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A successful sales team should be diverse

On the 27 June, I attended the Women in Sales Summit 2019 event at the ExCel in London where I was part of a panel session on the topic of ‘How diversity is the cornerstone of a successful sales team’. It was great to meet women in the sales community from an incredibly diverse range of industries ranging from technology to wedding dress wholesalers and fintech to skincare.

Diversity is such an significant topic in any business, but it is essential to know it’s not just about recognising differences as acknowledging the benefit of having a range of perspectives in decision-making is just as, if not more, crucial. Inclusivity also needs to fall alongside diversity because there’s no point in having people in your organisation if they aren’t involved and their views aren’t valued.

At Colt, we’ve had several of initiatives that have launched and gathered pace over the past two years. Our women’s network, Network25, which started in London, has gone from strength to strength, and we now have similar groups in ten of our locations with some exciting work taking place in each of them. We’ve worked closely with the women’s network at one of our partner organisations, Ciena, to host some high profile external events on topics like unconscious bias and resilience, gaining some great feedback.

Colt has also recently launched a Pride network, Pride Matters, for LGBTQ+ employees and allies. These groups are working together with our HR teams to ensure that policies and ways of working are inclusive and equal for everyone.

Events like the Women in Sales Summit are always a joy to attend, as it allows me to make some great connections with genuinely inspirational women. It is also so encouraging to hear of the aspirations and desire for development and advice from women who have just begun their career in sales.

I always find I learn something new and exciting from these events and the people who attend them.

Paula Cogan is the VP, Enterprise and Capital Markets Sales for Colt 

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