The Journey - Search for Significance!

I love rollercoasters.   Especially the old wooden ones like the Scream Machine at Six Flags Over Georgia.  When it first opened, you had to stand in line 2 hours to get your hand stamped...to come back and wait 2 more hours.  It was their most popular ride.   I did it gladly.  Several times!   When it got a little older and newer rides like The Cyclone and Superman were more popular, we old purists would still go ride the Scream Machine.    Nostalgic...yea...but old girl can still give you a major thrill...she still has the stuff.   Late at night when the park crowd dissipated, you could clap and shout at the end of the ride and if the conditions are favorable and fortune smiles...   They take you around again!   The second ride is always better...because you didn't expect it. Sometimes life lets you ride again...   In 2010, LeRoy was 74 years young.  He had done some amazing things and lived an eventful life.  He and Pamela had been together 52 years and had 8 kids who provided them more grandchildren and great-grandchildren than I can keep up with.   Thanksgiving and Christmas are total madness.   We would sit for hours talking about sales and our philosophies.  There were people, who were still active in the business, constantly seeking his advice.  Occasionally, he was invited to speak on programs with Prime Ministers and important civic and spiritual leaders.  It was a good life but I could tell he wanted something more...   Deep down I knew he wanted back in the game...he still had plenty of gas in the tank...more to give.   "Why don't you write a book?" I asked him at Christmas. "You have great wisdom to impart and the things you have done are significant in your country, the Carribbean and the insurance industry."   I knew I had hit a nerve with the word "significant"...though we didn't speak about it.    The Search for Significance.   That is what we all want after a life of service and commitment.  Not that we are seeking adulation or attention.  It is to know that our life mattered.  To leave a mark that we were here and that our life stood for something.  That we made the world a better place.   At that moment, something inside of me said, "you write it".  It was the unmistakable voice of destiny that we can hear if we are quiet enough and the motives are pure. Two weekends later, Crumbs from the Master's Table was written.  We immediately sent copies to his friends and former colleagues all over the Caribbean as gifts.   This wasn't conceived as a way to make money...I had only written training guides and one self-development program.  I didn't fancy myself an author.  It was to honor LeRoy for his service to a profession that I also believed in.   Strange thing happened...orders for the book starting coming in quickly and what was only supposed to be a vanity book became an industry hit.    The book resonated with people from all industries, walks of life and stages of sales development - from the newbie to the wounded warrior to the successful veteran.   Sales teams started using the Daily Crumbs as a lesson planner theme for the day.   Agents who were on the verge of quitting and giving up on sales found the strength to give it one more try...   That simple book reminded all of us in sales what it means to be new...to be struggling.  To have someone reach back and mentor us through those scary times, leading us to the first signs of success.   The book is autobiographical...for me, for you...and LeRoy.  At the end of the book he goes back to train another round of professional sellers.   Life imitating art...   The effects of the book were so great, and the impact he could still have was so evident that Guardian Group hired LeRoy as a consultant to help them increase sales in Trinidad.   He was back in the game...the ride was going to be even more exciting this time around...no longer in the...   Search for Significance.   Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!  Next Time: The Journey - The Best Is Saved for Last!

Available On Amazon! Available on Amazon! Allow LeRoy to conduct 20  lunch time sessions with you in the new release Lunch with Leroy! Read First 3 Chapters Read the classic sales parable Sales Crumbs from the Master's Table...inspired by LeRoy Shuffler! Read 1st 3 Chapters!

The Journey - New Levels of Success!

Happy Friday!   I told you a few weeks ago I was doing the Spartacus Workout.  A body-weight infused, 40 seconds on...20 seconds off punishment from the pits of Hades.   I love it...   Why?   Progress!  New Levels of Success.   Yes, I could keep running 30-40 miles a week or ride the stationary bike for an hour.  A good workout, but it has become "easy"  I need a "summertime in Cabos" body...ripped...49 and fine!   Sometimes success can lull us to sleep and make us think we have "arrived" and that we are through growing and stretching...   Until something shakes us.   Like LeRoy in  1975.  The political environment in Guyana had become challenging, and though he was enjoying a very high level of professional success, he knew he could not remain and do the things he had envisioned for his family.   He did the scariest thing he has ever done...he packed up the family to leave the country of his birth, Guyana. Coming to America! The story is famous amongst the children about their journey and arrival to America.  Amazing how the passage of time makes things seem less traumatic. The first struggle was going from the temperate climate of home to face the fierce winters of Ohio.   They left behind all the comforts of home to follow their father... who was following his instincts. Remember we said it takes three things to progress from struggle to success; Passion, Commitment and Something Worth Fighting For? It takes a strong woman to hold it down in a new land (with 8 kids!) while the provider flies all over the world for weeks at a time.  A shout out to the MVP's - (remember our recent series on Sales and Marriage?... click here for archive) LeRoy and Pamela knew success required sacrifice.  It is for a season but will take you to new levels of success. Despite the culture shock of a 70's America, LeRoy set out to conquer a set of new challenges and he built a reputation as a molder of great sales professionals and high achieving organizations. It took him all over the world to impact countries... from the Caribbean, to America to the Middle East.  In some circles, his name is legendary.  Sometimes confident... sometimes conflicted about his choices, but he shows no signs of the struggles, failures and challenges he has experienced.  Through the fire, but no smell of smoke! That is what makes us human... not always knowing... while we are doing. Are  you successful today?   Better question... Are you doing all you can with the gifts you have been given?    It is one thing for you to have financial success, great relationships, and good health but is there more that you are here to do?   Don't rest on your laurels...success requires sacrifice.  It is for a season but will take you to New Levels of Success.   Is there a New Level of Success calling you?   I have a sneaking suspicion there is...and it is time to bust a move.   Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!  Next Time: The Journey - Search for Significance!

Available On Amazon! Available on Amazon! Allow LeRoy to conduct 20  lunch time sessions with you in the new release Lunch with Leroy! Read First 3 Chapters Read the classic sales parable Sales Crumbs from the Master's Table...inspired by LeRoy Shuffler! Read 1st 3 Chapters!

The Journey - Dire Straits!

I used to conduct financial workshops (an early Dave Ramsey) and I would ask a question...   Would you rather dig ditches every day for 10 years and at the end have $1 million dollars or a one shot lottery ticket for $10 million?   How would you answer?   Surprisingly, the majority of people chose the lottery ticket.  Mind you, I have just taught on the power of compound interest (Albert Einstein's rule of 72 to be exact).  While the small group tried to rationalize their decision, I understand people want the easy way out...   Money for nothing.   That is why so many people are in Dire Straits.   Ok, my 80's pop culture Brothers In Arms will know the reference...the Mark Knopfler guitar riff...the Eric Clapton singing style..."I want my MTV" line in chorus...Now you remember!   Struggle is not a punishment...it is a price.    Struggle is a seed of effort that returns a harvest of success.   Every time you want to have more success, then get ready for more struggle.   That's what LeRoy faced when he had reached the highest level possible with NCR and he looked for more success.  In his words;   "On April 1, 1967, I resigned from NCR and joined ALICO Guyana to sell insurance. I understood and immediately found to be true, that there were no territorial restrictions in the insurance industry."   An amazing thing about sales...there are no income limits, no restrictions, no ceilings on what you can accomplish.   But you must be willing to struggle.   LeRoy had to struggle with a new industry, struggle with new products and struggle to establish a client base.   But he did not struggle with his confidence - he learned more about himself through his experiences that constantly reminded him that he was more than a conqueror.  Not just a conqueror, but more than...   "Through my previous experiences and the new ones, I understood and mastered the sales process. I quickly rose to be among the top producers and started a meteoric climb through Unit Manager, Agency Manager, Caribbean Agency Director and ultimately, International Agency Director."   Struggle had delivered him to the high place of success. Struggle is not designed to punish but to provide a predictable avenue to progress.    You have to have a big enough "WHY" something is important to you and why you will be tenacious in pursuit of your goals, dreams and aspirations.   Don't wait on Free Leads...get on the phone!   Don't expect the client to call you back...reach out today!   That presentation isn't going to type itself...turn the computer on and get busy!   I hate to burst your bubble...but there is no "Money for Nothing".   Remember that the next time you have to dig deep to accomplish something, the next time the odds are against you, the next time you feel like giving up...the next time you are in...   Dire Straits.   Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!  Next Time: The Journey - New Levels of Success!

Available On Amazon! Available on Amazon! Allow LeRoy to conduct 20  lunch time sessions with you in the new release Lunch with Leroy! Read First 3 Chapters Read the classic sales parable Sales Crumbs from the Master's Table...inspired by LeRoy Shuffler! Read 1st 3 Chapters!

The Journey - The 4 Stages of Struggle!

What happens when you try something for the first time?   Beginners luck?  Maybe.   It's called luck for a reason...random...fickle...indiscriminate.   Or is the first time you try something best quoted as,   "If at first you don't succeed...try and try and try and try again."   We don't mind a $500 million dollar lottery winner every once in a while, but we love "rags to riches" entrepreneurs even better!   For there to be justice, we all have to work for the things we want...we have to endure struggle as we learn new things.   Like sales.   When we last left LeRoy he was 26 and just had his 4th child (Hey Garfield!).  The need for more income opportunity prompted him to leave the security of a good job as an Airport Radio Operator into sales.   He was hired by R.J. Shannon's National Cash Register's (NCR) Trinidad Ltd. He admits he was scared but resolute, knowing he had much at stake. He recalls his indoctrination into sales;   "Three weeks of classroom drills, followed immediately by three months mentoring in the field in Trinidad, gave me a powerful foundation into that business and the raw materials to be successful.  I went back to Guyana, a Gold Calling robot with a sincere smile as my greatest asset."   He quickly excelled in NCR and was selected for a leadership position.  When asked what he would tell a new person to sales to accelerate the "struggle to success" curve he answers,   "Have as many learning experiences as possible in the shortest time possible.  That will take you through the 4 Stages of Struggle, more commonly referred to as the 4 Stages of Competence, more expeditiously".   You have likely heard of the 4 Stages of Competence before:       While the other new recruits were trying to figure things out, LeRoy was in front of a prospective client by 8.00am every day and going to the office only if there was a meeting or some kind of administrative work needed.   "I was on a mission and did not have time to waste!"   That commitment to activity left him rejected many times, frustrated with the process, and spinning his proverbial wheels as he went through the 4 Stages.    The reward of that tenacity:   Each challenge overcome made him a little smarter, each rejection made him a little tougher, and each sale gave him a view into his higher authentic sales voice.    Before he knew it...he was conscious of his ability and competent which lead to confidence.  The first leg of the struggle was over.   What about you?   Are you having enough experiences to work through the 4 Stages?   Don't be timid...   Be fearless enough to be a little lost in the learning, be resolute enough to be a little awkward in the doing (for a season), and persistent in temporary failure to allow for the process to deliver you to a higher state of success...all from   The 4 Stages of Struggle.   Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!  Next Time: The Journey - Dire Straits!

Available On Amazon! Available on Amazon! Allow LeRoy to conduct 20  lunch time sessions with you in the new release Lunch with Leroy! Read First 3 Chapters Read the classic sales parable Sales Crumbs from the Master's Table...inspired by LeRoy Shuffler! Read 1st 3 Chapters!

The Journey - The Struggle is Real!

"The Struggle Is Real".   That's the phrase the hip young folks are using these days.  I'm hip, maybe I can join in...   I am struggling with my golf game.   I am struggling to lose these last 10 lbs.   I am struggling with the last few pages of a new training guide....   Struggle.   I have watered the definition of struggle down to the point if I have to fight to keep from eating a $4 cupcake, I call it a struggle.   I needed a new perspective...so I went to Webster (not Emanuel Lewis, but the academic Webster - the dictionary guy).  Here's what he said;   1.  to contend with an adversary or opposing force. 2.  to contend resolutely with a task, problem. 3. to advance with violent effort.   Now I get it...real struggle has to mean something is at stake.    Struggle is supposed to deliver you to a higher level...it is supposed to help you change...   To Get Better.   I figured out that to be really ready for the change that struggle brings, you have to have three things;  #1 - Passion A young LeRoy sees a beautiful Pamela and passion strikes.  Not the kind of passion that is a passing fancy but one that strikes a man as a "destiny moment".  He knows he as to move quickly and resolutely.     He is ready to contend with any adversary...   or opposing force... #2 - Commitment   Meet the opposing force...   Pamela is young, beautiful and smart enough to know that passion might demonstrate the desire, but is not sustainable without commitment.    In his moment of passion LeRoy made a commitment, "Be with me and you will never want for anything".   Pamela answers softly but firmly, "To have anything of great value takes more than idle chatter...You better put a ring on it!" #3 - A Reason to Fight Passion and commitment always produce results....for LeRoy and Pamela, 8 of them in fact! (That is my passion on the far right!) LeRoy was an Airport Radio Operator with a fixed income.  While it was a good job, and a childhood dream, it was obvious it was not going to help him keep his commitment...his promise. As with many young married couples, they were happy, but struggling.   The need for change drove him to do something that at the time seemed unthinkable and friends and some family thought him mad... He quit that "secure" job to get into sales. Thus the beginning of a new struggle... What about you?    The first question I ask sales people is "Do you love sales?"   Do you have a passion for service and interacting with people to solve problems or meet a desire?   Are you committed to the profession?    Are you ready to do the "hard stuff" that it takes to get to the "fun stuff"?  The client you laugh with today over tea would never have meet you otherwise...right?   Face it, passion and commitment aren't always enough...   Do you have something worth fighting for?     Do you have something on the line that will make you "Get Your Webster On" and contend with an adversary...get resolute...and advance come hell or high water?    What ever it is...I am encouraging you today, like LeRoy to fight... Don't be afraid to move out of your comfort zone into the struggle zone...that is what it will take to advance, because....   The Struggle Is Real.   Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success. Next Time: The Journey - The 4 Stages of Struggle!

Available On Amazon! Available on Amazon! Allow LeRoy to conduct 20  lunch time sessions with you in the new release Lunch with Leroy! Read First 3 Chapters Read the classic sales parable Sales Crumbs from the Master's Table...inspired by LeRoy Shuffler! Read 1st 3 Chapters!

The Journey - SSSL!

Happy Monday!   Greetings from Trinidad...90 degree weather, ocean breeze...tough work but someone has got to do it!  I am here for a couple of weeks because of this man.   Who is he?   Delta Force knows...big shout out to an awesome Guardian Group sales team in Trinidad!   They know him as a flesh and blood selling and training legend.   Most of my Daily Crumbs folks know him as the "fictitious character" LeRoy from Sales Crumbs from the Master's Table.   He was the mentor to young Matt over 20 lunch sessions...awesome book if I do say so myself.  5-Star rating on Amazon means sales people from all over the world think the same thing!   His full name is Conrod Athelstan LeRoy Shuffler.  Here is his quick resume; 50 year sales professional with a truly international resume of success. Married 55 years...to the same woman! 8 children, 19 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren (hope I didn't miss any!) Enjoys great health and unbounding energy at 76 (77 end of this month!) Instrumental in helping Guardian Group of Trinidad orchestrate it's single greatest revenue year ever in excess of 300 million in premium...more than all the other insurers combined! Check out this 3 minute video I can hear some of you...   "Ok, Brandon...that was great and touching...really, it was.  LeRoy is successful, has lived a charmed life, has been immortalized in books and now a Hall of Fame induction.  I wish that were me."   It can be!   "How?  Look at how awesome he is and life must have surely been easy for him given all of his talents, charisma, and ambition."   LeRoy would be the first to tell you that his journey has been a road of great struggle to success.  Then a drive for significance...to make a difference in the world and the profession of sales. Now the pull is to leave a legacy for sales generations to come.   His journey is far from over, but I will use his life as a crystal ball for all of ours.  To show you that life can be filled with trials, tribulations and triumphs...and a surprise or two along the way.   Struggle...Success...Significance...Legacy.   To leave a legacy is what we all want in life.    Yes, we may be so stuck in struggle that we cant see past this months mortgage or the next 100 cold calls.  We may have just hit six-figure success and haven't looked outside our window to see others challenges.    Strange thing about life...the things we can't change we simply have to outlive.   As the video says.   Keep Living.   I just wanted to show you the "Happily ever after" before I showed you the "Once upon a time".   Struggle comes first.   Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success! Next Time: The Journey - The Struggle Is Real!

Available On Amazon! Available on Amazon! Allow LeRoy to conduct 20  lunch time sessions with you in the new release Lunch with Leroy! Read 1st 3 Chapters Read the classic sales parable Sales Crumbs from the Master's Table...inspired by LeRoy Shuffler! Read 1st 3 Chapters!