Most of the time when we think about sales, we only view it in a consumer context. A salesman gives a quick pitch, and the consumer decides whether or not to give the salesman his or her business. However, as we have learned in class, everyone engages in sales in one way or another. One reason for this is because sales is essentially a conversation where one party identifies a pain and offers a solution to help cure that pain. We do this in many different aspects of our lives. We “sell” when we meet new people, apply for jobs, and date. One way we also sell, surprisingly enough, is through spreading the gospel.
Now, I’m not saying that Christ is a product that Christians need to sell in the old use of the world. I’d argue that Christians should not come off as sales-y, or we seem to resemble Jehovah’s Witnesses. However, we can use some of the sales techniques that we learned and apply them to a faith context.
1. Ask Questions
Believing in God is a very personal, complicated journey. Helping someone along with their faith isn’t telling them what to believe, it is getting to know them, connecting to them, loving them, and gently guiding them in a direction that they want to go. Don’t make ministry about you. Although sharing your testimony can be moving, remember what spreading the gospel is really about. Ask people what they care about and take an active interest in those aspects of their lives.
2. The Professional Seller does what he did as a dummy, on purpose.
We all had a period of time where we were lost. Whether that was before Sunday School at 4 years old or for most of your young adult life, we all have experience where we had fundamental questions that we wanted answers to. Why does God allow suffering? What does God want for my life? How could God love me? When sharing your faith with others, it’s important to keep the perspective of what it was like when you starting out with your faith. Be patient, give lots of encouragement, and never make anyone feel stupid for not knowing more “obvious” answers.
3. The Problem the Prospect Brings You is Never the Real Problem
We are broken people. Usually, when someone begins to speculate about the existence of God, it’s a result of a challenge that has happened in their life. This is especially true if the person is older. Maybe a family member died, or they feel dissatisfied with a life full of crazy parties, or a loved one is struggling. No matter what the problem is, the true issue is that we are all fallen people who need a loving and powerful God. This doesn’t mean to ignore what they tell you, but it’s a good reminder with how to view their problems. They might be struggling with why they feel the way that they do or might be looking for God in ways that don’t seem obvious. At these times, it is crucial that we see all of us as equals. We are all broken, and we need Jesus to stitch us back together.
BoweryJE22
Thank you for writing a post about this! It is so cool that the sales processes we are learning about can be applied in other areas of our lives. We are called to spread the Good News and these techniques might just work! Also, thank you for ending your post with this truth: We are all broken, and we need Jesus to stitch us back together.
Loved this perspective! It is so interesting to relate something we are learning to the Gospel and how we can use our academic experience to make us better consumers of the Truth and better sharers of Jesus’ love for us!