All 800-Pound Gorillas are driven—because they know great things are done by those who are willing to take bigger risks.
In the summer of 2001, it was a big risk for 20-year-old Hal Elrod to be out selling at all.
Just six weeks earlier, Elrod had been involved in a horrific car accident. His rescuers needed almost an hour to use the Jaws of Life to pry open the top of the car and extract him. The side impact of the crash had broken 13 of Hal’s bones and put him in a coma for several days. The doctors had believed that his brain function would never return, and that he would never walk again.
Yet here he was, just six weeks after that accident, beg- ging his parents to drive him to his scheduled appointments for the day.
Elrod had already established a history of amazing accomplishments. At 15, he was hosting his own radio show, Yo Pal Hal. At 19, he became a record-breaking sales rep in northern California for Cutco, a $100 million direct
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TAKE MORE RISKS THAN OTHERS 53
marketer of kitchen knives and utensils. He was always motivated to succeed and broke several sales records at the company over the 18 months prior to his accident.
The crash—caused by a drunk driver—affected Elrod’s frontal orbital lobe; which is actually the part of the brain that is affected by alcohol. Ironically, because of the acci- dent, Elrod’s judgment was impaired in a fashion similar to the way one is when drunk. He was prone to dizzy spells, short-term memory loss, and impaired judgment.
The doctors called his recovery nothing short of a mir- acle. “I was actually pronounced dead at the scene,” recalls Elrod. “[Then when I survived] they said I wouldn’t walk or even have normal brain function again, but I beat the odds.”
When he was told he could go home, he was elated and confused at the same time. “I was still in a lot of pain, and I didn’t know what I was going to do next,” Elrod says. He loved his job at Cutco and was anxious to get back to work. He especially loved competition, and Cutco was just entering what it calls a “push period,” a two-week sales contest where those at the top of the ranks would be rewarded with a cash prize as well as recognition at a regional conference.
“I really wanted to stand on that stage at the end of the two weeks and accept that champion’s trophy, but everyone advised against it.”
Everyone, that is, except his sales manager.
“I called Jesse, my manager, and told him that I couldn’t make the calls,” Elrod remembers. “I told him that I wanted to participate and win, but I was in too much pain, and it was hard to make calls. He knew me and how I was wired, and told me, ‘Hal, I completely understand, and I wouldn’t blame you a bit for taking it easy, but I believe making a
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54 NO ONE’S EVER DONE IT BEFORE
few calls could be the very best therapy you could do for yourself.’
“He encouraged me to make five calls to current cus- tomers and see how it felt. I did, and on the fourth call I got an appointment.”
Immediately afterward, Elrod felt a surge of confidence.
“I could feel my energy level coming back, so I made several more calls, and got a few more appointments. I didn’t know how I was going to get to those appointments, but I knew I would find a way.”
Since he wasn’t in any shape to drive himself, Elrod pleaded for his parents to drive him where he needed to go.
After convincing them that he would either let them take him or that he would walk, they realized how important it was to him, and they agreed to bring him where he needed to go.
Elrod began selling on the Tuesday of the second week of the push period, so he only had four actual selling days in which to compete with all the others in the company.
But in those four days, Elrod sold over $7,000 worth of merchandise—and was recognized at the regional meeting in San Jose as the number four seller out of 500 reps in the building.
“I received a standing ovation as I [walked] onstage with my cane propping me up,” says Elrod. “It was the greatest feeling of my life.”
Today, Elrod has a thriving training and sales coaching business and helps people of all walks of life to succeed.
“Cutco’s Five-Minute Rule has helped me through all sorts of adversity,” he says. “The rule is this: You can be discour- aged and negative about a situation for five minutes. After that, be done with it. Don’t dwell on it any more. Put it aside and move forward. I’ve always been grateful for my
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TAKEAWAYS 55
parents and Cutco for the foundation I needed to break through my toughest moments, and now I help others to do the same.” More information about Elrod’s services are available at www.yopalhal.com.
TAKEAWAYS
Doing What Others Won’t
Dominant players take risks, take action, and take the lead—often because others choose not to.
They are bolder, braver, and choose to risk fail- ure over inactivity. They don’t sit around wondering
“what if”—they ask “why not?”
Doers don’t have to be smarter, more talented, or have greater resources than the competition. By virtue of their action, they’re already farther ahead than those who do nothing.
Attitude is a key to doing anything well. Sales doers generally have excellent attitudes about themselves, their work, and their eventual success. Without it, work simply becomes an activity without a goal.
Generosity, creativity, and persistence can all be characteristics of dominant sales performers who are doers. By giving away valuable information, cre- ating new opportunities that help others achieve their objectives, or doggedly pursuing a goal or challenge, 800-Pound Gorillas distance themselves ahead of others.
It’s way more fun to be a doer than a spectator. Out- standing sales pros believe this wholeheartedly, and their success rates—and those of their clients—are proof positive that it works.
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