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Early in my business career, an economic downturn forced me to spend a significant amount of time selling. I took several 2-3 day road trips, racking up an impressive number of sales calls but very little new business. I was using the old numbers game, believing that the more calls I made, the more business would be landed. The results were disappointing, so I scheduled several more trips and jammed in even more prospect visits.
I was sharing my tale of woe with a friend who pointedly explained that effective sales start with effective research. My friend gave me some great advice that I was able to apply. My next several sales trips were better researched, groundwork more effectively laid, and the sales leads far better qualified. As a result, my trips were far less like a road race and far more effective.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Often we feel like we are between the proverbial rock and a hard place. We don’t know if we should break the rock, drill through the hard place, or just move to a different place.
We seem to have a built-in streak of stubbornness. Similarly, the prophets stated time and again how Israel was being stubborn and disobedient. One example was Moses who turned the Lord down five times by giving excuses before he finally accepted God’s assignment. Moses was able to move beyond his stubbornness to become the leader God wanted.
Jesus gave us a picture of persistence when He said, “Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?” (Luke 15:8 NASB) A careful search is an orderly process, starting with the most obvious and moving to the less likely, or starting in one corner and covering the entire house. If you looked thoroughly under the table, move on; don’t keep looking in the same place.
The key is to determine when we need to follow through diligently or when we are just being stubborn. Moses accepted the Lord’s direction and tools — Aaron was provided to help communicate (we all need team members with different gifts) Moses staff because all the more useful. On the other hand, consider Pharaoh. He remained stubborn through 10 plagues with devastating results.
Are We Being Stubborn?
Several questions will help us determine if we are just being obstinate.
#1—Is what I am doing actually working? I could see that my first several sales trips were not working to bring in any new business.
#2—If my current path is not working, why not? My friend was able to give guidance in why my current path of jamming as many calls as possible into a day was unwise and would not work.
#3—Can the problem be fixed, and if so, at what cost? I took more time in research and client qualification. I learned that allocating one day’s work on advance planning and two days in direct sales, rather than a 3-day trip, would result in far more sales. We do need to consider if the fix is worth the time and money. Some solutions may work but not be time effective or cost effective. I was able to travel less and use the extra time in preparation.
#4—Do we feel the Lord’s peace? Even in the middle of adversity, the Lord will give us peace to keep the course when we are in the center if His will. When we are unsettled, He may be asking us to change directions.
Part of determining God’s Providence in any situation is to pray for the Lord to open and close doors, and clearly show you the doors you need to walk through. The Lord can also use the counsel of others, like my friend who gave me very good advice on changing my entire sales approach.
Many people have defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. I believe this is also a good definition of stubbornness.
Determine if your current actions are working. If not, can you identify and fix the difficulty in a cost effective manner? Have you obtained wise counsel and the Lord’s peace?
Following these steps will enable us to get past our stubbornness and become effective business leaders.
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