As you can probably already tell, I did not get a 100% on the sales midterm. The question about what kenosis is and how it relates to professional salespeople really stumped me. So I thought we could dive a bit deeper into this concept so that we don’t forget it ever again since it is important to know both in class and outside.
Definition
Kenosis comes from the Greek word ‘kenos’ which means ‘empty’. It is a term used in Christian theology which means the ‘renunciation of the divine nature, at least in part, by Christ in the Incarnation (Merriam-Webster).’ I think we have all heard of Christ leaving his Father to be born of a woman but how does this apply to sales?
We have noticed many stereotypes of a sales person which most people flee from. Many of these stereotypes consist of talkative pushy, overall annoying people. What are they doing wrong? They are focusing on the sale instead of the actual customer.
Application
The key purpose of the concept kenosis is to focus us on the right thing as a professional sales person. By emptying ourselves as Christ did through his incarnation, we are not focused on our wants and needs but the needs of others. We put our agenda aside and strive to achieve the agenda of the customer.
BoweryJE22
Don’t sweat it, Dith-Merra. Nobody snagged 100 on that exam. I’m also guessing that most got the Kenosis question wrong. I know I did, and the fact that you made this post suggests you did as well. Anyway, meditation is a great form of Kenosis! Try it sometime, thank me later.
I too struggled with the meaning of Kenosis on the exam. Thank you for clearing that up for me! It is so cool to me that we can apply this biblical term to sales and compare how we should act in a sales setting to how Christ acted towards others. To empty ourselves to a customer is to put them first and to look to their needs over our own. This is a term that applies to so many parts of life. Thanks for sharing!
Ugh this question blindsided me too. I appreciate the humor. I also hope this post got your anger out. We wouldn’t want an angry Meredith in Calc.