Jungle Warfare: A Basic Field Manual for Christians in Sales

By Christopher A. Cunningham

“Paul admonished all of us to ‘fight the good fight.’ In Jungle Warfare, Christopher Cunningham tells us how to not only fight but how to actually win. This book is recommended reading for Christians in the arena of sales.” —Tim Lee, Evangelist, Marine Sergeant from the jungles of Vietnam, www.timlee.org

“Athletes, salespeople, and Christians, we are called to persevere regardless of what is thrown our way. As a Dallas Cowboy, I learned to tackle that lesson first hand. Chris’s book reminds us there’s no quit in a winner. Read this and you’ll remember you really can ‘do all things through Christ who gives you strength.’” —Bill Bates, NFL All-Pro and Pro-Bowl Player, Safety, Dallas Cowboys NFL Champions (Superbowls XXVII, XXVIII, XXX)

ARE YOU READY TO FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT?

Every other sales book promises you great riches, cute techniques, and “amazing” questions to get your customer to buy from you.

This is not every other sales book.

Commerce and combat join forces in Jungle Warfare. Your enlistment asks for a 22-day tour of duty to explore battle-tested principles that Christopher Cunningham mined from his grandfather’s World War II field manual (stay fit . . . keep your wits . . . know your enemy . . . trust your commander) and culminates with a field-support Q&A addressing thorny questions that all professionals face.

Every day, you walk through a jungle. Pick up this book and you’ll never walk through it alone, again.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Aug 9, 2010
• ISBN: 9781401604486

Christopher A. Cunningham

Christopher A. Cunningham is a salespersonwho has worked at the vice president level in marketing on both domestic and international advertising and public relations programs. He is a frequent corporate and retreat speaker.

Book preview

Praise for Jungle Warfare

Athletes, salespeople, and Christians—we are called to persevere regardless of what is thrown our way. As a Dallas Cowboy, I learned to tackle that lesson first hand. Chris’ book reminds us of the best of what all champions know—there’s no quit in a winner. Read this and you’ll remember you really can ‘do all things through Christ who gives you strength.’

— Bill Bates

NFL All-Pro and Pro-Bowl Player

Safety, Dallas Cowboys NFL Champions

(Superbowls XXVII, XXVIII, XXX)

"As Christians in this present world we find ourselves in constant warfare. Paul admonished all of us to ‘fight the good fight.’ In his book, Jungle Warfare, Christopher Cunningham tells us how to not only fight but how to actually win. This book is recommended reading for all who hope to be successful in their own battles, but especially for those Christians who are in the arena of sales. You will find yourself referring again and again to sections of this book to help you fight the good fight."

— Tim Lee

Evangelist

Marine Sergeant from the jungles of Vietnam

www.timlee.org

JUNGLE WARFARE

A Basic Field Manual for

Christians in Sales

JungleWarfare_0003_001

Christopher A. Cunningham

A 22-day Power-Packed Battle Plan

JungleWarfare_0003_002

© 2010 by Christopher A. Cunningham

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [e-mail].

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from THE ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION. © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Cunningham, Christopher A.

      Jungle warfare : a basic field manual for Christians in sales / Christopher A.

    Cunningham.

            p. cm.

    ISBN 978-1-59555-147-4

    1. Selling. I. Title.

    HF5438.25.C86 2010

    658.8'1—dc22                                    2009052636

Printed in the United States of America

10 11 12 13 14 WC 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

Introduction: It’s a Jungle Out There

Part One: Battle Plans

DAY ONE You’re in Enemy Territory

DAY TWO The Sales Professional’s Creed

DAY THRE Wild Hogs and Leeches!

DAY FOUR Close Fighting

DAY FIVE Use Your Compass

DAY SIX Take Refuge

DAY SEVEN Open the Lines of Communication

DAY EIGHT The Battle Is for Your Soul

DAY NINE Fit to Command

DAY TEN Safe Rations: Living Water

DAY ELEVEN Trust the Higher Commander

DAY TWELVE Disciplined Deliverance

DAY THIRTEEN Be Still

DAY FOURTEEN The Importance of Salt

DAY FIFTEEN A Worthy Battalion

DAY SIXTEEN Lift Up from Below

DAY SEVENTEEN Semper Fidelis

DAY EIGHTEEN Army Ants

DAY NINETEEN Pray for Your Enemy

DAY TWENTY Advance

DAY TWENTY-ONE On Patrol

DAY TWENTY-TWO Run into Battle!

Part Two: Jungle Warfare Field Support

How does God feel about abundance?

What is a Christian to do with alcohol or even drugs?

Is it okay for a Christian to be angry?

Does God care about my sales numbers?

What is a Christian to do with the competition?

Is it okay to ask God for courage and sales?

What if my customers don’t like me?

What do I do when I get depressed or burned-out?

I feel alone. What should I do?

I compromised my integrity. What do I do now?

Sometimes my job seems so hard. What do I do?

What do I do when stepping out into something new?

I just lost my job! What happens now?

What do I do when I don’t feel thankful or satisfied?

God, will You please help me?

What do I do when faced with sexual temptation?

I feel lost. What do I do next?

What do I do with success?

How can I learn to work hard or stay motivated?

What do I do when I’m exhausted?

What do I do when I’m worried?

About the Author

Acknowledgments

Introduction

It’s a Jungle Out There

My granddad, D. H. Sykes, was thirty-eight years old when he answered the call of the United States Army in 1943. He was the oldest man drafted in his unit. It never occurred to him to skip out on his duties.

He was called, and he went.

As a supply sergeant in Europe, Granddad didn’t see any action, but Old Doss was appreciated because of his sense of duty, love of country, and most of all his love of freedom. There are worse things than war, he said to me once. "What would that be, Granddad? I asked. His reply: When men lose their freedom."

Everything I saw him do was filled with integrity and a sense of true determination. He also had a twinkle in his eye and was a fantastic storyteller.

When he passed away in 1988, I received his Basic Field Manual on Jungle Warfare dated December 15, 1941. It became a treasured gift because it was his—but in a sense it was also a relic and seemed to have no practical use in my life—until recently. Thumbing through it again, I saw he had scrawled his name inside of it—and I became aware that he was dedicated to being prepared no matter what came his way. And then to serving how and where he was assigned.

As my job in field sales continued to get tougher, and as the economy tightened, I began to look for a way to toughen my own resolve and to exceed the sales goals that had been issued to me. I had opened Granddad’s field manual just to reconnect with him; what I found was strong medicine for difficult situations.

As a Christian in sales, I try to be as tough as I can when I am out on the road and away from family . . . but it really is a jungle out there. We run the risk of being tripped up, wounded by the competition, and even killed spiritually if we give in to all the temptations we face on the road. The parallels are obvious: Stay fit. Keep your wits about you. Know your enemy. Serve your leader well. For those of us who are on the front lines in sales every day, it is tough, and we need a field manual as well.

I share this book as tribute to Granddad Sykes—and as tribute to the brave men and women who defend our country every day. They are the true warriors. We are privileged to work and live in a country where they stand in harm’s way on our behalf; and they do it without hesitation.

Rules of Engagement

Here’s my challenge to you: take the next twenty-two days and commit your sales to God. Consider it—five minutes each day to focus on how your life can improve under the leadership of Jesus Christ as your Commander and Chief.

I encourage you to study one day at a time and not tackle the book all at once. The format is simple. Each day you will do the following:

1. Read a verse.

2. Review your battle plan for the day.

3. Offer a prayer.

4. Record your thoughts.

5. Write down your prayer requests.

I believe there is no better manual for life than God’s Word—but I hope this book will serve to encourage you to fight through the tough times and to come out alive and kicking on the other side of the jungle. God bless you.

PART ONE

Battle Plans

• I am an American Soldier.

• I am a Warrior and a member of a team.

• I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values.

• I will always place the mission first.

• I will never accept defeat.

• I will never quit.

• I will never leave a fallen comrade.

• I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.

• I always maintain my arms, my equipment, and myself.

• I am an expert and I am a professional.

• I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.

• I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.

• I am an American Soldier.

DAY ONE

You’re in Enemy Territory

BASIC FIELD MANUAL

JUNGLE WARFARE

December 15, 1941

Il_JungleWarfare_0015_001 1. GENERAL.—In jungle warfare the soldier fights two enemies: man and nature. Of the two, nature is often the more formidable. Troops newly arriving in tropical jungle areas experience a climate to which they are not accustomed and are exposed to diseases with which they are not familiar. These conditions impose a special responsibility on all commanders; they must assure themselves that their troops are adjusted to tropical climates and that the health and combat effectiveness of the command will insure the execution of the assigned mission under tropical jungle conditions.

Day One Verse

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm

Reviews for Jungle Warfare

[twinmom_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is a 22 day devotion aimed at Christians in the sales field. Although I am not in sales as a career choice, I do think that we sell ourselves daily. The author inherited a basic field guide in jungle warfare from his grandfather who served during WW2. The idea is for 22 days take a chapter that includes the field manual battle plan, a verse pertaining to the idea and then a short devotion including a space for your thoughts and prayer. The second section, the field support is like a first aid kit. It answers those questions that many people, not only those in sales, worry about. The author suggested taking the complete 22 days to read this book. I did not in order to get this review done, but I will be starting over after I finish my current devotion book. It is very simply written in words almost anyone can understand. I didn't find anything earth shattering new to me, but we can always be reminded of the areas in which we fall short and areas to work on. I really like the spaces available for your own thoughts and especially prayer requests. I also liked the 'first aid kit', because it is always good to be reminded of God's message in the times of trouble or need. It was also neat to read the battle plans from the early-mid 1900's. I think this book would be great for those new in Christ or even those who are looking for a different type of devotion book. Even if you are not in sales there is something there to learn. If you are in sales, then I highly recommend this book to learn how to work without overworking, how to handle the stress and deadlines and other barriers to becoming a successful salesperson. Would also be good for military and history enthusiasts. If you are looking for a guide on increasing yours sales or how to be a top salesperson, this isn't the guide you are looking for.The author is a lay minister and speaks to sales teams and Christian groups about 'Believing Impossible Beliefs'. This book gets a 5 out of 7 thumbs up.I received this book from BookSneeze for review. No other compensation was made and the views expressed are solely mine.