The Scary Similarities in the World of Sales and Parenting Pre-Teens

A Rollercoaster of Emotions - The Scary Similarities in the World of Sales and Raising Pre-Teens

I remember talking with my dad when I was about 19 years old.?I had just finished my freshman year of college and we were talking through my courses for the next year and post collegiate plans.?In the conversation, I said to him, “I have a few different ideas of what I’d like to do for a job after college, but I know one thing for sure, I 100% do not want a job in sales.?Sales are way too stressful.”?He looked at me and did that thing where he raised his eyebrows and nodded his head but didn’t really respond.?He had been in sales his entire life and although I wasn’t putting down his job, I was making it clear to him that it would never be my job.

Fast forward the next few years to my graduation and as I was networking to get jobs after college, I was given a great opportunity to work as a sales professional at the company I still work for today.?While I enthusiastically accepted, I couldn’t help but laugh at myself, knowing that I was so adamantly against this role years before.?

As I’ve built my business and grown relationships over the 16 plus years in the industry, I have created an incredibly successful and rewarding career in sales.

In all jobs, there are highs and lows.?In sales, these highs and lows are incredibly emotional.?In my world, closing a deal can take years.?After years of building relationships, fact finding, working late nights, traveling, completing RFPs, and having hard conversations, when I win the business…the feeling is euphoric.?All the hard work, the sweat, the tears, and the stress disappear…and then I celebrate.?I scream and applaud.?I call my colleagues, and everyone joins in the celebration because they too understand that feeling and know the hard work that has gone into this win.?It’s an emotion that athletes and competitors alike understand.?I’ve put in the work.?I’ve put in the time. ?Now, I’ve won the prize.?This feeling is one I want to replicate repeatedly.?This is the athlete in me.?This is the competitor in me.?Hence, my long career in sales.???

As I was on a run this morning, I started to think about the incredible similarities between my sales life and my personal parenting life.?As my children continue to grow older, I now find myself in the stage of pre-teen parenting.?This stage of parenting is not for the faint of heart.?It’s stressful.?It’s a lot of work.?I am constantly putting in work to see the reward.?I incessantly take time to build trust.?I constantly work on creating a solid, strong relationship with my children.?It’s exhausting and half of the time, my preteens (and my prospective clients) don’t even respond to me.?Many days I find myself wanting to bang my head against a wall because I have done everything they ask.?I put my wants/needs/interests to the side so I can support their wants/needs/interests.?I spend my evenings and weekends bringing them to all extracurricular and social activities and my brain is in constant overload.?I am continually thinking about what more I could be doing for them, how I could be doing this better, what I’m not doing well, and what I need to do next.

My brain thinks extremely similarly in my sales role.?As a successful sales and business woman, I put time and pride into my work.?What are the prospective clients’ interests??How can I help support them better??How can I work harder to close this deal??What am I not doing that I should be doing??When they don’t respond to me, I search my brain to come up with creative ideas to gain their trust and response.?It takes time, intelligence, and a lot of energy.

Some days, it feels like it’s all too much and I’m failing at everything.?Sales are down, kids don’t appreciate anything, and this rollercoaster ride of sales and parenting is pummeling down the coaster at 100 mph and there is not a slowdown in sight.?These are days where I, as a businesswoman and a mother, need to take a step back.?These are days when I need to take a deep breath and remember the perspective.?In both sales and parenting, it’s a marathon…it’s not a sprint.?This rollercoaster rides up and down the track all day, every day, and there are peaks and valleys.?The peaks are high.?They are exhilarating.?When the sale closes, the hard times hurt a little less.?When the kids hug you so hard that they forget they’re 12 years old and too cool for hugs, everything else melts away.?Everything else is worth it.?The lows were worth it to get to this high.

So, my fellow sales professionals and pre-teen parents, enjoy the ride.?The sales game can get stressful and as the coaster speeds down the hill, buckle up and hold on tight.?Just remember, it will eventually speed back up the hill.?And to my pre-teen parents, buckle up, hold on, and pour yourself a stiff drink or a strong cup of coffee because let’s be honest…we deserve it.??

#workingmom #sales #businesswoman #coffee #workhard