Winning the Challenger Sale

#85: Beyond Lip Service: Building an Inclusive Sales Culture

Aug 29, 2023

Cynthia Barnes, founder and CEO of the National Sales Network, discusses the importance of building an inclusive sales culture. Topics include the difference between equity and equality in DEI initiatives, practical measures to promote diversity, and why diversity matters in sales and marketing.

24:50

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Episode guests

Cynthia Barnes

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Quick takeaways

Creating an inclusive sales environment requires clear definitions, strong leadership, and realistic goal setting.

Fostering a positive sales culture starts with prioritizing belonging and customizing the onboarding experience for new hires.

Deep dives

Creating Thriving Sales Cultures

Creating successful sales cultures requires setting clear goals, having effective leadership, and being open to possibilities. It's important to define what success looks like for the sales team and determine if the goal is to help women thrive or create a culture where everyone feels comfortable. One pitfall to avoid is not offering the necessary tools and support for different groups within the sales team. Companies should shift from an equality mindset to an equity mindset, offering specific training and resources to subset groups based on their unique needs and challenges.

Introduction

2min

Creating an Inclusive Sales Culture

9min

Creating Inclusive Job Descriptions

2min

Building an Inclusive Sales Culture

9min

Lunch with influential figures: Oprah, Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, Pippo, and Tina Turner

3min

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are simple—but getting it right is not easy.
Creating a truly inclusive environment where your sales team reflects the diverse pipeline you have (or hope to build) requires a high level of intentionality. You can’t build an inclusive environment with just one initiative. A quarterly workshop won’t give you the results you’re looking for. In fact, most blanket efforts won’t.

In this episode, we’re joined by Cynthia Barnes, founder and CEO of the National Association of Women Sales Professionals (NAWSP), the first Black woman to deliver the keynote at Outbound 2022 — and a changemaker challenging the status quo across the sales industry. According to Cynthia, a truly inclusive sales environment can only exist when built upon clear definitions and intentions, strong leadership, and realistic goal setting.

When we stop approaching diversity as a matter of equality and shift to an approach of equity and individualization, we can foster cultures that enable each and every individual to bring their best selves to work.

We discuss:

The difference between equity and equality (and how to incorporate what’s most important into your DEI initiatives)
Practical measures you can take today to build diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging to your organization and your pipeline
Why a commitment to diversity matters in sales and marketing

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Winning the Challenger Sale

#85: Beyond Lip Service: Building an Inclusive Sales Culture

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Creating Thriving Sales Cultures

Belonging and Individual Support in Sales Cultures

Diversity, Recruitment, and Inclusivity in Sales

The Future of Sales and the Importance of Representation

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts