If you were new to the career of professional selling and you looked on Amazon for top sales books today, you’d find them authored by men (nearly ALL of them, with a few standout options.)
If you went to the airport bookstore to find a sales book, it will be authored by a man, nearly every time.
I looked for sales classes on Udemy this week. The first 45 courses I saw were authored by men.
It can be downright discouraging when you are working to see more women in sales and sales leadership on B2B sales teams where there is a male majority (like software, tech, manufacturing, distribution, financial services, fintech, telecom and more)
There are a few SHINING LIGHT resources to help see more women sales SPEAKERS on main stages, as role models, and with ideas changing sales culture. Here are a few key finds to help inspire women in business – in sales roles – and surrounding sales to excel:
The Speaking While Female Speech Bank – visit the Acceptance speeches, as an example and you can’t help but want to apply to win an award. Created by speaker and consultant Dana Rubin, it will inspire and encourage you – woman in sales or sales leadership – to share your voice.
Innovation Women is a place to find over 1500 speakers for your company’s upcoming event or podcast. Full disclosure: I am an Ambassador of this site, as it connects women to calls for speakers and it connects companies and associations to top women speakers in innovation and tech.
Women Sales Pros has fifty or so top sales experts – many are keynote or breakout sales-specific speakers. If you are looking for a fresh voice for your upcoming Sales Kickoff, take a look here.
A male colleague told me recently that Speakers Bureaus are struggling to find women sales speakers who can “control a room” of up to 3000 attendees. He said there are only two or three women in this category – I BEG TO DIFFER! As women speakers, we have a different approach rather than trying to CONTROL your Sales Kickoff room – we want to shake things up – offer you insight and ideas to help you shift thinking, take action, and grow revenues. We will inspire, and provoke, and perform. THAT will capture your team’s attention.
Sales Keynote speaker Shari Levitin is a great example. She owns the room with her stories, her challenges to her audience, and with her insight.
Companies – I challenge you to find MORE diverse voices on your main stages. When over ⅓ of your audience is female, you need more than one woman on your mainstage at your conference. We see it, and everyone comments on it. Let’s make 2020 the year more of us are represented on the main stage.
If you are a woman in sales or sales leadership looking to hone your speaking skills, reach out to me so I can connect you to the top speaking program currently available called Heroic Public Speaking. They have an innovative program and I’m proud to be a graduate and involved in their community.
Watch here for new sales books written by women sales experts – a couple new ones just came out this week. Hone your message, share your ideas. We need your voice in all of the industries where traditionally it was not there.
Lori Richardson is President of Women Sales Pros and is working to see more women in sales and sales leadership in companies where there are male-majority sales teams. She is also Founder and CEO of Score More Sales.
One Response
Lori, thank you for this post. We are female founders of Fall in Love with Sales and your article is like a breath of fresh air. Such great growth potential for women in these areas!