From Personality to Performance: Sim Riordan on Nurturing Sales Teams

What if the key to building high-performing sales teams isn’t just strategy, but science?In this episode of Scale Sessions, hosts Tom Lavery and Nicola Anderson welcome Sim Riordan, Commercial Director at Reward Gateway, who shares a framework for high-performing sales teams by connecting behavioural science with sales strategies. Sim shares how personality assessments and psychometric testing can unlock team potential, drive better decision‑making, and foster psychological safety in high‑pressure environments. Discover the “Social Proof Framework” for trust in B2B sales, strategies for structuring impactful one‑on‑ones, and insights from research on women’s career progression in tech sales. Learn practical tools for inclusive leadership, mission alignment, and navigating challenging conversations, all to strike a balance between commercial success and personal development.What you will learn:How to leverage behavioural science principles to architect better sales processes The "Social Proof Framework" for building trust and reducing risk in B2B sales How to structure one-to-one meetings for maximum impact and psychological safetyWhy personality assessments and psychometric testing can unlock team potential The "Snakes and Ladders" principle of women's career progression in tech salesHow to create inclusive environments to foster feedback and difficult conversations The importance of mission alignment for sustained sales success and motivationWhy cognitive dissonance in sales processes can hinder customer decision-makingHow to support returning parents in high-pressure sales environments Sim Riordan is a commercial leader, psychologist, and DEI advocate with deep expertise in behavioural science and tech sales. Blending academic insight with frontline sales leadership, she helps B2B teams thrive through purpose-led, inclusive strategies. Her MBA research explored the career journeys of 21 mid-career women in tech sales, uncovering key success factors and barriers. Passionate about unlocking human potential, Sim specialises in psychometric testing, leadership development, and people analytics to build high-performing, human-centred sales cultures where belonging, wellbeing, and recognition flourish.Scale Sessions offers you straight-talking, unfiltered chats with growth leaders. We bring real-world insights from female revenue leaders on the front lines. Our guests are hands-on change-makers navigating the daily challenges of scaling businesses. Whether you're a CRO, VP of Sales, or a marketing leader, Scale Sessions delivers candid, no-nonsense advice to help you boost revenue and overcome growth roadblocks. Get ready for practical takeaways you can implement immediately for real impact.Let’s start scaling.