The oil and gas industry has long been dominated by men, and it has been much slower in becoming more gender-diverse compared to other industries. This is despite a talent gap in the industry that would be best addressed by more women joining the workforce. The slow integration of female talent could be attributed to the long-standing culture of the dangerous and physically demanding jobs being reserved for men. This prevailing “macho culture” in the oil and gas industry has hindered women from advancing.
One such woman who has experienced this is Shar Woehl, founder of oil and gas industry sales agency Atta Gurl Consulting. Hailing from Texas, the center of oil and gas production in the US, Woehl has worked in sales roles for multiple oil and gas employers where she was underappreciated and held back from advancing, largely due to her gender. Furthermore, she realized that working these jobs prevented her from spending more time with her young son.
These experiences led Woehl to found Atta Gurl Consulting, a sales agency for the oil and gas industry with a workforce composed almost entirely of women, especially in sales roles. The company increases women’s visibility in the industry, as well as provides an environment that is supportive and conducive to their success. Woehl says that she believes that sales roles are a good fit for many women, due to their nurturing and listening nature, with an uncanny ability to find out what the client needs and deliver it to them.
The company primarily serves clients in the Permian and Delaware Basins in Texas, working in almost every niche in the oil and gas industry, such as drilling, completions, production, construction, maintenance, pipeline, facilities, and plants. Atta Gurl’s close personal relationships with vendors across Texas and beyond ensure that it is a one-stop shop for everything oil and gas. The huge variety and scale of its offering allows it to offer the best prices compared to competitors, resulting in huge savings and rapid growth in business for everyone involved.
This triple win strategy, known as The Vortex, was formulated by Woehl when she was working previously in the real estate industry, and she finally implemented it upon creating Atta Gurl. It’s composed of three elements – the vendor, the customer, and the sales rep. Initially envisioned as a pyramid, Woehl says if all three elements pull their weight, are honest, and are not greedy, then the pyramid is stable. This means everybody wins – the vendor gains increased sales, the customer gets the best price on their purchase, and the rep gains a healthy commission for the long haul, as they are able to provide a value-added service through their experience in the oil and gas industry. Woehl adds that the vortex imagery came when she realized that all three elements fed into each other and strengthened each other, translating into long-term success.
Regarding the company’s mission, Woehl says: “No matter the side of the business you are on, our goal is to make your journey less expensive, more efficient, and most profitable, while practicing the highest integrity and the most thorough customer service. With our unique Vortex approach, our premier goal is to acquire repeat business for our vendors, while cultivating in-house customer champions, all while investing into the development of our Atta Gurls, both personally and professionally.”
Prior to joining the oil and gas industry, Woehl has significant experience in customer-facing roles, having worked as a bartender, golf course cart attendant, trade show consultant, and brand ambassador and salesperson for beverage and automotive brands. This diverse set of experiences taught her the importance of customer service and rigorous training for sales personnel, and she applies this at Atta Gurl. Aside from personally overseeing the training of its reps and consultants, she is also “training the trainers'', equipping her senior reps with the skills to train future juniors, creating a larger impact within the organization.
Moving forward, Woehl is working to make Atta Gurl Consulting a more dynamic and streamlined organization. She plans to divide the company into specialized parts, with expertise in a particular niche, such as drilling, maintenance, etc. Each of these “affiliate companies” is headed by a long-time expert in the field, resulting in stronger capabilities to serve clients’ needs.
“Women have always struggled throughout history, so have entrepreneurs, and I am both,” she concludes. “Anybody who's ever tried something grand knows that they have to fail so many times before achieving it. This is why I'm very public with my story and I talk about my struggles all the time. I want people to realize that they shouldn't be afraid to try and to fail, because they will grow from it. If you don't try, you won't fail, but you also won't learn. You'll also keep wondering about the what-ifs, and I think that's worse.”
Media contact:
Name: Shar Woehl
Email: [email protected]
