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Your First and Most Important Sale is At Home
By Warren Greshes

I'll never forget the day I decided to start my own business (it was two decades ago, when I still had hair!) I came home and told my wife. Normally, when you tell someone you're starting your own business, you'd expect them to say, "Are you sure this is what you want to do?" Or, "Do you think this is a good time to quit your job?" Or even, "What kind of business are you starting?" Not my wife. She turned to me, looked me right in the eye and said, "It's about time." How could I possibly fail?

Starting and operating a small business is not easy. It takes a tremendous amount of energy and time, along with a total unwavering commitment. More than fifty percent of new businesses don't make it past the first five years.

Sales is an extremely hard profession because it entails so much rejection. Far more people say "No," than "Yes."

It takes time to build your business and your customer base. Even after you become successful, it's not over. It takes the same effort to stay successful.

Salespeople and business owners, especially new ones, go out there every day and get their brains beaten in. The last thing you need is to go home and get your brains beaten in. Home has to be the one place you can go for unflinching, no questions asked, support.

If you are contemplating starting your own business, or a new career in sales, make sure you have total support at home. If you don't, I'd think twice about making the move.

Salespeople and business owners, especially those first starting out, work long hours; many of them work nights. I have seen numerous careers and businesses sidetracked because a non-supportive spouse couldn't understand why their spouse wasn't home more often. They also couldn't understand why those long hours weren't yielding an immediate monetary bonanza. But, as I've said many times before, money is always the last thing that comes. It is a by-product of all that action. How can you possibly expect to get through those early lean times without total support at home?

One solution I've found is to bring your spouse into the process. First, sit them down and have them buy into your long-term plan. Solicit their input. Explain about the long hours, possible nights and weekends and show them when you might expect to see some real money out of the effort. Then, take them to work with you.

I think the best thing you can do is have your spouse spend a couple of days on the job with you. Have them come into the office or out on sales calls. Let them see what you do when you work those nights and weekends. Let them see how hard you're working. I'm sure that will give them a better appreciation for what you do.

I know the first time I brought my wife out with me on a road trip it was a real eye-opener. The first morning we were back home she remarked, "I'm so tired and all I did was sit and watch. I can't imagine how exhausted you must be."

Everyone needs somebody in their corner. Everyone needs a safe place they can go to feel good about themselves when all around them seems to be crumbling. If you can't convince the people at home to be in your corner, no matter what, how are you ever going to convince your clients?

Copyright © 2005, Warren Greshes. All rights reserved.
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Warren Greshes, CPAE, Speaker Hall of Fame
Speaking of Success
800-858-1516
Listen to Warren's radio show, "Talking Success" on the World Talk Radio Network. http://www.worldtalkradio.com/archives.asp?sid=84 Warren's new Blogging site: http://www.greshesblog.com for up-to-date information on Sales, Success and Customer Service.