Cynthia Barnes, Founder of Cynthia Barnes and a TEDx speaker, joins hosts Zoya Segelbacher and Caroline Jones on Rep Matters. Cynthia dives into the unique strengths women bring to sales, emphasizing empathy, active listening, and reading nonverbal cues. She advocates for women owning their accomplishments and pushing back against outdated norms of humility.
Cynthia shares her journey from being the only black child in a predominantly white school to founding the National Association of Women Sales Professionals. She discusses the importance of creating a culture of belonging within companies, highlighting the need for diverse and inclusive leadership teams. Cynthia stresses that when women thrive, they become powerful evangelizers for their organizations.
The conversation also touches on practical tips for women in sales, including negotiation strategies and the importance of aligning personal values with professional goals. Cynthia’s insights offer a roadmap for women looking to advance in their careers and for companies striving to foster diversity and inclusion.
Featured Guest
Name: Cynthia Barnes
What she does: TEDx Speaker & Founder
Company: Cynthia Barnes
Noteworthy: First black woman to keynote a national sales conference
Key Insights
Embracing Empathy and Emotional Intelligence in Sales
Cynthia Barnes highlights the unique strengths women bring to sales, particularly their empathy, emotional intelligence, active listening skills, and ability to read nonverbal cues. These traits often give women an edge in building relationships and understanding client needs. Cynthia stresses the importance of recognizing and nurturing these qualities within sales teams. By doing so, companies can create a more inclusive and effective sales force. She also emphasizes that owning one’s achievements and pushing back against outdated norms of humility can help women advance in their careers. Cynthia’s insights encourage a shift in how we view sales, advocating for a culture that values and leverages the natural strengths women possess.
Creating a Culture of Belonging in the Workplace
Cynthia discusses the critical need for creating a culture of belonging within companies. She explains that it’s not enough to hire women and other underrepresented groups; organizations must ensure these employees feel valued and supported. Cynthia shares her experience with companies that increased their female hires but failed to retain them due to a lack of inclusive culture. She argues that when companies foster an environment where women can thrive, those women become advocates for the organization, attracting more diverse talent. Cynthia’s call to action for businesses is to invest in creating inclusive cultures where everyone, regardless of background, feels a sense of belonging and opportunity.
Navigating Diversity and Inclusion Challenges in Tech
Cynthia addresses the ongoing challenges of diversity and inclusion in the tech industry. She points out that in 2024, if a company’s team is still homogeneous, it’s by design, highlighting the abundance of resources available to diversify teams. Cynthia explains that many tech leaders resist diversity because they are not accustomed to it and don’t want to change. She underscores the importance of intentional efforts to diversify and suggests that companies can’t use lack of qualified candidates as an excuse. Cynthia’s insight provides a stark reminder of the systemic barriers to diversity in tech and calls for a deliberate and sustained effort to create more inclusive workplaces.
Episode Highlights
Navigating Early Career Challenges
Cynthia shares her experiences of being the only black child in a predominantly white school for 12 years. She recalls being repeatedly told to “be seen but not heard” and how her parents encouraged her to speak up and own her worth. This early lesson in resilience and self-advocacy helped shape her career. Cynthia emphasizes the importance of standing out and not dimming one’s light for the comfort of others, an essential message for anyone facing similar challenges in their professional journey.
“We didn’t come this far for you to dim your light. We didn’t come this far for you to be small or play small so that others can shine. So even though I was told by my white teachers and by my white colleagues and students to sit in and be seen but not heard, I learned at a young age to speak up and be proud of who I am and to own my worth because I was good enough without even trying.”
Importance of Self-Promotion
Cynthia talks about the societal expectations placed on women to be modest and self-effacing, contrasting it with the assertiveness often encouraged in men. She shares her mission to change this narrative by encouraging women to accept compliments with confidence. Cynthia’s goal is to spark a global movement where women confidently say “Thank you, it’s true” when receiving compliments, reinforcing the importance of owning one’s achievements and building self-confidence.
“For women and some men, we think somehow that humility means self-effacement. Along the line, we’ve got it twisted. […] They say they accept compliments by saying, ‘Thank you, it’s true.’ So I’m on a mission to spark a global movement where it is expected, not just encouraged, for women to own their awesome by responding to compliments by saying, ‘Thank you, it’s true.'”
Leveraging Media and PR for Career Growth
Cynthia explains how she strategically used media and public relations to elevate her career. By creating her own PR and continuously telling her story, she managed to capture the attention of major publications. This proactive approach helped her gain visibility and establish herself as an authority in her field. Cynthia encourages others to take control of their narrative and use media to their advantage.
“It was a strategic move to become seen, to become known. I read a book and they said the best PR you can ever accomplish is not hiring a PR firm. You create your own PR. People believe the story you tell them. So when you put the story out there and you just keep repeating it over and over and over, people start to want to learn more.”
Sales as a Path to Financial Independence
Cynthia discusses how sales can offer financial independence and flexibility, especially for women. She highlights the potential for high earnings and the ability to plan personal milestones, like maternity leave, due to the financial stability that a successful sales career can provide. Cynthia encourages women to see sales as a profession where they can call the shots and secure their financial future.
“Where else can you go and say, ‘You know what? I’m going to go on maternity leave because I want to have a baby.’ All right. In sales, you can have $250,000 in the bank because you can earn it ahead of time. You get to plan. You can decide, ‘You know what? I got a half million dollars in the bank. I don’t need to go back to work right now. I want to be a mom.’ Money provides you options, provides you security.”
