Who's the Sucker at the Table? You Can Get Rich by Solving the World's Easiest Puzzle_. I was in awe when he suggested I might be one of those with an aptitude for this line of work. I quickly replied that I knew what he was talking about, only in an even more sophisticated form.
"No offense," he responded. "But I'd bet you're not the typical person I have in mind."
"And I'd bet you're right," I admitted.
In other words, I didn't want to be like most of the people he'd worked with over the years. Many of those people were good salespeople who, like me, had learned the fundamentals of success from an outstanding teacher. In their case, the teacher was an amazing marketer, and a very nice man named John Picken.
"How long have you been in the game?" Bill queried.
"More than twenty years," I responded. "My first sale was for $250 and I didn't get an allowance until I made my first $500."
Bill was amazed by what he heard. "How old were you?"
"That doesn't matter," I insisted. "Let's say I was nine."
"Okay," he nodded. "And how much money did you make in an average month when you were nine?"
It was easy to remember because I still made $2,000 a week during that month. And when I got my allowance, it was $300 a week. (My dad was a good economist, as he called it.)
"Wouldn't you like to make $2,000 a week?" Bill asked.
"Yes," I admitted. "Very much so."
"If you do," he said, "you will, because you have the kind of mind that I'm looking for. How many people do you know who'd give up $300 a week for $2,000 a week?"
I paused, considering his question. "Maybe six or seven," I said. "Maybe less."
"Then why not let me try to convince you to give up the 300 for the 2000?" he responded.
I hesitated for a second, then agreed to be a fly on the wall to see how he would pull off this outrageous sales pitch.
Bill started as he always did: by showing me the results. He had a big sales force. The men and women were eager to make money. In fact, they were in love with the idea of selling and helping others make money, while earning large commissions for themselves. They knew how to generate leads, make calls, set appointments, and move the sales process along, from beginning to end.
The only thing missing was a product.
"As soon as the salesperson leaves the prospect's office," he said, "that deal goes right back to my department. We sell the product and then turn it around to make money for me. I don't have any of the heavy lifting to do."
"But," I asked, "what do you sell?"
He looked at me and smiled. "Nothing."
"Nothing?" I repeated. "You're telling me you have a full-time staff and they're all working on making money for you—and you don't have to spend a minute trying to sell the product?"
"That's right."
I was in the presence of a man of infinite intelligence who had never been known to get even the tiniest bit emotional. But he was beginning to get pretty excited about my interest.
"I don't know why you didn't figure this out sooner," he said. "For the past few years I've been looking for someone who can be a big fish in a small pond. Someone who is smart enough to take the big profits that are being left behind because no one else wants to work hard. Someone who has enough intelligence and common sense to handle what we're doing—without the pressure of having to create business for myself or sell products and services. Because it's all about taking the risk away."
"Risk?"
"Right. It's time for you to quit being the chump."
I sat there, not knowing quite what to say. But I knew exactly what I wanted to say. I was the "chump." The fool. And I could feel the foolishness oozing out of me in a steady stream of humiliation. This guy was asking me to get in my car and drive away from the kind of job that would have paid $4,500 a week and then go on to a career of selling products and services that were going to pay me five times that much in commissions. He was asking me to trade this for selling a system that cost $39.95 and promised to give me $10,000 in commissions—every single week.
Bill reached out and put his hand on my shoulder. He was trying to offer encouragement, but I could feel the terror, which had been brewing in me for the past five minutes. I was losing the one thing that had always been my driving force: my livelihood.
I could feel his big hand shaking a little. "Would you at least think about this?" he asked. "I promise, you don't have to answer now, just think about it."
In that moment, I was overwhelmed with an immense desire to get up and run. But I also knew that if I left this meeting, I would never return. Not only that, but I wouldn't be able to think about anything else the rest of that day. And Bill was offering me an opportunity I couldn't pass up. And so I kept the ball in his court. "Let's think about it, Bill," I said. "And let's have some lunch."
We never did finish our meeting, but I'll never forget how smart I felt that day.
**The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Do**
I wasn't the only one who experienced a turning point that day. Most of the participants at that lunch went on to become very successful. But the man at the head of the table was the exception.
Bill's pitch to me changed my life. It was the catalyst that pushed me toward a new and lucrative career. I didn't know it at the time, but from that day forward, my focus on developing and protecting my career and business was no longer based on fear. I was no longer looking at the big, bad world of selling from the perspective of a potential failure. Now, I was willing to take a chance. And with my desire for continued growth at heart, I discovered that _big-ticket sales_ were not only available, they were all around me.
From the moment I started to realize that big-ticket sales and high-end consulting could be developed for anyone, I was determined to create this business and make it my primary means of supporting my family. And I was determined to find ways to bring the same success to my audience. I started traveling to every city in America and meeting face to face with new associates. I was able to do this because of the very good fortune of the many people in my network. They were willing to go the extra mile because of the results I was producing for them. And I was able to make it happen. The key was to make salespeople understand how they could make a profit in the same way I made my six-figure income.
Over the past twelve years, I've had the opportunity to develop a network of people who have taught me how to transform a network marketing business into a high-yield career. I am not in the business of teaching people how to grow their own business. It's not in my blood to teach, I can't compete with anyone's experience, and I wouldn't even know where to start. Instead, my success as a trainer has come through teaching people how to make better use of the tools, resources, and support I was given.
These skills are designed to help people become true leaders in their local market. And I'm only able to do this because of my network. They are the foundation of our business. My focus is to provide them with the opportunity to learn new skills and add new members to their team.
As I traveled and spoke around the country, I could see that not many people were pursuing this type of sales strategy and approach. And the ones who were aware of these principles were often limited by the opportunities that their market was able to provide. I came to the realization that I was onto something. There were vast amounts of money available, and I was determined to tap into them.
But I was missing something. To be successful at anything requires a desire to succeed. And with a new found passion for developing a business model of my own, I was willing to pursue my dreams no matter what.
It was the end of 1998, and I was sitting in a hotel room in Las Vegas, reading _The Road to Wealth_ by Napoleon Hill. It's a collection of Napoleon Hill's observations of some of the greatest leaders of all time. I was particularly drawn to Napoleon's lessons on vision and personal motivation. He once said, "The difference between those who have power and those who don't is that those who have power see far ahead."
I knew this was true, and I knew that I wanted it to be true for me. So I decided that I had to develop a dream for my future, that would keep me on the path of success. And I knew I had to make a big splash to
