WOW, for 39 years, International Confex has led the exhibition event space for the events industry. International Confex is a two-day event at ExCeL London.
I spoke at International Confex; this is my third or fourth year. I do it because the peopleinvolved in this event are exceptional. I love the networking and atmosphere created by the organiser and attendees.
Mind the Gap: Closing the Sales Opportunity Gap.
I wanted to summarise the three key strategies in my presentation:
Getting in the head of your key customers
What your customer prioritised in 2019/2020 is different in the post-pandemic climate. 2023 has seen a further re-prioritisation, driven by their customer changing prioritise. The closer you get to what drives your key customers, the more you can see the world as they do and anticipate their needs.
Identify The Priority
With all our customers’ competing and overwhelming challenges in 2023, understanding customer priorities are more important than understanding their pain points.
While pain points help you identify the challenges or problems that your customers are facing, customer priorities help you understand what your customers value most and what they are willing to spend money on more immediately.
Creating Sales Efficiency
Recent research has shown that businesses that take a data-driven approach to sales are more likely to be successful.
We analyse your data, taking the guesswork out of the sales operation and closing the sales opportunity gap, helping you make data-informed decisions. We use data to identify patterns, then use this information to optimise your sales approach and focus your efforts on helping your buyer to buy what they need most. Analysing your data, at SCALE know what good looks, having conducted this analysis over 25 years on data from 2.3 million sales professionals across 200 industries, looking at 462 data points, a crucial step in identifying and closing the sales opportunity gap.
It was standing room only and even better to receive this LinkedIn testimonial; thank you to Nastassja Keenes– Head of Business Development at Sleek Events.
“I attended a valuable session hosted by Janice B Gordon – Customer Growth Expert FISP FPSA FRSA, who did an inspirational speech on what to do next with closing the sales gap opportunities! Thank you – I look forward to putting this newfound knowledge to use.”
Insights gained from other presentations:
How TikTok can Supercharge your Event attendance – Tom McMahon
Creating Awareness and driving Consideration to Conversion is done on an individual basis, not corporate. Whether B2C or B2B, you promote Individual to individual or H2H.
Tom shared in their presentation the comparative cost of one of their campaigns:
LinkedIn: CPC £4 CPM £7
Google Search: CPC £1.50 CPM £30
Facebook: CPC £1 CPM £7
Tik Tok: CPC £.034 CPM £2.19
I just discovered that there are 20 million daily active users in the UK alone and that the age range is diverse. TikTok is great at creating awareness, and some say that Google Shorts will make TikTok redundant. This may be so; however, the cost compared to LinkedIn, Google, or Facebook makes it worth considering in an integrated campaign.
The co-presenters shared how to ensure you Fuel, Ignite and Accelerate events with dialogue, engagement, and well-designed stimulation.
They propose developing the agenda with stakeholder engagement to set the strategic goal. That keynote should be shorter, out with the 45-minute presentations, and networking breaks should be longer, like one hour, to ignite interactive discussion and insight. An event summary measures the outcome and ensures the dialogue continues, and actions are taken post-event.
Kerrin MacPhie, CEO of the Meeting Industry Association, shared her experience implementing these methods; those positive results far exceeded her expectations. https://www.mia-uk.org/
This session was undoubtedly AHA.
My Lightbulb ❤️
The highlight of my day was seeing David Meade, Keynote Speaker, attending my presentation; he is a global international speaking god :-).
With a team of strangers, we built a prosthetic hand, the hour passed seamlessly, and I felt connected to three other team members Kat Rack, Dave Turner and Natasha Jackson.
This is hand down (pun), the best team-building and networking activity I have participated in, ever! After the session, I told David Meade that he has my heart, and his origin story presentation and activity were impactful. You could not help but be changed by the experience.
When I am away from my usual work distractions, I am able to hear myself think. As an example: While I was in Antigua for a month with family and then to work, I had a conversation with a friend and said that I was ‘living the life I am meant to have’. This was an Aha moment for her and me, which I have reflected on and wanted to share with you here.
Living the life you are meant to have is about embracing your true self, following your passions, and creating a life that aligns with your values and aspirations. It’s about being authentic and making choices that bring you joy and fulfilment.
Imagine life as a journey (I know, cliché); you are the captain of your ship. To truly live the life you are meant to have and do the work you are here to deliver. You must set your course based on what resonates with your heart and soul. Don’t let the expectations or opinions of others dictate your path. Instead, listen to your intuition and inner wisdom.
Often, fear of the unknown or fear of failure holds us back from pursuing our dreams. But remember growth and transformation can only happen when you step out of your comfort zone. Embrace challenges as opportunities for growth, and don’t be afraid to take calculated risks. Keep expanding your knowledge, honing your skills, and staying curious. You learn more from the setbacks. I have reframed failure as feedback. Sometimes, unexpected detours lead to the most beautiful destinations.
Always surround yourself with positivity. Connect with people who uplift and support you, and let go of relationships that drain your energy. Your environment plays a significant role in shaping your mindset and outlook on life.
A life well-lived is rich in experiences and meaningful connections. Practising gratitude can transform your perspective. Focus on what you have rather than what you lack. Gratitude enhances your happiness and helps you appreciate the journey you’re on.
Living the life you are meant to have is embracing your uniqueness, taking bold steps toward your dreams, learning from every experience, nurturing positive relationships, and finding happiness in the present moment. It’s your journey, so make it purposeful and delightful.
I had a wonderful time with my family, but
The family holiday was delightful; our villa was spacious and could entertain all family visitors with quiet corners you could escape to. If you follow me on Instagram, you will see the stories and reels of our adventures. I visited over 20 different beaches in two weeks.
In Antigua, I was becoming extremely irritated by my brother’s constant alerts on his phone. Even when I am working, my notifications are all turned off; if I want something, I have to go and check my phone, usually between tasks. I pay the bill, and my phone serves me rather than I am serving my phone.
WARNING: Setting alerts on your phone can have both physical and mental adverse effects.
The Physical Effects:
Physiological Response: Alerts can increase heart rate and adrenaline release, causing heightened alertness or stress.
Tension: Anticipating alerts can lead to muscle tension and a sense of unease.
Impacts on Sleep: Frequent alerts, especially at night, can disrupt sleep patterns and affect overall rest.
The Mental Effects:
Disrupted Focus: Alerts break concentration, making engaging in deep or focused tasks difficult.
Stress and Overwhelm: Constant notifications contribute to feeling overwhelmed by managing multiple information streams.
Notification Fatigue: Over time, excessive alerts can lead to decreased responsiveness and missing important messages.
Anxiety: The fear of missing out on alerts or urgent messages can heighten tension.
The Positive Aspects:
Organisation: Alerts can help you stay organised and remind you of important tasks or events.
Timely Information: Notifications provide real-time updates and inform you about news, events, and communications.
Selective Usage: Mindful management of alerts for crucial matters can mitigate adverse effects.
It’s a Balancing Act:
Mindful Approach: Choose which alerts truly matter to maintain a healthier relationship with your device.
Scheduled “Quiet” Times: Designate periods without alerts to promote relaxation and focused work.
Notification Settings: Customise settings to manage notifications that warrant alerts and can wait.
I recorded 6.0 video tips for October.
I have a birthday celebration in October and wanted to share some of my insights, so I recorded thirty-one 1-minute videos for every day in October. I discuss some of my No Sh.t Philosophies and my thoughts on modernising B2B sales teams.
Ensure you follow me on LinkedIn to get notified.
Four intensive work weeks before more travels.
I am excited to see my Women Sales Pros community of elite women in sales controlling their destinies. I love the can-do attitude of my American cousins. I have the most existing year celebrating my birthday with friends and family. Antigua was just the start, and Japan is not the end, with lots in between, so stay tuned.
The Salesforce State of Sales 5th edition gathers insights from more than 7,700 sales professionals across 38 countries on driving productivity in today’s economy. Adam Gilberd, Executive VP Sales, said, “we now live in an era of tight budgets and higher operating margins. The challenge isn’t about finding growth, but about maximising efficiency.”
The Key report finding:
New sales mantra: maximising impact.
Reps strive to meet rising buyer expectations.
Sales operations boost efficiency.
The seller experience gets a second look.
New sales mantra: maximising impact.
The report says companies are adapting fast with a new focus on productivity and efficiency. I suspect this focus on productivity and efficiency is with the additional heavy lifting of more sales tech in the sales process. 67% of sales professionals say selling is harder now, and the pressure is on to keep hitting sales targets. This tells me that these organisations are internally focused – no wonder selling is more challenging; in my view, they are focused on the wrong target.
70% of sales leaders say their sales organisation is taking fewer risks, turning to improve alignment between departments and removing business-slowing silos, improving data accuracy and quality. This is good to see; however, I wonder to what extent the customer and buyer are involved in the efficiency-creating process. Too often, companies drive for internal efficiency that has little or no long-term impact on the customer, end user or business profitability.
Reps strive to meet rising buyer expectations.
The Salesforce State of the connected customer May 2022 states:
57% of buyers prefer to engage with companies through digital channels
87% of business buyers expect sales reps to act as a trusted advisor
Companies focus on steady, predictable growth, state the report; hence, customer satisfaction is now front and centre.
The Scale Your Sales Framework focus is retention and expansion, so we are happy to see this as a key performance success indicator of the top 5 ways reps maintain relationships after a sale:
Value-based communication
Active listening
Follow-through/accountability
Seeking feedback on the selling experience
Troubleshooting/customer service.
Sales operations boost efficiency.
8 of 10 sales professionals say sales operations play a critical role in growing the business, with sales ops moving from focusing on tools and processes to driving efficiency and cost savings with their inclusion in strategic business conversations.
For any business, efficiency must be a priority; however, with the growing importance of sales operations, I suspect they have little or no interaction with the customer, and end-user and efficiency measures are internally focused.
I continually share my guiding principle with my enterprising CEOs, CROs and Sales Leaders driving revenue growth and efficiency. “If you do not know the impact of your decision on your most valued customer, you should not be making the decision”.
The seller experience gets a second look.
Retention is a concern as a 25% turnover is expected in sales organisations over the next 12 months. How do you make sales professionals feel and believe they are set up for success, even with a limited headcount and stretched resources?
The report details the reason why sales professionals want to leave their jobs. Sales reps complain of lousy company culture, and sales leaders complain of unrealistic sales targets and insufficient flexibility and autonomy. The successful retention strategies are improved sales training and enablement, team building opportunities and streamlining the sales process.
Whether in a sales culture or not, we know that improving employee experience directly impacts customer experience, satisfaction, and retention. This is the lever companies have a handle on but clearly, not pulling. According to the Experience Advantage report byTiffani Bova, B2B companies see an uplift of 1.8 times in customer KPIs when they focus on employee experience.
The Salesforce report states that coaching is one-way sales organisations can keep sales professionals engaged and productive. With only 53% of sales leaders using coaching solutions, there is a lot of room for improvement.
Mary Shea, PhD Shea, VP, Global Innovation Evangelist at Outreach, has proposed a model for the new cohort of transformational leaders, managers, and reps. The new Revenue Innovator Manager is a change agent, as sales managers now have to be champions of their teams’ career development and mental fitness, and become data and digital savvy, to become data-led coaches.
In future articles, I will discuss keeping sellers happy despite the limited headcount pressure on recruitment and salesforce efficiency and productivity investments.
I have talked for a long time about the focus on quotas in a customer-centric sales organisation being the wrong goal. However, we will leave this for another article. In the Salesforce State of Sales report, hitting quota remains a challenge, with only 28% expecting to make quota, and 10% of sales professionals expect to make 50% or less of their quota in 2023
The good news is that the sales organisation has had to reskill or die during the pandemic, and 75% of sales professionals, up from 63% in 2020, are confident in their sales organisations’ ability to reskill.
In the dynamic world of revenue management, the landscape for women professionals is evolving rapidly. As we delve into the insights from the Women in Revenue (WIR) Annual Survey and draw from my experience, the challenges and opportunities ahead are both substantial and transformative.
Let Us Set the Scene
Women leave education with higher qualifications, and ethnic minority education attainment results are even greater. Yet from the time women enter the workforce, their pay and position are being eroded. Let us get real: women still have the greater share of household and family responsibilities, those that do secure leadership positions, carry with them higher expectations such that they cannot afford to fail. Unlike their male counterparts, having the protection of the boys’ networks, to more easily secure second chances. In addition to this, companies ask their women leaders to take on additional responsibilities to mentor other women and represent their organisations, publicly – all unpaid.
I want to see a recognition of this additional responsibility and parity in pay and conditions in the workplace.
State of Women in Revenue (WIR)Today
The WIR Annual Survey, reveals a significant shift in priorities among women in revenue roles. This year, over eight hundred women responded, highlighting key concerns such as work-life balance, the prevalence of sexual harassment, and a notable trend towards career re-evaluation post-pandemic. (link in comments)
Following a recent discussion hosted by Women in Revenue. that I was invited to panel, unfortunately, despite all our best efforts, technical difficulties prevented my participation and contribution, hence this article to voice my opinion and discussion points. The online event went on without me, thank you for stepping in last minute Anne Pao, Debe Rapson, Sarah Sehgal, and the WIR team. Underscoring the resilience and commitment of Women in Revenue to overcoming challenges—a theme echoed in the survey findings. With representation across sales, marketing, revenue operations, customer success, and professional services, the survey underscores the diversity of roles and perspectives within the industry.
The Impact of Flexible and Hybrid Working
One striking statistic is the 24% year-over-year increase in the prioritization of work-life balance, reflecting a broader societal shift accelerated by the pandemic. This resonates deeply with my own experience, having navigated remote work dynamics since 2010 and in 2020 I recently invested in a garden studio office to enhance my productivity and well-being.
The UK’s experience with flexible working mirrors global trends, with a notable 63% of organizations planning to adopt or expand hybrid working models, 71% say the main reason being work-life balance and improved productivity (source: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development – CIPD).
In my recent LinkedIn LIVE presentation with Mary Shea discussing the Future of Work and Workforce and on the Scale Your Sales Podcast with various guests, we have explored how these flexible models are reshaping the Sales landscape.
Transparent Compensation: A Driving Force for Change
The call for transparent compensation is louder than ever, with 52% of survey respondents, citing it as a critical consideration when evaluating job offers. This figure is more than double from just 21% in 2021 (source: Women in Revenue Annual Survey). This demand reflects a broader push for fairness and equity within the workplace, particularly concerning gender and ethnic pay gaps.
the UK government requires companies with 250 or more employees to report their gender pay gap data annually. Additionally, the UK government plans to extend equal pay rights to ethnic minority and disabled workers, requiring companies to disclose their ethnicity pay gap data. I would like to see this extended to all companies as it underscores the need for accountability and transparency.
From my discussions with industry leaders and my advocacy work, I have seen firsthand how crucial transparent compensation is to closing these gaps. For instance, the Xactly research findings report that women in Sales are not only underrepresented but also underpaid, with male counterparts on average earning 3.5% more. Sales professionals in the Life Sciences and Pharma sectors have a 9% pay gap, Manufacturing faces an 8% gap. Interestingly, the Financial Services industry stands out as a beacon of equity, with no reported pay gap. (source: Xactly Research, July 2024). These insights underscore the imperative for organizations to not only report but actively address these disparities to foster a more inclusive and fairer workplace.
I interviewed Michael Ranmi Akinlé, Head of Sales UKI, Qobra, the sales compensation platform that delivers visibility on commission and payouts, as Michael is closer to the ground root sentiment of what is happening in the UKI. Michael said:
“Revenue Leaders know there is a war on talent, the best talent drives revenue and keeps customers happy. A lack of transparency leads to frustration, de-motivation, and attrition.”
We discussed the barriers to transparency being a lack of budget (a false economy when talking about attrition), fear of change, and a lack of resources (every change needs someone to drive it to succession)
The Women in Revenue report states transparent compensation information was the third most desirable consideration in job placement. The challenge now lies in ensuring equitable implementation across all sectors and demographics, particularly addressing the diverse needs of women in leadership.
Mentorship: A Catalyst for Success
Mentorship remains a pivotal yet underutilized tool for advancing women in revenue. Despite 80% believing it is useful, less than 30% of professionals currently have a mentor, highlighting barriers such as perceived lack of time, confidence, and organizational support.
I would highly recommend Women in Revenue Mentorship Program (link in comments)
From personal experience, I have found mentorship to be transformative. Early in my career, navigating the complexities of leadership, I encountered mentors who provided invaluable guidance and perspective, and still today I have mentors to help guide me. Their insights not only shaped my professional journey but also inspired me to mentor others—a responsibility I take seriously in advocating for equitable opportunities.
But let’s be clear, my view is that women are not the problem. Do not think that women or diverse groups need coaching and mentoring and the problem will go away. Until the wider organisation is coached and mentored the problems and barriers will persist. You would be better off mentoring the majority because the minority know, and have the lived experience of being the minority, (we know the problem!).
Future Challenges and Opportunities
In my blog from a decade ago, I predicted the rise of freelance sales professionals, a trend that is increasingly relevant today with the emergence of fractional CROs and independent revenue experts. These roles present new avenues for women to leverage their expertise across diverse organizations and sectors, empowering them to take control of their careers in unprecedented ways.
Looking ahead, the future of women in revenue will be shaped by several critical factors. Job security concerns amid economic uncertainties and the persistent underrepresentation of women in leadership roles are still pressing issues that demand proactive solutions.
In my view, if we do not see the sales revenue leadership reflective of the global buyers’ market, we will see more women voting with their feet and moving into roles that value their experiences and skills and are willing to give them the flexibility and the fair and equitable renumeration they require.
Empowering Women in Revenue
As we navigate these challenges and opportunities, one thing is clear: empowering women in revenue requires collective action and unwavering commitment. Building diverse networks of mentors, sponsors, and champions is essential, and platforms like Women in Revenue provide invaluable resources and support. Together, we can dismantle barriers, champion equity, and forge a future where every woman in revenue not only survives but thrives.
This article is a call to action—to harness the momentum of change, embrace diversity, and shape a future where women in revenue not only lead but redefine success on their terms.
