Perhaps the most important business model found in Scripture is found in the Old Testament in the pattern established with the Tabernacle of Moses, the place where God promised to conduct His business with man. You see, God has an enterprise. He is taking it where He wants it to go. He has competition from a ruthless, inferior competitor, yet He is not threatened or worried. He has a great plan with wonderful strategies which have been hidden in plain sight in Scripture, but only revealed to the spiritually discerning (1 Cor 2:14). The tabernacle God had Moses build reveals much about the way God does business with us, and the lessons we can derive from that are far reaching for sales and business in general.
I know the Tabernacle of Moses is a type or shadow of the true tabernacle of God in Heaven (Heb 8:2-5), but it is very important to note that God laid out the precise design of that earthly tabernacle which Moses built. Every aspect of that tabernacle is extremely important, highly significant and the things you can observe from God's attention to detail are profoundly practical in business. The central theme I want to look at in this article is the concept of "sacrifice" and I will identify seven sacrifices you can make that will cost you dearly but reward you greatly!
1. Give up the couch
The first station of service you see when you approach the tabernacle is the altar of sacrifice. There were six sacrifices offered on the altar (one short of the perfect seven), and it was needful that Christ come and fulfill what was lacking and be sacrificed once and for all for our redemption. Too often we are content to stay in our comfort zone and become lazy, even if we look busy.
Succeeding in sales is not about being busy, it is about being effective. It's not about our comfort; it's about the needs of our customers and putting them at ease with us so we can earn the right to serve them. In order to serve them well, we will need at times to sacrifice our own comfort and idleness (or false busyness) to accommodate those needs. How many sales have you lost because a competitor was prepared to make a greater sacrifice than you? Sacrifice in sales is not a one time event; it is an ongoing position of service we choose to take for the customers higher good.
2. Give up complacency
The next principle of sacrifice is represented in what was called the "burnt" offering. It was the one offering where the total animal was sacrificed. None was to be eaten or shared with anyone. It was completely burned up. In sales this speaks of sacrificing complacency or half-heartedness. To win in sales, we must give our best, our all, and do that every time we interact with customers. This will mean that you will work with fewer prospects in any given time frame but your conversion rate to customers will go through the roof.
3. Give up your spare time
The next principle of sacrifice is represented by the grain offering. In the Old Testament, they would bring a sacrifice of grain but only a handful was actually burned. The rest went to the priests who had the responsibility of feeding the people spiritual food. This grain came from a renewable resource and I believe it represented giving of their cash flow or income to invest in their own spiritual and intellectual growth. In short, they sacrificed stinginess and invested in the ones who were making their knowledge and guidance available. To me this speaks of investing in your own training. Most sales people I know spend more time perfecting their golf swing so they can entertain potential customers than they do investing in their own personal and professional growth which will pay them much bigger dividends! When was the last time you turned your car into an education center, listening to tapes or CD's that will teach you Biblical truth applied to the sales profession? Who do you know that is currently accomplishing what you want to accomplish and is a person you admire that you can invest in to glean some of their wisdom? Call them up and invite them to a nice lunch or a steak dinner. Break bread with them at your expense and you will be surprised at the dividends that will pay.
4. Give up the complaint box
The next sacrifice was called a peace offering. It was a voluntary, festive sacrifice of thanks given to God when one wanted to express gratitude for the blessings one had received. Family and friends shared in the offering because only part was consumed on the altar and the rest was enjoyed by their guests. This was an opportunity to sacrifice complaints, to give up negative talk and to use this occasion to build their network of relationships. When is the last time you decided to quit griping about things that aren't working out well and focus on the good things that abound around you and share that joy with others? If you want to limit your network, just hold on to your right to complain, but if you want to attract a strong support network, be sure to share your gratitude with others. Consider a customer appreciation day where you grill out hamburgers or put out a spread for your customers. Invite a few prospects as well. They will interact with your satisfied customers and be quick to proselytize on your behalf.
5. Sacrifice your ignorance
Next, it's time to sacrifice your ignorance. I am speaking of the sin offering which was typically sacrificed for inadvertent sin or sins of omission. We all fall short in serving our customers and many times it's because we don't know a better way. Take customer surveys. Listen to the feedback you receive. Don't tolerate ignorance and don't accept "average"! When you find an area needing improvement, don't plead ignorance any longer. Basically, be teachable. Don't justify your mistakes. Admit them and learn from them. Learn from others who are succeeding where you are not. Practice continuous improvement in yourself first, and then in your processes.
6. Give up your pride
Don't forget to sacrifice your pride. I am referring to the trespass offering which was usually offered for known sin like breach of trust, fraud or concealing a crime and always involved restitution. When you drop the ball with your customers, don't make excuses. Make it right. Take responsibility. Experts say when you make a mistake with a customer, they will repeat it to several others, but when you sacrifice to make that mistake right to the customers satisfaction or beyond, they will tell twice as many people.
Restitution in the Old Testament usually involved a multiple of the original amount involved, depending on the circumstance. Consider what you can do to "wow" your customer when you drop the ball. Turn that negative situation into an opportunity to shine. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone has lapses in judgment. How you respond to yours will greatly impact the reception you receive in the marketplace. Years ago when the new Saturn car line was introduced, a defect was found and the affected cars were recalled much to the shagrin of the new Saturn owners. To their surprise however, instead of repairing the glitch, Saturn destroyed the cars and gave all the owners brand new automobiles! That story was headline news and did more to favorably impact Saturn sales than much of their paid advertising.
7. Give up your mistakes
Lastly, there was one more offering that was optional and was called a "drink offering". This would typically be an offering of wine and offered with the grain offering, only it was entirely poured out or "wasted". The idea of pouring out a drink offering is that there is no turning back. Once it has been poured out, it is gone for good. What's done is done. I believe this can speak of sacrificing your regrets. Yes, we have all made our mistakes, but let's choose to leave them behind. Don't carry them forward. Make restitution where possible and then press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Don't get bogged down in your failures. Bring closure to them and look to a brighter future. God's mercies are new every morning (Lev 3:22-23) and He daily loads us with benefits. (Psa 68:19). Practice these seven sacrifices in your sales or business career and you will reap a harvest of return that confound your competitors while rewarding you richly.
This article provided by ChristianBusinessDaily.com -- The Online Network for Christians in Business. Your source for news, articles, and commentary from a biblical perspective.
About the Author
Michael Pink is a contributing author of ChristianBusinessDaily.com
