Sell for Profit

by Patrice Tsague, Nehemiah Project International Ministries

Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, "Go sell the oil..."2 Kings 4:7a

No one has ever succeeded in business without selling something. As a Biblical Entrepreneur, the key to your success is how well you can sell the product or service that you produce. Unfortunately, many people look down on selling or are afraid to sell because of how they believe others will perceive them.

Selling is not bad. Selling is an opportunity to provide something of value to someone who needs it in exchange for something of greater value. Elisha instructs the widow in 2 Kings 4:7 to go to the marketplace and sell her oil for profit. She is able to achieve her financial goals through the sales she makes.

Everyone sells something. Selling is the key to natural provision. You either sell your talents to an employer or sell them to a customer. You are a number of sales away from your financial victory. What product or service do you have that you can sell for a profit? Here are seven things to keep in mind to be an effective sales person:

1. Know your product or service - You cannot sell something you do not know. Develop a knowledge base of your product or service; this will enable you to know how to present it to the customer or how it can best serve the customer.

2. Believe in your product or service - Never sell anything you do not believe in. Belief in your product builds personal confidence which draws customers.

3. Be persuaded that the product or service meets a temporal and/or eternal need or godly desire in the life of the customer - Though selling is a tool to generate money to meet your natural needs, you do not want to sell just to meet your natural needs. You want to sell because you are persuaded that your product or service meets a need in someone's life. It is not about you, it is about the customer. If you meet the customer's needs, your needs will automatically be met.

4. Ensure that the customer is ripe for the harvesting - Many times we try to force a sale, and therefore appear like a used car salesman to the customer. You must be able to discern the readiness of the customer to purchase the product or service. A sale should never be forced; rather, it should happen very naturally. You need to be able to discern how ready for purchase the customer is.

5. Close the sale - You may know how to make a sales presentation but have a hard time closing the sale. Closing the sale occurs when you stop talking and allow the customer to ask, "How do I get this product or service?" Once that question is asked, do not say more then necessary, just answer the question and bring the sale to a close.

6. Ask for the payment "Show me the money" - The sales transaction is not complete until the customer has paid or made arrangements to pay for the product or service. This is where many believers get stuck, they are afraid to ask for money. If you believe that your product or service has value and meets a clear need in your customers' lives, it would be unjust to not give them the opportunity to pay for it. That would be stealing. Do your customer a favor and ask for the payment.

7. Show appreciation - Once your customers pay, let them know how much you appreciate their business. Remember, you are not doing the customer a favor. Every customer is a tool that God uses to keep you in business, meet your natural needs, and enable you to make a profit. Be grateful.A sales transaction done well should generate a Biblical Profit. Biblical Profit is the spiritual and natural gains after all cost are deducted from the income of the business or the revenue. To be unprofitable in a sales transaction is to be a bad steward. Without a profit you will not be able to enhance your product or service, increase your capacity to produce, and most importantly fulfill God's covenant.

Profit is not just something that is coveted by greedy sales people; rather, it is an essential part of the ministry of business. Every unprofitable Biblical Entrepreneur will not be able to fulfill God's plan for his or her life and may even lose credibility as a believer. This is the reason why Matthew 25:30 states that the master "cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."