“Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds” Proverbs 27:23
I have been doing some work this week on my vision and mission statements which I will share next week. In the midst of that I have been giving a lot of thought to my team, my customers and my family.
Have you ever created a program or an idea for your business and it was a flop? Okay, I will admit that I have had my share of flops. In my days of being a program person in the non-profit arena creating a program was fun and exciting. There were some that weren’t very successful. The same thing has happened when I have copied ideas from other consultants – some worked and some didn’t. It always took some reflection to figure out what caused the flops versus what was the reason for the successes.
The bottom line was always – I didn’t know my “herd”. I didn’t pay attention to my current market of customers or my team or even in some cases my family. I thought I knew best. I thought I could do it alone. I thought everyone would love it because I did. Well, we know how that works, right? Now, I am not saying that we need to please everyone, all of the time. What I am saying is that we need to have a hand on the pulse of what is happening not only in their lives but also within the community.
Jesus sought to meet the needs of His customers by ministering to their needs as His Heavenly Father revealed them to Him. He could not meet their real need for salvation until he met their basic physical needs. Once he was able to meet the physical need, He could reveal the true need they had.
Some of your “customers” have a perceived need for your product. But they also have a spiritual need they may not realize they have. How often have we heard, “my friends don’t have any extra money to spend” or “I have no time for a party” or “I need a real job” or “the products are too expensive”? Our customers have already set their fears in motion and as a result the walls are up to prevent us from booking, selling or even recruiting.
It has always been my goal to change the perception that people have about direct sales. I don’t want to be that “pushy salesperson”. I want to be the person who helps them come up with a solution to their current problem.
Maybe their budget won’t allow to shop BUT they can gather a few friends for a night out. Maybe they have a financial need AND you are able to show them how we can do some fundraising for them. Maybe they don’t think they have enough friends to have a party BUT you work together to have a small successful party. Maybe she really needs an additional income and she has no time BUT you can show her how she can make money while out and about doing their every day work and errands.
The bottom line is that you need to meet your “herd” where they are at, focusing on what they need NOT what is in it for you.
God wants to use us to meet both needs – physical and spiritual. That’s why it is important for you to know your customer.
Do you know YOUR customers?
Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!
Hope Wissel 