“Sometimes it takes a long time to sound like yourself”

Micheal Bentt was the first person to be featured on the Netflix documentary, “Losers.”

Bentt was a young phenom who’d won multiple Golden Gloves, but was knocked out in his first professional fight on national TV.

Ashamed, Bentt returned to his Queens, NY neighborhood void of confidence and full of embarrassment.

Bentt went from untouchable to untouchable. As an amateur, no one could beat him, but now that he’d lost, no one was willing to sign him to another fight. Scratching to get work, Bentt ended up sparring with Evander Holyfield. At the end of the fight, Holyfield’s trainer told Bentt, “I didn’t know which one of you was the champ in the ring!”

Those words reignited a fire in Bentt. He signed on to do a “tune up” fight with The Great White Hope Tommy Morrison and ended up knocking Morrison out!

Suddenly Bentt was the Heavyweight Champion of the World!

Full of confidence, Bentt agreed to fight an unknown fighter Herbie Hind, but Hind knocked Bentt out so bad he was placed in a coma.

“You’ll never box again,” came the words from the doctor. All Bentt knew was boxing…what was he to do now? Bentt just so happened to connect with a director who hired him to give boxing advice on an upcoming movie.

Bentt found his home. He ended up playing a young Joe Fraiser opposite of Will Smith in the movie Ali. More directors, more work came pouring in. He advised in movies such as Million Dollar Baby & trained other A list actors to perform better in upcoming roles as well as just to stay in “fight shape.”

Sometimes it takes a long time to finally sound like yourself. ~Miles Davis

That was Bentt’s mantra that kept him going.

Bentt had to travel the painful road of being knocked out & ashamed to spar with Holyfield. The spar led to the “tune up fight,” which led to Bentt becoming the champ to getting knocked out and in a coma, to finally find his home.

Life is full up peaks and valley’s..twists, turns, and seemingly dead ends. Bentt’s ups and downs in life sound a lot like our path-similar road, different experiences…

But painful just the same.

I went from picked last on a sports team to getting a full scholarship, to being 5th on the depth chart, to becoming a 4 year starter, to becoming an All-American, to not going pro, to raising my son by myself, to living in a house with no stove or refrigerator, to getting a job in sales, to having my wages garnished, to getting promoted, having 3 more beautiful children, to having a custom built home, to becoming bankrupt, divorced, demoted…to The Sales Life today.

Sometimes it takes a long time to finally sound like yourself. 

The fight you’re in, knocked down, or even out ….

you ain’t done. You have to take this road to finally find your home.

Sometimes it takes a long time to finally sound like yourself. 

Stay in The Sales Life.

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Do the verb…don’t be the noun

One of my favorite authors is Austin Kleon & his newest book’s title, “Keep Going” is right up my alley.

So many people chase, protect, or judge the noun (title) instead of just doing their verb.

When you chase the noun: You’re so busy chasing or kissing up to get your noun that you forget to do your verb so when (if) you get your noun your under qualified or it’s not what it was all cracked up to be.

When you protect your noun: Great! You got your coveted title, but now you play not to lose instead of playing to win. You must take risks to grow- yes you will lose, but it’s in the losses-taking risks, that you develop more skills and create opportunities.

When you judge other’s noun: Oh you can do it better than them right? And that’s just it…while you’re busy judging they’re doing.

The greatest thing that ever happened to me was being demoted. For months I kept my old business cards, but it wasn’t until I walked to the big green dumpster and threw them away that I could begin to do my verb.

Doing your verb exposes & reveals you. It exposes your weaknesses- being demoted forced me to relearn a department that I hadn’t been in in over a decade. But my demotion also revealed my beast mode strengths too.

You have unique strengths, niches, & expertises that those who demoted you will need you and only you to take care of.

And you’ll do it- gladly not out of vengeance but because you’re just doing your verb.

I don’t care about a noun…I just do my verb. Nouns are for business cards & others…

Nouns are temporary..

Verbs are eternally for you.

Do your verb…let’s others worry about a noun.

Stay in The Sales Life 💪

🔥Check out over 400 episodes of The Sales Life Podcast on iTunes or Spotify

You can’t connect if you have no dots

It’s funny how things line up…

You’re humming along and it seems like everything’s falling into place perfectly…

Until it doesn’t.

Things aren’t lining up for you right now because you stopped putting up your dots.

Dot Days are the days where you’re tired, frustrated, & seems like it’s all for naught…

Nothing’s for nothing.

You Dot Days count….

…not always in immediate results, but they count in grit, persistence, commitment, & resilience.

Your Dot Days are building your infrastructure so when the results come you’re strong enough handle it.

But most people will never see the results…

Because they didn’t put up enough dots…

…they turned back too soon.

Put up so many dots so that it’ll compound & reach tipping point that will eventually spill over into results.

Some days you’ll even have more results than you put up dots.

So on those days where you’re feeling discouraged…

Just put up your dot…

“Today’s my Dot Day…”

One day they’ll all connect.

Stay in The Sales Life 💪

🔥Check out over 400 episodes of The Sales Life on ITunes or Spotify.

Says who?

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When Michael Jordan returned to the Chicago Bulls after a 2 month long baseball hiatus & lost to the Orlando Magic in the playoffs, people said he’d lost his touch…

Reporters & opponents both chirped that he wasn’t the same MJ he once was…and they were right.

Michael Jordan was wearing #45 instead of #23.

After the game MJ shook hands with the players from the other team & whispered, “Enjoy this moment because you’ll never see it again…”

MJ not only put on the old number- he put on the old work ethic & set out to bury those who doubted him by winning 3 more championships.

When people look at your temporary “now” & compare it to your once high “then” & say that you’re finished…

Says who?

Who gets to decide that? Them or you?

MJ didn’t come back to get even…he came back to get ahead by dominating anyone who stood in his way.

Let those who doubt you today be the same ones who stand dumbfounded tomorrow.

They said “You’re done…” you respond with “I’m just getting warmed up…I’ll say when I’m done”

Stay in The Sales Life 💪

Admit it…just don’t accept it

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Rich or poor, discouragement is a common thread among all of us…

It’s the thread, but it’s not the whole sweater.

We tend to wear setbacks as a tight, ugly sweater instead of realizing it’s a thread woven throughout our lives.

Whatever your current situation is- broke, stumbling in your career, overweight, divorced, bankrupt, or just in the skids admit it…just don’t accept it.

Sometimes it’s like we accept the Lifetime Underachievement Award, saying “I could’ve been something, but I wasn’t…& here’s why.”

Don’t be delusional, admit what it is right now, but don’t accept that’s all there is.

If you admit but don’t accept, that means you’re willing to do something about it.

So do something about it!

Stay in The Sales Life💪

Chase your first bead

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There are days I don’t feel like working out, running, writing, or even going to work- but you force the behavior to go to work because you’ll get fired if you don’t.

Like work , you have to force the behavior when you don’t feel like doing something because you refuse to let your feelings govern your emotions.

There are few days when you truly “feel” like doing “it.” Your first day starting a change is probably the most optimistic day you’ll have…after that it gets tough, sore, and resultless.

Those tough days (after day one) are the days you have to trigger your Activation Energy (ht:Tommy Baker) and chase your first bead.

Chasing that first bead is like going to the gym cold & unmotivated, but once you break a sweat you get into your grove…

Chase your first bead…

In sales jump in front of that first customer and get your lingo and rhythm going, it’s a quick win and carry’s over to the next customer regardless of the initial results.

Writing: keep writing-the first page is terrible but by page 2 your thoughts are flowing & page 2 is now your new page 1.

Reports, projects, jogging- any tough project CHASE YOUR FIRST BEAD…

After a few minutes of persistently staying with it, your emotions will line up with your movements and you’ll catch your grove.

Stay in The Sales Life 💪

(Thank you Tommy Baker for the inspiration for this post)

Write drunk, edit sober

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The other day I was working on a podcast episode, but didn’t have much time.

Working on the material went smooth but when it came time for me to record…uhhh not so smooth.

I had to re-record over and over & every time I messed up, I got more pissed off because my time was running out & I HAD TO GET IT DONE.

I finally muscled through the episode but I was furious with myself because it did not come out the way I wanted it to.

I almost published it anyway, but something reminded me of the quote, “Write drunk, edit sober.”

Meaning come back to it when you’re not “drunk” i.e. pissed off.

The next morning I worked on the episode from scratch & it came out exactly the way I wanted it to.

Sometimes in life you have to remind yourself to, “Write drunk, edit sober.”

As bad as you want to light a match and get something started…

As much as you want to tell someone the way it is and should be…

As bad as you want to get it on & confront the person who wronged you or said something that lit you up…

Maybe you should sober up first.

Like I did with the episode, come back to the situation when the emotions aren’t quite as raw so you can address it with more clearer thoughts.

Who knows, when you let your emotions cool off, you may find that you were waaaay off base to begin with but were so narrow in perspective you couldn’t see it any other way but your way.

Easy to say, harder to practice but saying these 4 words in the heat, may help recenter you and address it more productively…later.

Stay in The Sales Life 💪

New advice…old filter

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You know that person who gets advice from everyone yet does nothing with it other than get even more advice?

I’ve been that person…

The reason why you never move up, stay broke, are overweight, or get right back into the same kind of relationship you fought to leave is because your sifting new advice through an old filter.

You won’t see new results until you sift through a new filter…

It’s written that you can’t pour new wine into old wine skins because those skins don’t have the capacity to hold anything new…

Similarly, you’re trying to pass new advice through an old filter- the same filter that you had when you were a teen..the same filter that you had in your 20’s-your old filter doesn’t have the capacity to handle the new (often contrarian) advice.

Your old filter is why you habitually follow the footsteps of those you grew up & hung with…

You desperately want to change your life but you’re sifting new ideas/thoughts through an old filter…

Want a new body…new filters along the way.

Want to earn 6 figures or be a top producer…new filters…

Want your dream job or relationship? It’ll require new filters…

Change requires a new filter…changing requires evolutionary filters.

Stay in The Sales Life 💪

What IS grind?

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“Get on your grind…”

“Rise & Grind!”

“I’m on my grind…”

Grind has become a household word, but what IS grind?

Grind is what’s left over once your fight is gone…

See, when you first started your podcast, weight loss program, sales career, newfound faith, or get out of debt program, you were willing to fight every day…

But with no immediate results now nor anywhere in sight, you grew sore…tired…weary…& doubtful.

It’s when you come to the crossroads of packing up or grind forward…

Grind is the residue that’s left in the tank…

Where is not enough to take a trip but you can sure as hell & take the next step…

Grind is one more round…

Grind is a “maybe.”

There’s no certainty…there’s no guarantees…

It’s just a maybe & you’re willing to take a maybe because even if you fail, at least you won’t be sitting in the same spot as a year ago…

Grind is how you develop consistency & with consistency is how you earn your rhythm.

Grind is when you say, “Go ahead & lock me in because I’m not finished…”

Grind is when you say that you’ll catch up with the crew later because you have to go knock out that 2 miles you promised yourself…

Grind is where everyone else is laid up on Sunday mornings, but you’re banging the weights at the gym…

Let me show you grind…go look in the mirror and say, “I am grind!”

Stay in The Sales Life 💪

How to sell to your friends & family

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“Don’t take it personal.” I’ve heard that one a time or 10,000 but didn’t always stay true to it.

I’ve blown deals because I took it personal when a customer came in & tried to bulldoze me or act a jerk.

I’ve blown deals too with friends and family because I did “take it personal…”

Selling to those you know is hard because you get caught up in the relationship & lose sight of the current mission.

Using Molly Fletcher’s book, “A Winner’s Guide to Negotiating,” as a foundation, here are 5 ways to help you to stay the course:

1. Relationships over everything. Never put a deal before a relationship.

2. Process over personal. Your friends came to you because they trust you to provide a service for them. Hit your marks-what questions would you ask if this was the first day you met?

3. 1/2 (maybe even 3/4) of your job is done. Building common ground & trust has already been done- now you have the unique advantage in moving on to determine what your “customer’s” needs are. (process over personal remember)

4. “It’s about the numbers & details.” (Fletcher) Develop the maturity to step out of the relationship to focus on the numbers and details. What number is mutually beneficial to your business and your “customer?” What are the details that surround those numbers?

5. Your friends will gladly pay you a profit. You wouldn’t have friends very long if they had to foot the bill every time you go out with one another. Your friends want you to do well, but they didn’t come to you for friendly advice, they came to you to provide a professional service.

Give your friends & family professional service with a personal touch.

Stay in The Sales Life 💪