#271 Sharon D Smith – Navigating Sales Leadership as a Black Woman in Business

In this weeks’ Scale Your Sales Podcast episode, my guest is Sharon D Smith.

Sharon is a commercial director with a powerful track record in driving strategic sales and operational growth. She specializes in accelerating revenue through innovative go to market strategies and a customer first approach. She focuses on aligning team performance with customer needs and has proven this as invaluable in today’s competitive landscape.

In today’s episode of Scale Your Sales podcast, shares her journey as a black female leader navigating the challenges of visibility and representation in the commercial world. We discuss her innovative go-to-market strategies, customer-first approach, and dedication to fostering diverse, inclusive teams. Sharon’s insights highlight the value of empathy, problem-solving, and balancing efficiency with personal responsibilities, offering actionable strategies for sales professionals aiming to excel.

Welcome to Scale Your Sales Podcast, Sharon D Smith.

Timestamps:

00:00 Challenges of black women leadership in business.

04:28 Diversity in leadership brings innovative solutions.

06:55 Diverse experiences enhance effectiveness and differentiation.

12:31 Creating workplace diversity in sales is challenging.

15:23 Focus on skills, not job titles, for careers.

19:46 Job satisfaction: family feeling, no promotion desire.

22:13 Recognized problem-solver, collaborative, career-driven.

23:51 Identified problems, provided solutions, exceeded expectations.

27:33 Diverse skills in sales team bring success.

30:53 Sales assessments create clarity for predictive forecasts.

33:30 Leaders provide vision, not trauma, for transformation.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-d-smith-24609331/

https://x.com/Sharon_sm1th

Janice B Gordon is the award-winning Customer Growth Expert and Scale Your Sales Framework founder. She is by LinkedIn Sales 15 Innovating Sales Influencers to Follow 2021, the Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Customer Experience Nov 2020 and 150 Women B2B Thought Leaders You Should Follow in 2021. Janice helps companies worldwide to reimagine revenue growth thought customer experience and sales.

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