6 Similarities between Sales Job and Early Days of Motherhood


If you know me personally or follow me on social media you would be well aware that there has been a major status change in my life. I am now entirely responsible for a tiny human being!!! This change in profile and the tasks that came with it is the most challenging thing I have ever done and I'm still learning the tricks of the trade every single day. During this process, I happened to realise how a sales job and early days of motherhood are similar in the following ways.

#1 Things may not go as planned

When you are preparing to welcome your baby, no matter how many books you read, websites you browse, videos you watch and apps you download, things may not happen as you had planned. You may plan to handle a sales call in a certain way but the situations may be very different from what you had expected.

#2 Every baby/client is different

All babies and all clients have common traits. But they are also unique in their own way. Each new client is a new experience and new learning.

#3 Identify and anticipate needs

Initially you may not exactly know why the baby is crying or feeling disturbed. As time passes you will start to get a grip on things. You will learn to identify the baby's needs and even anticipate them and you will be equipped to act accordingly. Similarly in sales after few interactions you will be in a position to understand what the client needs and provide the best solution.

#4 You can never be fully prepared

After listening to lot of advice from experienced people and doing lot of homework you cannot just wake up one day and say "Yes!! Now I'm totally prepared to be a mother". You can never be fully prepared and when the time comes you just have to take courage and tell yourself "Yes!! Let's do this". During your initial sales days you may have someone to help you during training and then one day you'll find yourself completely on your own in the field, meeting people, helping them solve problems etc. That's how you become an expert...through continuous learning.

#5 Don't allow problems to escalate

When babies have an issue, they cry. If the issue is unresolved they cry even louder. The longer the issue remains unresolved, the tougher it is to handle. The same applies to clients and their complaints.   

#6 Trust your instincts

If you have a feeling from inside that something is wrong with your baby, then there is a strong chance that something is actually wrong. If you feel your client is unhappy or you can sense a negative response from your client trust your instincts and try to handle the situation proactively. 


These are few things I have noticed. Do feel free to contribute on this topic by adding your thoughts as comments.   

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Loving the word "No"

Pros and Cons of a Sales Career

Why ask Questions?