Episode description/intro: 

Derrick Jenkins is the Head of Marketing at Owler and is very passionate about Diversity in the Sales Industry.

Earlier this month he and his team at Owler tagged me and several other people of color in a post on LinkedIn where they were promoting the advantages of a diverse sales team so in honor of black history month I thought it would be a good idea to bring him on the show.

#salesconsultantpodcast #diversity dei #sales #neurodiversity

Episode Show Notes:

[0:15] We jump right into how Jenkins was an Owler user before joining the company. Explains how he used it to help him drive sales but he also used it to gather insights on companies for the purposes of trading stocks.

[2:38] Walks us through the inflection points of when he joined Owler and then later being promoted to Head of Marketing

[4:44] Details for me what a day in the life as Head of Marketing is like.

[7:08] Talks about how diverse his team is at Owler and not just in terms of race but all types of diversity.

[8:52] Jenkins explains the post him and his team tagged me on on LinkedIn at the start of February where he says, 

"Diversity is beneficial and critical to the long-term success of any business. It's even more critical for sales teams to be diverse because as the workplace evolves, so will your customer… This doesn't mean that sales executives should exclusively work with customers who are aligned with their diversity or 'otherness'. However, a diverse sales team has experience navigating their careers amongst others with varying backgrounds." - Derrick Jenkins, Head of Marketing at Owler

[10:14] Diversity is more than race. Discussed diversity of thought and expanding your talent pool to people who did not go to an IVY league school.

[11:24] We discuss a Forrester Report that was commissioned by LinkedIn that shows companies with diverse sales orgs have a higher lead to convert ratio. 28% higher! (link below)

[13:31] We get into the idea that because minorities have to navigate life and careers much differently that they offer unique perspectives and bring different skills to the table.

[14:18] Jenkins talks about living abroad, studying different languages and the differences he has seen in terms of diversity comparing the US to the UK. He lived in London for 9 years and didn’t see as many black people in leadership roles.

[17:22] Getting comfortable in your skin as a minority in corporate America is key to taking your career to the next level. Don’t get hung up on trying to ‘fit in’ and ‘conforming’. Be yourself.

[18:52] Jenkins talks about how growing up with very young parents who “defied the odds” inspired his career.

[25:15] He talks about what sales was like when he started his career compared to now.

Mentions:

Owler - https://www.owler.com/

The LinkedIn Post that quotes Jenkins re: Diversity in Sales. The post that initiated this discussion - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/owler_why-diversity-matters-in-the-sales-industry-activity-7019697098367381506-fyfk?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Forrester report on the positive impacts of diversity in sales -  https://business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions/b2b-sales-strategy-guides/forrester-diversity-report-2021

Connect with us:

Derrick Jenkins’ LinkedIn Page - https://www.linkedin.com/in/derrick-jenkins-70114a2/

The Sales Consultant LinkedIn Page - https://the-sales-consultant-podcast.captivate.fm/

Derrick’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/derricklwilliamsjr/

Derrick’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/derrickis3linksales/

Derrick’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/derrickis3link

These interviews are also available on Derrick’s YouTube page