You probably know that I'm older than dirt and my mother and my wife have made sure that I've attended mass on Sunday more often than not. You may also know that occasionally I write about a sales lesson that I see in the sermon that week. Elaine and I are visiting Beau this week and this time it was Father Joseph Carver that shared the lesson.

Understand that I've heard the story about the Samaritan woman at the well a gazillion times, but never the way Father Carver told it and that's probably why I could see the lesson this time. (I wish I had recorded the sermon.)

Here we go...

The story begins:

7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”

(the story continues, but if I may, I'd like to skip ahead to the end.) 

39 Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him because of the word of the woman* who testified, “He told me everything I have done.”

40 When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days.

41 Many more began to believe in him because of his word,

42 and they said to the woman, “We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”

Here's the lesson. The woman told her friends, “He told me everything I have done.” In other words, he understands more about my world than I and helped me understand better and she was referring him to others and then they came to see for themselves and "they invited him to stay with them" and "Many more began to believe in him because of his word".

Isn't that a great outcome to a sales process? Make a sale. Reap an evangelist who brings you referrals.

You can read the whole story here.

BTW, if you'd like to master the Innoffensive Close, contact me.