Five Steps On How To Be The Best Spouse Of A Salesperson Or Entrepreneur And Avoid Ruining Your Marriage

Which ones are you missing?

We all know that, behind every successful career person, there is a great spouse there to support, encourage, and commiserate. This has always been the case.

Napoleon Hill of “Think and Grow Rich'' fame researched 100 of the most successful people in the country years ago and, at the time, they were all men. Every single one had a woman who loved them and supported them. Every single one! Now that’s the type of odds you can work with.

Obviously, much has changed since the early 1900’s, but for the salesperson/entrepreneur who is out pounding all day, getting rocks thrown at his or her head and coming back for more, these “spouse rules” have not.

The good news is that there are only five, and you can probably get away with three out of the five and achieve 90% of the results.

Also, I am fully aware that you may have dual roles here as both the sales producer and the spouse of the sales producer, so it’s all the more reason why this post might be the most important one of your married life!

Here we go:

1. Welcome your spouse home.

It doesn’t have to be at the door with open arms and a dry martini in hand, but if you just stop what you are doing and offer a simple “welcome home” with a smile, it will work wonders. Home is the ultimate safe space where the hunter washes off all the mud from the day's adventures.

Your man or woman needs to see a friendly face and feel appreciated when they come home. The first few minutes is a special time.?

You, as the salesperson, have a job too. You cannot be on the phone when you walk into the house. Let your spouse welcome you and accept the martini if it comes!

2. Make your own decisions on dinner plans.

No human being ever has been annoyed walking into a kitchen and smelling a home cooked meal in the oven. The smell of a CrockPot roast beef as you enter your home can soothe the most difficult of sales days. The salesperson/hunter is out making deals and negotiating all day long.? Every action is a decision like:

Should I call again? Should I call now? What should I say? How should I say it? Should I go there? Should I pay? Is this worth it? Should I walk away? Should I come down on price? Should I go over his head? And a million more.

When your producer comes home, he/she is done making decisions. “What do you want for dinner,” is a perfectly normal question to ask in any other circumstance but, during the sales day, the answer you can expect is “I don’t care.”

If dinner is your role in your relationship, the gift that you can give is to take charge and you will be appreciated greatly.

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3. Don’t ask about the big deal that your spouse is working on, ever.

I do realize that staying quiet about a big deal is practically impossible. As a loving spouse and teammate in your family life, it’s natural to talk about the things that affect your lives together.

There are occasions when your sales producer spouse gets into a career-changing and life-changing situation like huge commission deals or the sale of a business with a long sales cycle. “What’s going on with the deal?” seems like a normal question to ask but,

Two things…

First of all, you have to understand that big deals usually involve more than one person and more than one group of people. There are so many variables and nuances taking place that to explain would take hours, and then the whole thing will change tomorrow anyway.

This is why you usually get an answer like “it’s good” or “don’t get your hopes up.”

Secondly, it's just plain bad luck to talk about a deal before the check has been written.?

Your sales producer fails and disappoints him or herself fifty times a day with all the mistakes he or she makes. The last thing we want to do is disappoint you too.? Better to be surprised with a big win than with a big loss.

4. Voice communication is only for emergencies during selling hours.

I have a friend who is a tree surgeon. He climbs 600 ft in the air (yes, I am exaggerating, I am a salesman) and cuts down trees without destroying the homes that are close by. It's a job that requires attention to detail for obvious reasons. Rule number one for his people is NO PHONES.

For the high producing, career oriented salesperson, concentration, focus and getting in “The Deej Zone” is just as life and death for your spouse's sales career.?

Text, email, video text, or even smoke signals are all fine. The phone is only for emergencies and then to be sure that it will get picked up. “I’m sorry, I have to take this, my husband only calls when it’s an emergency,” is perfectly acceptable in almost any situation.

5. Remind your spouse that you love them and would marry them all over again regularly.

People who get into the sales business are usually social creatures and need to be liked. It’s a little pathetic I know, but true, even the gruffest of characters wants to feel good about themselves. Don’t you?

For the sales producer, there are times when you just want to crawl in a hole thinking that everyone hates you. Occasionally, I’ll tell my wife to say something good about me. I just need to hear it out loud. Even if she were lying, which I don’t think she is, as she is editing this post after all, it would still feel good.

In summary:

The actions of the salesperson's spouse are as essential as the daily actions of the sales producer. While your sales professional creates the revenue, you, as the wonderful, effervescent, spectacular, fantastic, intelligent, and supportive spouse create and maintain true wealth.

Go get ‘em today!

Best Wishes,

The Deej

P.S. I may be the most accessible person on the planet. Set up a 15 minute call with me and let's see how we can work together to build your business and legacy!?