A Lesson in Scottsdale

Unfortunately had to fly home from beautiful Scottsdale, Arizona to iced-over Dallas on Tuesday. The only good part about was that I was going to see my beautiful fiance and that I was coming home with a wealth of knowledge from the previous two days!

We were in Scottsdale for the TTI (Target Training International) Winners' Conference! TTI creates some of the worlds greatest, professional assessments...and after this week, there is no doubt in my mind why they are so good!

The leadership within TTI is some of the best I have ever seen!

It is a powerhouse team of driven, vibrant, excited individuals that are always pushing to take their business to the next level!

My dad has been a distributor for TTI for about 12 years now and this particular weekend he would be given the opportunity to open the conference with a keynote. My dad has always said that this was one of his big 3...one of the 3 audiences he has always wanted to address.

The other two being the NSA Convention (National Speakers Assoc.) and Promise Keepers (a Christian organization that focuses on men and their walk with Christ)

When my dad was asked to speak at the TTI conference he asked if my stepmom and I would attend it as well! We were thrilled for him and thrilled to be attending the conference! As much as I expected to learn a ton, I never thought that I would learn so much from one specific comment!

In the program following my dad's, the founder of TTI (Bill Bonnstetter) addressed the audience! He was talking about the direction that TTI was going and the growth that was in progress. It was one of the more powerful programs I had ever heard!

As much of a high-content program as it was, it was Bill that intrigued me!

The founder of a very successful organization, that was celebrating its 25th Anniversary, was sharing his thoughts of what it took to be succesful in his industry. He was brilliant! He was obviously a lifetime learner, that you could tell was ALWAYS trying to get better...and always trying to make his company better!

It was about 30 minutes into his hour-long presentation when he said something that I will never forget!

He said, "We have stiff competition but I urge each of us to not be negative...we just need to be better!"

Wow! How great is it to hear a statement like that?!

We must not be negative...just be better!

Now, the sales application of this is apparent! How much more successful would we be if we stopped taking jabs at the competition and started focusing or providing our customers with more value?

Many of us have been tempted to throw a competitor under the bus to gain business...and let's be honest here...many of us have let it go further than a temptation! We've done it!

Even though it is more in line with this blog to explain my point through business analogies...I am going to atke it another direction!

Let's talk about our recent election...

ohhhhhh nooooo...here he goes on politics...

Don't worry...I will not go into my political stance!

I just want to discuss the pattern of politics and the way campaigns are run these days!

I have grown up in an age where an election is like battle ship...which side is the least damaged by the other's attack! The one brutally beaten wins over the mortally wounded! It really is a beautiful thing (beware of heavy sarcasm!)

In our recent election I got to the point where I voted for the one I disliked the least! Now how sad is that?!

I am voting for the leader of our country and I admit to not really being satisfied with either party!

Why do you think that is?

It is not because they are bad people...its because they have brought out every piece of dirty laundry out for the world to see! Any and every imperfection and mistake is now the headlining story...not their ideas of how to better our country!

When did winning by default become more appealing than winning through character and insight?

The campaigning was entirely based on the idea that if we destroy the other side then they will HAVE TO vote for us!

The negative side of that is that at the end of it...a good number of people are uncertain if EITHER choice is the right choice!

I use the election as an example but we face that exact same scenario in our sales careers! How do we handle it when we are in direct competition with another company or another salesperson?

Answer: We do so by focusing on why we are the right choice not why the competitor is the wrong choice!

Thank you to Bill Bonnstetter and the TTI team for showing me that a true professional succeeds through customer focus...not through competitor focus!

The Man's Shop

It's called The Man's Shop! It is a men's specialty clothing store in Arlington, TX and it has built a business around selling much more than designer clothes. I have been a customer of a, well known, men's clothing store for many years and they have always been good but I recently found myself considering moving my business elsewhere.

Why would I leave a company that is great at selling clothes?

Without giving you the name of my past provider, I will tell you that I do not have a bad thing to say about them! They have always done a great job at selling clothes! They have the answers I need about the clothes I want! They run a very solid business and I see them being around for a while.

The only problem...

I have been going to this store for about 4 years and they still ask me, "Hello sir. Is this your first time visiting ________?"

At one point about a year and a half ago I visited the store a couple times over the span of two weeks (we were trying to get suits picked out for a friend's wedding). I spoke to two individuals on a Monday and came back on Tuesday and spoke to the same two...as I walked in they asked, "Sir, can I help you with something today?"

They had NO IDEA who I was or why I was there!!!

Ok...so I have to be honest...at that time it did not bother me at all!

It was like a bad relationship! Sometimes you don't know you are in a bad relationship until you get a taste of what a good relationship is like. That was the case when I found a great relationship at The Man's Shop!

My fiance's parents had been pushing me to visit the store for a while (they have been good friends with the owner for quite some time) so I decided to swing by this past Saturday to see if they could help me with attire for my wedding in July.

As I walked in I had really already made up my mind to buy my clothes from my old store...I was just doing this because my fiance's mom asked me to (Just being honest...sorry Wally!)

Little did I know that my mind would change within 5 minutes of being in the store!

I walked in and asked for Brandon (which I was told to do) and told him that I was sent by the Moore's to discuss potential wedding attire.

The first thing Brandon did was he walked me over to a file folder and began taking notes...

Now these weren't notes of what type of clothes I needed, colors, or even measurements (he recorded those later).

He began asking questions and taking notes on details such as...

- Where in Mexico are you getting married?
- How do you spell Caitlyn's (my fiance) name?
- Who's your best man?
- How do you know Matt? (he began using my best man's name immediately...why...build trust!)
- When did you graduate from TCU?
- What is your degree in?
- etc.

I was caught off guard! Wally (owner) and his team were more interested in my needs than what I might spend!

They realize that people love to buy but hate being sold!

For the next hour they answered any and every questioned I had. They were not sales people...they were clothing consultants!

As I left I still couldn't believe the difference in The Man's Shop versus other stores I had visited.

And it only got more impressive as I pulled up in front of my fiance's house!

As I was walking up the driveway my fiance's mom just got off the phone with Brandon. He was calling to tell her thank you for sending me!

WOW! Small things make a big difference!


I now pledge my allegiance to The Man's Shop and will recommend them to anyone looking for a great store with an even better motto...

"We don't sell clothes...we sell relationships" - Brandon Baker

Thanks to The Man's Shop (www.TheMansShop.com) for a wonderful experience!

A Master's Mentality

A couple weeks ago my fiance and I flew down to Rockport, Texas to meet up with my family and spend a couple days fishing together. The four of us fished as a group at the start of the week but on Friday my dad and I decided to go out with a guide. The girls did not go on this trip because the trip would be 100% wade fishing (standing in the water while fishing) and I would have a better chance at winning the lottery than getting my fiance to go wadefishing. As we showed up to the dock that morning, I would have no idea of the life lessons that were around the corner!

Before we get into these lessons, let's flashback a bit...

We have a boat for a couple years now and even though we love to fish out of our own boat, we still go fishing with a guide a couple times a year. We hire a guide for the same reason you would sign up for a seminar...its a learning experience. On this particular trip my dad wanted to do a little research and find the local "expert". It wasn't long until we booked the saltwater fishing legend, Jay Watkins www.JayWatkins.com .

It was a unanimous conclusion throughout Rockport that if we wanted the best, Jay was the one!

We stepped out on the dock, that day, walking up to the boat as if we were about to get golf lessons from Tiger Woods...nervous, yet eagar to learn!

From the second we stepped on the boat the seminar began!

Jay educated us on anything and everything that had to do with fishing...but the real lessons came when we started fishing.

Our first stop was a shoreline where the bait fish were jumping as if they were allergic to the water (this is a good sign that fish were in the area). We shut the boat down and began to pile out. We began wading down the shoreline and it didn't take long to realize that the fish weren't there. As opposed to trying to force something to happen or waiting on our luck to change, Jay said "Let's load em up boys...we have a ton of places to hit today!"

I looked at my dad as we walked back to the boat and whispered, "We were only there for like 10 minutes...at this pace he is going to run out of spots in a couple hours!" My dad just looked at me and shrugged (I think he realized I would end up eating my words by the end of the day).

As we got back to the boat my dad asked Jay, "How long do you stay at a spot when you feel it might not produce?" Here was lesson 1...

Jay said, "Not long! As a professional, you don't wait on change...you make things change!"

That was the moment I knew this would be a trip that might not only impact the way I viewed fishing, but would change the way I viewed success!

Jay then cranked up the boat and headed off to our next spot. As we pulled up to the shell reef he was constantly telling us what he was looking for..."Yep! There's bait here boys...water looks good...current's perfect...Let's do it...let's go bend these rods boys!"

My dad and I were eating this up...we couldn't get enough of this guy!

We began wading down one side of the reef and casting to the other side. Jay was constantly walking and changing his "area of attack" (refer back to lesson 1...create change!). After about 5 minutes we heard Jay say, "There he is boys!" ...as his rod was beant down! (this would be a phrase and a sight we would experience over 100 times that day).

"Move down here boys...they are right over there!"

I proceeded to cast it right where he said (lucky I guess) and he looked at me and said...

"That's it right there! Hold on! You're gonna get 'er with that cast!"

He didn't even finish his sentence when I got slammed by a big trout!

This guy was rediculous!! He was like Babe Ruth calling his shot but saying..."I am going to hit a home run to the guy in the green shirt, row 12, section 114!

I finally had to ask him..."How do you know know where these fish are going to be and when they are going to bite?"

Jay looked at me, chuckled, and said " If you spent thousands of hours out here like I have, you would be able to do it as well! It's not a God-given ability...it's a learned skill!"

I think too many times we see someone that is exceptional at what they do and we try explain their degree of success by saying that they are gifted or just lucky. A couple thoughts on the perspective...

1- That is just a way to justify why we aren't as good as someone else. "I could be as good as Tiger if I could hit the ball 350 yards!"

The statement should go like this...

"I could be as good as Tiger if I put in the hundreds of thousands of hours of blood, sweat, and tears, on the driving range like he has!"

Now, some of you might be thinking..."Talent does play a part in success!". First, let me say that I agree with you...BUT...

Talent is only the "wood"...it takes a great deal of work, preparation, resiliency, and patience to build a beautiful home!

2- It takes away from the hard work the individual, like Jay, had to put in to be so good!

ok...Back to our fishing trip...

We had caught 30 or 40 fish at this spot and we were still catching them when Jay said...

"Load 'em up boys! Nuff playin with these kids...lets go find their parents!"

(just for the record...the fish weren't small but when you are a true professional "small fish" aren't good enough anymore...you begin looking for the "Big Fish")

We got back into the boat and headed to a few more spots but Jay treated them like the first spot we went to...10 minutes and no BIG fish..."Load 'em up boys!"

That's when we hit a shoreline where the next life lesson took place...

We piled out of the boat and began wading down the shoreline...

We couldn't have been more than 20 feet away from each other and we were casting into the same vacinity but Jay was catching 5 fish to every 1 we caught!

How can this happen?

We are standing right next to him, casting to the same spot, fishing with the same bait, and he is catching 5 fish to every 1 we catch!!!! I asked my dad..."How is this possible?" His answer would be my next lesson...

My dad said..."Jason, its simple! Its just like sales! If you put an amateur in the same territory as the professional, the professional will beat him all day long! Its not the water...its the process at which he works the water!"

After about an hour of fishing this shoreline we decided to head in and call it a day!

I figured the lessons would end at that point...since the fishing did...

ohhhh how wrong I was! The next lesson left me speachless!

On the ride in my dad asked Jay, "So Jay, do you ever have a problem with clients fishing your spots?"

Jay said, " Nope. They aren'y MY spots! If they are in a spot that I regularly fish then I'll go to another one. I don't have 6 spots...I have hundreds! Anyone who gets mad at you for fishing in their spot is relying on the location...I rely on my ability! If you know how to fish and what to look for...you have endless options!

WOW!!! I still cannot stop thinking about this fishing trip! The lessons I learned, that day, will stick with me for a lifetime!

Thanks Jay! It was one of the most memorable fishing trips of my life!!!

What makes YOU so different?

I went to New York City this past summer for a convention. I really do enjoy going to programs and seminars but it can be hard for someone that is new in the business...there is just SO MUCH information. Given that there is way too much to take home and implement, I like to write down key ideas and thoughts that I feel are important to my success, at this stage in the game.

I also enjoy writing down quotes from people because they are normally small phrases that communicate big ideas. In one of the sessions I went to there were quite a few "newbies" in the business and the speaker started off by addressing their mentality going into the business. He said, " I know many of you are here because you know you have a lot to learn and I will do my best to give you more than you expected. I also know that there are some of you who feel like you are the new speaking prodigy! For those of you that feel you are "the prodigy"...you aren't...if you were we would have already heard of you!"

Although bold...it was true!

There is a great deal of talent in this world but there are few prodigies!

Think about it in NBA terms...

How often do you see a talent like LeBron James come along?

Let's be honest...its a rarity!

When we come into an industry we must understand that, while we may be talented, we are nothing out of the ordinary!

We only become special when we begin to do the things that others won't do!

With the talent pool getting deeper and deeper with time we must learn to do things that differentiate ourselves from others.

What is it that you can do to set yourself apart?

What is it that makes you special?

Something to think about:

Look at the individuals in your organization, that are considered the best, and do your best to determine what attributes/characteristics set them apart.

The next step is becoming clear on whether or not you are willing to do what they do...

"The difference between winners and losers is winners pay a price that losers won't pay! Sometimes that price is very little...but only the winners know that!" - Jim Jacobus

Grow Wise Before You Grow Old!

Obviously we cannot turn back the hands of time to give us more "real world" experience...so what can we do to gain experience? Maybe we should address that question with a couple more questions...

Do you know how Warren Buffett went from selling golf balls to buying private planes?

How did Mark Zuckerberg balance his finals, at Harvard, and the launching of his billion-dollar website, FACEBOOK?

Why are white headphones responsible for the overwhelming rise of the iPod?

While the answers would be neat to know the real gift is knowing why Warren Buffett was so resilient, how Mark Zuckerberg put the Facebook concept into action, or what branding had to do with the white headphones that seemed invade every college campus across the globe!


The point is...we cannot create experience out of thin air! All we can do is to become experienced through studying the experiences of others!

"Smart people learn from their mistakes, however, the smartest people learn from the mistakes of others!"

How do we become students of success?

...We make a conscious effort to become lifelong learners!

This begins with making continuous learning a priority in our day to day lives! Whether it is through reading, seminars, research, or audios, we must understand what makes people and companies so successful!

It wasn't until an interview I had my sophomore year in college that I realized why reading was so vital to success...

When coming to TCU I immediately got involved in a program that helped incoming freshmen make a smooth transition from high school to college. This program became such a major part of my life that I had decided to pursue a position on the director board for the following year.

My interview for the board was going smoothly up until they asked me a question that completely caught me off guard...

"So....Jason...what books are you currently reading? Not for school...but for yourself?"

I tried answering the question like a political candidate..."Wellllll...you know...I am glad you asked that! That is a question that most of this country wants answered by their future leader. Its one of those questions that I have been looking to address since starting this campaign."

...ok...not really! But I did try hard to delay it for a few seconds so could come up with my escape plan!

The fact was...I wasn't reading any books for myself! I didn't even like reading!

After admitting that I wasn't "half-way through Harry Potter and looking forward to 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", I decided to question their choice of interview questions...

"So...just out of curiosity...why do you care what book I am reading? All of your questions have been driven toward my potential position and my ability to satisfy its requirements...why a a question about books?"

The answer to this question would shape my approach to reading and learning from that point on...

The interviewer, that asked the question, said " I understand your confusion Jason but it may be the most important question we've asked in the entire interview. When we decide on someone for this position we are not looking for the person that has all the answers...we are looking for the person that knows they don't... but is willing to go get them! The one way that we can encourage others to grow is to let them see us grow! We grow by learning from others and what better way to learn from others than to read about their lives!"

I think I read 10 books in the next month! From that point on I was hooked...not hooked to reading...but to learning!

I now make it a point to read, at least, an hour a day. If I want to be the best, I must study the success of others.

Call to Action:

Find a book on a company or individual that intrigues you! Read their book and begin drawing a connection between their success and your opportunities!

If you cannot think of a book on an individual or company, here are a few business books that I recommend...

- The Snowball - Warren Buffett
- Buy*ology - Martin Lindstrom
- Wooden on Leadership - John Wooden
- Grown Up Digital - Don Tapscott
- Made To Stick - Chip & Dan Heath
- Predictably Irrational - Dan Ariely
- Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
- First Things First - Stephen Covey

I will do whatever it takes!

I have been around the speaking/training/consulting business for almost 20 years due to my dad's investment in the industry. He has been a full-time speaker and consultant for about 18 years now and the one thing I know is that the speaking industry is HARD! It is one of the most competitive industries out there and it chews up a mass of dreamers and spits them out...

When I was about 7 years old my dad had been speaking for a while and he was really struggling! He sat down with me by the window, at our old house, and he told me that he thought he was contemplating putting and end to his career in speaking! I know it was hard for him to tell me this because he felt like a failure and he felt like he was teaching me to give up on your dreams! If he only knew the impact that conversation had on my life...

Fast forwarding about 12 years from that day by the window and 12 more years in the speaking industry...

My dad, stepmom, and I were sitting on the first teebox at the Kapalua Plantation Course in Maui, Hawaii... After we putted out on the first green I asked my dad, "Do you remember that time we sat and talked by the window in our old house? You know...when you told me you were considering ending your speaking career? Did you ever imagine we would be playing golf in Hawaii due to all of your hard work?"

The neat thing about kids is they know how to catch you off-guard!

He stopped and smiled at me ...

Which could have been because he was already down one stroke after the first hole or it could have been because he recognized the magnitude of the lesson he taught me 12 years prior!

He just said, "It was worth it! I didn't know it at the time but...it was all worth it!"

I went on to ask him what it was that took him to the next level in his career and he said, "I had to make up my mind to quit or to dig in and do whatever it takes!"

Since then, my dad has sent that message to thousands of people around the world and encourages them to make up their mind and decide to do whatever it takes to be successful (within moral, legal, and ethical boundaries)!

This was the thought going through my head when he challenged me at the start of my career with the company... Am I willing to do whatever it takes to be successful at this? Am I willing to do whatever it takes to be an expert in this field? Am I willing to do whatever it takes to overcome my inexperience?

The overwhelming answer was YES!!

My decision at that point in time will always be, in my mind, the first step in whatever success I achieve later in life. It wasn't an action...it was a decision to do whatever it takes!!

After I communicated my decision to the team they assigned me with my first task as a member of the team...

My assignment: What is it that, the world of purchasing professionals, focuses on to be successful at what they do? How do they approach the sales battle? What are they like, personally? What motivates them? What classes do they attend? What books do they read? What tactics do they use? How can a salesperson negotiate with professional negotiators?

At least this was the verbalized assignment...

The real assignment was...

How much are you willing to do? Are you willing to disregard the expectations and do what YOU are capable of doing? What can you do to become the expert in this field?

My journey started with me asking myself..."If I wanted to be the worlds best purchasing professional...what would I do? If I wanted to be the YOUNG GUN in the purchasing arena, what preparations would I make?

That is when I decided to go to every association website that supported purchasing professionals...

I read every book and every article on all of their websites (which turned out to be over 20 books and 100 articles)...

I interviewed every purchasing professional that I could get an interview with for over 2 weeks straight...

I took online classes that educate purchasing professionals...

After nearly a month of doing everything I could to learn about this profession and the people that occupied purchasing positions I sent in my notes... that could have been passed of as the manuscript for War and Peace!

It was then when I realized that I was on my way to becoming an expert...not just in the field of purchasing professionals but becoming an expert in whatever I chose! This was now possible because I knew what it felt like to do whatever it takes...and I was addicted!

Bridging the Gap!

Ok...let's face it...there are many things we can control and many we can't. One thing we can't control is the level of our experience at this point in time. There is a positive though...there are two good times to do something...when you should have and NOW (this is welded in my mind from years listening to my dad...thanks dad)!

So...How do we address this idea of not having the benefit of 20 years experience in our field? How can we overcome this setback in the world of selling? Is it even a setback?

These are the questions we will address in my next few entries...

When I graduated from Texas Christian University I decided to go into business with my dad...

I'll give you a few minutes to get all of the stereotypes off your chest... (most of you are probably calling me an SOB aka Son Of the Business)

To disclose all information though...I was excited about working with my dad not because I felt that it would be smooth sailing but more because I knew my dad could push me harder than anyone else! He knows my potential more than anyone and I knew he would push me to accomplish what I was capable of.

Now back to my introduction into the world of business...

I graduated in December of 2007 and in January of 2008 I was fully engaged in the development of one of the biggest projects our company had ever taken on. It was overwhelming at the beginning because I felt like I was the black sheep of the group...like I didn't belong in the same room with the experts.

I have never had serious issues with self-confidence but I was experiencing a big case of it at this point in time. After 5 straight days of developing material for this massive sales training, my dad recognized that something was up with me. He pulled me aside and asked why a talkative individual like myself had only said a few words the entire week.

Now...I could have done this one of two ways...

1. I could have come right out with my feelings of insufficiency within the group

or

2. I could try and act like nothing was up and have my dad call me out on my attempt to mislead him!...and then eventually tell him my thoughts.

So...I bit the bullet and told him that I didn't feel worthy to be contributing information along side people that were clearly more knowledgeable than I was. This turned out to be one of the most important conversations I would ever have with my dad...in a business sense!

My dad asked me..."Do you want to become an expert? Do you want to be as credible as them? Are you comfortable with being good or do you you want to be the best? If you want to be the best then you must OWN the solution! Not just kinda know it or know it pretty well...but know EVERYTHING about it! If you want to be the expert in a certain field you must constantly search for more information and become innovative with your own ideas! This comes when you make up your mind to be constant learner...and that means books, audios, seminars, online classes, workbooks, interviews, etc. You must make a habit of doing what others won't do. When you decide that you are willing to do these things...that is when you will be confident to stand in front of people and share your thoughts!"

What a piece of advice that was...That day was the start of my journey to bridge the gap between myself and my mentors!

In the next entry we will discuss my initial steps to achieving my potential in the world of business and selling!