Leaning on God

I was faced with a tough situation.

Already in the 3rd month of my new job as a sales manager and the closing of the 2nd quarter, I had almost nothing to show. In May, 2 months into my job, I closed a paltry $800 sale. I know that if no significant improvement comes about in June and the closing of Q2, I may be shown the door.

I cried out to God about my situation. Actually He knows what I am going through. That's when He showed me in the second half of June that He will not leave me in the cold. In the last 2 1/2 weeks of June, He blessed me with sales exceeding $26,000 alone. Together with my team mate, we hit more than $30,000, not bad a sum compared to the past 6 months.

I know God is working with me as a team. On my own, I would probably have given up. Whoever has heard of a hearing-impaired (HI) sales manager? Sales is probably one of the professions that the hearing-impaired should avoid big-time. Doing cold-calls, meeting big groups of people, networking over lunches & tea-breaks, speaking at conferences and answering questions during Q&A - each of these activities is enough to leave a HI guy crying, and I did feel like crying at times when I can't hear what's being said and find myself in really awkward situations. Most people don't have the patience to talk to someone who is HI, much less someone who's trying to sell them something and is HI. You get my point. It's unlike any of the challenges I have faced in the past in my career.

But God is, as usual, beyond comprehension, and absolutely marvelous. I did ask Him to move me back from sales into where my strengths are, which is customer support, project management, and pre-sales consulting. But I am still here in Sales. And a deal exceeding $75,000 is expected today.

While I enjoy the blessings and provisions of God, I sometimes feel like Abraham in the Bible, when he "as good as dead" was looking forward to the promise of an offspring. A hearing-impaired salesman looking forward to the next big deal. I don't have the makings of a salesman. Quiet & reserved by nature, and hard of hearing. I don't socialise or talk much because hearing doesn't come easily. But I believe God is building my faith big-time, and I know He is faithful.

My boss commented that I am a "simple" person. I don't fit the bill of the typical worldly-wise smooth-talking charismatic salesman. He was in fact worried as to how I am going to deliver. I think he is still worried every day. I believe that, with God, a simple, straight-forward, hearing-impaired atypical salesman can sell, and sell well.

Each day is still a struggle for me as far as making cold calls & selling is concerned, but I know that I can lean on God for strength, wisdom, and favour.

May this be an encouragement to all who are going through personal struggles. Team up with God. You can't go wrong.

Agape.

Category: Sounding Board, cf_