What’s In The CARDS For 2021

Their success can be attributed in large part to the different capabilities women demonstrate in sales roles. Saleswomen excel in emphasizing connections, shaping solutions, and collaborating in order to drive outcomes.

As the economy continues to recover from the pandemic, modern consumers expect more out of their salespeople. The key to success in this new sales environment is the ability of sales teams to empathetically connect with their customers and use the insights gained from these connections to collaborate with clients and tailor solutions to fit their specific needs. What competencies and skills do we need to succeed in 2021? Let’s see what’s in the C.A.R.D.S as we get ready for 2021:

The 5 Competencies That Set Successful Saleswomen Apart

C.A.R.D.S.

• Collaboration -Work jointly with clients
• Analyzing: Leverage critical thinking, root cause analysis, and solutioning
• Relationships -Build, connect, and influence
• Development: Grow your skills and knowledge and be open mined
• Strategic: Take a structured approach to driving outcomes

Especially with the rise of remote selling, these five core competencies are vital to the success of your career. When you think about sales, the most important thing is speaking your clients’ language and being able to connect with them over their pain points and how your solutions address their needs. The needs of this moment are perfectly aligned to the natural strengths of saleswomen of color.

Especially with the rise of remote selling, these five core competencies are vital to the success of your career. When you think about sales, the most important thing is speaking your clients’ language and being able to connect with them over their pain points and how your solutions address their needs. The needs of this moment are perfectly aligned to the natural strengths of saleswomen of color.

Women of color are proficient at thriving in a variety of circumstances and environments due in large part to our ability to adapt our approach to fit the spaces that we’re in. This skill makes us particularly well positioned for a career in sales in 2021 – since many of us exist in diverse communities while frequently moving through predominantly white spaces, we know how to effectively communicate across lines of difference with empathy and grace. This chameleon-like superpower makes professional women of color uniquely qualified to succeed in a career in sales.

SIS, the leading national organization serving women of color across the sales sector, recently held a two-day Virtual Summit with 1,400 attendees and 12 corporate sponsors with keynotes, workshops, breakout sessions, and panels led entirely by women. The speaker slate included more than 40 thought leaders in business, media, tech, social impact, wellness, and more who shared career advice, guidance, training, and insight that helped attendees navigate careers and the unique demands of a woman of color in sales.

Here’s to Sales Mastery,

-Cherilynn

Head of Education and Growth, SIS

Cherilynn Castleman, Sales Trainer/Executive Coach, has been a sales executive for 20+ years. With her natural talent for teaching and a drive to sell, Cherilynn uses her skills to coach and train other executives and sales professionals.