Mark 9:23 

And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”

Christian Based Selling

Yesterday we examined the importance of calling on the Lord for strength and hope.  We cannot allow the fear of failure to influence our communications, behaviors or decisions.  In Mark 9:23 we see that all things are possible for one who believes.  

We need to do our work to identify and qualify opportunities to focus our time and energy on the deals we can win.  For those opportunities we need to believe that we will win the business.  When we believe in our ability to win we (everyone on the pursuit team) puts in the required time and effort to develop a winning proposal and prepare for the orals presentation.  

While all this work is critical to win  the deal it is equally important that our team demonstrate to the prospective client that we expect to win.  The prospective can feel our conviction and trusts that we will deliver on their needs.  We must justify our viability with our credentials but understand that the vendor selection decision will be driven by emotion.      

Are you focusing on the right opportunities?  Are you making sure all members of your pursuit team are properly prepped?  Are you sharing your passion and conviction with your prospective clients?  

Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Christian Based Selling 

We lead a stressful life in professional sales.  It is more challenging then ever to get meetings with senior leaders and we face stiff competition for their business.  We are also subject to incredibly high expectations from our own management to consistently drive substantial revenue.  It is all part of the job.  

The worst enemy we face is not the competition but our beliefs.  We cannot afford to allow fear of failure to influence our behavior, communications or decisions.  We need to do our job boldly in terms of prospecting, qualifying, proposing and negotiating to close business.  

As Christians we can pray to God to  renew our strength and courage on a daily basis.   Just as athletes recognize the importance of the mental game, we need to be aware that our mental state--positive or negative--will manifest in our words, behaviors and decisions.   More on how our thoughts influence outcomes tomorrow.    

Are you asking God for strength?  Courage?  Hope?        

Jeremiah 9:23 

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches"

Christian Based Selling:

There is a big difference between confidence and arrogance.  When things are really going our way in sales it is tempting to get caught up in the accolades.  However, as Christian sales professionals we recognize our blessings are of the Lord and we need to maintain a thankful and humble heart.   

Have you let success go to your head?  If so, how is that impacting your professional and personal relationships?  

Romans 12:12 

Rejoice in hope, be patient in
tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Christian Based Selling

If we walk into a prospective client meeting without hope of winning their business then we will not win their business.  Our conviction that we can deliver on the needs of the client is a major factor in the art of persuasion--you can't fake it either, it must be genuine.   However, a tough loss or two can shake the confidence among the best of us.  We need to recognize that we will not win every deal.  We need to focus on building a healthy pipeline that can withstand the losses because it is all part of the job.  

When we hit a dry spell we need to be patient in the sense that we don't lose our hope.  We need to remain positive and believe that good things will happen for us soon.  We cannot afford to allow a setback or two to defeat our hopeful and fearless spirit.  If it were easy, everyone would be in sales!  

Finally, we must remember that we have a father in heaven who wants good things for us.  If we are steadfast in our work and constant in prayer then blessings cannot be far away!    

How do you control your mental state to be at your best everyday?  Are you going it alone or are you praying for the strength and insight?     

   

Proverbs 10:19 

When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

Christian Based Selling

On this blog we have explored the importance of being open and honest in our communications with prospective clients.  However, that does not mean that we do not need to be thoughtful in how we answer questions and articulate our value propositions.  A critical element of our craft is the ability to control our tongue!    

When a prospect asks us a tough question or for specifics about our capabilities we need time to process what is being asked within the context of what we've learned in the conversation.  Rather than just start talking, it is best to ask a qualifying question to buy some time to formulate our best possible response and perhaps gain additional insight.  A basic example  of this would be to say, "That's a great question.  Before we answer, can you tell us why that's important to you?"  

I'm sure this technique is not new to you.  My goal is to simply remind us that we live and die by our words in our profession (and in our personal life too).  The problem we encounter after some years of selling the same product or service is that we recognize patterns in our prospects and start making assumptions about thier needs and concerns.  We stop asking questions and start talking too soon and too much.    

Have you caught yourself or your pursuit team talking too soon or too much?