Sadly, some question the validity of the selling profession as if it’s an unclean thing, not recognizing that it is neither moral nor immoral. For them, selling is a dirty word. They shun it, they dislike it, and they refuse to come to terms with it or to grow in their understanding of it. For their lack of knowledge, they slowly grind away in their mediocrity, living well below their God given potential as life slips by them, one unfulfilled dream after another. In a word, they begin to perish.
What happened?
They were sold! Somewhere in life, they bought into the lie that selling is something you do to someone – for your profit, rather than with them – for mutual profit. Being decent people, they didn’t want to play that game. They’d seen the wolves thriving in the business arena virtually unchallenged and agonized internally over their prosperity, finally accepting the platitude that “nice guys finish last”. After all, they would rather be a nice guy and finish last, than a wolf and finish first, as if finishing first and being a nice guy were somehow mutually exclusive.
In the grand game of commerce, wolves and sheep compete for the same slice of the economic pie. In preparation for the contest, wolves don sheep’s apparel to ply their cunning ways under cover of implied innocence while hiding the devious essence of their soul.
Many a sheep on the other hand, has traded the innocence of their soul for the crafty ways of the wolf, in a sorry attempt to level the playing field and win their “fair share” of the business. At the end of the day, they’ve become sheep in wolves clothing and that anguished, lonely howling they hear in the night – is their own.
But there’s another breed arising!
They’ve learned to walk close to the Shepherd while competing boldly with the wolves. They know how to keep their sense of balance in a most uneven world without adapting the predatory habits of their fiercest competitors. They walk with confidence into the lairs of any corporate boardroom and do not flinch, because they know the Shepherd is with them and they’ve learned His ways.
In sales, it’s that kind of sheep that wins, and wolves move on to easier territory, which brings me to my point: Nice guys can and should finish first. If you’re a nice guy who’s not finishing first, don’t blame the wolf. Don’t blame your company or the product. Don’t blame the economy and especially don’t blame the customer.
Look yourself square in the eye and accept full responsibility for your actions and results. There will always be “reasons” why something didn’t work. Accepting them for your personal justification will be your downfall. Unless failure becomes an unacceptable option, it will become an unavoidable routine.
Until next time, Be fruitful AND Multiply!
IMPORTANT NOTE…
The Selling Among Wolves sales philosophy is a core component of the MPI Christian Business Institute. Due to recent attacks on our infrastructure, our launch has been delayed until mid August. However, I can tell you the educational value from an unashamedly Christian worldview, translatable into measurable, tangible results is astounding and certain.
IN ADDITION to LIVE online training, it ALSO HAS over 100 Bible studies on the topic of sales alone. You have never seen anything like what we have in store. Get ready to be blown away! When you recover from that, get ready to blow away the competition! (Nicely of course.)
If you have not already indicated your interest in learning more and would like to receive the introductory videos that provide some of the teaching and details of what the MPI Christian Business Institute is all about, please click here and let us know your interest.
While this program is not free, (nor should it be) I can assure you of two things…
1. You will be hard pressed in all of your life to find any business educational program that is built upon and framed within a Biblical context while delivering real, God honoring results measurable in increased income.
2. We have made a way that is unheard of in either the educational or business world to scholarship a significant portion of the tuition.
I look forward to sending out the videos in early August so you will have a better idea of what’s coming and so you can prepare to invest in your mind, while building up your soul and strengthening your faith.
2 Cor 10:4 says, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”
Obviously if not physical weapons, then not physical strongholds. I’ve come to realize God is gently deconstructing my defenses against truth. I like your comment about not erecting excuses for failure. Anything that we rely on other than God will be torn down if God loves us; He knows only He can provide success.
Selling Among Wolves concept attracted me years ago when heard that alternative perspective in snippets on the radio years ago. I want to be true to who God has called me to be in business. Thanks for this message, Michael!
HI Lance… Thanks for the insightful comment! I appreciate your heart to walk out your faith.
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Blessings!
Michael