My Heroes

n 1981, I worked on straight commission selling computers. This was just before the IBM PC really made the personal computer what it is today. I was selling AppleIIs, AppleIIIs, and Durango computers and software to small businesses.

I was the only salesman of four on straight commission. When I had interviewed the owner of the business did not think I could handle the job and did not want to give it to me. I begged him to try me on straight commission and he agreed.

At the end of my first year, I had the second highest sales and my commission was a little more than $60,000 that year. The best in sales was Steve Gallagher who earned about $75,000. The other two only made about $15,000.

Steve was a graduate of Harvard and a very arrogant snob towards me. He was in the Yacht Club set. He once or twice told me that he was impressed with the fact that I was leaving the other two (who he also did not like) salesmen in the dust - but he went to Harvard and I was going to a community college, making me White Trash to him — and he was not afraid of letting me know that he felt that way. He saw himself as a bottle of Champagne and saw me as a pitcher of Genesee Cream Ale.

I am a pretty loud and excitable person, but this was a very conservative business. One day I was a little too loud and too excited pitching a sale and after the prospect left Doug Laymon, the owner, came over and let me have it for not having any class. I was hurt. After Doug left, Steve who had heard Doug tear into me came over and told me that Doug will ruin me if I listen to him. He told me that reason I have done so well is that the prospects can see that I believe in what I sell and that gets them excited. He told me that he wished he could look like he was that excited when he was demonstrating a system - because all he had to go on is his eight years of experience. He felt that his experience but lack of excitement was almost equal to my excitement but lack of experience.

We talked further and he told me that his goal was to earn six-digits next year. I told him that that was impossible because no one ever makes that kind of money. He told me that people can - and that I could if I really applied myself, but that I would need to put together a realistic plan to get there.

It was a moment where Steve let his guard down, as we never really had another good conversation. I quit a month or so later, because Doug thought I was making too much money for my age - and put me on a salary. Nevertheless, Steve is the man who got me started on thinking in bigger terms.