How important is it that your spouse truly support your career choice and sales endeavor?
It’s extremely important.
In fact, your spouse’s support might be more important than your own dedication to your job.
Here’s why:
In commission sales, there are many days or weeks where you can potentially earn little to no money. Especially in the beginning when you are going through the learning curve.
When you come home from a rough day and your spouse asks, “How was your day?”, his or her response will either be “You got this, honey! Don’t give up. I know you will eventually bring in the sales.” OR “I knew this job wouldn’t pay the bills. If you don’t make sales by the end of the week you have to get a different job!”
Include Spouses In the Job Interview Process
When I recruited people to sell insurance, over time I learned how critical the spousal support was. It was such a game-changer that I started insisting that the spouse come to second interviews.
When the spouse met me in person, saw the products, understood the training and compensation plan, they were tied into the sales job their spouse was about to embark on.
Most importantly, I was able to tell them point blank how important their support is. I was able to say “There most definitely are going to be days where Jack comes home frustrated and defeated because nobody bought. In those moments, your support is everything.”
We always invited spouses to meetings, incentives trips and any other occasions where they could see that their spouse was in a supportive, loving place.
What About Single People?
Every human has their support system.
For young millennials, their support system might be their parents or girlfriend/boyfriend.
For a divorcee, it might be their best friend or sibling.
Find out when you interview someone who their #1 person is in their life. Engage that person as soon as possible.
The Day I Almost Quit
I don’t know what I would do if my husband Daniel did not support my various endeavors.
I cannot thank him enough for encouraging me to start my own sales coaching business.
When I first launched my coaching course, I was overwhelmed by the technology. One Sunday afternoon I spent hours on a tech support call trying to work out a glitch on my website. Mid-call, I started sobbing. It was the hardest I had cried in a long time. I wanted to throw in the towel.
Daniel came rushing into my office and consoled me. He said, “You got this! Don’t give up!”.
Literally, less than 24 hours later I had over $8000 in sales come rolling in in one day. If I had shut down my website the moment I was in misery, I never would have seen what my new business could have achieved.
What If Your Spouse Is Not Supportive?
It’s critical to your success that you have a support….especially from your spouse. If your spouse isn’t supportive of your current job or career path, try bringing him/her to meetings, meet people you work with and always share good news when you have it.
Legitimate concerns your spouse might have about your job:
- You are investing more money into your business than you are making and/or going into debt
- You are flirting with a colleague or having an affair
- You are constantly traveling and spending too much time away from your children
In conclusion, do everything you can to win over your spouse, build trust and have him/her be your biggest cheerleader.
