Body Building and the Door to Door Experience – Part One

OK if you read the title and thought this post was going to be about my exploits in the world of poses and huge biceps, triceps and the like then you might as well stop reading now.  That is not the sort of Body Building I have in mind.  (Sorry to disappoint you … I know you were looking forward to seeing all those photos with the trophies and everything.)

Recently I’ve had two experiences with people who have knocked me door asking for my help for charitable causes.  They were two very different experiences and in their way reminded me about my own experiences of door to door work and something of what it is to be the Body of Christ.  (And that’s where the Body Building comes in. See. Well hopefully you’ll see by the end of the little series.)

The first guy who came along, knocked on the door, waited until I came to the door, acted as though he knew the whole door-knocking deal can be inconvenient, but was still assertive enough to talk about the cause he was representing. I had to help him with the bottom line of the money, but he was affable and amiable enough to garner my attention.

Indeed after a few challenging issues, I was actually happy to give what I had to give to the cause, and the guy was genuinely grateful, not just in the ‘thanks-for-the-money-bye’ way, but in the way that considered me a human of worth with whom he could possibly develop a friendship.  Not that he was in for that, but those pal-type of relations makes things run so much smoother.

He got that response because of the humble attitude with which he approached the whole affair.

The second guy was more … driven.  When he knocked on the door, he was waiting with the tried and tested method of getting to the point, appearing friendly but still having a pitch to give and by golly by gosh he surely was going to deliver that pitch.  To help with the friendliness thing, he asked questions about my shirt, about what I was doing, about the football score.  Indeed I was surprised that he didn’t go onto ask for my complete autobiography (it’s not yet available on Amazon, chiefly because I haven’t written it yet).  In the most earnest well meaning way he was pushy, nosey, too forward and too much in the mood to sell the product he had on offer.

I am certain he will be a successful salesman because he has the right tools to succeed in the aggressive market.  He can deal with the dog-eat-dog nature of sales, and take the knocks and bounce back better than ever.  He can do that because he is driven and focussed on meeting his targets and hitting his goals.  Commendable qualities, I’m sure you’d agree, but somewhat unsuited for a plea to get me to spend a few minutes to consider the projects being developed to help others.  It was so clinical, it was almost hard to believe it was geared at something for a charitable cause.

It would come as no surprise for you to learn, that the guy was not even given the ‘two minutes’ to talk of his projects despite the various positions he tried to get it in.  He may very well get interested customers, but he didn’t get one in me, all because his manner and appeal was lacking for the humanitarian cause.

These episodes reminded me of my own experiences of door-to-door work … which I’ll share in the next entry.

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

dmcd