Learning from the Master

Okay, so you must know by now, loyal readers, that I receive a lot of business books. All kinds of business books, many of which have very compelling titles that, not surprisingly, get my attention. And the latest to arrive has definitely gotten my attention. It's called "God is a Salesman." Well, I knew that. But before I go on, please understand that my intention here is not to offend in any way. Some of us believe in God, some of us have different gods and for the purposes of this post, just think of your favorite higher being, which could on some days simply be your favorite chocolate bar as far as I'm concerned. Of course I don't think that's what this author had in mind . . .
Written by bestselling author Mark Stevens, the slim edition (which could be read in the time it probably takes to eat a small bag of movie popcorn) gives us one more perspective when it comes to figuring out how best to serve the customer. And even if you don't have direct customer contact you could still learn a thing or two about what it means to understand the people who actually use/buy your company's product/service.
According to Stevens, "God is a salesman, because He is an influencer, an educator, and a force that enables us to bridge the gap between what we see and what well may be a greater truth." In other words, successful salespeople skillfully show their prospects why it makes perfect send to buy from them and, conversely, why it's not such a good idea to buy from the other guy. Of course successful salespeople rarely mention the other guy, but that's the beauty of their strategy. The prospect ends up doing that all by himself by drawing that invisible line in the sand that has him on one side and everyone else on the other. (And please understand that I am including both men and women here when I say he. I'm just being a little lazy. I'm composing this during that crazy week between Christmas and New Year's, when I am completely mixed up about the days and hence get a little fatigued . . . ).
To get us started, Stevens starts with this: He says that God treats everyone as family. He writes, "The wise salesperson will learn from The Master and relate to customers and prospects as virtual family members as opposed to strangers, targets or marks to be sold."  Adopting this perspective, says Stevens, emboldens not only the salesperson but the company, too. What's particularly refreshing though not exactly new is this notion that the whole is bigger than the parts.