Professional Visitors
One of the most remarkable men that I know has been a successful sales executive with Federal Express (or FedEx, as it is popularly known) for the past three decades. I not only like this brother, but I also like the company that he works for and I like his profession.
It is hard anyone not to like Federal Express, especially if you know the company’s incredible and inspiring backstory. Started in 1971, the company grew out of a research paper that its founder Fred Smith wrote while he was a student at Yale University. No one had ever thought of delivering packages overnight. Smith proposed it. His professor thought the idea was ridiculous and gave him a “C” grade for the paper. Luckily, Smith ignored his professor. By ignoring his professor, Smith revolutionized an industry, changed countless lives, and made a boatload of money. Last year, Fedex generated $94 billion in sales!
Not only do I believe that it is hard for anyone not to like Fedex, it is hard for me not to like anyone in sales. Many years ago, someone gave me a copy of the book “The Greatest Salesman Who Ever Lived.” I wasn’t impressed by the title, so I tossed it on my bookshelf. Several years later I saw it, thought of the person who gave it to me, and decided to read it out of obligation. When I put it down a few hours later, I was shellshocked. The last sentence of the book blew me away. The author argued that the greatest salesperson who ever lived was the Apostle Paul, because he sold Jesus! I was definitely not expecting that conclusion, and it revolutionized my appreciation for and understanding of the significance of the science of selling.
As a result, I am always picking my sales sherpa’s brain for insights on how to sell. A couple of months ago, he shared a book with me that he said had shaped his sales approach. The book identifies 5 types of salesmen. The first type is called a “professional visitor.” This is the kind of salesperson who is always visiting potential customers, but never makes a sale. It almost immediately occurred to me that the label “professional visitors” not only applies to sales professionals. Multitudes deserve that label.
Professional visitors are those who always have a smile, but never follow through. Professional visitors are those who hang with everybody but really don’t know anybody. Professional visitors are those who show up at the beginning but never stick around to the end. Professional visitors are those who are always in your face but never make it into your heart. Professional visitors are those who talk a good game, but are allergic to commitment. You never know who they really are, what they really believe, what they really are about, and what they really stand for. Professional visitors are everywhere. But they are really nowhere. They stop by, but never stay long enough to make an impact or a difference.
A great preacher that I know would often say that “God is everywhere, but God is nowhere if God isn’t somewhere.” What he meant by that is God must meet us in certain times and in certain places for his presence to be real. When you have an encounter with God, you will always remember the exact time and the exact place.
God paid us the ultimate visit when he sent his son Jesus to the earth. One gospel writer described that unforgettable event in an unforgettable way. He wrote:
The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish. (John 1:14 MSG)
God never just visits us. God wants to move into the “neighborhood” of our lives. God wants to know us and be known by us from the inside out, and from start to finish. So my question for you today is simple. But it is definitely not simplistic. Are you a professional visitor? To who and to what are you committed?
It is unwise to treat life like a game of hopscotch.