Serving, The Most Potent Asset in Your Toolkit.

I stopped in the office of one of my long-time clients, he’s the owner of a car dealership. We were talking about all the normal things; along with politics, the craziness of this world, and what the future holds. This client is a close friend and fellow follower of Christ. In the early 2000’s, he purchased the Pontiac, GMC and Oldsmobile dealership from a guy who literally ran it into the ground. At the time of purchase, the dealership had a terrible reputation in the community. As we talked, my client said the first several years were hit or miss on the dealership being profitable. He decided to make a change and focus on a massive push to serve. He started by serving his employees, then his community, and of course, his customers. He felt if he could model service to his employees, they would, more than likely, serve each other and the community. Interestingly, just as the dealership started to turn a corner, GM discontinued the Oldsmobile brand. And to add more difficulty, because of the 2009 recession, the Pontiac brand also fell by the wayside. Due to no fault of their own, they lost two out of three of the brands they were selling; It didn’t look good for most dealerships, including theirs. But the servant’s heart of the owner and his employees literally saved the dealership. When so many dealerships were struggling, they were managing. The intentional, laser focus on servitude, planted the seeds for growth. Ironically, the Chevy dealership in that town went out of business; and because my client was ready, he was able to purchase the Chevy brand.

Through my sales training meetings, I have been so encouraged to hear the priority each of you place on serving. How blessed we are to know, Jesus set the example.

Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Ephesians 6:7-8 says, “Serve whole-heartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does….”

The great theologian Zig Ziglar once said, “You can get what you want in life if you are willing to help enough other people get what they want.” When you serve, it will come back to you. I’ll finish with a study I found in the book titled, The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon. The study states that the relationship with the sales rep has the biggest impact on customer satisfaction. Not the quality of the product, nor the service of the company; but you, the sales rep.

Listed below are the top seven attributes of service that buyers indicated had the greatest impact on customer satisfaction.
1. Rep offers unique and valuable perspectives on the market.
2. Rep helps me navigate alternatives.
3. Rep provides ongoing advice.
4. Rep helps me avoid land mines.
5. Rep educates me on new issues and outcomes.
6. Rep makes it easy to buy.
7. Rep makes sure there is widespread support from the organization.

If you notice, all the attributes are in the hands of the sales rep! What an incredible way to differentiate you from all the other media reps in your market. We serve the Lord by serving our clients.

Keep up the amazing work you’re doing, serving your clients, and serving the Lord!