successful home working
She did WHAT?
Since my last post I’ve had an exchange of emails with someone who would rather not tell her story herself – you’ll see why – but has given permission for me to pass it on. Here it is in her own words:
‘In a previous job I once had to make a sales call to a self-employed businesswoman who worked from home. It was like going into a skip filled with children and her husband was there too. The rooms were filled with junk of all types and weirdly they insisted on showing me around the house – it was so strange. We then repaired to the kitchen which was of a minimalist design but filled with family detritus, and tried to have a meeting while three children added their two pennyworth! My sales pitch was peppered with Thalia or Otto or Primrose interjecting and at one point being breast fed while I looked on – IT WAS AWFUL!!
‘I felt like I didn’t know how I was meant to behave – was I meant to act like a friend or a professional business contact… Very weird and I bet they aren’t in business anymore!!!’
So beat that for how not to do it! In a generous mood I’d say that the woman might not have known how else to behave to a visitor to her home. If I was more cynical I might wonder if she was trying to disarm the salesperson and get a better price.
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I remember once making a business call and the phone was answered by a very young child, too young to tell whether it was a boy or girl. When I asked to speak to its mummy, it simply yelled ‘MUMMMMEEE’ at the top of its tiny lungs, deafening me and putting me in a very bad mood for the following call.
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A Door to door salesperson of course must do their sales pitch in someones home, so being so judgemental because the poor ladies house was not as tidy as the salesperson expected is absolutely none of the salespersons business. Also the salesperson not being used to young children is also not the poor wonams fault. If you want to try and flog her something don’t you think it should be you that does the adjusting to the clients needs?
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Your post really made me think, Jane, there are so many points in it, and after some time pondering it, here are my thoughts:
You use the word ‘judgement’, which I think is absolutely right, but not in the moral sense of ‘This woman is slovenly, she ought to clean up more.’ Just to clarify, this wasn’t a door-to-door salesperson turning up unexpectedly, but a pre-arranged business appointment. Whenever we meet someone new, we instantly assess them and form our judgement or first impression. I’ve read this happens quite unconsciously in seconds, and once made, it takes an awful lot to change it.
As homeworkers, we need to be aware of the impression we are making on business associates – because we live our family and business lives in the same place, sometimes it will be harder than for someone who works in a premises designed only for business. But there are lots of things we can do to improve it. Maybe the timing of the appointment could have been better, she could have showed the saleswoman straight into a room that was reasonably tidy, the husband could have kept the children busy while the meeting went on etc.
Even if you are the customer, it makes sense to build a good relationship with a salesperson. Inevitably a chaotic house will make them wonder how organised you are as a businessperson. If they are doubtful whether you will pay up on time, for example, they may ask for cash upfront, and that can have major repercussions on the cash flow of a small business.
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One of my pet hates it when somebody works from home and they allow their CHILD or even BABY to answer the telephone. Or they have their child make the message for the answering machine. I think this is SO unprofessional.