Gartner Says Women Hold Just One in Five Sales Leadership Positions

Sales leaders across the globe report sourcing quality sales professionals as a top challenge and priority for 2018, according to CEB, now Gartner. However, that same research shows that women hold just one in five sales leadership positions and only one in four midlevel sales manager roles. The percentage of women in frontline sales management has remained flat for more than 10 years.

CEB, now Gartner, found that only 50 percent of female sales professionals feel they have the same opportunities for advancement as their male counterparts, despite having the same skills, experience and qualifications. However, when asked the same question, 91 percent of men believe women are given access to the same opportunities.

Advancing gender diversity in the sales organization not only expands the potential talent pool, but also brings other business benefits to the sales organization. CEB, now Gartner, analysis shows investing in women leaders can help to stabilize the workforce and promote further diversity. In fact, companies with a high level of gender diversity more than doubled their annual revenue compared with competitors with an average or low level of gender diversity.

To combat this challenge, forward-thinking sales organizations are making, attracting and retaining high-performing female talent a priority. More information on what your organization needs to do to ensure that you are gaining the business advantage by capitalizing on the potential of women in sales is available to Gartner clients in the report Gaining the Talent Advantage: The Case for Gender Diversity in Sales.

About CEB, Now Gartner

Leading organizations worldwide rely on CEB services to harness their untapped potential and grow. Now offered by Gartner, CEB best practices and technology solutions equip clients with the intelligence to effectively manage talent, customers and operations. More information is available at gartner.com/ceb.

Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT), is the world’s leading research and advisory company and a member of the S&P 500. We equip business leaders with indispensable insights, advice and tools to achieve their mission-critical priorities and build the successful organizations of tomorrow.

Our unmatched combination of expert-led, practitioner-sourced and data-driven research steers clients toward the right decisions on the issues that matter most. We’re trusted as an objective resource and critical partner by more than 12,000 organizations in more than 100 countries—across all major functions, in every industry and enterprise size.

To learn more about how we help decision makers fuel the future of business, visit www.gartner.com