How To Get Your Significant Other On Board With Your Sales Job

One of the opportunities borne of the economic downturn is the influx of individuals from other professions into sales. Growing organizations – and those that aspire to grow – are always looking for quality individuals.

And, as we all know, success in sales has much more to do with attitude, drive, ego and empathy than with the particular career path one has followed.

A professional with the aforementioned traits, complemented by an ability to learn, the ability to listen, and an assertive disposition, may find an opportunity in sales to be the perfect second phase of their career. A well-developed contact list – built through years of professional contact with others – doesn’t hurt either.

For some, the reluctance to jump in with both feet has less to do with their own misgivings than with those of their significant other.

“Why would you want to be in sales?” they might be asked. “Salespeople are too slick and sneaky.”
Or: “Sales? I don’t want to live paycheck to paycheck on commissions.”
Or even: “What do you know about sales? You couldn’t sell peanuts to an elephant.”

All of which may or may not be true. But if you truly believe you have what it takes to make it in sales, there are two paths to try, both of which will be good practice for your new career:

Persuasion

Explain why sales is a noble profession. It generates revenues for a company, creates jobs, drives the engines of commerce. Explain that sales is actually one of the better-paying professions (for successful sales representatives, of which you will be one), and explain that, once you’ve made your mark as a solid sales representative, you’ll never again have to worry about being out of work, because, as we established at the beginning, growing organizations – and those that aspire to grow – are always looking for quality individuals.

Objection-Handling

There are many different approaches for this. One of the best is the Probe-Empathize-Present-Prove-Close model, otherwise known as PEPP-C.

Probe: “When you say that salespeople are too slick and sneaky, what exactly do you mean?”

Empathize: “I can understand why you might feel that way. I’ve dealt with lots of salespeople like that over the years, too.”

Present: “But the best salespeople are neither slick nor sneaky. They are good listeners who understand how to help their customers solve problems and meet needs.”

Prove: “In fact, ABC Company, which is the company I want to join, is well-known in the marketplace for the honesty and integrity of its sales force. They have won numerous awards for their innovative client solutions.”

Close: “Can you see why ABC is the perfect fit for me, and why I’m the perfect fit for them?”

Alternate Close: “Can I take you out for a nice dinner to discuss this further?”

Before long, you will either have your significant other agreeing that sales is the right profession for you. Or you will see why some other profession might be a better fit.

Have you ever faced a skeptical spouse or significant other on the viability of a sales career for you? How did you handle it? We’d love to hear your stories!

Mike