Kids vs. Career – Can Both Work in Sales?

Balancing a demanding sales career and raising kids isn’t just about time management — it’s about redefining what high performance in sales actually means.

In one of the latest episode of Sales & Pepper, Dominic Klingberg talks with Adriana Victoria Lopez Núñez, Senior Account Executive and Corporate Influencer at Lieferando for Business, about what it takes to combine motherhood and career growth in a results-driven environment. Their conversation goes deep into leadership empathy, personal boundaries, and how to stay ambitious without burning out.

Redefining performance and success in sales

Adriana didn’t plan her career in sales — she built it through persistence and adaptability. From hospitality to event sales, she eventually joined Lieferando for Business, where she now manages enterprise clients and represents the brand on LinkedIn.

When she became a mother, she didn’t step back — she redesigned how she worked. Starting part-time with 30 hours a week, she focused on efficiency and clear priorities.

“I worked six hours a day, but I was laser-focused. No lunch breaks, no endless meetings — and I got more done than before.”

Her approach turned into a formula for sustainable success: output over hours.

This mindset challenges one of the oldest myths in sales — that working longer means performing better. Instead, Adriana proves that structure, self-awareness, and communication are the real productivity multipliers.

The leadership factor: empathy as a performance driver

Adriana credits her progress to a supportive leadership team that values transparency and flexibility. “My manager told me, ‘If you try to be everything for everyone — your kid, your job, yourself — you’ll burn out in six months.’ That took so much pressure off,” she recalls.

“Good leadership in sales today means understanding your reps as humans first, not just quota carriers.”

Sales leadership empathy isn’t soft — it’s strategic. Managers who build flexible, trust-based environments see higher engagement, retention, and long-term revenue performance.

Parents as performance professionals

Parenthood often turns salespeople into masters of prioritization and resilience. Between deadlines, daycare pickups, and client calls, every hour has to count. That makes parents natural operators in high-stakes sales environments.

Adriana says it best: “You can’t survive a day as a parent without planning ahead. That mindset changed how I sell.”

Her focus on qualifying deals early and saying “no” to distractions led to one of her biggest wins yet — a $70K-per-month client deal. The lesson? Working parents aren’t a risk; they’re a competitive advantage.

The hidden workload: why flexibility must be real

Behind every working parent is a hidden workload — the mental load of planning, organizing, and constantly balancing both worlds. Too many workplaces still underestimate this.

Even today, many companies talk about flexibility but design systems that make it impossible. Adriana believes real inclusion requires more than policies — it needs leadership that listens and acts.

“If your workplace expects 24/7 availability, it’s not a performance culture — it’s a burnout culture.”

Hybrid work, asynchronous collaboration, and clear communication are the foundations of a truly inclusive sales organization.

Visibility that converts — not distracts

As a Corporate Influencer and LinkedIn voice, Adriana uses her platform to talk openly about work-life balance, women in sales, and authentic leadership. Her visibility isn’t vanity — it’s social selling done right.

“People don’t want perfection; they want perspective. When you show what’s real, people trust you — and that trust turns into business.”

That authenticity brought her inbound leads, media attention, and internal recognition — proof that visibility, when rooted in substance, can be a growth engine for both personal brand and pipeline.

Why this matters for the future of sales

Work-life balance in sales is no longer a “nice to have.” It’s a strategic requirement for keeping top talent. The reps who thrive long-term aren’t the ones who hustle hardest — they’re the ones who manage their energy, prioritize well, and work for empathetic leaders.

Adriana’s story is a blueprint for the future:

• Flexibility fuels focus.

• Empathy drives engagement.

• Boundaries build better business.

And perhaps most importantly: success isn’t about doing everything — it’s about doing what matters most, both at work and at home.

🎧 Watch the full episode (in german with english subtitles ) and discover how redefining success can turn “work-life balance” into your best sales strategy.

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