Women Who Sell With Steph Hind

‘Women Who Sell’ is all about showcasing women who sell, and are thriving and challenging stereotypes. We feature real perspectives of what it’s like, the barriers and the breakthroughs.

Here, Steph Hind, Co-Founder at Heka shares her take.

What is your job title?

Co-Founder.

How did you get into sales and what makes it the career of your choice?

I never intended to go into sales, but I’ve always been passionate about understanding what makes people tick. So when my Co-Founder and I launched Heka, my role naturally focused more on sales conversations. Over 8 years later I still love talking to companies and showing them how Heka empowers them to support every member of their teams to live and perform at their best, every day!

Are there any barriers you have faced as a woman working in sales, and how have you overcome them?

The biggest barrier without a doubt was going off on maternity leave. Both before I actually had my babies (I had 2-under-2), whilst you’re on maternity and then when you return and are trying to rebuild your pipeline. Sales is personal, and there are a lot of emotions and external timeframes involved, so keeping pipelines warm and rebuilding them post-maternity was a challenge.

After my second, I did much better at delegating work to my wonderful colleagues, and trusting that they had everything in control. So my best tip would be to build a strong team around you, and actually trust them!]

What do you like the most about being a woman in sales?

I’m a pretty personable person and I love that I get to spend my days talking to people and learning how I (Heka) can help them. Sometimes it feels like you're a detective, and it’s all about matching up the pain points with the right solutions, and I love seeing the end result of people being better supported!

What advice do you have for a woman wanting to get into sales and those wanting to advance?

Be confident, in every aspect and don’t second guess yourself. So often people (women, especially) don’t want to come across as bossy or confrontational, so we say “I think” or “Maybe we should” - when in reality we know what we want, we’re just trying to deliver it in softy-softy words. If you know what you want, and the best way forward, make sure you portray that because people actually like assertiveness when it comes to making decisions.

If you would like to get involved with the blog series and share your story as a woman in the sales industry, we’d LOVE to hear from you. And head over to Women Who Sell’s LinkedIn for more content.