Selling God’s Way is a book that explains how to apply biblical
principles to all aspects of professional selling: Prospecting, Questioning,
Presenting, Closing, Servicing, and Handling Objections. Filled with biblical
scripture and stories, the book presents the best way for any salesperson to
maximize their income and business relationships, regardless of religion. Many
people all over the world, and throughout all of time, believe that biblical
wisdom remains the most valuable forever.
Can you
tell us a little about the process of getting this book published? How did you
come up with the idea and how did you start?
I came up
with the idea while in a hospital near death from a bacterial infection. I was
in desperate financial straits. While lying in a hospital bed I remembered
hearing a sermon on the two times in the Bible where God miraculously gave
people money. One was in Matthew 17:24- 27; Jesus told Peter to go fishing, which
was his occupation, he was a fisherman. Peter found a large silver coin in the mouth
of a fish. This coin provided enough money to pay his and Jesus’s taxes.
The other
occasion is in 2Kings 4:1-7. Elisha, a prophet and miracle worker, went into
the home of a widow who was in a desperate financial situation. A creditor had
threaten to take her sons as slaves. Elisha asked her what she had in her home
and she replied, “Nothing at all except a flask of olive oil”. Thereafter,
Elisha gave her instructions on selling the oil to her neighbors. The widow was
able to sell the oil, pay off her debts, and live off what was left over.
So, I asked myself
two questions. What is my occupation? Answer: I am a salesperson. And what do I
have in my home that my neighbors-community may need? Answer: The word of God
(The Bible), and my relationship with Jesus for guidance in any line of work.
So, I
decided to write the book “Selling God’s Way”. To prepare myself to write a
book that hopefully many would deem as excellent I read two books. 1. “On
Writing Well: The Essential Guide to Mastering Nonfiction Writing and Effective
Communication” By William Zinsser.
2. The other
book was on how to write a book proposal. I cannot remember the author or the
exact title.
To get the
book published, I sent out over 100 emails. My emails would be query letters or
condensed publishing proposals.
What
surprised you most about getting your book published?
The amount
of time it took to find a forthright competent publisher, who I felt was
committed to excellence. That is what surprised me the most.
Tell us a
little about what you do when you aren’t writing?
I love spending
time with my family, especially my granddaughter. I’m also a huge sports fan.
So, I watch a large number of basketball and football games, both college and
professional. I also love to read,
primarily non-fiction.
As a
published author, what would you say was the most pivotal point of your writing
life?
There were
two pivotal points. One was after reading the book titled “On Writing Well: The
Essential Guide to Mastering Nonfiction Writing and Effective Communication” By
William Zinsser. I learned a significant amount about writing from that book.
The other
pivotal point is when I discovered the website “Writer Beware”. There seems to be an overabundance of
scammers and incompetent professionals in the publishing business.
Where do
you get your best ideas and why do you think that is?
I get my
best ideas from things that burden my heart. If I see people struggling with
something that I can relate to, I write to give them a perspective of someone with
their same issues and goals, who follows Jesus. I also write to communicate
“Good News”. Especially to those who are lost or suffering like I was. The
world is filled with people who are suffering and lost. Hopefully, my writing
will find their way into the hands of people who could use some good news,
those living outside their Promised Land.
Too many people
search for ways to attain love, peace, and joy in all wrong places, inadequate
people, and false cultural promises. They’re also seeking solutions regarding
security and success from things they learned from celebrities, secular
leaders, or their story tellers. They are trying to find a certain type of
love, peace, and joy-happiness. They want to experience these things in
abundance. They also want these things for people that they care about as well.
Despite all
the places they search and all the time and money they invest they are all
still lost, as they continually worry. I too was like that. So, I write to help
from an ancient perspective of time-honored wisdom. Many believe that Biblical wisdom is the most
valuable knowledge. We know that following Jesus is the way, He delivers true
peace and forgiveness for everything we do in error, all our sins. He gives us
a path to an eternal paradise. Most importantly, He gives us the Holy Spirit as
a wonderful comforter and councilor. This is the “Good News”.
Galatians
5:22-25 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and
self-control. There is no law against these things! 24 Those who belong to
Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his
cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us
follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. New Living Translation.
NLT
What is
the toughest criticism given to you as an author?
It’s
criticism related to my platform. Some publishing professionals will not accept
my work because I don’t have a large enough platform. They fail to realize that
my work is all about doing things God’s way. God’s has the world’s best
platform with millions of followers all over the world.
What has
been your best accomplishment as a writer?
Most would
say that it’s getting the book “Selling God’s Way, Maximize Your Income and
Business Relationships” published. But I would say that it’s seeing training
material that I wrote 10 or 20 years ago still used today.
How many
unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
I have two
books that I’m currently writing. One is titled “Competing God’s Way”. When
completed, it will be a compilation of interviews with seven to ten Christian
athletes and coaches. These men and women will tell their story of how they
became Christians and how that translates to their sport and competing,
especially as it relates to winning and losing.
The other is
a historical fiction book that I’ve been working on for two years, titled “The
Lost Book of Moe”. It’s about a man who was part of the five thousand people
that Jesus fed during His Sermon on the mountain. This man named Moe, loses his
faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior, but regained it because he was part of the
500 people who saw Jesus after he was crucified and resurrected. Even though
the book is fiction, it must be biblically accurate.
Michael P. Hamer is a lifelong salesperson whose journey in selling began at
the age of seven on the streets of Gary, Indiana, where he sold eggs with his
grandfather, a deeply religious man who helped shape Michael’s values
and work ethic. Throughout high school and college, Michael continued honing
his sales skills, selling products typical of his peers, books door-to-door in
Los Angeles, and advertising space at a theater in Cambridge,
Massachusetts.
Michael graduated from Boston University with a degree in
communications, concentrating in advertising and marketing. Following
graduation, he spent nearly three decades in advertising sales within the
radio and television industries in the Washington, DC market. Over the years,
he held a wide range of leadership roles, including Account Executive and
General Sales Manager.
In his final media position, Michael served as
Sales Manager for WAVA Radio, a Christian teaching and talk radio station.
Throughout his career, he earned numerous awards and recognition for both
sales performance and management excellence. Despite his success, Michael
observed a growing lack of service-minded behavior and people-centered
priorities in business. Motivated by his love for salespeople and his deep
commitment to God’s Word, he wrote Selling God’s Way to offer a
faith-based approach to ethical selling that strengthens relationships,
reduces stress, and aligns business success with biblical principles.
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