Women in Sales at Crayon

As Crayon fiercely commits to our diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, it has furthered our discussion around women in sales. Women represent only 39% of the workforce in sales despite women making up over half of the college-educated workforce. 

Like many companies, here at Crayon, our sales department is one of our largest functions–but what differentiates us is those individuals that make up our sales team. A new generation of women has taken the leap towards sales leadership roles at Crayon and our team is stronger than ever. Two female sales leaders shed some light on why the workforce needs more women in sales, their experiences thus far at Crayon, and their advice to females interested in this career path.  

Nicole Wigglesworth, a Senior Business Development Manager, and Julia Gallatto, a Business Development Manager, are helping to lead the Crayon sales team to success through their interpersonal skills, strategic guidance, and authenticity with their colleagues and prospects. 

Nicole explained how “software sales has historically been a male-dominated industry” and that being a woman in sales allows her “to break that mold and encourage other women to follow a similar path.” She added, “Setting meetings, closing deals, and earning commission checks all fall short of being able to act as a role model and advocate for other women starting and progressing their career.” 

Specific steps Crayon has taken to be more inclusive towards female sales professionals is leading a mentorship program to ensure that all voices are heard and celebrated, encouraging allyship between genders, prioritizing diversity-focused recruiting, and quickly promoting females when their performance is strong. 

Julia echoed these steps stating, “Working to close the sales gender gap at Crayon is just the first step of the bigger picture of creating a culture to help women in sales thrive. It’s so important for us at Crayon to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels comfortable being themselves.”

Some key qualities the Crayon sales team looks for are: 

• Accountability
• Consistency and proven performance over time
• Maturity on handling the highs and lows of sales 
• Ability to build strong relationships and trust
• Curiosity and listening to understand
• Assertiveness–whether that be closing a deal or professional growth

Two recent promotions were Alanah Lopes to Sales Executive and Emily Viano who, upon her return from maternity leave, will be a Sales Executive as well. Both individuals fully embody those qualities and are consistently top performers. 

Crayon wholeheartedly believes that retaining more women for sales roles can provide great value to the company. In fact, 70% of women reach their quotas time and time again. Women can help create a more diverse customer base and improve the bottom line by providing new perspectives and ideas. Julia expressed her gratitude for being “a part of this effort to support the future of gender diversity in sales and Crayon's overall success.”

With that said, Crayon is excited to welcome four new female business development representatives (BDR) to our sales team today. This all-female BDR class is another step towards diversifying our sales function and helping to advance females in their careers. 

When asked about advice to give to females interested in sales, Nicole said, “My advice to women is simply to be excited, have a voice at the table, and be open to the challenge. Lean in and speak out. Be true to yourself and believe you will accomplish great things.” Julia added, “I encourage women looking to start their career in sales to find mentors and allies to build a community of people that can support them professionally and help them reach their infinite potential.”

If you couldn’t tell already, we have a great team, and the best is yet to come here at Crayon! If you are interested in pursuing a career in sales, then we'd love to hear from you. Check out our job openings here.