Your Femininity Is Your Superpower with Heidi Solomon-Orlick

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Welcome to the live Better Sell Better podcast with your host, Kevin Dorsey of Inside Sales Excellence, the number one Patreon group and YouTube channel for tech sellers and tech sales leaders, where we dive in deep for tactical advice on how to book more meetings, close more deals faster, and lead sales teams to success. But we don't stop there. We also focus on the person in salesperson. We talk about mindset goals, time management, and so much more. So thank you for listening. And if you're interested, head on over to patreon.com InsideSalesExCexcellence now with that, grab a notepad, get ready, and let's dive into the good stuff. What up, everybody? Welcome to another episode of the live Better Sell Better podcast. This is your host, Kevin Dorsey, AKA kd and oh, boy, this is gonna be a fun one today. This is going to be a fun one today because we are going to be diving into how leaning into your own authentic self can actually be the superpower that takes you to a whole nother level in sales. Because we think about the sales industry, right? We have a diversity problem. Right. One of my good friends, Cynthia Barnes said it's been old, it's been pale, male and stale for too long. And I have someone on the show today to talk about how leaning into the opposite, leaning into the unique skill sets and personalities as a woman, not only can separate you, but help you rise the ranks in your career. Because I have Heidi Solomon Orlich on the show today. Heidi is the vice president of global sales at VXI Global. She has driven revenues and personally closed over a billion dollars in her career. She is the founder and CEO of Girls With a Z, Girls who Sell. And if you're watching me right now, she actually sent me a hat in the mail because she knows I'm a black hat aficionado. So we are going to be diving into this career path and how leaning in, going against the grain has actually helped her in her career, and now she's helping so many others. Heidi, welcome to the show.

Katie, thank you so much for having me. I'm super pumped about this.

Like, when I came across the profile and I dove into girls who sell, and I was like, she's gotta be on the show. I was like, she needs to be on the show. And so when. When I hit you up and I said, all right, like, what's. What's the superpower? Where. Where do we want to take this conversation? I thought your answer was very cool and very unique. Where it was? Well, it was. I want to talk about leaning into the skills of being a woman. And I've never heard it phrased that way before. Right. The unique things there. Right. That you leaned into. So let's go backstory here a little bit because you're like, you know, I was told to act like a man. I was told I had to present myself a certain way. Let's talk about kind of what triggered this. This path.

Yeah. So, you know, I started in a sales career about 35 years ago, so it ages me a bit. But, you know, it was and continues to be incredibly male dominated and professional sales. I love Cynthia Barnes and her representation of that. I mean, she does nailed it. It's. That is perfection. And, you know, when I started out, there weren't a lot of female role models. I didn't, you know, my, my mom was a traditional stay at home mom. My father was one of the best salespeople that I ever knew and probably was the person that I emulated the most, you know, as I was considering a career in sales. But like so many other women, I fell into it. It definitely was not an intentional career choice, but when I got into it, I realized that I didn't, you know, I didn't really understand what it was going to take to be successful. And so because there were so many men in the industry, the guidance I was given and a lot of the books that were out there and, and some of the, the thought leaders in, in sales and sales process, you know, was, well, just be like a man. Right? Like, that's the way to be successful in sales. And if you can master that, you know, you should be able to have a long and illustrious career. And I tried that. And guess what I really sucked at, felt inauthentic to me. It was not a sustainable way of, of being. And you know, I was uncomfortable in it because at the time a lot of deals were being made on the golf courts and in bars and, you know, strip clubs and, you know, whatever. Right. Like, it was a very different kind of sale, you know, than it is today, which is much more consultative. And so I decided that that didn't work for me and I was just going to lean in to my innate skills of being a woman and really amplify my femininity. And ultimately kd, that is what has ended up serving me well and being my superpower because it is a competitive differentiator.

True story. It is. And we're going to unpack all of this. Like, I'm so pumped to go here right now because one of my favorite Things to ask as, as a leader, I encouraged my, you know, team to do this too is like, what if we did the opposite? And I always love to ask that question, what if we did the opposite? Like, this is what we're doing. What if we did the opposite? And it sounds like you had that same trigger event. It's like everyone's telling me I need to be this way. And then you made that trigger of like, well, what if I did the opposite? What if I leaned into who, who I am here? So let's talk about what that means, right? When you started to lean into your unique skills, your authentic self, what changed?

I realized that, that there were some skills and I want to frame this as a, you know, to say that I don't want to put people into boxes. That is not my, my thing. There are some men that, you know, have very good emotional intelligence skills and there are some women who act more like men and it serves them well right. So, you know, both sides of the spectrum. But for me, I can only share from my perspective that I realized that being more feminine was a, you know, was an advantage. And actually the buyers at the time, and it's changing too, so we can unpack this a little bit as well. But you know, we're also very male that were in decision making capabilities at the companies that I was selling to. And so I realized that, you know, my innate traits of being a really good listener, coming from a place of empathy, really focusing on understanding my product and the benefit of my product or service that I was selling versus just a sort of schmoozing, used car salesman relationship type thing which, you know, worked. Right. But for me it didn't. So really focusing on, you know, being able to expand my knowledge of the service that I was selling so that I could sell at all levels of the organization. I'm super detail oriented. I'm incredibly process oriented, which is sometimes surprising as a salesperson. Right. But those are the things that I was really good at. I'm a problem solver. I like taking on challenges and being faced with those challenges and figuring out how to move the needle and make a difference. And then I'm a relationship builder. So I it for me, none of the sales that I was focusing on were one and done like it was going to come in and then leave and throw it over the fence. You know, I just was really focused on building long term relationships and understood that especially in a complex sales process, this is not an overnight thing. You know, it definitely takes time to build, to build Those relationships. So that's just some of the things that I was able to focus on. I was a good, active listener. Men and women have different listening skills. I think women tend to listen to understand, whereas men tend to listen to respond. And so I really took a step back and realized that it was important to listen to my prospects so that I could truly understand their pain points. And think about that. 35 years ago. I mean, that was, I guess, pretty progressive in terms of an overall approach. And I've just continued to build on those. On those skills. I mean, today it's called, you know, eq. That wasn't even a thing back then, but it was, you know, I was doing that before it was even cool.

I want to take one step because there's a lot I want to unpack here, because I also agree with everything you're saying right now. But one thing I want to unpack is I'm trying to think how to ask this question. Why did you stay? So you were in an environment that you were being told to do things a certain way, and instead of getting out, you evolved.

Yeah.

Why? Like, you get what I'm asking here? Because I think sometimes, you know, when, you know, this is always touches, like, you know, women can get into that situation. They don't like it, so then they leave it and they go to something that. Where you stayed and evolved.

Why?

Like what? What? Like, you get what I'm asking you.

And it's probably because I'm stubborn as hell, and I wasn't gonna let it beat me. I was a competitive athlete. I was an alternate on the US Equestrian team. I grew up eventing. And, you know, for me, taking on these challenges was not something that I was going to shy away from. So, you know, perhaps it's just I was. I was out to prove. Prove a point. And I was really good at what I did. So I closed a lot of business. I was super successful. I was making really good money. I was in the top percent 1% of my industry. Absolutely 100% for sure. I was always making president's club. So despite the sort of culture and environment, I was able to find my way and do it my way. And. And then what became important was. And I guess now the reason I. My life's mission is really running girls who sell is because I wanted to show other women how. How to do it. Because I think you're right. I mean, turnover and sales is really high. A lot of women get into it and they're like, oh, God, this is so not for me, right, this whole broke culture thing is just, I'm out, right? And you know, so showing women how to navigate through that and how to be successful and still, you know, be able to balance life's demands and family and all the other things that we have going on. I mean, listen, through this whole thing, I gave birth to three children and raised three boys and, and you know, have a 28 year marriage. And so that was it. I also really loved what I did, you know, so I, I, you know, I love solving business problems and I got to work with some really cool clients in industries along the way. As the BPO industry evolved from, you know, just being very commoditized and us based to starting to become more international, I grew with the business. It's sort of like a fish growing to the size of its tank. And so as the industry evolved globally, I've gotten to work all over the world, travel all over the world, work with people from, you know, very diverse cultures. I've created thousands and thousands of jobs. So not only a lot of revenue for the companies that I work for, but for me, you know, what, what I do is not necessarily brain surgery, but I love the, the fact and what gets me up in the morning is that through my sales, you know, success that I'm also able to, to generate jobs for people around the world. And people, the trickle down effect of that is, is enormous. So, you know, it wasn't only to just prove someone wrong and prove that I can do it, but I really genuinely loved what I did, you know, that what I do and what I did and the impact I was having in the world and now I'm all about showing other women how to do that.

I love that because like, that is something where, you know, oftentimes in life, you know, something is harder, is challenging. We have to make that choice. Do we evolve? Do we lean into it or do we just make a change? And so I love, like, you, you called out. It was hard, but then it's still hard. It's still hard, right? We're far from perfect in any of this right now. And that's actually kind of two lanes. I want to take this, I want to go down one lane of like, you know, specific to women, right? Like how, how, how you empower them, what they can do. But then I also then want to flip it to the flip side of like for, you know, male led teams and male leaders in the industry, what they can and should be doing to better support women in the industry. Because I agree and I am on record saying this, that women are better at sales than men for a lot of the reasons that you've listed tend to be better. Listeners tend to be more empathetic. My personal favorite is they also tend to use more descriptive language. Truth, emotion. We all know this is hilarious, right? We know people make decisions emotionally. Descriptive language triggers emotion better, right? Whereas males tend to be more a, like 01 versus like, descriptive language. Getting into the emotion behind the sales, I also think is very important here. So let's go down the path of like, you know, to the women that are in sales right now or considering how do they lean in? Like, how. How do they lean into some of these things? The listening, the empathy, the understanding. Like, how do they lean into that more and really own that versus trying to evolve into something that they are not and should not be.

Yeah, I love, love that those are great questions. And when you talk about, you know, emotion, I think that's another thing that I didn't mention, but I think women are very naturally good at is storytelling, right? And so, you know, I think when you're, when you, when you base your approach on telling stories, it does trigger that emotion, and that, that, that results in a much stronger connection, right? And, and listen, at the end of the day, we're in the people business and we're about connecting. So that is really important. You know, I'll. I'll take it in two. Two routes because girls. So there's women who are already in sales, right? And then there are women who are not even aware that sales is a viable career option for them. So let me tackle the first, first thing first. You know, for women who are already in sales, I really, when I mentor them, I really coach them to try to get in touch with their authentic selves. So what is it that is their superpower? And an exercise that I take women through a lot as I'm coaching them or mentoring them is to begin unpacking or taking a look at some of the pivotal moment in your life. And they can be big, massive, big decision moments of, you know, do I keep dating the guy that I'm dating, or do I break up with him and marry this other person or whatever, right? Like, big moments or a death in the family or, you know, like, there's big things that happen and those transformational moments and crossroads in your life. You make decisions, right? And then there's micro moments along the way, right, that have an. Have an impact and beginning to take a look at what decisions that you made at those moments. And how do you leverage that as your superpower? So, you know, I'll give you an example, right. For me, when I was 12, so I grew up in a family where, you know, we didn't talk about our emotions very much, right. And, and it was a time, think about the late 1950s, early 1960s, when I was, you know, 12 years old. And moms and dads didn't argue in front of their children, right? They argued behind closed doors. And this was an evening where my mother and father were. Got in a huge fight and it woke me up and I was sitting in front of their bedroom door listening to them argue. And. And my dad subsequently walked out of the door and looked at me and said, I just can't take it anymore. I am out of here. Right? I am out. Goodbye. And left. And my mom looked at me and said, you know, Heidi, I just want to tell you, if you learn one thing, never rely 100% on a man and always have your own money. And she went in and slammed her door. Now I'm 12, right?

That's heavy.

What do I do with this? So it's probably no surprise that I entered into a career where I could have financial independence. It's probably no surprise that I married a man that ended up being a stay at home dad and I was the primary breadwinner. And it's probably no surprise that I now run a company that teaches women how to have financial independence. Right? So that's an example of pivotal moments. But how did that serve me? Right? Because some of these things, you know, and maybe I went down into a completely different rabbit hole and didn't answer your questions, but when I, when I was talking, when I talk to women, I try to have them get in touch with some of these moments and what is serving them well and what is not serving them well. Because sometimes your superpower can also be your biggest detriment. Right. You know, I'm really good at process, but sometimes I'm too process oriented and I don't have the ability to think out of the box. That's an example. So it's like it's your superpower. And then how do you, how do you utilize that and leverage that as a part of the, the sales process so that you can be successful. So those are some of the things that, you know, I help co coach women with. And whenever I hear, you know, I feel like I have to be more like a man or, you know, I see women making those decisions, I really try to guide them and lead them down getting in touch with their femininity and their innate skills as a female. So that sort of answered the question one. Then there's, you know, okay, working with like at girls who sell, we work with mostly college age young women now, but also, also high school women. We've even started getting younger KD, so even positioning sales, you know, with 10 year olds and 12 year olds, you know, because they're not even aware that sales is a viable career alternative for them. And what I, what I hear a lot from these young women is one, sales is awful. It's icky. You know, you have to, you, all you do is spend your time, you know, selling people things that they don't need. And so I have to go through an education process to show them that that is not the truth and start breaking down some of those myths that are barriers of why women don't go into sales. Right. So that's the first thing. But then the second thing I hear is, okay, well maybe sales is cool, but I don't have the personality for it. And so I asked them, what does that look like for you? Like, what does that mean? What personality do you think you need to have in sales to be successful? And then I take them through, you know, we have a personality archetype quiz in our girls who sell academy that helps them frame that and to turn, they're like, well, I'm shy or I'm introverted or I'm, I'm, you know, I'm analytic. And I'm like, yes, you are. And guess what? That is your superpower. That is exactly why you're going to be successful in sales. And there are so many different directions that you can take your sales career and leverage that you know, to be, to be successful. So that was a long winded answer to your first, first question.

No, it was a good answer to the first question. There's no such thing as long or short. There's only interesting or uninteresting. Right? So like, no, that's a good answer to it because there's a few things I want to unpack there. Because you really started to touch on it towards the end there. It's like, I believe sales has an attraction problem just as much as it has a retention problem.

Yes.

When it comes to women in sales. Right. There's the retention. That's one side, but you just started touching on a bit. There's an attraction problem of like, how do we make it more appealing? Do people understand? I go through the same conversations in the black community. Yeah, same Idea of like we have an attraction problem. We're not attracting people to sales enough. So can you touch on that just a little bit more? It sounds like. So you're getting, are you getting involved with schools? Like how are you getting this message out there more?

Yeah, we are. So we're working primarily with colleges and with high schools and we're bringing our Girls who Sell Academy, the first program that we launched with our hashtag explore sales program. And it does exactly what it says. It, it's a training program that says, you know, what is professional sales? Why should you consider a career in it? What kind of career options are there? Why are girls good at sales? Right? What are, you know, we talk about imposter syndrome and overcoming limiting beliefs and you know, you know, how to, and confidence, right? Building confidence because those are all issues that, that women, particularly young women face right in, you know, particularly at that, that age. And then we do go through this whole thing about, you know, the personality archetypes and being able to, to assess what are your strengths, what are your innate skills, what are the advantages of those skills, but what are some of the areas of opportunities that you might face, you know, if you are bringing that kind of personality skill set to the, to the table. But the main thing is begin to break down some of the, the myths about what sales, what sales is and particularly around how to navigate through the bro culture to be successful. So yeah, we're working with colleges, we are partnering with organizations, a lot of different organizations right now because the course is 100% free to students and even to the universities. We're 100% subsidized by corporate sponsorship. So we bring together colleges, corporate sponsors that align with our values and have a real commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and to diversifying their sales team and partner that with them with mentors. And that's sort of the three legged stool of our program. So that's, yeah, that's what we're doing. So my goal is, I am so like a fan of girls who code and what they, what they have done in stem. I want, I. But you know, schools are not teaching sales and, and it's important or they tuck it in under, you know, their marketing or their entrepreneurship or their business programs. And maybe there's, there's a course that needs to change and we need to show women that sales is a viable career choice for them that's going to be able to provide them with they're, you know, not only financial independent but an ability to really impact business and impact the world.

I love our love. Are you in touch with Howard Dover at UT Dallas?

I am not.

Okay, we're going to talk offline. He leads the sales program at UT Dallas. So I put y' all in touch because I think this is.

That sounds great, because I'm going to be in Dallas. I know. Just we'll talk to you line. But we have the Heels to Deals. You know, we launched our book this year, and the Heels to Deals, which was, you know, my. My vision for that book, you know, as I, you know, you. You talk about empowering women, but, you know, as I thought about how do I go to these colleges and universities and really demonstrate that sales is a great career? And, you know, to me, representation matters. And, you know, these young women can't be what they can't see. And so giving them exposure to women, diverse women from around the world who are at the top of their game and successful in career. In their careers was really important to me. So that's what heals to Deals was we brought together over 30 women that share their stories from incredibly diverse backgrounds. And, you know, and anyway, we're going to be in Dallas doing a book signing in June. So, anyway.

Okay, I'm gonna link y' all up. So I think that's perfect. And that was. That was a bomb right there. And I don't know if that's something you said a bunch of times that just came out, but they can't be what they can't see.

Yep.

That. That's phenomenal. Like, I've never heard it phrased that way before. And I think that's so, so, so true, because it is. We talk about these cultures, if they have no one to look up to, if they don't see themselves somewhere, they can't aspire to that. And I think that's so important because I want to touch on one thing. You know, you've said it a few times of, you know, this idea of, like, you know, sell more like a man. And I think there's probably a lot of men leaders listening right now going, I would never say that. That without understanding how they actually say that without saying it. Right. And so things that come to mind to me is like, you need to talk less. You need to talk less. You need to be more professional. You need to slow down, like. And there's the microaggressions. Right. Aggression, which you don't even think about. So can you touch on that a little bit? Kind of on the flip side now of like, you know, the sales industry Sales leaders of like the things that maybe we don't understand that we're doing that do make women feel this way.

Yeah. My favorite that I've been, you know, that I've heard a million times is I was the only woman in the meeting is, oh, Heidi will take notes. Heidi will. Heidi, can you bring the coffee and donuts? Even, even now, even today. So, yeah, I mean, I, you know, the microaggressions are there and I, I love men. The benefit of the doubt that, you know, that they're, they're coming from a heart centered place and they're trying to do the right thing and, and not all men are. I mean, some, you know, are really about being aggressive and, and trying to demean women. So I do believe there are those leaders out there. But for the most part I, I believe that men are really committed to diversity and, and bringing women into their sales team. And the reason why is because the. Sorry, my dog. But the reason why is because we're better at sales. And so men are not. They've got, they've sort of gotten smart, keen on and very smart on. You know, what if I can exponentially increase my revenue and I can accelerate deals through the pipeline and I have a much higher closing percentage, you know, because just on just about every single way that you can measure sales, women generally outperform their male counterparts. And so as a man, you know, I think they're catching on. They're like, huh, we need to add more women into our team. But it needs to be to your point, it can't just be a box checking exercise. It can't be a, you know what I hear a lot is, well, we want to bring more women on, but we just, they don't apply. Right. Like we just can't find, can't find them.

That's the one that gives me all the time.

We can't find, we can't find them. And I'm like, are you really looking that hard? But that plays into also recruiting strategies, language that's used in recruiting ads. And I think that there is some focus right now because it's been brought to the attentions of, you know, people in HR and hiring managers and recruiters that they need to make some changes in the way that they go to go to market that is going to appeal to more diverse candidates. And so, you know, we're far from, from being there, but at least I think there's an awareness of that's why, maybe that's why you can't find them. Because women are not applying. The other thing is, and I know there's, you know, you've probably heard this said before, there's some data around, you know, that women, you know, if they don't meet a high percentage of the quality job qualifications, that they tend to not apply for a job versus a man is more confident. You know, if they meet 50, 60%, they're like, Ah, I got this right. Like that's a good batting ad average, right? 50, 60. See, I have a shot. Whereas the women is like, I'm not, I don't know that I'm qualified and I don't want to waste the time of the recruiter or the company and I don't want to put myself in a position of rejection. Right. And so, you know, we've been working a lot with women to encourage them to apply anyway, regardless of whether they can check 100% of those boxes. But it also plays into recruiting because it's like, do you really need, you're hiring for an entry level SDR position and you want them to have five years of, of experience kind of thing. It's like, do you really need that? Do you? And so pushing back when it comes to men and microaggressions, I think that they're just, you know, I have met an, you know, incredible group of men that are just so passionate about allyship and supporting women in business. And I have such an incredible appreciation for them. But I think educating themselves about the issues, really making a concerted effort to try to understand and listen and then try to make changes. So the one thing is you get women in because maybe you change your recruiting language, maybe you change where you're recruiting, but then how do you retain them? So you need to begin as men in leadership positions and even as women too, but as men in leadership positions to understand what it's going to take. So to provide them with the right training, to provide them with a culture and benefits that's going to support the, you know, the incredible responsibilities that a woman takes on relative to family and work and, and all the other things that, you know, kind of fall on our plate. Right. So creating a culture and then also providing, you know, very clear career pathing opportunities so that you can move them into the pipeline. I think the big change.

I want to jump in there real quick. So I have a question before I lose it.

Okay.

I have a question, like, and I don't want to lose this and also feel free to not answer this question if it feels too much of like, I have to answer for all women everywhere type questions. Right. Because you are you are you. Right, right. So. But the question I have around this, I've talked about this internally. Do you think if there was a change in the sales comp. Structure there also might, it might attract more women into the sales industry ver. Like this 50, 50 split versus like a consistent higher base salary. Do you think if that was different, would that change anything in your opinion?

That's a good, good question. Well, I think first paying women equitably might be the first. So even from a baseball salary perspective, it would be nice to be paid equitably. I, I personally, you know, don't work for my base. Although, you know, have had, you know, good, good base salaries. But I think any really good salesperson, gender, you know, neutral gender, you know, taking gender out of it, any really good salesperson is going to be all about the total compensation package and the upside could, you know, that they can make from a commission perspective. So I know every industry is a bit different in terms of the way they structure their commission plans. But you know, I think, I think, I think a good base where, particularly in a complex sales environment where there are longer sales cycle so is really important because you don't want your salesperson worried about how they're going to pay their bills, you know, give them enough that they're going to be able to have a, you know, a living make, you know, and be able to pay their bills, but then really compensate them on, on the upside with no caps in order to, you know, to, to drive as much income as possible. I would not take a job if there, if there was a cap, an upside gap. Right. So I don't know. I think, I don't. I think women just want to be paid equitably and given the same shot as men. And once we get in and we start performing, we're gonna, you know, we're going to be able to succeed for sure. The one other thing too, just that I was kind of to keep my earlier train of thought was about as we get more women into leadership positions. What's interesting, Katie, is that women tend to hire women. So men have a desire to hire more women, whereas women are super committed to hiring more women. And so I think in terms of the strategy to close that gender gap is as we get more women into leadership roles, then they're going to be bringing more women into the pipeline. And that might not be a popular, you know, opinion. I don't know, maybe some men will really get. Be out of Sorts with that. But, but I, I do, I do believe that.

Yeah, I, I believe it and again, I agree with it. And it's all, this topic's always going to rattle. So it's going to rattle some people and I don't care. You don't care. That's why we're having this conversation, right? It's like to talk about this because truthfully, that's a whole, we don't have enough time today. But talking about women in sales leadership is a whole nother bag to unpack. Because same idea of like if they're not, you know, how, how do you say can't be what they can't see if there's not female leaders. And it also, it now is almost that cycle, then it's hard to get women into sales leadership because they don't see women in sales leadership and they.

Don'T see that and it perpetuates itself. Right? It's just this, it's like this domino effect.

And you do, and you mentioned this like that the phrase of like, you can't find them. And this is where I always try to like locations are not finding. You go, you go, you can find, you're just not trying to find. There's organizations like yours, there's organizations across this country where they're really built for this purpose. Have you really tried to find, have you like, really. You tried, you went to, you know, girls who sell and they said no, they wouldn't help. Like, and so you have to go find them. And you touch on it very briefly and I just want to make sure we call it out is the language because how those job ads are written again sometimes can go the wrong direction.

Direction, kill it.

Hunter, aggressive, crusher. And if you don't identify with those words because when you opened up and you said the skills that you had and you talked about listening, empathy, understanding, process oriented, relationship builder, storyteller, being part.

Of a team, team orientation, orientation.

None of that was killer Crusher, sniper, all star, rock star. And so it's like, y' all listen, I want you to pay attention to the language in your ads because same idea, right? Someone like Heidi might read like, yo, I got that. But not everybody. And so you could be pushing a whole segment of people away because they read it and they don't identify with that language. And I think like you touched on it super quick. I just wanted to call that out of like the job ads, the recruiting ads, how you're messaging people on LinkedIn.

Like all of that matters, even the interview Process, right?

Of understanding, process oriented, relationship builder, storyteller.

Being part of a team, team orientation, orientation.

None of that was killer crusher, sniper, all star, rock star. And so it's like, y' all, listen, I want you to pay attention to the language in your ads because same idea, right? Someone like Heidi might read like, yo.

I got what you're. Oh my goodness, we could do a whole other show on the questions that you asked during the interview process, you know, tend, you know, all the sports analogies and you know, all this stuff. And so I, I just think it's an awareness, right? It just starts with an awareness and a commitment to get educated. And I think if you're, you know, if you have a willingness to do that and open your heart and open your mind to people who are different than you, then we have the ability to change the world, right? And it doesn't only that, but not everybody.

And so you could be pushing a whole segment of people away because they read it and they don't identify with that language. And I think like you touched on it super quick. And I just wanted to call that out of like the job ads, the recruiting ads, how you're messaging people on LinkedIn, like all of that, even the.

Interview process, right, of late to girls, you know, to girls in sales, right? Mean, I think it relates to, you know, any kind of diversity hire that people just need to be, become more aware. And I think the I can't find them discussion is just because what you're, oh my goodness, we could do a whole other show on the questions that you asked during the interview process, you know, tend to, you know, all the sports analogies and you know, all this stuff. And so I, I just think it's an awareness, right? It just starts with an awareness and a commitment to. As they are so narrow in terms of the definition of what's going to be successful or what they're looking for. And I just think that we just have to just bust that up and start looking at non traditional channels and giving people with different levels of experience or from different cultures and different backgrounds opportunities to succeed, get educated. And I think if you're, you know, and you know, if we don't, then we're not going to, I mean, you know, I'm here going on what, 33, 34 years and I haven't seen that much change. And frankly, Katie, I don't want to be here another 30 years. If you have a willingness to do that and open your heart and open your mind from now having the same Conversation or you know, the women that I've mentored and put into sales. I certainly hope that what we're doing will help make the world a little bit better than it is, is today and that we're, you know, that we're opening up doors so that we can change to people who are different than you. Then we're, we have the ability to change the world. Right. And it doesn't only change the conversation.

I love it. And you already are. And that's what's so cool, is like we're making progress. Least I hope we're making progress because it's because of people like you out there taking action. Awareness is only the first step. Gotta take action because of the awareness. Right. Like you actually have to take action with the awareness. And so I knew this was, there was no way I was late to.

Girls, you know, to girls in sales. Right. I mean, I think it relates to, you know, any kind of diversity hire that people just need to be become more aware. And I think that I can't find them discussion is just because I'm able.

To keep this under the time frame that I wanted to. There's still so much more I want to talk to you about. So like we'll probably do a part two would be my guess here. But like where can people go get more of.

What you're putting is they are so narrow in terms of the definition of what's going to be successful or what they're looking for. And I just think that we just have to just bust that up and start looking at non traditional channels and giving people with different levels of experience.

Where can they find the book? Where can they learn about the academy? Like where can they go to learn more about the action you're taking for this particular topic?

Yeah. So I am really accessible through LinkedIn. So you can look me up under Heidi Solomon Orlich. And I love to connect. Don't be shy, reach out. And I want to, you know, connect with you and see how I can help you. So that's, you know, definitely reach out. The second way is they can learn more about Girls who Sell and the academy through our website at www.girls with a Z who sell.com and they can appliance or from different cultures and different backgrounds opportunities to succeed. And you know, if we don't, then we're not gonna, I mean, you know, I'm here going on what, 33, 34 years and I haven't seen that much change. And frankly, Katie, I don't want to be here another 30 years. We're just finishing our second cohort right now. We're going to start enrolling for third and fourth cohort. So definitely go, you know, go on to that. And the book, it's really wherever books are sold. So Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Walmart. I mean, anywhere that you can buy a book, you can go just. But Amazon is probably the best place. And just put in heels to deals. How women are dominating in business to business sales, and it'll pop right up.

Hell, yes.

How do you from now having the same conversation or, you know, the women that I've mentored and. And put into sales. I certainly hope that what we're doing will help make the world a little bit better than it is is today and that we're, you know, that we're opening up doors so that we can change.

This was phenomenal. Like I said, we got to go part two because we got more to unpack. We got more things to get into here. But I really, really appreciate the energy, the insights, and the action people will take. I really appreciate it. Thank you so much.

Thank you. And thanks for wearing our Girls who sell Superpower hat and representing. I really appreciate it. Your allies, my two daughters.

My two daughters are gonna get home from school today, and I got. Can guarantee.

Oh, my gosh, I gotta send you a second one. Change the conversation.

I love it. I love it. And you already are. And that's what's so cool, is like, we're making progress. Least I hope we're making progress, because it's because of people like you out there taking action. Awareness is only the first step. Gotta take action because of the awareness. Right. Like, you actually have to take action with the awareness. And so I knew this was. There was no way out now.

So they both have it.

I do need two. I do need two. So awesome. Heidi, thank you so much.

Thank you.

I was gonna be able to keep this under the time frame that I wanted to. There's still so much more I want to talk to you about. So, like, we'll probably do a part two.

Okay.

Would be my guess here. But, like, where can people go get more of what you're putting out? Where can they find the book? Where can they learn about the academy? Like, where can they go to learn more about the action you're taking for this particular topic?

Yeah. So I am really accessible through LinkedIn, so you can look me up under Heidi Solomon Orlich. And I love to connect. Don't be shy. Reach out. And I want to, you know, connect with you. And see how I can help you. So that's, you know, definitely reach out. The second way is they can learn more about Girls who Sell and the academy through our website@www.girlswithazwhosell.com and they can apply. We're just finishing our second cohort right now. We're going to start enrolling for third and fourth cohorts. So definitely go, you know, go on to that. The book, it's really wherever books are sold. So Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Walmart. I mean, anywhere that you can buy a book, you can go, just. But Amazon's probably the best place. And just put in heels to deals. How women are dominating in business, to business sales, and it'll pop right up.

Hell yes. Heidi. This was phenomenal. Like I said, we got to go part two because we got more to unpack. We got more things to get into here. But I really, really appreciate the energy, the insights, and the actions people can take. I really appreciate it. Thank you so much.

Thank you. And thanks for wearing our Girls who Sell Superpower hat and representing. I really appreciate it. Your allies, my two daughters.

Okay. My two daughters are gonna get home from school today, I can guarantee.

Oh, my gosh. I gotta send you a second one now. So they both have it.

I do need two. I do need two. So awesome, Heidi. Thank you so much.

Thank you, Katie.