My Story
I was born in a small town in rural Pennsylvania quite a few years ago now. I was a skinny kid, allergic to everything, and scared of an awful lot of stuff. When I was twelve, despite my protests and hesitations, my family moved to Phoenix AZ. My life never would have been the same had I stayed in PA, and I thank my parents for dragging me, kicking and screaming, to AZ.
My Dad was a great wrestler in High School and beyond, and I thought I was going to follow in those footsteps. In my freshman year in high school I was wrestling for a position on the team, I sustained a neck injury and long story short, that was the end of my wrestling career. But about six months later I discovered racquetball and my life went on a different path completely.
Fast forward to age 24, and I turned Pro and began my professional career on the International Racquetball Tour at an event in Las Vegas. I played for six years at this level, achieving a career high rank of #18 on the pro tour for three of those years. I did it until I was burnt to a crisp, and then retired to find a real job.
I was fortunate to have had a few things to overcome, but not too much. I have had lots of failures and losses, but none too devastating to come back from. I have had ample learning opportunities throughout my life which have helped formulate my thoughts and ideas that I share today. I am hopeful to save many people lots of the same pain and heartache I have suffered by learning through some of my own experiences.
I can tell you from my own personal journey...there is no substitute for good old fashioned hard work. This is why I hate the term "lucky" when it comes to the story of my life. I wasn't lucky; I earned everything I have gotten thus far, and will continue to do so. The only time I was lucky is outlined below. I will share with you my process for achieving results, and getting the most out of your own endeavors.
My Sales philosophy has evolved over the years, and I will be the first to admit that my approach is an amalgam of many different styles. My core philosophies that pervade everything sales interaction or discussion always come down to this:
"You are not closing a deal,
you are opening a relationship"
In today's ultra-busy world, you do not have time to forge a relationship with every prospective client you encounter. Present yourself in a manner in which you show integrity, knowledge, and the client's best interest, and through the course of doing business together, you will form a solid relationship. The world is too busy to spend months "getting to know" a prospective client before doing business together. However, you MUST prove your knowledge and worth to the client every chance you get.
Your initial impression and how you connect with the prospective client will set the tone from that point forward in the relationship. Be an expert at what you do, but convey your knowledge in a consultative and educational manner. I hate a typical sales guy just as much as the next person does, and work very hard to not be lumped into the same category. As one of my sales mentors always used to say "Sales is not a dirty word, it is a higher form of Communication."
My Why
Why am I still here?
I don't like the idea of someone calling me lucky, as you may have gleaned from my website. However, there was one time where I absolutely got lucky, and it made me question why.
I was headed one a fishing trip early in the morning of March 8th, 2015, meeting my Dad in the mountains of central Arizona. I was hit head on by a wrong way drunk driver in a one mile section of a construction zone that was narrowed to one lane with concrete barriers on either side. I had no place to evade the oncoming pair of headlights; I went from 70 mph to a complete stop in one second. He was so intoxicated he had driven 12 miles in the wrong direction without realizing it. I walked away from this head on collision with nothing but a small scar on the back of my hand. The physical scars were minimal, but this event took its toll in other ways. After a while I really started to question why this had happened, and more importantly why was I spared in this instance? After much introspection, I came to the conclusion that while I had done some good things in my life, I wasn't doing enough. I needed to do more, and on a larger scale.
While the ASU Racquetball team has allowed me the opportunity to influence about 500 kids in my 14 years so far as coach, I wanted to expand that reach. Although one single speech is not going to necessarily change someone's life, if I have some impact on some of the people I speak to, I will be closer to fulfilling my "WHY".
My WHY is to help others chase and achieve their goals as I have.
An unfulfilled promise
A long time ago I promised my grandmother that I was going to change the world for the better. I believed that way back then as a kid, but life got in the way in a hurry, and I lost sight of that altruistic goal under the pressures of school, work and sports.
Maybe we all grow up thinking we are going to change the world, and the world beats that out of us as we age. Well, I live for the idea of being an exception to the general rules, and overcoming the odds. I feel like I have done that throughout my life; in sports, in business, and even in my personal life.
So, I am reigniting my quest to impact the world.
Impact a Million People
Sounds impossible, right? I am not Tony Robbins and I am starting out on this quest (hopefully) halfway through my life.
However, I have a real advantage to pulling this off...YOU! In your lifetime, you will likely meet about 1,000 people, and truthfully "connect" with many more because of things like Social Media. That means that if I have an impact for 100 people, they have contact with their 1,000 people, and so on and so on, I will have indirectly impacted one million people or more in my lifetime.
My message is about better communication for a more connected world; whether in business in your personal relationships, there is no better way to improve the quality of your life than by improving the quality of your relationships.
About Me
Competitor
Vice President of Sales
Competitor
I was fortunate to have accomplished a goal I set when I was 16 years old. I chose a very deliberate path and worked extremely hard to rise through the ranks as quickly as possible. I recruited help from lots of people; some teaching me what to do, others teaching me what NOT to do.
After a lot of effort, I made it to the International
I was fortunate to have accomplished a goal I set when I was 16 years old. I chose a very deliberate path and worked extremely hard to rise through the ranks as quickly as possible. I recruited help from lots of people; some teaching me what to do, others teaching me what NOT to do.
After a lot of effort, I made it to the International Racquetball Tour, and was in the Top 20 in the world for three of the six years I competed at that level. As a Professional Racquetball Player, I traveled the U.S., Mexico and Canada, playing competitive events, meeting other athletes and interesting people along the way. It was a great experience, and something I look back upon proudly. I learned a lot about myself and the world during these years.
Although I do not compete much anymore, I still am involved in the game as a coach, imparting my years of experience to the players I work with. I authored Percentage Racquetball as the ideal guide book for any competitive player to use for the fastest way to improve and succeed at any level of play. During the peak of my career, I amassed a record within Arizona of 145-9 (as best I can calculate), which overlapped my Pro Tour career, where I had a less glorious (losing) record. I can tell you I learned twice as much from the loses as I did the wins...
Coach
Vice President of Sales
Competitor
I have had the privilege of coaching both amateur and professional players over the past 20 years. I have spent the last 13 years as the Head Coach of the Men's and Women's Racquetball team at Arizona State University, and this is one of the most personally rewarding opportunities I have ever known. What started out as teaching forehand
I have had the privilege of coaching both amateur and professional players over the past 20 years. I have spent the last 13 years as the Head Coach of the Men's and Women's Racquetball team at Arizona State University, and this is one of the most personally rewarding opportunities I have ever known. What started out as teaching forehands and backhands morphed into a human development program on and off the court; I have had so many special moments with the team members over the years, I barely know where to start recounting them.
In my time so far at ASU, I was voted Collegiate Coach of the Year twice, produced over three dozen Collegiate All American players, won a Women's Collegiate National Championship, and fielded a nationally competitive team year after year without a scholarship program. In 2019, I was honored to be a part of history, as one of my team members set the record for the oldest collegiate All American in the history of ANY sport!
I authored Racquetball 101, which is the textbook at ASU for the PPE 240 Racquetball classes, and the go-to book for beginner and intermediate level players. Additionally I co-authored the Military Racquetball Federation Training Manual used by the MRF for clinics held as part of the Wounded Warriors program.
Vice President of Sales
Vice President of Sales
Vice President of Sales
In my current role of VP of Sales, I have won the business of lots of companies, from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. My client list includes companies such as Liberty Mutual, General Mills, Goodyear Tire, Flowers Foods, American Red Cross, Five Guys enterprises and dozens of other household name companies. My philosophy of
In my current role of VP of Sales, I have won the business of lots of companies, from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. My client list includes companies such as Liberty Mutual, General Mills, Goodyear Tire, Flowers Foods, American Red Cross, Five Guys enterprises and dozens of other household name companies. My philosophy of "You are not closing a sale, you are opening a relationship" has helped retain nearly every single client we have acquired since inception.
I am a Panel Speaker and Presenter for the Work Comp industry, specifically about telephonic triage services. Additionally I have the opportunity to be a guest lecturer at several local schools and Universities on general sales processes and other topics such as social media and its impact on the future business people leaving school.
My goal is to shorten the learning curve for the business world, sharing tactics and shortcuts that will help people be successful. I believe that by helping more people have success, they are likely to help others as well. My ultimate goal is to have a positive impact on as many people as possible, improving their results, and helping everyone discover their true potential.