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. 

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 Information

Reach 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/

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 Information

Welcome 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.

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/

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 Thoughts

Thanks 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 

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. 

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!!

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. 

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/