Uncopyable Women in Sales

There's NO Ceiling for Financial Success in Sales! - With Fiona Gellatly

May 15, 2024 Kay MIller Season 1 Episode 55
There's NO Ceiling for Financial Success in Sales! - With Fiona Gellatly
Uncopyable Women in Sales
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Uncopyable Women in Sales
There's NO Ceiling for Financial Success in Sales! - With Fiona Gellatly
May 15, 2024 Season 1 Episode 55
Kay MIller

Kay Miller talks with Fiona Gellatly, a seasoned sales executive from Highnote. Fiona shares her journey from marketing to sales in the Fintech industry, highlighting her initial intimidation by the technical aspects but ultimately finding success through understanding and relating to the products. She underscores the significance of product knowledge, confidence, and a structured sales approach. Fiona also discusses the value of coaching, intuition in sales, and the importance of networking and mentorship for women in the field, advocating for self-support and a positive mindset for career advancement.

About Fiona:

Fiona Gellatly is a Senior Sales Executive at Highnote, an embedded payments platform. Fiona is a seasoned marketing and sales executive with 17 years of experience in financial technology, specializing in payments, lending, fraud, and card payments.

Adept at both leadership and individual contributor roles, with a passion for nurturing talent and promoting diversity in the industry, particularly empowering women to excel in financial technology sales. Originally from Canada, she pursued my education in Communications after her family moved to the states and settled in Grand Forks, ND . Throughout her career, she's held various leadership and individual contributor roles in sales within the financial technology sector, gaining extensive expertise in navigating the complexities of the industry in addition to operating in a typically male dominated industry. Beyond her professional endeavors, she's deeply passionate about fostering diversity and inclusivity in the workplace, particularly within the realm of financial technology including the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association, as well as providing individual guidance within the corporations she's been a part of, or through acquaintances whoa are looking for support. She proactively focuses on empowering young women to succeed in sales roles within the financial technology sector.

Contact Fiona Gellatly:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/fgellatly/



Kay Miller interviews women in sales with proven track records, as they share their experiences, success strategies and tools you can use to crush your sales goals. Kay has a history of sales success, earning the nickname “Muffler Mama” when she sold more automotive mufflers than anyone in the world. Kay and her guests deliver actionable insights and real-world tools that will help you overcome obstacles, adopt a winning mindset, and maximize your sales results.

Kay is the author of the book, Uncopyable Sales Secrets – How to Create an Unfair Advantage and Outsell the Competition. Go to Amazon.com and search “Uncopyable Sales Secrets” to order the book, or click the link below.

Contact:
kay@uncopyablesales.com
linkedin.com/in/millerkay
Order Uncopyable Sales Secrets: amzn.to/35dGlYZ








Show Notes Transcript

Kay Miller talks with Fiona Gellatly, a seasoned sales executive from Highnote. Fiona shares her journey from marketing to sales in the Fintech industry, highlighting her initial intimidation by the technical aspects but ultimately finding success through understanding and relating to the products. She underscores the significance of product knowledge, confidence, and a structured sales approach. Fiona also discusses the value of coaching, intuition in sales, and the importance of networking and mentorship for women in the field, advocating for self-support and a positive mindset for career advancement.

About Fiona:

Fiona Gellatly is a Senior Sales Executive at Highnote, an embedded payments platform. Fiona is a seasoned marketing and sales executive with 17 years of experience in financial technology, specializing in payments, lending, fraud, and card payments.

Adept at both leadership and individual contributor roles, with a passion for nurturing talent and promoting diversity in the industry, particularly empowering women to excel in financial technology sales. Originally from Canada, she pursued my education in Communications after her family moved to the states and settled in Grand Forks, ND . Throughout her career, she's held various leadership and individual contributor roles in sales within the financial technology sector, gaining extensive expertise in navigating the complexities of the industry in addition to operating in a typically male dominated industry. Beyond her professional endeavors, she's deeply passionate about fostering diversity and inclusivity in the workplace, particularly within the realm of financial technology including the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association, as well as providing individual guidance within the corporations she's been a part of, or through acquaintances whoa are looking for support. She proactively focuses on empowering young women to succeed in sales roles within the financial technology sector.

Contact Fiona Gellatly:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/fgellatly/



Kay Miller interviews women in sales with proven track records, as they share their experiences, success strategies and tools you can use to crush your sales goals. Kay has a history of sales success, earning the nickname “Muffler Mama” when she sold more automotive mufflers than anyone in the world. Kay and her guests deliver actionable insights and real-world tools that will help you overcome obstacles, adopt a winning mindset, and maximize your sales results.

Kay is the author of the book, Uncopyable Sales Secrets – How to Create an Unfair Advantage and Outsell the Competition. Go to Amazon.com and search “Uncopyable Sales Secrets” to order the book, or click the link below.

Contact:
kay@uncopyablesales.com
linkedin.com/in/millerkay
Order Uncopyable Sales Secrets: amzn.to/35dGlYZ








Note: Transcript is AI Generated and includes inaccaricies. 

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Speaker 1 (00:00:00) - Welcome to Uncopyable women in Sales. If you're looking for actionable insights in real world tools to turbocharge your sales starting tomorrow, well, you're in the right place. Your host, Kay Miller, earned the affectionate nickname Muffler Mama when she sold more automotive mufflers than anyone else in the world. In this podcast, Kay will talk to another superstar women in sales as they reveal unstoppable strategies you can use to rack up more leads, snag dream clients, and take your sales numbers through the roof. Stay tuned and get ready to make more sales. And how about this more money?

Speaker 2 (00:00:40) - My guest today is Fiona Gellatly.  Fiona is a senior sales executive at High Note, which is an embedded payments platform. Fiona is a seasoned marketing and sales executive with 17 years of experience in financial technology, including payments, lending, card payments and a lot more, which you're going to tell us about, right? Fiona. Absolutely, absolutely. Fiona, welcome to the podcast. I'm so glad you're here. Thank you very much.

Speaker 2 (00:01:11) - I'm looking forward to it. Feel I have read your industry has has been described, I should say, as highly complex and technical. So I would like to start out and have you explained what do you do and who your customers are and how you serve them? Sure, sure, absolutely.

Speaker 3 (00:01:31) - So I'm in the payments industry, which, you know, as you mentioned, the company encompasses many things. So could be, you know, card payments, issuing card payments, it could be lending, it could be broad solutions that go along with payments. you know, the whole payments ecosystem, if you think about it from your consumer experiences or potentially from a commercial experience. And so what I do is I sell technology that enables companies to, you know, make great customer experiences for their customers. it could help them with, you know, optimising operations, business automation, maybe in the, you know, specialty finance leasing industry. So really selling the technical solution that is, you know, when you think about it, mission critical for some businesses to operate, you know, they're choosing their platform.

Speaker 3 (00:02:26) - it has to have all the bells and whistles that, they're looking for. And you're really not selling a, you know, widget, so to speak. You're selling an entire solution. So it can be very consultative. You know, you really need to understand what people are looking to achieve and how you can help solve those problems for them or opportunities, if you think about it that way, too.

Speaker 2 (00:02:46) - Okay. So do you contract with the company? Do they sign a certain, you know, agreement for a period of time?

Speaker 3 (00:02:54) - Yeah, it could be a enterprise platform or it could be a SaaS model where you're paying for seats. So I work with customers, like in the past I work with banks selling them solutions like digital banking, lending solutions. today I'm selling payment solutions using cards as the kind of the vehicle to move that money, if that makes sense, in both consumer and commercial. I mean, that's really what it comes down to, is, you know, we present our solution, we sign a contract, and then we implement the solution, whether it's software or, you know, or a platform and, you know, really help our customers grow and scale and what they're trying to do.

Speaker 2 (00:03:33) - Okay. Well, that's a good answer. I'm not totally clear on it, but I kind of get it. And I'm like I said, it's it's a very specialized industry. And, you know, I'd like to know your background and, and how you got into this, how you got into sales and then this particular industry. and we talked a little bit before the fact that it is a male dominated industry. So, tell us, talk to us.

Speaker 3 (00:03:58) - So look at I started out with, a marketing background, and then I was working for, you know, one of the largest global haircare companies. I worked for a consumer marketing agency. And when I was at the global retail company or haircare company, you know, stored value gift cards were just coming on the scene, and we felt like it was a huge opportunity for, you know, to to, grab more market share, increase our spend at the salons by offering gift cards. And so I worked on one of the more brands that was retail focused.

Speaker 3 (00:04:33) - And so the company came to me and said, hey, would you be interested in launching gift cards for our company? And I was like, well, I really know nothing about it. But sure, I'm always up for a challenge. And that's really how I that was the time period where I made that transition from, marketing into sales. I was starting to negotiate the placement of those gift cards outside of our brand's four walls and into other brands while, like, if you go to a target or a Costco and you see gift cards, and I was negotiating a channel, contract, and at the end of the contract, the guy who was one of my favorite bosses to this day was like, I really am impressed with you. During the sales process, you were a tough negotiator. Would you like to come join the team? And so that's really where I launched into payments and started to really focus on more of a sales career. Does that make sense?

Speaker 2 (00:05:27) - It does, it does. But it's funny to think back to when gift cards were new.

Speaker 2 (00:05:35) - It seems like they've been around forever. but that's right. It really, you know, things are changing so fast. And of course, now with everything going on social media, I everybody has a podcast.

Speaker 3 (00:05:50) - I am.

Speaker 2 (00:05:50) - Finding. So, you know, things are changing so quickly. So that does help me understand where it all started. So yes, as a way for businesses to grow, make more sales. And I don't know if it's true. I'm going to ask you, I've heard that a lot of people and gift cards are probably different now, but they would never spend that money.

Speaker 3 (00:06:12) - A lot of them get lost in the corners of a desk or in a car. But, you know, there's this, this treatment laws against, you know, because at first the companies were just, you know, keeping the money, but now there's regulation in place to protect the consumer. and so, yeah, that that did happen in the past, but it doesn't happen anymore. So which is a good thing.

Speaker 3 (00:06:34) - but, you know, that's really where I started to get into technology as well. And, you know, growing up, that was the last thing I'd thought I'd ever be. And I, you know, didn't like all the maps and scientists I did for sciences. I was, you know, much better suited in like, the English and Social studies and, you know, things of those natures. so making a leap from going into retail, which I thought I would be in forever, into more of a complex technology that I've, you know, I'm selling today. I've sold in the past. you know, it was a little intimidating. But, you know, I learned a couple of things along the way that really helped me get comfortable in a highly technical sale. you know, both from a, you know, what is my personal experience with, you know, financial tools today, you know, and I always have been successful in relating that back to what I'm selling versus how a consumer uses things.

Speaker 3 (00:07:28) - Or maybe it's a corporation as well, but that's really helped me understand how it works on, you know, to be successful in technology sales. You know, the biggest piece of advice that I received early on was get in there and know the product. You have to know the product even if you don't have a technical background. And so, you know, when I start a new role at a new company, the one of my top priorities is to dig into the product and what it can do and help our customers. and that's one thing that I really recommend for any anyone going into technical sales, especially a female. Dive into the product, dig into it, run a demo if you have the opportunity to do that. and that's how you can really learn the technology at a faster pace.

Speaker 2 (00:08:17) - I like that. And confidence and fear. Overcoming fear is a huge issue for women and also the men who will admit it because sales is uncomfortable. I think, you know, we grow up hearing don't talk to strangers and then we get into a job that that's what it's all about is talking to strangers and knowing your product is huge.

Speaker 2 (00:08:40) - That's a huge confidence builder. The better you know your product, of course, the better resource you can be. And I don't know if you have read my book or know my muffler mama story, but when back when I was selling exhaust systems, I went into a shop and said, spent a day there and learned to do that. So I totally agree that the more you know, the the better salesperson you can be. And like you said, you even prepared for this interview. So I know preparation is huge. you mentioned a couple things that you discovered along the way that has helped you, and I'd love to know those. And and so why don't we just start there? And I have maybe a follow up question.

Speaker 3 (00:09:23) - I know I think, you know, obviously the preparation and digging into the technology or things that I've learned along the way, you know, I think, for me, making that leap into, you know, from a marketing and sales perspective early on, I was in a situation at a company where, you know, I was taking on a bigger role, more of a sales retail role.

Speaker 3 (00:09:45) - So still kind of, you know, on the line of the marketing and sales and which one should I really do? And, you know, unfortunately, that company was not diverse and didn't support, you know, more females in leadership roles. And so I made a tough decision to leave that organization because it just wasn't fun. and had an opportunity to take some time off. And so I hired a coach, and I cannot tell you.

Speaker 2 (00:10:11) - Okay. Can you say that again, a coach, right. Yes, yes. What kind did you say? A specific kind of coach.

Speaker 3 (00:10:18) - This was a coach that focused on people that wanted to maybe transition into another area or another company or another industry. And so it really worked with me on what my goals were and my goals were really about, you know, should I still pursuits marketing or should I just go into the deep end in sales and, you know, be scared about my meeting my quota and going to make money? And, you know, I was recently divorced at that time and supporting three kids.

Speaker 3 (00:10:47) - And it was scary. But, you know, he went through, you know, all my personal, personal attributes. We did a lot of testing. We talked about, you know, what kind of person I am and and what I like to do. And, you know, he pretty much predicted my career path to this day. He's like, you definitely should be in sales. You're very driven. You're very goal oriented. You know, I can tell you you've got tenacity and persistence. And, you know, he's he said, I think it would be really successful. And he said, you know, you're you you're a strong leader. You've got a lot of leadership because I've been I've done both, you know, sales leadership and individual contributor roles. And he said, you know, you're going to go down that leadership path because you're just a natural leader. He said. But I bet you later on in your career you just go back to being the individual contributor, which is exactly what I am today.

Speaker 2 (00:11:37) - That's so interesting. Well, good for him. He not only helped you, but he had a good read on who you are and your strengths. And of course, when you talk about being, you know, a single mom, supporting kids sales is where the money is. You know, you can and, you know, as good as you are. I mean, that is, you know, there's no ceiling on that. There might be a glass ceiling, but there's not a ceiling on what you can earn in sales. So, you know, great decisions, especially since it fit your personality so well.

Speaker 3 (00:12:08) - Yeah. You know, and I that's one of the things I realized, you know, sales not only fulfills me from a, you know, personal, you know, personal goals that I've set for myself. It really had, you know, been uncomfortable situations where I'm like, you can do this, Deanna. You know, I've got a sign on my. You can't see it in here, but I have this sign that I found that I kind of words to live by for me.

Speaker 3 (00:12:32) - And it's you can, you should. And when you're brave enough, you will. And so anytime I'm feeling a little uncomfortable or vulnerable, I just look up and I go, okay, you can do this. And, you know, that's kind of a I approached myself career as, you know, a little uncomfortable on the gift at the beginning. But then when I saw the potential that I had and the real results that I was able to achieve for not only my customers but for myself, you know, personally, financially, it's just really worked out for me. And I, I absolutely love it. I love the challenge every day, you know, can be really tough some days when, you know, the sales are rolling in and then the next month you get one. And so never get too high and never get too low is what I try to tell myself all the time.

Speaker 4 (00:13:16) - Right? Just don't spend.

Speaker 2 (00:13:17) - Your commission check when it's a big one. You might need it next month, right? Actually, I love that little mantra, those words of encouragement.

Speaker 2 (00:13:25) - As I said, a lot of the women I've interviewed, they talk about mindset and they talk about the words you use, the language and the reinforcement. You have to be your own cheerleader. A lot of times, even if you're on a sales team and you, you know, it sounds like you've managed sales teams, but you're still an individual, this is almost like you're a mini entrepreneur. So yes, reinforcing those positives is is really important. so let's talk. You know, I know you said you're driven, you prepare, you like I'm sure you like the variety of sales. Sales is never boring. Right. So, as we talk to our listeners who are women in sales, want to up their game, talk about what you feel like has helped you and what you would recommend for them.

Speaker 3 (00:14:12) - Sure. So, you know, there's been many things that I've done to up my game and, you know, I, I am I'm just very. Driven into being the best that I can be.

Speaker 3 (00:14:25) - You know, whether it's what I put on every day that gives me the confidence to walk in a room or making sure I have that, you know, technical credibility to help me be successful. You know, in my line of work, there's there's a concept of it's almost like a coscelli an opportunity where, you know, you have the business salesperson, but then you also have a technical sales person. And so my, you know, my role in the beginning is to make sure that I'm meeting with prospects that are going to be a good fit before I'll bring those resources in. But, you know, and knowing enough to be credible in having those initial conversations from a technical perspective, I don't need to know everything, but I need to know enough to pull them in and make sure that I'm I'm going to get that second conversation. You know, I always look at things as. That disciplined sales process are not worrying about, you know, getting the contract sign yet. I'm worried about okay, your your goal for this meeting is to get the next meeting.

Speaker 3 (00:15:23) - After that I want my executives on the phone. You know, whatever it is is think about a disciplined sales process and how you move that message across the field. you know, everyone says that, but, you know, just how do you move it forward every day. And so you're you're meeting the goal that you set for yourself, whether it's with one customer or just meeting your quota for the year.

Speaker 1 (00:15:46) - Today's podcast is sponsored by the acclaimed book Unstoppable Sales Secrets How to Create an Unfair Advantage and Outsell Your Competition, by Kay Miller. If you want to make more sales, you need to read this book. We'll even get you started with a free download of the first two chapters. Go to UN Copyable sales com slash chapters to grab this offer. Right now,

Speaker 2 (00:16:12) - I like a lot about what you said there, and one, of course, is finding the right customer. We call them your mousse because you can waste so much time. You know, you can talk to a lot of people and it doesn't get you anywhere.

Speaker 2 (00:16:24) - So you are finding the best customers, like you said, because you don't want to waste the time of your technical people. so that's that's a really good point. And we do. And we have the whole philosophy, the UN copyable philosophy, this big umbrella of concepts like the moose and one of them is the next step. You know, I've heard so many people use the analogy of, you know, dating and marriage. You don't ask someone to marry them on the first date. So it really is important. I think we want to jump ahead and get our get ahead of ourselves, make the sale. So the next step philosophy is something definitely that I believe in following. So I love that.

Speaker 3 (00:17:09) - Well, I think, you know, when you're younger and I, I was guilty of this as a young person in, in sales is, you know, you don't always listen to You're just trying to close it, right? And you have to really focus and listen to what I call the sirens, you know? They can be good and bad.

Speaker 3 (00:17:29) - siren could be a blind signal that, you know, they're they're asking all the right things that make you feel comfortable that this deal is going to close. But you also have to listen to the sirens of, you know, when was the last time I talked to that prospect? Who else are they talking to? I get really uncomfortable when there's quiet time because I know that something else has taken priority, or they're talking to someone else. So, you know, one of the things I really focus on is listening to those sirens, good or bad. So you can be really real about that opportunity for your company and who you're going to bring on, you know. Makes sense. Yes.

Speaker 2 (00:18:05) - Oh it does. And and you know, a lot of that is intuition. Like you said, you know, I silence is not golden. I can even say that with as a parent silence isn't good. So yeah, when your customer isn't communicating and responding, that's one of the challenges is getting creative, but also deciding, hey, maybe they're not really committed to this.

Speaker 2 (00:18:28) - So yeah, it's a balancing act. you know, some people feel that women have more intuition and, you know, women and men are different. We both face challenges, of course. But, I do think even though not all of us are great listeners, it's something I have to really, you know, focus on. But, yeah, that intuitive part of the job is, is really important. So, what else would you tell? Yeah. What else have you learned that you could share with the listeners?

Speaker 3 (00:19:01) - Oh, gosh, I've learned so much. I mean, honestly, I have learned a lot. And, you know, I work with a lot of young women. Some of them are just personal relationships. Others are, you know, more professional, like, you know, internally at my company right now, I know we have a mentoring program, so I'm mentoring a young woman there who's amazing, and I love working with her. And then I also, you know, one of the other big pieces of advice I have for young women, as you know, when you're in a male dominated industry like I am, financial technology, it is so important to build your network.

Speaker 3 (00:19:39) - And one of the things that's helped me be successful is joining women's industry groups. I know it can be extra work. you know, I know that at certain times you just don't have the bandwidth. But I've always joined a women's group within my industry. When I was in the lending and leasing space, I joined on the women's committee for the LFA, which is the Equipment Leasing and Finance association, because that's where you're going to meet like minded women who want the same success. you can, you know, make deep connections and, and use them for a mentor or, hey, I'm looking for this job, but you know, that was something I didn't do early on, and I regret that. But now I'm really, you know, make a point of of dive into that industry and say it's very valuable from a potentially looking for a job or just resources to help you close a deal. Do you know this person? That's something that I'd highly recommend to young women getting into this space.

Speaker 2 (00:20:42) - Yeah, that's I love that.

Speaker 2 (00:20:43) - And yeah, as I was reading about you, I know you're involved with girls who sell, some other organizations online that I'm familiar with. And, you know, I am older than you. but when I was one of few women in this, the two different male dominated industries, many of those women were not kind to me. They were not good. It was like, you know, instead of growing the pie, you know, we were competing with each other. And I think that has changed. And when I experienced that, I always vowed, if I have the opportunity, when I have the opportunity, I want to be different. And in fact, the very my very first job, I, I graduated from college in 1982. The job market was crap. The and the sister of my boyfriend at the time, she was a manufacturer's rep and she repped a bunch of different lines. And she actually, you know, one thing I didn't have experience. And of course, to get a job, you have to have experience.

Speaker 2 (00:21:44) - And so she, allowed me to kind of babysit a couple of her lines so that I could say I had experience. And that was really a turning point that made my career one person. So, yeah, it's very gratifying. And like you said, it's not only the right thing to do, but it can definitely help you down the line. I had a lot of I did have a lot of male mentors. I still to this day, I mean, I'm surprised at how many men are really supporting me with this podcast, finding guests, listening to. To it, cheering me on. So it is both women and men. We need those relationships in that network. So very important.

Speaker 3 (00:22:28) - Weight. Something that I, you know, recently heard that struck me and, you know, has given me something else to focus on, you know, because I do a lot of mentoring. Unfortunately, my mentors were men and they were great, but I never had a male or, excuse me, a female mentor in my life.

Speaker 3 (00:22:45) - It was like, you know, I could probably count three men that I considered mentors. one that I worked with today. And so for me to be able to give back, I mean, my passion is all about. Young women intentionally getting into sales. I fell into it unintentionally and I love it and I will never get out of sales. But, you know, I don't think a lot of young women think about it as an opportunity that can be very, very giving personally and also financially. And so my book is in mentoring young women is helping them get comfortable in financial technology, if that's the route they want to go and be comfortable with. Yes, you can do this. And part of that is mentoring and coaching. But the other piece that I heard about recently that I touched on was sponsoring him recently, and I was like, you know, I'm doing a lot of mentoring, but I haven't really sponsoring these young women, you know what I mean?

Speaker 2 (00:23:44) - Well, I don't actually.

Speaker 2 (00:23:45) - What do you mean by sponsoring?

Speaker 3 (00:23:47) - Well, if you hear about an opportunity within your company, hey, we're looking for someone with X, Y, and z background that my mentee has that I need to be speaking up more on their behalf. Right? Or instead of just mentoring them one on one, you know, making sure that the company knows about some accomplishments that maybe they aren't receiving accolades for that I think is impressive, you know, making sure that I'm speaking up on their behalf, especially within their company. You know, there's a difference between coaching and sponsoring. And I want to, you know, focus more on the sponsoring aspect of it, because I think I've been missing that a little bit, you know? And how can I help my fellow females be successful in this role?

Speaker 2 (00:24:31) - Well, I congratulate you for that. Obviously, that is what I want to do as well. But it's always a win win. So, we're getting close to being out of time, but I would like to go back to something you mentioned earlier.

Speaker 2 (00:24:45) - And as I was saying, I want to give some really solid tips. And one thing you said is that you're good at negotiating. So, I would love to have you give us a tip or two on on effective negotiating when the customer wants something that you can't give or they say the price is too high, whatever the objections, how do you handle that?

Speaker 3 (00:25:07) - Sure. Definitely. So, you know, I've let it run. I've read a lot of books on negotiating, and I've had my own personal experiences. I've attended, you know, sales coaching where they talk about it. And, you know, for me, it's all about give and take. And so before I go into a negotiation, I like to set the stage and get prepared before I have those discussions. What is it that they're going to want? I can usually figure out what they're going to want. So if I need to give their what do I want, you know, what does the company want? What do I want out of this negotiation and kind of seeing it from both sides, because you don't want to negotiate against yourself.

Speaker 3 (00:25:49) - So you really have to understand and dig into what's going to be most important to them, and then what's important to me, and how can I marry those two? You know, I don't like to be that hardball. This is it. Take it or leave it. I have done that in some cases, but, only there were times. But, you know, it is a partnership. And if you if you approach the whole sales cycle and negotiations as a partnership, those are usually the deals that are most enjoyable to work on. And when you know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (00:26:19) - Yes, I do.

Speaker 3 (00:26:20) - Try to keep it as a partnership and think about what they want. What can I get for my company? And then I usually am able to make it make it work.

Speaker 2 (00:26:30) - I really like that concept. It ties into your preparation, but being ready for different scenarios, you know, and I'm sure with your experience, you start to realize what people are going to say they really have to have.

Speaker 2 (00:26:43) - and so you find ways to say, okay, I'm going to give you that, but, you know, you want this to be a win win. I think that any decent customer understands that. It is, like you said, a partnership. And, you know, B2B sales is also P2P right? Person to person. It's human. I think we can tell. Your customer can tell when you have their best interests at heart, or if it's just something you know, you want to be the wolf of Wall Street, which who wants to buy like that? I always say, you know, it's kind of like the golden rule. How do you want to be treated? So, it sounds like you have great relationships with your customers. And, and, you know, the mentoring thing is huge. Good for you. That's, you know, in some, not even a small way changes the world. So, so good for you.

Speaker 3 (00:27:33) - You know, something else that I, you know, think about that I would, you know, recommend or to young women in sales is you know, confidence is such a big piece of it and I, I constantly have to work on my confidence because sometimes you do feel a little insecure and vulnerable in situations like, no, you got to pull yourself out of that and be confident.

Speaker 3 (00:27:53) - you know, in my early days, I let my results speak for myself. You know, if I were looking to maybe get promoted into a leadership role, you know, my I was more on the quiet side, I would say, of the team and just let my results speak for myself. And I did really well. I've had a really amazing sales career, you know, and I've learned along the way that you in addition to results, you have to have a voice for yourself, and you have to make sure that you're being heard and you have to ask for what you want. Don't sit back and wait for it to come to you. You have to go out and get it if you want it. I always tell my kids that there's something you want. No one's going to pluck it in your lap. You need to go out and get it for yourself, right? And so I kind of adopted that philosophy and would encourage young women to not only work hard and meet their goals, but also to have a really strong voice on the team, because you can get easily run over in a very male dominated industry.

Speaker 3 (00:28:49) - That's just how it is, unfortunately, that.

Speaker 2 (00:28:51) - I, I totally agree and as I've interviewed women, I've heard some really amazing stories about, one woman, Rhonda White, she's the CEO of of a company that does refrigeration. And she answered a one ad, really going back into the dark Ages and started part time. And she's now CEO of the company, and it is a family. Well, they just sold, but it's a family company. And she described going into meetings. And even her mentor, who was a man trying to help her. He said, now I recommend you don't really talk in this meeting, so I don't even know what she's like. Okay, I'm not following that advice. And another young woman I just talked to is at a tradeshow she described, and and the men, you know, approached the sales reps who are men and they want to know, you know, they want to know about this product. And even the men are saying, well, you need to talk to her and they fight that.

Speaker 2 (00:29:48) - So really, as women, yeah, we have to be assertive. We'll say assertive at really claiming our place at the table. And in my experience, and I'm guessing this is for you too, that, once you establish a credibility, once you, develop those relationships, I think men are happy to have the diversity. Would you agree?

Speaker 3 (00:30:10) - Absolutely. Kay. I mean, our my company I'm at right now, they are very diverse. It's one of the first organizations where I just really feel supported, and, you know, encouraged to do really well. And yeah, I do I do think that some companies do really see that value in having diversity within a sales organization often. You know, I really do think that's important because women have a lot to bring to the table, not diminishing men in any way, but it's an equal opportunity for everyone to do really well for the company. And that's, you know, the company I met today. I really feel supported in that way. And that's amazing.

Speaker 3 (00:30:51) - Amazing.

Speaker 2 (00:30:52) - Yeah. And shout out to the powers that be. I recently read Laurie Richardson's book, She Sells, and she talks about building a corporate culture that welcomes women, makes women feel important. And and it's a win for the company, too, because, yeah, we've been we make great salespeople. And, and, you know, the other thing I was going to say before we close is that so many of the women I've talked to said they never meant to get into sales. So you have great advice. You know, you might not think it's for you. And I think part of the problem is sales has such a bad rep because we think of the pushy. Car sales person. I won't say sales men, but that's that's who it used to be, right? And this is such more of a helping your customer role. And you know, so it's it's very gratifying.

Speaker 3 (00:31:43) - It is very gratifying. You know, my daughter went into sales and, you know, the one of the biggest, greatest things that I heard from her was, hey, mom, I got the job and I told him you were my role model.

Speaker 3 (00:31:55) - I'm like, oh my gosh.

Speaker 2 (00:31:57) - Oh my gosh, proud mom moment to say the least.

Speaker 3 (00:32:01) - You know, because it is a it is a tough job you could do. You might have to do a lot of travel. It's it can be long hours when you're trying to close the deal. And you know, I did it all for my family and being able to support them honestly. and so it's it's worked out for me. And my goal is to. Intentionally get women into sales. Don't just fall into it like I did, you know. Think about it seriously. And if you have the right characteristics and drive, you could be wildly successful. So it's amazing.

Speaker 2 (00:32:36) - That is a great comment and place to end. You've given us some great, inspiration. I love the things that you've talked about, the specifics, but also, you know, the fact that even you, after all these years and being successful, you still have to pump yourself up, you know, remind yourself of who you are and, be your cheerleader, your own cheerleader.

Speaker 2 (00:32:59) - So. So, Fiona, I really appreciate your time. And I want to say thank you so much for being on the podcast.

Speaker 3 (00:33:07) - Thank you for having me, Kate Moss, it was delightful. Enjoyed it.

Speaker 1 (00:33:12) - Thanks for listening to this episode of Unstoppable Women in Sales, your source for secrets you can use to make more sales. Check the show notes for links and contact information, and if you enjoyed the podcast, please spread the word by subscribing, sharing and leaving a five star review. You can always learn more by going to UN Copyable sales competition last. Until next time, go out and supercharge your sales like a true unconquerable rockstar.