To combat the root of all evil  we need to go to the beginning. You probably all know the story. Adam and Eve eat the apple (fruit) which they weren’t supposed to eat, and that’s the first sin.  If we dig deeper into the details, we can find some useful lessons for the sales professional in the battle against the root of all evil. This original sin isn’t about eating fruit. It’s about selfish pride.

This kind of selfish pride whispers to us that we deserve more. It’s this selfish pride that causes us to play the “keep-up-with-the-Jones” game (jealousy).  This same selfish pride feeds the unhealthy love of money. The root of all evil.  As sales professionals we live in a money-driven world.  This makes battling selfish pride and resisting temptation our constant battle.

What are the sales lessons we can use to fight pride?

Lesson 1: Be grateful. If you cannot be grateful for what you have, then having more will not change that.

Adam and Eve had everything they could ever want and still, they wanted more. It wasn’t enough.  The only thing they didn’t have was to be just like God. Without gratitude for everything they had, they allowed selfish pride of wanting more to cause their poor decision. As sales professionals, we should always be driven to sell more by assisting our customers, but we’ve got to be careful not to let ungratefulness poison our decisions.

Lesson 2: Get accurate information from a trusted source before deciding on your action.

Adam and Eve listened to one information source and then decided to act. The snake didn’t share accurate information, but they both believed it.  Then, they chose poorly. As sales professionals we are constantly receiving information from multiple sources. While no one may be out to directly deceive us, we need to confirm our information with multiple sources before we act.

Lesson 3: Speak up when you know someone is making a poor choice!

Some people like to point out that Eve actually made the poor decision, not Adam. But, what they fail to point out is that Adam was standing right there with Eve. He was right there next to his wife, watching this conversation take place, and he chose to remain silent and do nothing. As sales professionals, selfish pride can cause us to look the other way when core values are about to be compromised. We should never compromise our core values just to make a sale.  We need to speak up when they’re in danger of being compromised.

Lesson 4: Accept responsibility for your mistakes

When God asks Adam if he ate from the tree, he immediately blames Eve and then he blames God. When God questions Eve, she immediately blames the snake. As sales professionals, we will not always make the best decisions because pride continues to be a struggle for us all. When we do make a mistake, we need to own it.

Leaders and sales professionals with core values rooted in selfish pride may achieve worldly success, but it’s a lonely path that will never lead to true significance.

Still fighting the selfish pride,
Russ

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