"Wanted: Influencers"
by Tom Goodman
June 15, 2007

Whatever role you play at Hillcrest, you’re influencing someone.  Hopefully your influence goes the direction of the salesman I read about.

At Alan Smith’s Thought for the Day, there’s the story of a country boy who was hired for a salesman’s job at a city department store.  It was one of those massive stores that has every department imaginable.  In fact it was the biggest store in the world—you could get anything there.

The boss said, “You can start tomorrow, Friday morning, and I’ll come and see you when we close up.”

When the boss saw the young man the next day at closing time, he saw him shaking hands with a beaming customer.  After they parted, he walked over and asked, “Well, that looked good!  How many sales did you make today?”

“That was the only one,” said the young salesman.

“Only one?” blurted the boss.  “Most of my staff make 20 or 30 sales a day.  You’ll have to do better than that!  Well, how much was the sale worth?”

“$227,340 and change,” said the young man.

The boss paused for a moment, blinking a few times. “H . . . H . . . How did you manage that?”

“Well, when he came in this morning I sold him a small fish hook.  Then, I sold him a medium hook, and then a really large hook.  Then I sold him a small fishing line, a medium one, and then a big one.  I then sold him a spear gun, a wetsuit, scuba gear, nets, chum, and coolers.  I asked him where he was going fishing, and he said down the coast.  We decided he would probably need a new boat, so I took him down to the boat department and sold him that twenty-foot schooner with the twin engines.  Then, he said that his Volkswagen probably wouldn’t be able to pull it, so I took him to the car department and sold him the new Deluxe Cruiser, with a winch, storage rack, rust proofing, and a built-in refrigerator.  Oh, and floor mats.”

The boss took two steps back and asked in astonishment, “You sold all that to a guy who came in for a fish hook?”

“No,” answered the salesman.  “He came in to buy a blanket.”

“A blanket?”

“Yeah, an extra blanket for the couch.  He just had a fight with his wife.  I said to him, ‘Well, your weekend’s ruined, so you may as well go fishing . . . .’”

Whatever role you play at Hillcrest, you’re influencing someone.  You may not think of yourself as a salesperson, but you are.  In large ways and small ways, you’re persuading other people at Hillcrest for better or for worse.  You do it by the words you say, the level of interest you show, and the kind of example you set.

Because of you, people have decided to trust God instead of giving up.  Because of you, people have decided to quit complaining and join the cause.  Because of you, people have signed up as volunteers.  Because of you, guests have become convinced that Hillcrest should be their church home.

Don’t underestimate the power of your influence.  Wield some today!

—Tom

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