If you say you are going to do something – make sure you do it.

This simple concept is something many people fail at following.

Throughout your day, how many times do you say you are going to do something – but in reality you have no intention of doing?

Maybe you have a desire to do something, but fail at putting yourself in the position of making sure you do it.

Seriously, think about it next time you tell someone you are going to do something.

I was once the King of talking about what I was gonna do…

My search for John Galt has led me to reflect on myself – understand and grow; in a word: change.

Especially, as a father …
how can I lead my girls to go out and achieve if they see me just talking about what I am going to do…?

The same is true with being a boss, or a husband or a friend.

Silly example, but interesting one to think about…

3 weeks ago, I overheard Adam tell Nic he would help him when some new furniture Nic had ordered was delivered – I am sure Nic didn’t expect Adam to really come and help – after all, Nic has a house boy who can do a majority of the work for him, not to mention labor is very cheap in Dubai.

I didn’t even think about offering to help!

This past weekend the furniture was delivered – and Adam spent half a day helping Nic get everything perfectly set up.

Over dinner that night, Nic mentioned how much of a help Adam had been – one friend of Nic’s asked Adam,   “why did you spend your day moving furniture at Nic’s house??”

Adam replied — Because I said I would.

One thing that I like about my blog is that it helps manage me. I reflect a lot when I write an entry (esp. the Ode’s to M.E.) all this reflection helps me learn from – and understand my mistakes which in turn surely, makes me better.

In this blog — If I am going to write about making it happen … I have to make it happen.

If I am going to write about staying focused and consistent…. I must be.

Friday night, I had dinner with a few Dutch friends of mine who were in Dubai for business. Over dinner one of them told me a great story …. it is very funny, but sadly pathetic.

Apparently, my friend once attended a motivational training seminar — that was hosted by the guru of all motivational training….a tall, energetic american that i shall not name.

Anyways…. this great seminar was in Amsterdam … 5000+ people screaming and shouting … highly motivated.

Throughout the 3 day training course the leader, this guru kept saying over and over “live your life honorably…awaken the person within…” The guru clearly preached that people must “live honorable lives,” etc.

Two days after the program was over…. my friend told me that by chance he went to a famous restaurant somewhere outside of amsterdam.

Sitting just a few table away from him in the restaurant was this american guru ….. that my friend’s company had paid 5,000 euros for him to attend and be motivated by….

my Dutch friend told me that he was all pumped after the program.

BUT….

As he sits down, he looks over at the guru who is sitting very close, my friend notices this guru (who claims to be happily married in america) is with an absolute rock star, stripper gorgeous prostitute.

Do as I say, not as I do ….

…. after my friend had a glass or two of wine, he walks up to the big guru who is by now a bit drunk himself and all over the stripper gorgeous prostitute (the guru claims to not drink alcohol which my friend witnessed first hand to be not true) …. and my friend sticks out his hand and shakes the guru’s hand and as he is shaking his hand he looks him in his eyes and said “even though you are obviously a fake – I still enjoyed your show.” Apparently, the guru quickly shook his hand and ended the conversation obviously embarrassed.

We all laughed very much over this story (my friend tells it much better than this blog does) … but it is ridiculous.

The guru – A man who makes his living by leading people/preaching to people to be honorable, loyal, make it happen … blah blah blah ….but in fact, he is so weak that he can not back his words up with action.

It is easy to pretend to be focused; consistent; positive and honorable, however, actions are the only “talking” that matters.

IF you are a leader or manager (esp. if you work at naseba) – you must lead your team by example – or the team will not follow.

(in my opinion) Saying one thing to your team, but clearly not doing what you say …. is not leadership.

esp. for leaders at naseba …. reflect on the way you lead your team — and make sure your actions follow your words.

stick to your pitch.

I posted this 6 months ago — hopefully, it gets everyone to reflect.

Wasted talent … a theme that drives many of these entries.

so many exceptionally talented people … who could of and should of, but didn’t….

Tomorrow I want to re-discuss the idea…”you are only as good as your last sale…”

When I was in university, I fell 4 stories rock climbing … I broke my arm, my hand, my leg, my tail bone and had multi-skull fractures. I was in a coma for a couple of weeks and nearly died.

Stupidly, a friend and I had gone drinking beer at a place called “the rock” in the Berkeley hills one Friday afternoon.
The rock is a mountain cliff with beautiful views of the S.F. bay and surrounding areas.

Stupidly, I got drunk and fell off the mountain.

After taking a year and a half off school to rehabiliate – I went back to University, but I could no longer swim at the same level as before and “retired.”

One day… the football coach heard about my accident and contacted me to speak to the football team … he wanted me to discuss the consequences of drinking, etc.

As my American readers understand … speaking to your university’s football team is a very big deal …. so I really prepared for it.

My speach was at a hotel, after an alumni dinner … there was the team and their parents..

After the dinner, the coach called me on stage ….

I explained to the team that I had been just a fairly good swimmer…. although I had dreams/goals of becoming great, I never achieved close to my talent …. one of the several reasons why I never achieved my full potential was because I let drinking, partying, and picking up girls (superfiscial pleasures) get in the way of my focus and goals.

I got really into the speech….it all clicked for me….because I was speaking from the heart.

I said to them something like:

“some of you guys have the potential to become NFL players and make a career with football and potentially millions of dollars playing the game you love … so do not let something as stupid as drinking/partying get in the way of your focus.”

At the end of my speech, I got a long standing ovasion and invited to have desert and coffee with the Captains of the team.

I remember one of the captains … a “brad pitt” look a like that was built like Zeus…6’6″ (2 meters) and 240 lbs of pure muscle (120 kilos) a stud … definately, he could pick up just about any girl he wanted… but he asked me, “how do you “not” drink….? don’t you feel uncomfortable?” I was shocked …. here is the ultimate male specimen basically telling me that he drinks because he needs to be “buzzed” to have the confidence to speak to women….. unbelievable.

at the same table listening to our conversation was one of the star players …. another guy built like Zeus, but even bigger …. he explained as well that drinking a couple beers made him more “loose” ….. and made several jokes and we all laughed.

I left that evening very proud … and over the season got invited to VIP parties with the team, etc.

Sadly….. around 9 months later, the guy that was bigger than Zeus… the star of the team who was projected to be the 4th overall pick in the NFL draft which was only a week or so away ….

without question this man was soon to be a multi-multi millionare, broke his neck in a drunk driving accident and is paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of his life.

Surely, this man and his mother (whom was at that dinner and table that night I spoke to the team), surely they have thought about my speech and have incredible regret. It is a terribly sad story.

I am sure a couple loyal readers will comment that this entry is “very deep” …. but it is such a sad story that maybe a few readers will gain something positive from it — don’t let anything get in the way of your focus.

Up until that football players accident … I had been invited to speak to all the teams including the basketball team where Jason Kidd was the star, I also spoke to high schools… but after this guy’s accident, I lost the drive…and I never agreed to speak again.

The world is full of exceptional people …. people that have the talent to be great football players; great salesman; great leaders; etc………….

but how many people fail to achieve their full potential because something gets in the way of their focus?

stick to your pitch

If you do not understand what I am getting at in today blog – please read yesterday’s blog entry – because I am expanding what was discussed yesterday.

The “Voice” raised a good point of discussion yesterday in an email to me about my blog yesterday…(I replied to his mail in the comments section of yesterday’s blog)

He pointed out that the two best sales performers that ever worked for him: One was sloppy and psycho and the other very smelly.

But I wonder…How many great people did the “Voice” lose because of that great performer … she got lots of sales, but she was also an absolute psycho that everyone in the office despised or the sales woman that got deal consistently, but smelled horribly.

One negative or uninspiring, or messy, or distracting person can destroy the whole.

In Tokyo – When I first started at M.E. there was an australian sales woman who ran the delegate sales floor. I was not on her team and
I was new to the office and the industry so my vision of what was happening was unblurred by personal experience.

But sitting across the office …. I witnessed this woman give her team no support, no training – she did not lead them at all. Each time she got a delegate contract – she would walk around the office telling everyone “I got a deal. I got a deal. I got a deal…”

Imagine… if you were on a sales team and you were not selling because your manager gave you no training… no support…yet each time your manager got a deal she got in your face to make sure you knew about it. “I got a deal…I got a deal…I got a deal…”

… once I started to sell a lot on sponsorship, I ultimately became her Sales Director .. so I got the GM to take the cancer out of the office. As soon as she was taken out – the office exploded with business.

At first my GM was against my idea because Lisa was bringing a couple deals a week – but I talked him into it and the results that my decision was the best were immediate.

I know the psycho the Voice refers to… no joke, an absolute psycho of a sales woman (Hiroko) got more deals than Lisa — but several staff were scared for their lives because of her…

…I kept telling my boss constantly that we were losing much more than we were gaining by having this joker in the office.

Finally – he agreed, she was terminated and like I had predicted — the office exploded with more business than before.

I do not know the “smelly” woman the Voice of Reason was refering to … but apparently the best sales woman he ever had work for him was “smelly” and very sloppy and unattractive…..but she got him the most sales in the office.

I wonder….

how many exceptional sales talents and future leaders either quit or did not take the job because the office enviornment was not exclusive and smelled badly….?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Over the past year or so, I bent my “naseba is not for everyone” ideology to one of a more gentle, softer, understanding… leader — but the team/company is not as exclusive as it was before.

This feeling of being part of something “exclusive” is how we built the company.

Over the past year or so a few people were given 2nd 3rd and in one or two cases 4th chances… but ultimately only to prove my theory before (no 2nd chances) was the right one.

Last year, I was not as possesive of the company culture…. nor ensuring the managers were hiring only the best, nor ensuring that people were focused and as sharp as I expected, if people slacked…they were forgiven and given a 2nd chance
(I never gave 2nd chances before), I allowed a couple of super bitches to float through the company…

As I sit here in my Dubai office working on todays blog, smoking a cigar reflecting…..I think about: “what if I had been recruited to naseba this week….”

My first day…I am all excited….and when I show up for my training school…I discover it is full of sloppy, disheveled uninspiring people.

There is no way I would stay.

How much business or how many great potentials did we lose last year because a few mediocre people were allowed through the door … how much business or great potentials did we lose because of overall sloppiness?

Anyone can hire 10 jimpee’s off the street… but surely “great, talented people” do not want to work with jimpee’s.

Someone from M.E. malaysia posted a comment this morning …. basically saying “you got rid of the 8 recruits, but what about the managers that recruited them???”
This is a great point.

Furthermore….

If you are a leader – then you must lead by example.

Leading by example does not just mean selling … but importantly being their inspiration.

Before Jason Gorud, Paul Northover was my leader …If Paul did not work harder than everyone else – there is no way I would have believed in what he told me.

If Paul had not led me by example to stick to the pitch – there is no way I would have stuck to the pitch.

But equally as important:

If Paul had recruited and allowed “just anyone” jimpee’s to come through the door and sit next to me… there is no way I would have believed in him – and listened to what he said.

I believed in Paul (and ultimately I believed in Jason)- therefore, I followed them.

For all the leaders at naseba, no matter what country you work in right now ….(esp. the ones in Dubai) reflect on todays blog.

If you are going to “pitch” that naseba is exclusive, dynamic and making it happen.

Then stick to the f…ing pitch.

…… “stick to the pitch” DOES NOT mean “just read a piece of paper like a telemarketer from a call center…”

Again and again and again I state: a pitch is a foundation to work from to ensure you sell benefit and fully explain in glowing details the product… however, it is entirely up to the sales person to “sell” the prospective client.

There is no way, I would have succeeded as a salesman if I had just read a piece of paper.

This past Friday, Sophie (our COO) was invited to present naseba to a group of 3 analysts from a major french bank in Paris.

We knw about the meeting for several weeks and although there was no money being raised and no deal being done, it was still a very important meeting — and Sophie was brilliantly fluid when she did her presentaion to the analysts because she had written a pitch and practiced and practiced her presentation so she knew what she was saying like the back of her hand.

I flew up to Paris Friday afternoon to meet her for dinner and spend the weekend in Paris…Sophie laughingly told me over dinner that she had learned from my last three blogs because she “raised objections” for the analysts before they asked them…and even if they did not mention an objection, she raised it anyways to ensure that if they thought of it later they would understand …her presentation was perfect.

Any company (not just naseba) that has meetings with banks, analysts and/or potential investors uses a prepared presentation “slides” on what the company does, benefits, objections, financials, etc…..the presentation serves exactly like a written pitch except it is more detailed – and the people you are meeting have a copy of your presentation in front of them.

Normal analyst lunches last an hour … Sophie’s presentation last 2.5 hours because her presentation was smooth, interactive and passionate. I am sure it came down to that her pitch/presentation was much better than most of the presentations these analysts see each week.

On Saturday, We had a meeting with our financial communication company to review Sophie’s meeting and the partner from the company, matthieu pointed out how “smooth” sophie is with her presentation.

Sophie replied without laughing, “I just stick to the pitch.”

Furthermore…

Sophie and I are buying an apartment in Paris so we spent saturday afternoon looking…we met several agents, but decided on the one that was the smoothest and most professional — he was not the most charming; he was not the best looking …. he did not “ummm” he did not try to “chat us up”…he didnt tell me how much he liked my shoes….. he just explained perfectly all the benefits and objections to the area of Paris we are buying – in the end he was the most professional.

On my flight last night from Paris to Dubai, I read an email from one of my old friends that still works for my previous company…

this old friend commented that most people in the my previous company know about my blog and he jokingly “thanked” me for helping him re-train his teams…..

because many of our competitors read my blog essentially, I am “re-training” our competition….

of course I understand this … and to be honest, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy to know many of my competition, many people that I have never met read my blog.

I do not mind re-training and giving my input to my competition.

…. if people from companies like jacob fleming/gulf fleming/ fleming gulf have to steal event ideas from naseba to succeed …. they surely need all the help they can get when it comes to learning how to sell.

however……………

having a sales pitch is not the secret…..

the secret is sticking to it…