I often get asked the question “If you had to do it all over again, where would you start?”
Since selling the business, I’ve reflected a lot on what I did and didn’t get right, and what I might have done differently. Candidly, I’ve got very few regrets and a long list of things I’d like to thank my former self for.
One of the big ones I got very, very right is the decision to master selling and to be a serious student of marketing. I have many mentors to thank for their books, courses and seminars into which I heavily invested both time and money. Too many to list here.
So I thought I would share with you the top 4 mentors I’ve had who made the greatest positive impact on me personally and professionally, along with the big lessons they imparted. Essentially, my “Mount Rushmore” of mentors.
They are in the order in which I discovered them, not in the impact they had.
Zig Ziglar: Zig taught me not only on the mechanical fundamentals of sales and selling, but more importantly, to take pride in BEING a salesperson. He would call it “the PROUD profession.” Far too many people think that selling is a lowlife’s way of making a living and salespeople are a “basket of deplorables.” Although Zig was an evangelical Christian, he was aggressive about selling and never apologized for it. He used to sell pots and pans door-to-door and would say, “When I meet with new prospects, I have THEIR pots and pans in my car and they have MY money in their wallet, and I’m here to make the exchange.” Far too many salespeople and executives never learn to be effective at selling because they’re ASHAMED to sell. Not me. I built a service and a product I was proud of and never held back from getting it into the hands of a customer I could help.
Tony Robbins: Tony was the first person in my life who gave me the gift of personal power. The ability to accomplish whatever I set my mind to. Tony also showed me the power of personal beliefs and the importance of controlling your state of mind and focus. What you focus on expands – so, if you focus on the fact that you’re broke, struggling and failing, you’ll not only get depressed and discouraged, but you’ll get more of the same. Further, we should constantly reexamine our beliefs about money, business, “what people will pay,” what you feel is possible, how customers will behave, etc. If you find yourself struggling in an area, I can practically guarantee you’ve got a disempowering, negative belief that’s holding you back. Remove THAT, and the obstacle will disappear.
Dan Kennedy: The primary concept I learned from Kennedy was to use marketing to presell, prequalify and ATTRACT clients to you vs. old-school prospecting and selling. Kennedy was also the one who taught me the power of influential writing and communication…the STRATEGY of marketing, not just the tactic implementation. When I first discovered him, I was a sales rep working for a marketing agency, depending on cold-call prospecting and hardcore selling to succeed. This concept was a real game changer for me. I can also say that Dan had the greatest impact out of all my mentors.
Dr. Nido Qubein: Out of all the mentors I’ve mentioned, Qubein taught me more by what he DID vs. what he SAID. He challenged those around him to seek excellence. He taught me to not be cheap or stingy with employees and customers. He directed me to build something truly extraordinary that clients cannot get somewhere else. Be bold and choose greatness. Be a Godiva, not a Hershey Kiss. Out of all the entrepreneurs I’ve met, I’ve never worked with someone as authentic, brilliant, kind and intelligent as Qubein – yet he never once made me feel less than his peer.
All of these are lessons I need to go back to again and again, none being “mastered” because, for the pro, school is never out.
We all evolve, and the beliefs that held us back 20 years ago may not imprison us today, but new ones creep in and emerge. I’ve often said that growing a business (not just running a business) is one of the best personal development “seminars” you’ll ever put yourself in. It will challenge you in ways you can never imagine, from overcoming fears and controlling your emotions to learning real discipline and mastering YOURSELF.
Just about everything I’ve become that’s GOOD can be traced back to a major difficulty in my life – the insurmountable problem. And it has been my mentors, some (but not all) listed above, who have truly strengthened me and guided me through those times.
I’m grateful for them all.
