Question for the ladies: have you had difficulties navigating a predominantly male-led company? Do you struggle with getting respect and being taken seriously by your male colleagues?

I'm very passionate about product marketing and its key role at our company to enable our sales teams, but I really struggle collaborating with leaders of customer success, sales, and product. It's challenging to get my voice heard at the table and often I don't think people take me seriously. I am not sure if it's because product marketing isn't respected or if it's deeper than that--and I'm curious if either of you have had similar challenges and thoughts.

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3 Answers

Kimberly Blight

ActiveCampaign Director, Product Operations • 7y

I have definitely struggled with this. Often times, I can't seem to shake the thought that I'm the only woman in the room. I have found the best thing for me has been to find my allies in the room. Open up to one or two people on your team and explain to them you want them to help advocate for your opinions. Having support and knowing people in the room were looking out for me has given me the confidence I needed to speak up. I've also found being very open about those struggles helps people hav ...Read More

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Jennifer Chen

Previously @ AI chip startup Head of Product Marketing • 6y

Sorry to hear that you're struggling when all you're trying to do is also to help drive business for the company! But unless you truly work in a male chauvinist company and or directly received sexist comments, I believe some of the struggles that you are feeling most likely stem from other teams not understanding what product marketing does or specifically what your role would be in relation to theirs. Many might just have preconceived notions of what marketing does and don't make a connection ...Read More

471 Views
Elizabeth Brigham

Davidson College Director, The Jay Hurt Hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship • 7y

I’ve always found that telling people what you’re signing up for then overachieving those goals with clear data will cut through any gender biases. I’ve been the only woman in the room many times, but I’ve also not been afraid to pull in closer to the table and speak up. I’ve also learned that in product marketing, starting by cultivating relationships with sales (often one sales group or leader at a time) can get you a lot more support with other groups since they’re the closest to where revenu ...Read More

747 Views