Conversations with Women in Sales Lori Richardson

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/
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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/

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/
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Shoutout to our sponsor, Skillibrium! https://skillibrium.com/ 

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.

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/

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.