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Everything we talk about is either straight from the Bible or Bible-based. Sometimes we use Scripture, sometimes we don’t. But today I want to talk about a very important part of your life—and really, your business.
It’s something I believe every person needs to incorporate into their life, because every single one of us does this every single day. You do it with your spouse, you do it with your neighbors, you do it with people in your work environment—and that is selling.
People say, “I hate selling,” but the truth is, everybody is selling every day. In fact, on the day of this recording, I completed the sale of my daughter’s car. After 11 years, she finally got a new vehicle.
So we were in the market to sell her old one. We didn’t want to trade it in to a dealership because we knew we could get more for it on the open market, and that’s exactly what we did. Everything in business is selling.
We sell to customers, whether we’re selling a service or a product. We sell to our employees—we want them to catch the vision of our business: what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and how we do it. So we’re selling vision.
We sell to investors, if we’re looking for people to invest so we can expand or grow. That’s a sales relationship. If we have partners, we’re selling them on the idea that what we’re doing is in their best interest.
We sell our spouses on working weekends. When the job says, “You’ve got to come in on Saturday, we’ve got this thing going on,” then we have to go home and sell our spouse on why this is important.
“Hey, we had plans this weekend, but I’m not going to be able to do it. Work needs me.” And we start giving reasons to make it go over a little easier.
Even when you go out to eat, there’s usually a sales process happening.
“Where do you want to go?”
“I don’t know, where do you want to go?”
“Well, how about this place?”
“I don’t really feel like that.”
“Well, what about this one?”
That’s a sales process.
Some key sub-skills involved in selling are understanding human psychology and perceived value. People don’t buy on price—they buy on perceived value. The question is: does this have the value for what I’m going to pay for it?
With this particular car I sold to my daughter, it was very low mileage. It was an 11-year-old car. Most people in the United States drive somewhere between 10,000 and 12,000 miles a year. So over 11 years, even at the low end, you’d expect around 110,000 miles. But this car only had 49,000 miles on it because she doesn’t drive much.
So when I showed the car, I knew that for a 2014—anything 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 years old—this was one of the best cars on the market. Low mileage, everything worked, and it had never once been to a mechanic.
That’s how I framed the conversation. People would say, “I need a car for my daughter.” And I’d respond, “You want her safe. You don’t want her stranded on the side of the road. Compared to every other car in this price range—unless you go much newer and much more expensive—this is the car you want.”
We sold it in about five to seven days. I don’t remember the exact day it went live, but it was roughly a week.
What’s happening there? Psychology. People want to know that what they’re buying has value.
Now, the price I set was at the very top of the Blue Book range. Most people want to buy in the middle of the range. I did come down a little, but it still sold in the top 75% of the book value.
Why? Because I talked about features that mattered to the buyer based on how they would use the car. One buyer needed it as a commuter vehicle, driving to Fresno and back—about 45 miles each way. I told them, “You’re going to put a lot of miles on a car. You need something with low mileage that can handle that kind of driving.”
This all comes back to understanding human psychology and perceived value. Why do people want to do business with you? There might be five other companies that do the exact same thing.
Some people will choose purely on price. “If I can save a little money, I’ll go with them.” But most people want to enjoy doing business and like the person they’re doing business with.
So you need to be able to clearly answer this question: Why should I buy from you instead of someone else—or instead of doing nothing at all? That’s psychology.
One person asked me a question that really boiled down to trust. I told them, “I don’t lie. I’ll lose the sale before I lie to you.” They wanted to do business with someone they could trust.
I told them my philosophy: I’ll tell you everything up front. If there’s something wrong, I’ll tell you. In this case, the only thing the car needed was new windshield wipers—and that’s exactly what I told him.
We also have to learn how to hear “no.” Most of the time, “no” just means, “You haven’t given me enough information yet for me to make a decision.” Don’t take it as rejection. Take it as information.
Sales become repeatable when you build repeatable processes. You have to realize that everything you’re doing is selling. You’re selling yourself. You’re selling why someone should do business with you. You’re selling why your price—if it’s higher—is still worth it.
You also need to master follow-up. Most sales happen between the fifth and the twelfth contact, yet most people quit after the first or second attempt. They assume, “They don’t want it.”
Follow-up shows conviction. It keeps your name in front of people. Everyone knows Coca-Cola, yet they still spend millions on advertising every year. Why? So when you’re thirsty, you grab a Coke.
We want the same effect. Not millions in ads, but enough contact that when someone is ready to buy, they say, “I’m going to call David. He followed up. He seems honest. He answers my questions.”
Here’s the truth: if you can’t sell, nothing else really matters. You’ll just live reacting to life. You won’t keep a business very long.
Once you accept that everything in life revolves around selling, you can get better at it—without being a greasy salesman. The goal is trust.
I once sat in a financial sales meeting before I was licensed. The licensed agent asked the questions, but every time, the clients turned to look at me for the answer. Afterward he said, “You have incredible credibility. They trust you.”
Why? Because I look out for people. I’ve told clients, “This isn’t right for you.” Right now, I’m working with someone where I could move them into a product I sell and make money—but it doesn’t fit their goals. So I’m helping them set something up where I make nothing.
That’s my style. I care more about results than a paycheck. And I have no problem with money—money flows. I’m comfortable with that approach.
Teaching is also selling. You’re presenting ideas and asking people to buy into them. Even deciding what to watch on TV or what to eat for dinner is a sales process.
Once you understand this, you start structuring your language around trust. Scripture tells us to esteem others higher than ourselves. Make sure it works for them without undercutting yourself.
Thank you again for joining us on Business, Money, and Christianity. We’re a financial podcast from a faith perspective. These principles work if you work them.
One last example: about 30 minutes after the car sold, the buyer called me. There was one more spot on the title that needed a signature. I met him again and brought my daughter down to sign it.
The sale was over, but my responsibility wasn’t. I still treated him with respect.
No matter how big or small the deal, or even if you make nothing—always work as unto the Lord, and He’ll make sure everything works out.
Thank you again for joining us. I’ll see you next week on Business, Money, and Christianity, a financial podcast from a faith perspective.
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