This is a guest post by Angelique Broady. Angelique and her husband run the business Multi-products, which sells restaurant-quality meats door-to-door. When Angelique isn’t working, she home-schools their seven children.

After being a stay-at-home mom for over 11 years, I got tired of hearing well-meaning adults say things like:

•    “Oh, I’m too independent to stay home.”

•    “I have to make my own money.”

•    “I can’t be around kids all day!”

•    “I need adult stimulation.”

Making A Change

I ended up getting a complex about being at home, and started to feel like I had something to prove. I became obsessed with wanting to show others I could do more than stay home and take care of kids.

I became ashamed of my nurturing qualities, and wanted to put them behind me. I wanted to show myself and others that I could be just as strong and tough as other professional career women. 

I knew that a career in sales could be very profitable, but door-to-door sales, in particular, could be “cruel and unusual punishment,” to put it in Motivational speaker Les Brown’s words. Therefore, I knew if I could succeed in door-to-door sales, it would show an enormous amount of  strength and resolve. However, door-to-door isn’t for the “faint-of-heart,” and I was “faint-of-heart.”

Lessons Of A Door-to-door Saleswoman

After failing several times in my sales endeavor, I realized some important fundamental fundamental principles of the sales world. These principals happen to be the same ones that I still use today as a mother. They are:

→   Listen. It makes other people feel like they’re being heard, which in turn makes them feel valued.  Listening to my customer or prospects helps me to understand their needs and wants.

→   Be warm. A reassuring touch, nod or smile can go a long way in making someone feel special and understood.

→   Talk. This helps people see your more humane side, and it takes the focus off of business. Just be sure to keep self-disclosure within reason.

My husband and I have had our door-to-door business now for 13 years, and it has been the sole source of income for our household throughout the years. Before dealing with customers and prospects, I try and put myself in their mindset. It’s the same approach I use with my children: a nurturing approach.

Sales have taught me to accept myself, and to use my nurturing qualities naturally.