Lessons from Some Unconventional Salespeople

A few nights ago, my wife and I had the opportunity to engage in a religious discussion with a couple of Mormon missionaries. All cards on the table, we are Christians--traditional, Biblical, book-chapter-verse Christians. So, we admittedly did not have the most open-minded intentions in inviting the young duo over for a visit. What fascinated me most about this encounter, though, had very little to do with religion and a lot to do with sales. Before they even stepped foot in the door, it occurred to me: Mormons are salespeople.

Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz write in Bruce and Stan's Guide to Cults, Religions, and Spiritual Beliefs, "By all measurements, Mormonism--also known as the Church of Latter-day Saints (LDS)--is the most successful blended-belief cult in the world. With membership topping 11 million worldwide, it is the largest. With more than 300,000 converts a year, it is the fastest growing. And with assets of somewhere between 25 and 30 billion dollars, the Mormon Church is also the wealthiest." Need I say more? These people are clearly serious and unwavering in their message...and it shows. Therefore, I think there are some things that salespeople can learn from them:

1. You are not a salesperson. You are a missionary. Mormons, for the two years following high school, go on a missionary trip, sharing their message door-to-door. And they describe it as that: a mission. It is not a pitch. It is not a swing. I is not a shot. It is a mission. They are prepared. They are committed. They are resolved. Maybe we would do better to take our "mission" more seriously. Have many of us really believe our sales message? I can tell you from the conversation my wife and I had with these people, they may be absolutely delusional, but they I have little doubt that they are sincere. They believe in what they do. It is never a drudgery. It is their life. What about us?


2. Make an appointment. Call to confirm. These are, of course basics, but it astounded me that they actually did it. They stopped by and spoke with my wife first. She said that I would be home Saturday evening and they would be welcome to come back then. They asked her, "How about eight o'clock?" She agreed. About an hour before 8 on Saturday night, they called and asked if eight o'clock was still okay? They asked for the appointment. They set it. They confirmed it. How many salespeople today settle for "popping in sometime Monday afternoon." Mormons planned on coming back on a specific date and at a specific time and made sure that it happened. What about us?


3. Find common ground. The one gentleman's opening words: "Our message today is one to us that is really important. And, to us, it's centered around Jesus Christ. So, just to get that one question out of the way that many people have, "Are Mormons Christians?" The answer is yes; yes, we are." They knew that my wife and I professed to be Christians. They approached us by recognizing where we come from and insisting they they come from the same place. We in sales may call this "building rapport." How often do we skip this step?


4. State your intentions. "Understanding our message comes through time, through reading, and through prayer. It's something that we can just explain all at once. We're not here to make anyone accept or reject our message. It's just inviting everyone basically to come to Christ through faith in him, through baptism, receiving the holy ghost, and enduring to the end. That's really our purpose as missionaries: that's what we do." They made no mistake about what they were hoping to accomplish. Basically, he said, "We're not going to shove anything down your throat but these are the steps to our salvation and we are going to show you why you should take them." I at no point in the conversation was confused about what they were expecting from me. How many of us as salespeople find it awkward to ask for the sale because the customer never really knows if that's what we are attempting to accomplish? We need to state our sales message clearly and explicitly. If the customer doesn't know why we are there, then we have no business being there.


5. Ask questions about your customers and their relationship to what you are selling. At the beginning of his pitch, one of the gentleman stopping talking and turned the conversation on us. He asked us, "What are some things in your lives that testify to you that God loves you?" In asking this question, the gentleman was able to understand what God meant to us and to tailor his presentation toward that definition. It was brilliant. How often do we as salespeople fail to ask our customers about their background, their business, the "widget" they are currently using? "What are some things in your business/life that testify that widgets are beneficial to you?" Do we ask questions to understand our customers or do we make assumptions about how they experience themselves in relation to what we are selling?

Okay, I could go on and on. The point is that these people mean business. They are hitting the pavement, going door-to-door, speaking with strangers about very uncomfortable, controversial subjects? What are we doing? If these people can talk to strangers about God (and not even the conventional God), can't we muster up the courage and committment to talk to our customers about widgets. If these people can believe so passionately in something they "feel" is right, can we not acquire the same believe in the product we have seen produce proven results for customers time and again? No, sales in not religion. But it is important. High school is over; it's time for our mission to begin.