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It was about girl power in the 90s, thanks to the Spice Girls. Then, Queen Bey, told us that girls run the world in 2011. With such sentiments from well known females in recent history – celebrating the modern day woman – why is it that equal pay or equal opportunity is still an uphill battle in the ever-expanding tech sales world?

More to the point, how is it that in 2017, a worldwide technology provider, such as Oracle Corporation, is being sued by the federal government for allegedly paying white male sales employees more than their none-male or non-white colleagues?

Women in tech sales are still lagging behind in numbers. In fact, industry stats show that only 25 percent of salespeople in tech companies are women. Unfortunately, the data gets even more drastic as we look at sales management – where women fall to a low 12 percent in sales leadership roles. Women are up against a wall, trying to advance beyond the sales development representative (SDR) position, which is usually the first stop for post-college grads entering tech sales. Based on this, it seems California’s 2020 goal of a 20 percent female C-Suite may be a tad ambitious.

Personally, as a CEO for a recruiting firm that mainly places sales people at high growth companies, I know women can be killer sales people. At Betts, our data shows we hire 35 percent women for sales-related roles, which is better than the industry average but not good enough. So, why? Why are so many women not making a bigger demographic dent in the tech world? Does society still only see men as sales savvy? Are women not going after that competitive edge like their male counterparts are? Perhaps it is a bit of both.

These days, most companies’ hearts are in the right place; they wantwomen to apply, and to succeed. And, although many hiring managers start out wanting to create a more balanced workspace, their good intentions get overrun by the day-to-day pressure to fill a quota-carrying role quickly. Time is money, so the first qualified candidate – usually a male – often gets the role. This is a huge dose of cognitive dissonance for the company — leadership wants diversity, but the reality is just more of the same.

The only recourse is for the executive board to look at the bigger picture, put hiring practices in place, and ensure myopic influence is not trumping the greater need for equality. For example, some of the smarter tech companies are actually setting metrics for management,providing them with quotas for female sales candidates they expect to interview and/or advance. It is imperative to make sure managers are taking time to intentionally source female sales candidates. Creating clear policies to ensure at least 1-2 female sales candidates are interviewed is a good start!

Simultaneously, companies can get their already-hired team up to snuff by instituting gender bias training. Ask almost anyone who has participated in one of these courses and they will tell you how eye opening it can be – and maybe even a bit jarring for those who still hold even the tiniest remnants of a 50s mentality. This tactic has become a very vital part of many HR infrastructures, ensuring that even the most self-analytical of managers, directors and sales reps do not accidentally succumb to subconscious stereotyping or preconceived notions.

Companies can always do more to ensure qualified women candidates, once hired, retain the equal opportunity to advance up the ranks – from a junior SDR position to as far as they want to go. A great, real-life example of mindful corporate outreach came when tech giant Google noticed that their female employees were less likely to self-nominate for promotions, titles, or ask for raises – despite an open policy that allows for both genders to equally apply for advancements. As soon as the company began to remind employees of promotional opportunities, through corporate emails, not only did female application rates soar, the volume of promotions even surpassed those of their male counterparts. Google’s “nudge” test was based on the following data from studies on gender inequality in education and the workforce:

— Girls don’t raise their hands as often as boys when answering math problems, even though they have a higher rate of accuracy when they do.

— Women don’t offer up their ideas as often as men in business meetings, even though observers say their thoughts are often better than the many offered by their male colleagues.

Not only does Google’s method hint at how to cultivate a gender-balanced environment, it sheds light on how easy it could be for so many women in the SDR position to get ahead just by throwing our hat in the ring. Oh yeah, and what else did Google do recently to connect with its female staff? They increased maternity leave pay, and upped their retention of post-natal female employees by 50%. Good on you, Google!

The bottom line is that, while it is tough for anyone to transition from SDR to sales account executive, it should be just as feasible for women as it is for men. The process of change must start at the top and work its way down like everything else. I invite other company leaders to invert their sales force pyramid by putting real metrics in place and holding hiring managers accountable. Begin by having an honest conversation, internally as a management team, and then create your own new company policies, terms and goals to flip the status quo.

Carolyn Betts Fleming is the Founder and CEO of Betts Recruiting, the leading global recruitment firm specializing in matching revenue-generating talent with the world’s most innovative companies. 

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