Top 10 Organizations for Women in Sales
Back before Women Sales Pros, my colleague Jill Konrath and I would be flabbergasted at the lack of female sales pros speaking at events. Sure, it was great to hear from successful sales influencers and a smattering of women marketers and communicators.
But where were the saleswomen? There had to be more professionals like Jill and me.
This realization prompted us to establish an organization for women in sales. What’s really inspiring are the female sales pros across the nation who have founded groups of their own.
As an advocate for women in sales, I’m setting out to spread the word of these amazing organizations!
What are the top organizations for women in sales? The top organizations for women in sales include:
- Women Sales Pros
- #GirlsClub
- Women In Sales Everywhere
- National Association of Women Sales Pros
- Women In Sales
- Utah Women in Sales
- Women in Revenue
- Women of Sales & Influence
- Women in Sales Enablement
- Gals & SALs
Let’s take a closer look at these excellent organizations for women in sales.
This blog post is based on a podcast hosted by Lori Richardson, President of Women Sales Pros, and featuring James Carbary. To hear their conversation and more like it, subscribe to The B2B Sales Show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Top 10 organizations for women in sales
Leadership teams everywhere are beginning to recognize the lack of women in sales roles is a problem.
"There continues to be a lack of women in every role of sales and B2B."
Lori Richardson
Although many companies desire a more diverse sales team, it’s unclear what the best way is to recruit and retain women.
Fortunately, associations have been popping up to support women sales professionals. These groups also help sales organizations appeal to women and promote them.
Here are 10 organizations for women in sales that are doing a great job at closing the gender gap.
1. Women Sales Pros
It’s okay to toot your own horn once in a while, isn’t it?
I wanted to feature my own organization because I am hardly the only one who has put time and effort towards our mission. It’s all of our members who really deserve the recognition.
Women Sales Pros assists company leadership teams in finding, hiring, and developing women in sales. Our group works with numerous industries, including...
- SaaS
- Manufacturing
- Distribution
- Telecom
- Fintech
Resources available to leadership teams offered by Women Sales Pros include:
- Consultations
- Keynote speakers
- Author meet-and-greets
- Sales training
- Online content
- Sales coaching
- Conferences
- Private company events
To get in touch with Women Sales Pros, feel free to email me (Lori) at [email protected].
2. #GirlsClub
Led by Lauren Bailey of Factor 8, #GirlsClub is a six-month online sales leadership training program with one-on-one mentorship. Each virtual program concludes with an in-person (really phenomenal) event.
The virtual class focuses on front-line sales management skills and activities to boost confidence, including...
- Sales call coaching
- The art of self-promotion
- Leading with strengths
- Navigating an unintentional boys club
- Performance 1:1 meetings
The mission of #GirlsClub is to empower more women to pursue roles in sales and leadership. This vision is tightly intertwined with their goal of expanding beyond sales, morphing into a brand synonymous with outstanding women and men who live to help others.
3. Women In Sales Everywhere (WISE)
WISE is a fun-loving, leadership-driven group I’ve had the pleasure of watching grow in the past year.
Just as Jill and I shared a common frustration with the lack of women in sales, WISE founders Jordan Wan and Alex Adamson were in the same boat.
Although overall diversity in America’s workplaces is a problem in itself, Jordan and Alex chose to focus on serving women in sales positions. They’ve dedicated WISE to develop the next generation of women sales leaders.
WISE provides companies and individuals with on and offline career services, including live events all over the world.
4. National Association of Women Sales Pros (NAWSP)
After two decades of mastering her craft in the sales arena, Cynthia Barnes laid the foundation for the National Association of Women Sales Pros.
NAWSP focuses on the professional development of women, helping them to excel to the top one percent. Understanding what it means to be women working in a male-dominated industry, NAWSP members are empowered by their community and the tools provided for them.
Resources NAWSP offers its members include:
- Formal and informal sales training
- Opportunities to collaborate with other members
- On and offline content
- An extensive job board
- In-person events
NAWSP prepares women for roles in sales leadership while also giving employers a chance to diversify their teams.
5. Women in Sales (Chorus)
Established by Chorus.io, Women in Sales works to connect female sales leaders with other women in the B2B sales space. Passionate about introducing women to tech and SaaS sales, Women in Sales offers educational panels, networking forums, and more.
Being a recent speaker at their Boston and San Francisco events, I can vouch for their dedication to women working in sales.
With two chapters — one in the Bay Area and another in Boston — the organization is always posting about events that women sales pros may be interested in.
6. Utah Women in Sales
Founded in 2018, Utah Women in Sales is dedicated to serving women in sales and those who are interested in pursuing a sales career.
Utah Women in Sales pulls together individual women and men sales professionals in the name of a greater purpose: equality. In the heart of the Silicon Slopes, Utah Women in Sales offers events such as
- Job fairs
- Educational seminars
- Industry conferences
- Social gatherings
- Workshops
CEO Rebekah Brewer leads Utah Women in Sales in their journey to help individuals become more innovative, ambitious, and well-connected.
7. Women in Revenue
Established by Shari Johnston, Women in Revenue was founded in San Francisco and serves women primarily in the tech space. The group is made up of leaders in sales, marketing, and other revenue-related positions.
Women in Revenue focuses on three main ideas:
- The education and awareness of diversity and inclusion at work
- Giving back to women through mentorship programs, opportunities, and resources
- Propelling members’ careers forward while still having fun
One of the main reasons I revere Women in Revenue is because they’ve had the insight to partner with larger event hosts. This way, the group gets their name and mission out there to more people than they would’ve been able to on their own.
"We need male allies."
Lori Richardson
8. Women of Sales & Influence
Women of Sales & Influence is a community spearheaded by the National Association of Sales Professionals and sales success strategist, Meshell Baker. Through vlogging, Meshell has cultivated a fellowship of female sales leaders.
Practical sales advice, inspiring stories, and expert insights are all available through Women of Sales & Influence for free.
Because of their mission to empower women sales pros and their constant flow of valuable content, Women of Sales & Influence has made quite the name for themselves.
It just goes to show how far purpose and dedication can carry you!
9. Women in Sales Enablement (WiSE)
Another WiSE group? Why not!
Headquartered in Austin, TX, Women in Sales Enablement is an up-and-coming organization set on spreading their vision. WiSE’s goal is to foster authentic connections between women sales pros while sharpening each other’s sales skills at the same time.
WiSE is committed to relationship-building amongst B2B sales professionals in order to better support women in the industry.
10. Gals & SALs (Outreach)
What began as an informal happy hour meant to connect with new hires turned into an internal support group for women in sales. Outreach.io recognized the potential in exposing SDRs to top female executives, sales leaders, and women in a variety of other sales roles.
Enter, Gals & SALs!
This originally impromptu meet-up morphed into quarterly events focused around career development and connecting female sales pros. Giving new SDRs the opportunity to meet and converse with people similar to them in leadership positions has produced mentorships and promotions company-wide.
Start your own women in sales group
I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty inspired after looking closer at all of these wonderful organizations.
If you’re a woman in sales, don’t hesitate to gather up a few of your sales pals to share your experiences and insights within the industry. Or, partner up with one of the above groups!
Already have a women sales pros organization started? I would love to hear about it. Feel free to email me at [email protected] or connect with me on LinkedIn!
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