And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:19 (NIV)
There’s a saying in the car business: “Today a hero; tomorrow a zero!” Translated, it means that you can finish a month with the best sales ever, but as you walk into work on the first of the next month, you have exactly ZERO car sales to your credit. In a business where you are paid 100% commission, every sales associate experiences the Hero to zero principle.
If I have not mentioned it before, God has arranged for me to be bi-vocational once again to His praise and glory. When it had come to a point where our young, church plant could not afford to pay me, God provided so that we could keep the doors open.
Now some would say that getting employed at Hansel Honda where I used to work prior to going into full time ministry had nothing to do with God. But, God had his hand-print all over this move. How else can you explain that Hansel Honda offered me a part-time (four days a week) position as their New Car Sales Manager with Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday off so that I could continue my work at the church and in the mission field God has given us? A Sales Manager in the car business with both Saturday and Sunday off? No way! And, you have to understand that there are NO part-time Sales Manager positions in the car business–especially when you hear what the boss had to say on the 23rd of last month.
March 23rd–the owner’s son who is running the dealership group (seven dealerships strong) assembles the management of Hansel Honda for a special meeting. It does not matter anymore that in February (my first month back), sales were up by 25%. We were heroes then. But, today, on March 23rd, sales are dismally behind projections. Our sister Toyota dealership down the street is spanking us in sales–they have just come off a 17-sold car Sunday. That same Sunday, Hansel Honda sold 6 cars. It was even mentioned that maybe the problem is that on Sunday, we only have one sales manager on duty.
Of course, if I was a full-time manager, there would be two sales managers on duty every Sunday. It does not matter that before I was hired, there were four days each week (Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Friday) when there was only one Sales Manager on duty. I can read between the lines. The challenge is made. We need to work smarter, follow up on every lead, make sure the sales associates are doing their jobs–as if this is a new revelation to us: “Yes, boss, I have been performing at 60% but now that you have asked, I will turn it up a notch.”
So, what do I do? I pray. Daniel 3:16-18 came to mind. So did Philippians 4:19. And look at what God did:
1. My boss, the General Sales Manager, came in the next day and announced that he was going to switch his days off from Sunday, Monday to Monday, Tuesday. He is now the only General Sales Manager in the dealership group to work on Saturdays and Sundays. If he decides not to work on Sunday, the pressure to be the second Sales Manager on Sunday would fall on me.
2. In the last eight days of the month, Hansel Honda sold more cars than in the first 23 days of the month, including an 18-car Saturday on the 27th.
Heavenly Father, thank you for revealing yourself, your Sovereign power and loving-kindness and grace. Thank you for continuing to provide for all of our needs according to your glorious riches in Christ Jesus. As we enter another month and another ZERO beginning, help us to see that you are all that we need. We pray in the name of your blessed Son, Jesus Christ. Amen!
