Robin Williams and Me (A Personal Experience with a Great Man)

Everyone knows the feeling of being alone in a crowd. Maybe it’s arriving at a party where not only do you not know anyone, but everyone there seems to know everyone else. The first day of work at a new job certainly qualifies. Even if you’re confident by nature, you can’t help but have a feeling of uncertainty, of perhaps screwing up by doing or saying something you had no idea you weren't supposed to do or say.

For me, it was switching to a new school in the seventh grade. It wasn't just a new classroom and building, it was jumping into a whole new city and way of life. I’d lived my entire life in Reno, Nevada, where my family had been socially and economically active for generations. I’d always attended neighborhood public schools, but when we moved to San Francisco, I was a complete unknown, stuck into a new private school in the exclusive Pacific Heights neighborhood.

I wasn't just a fish out of water. It was more like being an actor who stumbled onto the wrong movie set.

One day early on, a speaker addressed my class to talk about the professor in Dead Poets Society, which we were studying at the time. However, he seemed to know I was new, that I hadn't quite fit in, yet. He pulled me to the front of the class, introduced me to the others, and told them how lucky they were to have me there. He spoke of the courage it took to be the new kid at an all boys’ school where everyone else had been together since kindergarten.

That man was Robin Williams.

The next year, I tutored his first-grade son in Latin. When he dropped his son off at school, he’d high-five me every day in the halls, laughing and calling me the Socrates of Town School. I’d already admired him because of his “Good Morning, Vietnam” and “Popeye” movie roles, but being in the same room with him and knowing him even slightly in a personal way was stunning.

Robin Williams’ sensitivity amazed me and was responsible for my successful transition in a very unfamiliar place. It resulted in some immediate friendships, some of which became long-lasting. His sudden death is a personal shock I won’t be over for quite some time.

When you come to a new place, one of the things that makes you uneasy is your lack of guideposts that you depend on for support and backup—familiar places, dependable friends, and so-on. Robin Williams helped me with a tough transition twenty-five years ago, and I’m convinced the whole experience taught me not just the need to make and cherish my own personal networks, but the sensitivity to recognize the same need in others and help as best as I can.

Thank You Jimmy Valvano

This morning I had the pleasure of waking up to Jimmy Valvano's speech on Mike and Mike (Jimmy V Espy Speech). Couldn't be a better way to start the day. His speech that night was by far one of the most inspirational speeches of all time. He Delivered it at the Espy's after receiving the Arthur Ashe Courage Award about 2 months before his passing. There have been some amazing people that have been given that award since, including my friend George Karl (who by the way couldn't embody that award any more). They remind us every day about the power of the mind and the fortitude of the soul. The part in his speech that resonates the most to me is when he explains how he gets through each day fighting his battle with Cancer.  He says there are 3 things you should do every day; Laugh, think (spend some time in thought) and have your emotions bring you to tears, tears of joy.... if you can do those things, that's a full day. These things he suggest we should do are the mark of passion. You should wake up every day and be passionate about your life, your family, your friends and your craft. If you don't love it, don't do it.  You are wasting time my friend and time is valuable.

I walked into our new Native Rank Chicago office this morning, took a deep breath and glanced over our 4000 square feet of new opportunity.  It was so quiet I could hear my own heartbeat.  I saw brand new empty desks that will soon be filled.  I saw empty walls that will soon have art.  Fifteen computers that will soon be producing.  I realized what needed to be done and the excitement over took me.  I have the power and support of so many people.  I have people that believe in me and know what I can and will accomplish.  People that know I fully understand the task at hand and will succeed at any cost with hard work perseverance.  I know that the great advice that Winston gave me to move systematically, slowly and with purpose means so much right now.  It was this moment I found myself going through the three emotions Coach suggested. I didn't mean to, it all just happened as it was supposed to. 

I found myself laughing out loud.  I laughed because I realized the ridiculousness of what I have been through with the 6 other guys that helped build Native Rank over the last two and half years. Somehow I blinked and by the end of our third year we will have over 100 employees, 4 locations and millions in revenue.  Wow, we did what?  I guess it's like watching your own kid grow, it just happens.  The yelling, the laughing, the crying, the passion you see every day in our office can be overwhelming for some, but for us it's perfect. Picture an Italian family of 20 at dinner after 5 bottles of wine... that's our office every day. Like or not, it's how we roll. It's passion, love, hard work and dedication at its best.  Any one of those 6 people would take a bullet for me at any moment, as I would for them.   

I took a deep breath at that point and took a moment to think. I thought about what we are doing, what we have done, what we are going to accomplish, the process to get us there and the mental toughness it takes every day to be great.  Turns out starting a business from scratch is hard work, it's not glamorous, but the payoff is. They don't teach you this in school.  It's deep within you and you have to want it every day.  Fortunately I have a Father and a Grandfather who were entrepreneurs, damn good ones, so it's in my blood.  I have always loved this quote from Mark Cuban, "What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur? It takes willingness to learn, to be able to focus, to absorb information, and to always realize that business is a 24/7 job where someone is always out there to kick your ass".  Well, we have learned, we are focused, we are constantly absorbing more information and we are kicking everybody else's asses 24/7.  This group won't lose focus and we won't fail.

I cried.  Awkward, I know.  Being alone in an office going through these three emotions was probably one for the ages on our security cameras.  Perhaps like an old Charlie Chaplin silent movie but not as fast. I cried because of how proud I am of every person I work with, everyone in my life I miss so much right now, all the experiences I have been so lucky to have and the vast unknown of what is in my future. It is so exciting to know that I am going to knock something so big out of the park.  This is what drives me to get up and do my best to be great every day.  Today, you can call me Jeter.

Like Derek Jeter, I always preach Consistency.  I teach it to all the sales people I work with.  I try my best to practice it in life.  I just believe so much that if you are consistent, if you just show up, if you never take a break from your goal, you will achieve whatever you can imagine.   The top sales people and leaders in our office are the ones that show up every day, don't complain and just grind it out.  No matter what, they fucking grind it out.  That's what winners do.  If I could possibly add anything to what Jimmy V has said, I would say Laugh, Think, Cry and be Consistent. For God's sake, just show up every day and work with passion, work like someone is going to take it from you.  

What are you going to do today?  I can tell you with 100% certainty I am going to do what I try to do every day and just show up, work my ass off and make my friends and family proud.

Ben Metzker

Vice President Business Development, Strategic Partnerships

www.nativerank.com

ben@nativerank.com

Skype:  ben.metzker

Denver Office Direct:  (303) 524-3796

Chicago Office Direct:  (312) 229-0069

Cell: (720)635-8026

It's All Local

I guess I can’t fault Amazon and all the other online companies for bombarding me with emails on the tech bazaar out there of things to buy, nor could I criticize booking a flight on Travelocity. But what I will say is that selling this way would never work for Native Rank. The product we deliver isn’t for a statistical user out there someplace. It’s for real people whose business or profession has unique needs.

I can’t count the number of times older people in sales have told me, “It’s all about relationships, Kid,” but you know what? It really is. Allstate Insurance is a great company, but what makes it work are the thousands of agents from Chicago to Chico, all of whom have their own clients with their homes and their cars with distinctly personal needs. The relationship between the agent and the client makes the whole company tick.

Sometimes, it seems as though face-to-face meetings has become a lost art. Make a presentation online or as an email attachment, and not only does the customer lose the opportunity to ask questions, but you lose out on the ability to tailor the product.  It becomes too easy for the customer to say no by hitting the delete button, and you both lose. My grandfather said that salesmanship begins when the customer says no, and if they say it by email, the door to discussion is closed.

Face-to-face meetings are even more critical when the marketing problems you’re trying to solve are local. We have a good-sized, busy office in Denver, CO, but what does that mean to a Chevrolet dealer in Plano, TX? Their customers are local, their problems are unique to them, and so are their solutions. How can you ever know unless you sit across the table and ask? The only way to build a sustainable relationship is to be there and show up.

Through LinkedIn, among others, we’ve developed a promising network in Denver Metro that gets larger every week, and we couldn’t have done it without meeting and talking to people in person.  Native Rank’s customer base has grown right along with it, and it’s safe to say that if we saw future customers as statistics or averages, we wouldn’t be where we are, and more important, where we’re going.