{"id":3316,"date":"2013-10-16T09:00:17","date_gmt":"2013-10-16T09:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spontaneousdevelopment.com\/sdnuggets\/?p=3316"},"modified":"2013-10-16T11:48:08","modified_gmt":"2013-10-16T11:48:08","slug":"meeting-buyers-needs-is-about-competence-not-religion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/meeting-buyers-needs-is-about-competence-not-religion\/","title":{"rendered":"Meeting Buyers' Needs is About Competence, NOT Religion"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"If you don\u2019t start attending Church we cannot work together<\/strong>\"! Yes. A REAL client recently told me that \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0And it was not my first experience<\/a>. It\u2019s unfortunate that I have to say this. But since 2002, when I became self-employed, ONLY clients who claimed to be \"Pentecostal Christians\" have ever<\/strong> ever made my religion an issue in this manner.<\/p>\n

NB:<\/strong> Everything I describe in this article, is with specific reference to my personal experiences in Nigeria\/Benin Republic. Yours may be different.<\/em><\/p>\n

And That\u2019s Why I Feel Obligated to Write About This Problem<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Of all the possible challenges that can arise in interpersonal relationships, I have found the one relating to religion, the most potentially destructive. <\/em><\/p>\n

First of all, let me state here that I have met and enjoyed wonderful relationships with clients who profess Christianity (some Islam), and live exemplary lives. None of them ever made my religious disposition a condition, for relating with me on a business or personal level.<\/em><\/p>\n

However, I have also come across phonies\/zealots, who made a big issue of religion in their relationships.<\/p>\n

No matter how hard you try to avoid it in your business conversations, they eventually have to ask you: <\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cSo where do you worship?\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The minute you say you\u2019re not a Christian, or you do not attend church, or you\u2019re not born-again, your problems with them begin!<\/p>\n

The typical zealot will consider it his\/her duty to \u201cconvert\u201d you at all costs. <\/em><\/p>\n

Now, this should normally be an act of love i.e. to want to help another person get closer to God, the way THEY know how.<\/p>\n

However, it must be with consent of that person:<\/em><\/strong> If after hearing you out, s\/he chooses to stay where s\/he is, you must respect his\/her decision. <\/em><\/p>\n

That\u2019s where these zealots fail to get it:<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you, as the person they speak to, do NOT agree to convert, they may go as far as not hiring (or buying from) you.<\/p>\n

And they may not even care if you are the most qualified to handle the project (or your products are th best)!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

And if they\u2019d already hired you, like in my case with the client mentioned above, they may proceed to threaten you with NOT awarding future jobs to you.<\/p>\n

My Ability to Construct a Bridge, Fly a Plane, or Build Software, Has LITTLE to do with My Religion<\/strong> - and EVERYTHING to Do With My Proven Competence!<\/h3>\n

If these people had their way, they\u2019d go checking to see if the pilot of the plane they are to fly in, is born-again or not.<\/p>\n

In fact, make the mistake of putting them in ministerial positions, and they'll probably announce that the most plane mishaps occur when an \u201cunbeliever\u201d is flying the plane!<\/p>\n

By the way, the foregoing may not be far fetched\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Recent reports have it that (following the latest air disaster last week), Nigerian legislators plan a prayer session, to ward off future plane crashes. <\/strong>A shocking example of people blinded by religion, chasing shadows, and leaving the substance unattended!<\/em><\/p>\n

People Who Give Conditions Based on Religion, Often Aim to Exploit<\/strong><\/h3>\n

They frequently have ulterior motives. Typically, they would say \u201cGod will bless you\u201d or \u201cDo it for the lord\u201d or \u201cI\u2019m your brother or sister\u201d.<\/p>\n

All in a bid to get your products\/services at lower rates that will often be unprofitable to you. But they would NOT care how badly your business could get hurt \u2013 no matter how much you appeal to them.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why they\u2019ll work hard to \u201cconvert\u201d you. So you\u2019ll find it hard to say NO.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re especially gifted in areas they have needs, expect this to happen. <\/em><\/p>\n

My versatility makes me encounter this often\u2026but I\u2019ve learnt how to deal effectively with them.<\/p>\n

What You Can (Indeed SHOULD) Do...Anytime a Client Gives Religion as a Condition<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"Quote<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If you ever come across a client who says \u201c<\/strong><\/em>If you don\u2019t attend Church I won\u2019t hire (or buy from) you<\/strong>\u201d\u2026or something similar, do NOT give in.<\/p>\n

Unless you truly believe that to be the way for you\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

I connect with my creator in a way that works for me. That\u2019s why my<\/strong> response to such threats has therefore ALWAYS been the same: <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cDo whatever you feel will best serve your interests, Mr\/Ms\/Mrs. (name).\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

(NB: <\/strong>Like I\u2019ve told many people, I depend 100% on my creator to open doors of business or personal advancement opportunities for me. So, nothing ANYONE says or does can stop me getting what is mine!<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Guess what? <\/strong><\/p>\n

In most cases, the same clients assign me additional projects \u2013 or even extend my mandates!<\/h3>\n

Sometimes the individual would later say to me:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI assure you Mr. Tayo. You\u2019re going to be a pastor one day\u201d. <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

To which I would respond (with a big smile plastered across my face) with something like this:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI guess only God himself will decide that. So far though, he's not told me any such thing\u201d.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And that\u2019s what a true believer in God should do: <\/strong><\/p>\n

After \"telling\" the (supposed) unbeliever, leave the rest up to God. Don't demand s\/he join your religion (supposedly on behalf of God) as a condition for buying his\/her products\/services<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"If you don\u2019t start attending Church we cannot work together\"! Yes. A REAL client recently told me that \ud83d\ude42\u00a0And it was not my first experience. It\u2019s unfortunate that I have to say this. But since 2002, when I became self-employed, ONLY clients who claimed to be \"Pentecostal Christians\" have ever ever made my religion an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[266,10],"tags":[786,787,788],"class_list":["post-3316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-my-dn-travel-news","category-self-development","tag-meeting-buyers-needs-is-about-competence","tag-not-religion","tag-what-if-a-client-says-if-you-dont-attend-church-i-wont-hire-you-again"],"aioseo_notices":[],"views":1143,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3316"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3316\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3323,"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3316\/revisions\/3323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}