DECEMBER 2014
The
Women in Sales Awards Meet
SERRA ERELCIN,
the most distinguished sales woman of 2014
THE WINNERS Meet
the
2014
SALES SUPERS
AUDE ROCOURT
Regional Director - Europe, Bacardi Global Travel Retail
HOW SHE SUCCEEDED IN A MAN'S WORLD
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 1
RAISE A
GLASS TO THOSE WHO’VE
RAISED THE BAR
CONGRATULATIONS FROM BACARDÍ, PROUD SPONSORS OF TONIGHT’S CELEBRATIONS.
2 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
WELCOME I would like to start by saying congratulations to all the finalists!
It is a considerable achievement to become a finalist in this event. The high quality of the nominees made this a very competitive year for the Women in Sales Awards. The finalists, and in fact all of the nominees, and your companies, are sending the message we need to hear in Europe today – that sales can be a significant stepping stone to smashing any glass ceilings that still exist.
Each of the finalists embody, in their own specific way, what we require in order to foster inclusive growth within sales: great skills, empathy, ambition and confidence!
Afi Ofori
Managing Director, Zars Media
We hope the achievements of the finalists will inspire the next generation of talented women to consider a career in sales. With WISA’s support, we can develop recognition of the importance of dedicated, gifted sales professionals and showcase their qualities.
This competition should not be seen as a one-off for any nominee. We would like to stay in touch with you, and see how your careers and ideas develop. You are the best Ambassadors to promote the Women In Sales program in Europe! In fact we have plans for awards further afield too – although the awards were only launched in 2013, its success in Europe has been such that we have now launched similar events in North America and India, with preliminary plans for Australia and Africa in 2015.
However, sales sometimes gets a bad reputation and my dream is that, through these awards people will come to recognise how important a career in sales is and respect the skills required to be a great sales person. Sales is an ART. The ability to understand a client’s needs and deliver what they require is one that only the talented few ever truly master. So when you are asked that very vital question “what do you do” you should proudly proclaim I am a sales professional. I would like to thank all the WISA judges, the speakers, the mentors, our partners and our drinks sponsor, Bacardi, without whom this event would not have been possible. And finally, to everyone who has been involved in the process as a nominating company, a nominee, a finalist, or a winner thank you for making this a special event. I hope you have all enjoyed this evening. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you in 2015.
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 3
In this magazine 5. Opening
24.
and closing keynotes
6. Interview with
The Winners
Aude Rocourt, Regional Director - Europe, Bacardi Global Travel Retail
8. The Judging Day
43. The Judging Process
9. The Judges
46. Interview with 2013
11. The one of a kind club that
is fine tuning Britain’s sales leaders like no one else
12. The Speakers 13. Sales success for women 14. The Mentors 18. ROI of not winning an award 20. 2014 Women in Sales
8.
Insurance sales winner Eileen Greene
48. Greatest saleswomen 50. Do The Best Saleswomen
Challenge with Empathy?
52. Driving the world economy 55. How to fail as a salesperson 56. A full service sales recruitment for women only?
Awards Finalists
4 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
12.
46.
KEYNOTES
43.
Anabel Fielding
CEO and co-founder of Quintessentially Events.
Beginning her career in the music industry, Anabel worked with Chrysalis/EMI and ZTT Records, culminating in the launch of her own DJ management agency. Anabel represented and produced international club tours, then expanded into investment, backing popular nightclubs in London. In 1999, Anabel moved into high-profile fashion and press events. And in 2005, Anabel co-founded Quintessentially Events. Now entering its 10th year, Anabel’s business has grown to include nine offices around the world with plans for further expansion into Israel, Nigeria, Thailand and the US. So far this year, Quintessentially Events has produced over 700 events and experiences generating a revenue of more than £35m. As testament to her experience and professionalism, Anabel has been voted in the Top 15 most influential people within the Events Industry for 2 years in a row.
2014 Goody Bag Sponsor
Andrew Hough
VP Enterprise & Mid Range Storage EMEA EMC
Having been responsible for the Unified Storage Group in EMEA with Sales, Pre-sales and Delivery, with responsibility for over $1B in budget, including all EMC Classic Mid Tier Storage products, Andrew has expanded his role to cover all Enterprise, Mid Range including Unified and Isilon Storage, as well as driving EMCs EMEA Flash strategy. Prior to this he was responsible for efficiency and effectiveness of EMC 1000+ sales and 1300+ Presales organisations. He held the mandate to reduce the gap between corproate and the field and improve field readiness and GTM capability. He was Director of GFS and worked at Sun Microsystems Finance, GE Capital, Barclays Bank and Lloyds Bank.
The Women In Sales Awards Magazine is published by Zars Media 8 Heathfield Court Fleet, Hampshire GU51 5DX England
01252612025 info@wisawards.com
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 5
Aude Rocourt has spent her entire 25-year career working with Bacardi brands. She's had offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Paris, Cognac (where she raised her three children whilst living and working in Ch창teau de Cognac) and is currently based in Geneva.
Aude Rocourt Regional Director - Europe, Bacardi Global Travel Retail
6 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
How she succeeded in a man's world Tell us about your role at Bacardi?
When Bacardi set up its Global Travel Retail division in 2007, I jumped at the opportunity to work in this very international channel. I became Regional Director for Asia Pacific, and was based in Hong Kong for four years. Being the first in the role, everything had to be done and it was a really exciting time. I had to create the structure, recruit the team, set up our logistics centre, etc, etc. Three years ago, I was offered a new challenge as Regional Director for Europe based in Geneva. I am still learning something new every day and that's why I love my job.
Have you always worked in sales?
I have held various sales and marketing roles throughout my career. I joined the distributor for Bacardi and Martini in Singapore 25 years ago. It was my first job and I had a dual role of marketing in the morning and on-trade sales to international hotels in the afternoon. I actually had a "pure marketing" role for about two years after that, then I had the chance to be in roles which combined Global Marketing and Sales.
Women generate a lot of natural honesty and trustworthiness which customers and sales teams appreciate. It’s a gift! In your opinion, what’s the number 1 thing that makes a woman successful in sales?
Do not position yourself as a woman but as a professional, hard-working person. Believe in yourself. Women in leading positions can really make a difference. Women generate a lot of natural honesty and trustworthiness which customers and sales teams appreciate. It’s a gift! We are typically less competitive minded. We look for the win-win and customers like that.
What Sales Skills Can Women Best Cultivate to work in the drinks industry?
The Sales skills should be exactly the same as men. They are not gender specific. When I hire a woman I coach her exactly the same as a man. In terms of a skill set there should be no difference.
What kind of career growth options do you think women starting out in sales at Bacardi should know about? There are marketing customer between
a lot of bridges between and sales. For example, marketing is a bridge sales and consumer
marketing. There are also a lot of bridges between countries so people who are mobile can develop a great career - like me.
What opportunities are available at Bacardi for women in sales?
Bacardi is big enough to give great career opportunities and small enough to give you the opportunity to really make a difference.
Do you think gender diversity is important in sales & leadership?
Extremely important. To quote my boss, when you have five men around a table you receive very similar advice. Put one or two women into the mix and immediately there is more open conversation and different perspectives.
Any advice to women considering a career in sales?
Never give up. Think and decide for yourself. People will tell you it is a male industry and it is, but never give up and don’t listen to people telling you it’s not for you. We need more women and there are more and more opportunities for women.
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 7
THE JUDGING DAY It is an honour to be involved in these Awards. The quality of finalists was exceptional and all should be proud of what they have accomplished. Lars Tewes
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and opportunity and will be more than happy to repeat it next year! Karina Garcia
I thoroughly enjoyed being a judge, the venue was both impressive and well organised and I was truly inspired by everyone I met. Nikki Hutchison
8 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
Judges Profiles
Chris Billing
Stuart Allen
Nikki Hutchinson
Gordon McAlpine
Chris Billing is the head of npower’s Business Solutions Indirect Sales division. He joined npower in early 2012 with 14 years sales experience across retail sectors including energy and Royal Mail. In his current role Chris is responsible for maximising sales and ensuring energy consultants receive the best possible service when dealing with npower.
Stuart started his career in sales at just 17 & is a Fellow of both the CMI & ISMM. He is passionate about promoting professional selling as a 'career of choice' on the basis that sales skills are essential life skills.
A Corporate Mentor for the ‘Internal Job Market’ Nikki offers employees an edge over their competition by educating professional people to build on their personal brand, to sell themselves in the content of their CV and interview technique and to overcome personal barriers to fully recognise their strengths and achievements.
Gordon McAlpine is a successful entrepreneur who is passionate about driving Sales Leaders to be the best they can be which is why he started his company The Sales Club, to help Leaders and Rising Stars maximise their own potential and be inspired.
Laura Nuhaan
Helen Barrow
Lars Tewes
Anders Hjort
CMO at Webpower. Responsible for global marketing including China and sales in Europe. цAn accomplished and wellmotivated Senior Marketing and Sales executive with a wealth of experience aligning innovative marketing strategies with sales campaigns.
Helen is a contracts and commercial professional focussing on performance improvement in the Energy & Assets sector, specialising in nuclear. She is EY’s UK Advisory business development lead for nuclear.
Lars is MD of SBR Consulting, a global sales consultancy set up in 2002 that focuses on helping ‘liberate sales potential’ for their clients.
Anders help multinational sales teams achieve and sustain outstanding sales, negotiation and communication performance levels.
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 9
Nicole Rombach
Phil Pond
Director of Customer Service EMEA at Valeant / Bausch+Lomb. 20 years of international sales & service operations experience in international companies in France, The Netherlands, the UK and Germany.
Director at Scarlet Opus, identifying consumer, business & design trends and using them to uncover opportunities to increase sales, profits, market share.
Sian Williams Regional Manager London and South East at HSB Engineering Insurance Ltd. Regional sales leader with 25 years experience, working for global brokers and Insurance Companies
I had a really enjoyable day; the panellists were excellent and evoked interesting debate, I also really enjoyed meeting my judges. The day was extremely well run. Shelley West
Jacques Sciammas President & CEO at Selling to Executives. Conducting Executive workshops and Keynotes to b2b sales teams of global corporations on Successful Selling to CxOs, winning complex deals, Building C level Relevance, and Becoming a Trusted Advisor to the Boardroom.
10 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
Edward Newell Co-founder & Commercial Director at Health is Ltd. Configuring sales centred commercialisation programmes and rationalising most suited opportunities involving developing relationships with public, private and third sector.
The One-Of-A-Kind Club that is Fine Tuning Britain’s Sales Leaders like No One Else
G
Gordon McAlpine, CEO of The Sales Club
Judge for this years WIS Awards, Gordon McAlpine, made his fortune from a tech firm launched in the living room of his flat, selling software to Downing Street via the Prime Minister’s wife and starred in Channel 4’s Secret Millionaire. Gordon has learned a thing or two about maximising your potential. So much so, that he started a club to spread the word.
ordon founded The Sales Club in 2010, bringing together busy, under-pressure sales leaders to learn, share, networking and generate ideas with their peers. The club, which is described as ‘the centre of excellence for sales leaders’, does not offer sales training or consultancy, but is a cross-sector networking club hosting events and laying on top speakers from the business world and beyond. “I was the Sales Director at BigHand in a small, successful, entrepreneurial company, and sales is the engine room of a business. I was constantly thinking, ‘How can we get better at what we do?’ I spent my whole life thinking that, and in the meantime I was juggling selling, managing and strategy. I was sending these sales guys out thinking, ‘How do I know how good they are in client meetings? How good are they at closing?’”
training company or a consultant to tell me what do to. I felt like I wanted to join something to come back from that club with ideas, feeling re-energised and motivated from speaking to peers with similar issues.” The Sales Club now has over 70 members ranging in size from British Airways, American Express, Audi, Toshiba and Eurostar, to a host of SMEs; with total sales in excess of £100 billion. One of Gordon’s visions was that if you put some big companies in there, they will bring best practice and some really great systems, controls and processes. And if you put in some fastgrowth entrepreneurial companies, they will add some sharper operating practices. “The guys at the top are quite happy to talk to fast-growth SMEs if they think there’s a good conversation to be had.”
“I felt like I wanted to join something to come back from that club with ideas, feeling re-energised and motivated from speaking to peers with similar issues.”
“All the ideas for bringing new things into the business were mine. I was the vehicle and it completely exhausted me. I started searching the internet for ‘Sales Club’ and ‘Sales Forum’ because I didn’t want to get a
The high-calibre events, year round support and access to the latest news from the world of sales, is what makes The Sales Club completely unique. The Sales Club helps their members to sell more and ultimately be more successful.
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 11
Catherine Schalk
Beth Rogers
Lisa Dabinett
Ben Turner
THE JUDGING DAY SPEAKERS Karina Garcia Casil
Nikki Wray
Andy Wiggans
CATHERINE SCHALK Executive Director & Founder, Inkwazi Kommunications BETH ROGERS Head Marketing & Sales Subject Group Portsmouth Business School LISA DABINETT Head of Sales, QinetiQ, General Weapon Systems, BEN TURNER Director of Sales, ISMM KARINA GARCIA CASIL Director EMEA SMB Sales Operations Adobe NIKKI WRAY Head of People Development QinetiQ ANDY WIGGANS VP UK/EMEA Sales, BrightTALK
12 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
SALES SUCCESS FOR WOMEN The changing role of sales is well suited to women who offer valuable skills to complement those of their male colleagues, says Professor Lynette Ryals, pro-vice-chancellor of education at Cranfield University.
U
ntil recently, sales has been characterised by the language of “hunters and farmers”. Aggressive, testosterone-fuelled sales “hunters” tracked down their customer prey and browbeat them until they surrendered and made a purchase, while “farmers” toiled away in marketing and customer services at planting the seeds that would grow future relationships. This rather unattractive view of selling has contributed to its reputation as a male-dominated profession. While 63 per cent of people working in sales and customer service are women, according to the Office for National Statistics in 2013, it is thought women are far more likely to choose customer service roles and less than 30 per cent of salespeople are women.
to social cues from others. So would it pay companies to increase the proportion of women in their sales teams? Certainly, there are grounds to believe that women are generally better at social skills than men. This in turn may translate into sales success – a recent study of competing teams in an undergraduate business game found that mixed teams produced better sales and profits results than male-dominated teams. A gender-mixed team has access to a greater diversity of skills, which may contribute to higher performance. Other research has suggested that mixed teams have higher social sensitivity, which may increase responsiveness to cues from others and hence link to sales success.
It’s time to recognise that this view of sales is outdated and to revisit the role of women in sales. In fact, as evidence has accumulated that it is much better for business to retain an existing customer than to win a new one, there has been a dramatic change in the sales role
At the moment there are relatively few saleswomen at the very top. According to the Female FTSE Board Report 2014, produced by the Cranfield International Centre for Women Leaders, just 15.6 per cent of executive directors of FTSE 100 companies are female. Of those 160 women directors, only eight are in selling or commercial roles.
Technology has accelerated this process, largely replacing the salesperson’s traditional function of providing information about products and services. Today, customers can access online sources to find most of the information they need. So, the salesperson’s role is evolving into relationship management, communication and problem-solving. Skills such as managing people, building teams and generating trust with the customer are increasingly prized.
But there are some examples of women being outstandingly successful through a career in sales. The National Association of Professional Women’s Professional Woman of the Year 2014 is a saleswoman, Terri Brady. And Ginni Rometty, the first woman to lead IBM, the world’s largest IT and consulting services company, was global sales leader before taking over as chief executive in 2012. The message is – don’t rule out a career in sales if you are a woman.
While earlier research into what makes salespeople successful focused on masculine characteristics, such as drive and the will to win, recent research into sales success has identified two vital characteristics – enjoying problem-solving and being responsive
Professor Ryals was previously professor of strategic sales and account management at Cranfield University, an exclusively postgraduate university. Cranfield School of Management offers a full portfolio of Open Executive programmes.
For more information about their Sales Directors’ Programme, Key Account Management: Best Practice Programme, Women as Leaders Programme or full course portfolio, please visit www.cranfield.ac.uk/som/ executive or contact the team on 01234 754570 / som.action@cranfield.ac.uk.
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 13
The Mentors Mary Jo Jacobi was appointed Non-Executive Director in December 2013. Ms Jacobi has extensive experience at senior levels in the energy, financial services and public sectors in the UK and USA. She is also an established brand advisor with extensive communications and public affairs experience. Previously Ms Jacobi was a Senior Executive of Royal Dutch Shell plc, BP America Inc., Lehman Brothers Inc., HSBC Holdings plc and Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. She was a NonExecutive Director of Tate & Lyle plc between 1999 and 2004.
She is currently the Managing Director of her own consultancy practice and a NonExecutive Director of Mulvaney Capital Management. She is a Senior Associate of The Leadership Council and holds several advisory and consultancy roles in the not for profit sector.
The Honorable
Mary Jo Jacobi
Non-Executive Director The Weir Group PLC
Ms Jacobi holds dual United States and British citizenship. She was appointed Assistant US Secretary of Commerce by President George H. W. Bush and had earlier served as Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan and as a Member of President Reagan’s Advisory Committee on Trade Negotiations. She was appointed by Prime Minister David Cameron to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments in June 2012 and was formerly a British Civil Service Commissioner. She is also a Visiting Fellow at Oxford University. Mary Jo will mentor the Best Woman Sales Director Winner.
Completing her PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Aberystwyth, UK in 1982, Jane Griffiths has worked her way up the Johnson & Johnson career ladder, starting as a sales representative. The straight-talking Brit is now the first female Company Group Chairman of Janssen in EMEA, the pharmaceutical division of the Johnson & Johnson family.
She is responsible for this business across the entire region. Her personal approach focuses on sustainability, accountability, openness and collaboration, and she is leading Janssen EMEA to live these values.
Jane Griffiths PH.D
Company Group Chairman, Janssen EMEA, Johnson & Johnson
Jane has held a number of senior sales, marketing and R&D positions including International VP for Western Europe and South Africa, and Head of Market Access for Janssen EMEA. As a senior female executive, Jane acknowledges the tension between family and work. She is a sponsor for the Women’s Leadership Initiative in Janssen and a Senior Advisory Board member of the EMEA Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA). Other industry roles include Chairwoman of the EFPIA Executive Committee and member of the EFPIA Board.
A passionate conservationist, Jane is the founding chair and Executive Sponsor of the Janssen Global Citizenship and Sustainability Council. Jane is also Chair of the Johnson & Johnson Corporate Citizenship Trust in EMEA and a Board member. Jane will mentor the Best Woman Sales Manager winner.
14 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
Mary has more than 20 years’ experience of leading UK, EMEA and global corporate communications and b2b programmes and advising clients at a strategic level. Mary’s core areas of expertise are corporate reputation management, issues and crisis management and b2b marketing, spanning a wide range of sectors.
Mary has spent much of her career handling complex communications issues and advising companies during periods of major corporate change, including crisis, turnaround, joint ventures, rebranding, repositioning, restructuring and closure.
Mary’s passion lies in managing corporate reputation for consumer brands. Some major clients have included BP, British Steel/Corus plc (now Tata Steel), Butlins, Cadbury, Carphone Warehouse, De Beers, DHL, Hilton Worldwide, Kelly Services, Nabucco Gas Pipeline, Orange, Samsung Europe, The Times CEO Summit & Western Union.
Mary learnt her skills at five of the industry’s leading international consultancies: Hill & Knowlton, Weber Shandwick (Paragon Communications), Euro RSCG Biss Lancaster, Fleishman-Hillard and Grayling. In 1996 she was runner-up in the PR Week Young Achiever award and her campaign. ‘After the Baby Boomers’ for Odgers Berndtson has been shortlisted for a PR Week Award in 2013. Mary has a BA (Hons) in Business Studies from Bournemouth University, the Dip (CIM) and Dip (MRS). Mary will mentor the Best Woman In Consumer Sales winner.
Mary Whenman
MD, Corporate, Financial & Public Affairs Weber Shandwick
Heather Jackson is Chief Executive and Founder of An Inspirational Journey, an organisation which works to address the imbalance of talent that exists at the top of corporate Britain to ensure that the best talent can lead regardless of gender, sector or region.
An Inspirational Journey works in partnership with The Royal Bank of Scotland and currently reaches out to over 5,000 women from over 150 globally recognised companies. It comprises three major initiatives: The Pearls Programme seeks to FIX the leaking pipeline of female talent by providing career support and direction for women in middle through to executive management through a programme of events, networking and on-line resources; The Two Percent Club is a national organisation of senior women which DRIVES forward and positively inuences the issue of the underrepresentation of women at the top of UK business and; The Women’s Business Forum CHALLENGES thinking and is the world’s rst annual gender balanced leadership conference which provides a global platform for innovative debate and the delivery of progressive and achievable talent management solutions. Heather is an active advocate in the media and acts as an advisory consultant to the government on issues surrounding women in business. She is a regular contributor to regional and national media on the subject including CNN, BBC, Sky and the BBC 2 Documentary, "Hilary Devey’s Women at The Top".
With a teenage daughter and son, Heather drives forward this business issue with the aim of ensuring not only her children, but the next generations of men and women will be able to have choice and control of how, when and where they take their careers regardless of gender. In her spare time, Heather has two personal passions, running and art. She is a Trustee of ‘The Tetley’, a new centre for contemporary art which opens in late 2013. Heather will mentor the Best Woman In Financial Sales winner.
Heather Jackson
Founder & CEO of An Inspirational Journey; The Pearls Program, The Women's Business Forum, The Two Percent Club
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 15
Aileen Allkins is the leader responsible for HP's Software Support organisation and its credo of "Exceed Expectations", a vision she developed over a career dedicated to IT support. Prior to HP, she held global leadership roles at Onyx Software and Peregrine, living in both the US and Europe. Her 25-year IT support career has seen the tools of IT support evolve from 5.25in DOS boot disks to high-speed broadband and community-based issues resolution. Now leading a team of 1300 HP software support professionals, her goal is to eliminate corporate waste from misunderstood, unused or under-used software. Under her leadership, HP’s global support organisation aims to deliver consistently excellent support for HP customers, ultimately building support into a competitive differentiator for HP Software. Aileen will mentor the Best Woman In IT Sales winner.
Aileen Allkins
VP Worldwide Software Support Hewlett-Packard
25 years of corporate experience in the IT and banking industries where she held various Management positions. Most recently as Sales Director at GFT Technologies, prior to this she spent 5 years with Cisco. She joined Microsoft in 2005 where she sold her first Service Level Agreement into a well known Stock Exchange. At Fidelity Information Systems she held Programme Management and Consulting roles where she worked & lived in the US, Asia and Europe.
Outside of work Helen is a keen but lapsed Golfer & Sailor, an avid supporter of Cardiff City FC , an Art Investor and a member of the Information Technologists Company. A proud step-mum and lives in North London with her fiancĂŠ and dog Bobbie. Helen will mentor the Best Woman In Telephone Sales winner.
Helen Thomas
Director, GFT Group
16 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
A goal-oriented senior Sales & Marketing Director with 20 years experience in the technology & media sectors, known as an inspirational motivator, leader and mentor specialising in business transformation & delivery.
Sarah joined ITV from Google as Director of Commercial Marketing & Research late 2013, and is delighted to represent such an exciting brand as “Channel of the Year” at a time when TV remains the home of where brands live.
Sarah has a history of successfully implementing positive change and recruiting highly-skilled teams to over-achieve and challenge previous business methods. She sits on the Marketing Society Board and mentors for the Marketing Academy. In addition, she is currently studying at Henley Business School to become an accredited coach.
Sarah takes pride in being known as an outstanding people leader who is passionate about Diversity contributing to better business, and holds a global TIAW (The International Alliance for Women) award for economic empowerment of women. She is a proud member of WACL (Women in Advertising & Communications London). She lives in West London with her husband and little people. Sarah will mentor the Best Woman Sales Newcomer
Sarah Speake
Director of Commercial Marketing & Research, ITV
Lisa has over 20 years of Consultative Sales and Commercial experience in both North America, UK and EMEA. After achieving multiple sole contributor Top Performer awards in the US, she then moved in to Sales Management in the UK where she successfully took on large-scale complex Sales and Commercial projects in excess of £28m and £14m leading to increased sales, revenue, profitability and retention. After many years working with large corporate organisations in the UK and US, she went on to lead the commercial and sales direction for software (SaaS, OnPremise and Hosted) solutions as well as managed and professional services for small to mid-Sized organisations looking to expand in the UK and EMEA.
Her Passion is Sales Excellence via the effective development of people, process and strategy. She genuinely loves seeing people and organisations become successful and thoroughly enjoys working with clients to help them achieve exceed their goals and objectives. Lisa will mentor the Best Woman In Field Sales.
Lisa Muller
Principal Consultant SBR Consulting
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 17
The ROI of Not Winning an Award The awards show is over. You donned your best evening wear and were excited to possibly, just possibly, get on stage to collect that beloved trophy you knew you deserved. Who worked harder? Who worked longer hours? Who did more for their customers and employees than you? But then, in an instant, your name is…not called. You want to “boo,” but instead you smile and clap, like Susan Luchi who famously was nominated for 19 Emmy awards before winning in 1999.
18 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
“I am proud to just be nominated.” Liar. But should you be proud? In short, of course. It IS an Honor To Be Nominated
Industry awards competitions, like the Big Awards, seek to reward the best of the best. Stop. Read that again, “the best of the best.” Not the best of the bunch. Or the best of the worse. Or even the best of those we could round up. Just being nominated for an award has merit and a ROI all its own. Let step back, ok way back, to when you were 11 years old. When your 11, the world of “everyone gets a trophy” fades and the real completion begins. In the United States you’re usually in 6th grade and the competition for sports, girls and grades heats up. Competition when your 11 is about experiencing the world and developing your skills, regardless the sport (grades, girls or athletics). The same is true in business. Awards programs provide you an outlet to experience the world, usually within the larger business industry or your specific marketplace. Take advantage of participating and experiencing that world.
Maximize Your Nomination
Just writing a submission has it’s own ROI. This is a chance to look back on your work. Redefine the value you provide to customers and put it down on paper. This is not trivial work…sometimes it is hard. In fact a whole cottage industry of specialists like Boost Marketing has grown up around programs. Chris Robinson, CEO of Boost said, “Getting into the finals, and hopefully winning awards, is not about what you believe you have done well, but the impact your story has on the judges. These can be two very different things.” Your nomination regardless of who writes it should be used as a tool in your overall internal and external communications and marketing plan. You’re good. You know it, so tell the world. Use your nomination copy as a foundational corner stone in your messaging. Your history and successes should be the stories your tell prospects and customers. Use the materials in internal newsletters, shareholders meetings, as a press release in the local newspaper or as a great customer email. Share your story.
Go To The Awards Ceremony
If there is a fancy black-tie event associated with the awards program, go. This is your chance to go face-to-face with your peers, analysts and…your competition! Get to know your enemy. Putting a face to your competition will give you fuel that can drive and motivate your team. Competition is a good thing. Self-improvement blogger Shaun Rosenbergwrote, “I know I would have never taken as many chances and learned as much as I have if I didn’t want to win and compete against other great people in this world.” Competition drives us to work harder and smarter. Without it, you’re a monopoly. While at the event, work to gain insights on how other nominees performed. Network at the event and develop new relationships with others so you can leverage their knowledge, market and expertise. You are paying for this $200 a plate dinner; you might as well gain something from it, other than heartache.
Smile and Get Angry!
Losing stinks, but it also can be a great motivator and a learning experience. Alan Stein is the owner of Stronger Team and the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for the nationally renowned, Nike Elite DeMatha Catholic High School basketball program. In How to Erase the Sting of Losing he wrote, “How you handle a loss and deal with adversity speaks volumes about your character, your competitiveness, your commitment to excellence, and determining whether losing will become a habit or the initial spark that ignites success.” When I was younger, I loved water skiing and I can remember Mrs. Miglini, mother of one of my friends and world-class ski boat driver, telling me that falling meant I was trying hard and to “keep it up.” She was right. If you don’t fail or fall down, you are not trying hard enough. Skin your knee. Pull a muscle. Be ok with failing. Failing means you were in it to win it. You tried. Not failing usually means you didn’t even try. So, when your competitor gets up to take the trophy, smile, clap and quietly resolve to beat her next time. Go back to your team with a mission, a plan, a strategy for improving your results, so you can go back next year and take home the prize. Written by: Russ Fordyce, Managing Director, Business Intelligence Group, LLC.
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 19
The Women In Sales Awards has been a great experience, I have met some really inspiring women and wish everyone the best of luck this evening! KATIE GLOVER
It is all about having the touch of spice and the charisma! EFROSINI KELIDOU
From Bogota to London I have met a lot of remarkable women who have inspired me to overcome many challenges and achieve my dreams. Now I want to become one of them and coach other women to achieve success. DIANA MORALES
Take every opportunity available, you never know where it will lead. EMMA MARRIOT
There are some serious multi-tasking weeks where I am Mum, Wife, Cook, Head of housekeeping and Tesco National Account Manager and one of my favourite quotes that gets me through is from ‘Lean In’ by Sheryl Sandberg; “DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT”. AMANDA WEBB
Meet the 2014 Women in Sales Awards Finalists (Europe)
S
ales is recognised as a major contributor to accessing C-suite positions. A study of the largest US corporations reveals that 62% of women are in positions that provide service and assistance but do not directly generate revenue. These roles very rarely lead to senior management jobs. In contrast, 65% of men on executive committees hold or held line jobs associated with revenue creation. This is one reason why the number of women CEOs in Fortune 500 companies has remained stubbornly low at around 3%.
It is only as we develop others that we permanently succeed HANNAH FITZSIMONS
20 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
Drive, enthusiasm, never take no as an answer, hard work, competitiveness, ethic, team work and most of all sheer passion will make you what you are and make you achieve your objectives. Success, recognition, satisfaction. CHIARA GORGONI GUFONI
I work for a great company that really recognises people but to hear that your bosses and colleagues have nominated you for an award is such a great feeling and validates the work that you do. SUZY BAKER
Look for opportunities to empower others. The more power you give to others, the more power you have.
I may be the only female within our sales team, but for me gender doesn’t even come into it. I have targets to meet, and I put pressure on myself to achieve them, not because I’m a woman, but because I’m very driven, a little competitive and I want to succeed. I hope that this approach will inspire other women, and men, around me CHARLOTTE MALLINSON
ANCA ANTOHI
It's about standing up and being counted even if you are sick, make your presence known.
This certainly has been an experience; one I will never forget- hopefully I’ll be a contender again next year!!
EVA KOUDELKA
CHRISTA PRICE
I am so proud to have been nominated by my company for this prestigious award and had a fantastic day. MOIRA LUMSDEN
Winning isn’t everything, wanting to win is! GEORGINA EVAGORA
Plan my work, work my plan
It is not success that leads to happiness but happiness that leads to success.
Look ahead, be confident. Most importantly have a vision and a game plan.
CATERINA KOSTOULA
KARINA KELLY
Be
B O L D,
and challenge things to be better... RHIANNON MAGOWAN
Thank you for such an inspiring and engaging day. The next stop (which I’d happily get involved in!) is to continually raise the WISA’s profile across all industries so we can continue the momentum in recognising the success and potential of women in sales. NICOLA ROBINSON
JULIE JEANCOLAS
Managing sales means managing people’s motivation.
BOZENA LESNIEWSKA
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 21
I have enjoyed the whole experience and learnt a lot from to process. I feel it has been good to reflect on what I have achieved, what I still have to strive for and see others around me doing the same thing.
I have always tried to learn, grow and perform better every day
ALIX BARNARD
SANDRA ESCALERA
Being nominated was first a fantastic recognition from my company as this means that top management believes in me being the ambassador of TR for other women in the company MURIEL MOUTSCHEN
I met such wonderful and successful women on the judging day and it was great to be amongst such amazing talent.
However women working in sales roles have often proved to be best-in-class at what they do. A perfect example is IBM’s Ginni Rometty – Ginni was IBM’s global sales leader before landing the Chief Executive role. Encouraging diversity in the workplace and on boards is increasingly seen as a way of making companies stronger in the modern business environment. One key contribution to diversity is provided by encouraging more women into all areas of business. Certainly the Sales environment can benefit from this type of diversification.
NADINE ENGEL
I believe others can learn from Pharma around diversity and Inclusion. RUTH BICKLEY
22 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
Encourage other women to challenge the normal and create their own career paths JOELLE DE FREITAS
The Women in Sales Awards have been such a brilliant empowering experience and making it to the finals is the highlight of my career. CHANTELL WILSON
To make a proper, credible submission – dedicate the time to the process. PHILIPPA WHITE
The Women in Sales Awards has been created to bring a greater awareness of the need for gender diversity in sales and in executive leadership teams, as well as help grow the pipeline of female sales talent and to pave the way for more women to achieve board positions. You don't have to grow upwards in your career, you can branch out and go after new experiences in your work life that excite you and grow your skill set in to new 'departments'. KATE WOOLF
What a great event and opportunity to share experiences, learn from other women in industry and create a fabulous new contact network to reach out to! ANGELA CROSS
The Judging Day was a wonderful opportunity to network with a wide range of successful women from a diverse set of industries. It felt very celebratory and I was very proud to be a part of it. LYNNE GREENOW
I have greatly enjoyed the WIS experience it's a great opportunity to meet other like minded people and to learn a bit about what it's like in their world. I've loved being part of it! KATE DERRICK
I enjoyed the judging day immensely as it’s made me look at the wider sales community and step outside my particular area of expertise and capability SHELLEY WEST
Sales starts by listening; selling follows. And I happen to be a great listener. MARJOLIJN STASSEN
Being a mother of a boy and twin girls and witnessing the natural born power potential in women, ignited me to break my barriers.
SERRA ERELCIN
Embrace diversity, change is innovation for the future. WISA represents the start of this journey. VICKY HUGHES
This demonstrates that women can also be successful in this man’s world! NELE DEMUYNCK
Recruitment isn’t sales, it’s about helping people.
I love being in Sales and serving my customers. Success is giving me reward an motivation PETRA STOLL
KERRY PORTER
It has been a great experience, really humbling to be part of an awards with so many fantastic and inspiring women MIRIAM ROSE
The time for women to be recognized in Sales Leadership is now, WISA is an excellent initiative. We all need to lean in, embrace the opportunity and be the change we want to see in the world RITU MAHANDRU
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 23
24 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
THE
WIN NERS This year’s awards attracted nominations from some of the world's leading organisations from Ireland, Germany, Turkey, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria and the UK. After hours of application reviews and a day of judges’ interviews…please meet your 2014 Women In Sales Super Stars! DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 25
NICOLA ROBINSON 26 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
SALES DIRECTOR WINNER Director, Field Sales Home Channel, Coca Cola
When I discovered that I had been shortlisted in the sales director category I got very embarrassed as it was a surprise! I then started grovelling to get meetings moved so I could clear my diary! It means a lot to me that I have won tonight and I am looking forward to taking advantage of some of the fantastic prizes and in particular the mentoring by Mary Jo Jacobi. I already know what I would ask for… tips in public speaking and coaching on leading large and creating diverse teams. We have a Women’s Network at Coca Cola (open to men and women!) and I plan to share my experience there which I hope would give others the confidence to realise their potential by also exploring what is available by way of support within the industry and CCE itself. Whilst there’s always more to be done to grow the number of women in sales leadership roles, I still think there’s plenty already available that we can take advantage of such as this, the WISA programme. Initially I felt a bit awkward taking part in the WISA awards, awkward about being individually
recognised when being part of a team matters most to me, but I decided that I should give it my best shot and was very glad I did. Hearing such informed opinions from great panellists and meeting many inspiring women from such a diverse array of industries were the highlights for me. Would I advise Coca Cola to nominate other women in sales in the company! Put most simply, it does help reinforce that the ambition is there to create a diverse and inclusive sales leadership team, but in the right way i.e. developing our key skills and confidence in what we are capable of so we deserve our success. For companies considering nominating in 2015 I would suggest setting up a cross functional and multi-level panel who can consider who to nominate to represent the company from a rounded stakeholder perspective. This not only ensures objectivity in who deserves to go forward but also helps create a strong submission, hopefully full of the key ingredients to lead to success!
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 27
PHILIPPA WHITE 28 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
SALES MANAGER WINNER
Commercial Sales Manager, Hewlett Packard
I was very pleased to hear that I had been selected as a finalist – but we were right in the middle of Q4/ year end so my focus had to remain on closing out the year and on our commitments to the company as a sales team. Winning is a great personal and professional recognition, I can’t wait to tell my family that I won. This is going to be great for them to realise that everything I do and the reason I am away so much has been worth it! Great for HP and our PR machine… I sit on the Women Diversity Board in the UK for HP and I lead the London City Women’s Network for HP. I joined HP in my 20’s and have developed a career whilst having 2 periods of maternity when I had my 2 wonderful boys. Winning tonight will demonstrate to other women who ask me often if a career and a family is achievable. I intend to use this award to show the professional industry of women in IT that it’s achievable especially to the women I mentor and coach.
I was promoted to Commercial Sales Director during this period between submission and the awards day – so the past few months have been extremely busy. I decided to use the day to get my new management team together for an offsite strategic planning session. So whilst I would have loved to have taken part in the day I was very much focused on HP and the new role! I would advise HP to nominate again Yes – if nothing else the submission reminds you of how important your contribution is to the company and to ensuring Diversity in sales in the UK. For companies considering submitting nominations in 2015 my advice is - make a proper, credible submission – dedicate the time to the process.
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 29
KATE DERRICK 30 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
FIELD SALES WINNER
Gas Sales Development Manager, Npower
The first thing I did was call my husband to let him know the good news! With a 16 month old baby and a busy, pressurised job, I couldn't do what I love every day without his love and support and that of my wider family. I am completely and utterly chuffed to bits that I have won! I've had quite a journey from Red Coat to the Energy Industry and I wouldn't change a day of it! Being a winner tonight is hopefully going to give me the recognition, credibility and endorsement of my talent not just within Npower and the energy industry but in the national sales industry too. The energy industry has historically been a very male dominated environment and although it is improving it still has some way to go! I plan to use my success here tonight to show other women within npower that we do a great job and have a lot to offer in a sales environment and we should feel confident and be valued in that! Women really can have it all... if they want it! I was originally nervous of what the awards and in particular the judging day would be
like. However, I have greatly enjoyed the WIS experience and the judging day was a great opportunity to meet other like-minded people from outside my industry and to learn a bit about what it's like in their world. It has been a great opportunity to build my external network and I've loved being part of it! I would absolutely encourage Npower to nominate other women in sales next year! What's important about these awards is that they are externally focused and participated in by such a varied amount of companies that it's a great opportunity to pop your head above your specialism and your day job and see what else is out there from a sales perspective. For companies considering nominating in 2015 my question is “Why wouldn't you?� Any kind of awards where applicants are successful are great for both the company reputation and the individuals CV's. It provides you with a fantastic platform to showcase what both your employees and employers do well and receive external recognition for it.
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 31
SERRA ERELCIN 32 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
FINANCIAL SALES WINNER & THE MOST DISTINGUISHED SALESWOMAN OF THE YEAR Account Manager, Thomson Reuters (Istanbul)
I was really excited to hear the news that I had been selected as a finalist. Being nominated by my management was a success in itself and was a great motivation. I believe every success should be celebrated so I enjoyed it. Having won in my category tonight is even more thrilling than I expected this is a great payoff for the hard work that I have been doing over the years. Winning tonight hopefully will be a perfect case of “Lead by example� and will be a motivation for all ladies to think that we can break the glass walls that we build ourselves in an industry where we are outnumbered. Taking part in the awards has been both an exciting and a challenging experience. It is obvious that everybody is there because they are
good, ambitious and want to win. On the other hand the feeling is like it was a collaborative and thus healthy competition. I believe this is an inherent trait of the gender. In addition, it has been a rich experience to meet a lot of top performing people from different companies, various businesses and countries. I would definitely advice my company to nominate other women in sales for the coming years as this is a motivational lift, a value added experience and an excellent opportunity to make network. This will also trigger more women to set higher goals for themselves and break their barriers. Companies should make a little bit more publicity of this event to draw more attention to it.
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 33
DIANA MORALES 34 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
IT SALES WINNER
Strategic Business Manager, Avention Inc.
The first thing I did after hearing the news that I had been selected as a finalist was call my family back in Colombia whom have supported me from the very beginning when I decided to study Engineering and pursue a career in IT, both quite unusual choices at the time for a woman in Colombia. I called my husband who has been with me through all the challenges I had to overcome being a woman in IT working in a foreign country. I called my mentee too, I guess I needed a woman voice to eco the pride I felt when I found out Having won tonight means a great deal to me. I have always being part of a minority; foreign, woman and working in a male dominated space. This win means that all the efforts and sacrifices I have done so far will receive a broad recognition. This is confirmation that I can achieve whatever I dream of. My long term career plan is coaching, I have always played a more or less formal mentor role in all the organizations I have work for. I have as well mentored a few Spanish start-ups helping them to get off the ground at a difficult economic time. I know I am in the right direction but all these have been informal approaches. The WISA awards will give me instant credibility. I am committed to make the most of my success tonight by leveraging its prestige to become a reference for women and minorities within my company and the IT market. I sincerely think that we must never stop learning especially in such a fast changing world as IT. The WISA award will give me in turn the possibility to access some of the best mentors in the IT space from whom it will be
a privilege to keep on learning and continue building my career. Additionally, 2014 has been an inflection point for Avention: The Company is growing fast and has rebranded under new leadership, as a result we have new excellent people joining constantly. I am currently mentoring one of them, I see a lot of myself in her and I am relentless helping her to get where she wants, I would like to do this in a more formal way with new beginners. I aim to become an example, inspire them and if possible coach them and help them to speed up their learning process; resulting in a positive contribution in their careers. It has been amazing experience being part of the awards this year! It is a privilege to be in the same room with so many brilliant women from different sectors, the conversations we have are truly refreshing and stimulating and I am happy that our relationship will continue to flourish after the WISA awards. I have created connections that will help all of us to collaborate, share best practices and support each other. This is definitely a great platform to help us grow our careers and showcase our achievements but it is also another strong motivation to give back to our companies and keep on working to the best we can. For companies considering submitting nominations in 2015………Do it! I am sure all companies out there have great female talent: recognize it, embrace it, reward it, and help them use women’s natural instinct to collaborate and create a positive network to support the growth of other members of the team, whether men or woman.
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 35
KATIE GLOVER 36 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
SALES NEWCOMER WINNER
Regional Development Manager, Axa Insurance
I was honoured to hear that I had been selected as a finalist for the Women In Sales Awards so when my manager told me I had been shortlisted I was over the moon. There was a slight moment of panic when I realised that the judging day was only a couple of weeks away and I knew that I had to be fully prepared when being around such high profile women from some fantastic companies. Winning the Sales Newcomer category has been an amazing honour tonight and it will be a great foundation for my future. Having a year’s mentorship from a senior executive at my stage in my career is going to be hugely beneficial and help me to understand where and how I can progress further within both the sales world and the insurance industry, particularly as a woman. Being the winner tonight is great and its going to send a really positive message to other women within AXA, particularly women that are quite new to a sales role, that they can be recognised within the wider sales community for the positive work they do. The insurance industry is heavily male dominated and for women to promote their talent through recognition of their efforts is something I look to encourage.
The experience has been really interesting, the nomination was a great confidence boost and it was really motivating to be recognised for the work I have been doing since I joined AXA. The preparation and research I did for the judging day really opened my eyes to some of the debates and topics that focus on women in sales and the forums during the judging day were a great way to hear about other people’s opinions. The judging day was also a good opportunity to do some networking with both the judges as well as some really talented women across a broad range of industries. I would certainly encourage my company to nominate other women for these awards. It has been good for me to put myself outside of my comfort zone during the judging day and in doing so I have met some talented women through the networking opportunities as well as raising my own profile within AXA insurance. For companies considering nominating next year, if you feel that you have women in sales roles who should be recognised for the hard work they put in then these awards are a great way to showcase their talent. It will help raise their profile within your company as well as within the wider sales arena.
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 37
VICKY HUGHES 38 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
CONSUMER SALES WINNER
Customer Business Manager, PepsiCo
Upon hearing I had been selected I phoned my family to tell them the news. I wanted to tell everybody! Without the support of my family I wouldn’t be in the position I am today therefore it was great to share the news with them. To be nominated and to be a finalist was a great achievement but having won tonight has been amazing. I am so proud to represent all of the women that work in consumer sales. I believe that I have worked hard and made choices in my career, but my values have remained the same as I have grown as an individual. Winning the award demonstrates to me how this has made me successful in the market we operate in today. I am keen to use winning the award to positively impact the culture at PepsiCo and continue to raise awareness of our female talent. I am hugely passionate about diversity and inclusion and I want to make a positive change for the future, I want to lead by example.
I have enjoyed every minute of taking part in the awards. It is a great experience for networking, building self-belief, and learning from those around you. My natural style is not to talk about how great I am but this has definitely given me a confidence boost and allowed me to reflect on who I am and what I want to do to continue to inspire others. I would 100% encourage PepsiCo to continue to nominate the fantastic talent we have. The awards represent the start of the journey in showcasing what great female talent is within organisations. For companies considering nomination in 2015 I would like to say………….Submit, submit, submit!!! The individuals you nominate will gain so much from the day and the nominations alone are great at building inspiration within your organisation. Being part of WISA is an opportunity of a lifetime, such a great experience that those involved will remember forever.
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 39
EMMA MARRIOTT 40 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
TELEPHONE SALES WINNER
Account Executive, Lincoln West
As soon as I found out I was a finalist, I wanted to know what I needed to do to win. I emailed the event organisers and asked what was required of me. Winning in my category this evening has been incredible and I hope it will go on to be a huge success for my career. I may not be the most experience woman in telesales but this will prove that my knowledge and results speak for themselves.
I not only plan to help other women in my company, but all my colleagues regardless of gender. I will let them know what I learnt from the panellist discussions at the judging day likewise by networking with other women in sales. It has been a great experience and networking opportunity, and tonight here at the awards has been great. I will definitely recommend that my company nominate again, it’s a great way of showing recognition.
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 41
Congratulations to everybody involved with this year’s Women In Sales Awards WE’LL BE SEEING YOU NEXT MONTH IN OUR INAUGURAL ISSUE… Look out for interviews with many of tonight’s participants plus a full report of this year’s Awards.
THE INTERNATIONAL
Journal of Sales Transformation is the new publication exclusively focused on the promotion of sales excellence among global corporates. Our content is a mix of quality journalism, insightful opinion and research by current sales leaders and academics.
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL SALES
Our mission is to help enhance the professionalism of sales organisations by bridging the gap between businesses and academic research to offer the best of both worlds.
Find out more at: www.journalofsalestransformation.com To receive a free trial copy, please email editor@journalofsalestransformation.com 42 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
The judging process The
Judging Process THE JUDGES
A group of 13 senior executives from various industries were carefully selected as an evaluation panel of independent judges. Their objective was to review the nominations and interview each of the finalists. You can read about the judges on pages 9 & 10
WHY AN INTERVIEW WITH THE JUDGES?
A face-to-face interview allows the judges to further assess each finalist’s sales skills, strategies and process etc. The interview also complements their review of the submitted nomination forms.
THE JUDGING DAY
The judges were organised into 4 groups; each group was made up of 3 judges and interviewed a number of finalists within their assigned categories. Nomination forms and any supporting documents were reviewed by the judges prior to a nominee being selected as a finalist. Each nomination was evaluated and scored out of a total of 5 points. The next stage of the process was a face to face interview with the judges.
THE FINALISTS TIME WITH THE JUDGES
This was an opportunity for the finalists to engage the judges by telling them the story of their success. Each judge awarded points across the same criteria. After the interview, all finalists answered one final question: “why they should win the award in their category?” All the 13 judges scored each finalist on the final question. Each finalist’s overall score was the sum of the scores from the interview with the 3 judges in their category plus the scores from all 13 judges on the final question. The finalist with the highest score in each category was selected as the winner in that category.
THE DISTINGUISHED SALES WOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD This award is for the finalist who impressed the judges the most and scored the highest among all the finalists.
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 43
FAQs Who are the judges? Where do they come from? Zars Media invites judges from countries all over Europe. Judges may be executives with social innovation expertise, business people, educators and university administrators and leading practitioners in the field. How do you choose the judges? We usually look for executives with sales backgrounds and with more than 15 years sales experience. We actively recruit and also take suggestions from partners, mentors and past judges. What do the judges evaluate? Judges will review all the entries within their assigned categories and give their scores as per the guidelines. This will include reviewing the nomination forms and any confidential supplemental documents and project information that is included in the application. Is the judging by invitation only, or can I apply to be a judge? We recruit judges after screening their profiles using LinkedIn and other news sources. We are happy to consider suggestions. If you'd like to be considered, or suggest future judges, please email judges@wisawards.com
44 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
Why become a member of the ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL SALES ? Benefits to profession • Chartership status for the sales profession and ability to Represent sales to UK plc. • Representing the needs of the profession and contributing to government and other professional bodies. • Representing the benefit of professional sales to businesses and, articulating what the framework of professional sales is and how the industry is progression, to the public of the UK. • Contribute to and lead definitions of sales standards and assist in implementation. • Contribute to and build on development frameworks.
Benefits to the fellow • Network with Senior Salespeople and build your profile within the industry. • Access to ‘Thought leadership’ content on the APS social channels and blogs. • Thought leadership and research insight, as well as ‘Fellowship status’. • Live networking opportunities and events. • A wide variety of ‘Webcasts’ available throughout the year.
Benefits to fellows company • Senior sales leaders will gain external perspectives by networking with peers. • The company will benefit from the Fellows ability to use new connections to reduce time to market, and their exposure to thought leadership and research insights. ‘Fellowship status’ of senior leaders and clarity to customers of the importance of professional sales people. • Promotion of customer advocacy by improving both customer experience and importance. • Experience evaluation, performance and process tools, as well as best practice enablement.
Join us here... www.associationofprofessionalsales.com/join MEDIA PARTNER
FOUNDING SPONSOR
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 45
Eileen Greene 2013 INSURANCE SALES WINNER
M
y position at Hub is Vice President and Partner. My client base is quite diverse and is serviced by experts throughout our company. My main function is to ensure that we are delivering on all levels to our clients. Having resources at Hub in various dedicated practice areas allows me to deliver the best products, advice and services to my clients. I am also very visible in the business community and participate in many not for profit events to make sure we are giving back. I started my career working at an insurance brokerage as a filing clerk. The firm supported my growth and invested in my education. My responsibilities included, managing people, managing clients and the relationships with our carrier partners. I truly was a jack of all trades! It was only when I decided to make a leap of faith and commit to my passion, which was being in front of the prospect and/or client, bringing home wins with a team approach, that I realized my talent and potential. Although the management experience was crucial for me to understand all the moving parts within a brokerage, both expertise and human element, my strength was bringing home the win and maintaining the relationships on all levels. In 2013 I had the privilege of winning in the insurance category. From being nominated by my peers, being judged by
captains of industry to actually winning, I was deeply humbled. It took me out of my comfort zone, indeed! On a personal note, I was born in England, and being recognized at home was simply brilliant. The recognition that Hub International and I have received internationally and locally is simply incredible. My clients and colleagues have all been extremely generous with their words and support. This resulted in an increase in my profile, sales and results - in business and personally. As the winner in this category, I have had the honor of being mentored by Inga Beale CEO of Lloyds. Earlier this year, I spent four days at Lloyds "shadowing" Inga, in the infancy of her new role. Inga was most generous of her time, allowing me to take part in numerous meetings, with various stakeholders at Lloyds. You could not put a price on this experience. Inga is the first woman in 345 years to assume the lead role at Lloyds. Having access to her insights, experience, vision were priceless. We have since been in contact on her visits to North America - and I continue to watch Inga change the face of insurance. I also have a greater understanding of insurance - In London having a career in Insurance is truly a celebrated career. As I move on in my own career, I strive to attract younger people to make insurance a first choice, and not a last resort! Especially woman moving into Sales! As a direct result of this, I have the honor of mentoring
46 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
a few upcoming woman, whom I am challenging and coaching on a regular basis. This trend is going to continue, throughout Hub. As a woman in sales in a very male dominated industry, I believe gender diversity is essential. The emotional intelligence that we as woman deploy all day into our lives personally and professionally, brings tremendous value to a team both in Sales and at the Leadership level. We are slowly seeing change to the insurance industry and seeing Woman take some very important lead roles. And in my opinion, they have truly earned their roles, not just because they are woman. I hope this trend continues, especially in sales. Eileen and her mentor Inga Beale, CEO of Lloyd's
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 47
Greatest Saleswomen a historical timeline 1717 - present 1717.
Mary Musgrove She used her business acumen to establish successful fur trading posts along the Altamaha River. She used her influence and credibility as the niece of the Creek emperor to maintain peace on the frontier.
1876.
Anne Bissell
1900.
Became the first woman CEO when her husband Melville died unexpectedly. She grew Bissell into an international brand.
Berthe Weill
She was responsible for the first sales of the work of Pablo Picasso and Henry Matisse. She played an important part in the sales of women painters like Valadon, Charmy and Marval.
1905.
Sarah Breedlove
(also known as Madam C.J Walker)
First female self-made millionaire and created the largest black-owned business in the U.S. She employed a salesforce of 3000 African American Women.
1950.
Brownie Wise
First woman to grace the cover of Business week. She was a sales pioneer, a self-made professional woman at a time when society had not yet embraced the idea of women professionals. 48 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
1950.
Mary Kay Ash She built a business that now provides a living for 1.8 million sales consultants and has become an icon representing empowerment and independence for women in business.
1953.
Estee Lauder Was the only woman listed in the Time Magazine’s 1998 list of the 20th-century business geniuses? She is credited with the “try before you buy” concept.
present time Anneke Seley
12th employee at Oracle, her philosophy, years before it achieved wide acceptance, embraces measurable, repeatable processes with teams who understand that relationships and authenticity are at the heart of sales.
Oprah Winfrey
She is the consummate salesperson, built an influential personal brand and nurtured a loyal community. She was awarded the Medal of Freedom, America's Highest Civilian Honour on 22nd November 2013.
Ginni Rometty
Her technical prowess and people skills combined to make her a dominant sales woman for IBM. Every year, she was in the top 10% of salespeople in the company. She went on to become the first female chief executive officer in IBM’s 100-year history.
Anita Krizsan
Top selling Bugatti Veyron salesperson in the world. In 2012, Krizsan broke records by successfully closing 11 sales, totalling over $15 million. With a price tag of over $2 million, most Veyron salespeople consider themselves lucky to shift two to three a year.
Sara Blakely
How many women here today are wearing spanks? She sold fax machines door-to-door before founding Spanks. She is the world's youngest self-made female billionaire.
Author: Alyson Stone Director of Content Strategy for Nimble
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 49
Do The Best Saleswomen Challenge with Empathy?
T
rue business champions not only sell better; they also negotiate and communicate with far greater behavioural skill than their average peers when dealing with prospects, partner organisations and customers. If they do this well, price is less likely to become the major issue for them. By behavioural skill, at Huthwaite International, we mean the verbal behaviours: the words we use to make our case persuasively.
Is it something women do better than men?
When I interviewed the 10 women finalists for this award, they unanimously told me that women are better listeners and better at building relationships. And a few went on to say that they asked questions in more depth. At the pure sales level, there’s no conclusive evidence either way, except
to say that in our most recent* research, women describing their own levels of confidence when they sell, came out lower than men (67% of women described themselves as confident or very confident versus 84% of men who did). But the main thrust of our new research is specifically into verbal behaviour used at the negotiation stage. In this, women claim less negotiation success than men, though that doesn’t mean that they actually achieve less success. We know that expressing feelings verbally is a behaviour that correlates to success, but women are less keen on doing that, and are also less likely to use what they would see as challenging behaviours, such as what we call Defend/Attack – the term is probably self-explanatory and is a behaviour best avoided. Women are also less keen on Incredulous Testing Understanding – something like: “So, you’re really proposing that
we give you 7% price reduction, but you aren’t going to alter our delivery KPIs in return?”. It can be a helpful behaviour, but could be seen as a less empathetic approach, and maybe that’s why women avoid it. Often, though, it’s an effective alternative to direct disagreement. The distinctions are subtle ones, and perhaps that proves that looking for behavioural differences in business between men and women is becoming ever less relevant – and that, in the 21st century, is surely a good thing. What we do know, beyond doubt, is that in negotiation or selling, for men or women, in any country of the world, a questioning, empathetic, consultative approach is the one that brings the best results. *Huthwaite International survey of 1300 respondents May-October 2014 in 53 countries.
Written by: Anders Hjort www.huthwaite.co.uk
Anders Hjort is Regional Development Director and Behaviour Change Expert at Huthwaite International, the world’s leader in research-based behaviour change training for organisations seeking to improve the way they sell, negotiate and communicate.
50 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
The Best Woman Sales Director will receive one year’s full membership to the…
The Sales Director Network is an exclusive forum for exceptional leaders in Sales to share best practice. A member-driven agenda, including monthly peer roundtable meetings held under the Chatham House rule to share privileged know-how and experiences on a range of key topics. 2014 Programme Highlights: Talent Management with International SOS Sales and New Technology with IBM Cross-Selling and Up-Selling with AXA Coming Up in 2015: Recruitment – Hiring the Best Diversity in the Sales Team Leveraging Routes to Market – Channels, Alliances & Partnerships
“The Sales Director Network is the most effective forum out there for senior Sales directors to share knowledge and best practice. “Hearing from counterparts from other industries is always a valuable learning experience. The quality of members is exceptionally high and the topics are directly relevant to my role.” Claire Limon, Group Sales Director - Insurance
“The Sales Director Network is great for sharing innovative ideas, war stories and experiences in a facilitated, trusted environment. “Knowing how busy we all are, the breakfast meetings are punchy, relevant and topical. The ability to share the benefits with my team ensures the network is an excellent investment, worth every penny!” Malcolm Stoodley, Sales Director UK Direct
Senior Sales Leaders attending tonight’s event are invited to attend a roundtable meeting with our compliments. 020 7605 8000). 51 Please contact Head of Network, Deepika Misra (deepika.misra@winmarkglobal.com; DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS
Could now be the time to modernise our sales culture, asks Nick de Cent?
DRIVING THE WORLD ECONOMY A ccording to the Harvard Business Review, women now drive the world economy. Globally, women were responsible for $20 trillion in spending in 2009, and this figure is expected to rise to $28 trillion by 2015. Meanwhile, their total annual earnings could reach $18 trillion by 2025, by which time women are forecast to own 65% of wealth; they currently influence over 70% of buying decisions.
Of course, women are not simply consumers; they make a formidable contribution to business. But all is not as it should be. Women comprise half the talent pool in the population and they perform well in education, yet, the gender balance across various industries and roles remains distinctly lopsided. For instance, US women obtain 57% of bachelors degrees overall but receive less than 18% of computer science degrees; they hold only 25% of IT positions and fill a mere 11% of Fortune 500 executive roles. Similarly, when McKinsey & Company presented a 2011 study at The Wall Street Journal conference on Women in the Economy, it showed that women’s share of corporate jobs is 53% at the entry level, but falls to 14% at the executive-committee level.
GENDER DIVIDE IN SALES
In sales, the gender divide is particularly obvious, especially as we look further up the organisation. In the UK, a 2011 Labour Force Survey highlighted the sales gender divide, particularly at senior levels.
BLOG
Nick de Cent is editor of the International Journal of Sales Transformation and also edits the Raconteur “Sales Performance” supplement in The Times. He has been writing about sales and other business issues for over 30 years and contributes to numerous publications online and in print.
While women dominate the retail sector, overall the figures reveal that 54 per cent were salesmen and 46% were saleswomen. The statistics for B2B sales were even more polarised: 70 per cent were male and 32 per cent female. The divide amongst account managers and BDMs was similar: 68% male and 32% female. At the top level – sales and marketing directors – the gulf between the sexes widened further: 78% were male and 22% female. Overall, the survey confirmed that “37 per cent of all male sales staff are in managerial or
52 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
associate professional roles; however, only 15 per cent of female sales staff falls into these groups”. These figures underline the imbalance that we all know exists: that women are under-represented both in certain sectors and across senior business roles more generally. And this is despite their achievements, their ability to perform and their demographic representation in society – which is why the Women in Sales Awards are so important.
TACKLING THE SALES TALENT SHORTAGE
With business perennially complaining of a talent shortage, how can it make sense that organisations fail to recruit the best women into sales, sales management and sales leadership roles? Thought-leaders suggest that engaging women more fully in the global workforce would spark leaps in innovation and productivity, while research also indicates that women bring new insight to sales management and coaching roles. Here at the International Journal of Sales Transformation we are seeking to help drive professionalism amongst the global sales community by focusing on the best of selling, sales and sales leadership internationally, an ambition we share with Afi and her colleagues at the Awards programme. We will be celebrating the achievements of female sales leaders, canvassing your views and featuring your thoughtleadership on a regular basis. In embarking on this mission, we are thankful for the support of prominent business academics and numerous senior sales leaders from among the world’s biggest businesses. We look forward to featuring some of tonight’s award winners in our inaugural issue (published in January 2015) and regularly highlighting the achievements of the many outstanding women in the international sales community in future editions. If you’d like a free copy of this first edition of the journal, just email me via editor@journalofsalestransformation.com and we’ll be pleased to send you one.
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ISMM membership brings sales professionals together Membership is open to Sales & Marketing Professionals and oers: l
Designatory letters to use after your name to help open doors and to demonstrate your professionalism
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Subscription to Winning Edge, the only magazine for sales professionals
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Join your professional institute today. Call Susan Challenger on 01582 840001, email schallenger@ismm.co.uk or visit www.ismm.co.uk DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 53
8TH OCTOBER 2015
54 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
How to
FAIL
as a Salesperson
Y
es, I know, this title is very provocative, especially in a contest like this in which we are celebrating the best Sales Women in Europe. This article goes against the flow, and will irritate the traditional behavior of some sales people, but consider it as one of the following ways to behave which should be avoided in our profession… when you are only and always a... “Yes person” . Everyone is talking about ways to excel in sales and to overcome all obstacles and challenges in order to achieve our own success and that of our companies. In most cases we find visions and analyses aimed at clearly representing that which is the worst enemy of all sales people, themselves and their weaknesses, in courses, more or less advanced, on coaching, personal motivation and selling, in which teachers, tutors, coaches explain how to change and improve the transfer of knowledge, giving inspiration and a sense of security for the duration of the course, which continues for a while…and then we go back to being ourselves, alone day after day, having to make the difference. Whatever the business or market context, let's begin to ask ourselves about a list of ways of behaving that a salesperson must avoid in order not to incur certain defeat:
•
when selling is …a job just like another;
•
when you let fear drive your actions;
•
when you have to start from scratch and you postpone, postpone,…;
•
when you believe you are unique for your customer;
•
when you have to make a phone call....... and you don’t;
•
when you wait for replies to emails or phone calls that will never arrive;
•
when you make an offer just because you or your boss want to do it;
•
when you don’t believe in what you are offering;
•
when you listen everyone except yourself;
•
when your offer is only: discount, price, product, the value of your company;
•
when a lost offer is…a customer’s problem;
•
when you think you know everything and stop training and learning;
•
when innovation is… something that does not make us reach the quota;
•
when….
These are just a few typical attitudes of those who never reach their annual target. There are certainly others, so please indicate those that you think should be added to this list. Don’t be afraid to give your ideas - the richer the list, the more errors we will be able to avoid.
For more information about this article contact Marco Rasi: direzione@ilcommercialethesalesman.com
DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 55
A full service sales recruitment for women only?
It does sound feminist, maybe even discriminatory? The idea for a specialized recruitment agency was born from the surge in the demand for female sales professionals presented itself. Tony Helstone and Elles van Teylingen started Women In Sales 5 years ago. According to the founders there is a simple explanation for the increasing demand for female sales professionals. “Not to generalize, but women tend to have a certain type of demeanor that simply works excellently in a sales environment”, says director Helstone. Additionally, research shows that women out-perform their male counterparts when it comes to making first contact with potential clients.” Traditionally, women represent about 70% of sales-oriented jobs in fields such as call centers, hotels, restaurants and bars, or as recruiters. Despite the huge demand for competent professionals in these fields, business sales suffer from a shortage in supply. Employers favor women in account management jobs, and in the Netherlands less than 14% of commercial sales jobs are currently occupied by women. Unlike men, a greater percentage of women work parttime, excluding them from more senior account management roles, which demand a full time commitment.
Being a full service sales recruitment agency means facilitating with a wide variety of services including: Recruitement and Selection of female sales professionals for long term contracts. Sales Promotion; we enlist female B2C sales professionals for specific promotional campaigns in order to boost sales. Sales Outsourcing; we activate B2B sales teams with female sales professionals. In 2014, the Women In Sales academy launched a specialized training program for our young professionals which focuses on sales competencies. Women in Sales works exclusively with companies that care about diversity and believe in the strength of female sales professionals. Our client list includes brands such as Nike, L’ Oreal, Accenture, Atos, and LVMH. As our ambitions surpass the Dutch borders, 2015 will see the launch of our Women In Sales International program. Our first target market is the UK, where we find the sales mentality compatible to ours and the platform for female sales professionals expansive.
Women also tend to base their choice of workplace on the branch or product, which often means the exclusion of technical or IT based professions. www.womeninsales.nl / info@womeninsales.nl / +31 (0)20 416 7995 / PO BOX 1922, 1000 BX, Amsterdam, The Netherlands 56 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
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Coming Soon ...
Women In Sales Awards AFRICA
and AUSTRALIA
WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS (EUROPE) PRELIMINARY 2015 TIMELINE 12th March Nominations Open
11th September Nominations Close
60 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
12th October Finalists Announced
5th of November Judging Day
3rd December 2015 Awards Ceremony