As a Christian business owner or sales professional, you want to create an effective sales strategy to grow your business. The question is how to do this while also adhering to your vision and values. You may have been told by peers in your church community that sales is a less-than-noble profession, or perhaps a pastor advised you as a business owner to “pray but not push” when it comes to growing your business, and let the customers come to you.”

Prayer should absolutely be a centerpiece of your strategy and direction as a Christian business leader, but the Bible offers many valuable insights that can help you gain greater clarity about your entire approach — and lead you to lasting sales success.

To take a truly Biblical approach to sales strategy, keep these key points in mind:

• Understand the place of sales in your vision.
• Identify how sales success can drive impact.
• Listen to understand your customers’ needs.
• Know how to respond with honesty and integrity.
• Stay focused and commit to consistency.

1. Understand the Place of Sales in Your Vision

When you think about your life as a Christian, chances are you think about your family, your church community, the less fortunate in your community, and perhaps other organizations or efforts with which you have been involved. Now, think about your company and its customers, employees and partners.

Consider that it is your success in sales that allows these stakeholders to prosper as well. You provide solutions that allow customers to lead better lives or build better businesses. You provide employment that enables your team members to support their families. You provide business opportunities and personal integrity that allows other companies to trust in you and your leadership. In short, sales is a central component that makes your vision possible. Understanding this will empower you to focus on sales strategy unapologetically.

2. Identify How Sales Success Can Drive Impact

To begin developing an effective sales strategy, start by envisioning how sales success can create valuable impacts. Whether you are volunteering in a church mission during the weekend or ministering to the marketplace during the week, everything you do has an impact. Your sales career is what allows you to make a difference.

Whether you sell a B2C or B2B product or service, think about how it improves customers’ lives. For example, if you sell basement remodeling services, consider that by helping homeowners turn their basements into a living space you enable them to have a better quality of life – and improve the property value of their homes. Or if your company provides mobile paper shredding to local businesses, consider how what you do protects your customers (and their customers) from privacy risks, and how you reduce the burden of administering this vital function for the companies you serve.

3. Listen to Understand Your Customers’ Needs

One reason many Christians look down on sales is because they feel that it is a ‘dishonest’ discipline, too often practiced by people with obnoxious or pushy tendencies or self-centered (and therefore un-Christ-like) attitudes.

How ironic, then, that the best-performing sales professionals are often those who speak the least. Remember that customers may have an idea of what they need, but in reality they are lacking knowledge and understanding that you have to offer. However, that knowledge is of no value if you can’t apply it to each customer’s unique situation.

That’s why the key here is listening. Consider how much Jesus listened before taking action. Throughout the Gospels, story after story recounts how people approached Jesus and asked him for help, after which he asked them questions or discussed their unique situations before taking action. The same traits will serve you well and should be practiced regularly. Focus on asking diagnostic questions, listening intently to the answers, and probing for a deeper understanding.

4. Know How to Respond with Honesty and Integrity

One challenge that comes with deeper listening is that you may be more inclined to recognize potential challenges. Perhaps the prospect really doesn’t need the solution you offer, but would be better-served by another one offered by your competitor. Maybe one of the customer’s primary requirements is not ideally addressed by your product, but you are confident that your company’s service is top-shelf and will deliver better value over the long term.

At times like these, your trustworthiness and integrity will serve you well, and ultimately lead to better sales results. Explain the options with clarity, demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of each option, and empower your customer to make the best choice (which may well include your company in the end).

5. Stay Focused and Commit to Consistency

As Christians, we know that focus and consistency are keys to our faith. Focus means recognizing God’s hand in our lives, every day and in every way. Consistency means making time for prayer, ministry and outreach every day during dedicated quiet time, and every week through our church and Christian community.

The same Biblical disciplines apply for sales strategy in your business.

God calls us to reach the world with kindness and love every day – one person at a time. For you, that occurs as you make sales calls, send emails, meet people and develop new relationships, day in and day out. It requires always keeping in mind the ultimate goal that can be achieved as you master sales success:Each ‘sale’ benefits everyone involved: You, your customers, your employees, your partners and the community at large.

The best businesses are those who treat each customer as an individual person, and who appreciate and respect their intrinsic worth. Take this approach and apply it to your sales strategy, and you will see both short-term and long-term gains in your business growth as you develop a reputation that transcends the trends of the hour and creates lasting loyalty.

Want to begin your journey toward Christian sales success? Learn more about Biblical Sales Strategy services available through Sell Like Jesus or Contact Deb today to get started.