Begin with the right mindset
“This is going to
be tricky.” That what I thought when I
was hired for my first B2B salesperson as a new Christian.
Working with a
recruiter, I had interviewed for a position I wanted. According to the
recruiter, all that remained was a lunch with the hiring manager, and an offer
would be forthcoming.
At lunch, the
manager indicated that the person in the position before me was fired for lying
on his expense form. “I’m a Christian, “
I said, “that’s not something I would do.”
No offer came, and
in a post-lunch conversation, the recruiter said the hiring manager was
concerned about me voicing my Christianity, afraid that I would try to
proselytize the customers.
A couple of
conversations later, I was hired, and it was then that I thought to myself
“This is going to be tricky.”
That was decades
ago, and I have made my living since in the world of sales, first as a
salesperson and later as an author, consultant, and sales trainer. All of this time, I have been a born-again
Christian and lived through the ‘tricky” stuff. I’ve learned a lot along the
way, (Read my personal story in “The Heart of a
Christian Salesperson”).
In this series of
blog posts, I’m going to share some of the lessons I’ve learned in order to
ease the way for Christian salespeople at any point in their career.
The starting point for
successfully navigating the tension of a Christian salesperson is absorbing a
mindset. How you think of yourself is
the starting point.
Do not conform to the
pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind. (Romans 12:2) NIV
You are not a second-class Christian. You have nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to be hesitant to share. On the contrary, you have selected by God for a very special ministry. You are not a salesperson; you are a minister of sales.
For we are
God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do.
(Ephesians 2:10) NIV
God created your
job and selected you for it. He wants to
salt the world with his love and grace and has selected you to help with that. He sprinkled you in the marketplace because
he wanted you there.
This doesn’t mean that you are
to preach to your customers or drop tracks in the waiting rooms. But it does mean that you work to manifest
the fruit of the spirit in your daily conversations, both with your customers
as well as your manager and colleagues.
It does mean that you refrain
from those behaviors that would reflect poorly on Christ: No lies to customers or managers, no
exaggeration, no unfounded promises. No
strip shows with the customers, no lewd jokes or vulgar language.
It does mean that you strive to
be excellent in your job and take advantage of every opportunity to influence
others. (see “Excellence
& Influence”)
It does mean that you have prepared a
response for when someone asks you why you are different. (See “How do I Integrate my Christian faith with day-to-day
business practices? – Preparing Your Testimony”)
Always
be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for
the hope that you have. (I Peter 3: 15)
NIV
It
does mean that you take every major proposal and every customer to the Lord in
prayer before you make the proposal or address the customers.
Every day, you ask yourself what a minister of sales would do in this
situation.
Your world will be tricky and
there will be lots of situations that seem fuzzy and troubling. Celebrate that. Every bit of adversity, every obstacle, every
challenge is an opportunity to grow closer to God. Few professions are as full of opportunities
to influence others, contribute to your employer and grow closer to God.
You
truly are in a special place. Embrace the mindset. You are a minister of sales.
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