The next transcript features business coach Clay Clark (US Small Business Administration Entrepreneur of the Year) and the 7-foot pharmaceutical sales rep Mickey Michalec talking about why sales are so crucial to your business on Thrive15.com, one of the most elite business schools in Florida!
Clay: There was one guy who applied to work here, and I remember I told him that he had to dress sharp if you want to be a business coach. He had super long hair, and if you want to be a musician or you want to be an artist, or there’s certain careers you want to do, certain hair doesn’t matter. Certain sports it doesn’t matter, but in our profession, we do a lot of PR and a lot of work with big companies. He had just had to get a hair cut.
Mickey: Sure.
Clay: Told him, “you have to have a suit.” This dude literally went to the store, bought a suit, cut his hair for the first time in a decade or whatever, comes back with short hair, and a new suit that he’s never worn before, for the interview for a business coach job.
Mickey: Oh, nice.
Clay: You could tell it was new, you could tell, but it’s just that sort of resourcefulness … and he was kind of in that point in his life where he didn’t have a lot of cushion there.
Mickey: Yeah.
Clay: I know we’ve all been there before, but it’s really dressing for the role you want.
Mickey: It’s, with so many people, an excuse I hear, “well, I’m not comfortable in a suit.” Well, let me tell you, I wasn’t comfortable either. I was a guy that was wearing basketball shorts and a jersey. That’s the last thing I wanted to be, was in a jacket, a button-down shirt, a tie. I remember in that interview trying to swallow going, “oh, this is so tight on my neck.
Clay: Yeah.
Mickey: Now, I enjoy it. I look forward to dressing up, because it makes me feel good. And I’m not even a business coach!
Clay: Now, if I’m watching this right now and I’m struggling with this final area here, if I’m struggling with my confidence … now confidence it’s hard to really describe it sometimes to people what it is, but it’s that look in your eye that says, “I can do it.” It’s that eagerness to raise your hand and say, “I would like to try.” It’s that belief that you can do something. A lot of people, in your situation, your mother attempted suicide, you grew up in a rough spot. Some people might have grown up worse, or …
Mickey: Sure.
Clay: if someone doesn’t have confidence, what is a step that they can take right now, to kind of get their confidence up? Is there a book you recommend or … what can I do?
Mickey: No. The first thing, it’s a mindset. You have to start thinking positive, all the time. Attitude is a choice. You have to start thinking positive, all the time. Attitude is a choice. It’s not something that someone else can dictate unless you allow them to dictate your attitude. Every business coach knows this.
Clay: Attitude is a choice.
Mickey: It’s an absolute choice. I choose to be happy. I choose to be sad. I choose to be mad. I choose to be frustrated. If you don’t choose to go down that path, it’s our choice. Don’t allow them to win.
Clay: Do you talk to yourself in the car when you have … say you have a big rejection. Do you ever say to yourself, “self, I’m on fire. I’m good.” Do you ever say, ” I got it. I’m good. I’m getting it together.” Do you ever talk to yourself?
Mickey: I do. “Let’s go, big boy. Let’s get this one. We’ve got to get this one today. This is the one we have to get. You’ve been waiting for this one, guy’s a big dog, you know he’s going to affect other people by the choices he makes. Let’s go get him.”
Clay: Do you call yourself big boy?
Mickey: Big dog.
Clay: Big dog.
Mickey: Let’s go big boy, big dog, let’s do it. Whatever you want to do, to hype your self up, because let’s face it, I don’t have the lights anymore. I don’t have the crowd behind me. I don’t have the coach saying, “go get him. Go knock him down, go set that screen, get that rebound.” The rah rah that I have is me. That’s the guy. It’s a choice for me to say …
Clay: You motivate yourself? Even without a business coach?
Mickey: Yes. Why not? Who else is going to do it? Some people may not be able to afford a business coach.
Clay: I feel like a lot of people wait for the cavalry to come, though.
Mickey: Sure.
Clay: We’re waiting for the horses and the backup troops and the paratroopers and the reinforcements and we want that to happen. You’re saying it’s not going to happen; you have to be your own …
Mickey: No. I think you can surround yourself by successful people that choose to live the right way and have a positive attitude, and they choose success. They choose positive. Don’t surround yourself with Negative Nancy all the time. Don’t let that person be around you saying, ‘yeah, it probably wasn’t good. Man, it’s going to rain later; can you believe that?” How about, you should be thankful. “Man, I tell you what, we need the water. I’m glad it’s going to rain a little bit, but I’ll tell you what, because it’s raining, now the docs aren’t going to want to go outside. They’re going to be inside, trying to get work done, ’cause nobody can go outside today.”
Clay: So you’re always looking for that positive spin.
Mickey: Yes.
Clay: A couple of things I want to clarify. As we’ve been shooting these Thrive videos and interviewing entrepreneurs from coast to coast, pro athletes and musicians and entrepreneurs, people who are the top of their game, the thing we constantly hear, over and over and over, and I’ve heard it every single time so far, and I’m hoping this tradition continues, every entrepreneur who’s successful talks to themselves. It’s bizarre because everybody who I know who is struggling to have success is like, “that’s weird. I wouldn’t never talk to myself. I would never do it.” Every entrepreneur I know dresses for success. Now, some are musicians and they dress the part for that. Some are athletes and they dress the part, but they all dress the part for success, and they’re really kind of going, if it’s going to be, it’s up to me. You start with yourself, you encourage yourself.
Are you feeling motivated to do sales? You can learn more about how to effectively grow your business on Thrive15.com, one of the most entertaining business schools in Florida!
Mickey: That’s right.
Clay: Now I want to ask this here, when you get your confidence rocked, I mean you can imagine the last time you got throttled, and … I remember just recently we were sharing the Thrive concept with about 400 venture capital firms, and we had some really big, big people come in recently who are really passionate about Thrive and get it and it’s taken off, but I remember I got off the phone with a huge firm, and if you’re watching and you’re that firm I hope that you get to see this one, buddy. He was just like, “not only is Thrive not a good idea, but the idea to make learning fun doesn’t even make sense. It’s not about fun, it’s about learning, and the institution of college will never be questioned,” and this whole thing. Then he gets kind of personal, and he’s like, “and I don’t appreciate you taking my time.” Just that extra little, “ooh.” It does that. It kind of gets into your soul and it kind of just twist the dagger a little bit.
Mickey: Sure.
Clay: I remember immediately going into my Hummer of Love, that’s my car, the Hummer, driving home at 8 miles a gallon in my car, thinking to myself, “I feel horrible.” I didn’t say it. I just remember thinking it, and then I’m like, “I feel great. I’m turning my thoughts of frustration into energy. The energy is what motivates me, and the motivation is what’s keeping me pumped, and I’m even more pumped, and I’m glad he rejected me.” I got myself to where I pulled into the driveway; I got to a point where I was almost excited again. It’s like you have to trick yourself. Don’t you?
Mickey: Yeah, yeah. I think you have to balance the highs and lows. I think that rollercoaster peaks really high and it dips really low, and constantly, when you dip low, you can either allow that to take over the situation and take over your environment, or you can instantly change your mindset, which changes your environment.