Hebrews 11:1 – The Ultimate Sales Strategy

“Now FAITH is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Think about it.

If someone has a need or even a desire for something, there is always an underlying motivation… a reason they need or desire that thing. Without motivation, they won’t purchase.

As important as motivation is, there is something else even more potent – the buyer must have FAITH (belief) in what you promise. Without faith, it is virtually impossible to convert a prospect into a buyer.

If a prospect must have enough faith to buy from you, doesn’t it make sense to see what the bible teaches about faith? And don’t you think it might be instructive for us, to emulate or model what the bible reveals? And why not start with arguably the most quoted verse in the Bible on the subject of faith?

But before I go down that path, let’s take a quick look at the seven things a prospective buyer must believe or trust in before they’ll purchase from you…

SEVEN areas where you need to build trust…

1. Right Concept: If for example, you’re selling a path to financial freedom, specifically, how to start and build a profitable business, the prospect must believe that entrepreneurship is the right concept for them as compared to other paths such as real estate, trading stocks, etc. They must believe in the CONCEPT.
2. Right Company: If for example, the prospect loves the concept of trading stocks from home and wants to learn how to do that, they then must believe (trust) you and that your company is the right one to teach them how to profit in the stock market. They must trust the COMPANY.
3. Right Salesperson: Truth is, that many a deal has been lost by a company with a great concept and great product because the salesperson failed to connect with the prospect and build trust, or they simply failed to effectively communicate the value proposition. They must trust the SALESPERSON.
4. Right Offer: If the prospect loves the concept and trusts your company to train them, they must also believe that your solution for equipping them with the necessary skills, is the best solution, that it will in fact provide the necessary training and support needed. They must believe in the quality of your OFFER.
5. Right Price: Now that the concept, company and offer all make sense, the price has to be right for them. This is always a function of perceived value of a future outcome. The more certain the promised outcome is, the less that price matters. They must believe in your PRICE, that it will deliver a good ROI.
6. Right Time: This is where a lot of prospects deny themselves the outcome they want by offering seemingly valid excuses for delay. As Solomon said, “He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap.” They must believe that now is the RIGHT TIME to proceed.
7. Right Fit: This is where a prospect believes all you’ve said, but doubts whether or not THEY personally will be able to succeed using your system. This comes down to an identity issue which like all other obstacles is easily solvable. They must believe THEY can do this, that it’s a good FIT for them. (This one is HUGE!)

We often spend too much time trying to persuade people to do something, rather than providing them with what they need in order to believe something! Allow me to amplify Hebrews 11:1 so you can understand what it is saying…

“Now FAITH (seeing with the heart or perceiving what is unseen) is the SUBSTANCE (foundational sub-floor, an underlying reality) of THINGS (realities, matters, pragmatic facts) HOPED FOR (future-oriented confidence, fortified by the character of the person making the promise), the EVIDENCE (that which demonstrates a fact so convincingly that we can face and see – imagine it as real) of things (realities, matters, pragmatic facts) NOT SEEN (not revealed by natural light)“.

KEY INSIGHT: We use faith as the flashlight to reveal the unseen realities that are ours to possess.

FIVE things you need to do…

1. Clarify things HOPED for! Start with identifying and amplifying the desired future benefits they are looking to experience. Hope is the anchor for the soul (Hebrews 6:19). Their hopes reveal what they are looking forward to. Your role is to help them get there, and to do that, you must learn where they’re wanting to go, what they’re wanting to experience and WHY.

• Instill FAITH (hypostasis): Cause them to “see” with the eyes of their understanding (Eph 1:18) the outcome they desire and you can provide. This is where you paint a picture of the unseen so vividly they too can see what you see. This is more than merely transmitting information. You must unlock their imagination with vivid descriptive language, and confirm they see what you see. (2 Kings 6:17)

• Provide SUBSTANCE: Trust and rapport form the underlying, unseen sub-floor upon which prospects can place their hopes and you can lay your evidence. There are seven ways Jesus built trust as outlined by Paul in Philippians 2:5-8. Rapport is what makes the planks of trust fit naturally and comfortably together. Rapport is built best by asking questions and taking sincere interest in someone.

• Provide EVIDENCE (elegcho): That which demonstrates a fact so convincingly that we can face and see – imagine as real those things which are not currently visible in the natural light spectrum. What hard evidence can you provide in the form of testimonies, case studies, data, demonstration, etc.? As Ronald Reagan famously said, “Trust, but verify”. People want to trust you, but need to verify your claims. As critical as evidence is, without substance (trust and rapport), resistance and skepticism will remain high.

• Call to ACTION: Embracing the unseen – Faith based action. Faith without works is dead. They can’t get to where they want to get without faith and if they don’t take action, it is impossible to get where they’re hoping to get. Most likely the best time to act was before today. The next best time is most likely today. By taking action today, we can redeem the time (get back that which was lost). WHY? Because the days are evil (full of labors, annoyances, hardships). (Ephesians 5:16)

Quite candidly my friend, what I have written above barely scratches the surface. There is so much depth here, it could easily fill a book. However, I am more interested in bringing transformation to folks, developing them into kingdom warriors each. That requires much more than the mere transmitting of information from me to you. Transformation is a process. And that process takes time and mentoring.

If that is a process you’d like to know more about, let me know. I’m currently developing a transformation program following the seven observable steps Jesus modeled that transformed His disciples into world changers and history makers! It’s definitely not for everyone. There will be a selection process, but for those who qualify, it will truly be life changing!

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I remain gratefully in His service!