Carson V. Heady's Blog, page 61
July 25, 2020
Beyond thrilled by these well wishes for my new book, “Salesman on Fire,” now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. #wallstreet #winning #sales #leadership
Beyond thrilled by these well wishes for my new book, “Salesman on Fire,” now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. #wallstreet #winning #sales #leadership https://t.co/ffHZMY76lW
July 22, 2020
Why “The Color of Money” is the Greatest Sales Film of All Time
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Over the opening moments of this masterpiece, Martin Scorsese (the masterful director) says, “The only ball that means anything – that wins it – is the 9. The player can shoot eight trick shots in a row, blow the 9 and lose. On the other hand the player can get the 9 in on the break if the balls spread right and win. Which is to say that luck plays a part in 9-ball. But for some players luck itself is an art.”
Isn’t that the very nature of our lives and luck? In sales, in life, it’s not always about playing the best nor is there an ability to win every time. All great champions lose and lose often. But those who keep trying and understand the playing field can create their own luck because of odds and probability.
The film begins at a bar in a pool hall with an aging liquor salesman providing samples to a bartender in an attempt to move product, while Phil Collins plays on the jukebox. Basic enough, right? This scene could play out anywhere in the world. But taking into consideration the larger context, it becomes far more personal – because we all have a story and we all carry experiences with us.
This seller is no different. Of course, when the camera pans out, we can see it is Paul Newman, but it’s Newman as his 1961 alter ego “Fast Eddie” Felsen from The Hustler. There was plenty of world experience and baggage from that film alone, but – 25 years later – one can only imagine where the journey has taken him. As sellers, we can start out as the most unpolished, arrogant unfinished works but time and losses embattle us. They build us.
Eddie leverages a variety of sales methods to land his product in the bar; of course, he and the female bartender have history, but she does accuse him of peddling his product. That said, Eddie is clearly a relationship seller. And he does not back down – he is a wizard of conversation, shows no frustration, and continues to leverage his knowledge of product and stories to keep the dialogue flowing and move toward a sale.
He also has multiple streams of income; we learn this as John Turturro approaches and Eddie is revealed to be his stakehorse in a $20-a-rack pool series against Tom Cruise’s Vincent Lauria character. Side hustles are all the rage these days. Eddie does not appear to still dabble in his old sport, but he can not get too far away.
Eddie knows the story behind his product – the low fusel oil content, the unique quality from the kegs – and he employs a multitude of different personal touches and stories amidst his selling routine.
Of course, he is pulled away to view his passion – the pool game – after Vincent makes quick work of his adversary. Multiple times. And in audacious fashion.
Vincent Lauria represents “the young gun” – completely lacking in polish but overflowing with charisma, charm and talent. He just has no idea what to do with it. “I just want your best game. I think maybe the money is throwing you off here today.” He knows nothing of the power of anonymity and ability to string along his opponent – he’s just good. Pure raw talent. When Turturro exits and Vincent’s girlfriend Carmen asks Eddie if he wants to play, he offers to play for $500 and we have a stalemate – there is no understanding at this stage if it’s worth the risk to play an unknown willing to bet so much, and Vincent has already flaunted his pool excellence to the pool hall where no one wants to play him and lose their money.
Vincent has a natural talent and personality which makes for the perfect young phenom. It’s what we look for in every young sales prospect – blind ambition in a blank, moldable canvas. But it can only go so far; the realities of life and loss and the ebbs and flows of business will take their toll on even the most ambitious young soul. It’s what we do after we lose our selling innocence and the perseverance and attitude we choose to take which will determine our success or lack thereof.
Fast Eddie takes a liking to Vincent for this very reason, takes him and Carmen to dinner, and unleashes the platitudes: “If you’ve got an area of excellence… you’re the best at something, anything… then rich can be arranged. Rich can come fairly easy.”
“Pool excellence is not about excellent pool. It’s about becoming something. You’ve gotta be a student of human moves.” He predicts activity of a patron of the bar, of course knowing his routine – but that’s just it: Eddie knows the parameters, how to manipulate them in his favor, and that’s the mark of a seller. Knowing how to manage the controllables and how to pivot amidst uncontrollables. Sales is like a card game – you are playing against factors you cannot see, amongst probabilities and odds, and you just have to use your best judgment and keep your cool. Studying human moves and body language and different sales cues will dictate your actions. You cannot be afraid to guide the dialogue forward, to ask for new introductions and referrals and next steps, or to respectfully position milestones and deals. Sports and games of chance have no emotion, and while the emotion these gentlemen bring to their passions, they play the odds. They build relationships that matter and apply their excellence to the game.
Vincent is a store employee at a Child World toy store. He can sell parents toys for their kids based on all of the same personal touches and product stories. They love him. He can weave in discounts and move product – with zero commission and likely limited outside career prospects – until Eddie begins to work on wooing him into an Atlantic City pool tournament and the roadmap to it: training, mentoring, mastery of craft.
They both need it. They both need each other. Eddie sees himself as past his prime and he needs to teach and be back in the sport. He needs to pass on what he knows, which is really the only legacy we can leave. Eddie convinces Vincent that he needs to leave his toy store world to impress and keep his girlfriend (this is what Eddie does – use every method at his disposal to get people to do what he wants them to do). Eddie’s motivations begin quite selfishly, but the real question is if everyone will wind up better when this is all over? I believe this is how Eddie justifies himself; it’s a means to an end. He can lift this kid out of his world, pass along his knowledge, make him rich and thus force himself back into the sport that brought him so much pain 25 years ago.
The temptation and evolution of Vincent at Eddie’s hands begins in the toy store, continues back at the pool hall as Eddie continues to lure (with the Balabushka – the Excalibur of pool sticks) and then nonchalantly act disinterested. That is Eddie’s go-to: he entices, then he bluffs indifference after planting the seed of change in his subjects. Vincent – faced now with uncertainty over keeping his girlfriend interested and the prospect of an exciting road trip – chooses the open road, especially after Eddie further manipulates the playing field by getting Carmen to act differently.
Eddie doesn’t really “play fair” but the irony is that Vincent is a near-replica of the bombastic, over-confident Eddie we saw in The Hustler.
The fascinating character study of The Color of Money is the parallel story lines: Eddie is struggling as well, but he just doesn’t show it. But he is obsessed with recreating his glory days because of a nagging emptiness. He’s had sales success – clearly – and has a significant other, but it just isn’t enough. He has to see through the Atlantic City path with Vincent because he feels it will give him what he’s missing.
We all do this at times; we eye “greener pastures” or alternate paths on the journey because we feel it will provide something we are lacking. We grapple with leaving a legacy and performing meaningful work. And when things aren’t happening the way we think we want them to, we can get restless. This is the embodiment of Eddie – which is why he coerces Vincent into becoming his protégé.
Also brilliant is that the tournament is just a part of the mix, not the end-all-be-all. More money can be made in the hustle and the practice room than the tournament itself. “The balls roll funny for everybody,” meaning it doesn’t matter who the best player is. It only matters who is the best student of the game.
It’s one thing to be great. It’s quite another to be a great student and player of the game. “The best is the guy with the most.”
Also quite realistic is that nothing ever goes as anticipated. After driving and the buildup of hype, the three saunter into their first pool hall and it’s completely empty and no longer a pool hall. Nothing ever goes as we anticipate and – while prep is important – what matters most is how we adapt while the game is played.
The second trek tests Vincent’s ability to beat someone he feels physically superior to and Eddie teaches him a tough love lesson, leaving him high and dry to fend for himself when the tables are turned. He doesn’t like it. “Never ease off on somebody – not when there’s money involved.” Turns out the opponent was not as unprepared to lose as he thought.
Much character development (and great music) transpires at Chalky’s Pool Hall; Fast Eddie knows the manager – Orvis – and Eddie attempts to teach Vincent the ability to play lowkey, to lose, to dump when needed, and to subtly make his way through the entire pool hall’s cast of characters without scaring any of them away. Eddie’s patience wears thin because Vincent won’t play along – he just wants to win. And he does, but by winning too fast and too often and with too much arrogance, his wins are short-sighted.
This exemplifies the impatience and frustration of the teacher who can’t get the student to do what he or she wants them to do, along with the impatience and restlessness of the student who just wants to take over the world with their raw talent. They both have a lot to learn.
What Eddie’s missing is a true, personal connection to Vincent. He only cares about Vincent’s success for his own outcome – not Vincent’s. He cannot legitimately sell Vincent on why he should do what Eddie is teaching him – he is using fear tactics (like loss of Carmen) and love of money to get him to play along. Vincent is just like a kid in a candy store – he is getting his first exposure to a larger world and realizing his talents can equate to financial victories… he just cannot fully comprehend how to tap into the most possible.
Of course, the situation implodes – Vincent immediately skips to the kingpin of the pool hall in an ego-soaked, “Werewolves of London” serenaded game. Vincent is a showman. He has unfettered confidence because he’s never been broken or lost. He wins the game itself, but of course now the pool hall is dead to him, he has lost potential income because of his uncalculated risk, and his relationship with Eddie is at an impasse.
“I could always go back to whiskey. It’s been very good to me. You’re sitting in it and I’m wearing it. But it’s tired. All of a sudden you appear on the scene and I’m jumping again. You remind me that money won is twice as sweet as money earned. I’m hungry again and you bled that back into me. You’ve gotta have two things to win. You’ve got to have brains and you’ve got to have balls. And you’ve got too much of one and not enough of the other.”
Eddie finally shares a glimpse at his fateful experience 25 years ago. He finally shares a little vulnerability, and Vincent reciprocates – it’s tough for him to lay down.
As leaders, we have to be vulnerable and make it personal – to share experiences but also understanding and empathy. As students, we have to listen – to be open to suggestions and feedback. If either player in this mix refuses the suggestion or rebuffs the reaction from the other, it will cause friction that can lead to walls and inability to successfully work together.
Vincent gave a heartfelt expression of appreciation this one time Eddie was able to show vulnerability. This could have been a pivotal moment in the relationship. But Eddie was not in a place to completely embrace his role.
And it’s hard not to empathize with Vincent’s plight. He’s just a guy who is great at pool working in a toy store with a girlfriend he loves – one he gravitated toward because he felt he could help her. It reminds me of a time I found a waiter at a restaurant I enjoy, and because he impressed me so much in one meal with his attentiveness and service, I recruited him into a cold-calling, high pressure sales world. He made a lot of money, but it eventually was not for him. Different types of sales – specifically high pressure ones involving lots of zeroes and money – change people. It can forge them into a weapon; mold them and toughen them. It’s not for everyone. And everyone can reach an impasse in their sales career. It requires we constantly evolve, pivot and reinvent ourselves.
Vincent was not inherently made for “the hustle,” but through enough of them, he became someone different. His confidence and whimsy became toughness and arrogance – and even under-handed.
Personally, as Tom Cruise revisits Mission: Impossible over and over again and revives Top Gun, I’d love to see where Vincent Lauria is today. Did he eventually desire to use his immense talents for pure good again?
Through everything, and the inability to get Vincent to do exactly what he wanted him to do – win or lose how he desired – it stirred a comeback in Eddie. He jettisoned his fear – at his most vulnerable moment, the one where he admitted failure and aborted the tutelage and mentorship – and picked himself back up, starting at the basics, getting glasses, re-learning fundamentals, playing (and losing) against small time players, and earning his own spot in the tournament.
The inevitable happens: Eddie had planted the seed in Vincent, and they face one another in the tournament. Vincent is unrecognizable. Eddie is determined to regain his glory days.
Salespeople achieve these statuses at various stages in their careers. I’ve seen folks pop onto the scene and have immediate success for days, weeks or even a few months and they think they’re stars – they think they should be promoted and they get a big head. Heck, I was one 20 years ago. But I’ll tell you I’ve learned more about sales in my 20th year in sales than I did in the others combined. We are works in progress – always. We must strive to be lifelong learners.
I don’t encourage anyone to transform themselves into apathetic, cutthroat manipulators, but I certainly do not feel one can fully win without understanding the following:
Luck in an art. It favors those who understand the parameters and variables in play, who control what they can control and play the odds. Sales is a numbers’ game, and you can apply numbers and process to everything you do.
Become a student of your customer’s business and of the game. Devote yourself to understanding everything you can about the game you’re playing and how you can work smart. How you can achieve the KPI’s you are charged with hitting. Pick up something from everyone you interact with. Good or bad, you will constantly learn the methods of others, and you can assimilate or ignore them for the purposes of your own arsenal. Be flexible, be a lifelong learner.
Invest in people. Invest in experiences. Be vulnerable and open to where the journey takes you. Sales is all about people and process; relationships and teaching and sharing and being transparent.
You have to lose to win. I’ve learned more in my career from losses and horrible experiences than anything else, and fueling that hurt and those lessons into my motivation has taken me higher than I ever imagined. I’ve lost a lot, and it’s why I’ve won so much.
Be honest with yourself. Acknowledge why you care about what you care about. Don’t ignore the gaps in your life and career, specifically at the expense of your self confidence and your relationships with others.
And know, that like Fast Eddie Felsen realizes in the end, if he doesn’t win this time, it doesn’t matter… there’s always the next game. Pick yourself up and get back in it. It’s never too late.
July 21, 2020
The Role of the Seller
The most wonderful aspect of sales is that if you are a great seller, like a profound artist or uniquely qualified surgeon, there’s always work for you. There’s also always an itch – to achieve, to be relevant, to get that taste of success again and again.
Sales is a sport filled with winners and losers, workers and hustlers, honorable and cheats. Each segment or industry is its own playing field, rich with lingo and best practices and its own nuances. Master your playing field – the things that get you paid and noticed – and you can dominate your field. Sales excellence is not about excellent sales – it’s about becoming a student of the game and understanding how it works. It’s about relationships. It’s about adding value. It’s about odds, probability and consistency.
But it does not always transfer. A great seller does not a great manager make. Someone who thrives in health care sales cannot necessarily move into technology or cars or retail. It takes the rarest of rare – the unicorn of sales (or, perhaps more appropriately, the chameleon) – to transform into the successful seller of every solution.
You must really care about your brand to continue to adapt with every change thrown your way. But we’ve got work to do and money to make. A real seller’s job is never done.
July 1, 2020
2020 Vision
2020 is half complete. A wacky, weird year does not have to be a wasted year, even though the majority of the last 6 months has seen turmoil in our communities and world. We cannot go to church the same, but I’ve intentionally prayed a lot more than ever before (and our world needs all the prayer it can get). My wife and I cannot go on as many dates, but it doesn’t stop us from planning new meals, spending time together with love question books and shows we enjoy. We’ve turned into home-school teachers instead of shuttling kids from activity to activity. In fact, our kids have thrived this year and we’ve had a ton of precious family time. My gym ritual has been shut down since March, but I’m trending to work out 45% more than last year – my best year since high school. Thanks to saving on commute and prep time, I finished writing a book that has sold hundreds of copies, have been on four podcasts and have read 9 books.
There are always ways to invest in faith, family and friends – it just looks different. Even if you can’t travel, you can tour just about anything in the world, virtually from your living room. It’s a time to learn and invest – in yourself and your passions.
But what’s most important in 2020 is people: reaching out, respecting, listening. I have certainly had my days in 2020 where I’ve woken up not wanting to go or I’ve looked back on the day and felt like I’ve wasted it. But the beauty of life is we can make a decision any day we wish to be different, be better. 2020 is not a wasted year – it’s a wonderful year to figure out what your cocoon should look like so you can emerge an even more complete person in every facet of your life.
June 1, 2020
May 8, 2020
Peace, Love, Unity, Respect
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In Jamaica, multiple folks on our resort taught our kids (Sidonia loved it), a practice of touching and brushing thumbs and saying “Peace, Love, Unity, Respect.”
P.L.U.R. has origins in 1990’s rave culture, but it’s also the complete answer to what the world needs now.
PEACE. There is a lot of unrest, anxiety and fear – of a great number of things. Peace starts from within, ideally with a realization that you are OK and your acceptance of what you can or cannot control.
LOVE. The Beatles tell us it’s all we need. Love of God, family, friends. Making meaningful connection is so important right now. Truly listening to and understanding where other people are coming from. There are a lot of passionate opinions and beliefs, some fueled by emotion and others by logic. They all have a place. If you care, you’ll not only spend time trying to understand where others are coming from, but you’ll listen and allow them to express their feelings.
UNITY. Coming together as a people is so important. It becomes all the more difficult in times like this because there are so many competing agendas. The only agenda here should be for PEOPLE. Doing the best we can for the needs of the many to ensure safety, communication, involvement in the solution, and sharing of truth over fear. We are having a difficulty coming together as a people because of polarizing and competing agendas that play on our emotions. We need a lot of prayer for unity.
RESPECT. No matter what the opinion or beliefs of another, it’s never been more paramount to respectfully express our own views and respectfully listen to the views of others. This does not mean judging someone who seems to feel differently; perhaps it means respectfully asking ‘why?’ Respect does not mean ignoring or swinging a pendulum in either drastic direction. Real people have real feelings and respect means making room for all of them. Trying to find common ground, but at least caring about opinions other than your own.
I pray a lot more these days. A practice I picked up early on during this pandemic is something my wife re-posted from social media about praying every time I wash my hands and I still do it to this day. I find myself praying every day for P.L.U.R. – for our world, our country, for all people who are struggling with something, for all people who feel alone or isolated, for those who feel like no one cares what they feel or think or have to say. I pray each of us can strive for these principles in our daily lives and with one another.
April 7, 2020
“Birth of a Salesman: Ultimate Edition” is FREE this week!
For sellers stuck at home, this is the time you invest in your learning and relationships. “Birth of a Salesman: Ultimate Edition” is FREE this week. Nab it here. (And please leave a review!)
April 2, 2020
Crisis Reveals Character
Crisis reveals character. During times like these, it’s never been more important to be informed, calm and caring. You can still connect, it just looks different. Much of what mattered so much a month ago is irrelevant today. This is a time of reflection and prayer, of thankfulness for what we do have and for the real heroes of the times: healthcare professionals, grocery store workers, the shipping industry, organizations that are shifting to create supplies, and delivery. The world will absolutely emerge from this pandemic, and will look different. ‘Different isn’t always better, but better is always different’, and there are absolutely ways that you, your faith, your family and loved ones, your career and your passions can emerge better – even if you don’t see it today. Focus on a moment or choice at a time. Tune out the political, hateful, false panic-inducing noise of social media. Embrace good weather, reading, journaling, family and a phone call. Life is different, but it doesn’t mean you can’t live. I pray you and your loved ones are safe and well during this time. If I can help you in any way, don’t hesitate to ask.
