Cherilynn Castleman is on a mission to help one million Black and Brown women to get promoted to executive levels.
This spring, she’ll host a series of live events across five U.S. cities.
“For decades, the global workforce has marginalized Black and Brown women,” said Castleman, an executive sales coach in Tampa, Florida. “Then, the pandemic came along and forced many to switch careers or quit the workforce entirely.
A managing partner at CGI LLC, a consulting and training firm, Castleman says she wants to see a million women of color sit at the table of their dreams by 2030, whether that is the C-suite, sales leadership, the sales leaderboard or the entrepreneurs’ table.
“I know what it’s like to feel like the only one in the room, but I also know what it takes to get the seat you deserve at the table you want,” said Castleman, author of the book, “What’s in the C.A.R.D.S.?: 5 Post-Pandemic Sales Strategies.” “Many Black and Brown women lack financial fluency, deep connections, and ‘insider’ promotion tips to get to the top. I coach them to be too good to be ignored, and that’s what this workshop is all about.”
The live event, “Step Into the C-Suite,” takes place in April and May and will teach women to:
• Apply advanced “deep sales” tactics for building authentic connections;
• Implement best practices based on real-life experiences and create a promotion plan;
• Understand and develop executive presence and an executive mindset;
• Build confidence and unpack their superpowers to create customer solutions.
Each one-day workshop will host a different guest speaker and will include a livestream session on leveraging LinkedIn for career growth.
Locations include:
New York City, April 20, 2023
San Francisco, April 27, 2023
Washington, DC, May 4, 2023
Chicago, May 11, 2023
Atlanta, May 18, 2023
To register for a workshop, visit Step into the C-Suite 2023.
Castleman says she encourages companies, who want to invest in their Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) programs, to sponsor women on their sales teams to join these workshops.
Research shows that diversifying sales teams is smart business. According to a recent Forrester report and a LinkedIn study, a diverse sales force can result in:
· A 54-percent average lead-to-opportunity conversion rate;
· A higher customer satisfaction when DEI is in place, with satisfaction scores rising by an average of 24-percent;
· Sales teams embracing DEI practices reaching 43-percent sales attainment.
Event sponsorship opportunities are also available. Visit “C-Suite sponsorship guide” for more information.