When people think about sales, they probably think of some slick, fast talking man in a tweed suit with elbow patches and a bold bow tie. This person is just trying to make a sale, and does not try to solve the problem that the consumer has, or even try to alert them that they have a problem. They push and push until the buyer gets annoyed and leaves, or feels so pressured that they just buy what good ol’ Slick Rick is trying to sell. But what if we could change this paradigm in sales?
Especially from a Christian sales perspective, I believe that we ought to care for the buyer. If the salesperson asks intentional questions that allow him to understand what exactly the buyer is after. The salesman has to balance two things here, his own desires and the desires of the buyer. The desires of the salesman can range from just simply putting food on the table for his family, or racking up sales numbers in order to climb the ladder. The desire of the buyer is to come home with a solution that will fix their problem at an agreeable price point, within their budget. I think that the salesman has to look beyond the dollar sign, and care mostly about the need of the customer. We all know that word of mouth is the best form of advertising, and if we can create a comfortable environment for the buyer, they will talk about their wonderful sales experience, generating more business and thereby more sales. Thus revolutionizing the stereotype behind the salesman.
BoweryJE22
I love the way you explained the importance of empathy in sales, especially from a christian perspective. In all roles, we are called to love one another, so a christian in any sales role should be honored to help someone solve their problem or at least happy to be honest in advising the customer to go another direction.
I like how you wrote about both the Christian call to be honest and caring to customer, as well as the lucrative potential in being an upstanding salesman. With everything that God commands us to do or not to do, there is a reason. Not only is it hurtful to our souls to go against His commands, but there is also an underlying tangible repercussion to sin, even if it isn’t always noticed. The tangible repercussion of being a slimy and deceptive salesman is lost business. When we behave like a good Christian in sales, our businesses will be more likely to prosper.
Your absolutely right in what you say. Customers have problems, pains, wants, and desires to which it is our job to find the best solution for them.