No Hard Sell
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation…”
Mark 16:15
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Matthew 9:37-38
A knock on our front door interrupted our quarantine game night of Wii Frisbee golf this past Friday night. Two young ladies were offering to clean our front room area rug (“it’ll take only 20 minutes!), and my husband took them up on their offer. They said they would be right back but 15 minutes later, a young man and a different young lady appeared holding a large box with the words “Kirby Vacuum” splayed across it. Since I hadn’t answered the door and didn’t totally realize what was happening until they came in, it was a bit too late for us to say “no”. We were in for an in-home demonstration of all that the latest Kirby Avalir vacuum cleaner, a solidly built behemoth of a machine compared to my nimble Dyson. The friendly young man started to careful vacuum our rug, starting and stopping to put in filters that would demonstrate the amount of dirt, cat hair, and old glitter from fallen Christmas tree ornaments that my Dyson had left behind. We left him to himself while we continued playing, pausing when he called us in to show us those filters and telling us about the features of the Kirby. He demonstrated various comparison tests between the two vacuum cleaners, and asked us what we thought of the Kirby and how much we thought we could pay for such a machine. When he revealed the amount, which was almost twice than the figure we threw out there, I knew we were going to be there for a while. When I explained that my husband was laid off from his job and we just weren’t ready to make any big expenditures, I was met with care, concern, and the simple double-digit monthly payment amount if I financed through Kirby for the next four years (at 21% interest, I might add).
This enterprising young man asked if he could show us what his machine could do for our mattresses by using a different color filter that showed the amount of human skin and dust mites that was on our bedsheets. It was a compelling demonstration, I will admit, but one that did not convince me to purchase the vacuum for the original $2248 asking price or even for the cheaper amount of $1648 after knocking money off because of my allergies and Kirby’s partnership with the American Lung Association. I asked if we could get his card and contact him after my husband and I talked about it, the salesman said that this was a one-time offer with a decision that would have to be made in person that night, as that’s how their business model worked. We wouldn’t need to do any research on the vacuum, he said, because he was demonstrating the research live for us.
When we thanked the young man for his time but stayed resolute in our refusal to purchase the vacuum cleaner, reiterating the fact that this simply was not a good time for us, given my husband’s recent job situation, the young man smiled and said that he understood, but that we really couldn’t afford to miss out on a such a great opportunity, given how great the vacuum was and knowing how the economy was going to rebound and the like. With a smile and a firm “no thank you”, I told the young man that it was getting late (this was around 10:15 Friday evening. What was promised as something that would take 20 minutes took about 2.5 hours, though we continued playing on the Wii during his set up and vacuuming), and he said he understood and that he just needed to let his supervisor (the young woman who came to the door with him) know. Everyone who has purchased a car from a dealership knows that when the salesperson goes to get his or her manager, we were going to get the next-level hard sell from her, charming and personable as she was. And we did. After asking our assessment of the vacuum and its comparison to my Dyson, and hearing our feedback with a firm reminder that we weren’t in a position to purchase, she came back with a figure that, she explained, was cutting greatly into their commission, but that she’d be willing to do “because I like you guys, Miss Laura.” Her last question was to go with the presumptive close: “how would you and Mr. Don want to pay for it? Monthly installments or pay cash?” I stood my ground, and they packed everything up and headed out the door, the “quick demo” finally over.
I hadn’t even realized that the Kirby folks were still doing door-to-door sales, especially in this online, one-click purchase environment. I do feel bad that the young man spent so much time trying to sell us a fairly decent vacuum cleaner, schooled in the counter arguments potential buyers might throw at him. His supervisor made the requisite personable small talk, trying to connect with me on a personal level, asking about our grandfather clock and my work at USAA. I get it—it’s more difficult to say “no” to someone with whom you’ve made a connection. They both exhibited a great knowledge of sales tactics; alas, they were lost on us that Friday evening.
As believers, we are commanded to share the gospel with yet-to-be-believers and part of our mission is to make Jesus known to others. Although Pastor Kevin used to say that “we were in sales, not management”, we do not have to use sales techniques when we talk to the lost. We don’t employ any pressure tactics; in fact, there isn’t anything we do to make the proverbial sale. Our testimony should be genuine and factual, led by the Holy Spirit to share our story at the right time. The Holy Spirit is the One who stirs the heart of the one we are sharing our story with; we need only be obedient and open to share at the Holy Spirit’s prompting. No theatrics, just sincerity; no emotional guilt trips, just a testimony that demonstrates the depth of the love and grace of Jesus Christ; no judgment, just love.
Are you ready? He is with you. Go share!
Prayer Requests
· For those who are facing diagnoses that are scary, especially during these times
· For families of Gloria Richter and Ruby Milton, as they face their beloved wives and moms in hospice care
· For all pastors and leaders during these challenging times
· For us to seek to understand God’s lesson for us in this
May we do all we can to truly walk in obedience to His word, and to share His love with those who don’t know Him yet.
Quotes
“We are very good lawyers for our own mistakes, but very good judges for the mistakes of others.”
“Spiritual maturity isn’t measured by how high you jump in praise but how straight you walk in obedience.”