Christian Business Insights

In my previous podcast, I noted some of the factors that combine to create an incredibly turbulent, complex, rapidly changing and information-saturated world in which we find ourselves.  Our ability to navigate these turbulent waters is the single biggest challenge we will face for the balance of our careers. In this podcast, I recommend a fundamental piece of the infrastructure we need to survive...

If you are a professional, a business owner, or an executive and you want to increase your sales, then creating and continually refining a sales system is the best thing you can do. An effectively managed sales system will provide you with methodical, predictable sales with more control and less frustration than anything else.           In an earlier piece, I described the concept of a sales syste...

Focusing on one or more target markets is one of the key processes to building a successful sales system for your business or practice. But, business people are often unsure of how to go about the process of identifying those markets that hold the greatest potential.  Here are seven strategies to help you identify your highest potential target markets.

Here's the fifth in my series of nominations for words which should be banned from the Christian's vocabulary:  'Church planter.'            I know, that really affronts the sensibilities of most readers. Most Christians hold 'church planting' up at the top of their list of noble endeavors. How could anyone question that?           Before you dismiss this idea as pure heresy, stop, take a deep bre...

The pace of change has increased, the growth in complexity has multiplied, and information has proliferated at an unprecedented pace.  We are in extraordinary times.  And unprecedented times call for unique and disciplined approaches if we are to survive and thrive.           In this podcast, I begin a series to help us dig deeper into the strategies that will help us survive and thrive in these t...

Acquiring new customers is one of those processes that frustrates and discourages most B2B sellers. It doesn't have to be a frustrating and discouraging process.  Like almost every aspect of a sales system, acquiring a new customer is a matter of understanding the processes and methodically implementing them in the right quantity and quality.           The starting point is developing a sufficient...

Once a year, a small college in Michigan publishes a list of words that should be banished from the English language.  These include words that have become incredibly over used, and still others that have been twisted to mean something entirely different from their original meaning. In the case of modern Western Christianity, we have a number of words that are so commonly used that the ideas they...

 At its most fundamental level, business is always and only about three things:  Money, people and systems. There is a huge body of content revolving around money in business.  When it comes to people, as an element in business, there is an equally impressive body of knowledge and infrastructure.   When it comes to systems, however, particularly sales systems, there is not nearly the quantity and...

In the case of modern Western Christianity, we have a number of words that are so commonly used that the ideas they convey have become part of our culture, are rarely questioned, and, as a result, have changed our behavior in ways that are detrimental to our spiritual growth and the growth of the Kingdom.  On top of that, they are non-biblical!           Here's the third in my series of nomination...

One of the biggest decisions a business makes is the decision on which market segment to focus.  'Market segment' is the term that describes a group of suspects and prospects who have something in common. One of the most powerful principles of effective sales systems principles this:  Define your target market as narrowly and precisely as possible. In this podcast, we unpack that powerful strategy

In our modern Western Christianity world, we have a number of words that are so commonly used that the ideas they convey have become part of our culture, are rarely questioned, and, as a result, have changed our behavior in ways that are detrimental to our spiritual growth and the growth of the Kingdom.  On top of that, they are non-biblical!           Here's the second in my series of nominations...

On-boarding a new employee typically involves someone(s) to train the new employee, and weeks training the new person.           But what if you could develop a system that eliminated much of that training time?           Years ago, we developed a tool that was originally conceived as a way to rapidly and painlessly bring a new field salesperson up to speed.  Since then, we've found application fo...

In modern Western Christianity, we have a number of words that are so commonly used that the ideas they convey have become part of our culture, are rarely questioned, and, as a result, have changed our behavior in ways that are detrimental to our spiritual growth and the growth of the Kingdom.  On top of that, they are non-biblical!           This is the first of a series on words that should be b...

Very soon we'll be confronting the next wave of change as our companies and our jobs lurch back to something resembling pre-Covid normal.  The question in the back of every executive's mind is this:" How do we handle the post-Covid changes?" The Sales Leader's Excellence and Influence Course: https://www.thesalesresourcecenter.com/kahle-way-sales-management-system-course/

It seems like more and more business people have lost the ability to say no. That's too bad.  Being able to say no is a higher level skill that is advantageous in both business as well as life in general. Those who don't master the art of saying no are forever doomed to an immaturity in their business skills, while those who can and do say no operate at a higher level of skill and social finesse.

"I practice my Christian faith when I involve myself and my family in the programs of the church.  My business is my business – that's something else. The two don't have much to do with each other."  That comment expresses a pretty common view of the relationship between Christianity and business. My guess is that most Christian business people hold that belief.           Unfortunately, that belie...

:  Most people would love to have a richer, fuller, more fulfilling life.  It is human nature.  Fortunately, there is an age-old formula for attaining one. In this podcast, I'll share my personal experiences and perspective.  

So, what do you think you can do for us?"  The CEO had finally gotten to that question after a couple of hours of introduction to his company and their specific marketing problem.            They had a successful company, selling acoustic panels through architects for buildings that had a sound problem.  A year or so ago, they had developed a new product – a computer-operated sign board that allow...

Our current level of electronic noise makes deep thinking almost impossible. We are living at a time when the noise level of incoming messages has reached epic proportions.  It's like sitting in the front row of a rock concert.  The level of noise is so great that you can't discern a single word. This produce multi-tasking, and that eliminates deep thinking, and threatens your business and  our so...

Do you want to know how well your organization learns?           In a world that is changing more rapidly today than at any previous time in human history, the consistent practice of learning is the only sustainable long-term strategy. Organizations need to learn quickly and often or they will not survive. The podcast "How Well Does Your Organization Learn?" discusses what it takes for organizatio...

Over the last 50 years, in the space of one or two generations, we have lost the culture.  We have removed God from a central position in our culture and, in His place, have substituted the idols of our times.  It's an incredible turn of events.  Here we were, the richest, most prosperous, most Christian nation on earth; founded on Christian principles by Godly men, with a rich culture of God in o...

Failure can be a powerful influence in building our character. In this podcast, we look at a couple notable failures and consider the relationship between failure and the powerful character traits of pride and humility.  This can impact your life and your career. Check out The XI Community: https://x-icommunity.com/groupchristianbusiness/

Nike just reported on its 2020 initiatives and shared its five-year plan to expand its impact on the world. The company has set the standard for corporate community responsibility that puts Christian businesses to shame. In so doing, Nike is setting a new bar for what it means to be a socially responsible company in today's society. This should be a wake-up call for Christian businesses. It is tim...

The world is filled with marketplace Christians who are content with a shallow Christian presence in their business, afraid of the consequences of a more visible, deeper approach.  But what if the benefits far outweighed any discomfort that might come from stepping out and more visibly embracing Christianity in the marketplace?  What if that which we would gain so far outweighs our small sense of...

The world is filled with marketplace Christians who are content with a shallow Christian presence in their business, afraid of the consequences of a more visible, deeper approach.  But what if the benefits far outweighed any discomfort that might come from stepping out and more visibly embracing Christianity in the marketplace?  What if that which we would gain so far outweighs our small sense of...