sun Microsystems. There are sect
140: An Endurance Runner Moves into B2B Sales, Katie Visco, ADP
Katie Visco was the youngest woman to run across the United States in 2009. Not only did she run across the U.S., but she gave talks all along the way. She repeated a cross-nation run ten years later, running across Australia with only bicycle support throughout the ride. Now Katie is in a sales role at ADP in their retirement services - and winning awards doing it - no surprise. Listen to Katie
