Sell into the C-Suite: The Secret to a Masterful Value Story
In the summer of 1996, I was on sabbatical in Guatemala with my family. We lived like locals, sharing a cramped four-bedroom, two-bathroom home with a Guatemalan family of twelve. Both my daughters attended the neighborhood school and made friends with the kids on our block. Before the sabbatical, our family only spoke English, so imagine my surprise when both my girls became confident Spanish speakers in a matter of weeks! My oldest, at eleven, could hold entire conversations in the language while my youngest, age three, became fluent. Their immersion in the local community allowed them to pick up Spanish with ease, clearly communicating with friends and learning alongside their peers in class. My daughters’ language immersion experience perfectly illustrates the secret to creating a masterful value story. To maximize your impact, you have to immerse yourself in the customer’s world and learn their language. Become a student of your client, their company, and their industry. Research your clients’ words and numbers so you can think and speak like them. Quantitative Analysis Tips For quantitative analysis tips, check out my blog post The Most Important Client Document You’ve Never Read and register for the Sistas In Sales Upcoming Sales Mastery Webinar: Becoming An Empathic Seller Using Financial Insights. For your qualitative analysis, search for themes, patterns, or movements, and identify the Pain, Opportunities, and Problems (POP). Find what POPs! Here are easy three steps to start your journey into your client’s world: By immersing yourself in the customer’s world and understanding their perspective, you will learn to analyze and think like them. With this information, you can tailor and develop a killer value story. A powerful value story changes everything; it gives you the confidence to talk to anyone about what you do and sell into the C-suite. Here’s to selling Mastery. -Cherilynn Head of Education and Growth, Sistas In Sales Cherilynn Castleman, Sales Trainer/Executive Coach, has been a sales executive for 20+ years, a natural talent for teaching and a drive to sell, Cherilynn uses her skills to coach and train other sales professionals.
How Soft Skills Can Make You a Better Sales Engineer
Alyson Schreider, Sales Engineering Manager at SalsifyThis interview was edited for length and clarity One look at Alyson Schreider’s resume is all you need to know that she is a talented woman with a wealth of experience. As a Sales Engineer at Salsify, Alyson leads a team of driven individuals dedicated to making the ecommerce experience more efficient and user friendly, for brand manufacturers and their customers. Prior to stepping into this leadership role, Alyson worked as a Sales Engineer for six years and has since developed a knack for meeting the needs of her clients, team, and leadership with courage, vulnerability, and spunk. You might be wondering – how did Alyson manage to create such a successful career in a role that is largely dominated by men, in an already male dominated industry? To answer this question, we must look back to a professional experience Alyson had that was unlike any other experience in her career. Some of the skills that Alyson has relied on to succeed as a Sales Engineer include the ability to temper expectations, being honest about one’s limitations, and being determined enough to get better. These skills enabled her to excel at leadership and build a meaningful and impactful career. When asked how she developed these skills and her advice for other women interested in a Sales Engineer role, Alyson pointed to a life changing experience that shaped her into the professional she is today. “I learned these skills when I worked in public safety with police officers because there were actually life and death situations – in 911 dispatch, you have to make sure all the systems are working at all times and so I got really good at providing and managing expectations in some pretty stressful situations.” This ability to assess and manage expectations while clearly and honestly relaying information proved to be a powerful skill – not only in her job in public safety, but also throughout her entire career. But it wasn’t just this ability that helped shape her into the dynamic professional she is today. “I realized that the more I communicate and the more I’m honest about what I am doing or what I can or can’t do, the more people meet you where you are. Then, I’m able to find out what I need to know quickly.” Alyson learned early on in an unexpected professional experience, what was needed to be an effective sales engineer: tempering expectations, communicating clearly, and resolving to learn that which is unknown at the moment. This story proves two things – first, it shows that skills can be learned in any environment and used in any role. Second, it shows that having the courage and vulnerability to admit what you do and do not know while resolving to learn and grow, will make you far more successful as a Sales Engineer than you might initially think. Alyson further corroborated these two points when asked to share her insight on how one can successfully transition into a pre-sales role and what skills are needed to do so. “I think the desire to dig in and work hard, be curious with customers, be empathetic, and ask questions will help you understand what you need.” Alyson went on to encourage those that are interested in applying for a Sales Engineer role not to be discouraged by the technical side of the job as she continued to highlight the value that soft skills bring to the role. “Being willing to build and create relationships with customers is really important. Technical aptitude depends on what we’re looking for at the time – sometimes we want someone really technical and sometimes we don’t. Other times, we want someone that’s great at building relationships, becoming the trusted advisor to a customer and willingness to learn the technical side. The key is to go for it – don’t be afraid to fail.” While Alyson’s experience in public safety helped prepare her for her job as a Sales Engineer today, it wasn’t the only influence on her career. When asked what enabled her to effectively do her job, Alyson shared the following insight: “All of the different work I’ve done with customers and being around and understanding different types of personalities and how to communicate with them really helped me. You have to understand that you can’t just go in with the same approach with every single person.” Alyson managed to pull skills from various client facing professional experiences to empower her to succeed in her current role, and it’s something we can all learn to do as well. Finding The Right Fit Finding transferable skills to help Alyson excel in her role was paramount to her success, but it isn’t the full picture. Without the support and empowerment of her company, Alyson might not have had the opportunity to put those skills she developed over the years to good use. “I had previously worked at a company that was very team oriented and collaborative…it was very fun and dynamic…it was really a great place to work…it was a family type environment so I was looking for something similar, and a product that I could really get behind…so when I joined, that’s exactly what Salsify ended up being. I wanted a team where everyone was helpful to each other.” Alyson went on to share how the support at Salsify gave her the opportunity to grow and go for opportunities she might otherwise not have access to without the support of her leadership “…I had been thinking I wanted to be a manager, and I told my leadership [about this before there was an opening] and they shared that there would be an opening within a month” “They’re very encouraging of [helping you] try something else. There’s movement whether it’s upward or laterally based on what you want to do.” Even without formal experience as a Sales Engineer, that shouldn’t deter women from exploring pre-sales as a career option, as there are
Sistas In Sales Announces Kerry Washington As Keynote Speaker
The Award-winning Actress, Director And Producer Will Be Serving As The Keynote Speaker For The Sistas In Sales Summit. Kerry Washington is stepping off the set to be behind the podium. The award-winning actress, director and producer will be serving as the keynote speaker for the Sistas In Sales Summit. Sistas In Sales (SIS), an organization that empowers women of color in sales, returns for its sixth year on Thursday, September 21st through Saturday, September 23rd at the Glasshouse in Midtown East. “We are thrilled to welcome Kerry Washington as our keynote speaker and to introduce an exciting expansion,” said Chantel George, CEO and Founder of Sistas In Sales in a statement shared with ESSENCE. “Kerry Washington’s achievements as a trailblazer and dedication to equity and social causes deeply resonate with our mission. Her participation is expected to be a source of inspiration and empowerment for attendees, echoing the organization’s commitment to representation and diversity.” George continues, “This year is special because we are expanding our content to provide solutions to the specific needs of mid-senior-level professionals while also building pipeline opportunities for early-career professionals to start with success. We are grateful to our partners for supporting our vision of taking our programming a step further this year and look forward to connecting with our global community of women in NYC this year.” According to a news release shared with ESSENCE, SIS will be honoring Bonita Stewart, VP of Global Partnerships at Google; Ben Keith, Strategy and Business Development Manager of DEI at Walmart Connect; Michelle Ward McGee, Director of Global Culture at Microsoft; and Aimee Frank, Area Vice President of Marketing Cloud at Salesforce. The conference is powered megawatt sponsors including Netflix, Walmart, SAP, Unilever, Microsoft, Opportunity @ Work and LinkedIn, Oracle, Motive, Workday, Braze, Dynatrace, Pinterest, Snapchat, Docusign and TikTok.
Kerry Washington To Keynote National Conference, ‘Sistas In Sales’
Emmy-winning actress, Kerry Washington, will serve as the keynote speaker for the Sistas In Sales Summit. The Sistas in Sales (SIS) Summit is a national organization aimed at serving women of color in professional sales careers. According to the website description, the 5000+ members “represents a broad range of diverse women in media, software, finance, IT, education, and tech sales – with a focus on sharing knowledge and resources to build community, sisterhood, and empowerment.” This fall, the organization returns for it’s sixth year on Thursday, September 21st through Saturday, September 23rd at the Glasshouse in Midtown East. In a statement shared with Essence, CEO and Founder of Sistas In Sales, Chantel George stated, “We are thrilled to welcome Kerry Washington as our keynote speaker and to introduce an exciting expansion.” George added, “Kerry Washington’s achievements as a trailblazer and dedication to equity and social causes deeply resonate with our mission. Her participation is expected to be a source of inspiration and empowerment for attendees, echoing the organization’s commitment to representation and diversity.” Washington recently made headlines for her solidarity with SAG-AFTRA actors. On Tuesday’s National Day of Solidarity, Washington, alongside Martin Sheen, slammed Hollywood studios and celebrated all industry laborers. “We are here because we know that unions matter,” said Washington, who played a political fixer on ABC’s Scandal . “Not only do we have solidarity within our union, we have solidarity between our unions, because we are workers.”
Kerry Washington Will Keynote A National Conference Aimed At Empowering Black Women In Sales
The Award-winning Actress, Director And Producer Will Be Serving As The Keynote Speaker For The Sistas In Sales Summit. Kerry Washington is stepping off the set to be behind the podium. The award-winning actress, director and producer will be serving as the keynote speaker for the Sistas In Sales Summit. Sistas In Sales (SIS), an organization that empowers women of color in sales, returns for its sixth year on Thursday, September 21st through Saturday, September 23rd at the Glasshouse in Midtown East. “We are thrilled to welcome Kerry Washington as our keynote speaker and to introduce an exciting expansion,” said Chantel George, CEO and Founder of Sistas In Sales in a statement shared with ESSENCE. “Kerry Washington’s achievements as a trailblazer and dedication to equity and social causes deeply resonate with our mission. Her participation is expected to be a source of inspiration and empowerment for attendees, echoing the organization’s commitment to representation and diversity.” George continues, “This year is special because we are expanding our content to provide solutions to the specific needs of mid-senior-level professionals while also building pipeline opportunities for early-career professionals to start with success. We are grateful to our partners for supporting our vision of taking our programming a step further this year and look forward to connecting with our global community of women in NYC this year.” According to a news release shared with ESSENCE, SIS will be honoring Bonita Stewart, VP of Global Partnerships at Google; Ben Keith, Strategy and Business Development Manager of DEI at Walmart Connect; Michelle Ward McGee, Director of Global Culture at Microsoft; and Aimee Frank, Area Vice President of Marketing Cloud at Salesforce. The conference is powered megawatt sponsors including Netflix, Walmart, SAP, Unilever, Microsoft, Opportunity @ Work and LinkedIn, Oracle, Motive, Workday, Braze, Dynatrace, Pinterest, Snapchat, Docusign and TikTok.
Kerry Washington To Keynote National Conference, ‘Sistas In Sales’
Thornton Partner With Conference To Amplify Black Women In Sales.
Taraji P. Henson and Bevy Smith have something in common. They both know what it feels like to fight their way to the top. With that, the entertainment industry staples are helping to amplify Black women making strides as sales professionals and breaking barriers everyday. Sistas In Sales (SIS), an organization serving women of color in the sales sector will host its 5th Annual Summit on Thursday, September 21st – 23rd 2022 and feature keynotes by both Henson and Smith. “Microsoft is excited to sponsor and partner with SIS to bring Ms. Henson’s keynote to the Summit. We also want to congratulate SIS on celebrating its 5-year anniversary!” Rashida Hodge, VP, Customer Success, Data & AI. The Oscar-nominated actress has established herself as a savvy business woman, having launched her production company, TPH Entertainment, and haircare line, TPH by Taraji. Smith also joins Henson as a keynote. Before pivoting into entertainment and fashion commentating, the author, host of Sirius XM’s “Bevelations,” and recent TED speaker built her career as a leader in fashion advertising. According to a press release, Smith will take the stage on day two of the three-day summit, and Henson will culminate the event on day three. ESSENCE’s very own Chief Revenue Officer Pauline Malcolm-Thornton will be joining the roundup of featured speakers to weigh in on the importance of amplifying diverse networks in sales, entrepreneurship, and marketing. The conference was created to recognize, celebrate and connect Black women in sales and business since the group is largely underrepresented in both the corporate and entrepreneurial sectors. Despite them being the fastest-growing group to launch new businesses, they are the least funded. Additionally, McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.org, pointed out the Black women are underrepresented in corporate leadership, with SVP roles only increasing from 23 percent to 28 percent between 2015 and 2020. BIPOC women only made up 3 percent, while white women stood at 19 percent. Sistas in Sales aim to shift that chasm. This year, they have partnered with with Google, Walmart Connect, Amazon, Microsoft, Workday Salesforce, TikTok, Dataminr, Unilever, Videoamp, Paloalto, Spotify, Oracle, Chili Piper, Twilio, Skaled, Braze, Salesloft, Motive, DocuSign, Pandora, Samsara, Postal.io, and Liveperson.
14 Sales Conferences Worth Attending in 2022
From networking to learning new strategies, these conferences offer something for sales professionals at all levels. While so much of sales success is putting in the work each day — calling customers, sending creative emails and running demos — there’s only so much you can learn from the daily grind. Buyer preferences are constantly changing, which means your sales tactics need to evolve with them. One of the best ways to stay up to date on the latest sales trends and strategies is to attend a sales conference. Whether you’re a first-year sales representative or an experienced team leader, conferences offer an opportunity to network with hundreds of peers, experiment with new tools and hear from leaders in the field. And now that the end-of-year sprint is over, the calendar page has been flipped and the champagne bubbles have gone flat, it’s the perfect time to start planning your conference schedule for the year. Whether you’re looking for some inspiration or just interested in a change of scenery, we’ve compiled a list of some of the top sales conferences you can look forward to in 2022.
A Look Back at the 2022 Sistas in Sales Summit
In 2021, Braze committed to incorporating inclusivity and equity into the fabric of its culture. Cultural shifts such as this require multifaceted strategies and cross-department collaboration, but most importantly, they need a genuine commitment to connecting with underrepresented communities in tech. Our commitment to inclusivity includes the Tech For Black Founders program, partnering with the inclusive consultant agency ‘Do What Matters’ to pilot inclusive management training and recruitment pipelines, and sponsoring affinity conferences. Affinity conferences are crucial to inclusivity because they allow companies like Braze to connect and build trust with diverse communities. Among other actions, Braze has prioritized the sponsorship of two important affinity conferences this year, starting with the Sistas in Sales 5th annual summit. What is Sistas in Sales? The founder, Chantel George, describes it as “a global organization that serves over 5,000 women of color (WoC) in sales. Sistas In Sales (SIS) creates unique events for WoC in professional sales that build hard and soft skills, networking events to find Sales WoC Executives for mentorship, and a safe space to navigate your career.” Accordingly, this summit was the perfect opportunity for Braze to connect with the community of Black and Brown saleswomen across the country. From September 21-23, in partnership with two Braze employee resource groups (ERGs)—Black@Braze and Somos, which represents global Latin, Hispanic, and related communities—Braze sent five representatives to connect with talented sales leaders, entrepreneurs, and small-business owners. Braze representatives spent time in workshops, co-hosted panel discussions, offered resume reviews, and engaged in authentic dialogue with other attendees. Workshops ranged in topics from networking within your workplace, establishing a personal brand, and negotiation tactics. Though the summit only lasted three days, there was no shortage of empowerment and support; walking through the event space, attendees frequently overheard phrases like, “You describe your personal brand so eloquently. Can you coach me on how to do the same?” and “I appreciate how supportive you were during the panel discussions!” or “Thank you for hearing me, sis!” It was a safe space infused with love and support. In addition to all that attendees did to uplift one another, they also heard from inspiring keynote speakers Bevy Smith and Taraji P. Henson, who shared important messages about showing up authentically, knowing your worth, and caring for your mental health—timely advice for women in the workplace. Spending three days surrounded by women who were committed to supporting and encouraging one another reminded me of the late bell hooks, and a topic she often discussed at length: The healing power of communing with Black women. Sistas in Sale is marketed as a conference for Black and Brown women in sales to network and connect with potential employers, but in reality, it’s much more than that. It is an opportunity to show up authentically, a safe space to let our guard down, and a stage to speak our truths and be heard. Affinity conferences are arguably the most important step in our journey to becoming a more inclusive organization. Sponsoring and attending affinity conferences like Sistas in Sales allows Braze to witness and participate in moments of empowerment and connection that encourage change. That type of change has the power to transform a company from a workplace into a community, and a community that revolutionizes how we show up to work.
How Soft Skills Can Make You a Better Sales Engineer
Alyson Schreider, Sales Engineering Manager at SalsifyThis interview was edited for length and clarity One look at Alyson Schreider’s resume is all you need to know that she is a talented woman with a wealth of experience. As a Sales Engineer at Salsify, Alyson leads a team of driven individuals dedicated to making the ecommerce experience more efficient and user friendly, for brand manufacturers and their customers. Prior to stepping into this leadership role, Alyson worked as a Sales Engineer for six years and has since developed a knack for meeting the needs of her clients, team, and leadership with courage, vulnerability, and spunk. You might be wondering – how did Alyson manage to create such a successful career in a role that is largely dominated by men, in an already male dominated industry? To answer this question, we must look back to a professional experience Alyson had that was unlike any other experience in her career. Some of the skills that Alyson has relied on to succeed as a Sales Engineer include the ability to temper expectations, being honest about one’s limitations, and being determined enough to get better. These skills enabled her to excel at leadership and build a meaningful and impactful career. When asked how she developed these skills and her advice for other women interested in a Sales Engineer role, Alyson pointed to a life changing experience that shaped her into the professional she is today. “I learned these skills when I worked in public safety with police officers because there were actually life and death situations – in 911 dispatch, you have to make sure all the systems are working at all times and so I got really good at providing and managing expectations in some pretty stressful situations.” This ability to assess and manage expectations while clearly and honestly relaying information proved to be a powerful skill – not only in her job in public safety, but also throughout her entire career. But it wasn’t just this ability that helped shape her into the dynamic professional she is today. “I realized that the more I communicate and the more I’m honest about what I am doing or what I can or can’t do, the more people meet you where you are. Then, I’m able to find out what I need to know quickly.” Alyson learned early on in an unexpected professional experience, what was needed to be an effective sales engineer: tempering expectations, communicating clearly, and resolving to learn that which is unknown at the moment. This story proves two things – first, it shows that skills can be learned in any environment and used in any role. Second, it shows that having the courage and vulnerability to admit what you do and do not know while resolving to learn and grow, will make you far more successful as a Sales Engineer than you might initially think. Alyson further corroborated these two points when asked to share her insight on how one can successfully transition into a pre-sales role and what skills are needed to do so. “I think the desire to dig in and work hard, be curious with customers, be empathetic, and ask questions will help you understand what you need.” Alyson went on to encourage those that are interested in applying for a Sales Engineer role not to be discouraged by the technical side of the job as she continued to highlight the value that soft skills bring to the role. “Being willing to build and create relationships with customers is really important. Technical aptitude depends on what we’re looking for at the time – sometimes we want someone really technical and sometimes we don’t. Other times, we want someone that’s great at building relationships, becoming the trusted advisor to a customer and willingness to learn the technical side. The key is to go for it – don’t be afraid to fail.” While Alyson’s experience in public safety helped prepare her for her job as a Sales Engineer today, it wasn’t the only influence on her career. When asked what enabled her to effectively do her job, Alyson shared the following insight: “All of the different work I’ve done with customers and being around and understanding different types of personalities and how to communicate with them really helped me. You have to understand that you can’t just go in with the same approach with every single person.” Alyson managed to pull skills from various client facing professional experiences to empower her to succeed in her current role, and it’s something we can all learn to do as well. Finding The Right Fit Finding transferable skills to help Alyson excel in her role was paramount to her success, but it isn’t the full picture. Without the support and empowerment of her company, Alyson might not have had the opportunity to put those skills she developed over the years to good use. “I had previously worked at a company that was very team oriented and collaborative…it was very fun and dynamic…it was really a great place to work…it was a family type environment so I was looking for something similar, and a product that I could really get behind…so when I joined, that’s exactly what Salsify ended up being. I wanted a team where everyone was helpful to each other.” Alyson went on to share how the support at Salsify gave her the opportunity to grow and go for opportunities she might otherwise not have access to without the support of her leadership “…I had been thinking I wanted to be a manager, and I told my leadership [about this before there was an opening] and they shared that there would be an opening within a month” “They’re very encouraging of [helping you] try something else. There’s movement whether it’s upward or laterally based on what you want to do.” Even without formal experience as a Sales Engineer, that shouldn’t deter women from exploring pre-sales as a career option, as there are