Episode 037: Michael Altshuler

Full Transcript

Rock Thomas: Hey, welcome to another edition of the #IAMMovement podcast and you are in for a treat today. My guest is going to talk a little bit

Rock Thomas: To sales people in the power of influence and going to talk a little bit about why salespeople don’t do what they need to do, and an app that he’s working at it will be a virtual objection handling.

Rock Thomas: Sales persons coach for on the road, which is really, really cool. He’s also going to surprise you with a philosophy around

Rock Thomas: You know, we’ve all heard, should you eat the frog first in the morning to get the toughest thing on the toughest sales call and he’s actually going to show you a different perspective on that and why that’s going to help you.

Rock Thomas: And how you can keep your dream alive by learning how to handle rejection better. There’s so many

Rock Thomas: Bombs that he drops in this conversation, all the way from. Are you going to determine that you’re, you’re going to jump into a pity party or a Progress Party, I love the Progress Party.

Rock Thomas: And how to continue to get yourself to want to get better each and every day and how to handle objection, so

Rock Thomas: My guest Michael altschuler is an amazing guy. He was an entrepreneur at a very, very young age. He started shoveling walkways and waxing cars will chip off the old block. He’s worked for

Rock Thomas: Companies like Aflac Marriott primary America, just to name a few. He’s a keynote speaker and a motivational speaker.

Rock Thomas: He’s produced over 65 million and personally manages sales. He’s in the health industry, he’s you know well versed with people like Jim Rowan and

Rock Thomas: zig Ziegler he’s going on tour with Kevin Harrington from Shark Tank speaking this year.

Rock Thomas: He’s gotten awards from the New Jersey State governor’s cup for entrepreneurial excellence. The Atlantic City Entrepreneur of the Year award Salvation Army community builder. I mean, this is a guy who says that nobody cares how much you know

Rock Thomas: Until they know how much you care. He’s got a very strong firm, firm and formed identity that we’re going to talk about and this guy is just non stop value. So, it is my great pleasure and honor to introduce to you my dear friend Michael altschuler

Michael Altshuler: Rock. It’s my pleasure. And I’m grateful to be on your podcast and share our experiences together with your audience.

Rock Thomas: Now when I did the introduction to you. There’s such a vast experience that you have so many people that you’ve met on this planet that are

Rock Thomas: thought leaders and we talked about what direction we should take this in and I love the fact that you want to talk about why people don’t do it, they know what they should do.

Rock Thomas: And what is the secret to getting them to do that. But let’s talk just a little bit briefly.

Rock Thomas: Why are you so excited about this whole world of personal development. How did it go? How did that get? I mean, you were an entrepreneur from a very young age of, you know, shoveling snow and relaxing cars.

Rock Thomas: But where, where did it. Do you think it was born, or do you think you know fan those flames.

Michael Altshuler: Well, first of all, I want to tell the folks and you the reason the vast experiences there is because I’m old rock I’m old.

Michael Altshuler: That’s, that’s how you get the best experience. You can’t buy yours and experience.

Michael Altshuler: made millions lost millions and a lot of mentors along the way. So I think my quest is out of sales organization.

Michael Altshuler: I was in the copier business when I was 21 out of the 650 square foot apartment.

Michael Altshuler: And had sales people grow it to a multimillion dollar company before I was 30 listen, don’t be too impressed. I lost the millions in my 40 so I kind of went on that entrepreneurial journey. But what I learned along the way.

Michael Altshuler: What I was fascinated with and also disturbed by was why don’t salespeople. And by and large all people do what they know they should do.

Michael Altshuler: To get the results they know they really want to get in their lives. What, what do they self sabotage themselves all the time. We know we should eat healthy. Why did doctors even smoke?

Michael Altshuler: Why don’t people exercise when we have. So, I don’t think it’s a good enough rock to motivate people. I don’t want to be a motivational speaker. I’m a keynote speaker.

Michael Altshuler: I don’t think it’s good enough to just say out there, go out there and do it if it was that easy. Everyone would be doing it.

Michael Altshuler: And the truth of matter is what my dad taught me at a very young age that the successful person will do what the unsuccessful person won’t do.

Michael Altshuler: And if you don’t feel like doing it, chances are it’s the right thing to do.

Michael Altshuler: And what I’ve learned is all the great ones when I examine the great ones and those that want to be great but aren’t doing the work necessary to be great.

Michael Altshuler: That that gap is the great ones have a strong why the bigger the wide, the bigger the try

Michael Altshuler: They’re focused on that. Why as a driver and that driver pushes them past their comfort zone, which means they operate in their Discomfort Zone all the time. In essence, being comfortable being uncomfortable.

Michael Altshuler: And that’s what drives them to do all the grunt work, which is what it is to be successful.

Michael Altshuler: The kind of, let’s call it the preparation, like the book, The Art of War, every battle won before it’s five people. That’s a tough thing to do to prepare all the time at a high level of intensity and focus. So that’s pretty much the short of it and I dive into what drives human behavior.

Michael Altshuler: And what prevents people from operating in that Discomfort Zone, which they have to do. It’s uncomfortable and people don’t want to do it. That’s why they don’t know what’s going to drive them to do that. Why self talk and some other things.

Rock Thomas: So I know that for myself. If you do in life it is difficult, life becomes easier.

Rock Thomas: Love it. And if you are always seeking what’s easy then life becomes difficult because you don’t grow. You’re not in that Discomfort Zone that you talked about

Rock Thomas: I purposefully put things in my calendar that I know are going to push me to grow.

Rock Thomas: populate it with things like piano lessons or getting up at 530 in the morning, going to a yoga class doing 75 days in a row of yoga because I know that when I do that, I have this self of self, the sense of self esteem this growth and I’m going to appreciate that version of myself.

Michael Altshuler: Yeah, yeah. Well, well, said I couldn’t agree more. It’s kind of like Rock s like working out, you have to tear your muscle apart to make it bigger and stronger. And one of the things that I found it’s hard for people

Michael Altshuler: That, you know, when you look at all these big things and the little things that we do. It’s really the little things that we do that make the big difference.

Rock Thomas: Right.

Michael Altshuler: We’re not asking you, you didn’t necessarily do 90 days of yoga or however many days of yoga.

Michael Altshuler: Right away I suggest people start small, great books. It’s on the cabinets by James clear take off bite size chunks. There’s a great quote, you know, inch by inch anything’s a cinch.

Michael Altshuler: Yard by yard anything. Sorry. Take a bite sized manageable chunks of things that you need to do. Do one push up Floss one tooth. If you want to start a habit of

Michael Altshuler: You say that was so easy flossing one tooth. Man, that was just easy

Michael Altshuler: And you say, I could do two teeth and then you do too. And you do three and what you build on.

Michael Altshuler: Is you build on small successes, you build momentum you build confidence mojo, whatever you want to call it, but you build on accomplishments

Michael Altshuler: one real quick thing I, I, you know, listen, I’m a sales guy and I love selling and I love competition and a sales manager sales leader asked me one time.

Michael Altshuler: Michael, what would you rather do going your easiest sales call in the morning or the most difficult

Michael Altshuler: And right away, being the Confident guy and taking on the tough challenges. Take the biggest chunk. First, I said, Give me that. Tough one man I’ll take that. Tough call first

Michael Altshuler: And the truth of matter is, that’s the wrong answer. The right answer is take the easy one first because once you are successful at that easy sales call your confidence level just went up.

Michael Altshuler: And you’re going to be more successful on the next call. So build one little easy success and that will give you the strength to take on the more difficult challenges.

Rock Thomas: Okay, let’s talk a little bit about you know you were an entrepreneur at a very young age, you were shoveling walkways and you were waxing cars were you What drove you to do that. What do your parents force you to do? Did you not have money? What were the circumstances?

Michael Altshuler: Yeah, great, great question. Rock, I

Michael Altshuler: I think I had the entrepreneurial spirit. I don’t know whether my dad was an entrepreneur. He was a life insurance salesman, but always dabbling in other businesses. So I kind of witness that

Michael Altshuler: I saw early on, I GUESS OTHER KIDS THAT WERE YOU KNOW WHAT HAD A landscaping business. I grew up in New Jersey. And I said, Well, I could shovel snow and and that’s a need that people have, so I didn’t understand sales into time but find a neat or

Michael Altshuler: Clean and solve it.

Michael Altshuler: So I’d go around the neighborhood, people like me. I was a kid, I was hustling.

Michael Altshuler: And I shoveled snow and there was a need, I took care of it and made money like the way that felt that I worked really hard and I, the result of that was I made money, the result of that I gained respect and self esteem.

Michael Altshuler: And wanted more of it. And that was kind of the bug and then the real first entrepreneurial or big entrepreneurial thing I did was with my partner Jesse 11 Dorf

Michael Altshuler: And we started a car washing business and to this day. It was called shine on Car Care. We make it our duty to preserve your car’s beauty.

Michael Altshuler: Over 320 cards experience and we would not. We were teenagers and we were making. We were telling it making 500 $600 a week 40 years ago cash each

Michael Altshuler: knocking on doors stopping cars driving down the street. The hustle is and it hasn’t changed. These are universal laws.

Michael Altshuler: SIMPLE TRUTHS sales is always a function of proper activity, calling on prospects and improving your skill set. So if you get better.

Michael Altshuler: At what you’re doing, we’re always learning to grow and read books. Talk to mentors. Listen to audiobooks whenever you’re doing

Michael Altshuler: Always improve your skill set, that’s one side of the equation. The other side of the equation is making more calls that’s hustling. What’s going to take you to make more calls to qualified prospects.

Michael Altshuler: And the equation, the outcome of that better skills more calls means better success.

Michael Altshuler: And what does it take to do those things? So we realized early on if we stopped cars in the middle of streets and how would you like your car to look like this and

Michael Altshuler: knocked on each door and talked to the neighbor and said, You want your car to look like your neighbors. We just hustled

Michael Altshuler: Early in the morning when the sun rose and at night when the sun went down, we were doing, six, seven cars a day at 20 to 30 bucks a car and

Michael Altshuler: We were just killing it. But it was a hustle. It was a grind. But I think that’s a common story amongst entrepreneurs, they understand so hustle, the grind.

Rock Thomas: Yeah, I love that. I love it. So we’ll explain now a lot of people are willing to sell their dreams to Mr rejection

Yeah.

Rock Thomas: So how did you get yourself because I want to dig into this. How did you get yourself because I’m the same ? I’m happy like I’m a hunter. I like to go out in the street. I go in the street and stuff. No Street and stop a car. And so, yeah.

Michael Altshuler: I love

Rock Thomas: I like that challenge it gets my juices flowing, but

Rock Thomas: I grew up in an environment where that was fostered by being in difficult situations. If you’re born

Rock Thomas: And you know you got loving parents and you know you got dropped off at school and picked up and you maybe didn’t have either the entrepreneurial sport.

Rock Thomas: Spirit in you or you weren’t forced in difficult situations, how, how do you help other people foster this action you say it requires activity and you got to improve your skills. I agree with you. Hundred percent

Rock Thomas: And we’re going to come back to the second part, but how do you help people foster the desire to fail, essentially.

Michael Altshuler: Well success can become a habit and so can failure and I think

Michael Altshuler: When you get in any one of and life is a band sales are about momentum, you first have to understand the precept of sales is that it’s a game of. No, not a game of yes

Michael Altshuler: Okay, that you have to understand that they are rejecting your offer, not you. So you can’t take it personally in the sense that it doesn’t diminish your self worth, or your belief system that you’re not capable, it may signal that you need to improve your skills, that’s a positive thing.

Michael Altshuler: But you have the ability to do that. So I think that you know with sales, you have to understand that you’re mining for gold, you’re going to get a lot more nose than yeses.

Michael Altshuler: And you can’t take it personally, but you have to take the responsibility for constantly being committed to getting better. That’s the goal. How do I get better?

Michael Altshuler: Because if you don’t like rejection then invest time and getting better, you’ll have less of it. So that’s, that’s one of the solutions. You’ll never completely get rid of rejection. Because then you’re not making enough calls

Michael Altshuler: But if you get better you’re going to be more successful and have more yeses then then you did prior to investing yourself and learning and growing from mentors books audio tapes videos, etc. So

Rock Thomas: That’s great.

Michael Altshuler: Yeah, I think at the end of the day, rock.

Michael Altshuler: To get success begets success and failure because failure.

Michael Altshuler: Another part we didn’t talk about is you have to hang out with people and things you know Jim Rowan said with a sum total of five closest friends but I go beyond that and not to say, Jimmy, I mean, Jim Rome was was

Michael Altshuler: Was a rock star. But I think that we’re what we surround ourselves with but perhaps equally important. It’s what we surround ourselves with

Michael Altshuler: You know, I put weights dumbbells in front of my desk and my wife looks at me and says, you’re going to trip over them and I said, Exactly.

Michael Altshuler: You see I put things in my path all around me that remind me they trigger me to do the things that I don’t feel like doing. I know I should live the life I truly want to live.

Michael Altshuler: And because the challenges the outside world is bombarding us constantly thousands of times a day with things that we should be thinking of and doing that aren’t

Michael Altshuler: in alignment with who we say we want to be. But advice for our attention, whether it’s Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram. So what does it take to stay on the track of success.

Michael Altshuler: And part of that is triggers keep things in people that support.

Michael Altshuler: And trigger the types of activities thought process thoughts decisions and actions the thoughts that will keep you going in that right direction and fend off the outside enemy that’s always vying for your attention to take you down the wrong path.

Rock Thomas: I love it. Great stuff. Super stuff. Now, I want to ask you a little bit about your opinion on the feedback you talked about. You know you have to be improving your skills, all the time. You got to be

Rock Thomas: Getting better investing in yourself. A lot of people get defensive around feedback. What is how you help people around that.

Michael Altshuler: While you asked me about that rock.

Michael Altshuler: You brought that up, man. Sp some easier questions. Why don’t you

Michael Altshuler: So, okay. So why do people get defensive

Michael Altshuler: I think if you peel back the onion.

Michael Altshuler: They get defensive because

Michael Altshuler: They’re not willing to do the work and they have to get defensive because they’re unwilling to do the work.

Michael Altshuler: And there, and then you peel back the onion further and say, Why are they unwilling to do the work.

Michael Altshuler: I mean, common sense will dictate all the universal laws and simple truths dictate

Michael Altshuler: That the more you do something, you better you get at it.

Michael Altshuler: As long as you have the right blueprint simple, white a pro golfers hit 1000 shots from the sand trap.

Michael Altshuler: What is what it could be. Brian T was the first one at the gym, taking 1003 point shots. Why do they do that if you go up to him and say, Why do you do that, you’re great.

Michael Altshuler: And they look at you and say, Why do you think I’m great? How do you get the edge and keep the edge is by constant, constant relentless improvement.

Michael Altshuler: With the right blueprint with the top thought leaders. So people will say, Will Pooh, pooh it because they don’t want to do that work. And they’re going to end, they’ll come up with 1000 reasons why.

Michael Altshuler: And the reason they don’t want to do the work is there. Why is it not strong enough? That’s if you peel it back. They don’t have a strong enough reason that’s emotionally connected to pleasure or pain.

Michael Altshuler: That’s going to be the driving force in their life. Yeah, I read your story. You have an amazing story rock and you were driven

Michael Altshuler: By a tremendous amount of discomfort in your early life and that

Michael Altshuler: It was clear that that drove you to become the person that you become add multiple stages, as we talked before in your life and and that pain or avoidance of pain is what was a driver in your why

Michael Altshuler: To give you and not give you nothing was given, but to help you stay on the path of success or at one point, your life. Get back on the path to success. So I think that

Michael Altshuler: And none of us can, you know, I love this to people who say we’re, we’re, independent, we’re not. We’re codependent, we’re co dependent on other things, other people. Is there a part of us that has to be independent. Absolutely. We have to take responsibility for what we what we think say and do

Michael Altshuler: But ultimately we’re an interdependent people we depend on if you’re religious You depend on God.

Michael Altshuler: If you’re in business you depend on your co workers, your customers. We are dependent, but you want to be dependent in a healthy way with people and things around you that will support and accurately to the things that are most important to

Michael Altshuler: Get you and keep you on that path to success.

Rock Thomas: Very cool. We’re going to get to your im statements in a moment because you got a lot of them. And this is the I Am movement podcast where we talk about

Rock Thomas: You know, what is your identity and how secure and strongly formed. Is it that a lot of people during uncertain times can really have their there.

Rock Thomas: A lot of doubt filter. And because we’re not sure of what they’re capable or who they are. I also want to talk a little bit about you’ve got some tools that you’re working on, to help people really access, you know, their drive and their path permission. You don’t talk a little bit about that.

Michael Altshuler: Do you want to, you want to talk about that now you want to finish with that your choice.

Rock Thomas: Now let’s talk about that now.

Michael Altshuler: Okay, so for

Michael Altshuler: Probably 1520 years I’ve coached and been involved with sales people and sales leaders and I’ve been challenged in a big way by observing why all these thousands of sales people would be exposed to the same training.

Michael Altshuler: In house and out of house. I mean, you could certainly go online and learn. So they have this, whether it’s a learning management system or a sales methodology within their company and everyone attends to training rock.

Michael Altshuler: But yet you have parameters rule, the top 20% are always the top 20% you have the middle 60% who are pretty much staying there, most of them, and then you know the bottom

Michael Altshuler: 20% that for multiple reasons more reasons are staying there. So the question is, if they’re all exposed to the same great content if they internalized it and they applied it and executed on it, and in a consistent way they would get the same results as the top producers.

Michael Altshuler: Why don’t they do that, they say they want to. Why don’t they do that?

Michael Altshuler: And I believe there’s a number, what I’ve discovered over the 1520 years is there’s a number of reasons why humans.

Michael Altshuler: And in this case, sales reps, which are humans, but in the sales field why they don’t do what they should do to get the results they want

Michael Altshuler: And here’s some of the things that I’ve discovered. One is that it’s we live in the age, none of the information age we live in the information overload age.

Michael Altshuler: Today we’re being bombarded with too much information. So it’s we’re being shot with information from a fire hose. So today, less is more. As simple as better and faster is essential.

Michael Altshuler: So one of the reasons is training is overload. It’s too much information. Just a second thing is we don’t learn that way 80%

Michael Altshuler: If sales training is delivered in a classroom is lost within a week. Some say two weeks after they leave. It’s not how we learn as human beings, so

Michael Altshuler: With this tool I came up with. I addressed all the challenges and I said what tool, can we come up with that will feed small amounts of information.

Michael Altshuler: Over a period of time, not take sales people out of the field. So it takes away from them calling them more customers or prospects.

Michael Altshuler: This. The third thing is it’s not fun. So the gamification element to make it fun to make it interactive to make it competitive to provide recognition.

Michael Altshuler: And triggers throughout the day that reward people reward salespeople in a positive way, and then let them see where they stand on leaderboard within their company with how many sales tips, they listen to

Michael Altshuler: The next thing is it’s not convenient and it’s not simple and it’s not easy. So how do you make a tool that simple, easy and convenient that caters to the salesperson, not to the company and

Michael Altshuler: I would say. Lastly, the most important thing with sales people is they have all the information there for them to learn it.

Michael Altshuler: But like I said, it’s not provided on a daily or ongoing basis and the challenges that salespeople face or every single day. They’re out there and battle, given all these knows so

Michael Altshuler: How do we combat that. How do we provide a tool that will allow them to combat that. So what we’ve done with years and years of

Michael Altshuler: Research and Development and working with some top people in Silicon Valley. We’ve created an app that allows sales reps on their cell phone on their cell phone.

Michael Altshuler: Using voice activated technology to talk to our app just by verbalizing as they’re driving up to look at anything just verbalize and say, I want the top producers.

Michael Altshuler: tips on how to handle this objection or how I should present this product and the top producer who were modeling in that company will then share

Michael Altshuler: His or her top tips and they go back and forth. They can actively role play this on the phone if that sales coach is in their car.

Michael Altshuler: Yeah, it’s crazy, no one in the world has ever done this, that sales coaches in their car, role playing, best practices top producer.

Michael Altshuler: And it goes back and forth. We have repetition is one of the one device it every salesperson has with them 24 seven that they love it’s

Michael Altshuler: It’s attached to their hip, so they don’t have to look at it, it’s drive time they’re not wasting any time and it’s all we’re checking all the boxes.

Michael Altshuler: But not only do we have top producer stuff. We also have assessment questions. So using machine learning we were able to assess where the salesman gaps are, what their preferences are.

Michael Altshuler: And we’re able to adapt our training and what we supply them with and say, how about this tip. How about that tip? This seemed to work well for you before.

Michael Altshuler: And we’re able to provide personalized training that we know from machine learning and previous results that salespeople got what would work best for them.

Michael Altshuler: In any particular situation on the way to an appointment and all this is delivered right to their cell phone as they’re driving down the street.

Rock Thomas: So this is like a virtual

Michael Altshuler: It’s exactly like a virtual that’s exactly what it is a voice activated virtual coach rate on their cell phone.

Rock Thomas: Wow that’s fascinating and sounds incredibly cool. You gotta let me know when that comes out or put me on your beta team.

Michael Altshuler: Yeah, you know what? It’s funny, you said that I would love for you to look at it. We have a proof of concept right now.

Michael Altshuler: And we’re two weeks away from an MVP, which is a minimally viable product, and I would love to get your thoughts and comments. And anyone who’s listening their thoughts and comments on this, but

Michael Altshuler: We’re super, super excited about. I mean, here, it is the gamification that causes engagement or we want a sustained engagement, so we can get sales reps.

Michael Altshuler: To have sustained engagement on the top producers conversations and rebuttals. And we get constant engagement. That’s what the game of Cape gamification does constant engagement on the best stuff, then that’s the way we we drive performance and

Michael Altshuler: Really take things to the next level. So I love it. I’m glad you said that because I definitely would respect and love to have your, your input and feedback on this.

Rock Thomas: Very cool. Very cool. So that’ll be an ongoing conversation. Let’s shift gears now go a little bit into your, your belief system.

Rock Thomas: And your identity statement. I just want to remind the listeners that you know we all want to stay consistent with how we define ourselves.

Rock Thomas: And it’s, it’s the definition of ourself often comes from the people around us that told us that we were

Rock Thomas: You know, a good little boy when we eat broccoli and we get this. And we were nice and kind of we were funny or we were stupid or what have you.

Rock Thomas: You’ve got here because I asked you before I am a believer. I’m loving, compassionate, giving value driven passionate purposeful committed

Rock Thomas: Smart. Savvy, loyal , trustworthy. A great husband, dad , friend and it goes on and on. So a lot of people when I asked this question. They have difficulty defining themselves. You seem to have a pretty good definition very clearly. Tell me a little bit about how conscious you are of that.

Michael Altshuler: Well, let me just say this. I didn’t write that my mother died.

Michael Altshuler: Now I

Michael Altshuler: I am clear and here’s why I’m clear on that.

Michael Altshuler: A long time ago I read, there was a great quote by borkowsky it said if you don’t. He said, If you don’t stand for something you’ll fall for anything.

Michael Altshuler: Right. And my my buddies egg, who was my idol and still is exactly who was a man strongly defined by his values by not only his values that he stood for, but that he lived every day.

Michael Altshuler: He said, there’s two types of people in the world wandering generalities and meaningful specifics and I, my whole life, wanted to be a meaningful specific. I wanted to leave a footprint of the world attic.

Michael Altshuler: A good clear identity of what I wanted to do but wasn’t sure who I was in terms of clearly defining that. So here’s what I did I stated, and I have all my clients do this and I would recommend anyone listening.

Michael Altshuler: Do this, I stated my values clearly and this gives me a guidepost it gives me a blueprint every day, every thought decision and action.

Michael Altshuler: Of what I should do and based on who I say I am and who I say I want a day. And here’s what they are, number one is to honor and Serve the Lord with everything I think say and do

Michael Altshuler: Number two is to be the best husband to my amazing wife. Number three, to be the best dad to my amazing son Kyle and my two amazing step sons decks and Julian.

Michael Altshuler: Number four is to serve others and make an impact in their lives with the gifts, talents and abilities that I’ve been blessed with and number five is to be in the best mental, physical and spiritual shape.

Michael Altshuler: To serve my other four values. Now here’s the kicker. There’s only two things people have to do: simple , not easy. Number one is clearly define

Michael Altshuler: Who you are and who you want to be. What does that look like to you? Number two is

Michael Altshuler: Do it. So here’s what I do, that there’s two ways you rate yourself every day. One is awareness and the other is execution. So every day.

Michael Altshuler: With every situation in my life rock I asked myself this question did what I just do or not do when I should have done something did what I just say or not say when I should have said something

Michael Altshuler: Was that consistent and congruent.

Michael Altshuler: With who I say I am according to my values or who I say I want a day simple not easy.

Michael Altshuler: The second thing that you so I’m a nine or a 10 in terms of awareness. I’ve been doing it so long. I’ve developed the habit that everything I think saying do

Michael Altshuler: Not always in the moment when I’m when I say something or do something because I sometimes New Jersey comes out of me and I’m a little rough

Michael Altshuler: So, but afterwards. I always measure it and say, Michael was that who you really say you are was that, according to

Michael Altshuler: A good husband, where he was at according to what God would want you to say or do or not do. If you see a woman, putting an old woman putting groceries in the car. Did you go over and help

Michael Altshuler: I mean, that’s what God, we want you to do. Did you see it? You didn’t do it. That’s not an alignment with your values. So,

Michael Altshuler: Let me peel back the onion one step further. We all want peace, joy and fulfillment in our lives. So that peace, joy and fulfillment comes from being consistent congruent with your values.

Michael Altshuler: So if you live your values, every day, or do your best. You’re going to rest your head on your pillow at night, say I was the best version of myself today. I could possibly be.

Michael Altshuler: And so as I go through my day. The first judgment. The first not judgment. The first way you rate yourself is I am aware of every situation.

Michael Altshuler: Of what my values were and you see first have to be aware right you have to be intentional deliberate and the second

Michael Altshuler: One and now the nine with that. The second one I failed miserably. Quite often, and I’m probably a five to seven maybe sometimes eight or nine on a great day. And that is, did I live my values.

Michael Altshuler: Today, the way I showed up all that I worked out was a great husband and I do say and do all the things to be a great husband.

Michael Altshuler: Did I serve others today with the gifts, talents and abilities? I’m blessed to have served the Lord with what I thought, said and did. So all that was a great dad did I call my son, my steps on that. So, all those things, tough to do, that’s much tougher.

Michael Altshuler: Thing to do. But ultimately, the end of the day when you make an effort when you’re clear on that. That’s going to be in my opinion, what your identity is and and and will give you the peace, joy and fulfillment. You want your life.

Rock Thomas: Now that is beautiful and it makes total sense. And it’s, it seems like a perfect thing for people to do and they have extra time on their hands. How did you get so committed to get so clear because one of the biggest things I find

Rock Thomas: Work with people is, they’re not clear in the direction they’re headed, who they are, what they want and they’re that wandering generality. And they’re like, well, when I have more time we’ll figure it out. How did you get so clear?

Michael Altshuler: Yeah, I think.

Michael Altshuler: Out of my desire to really want to help people that I, you know, they say that the teacher will come when the student is ready and they say that

Michael Altshuler: The coach or the teacher doesn’t, you don’t have to match. It’s the message, not the messenger. I believe in my world, in my world. My belief system.

Michael Altshuler: That the message should match the messenger. I try my best. Because I want to be believable. I want people to see that I have a six pack at 63

Michael Altshuler: I want you and you’re the same way. And that’s what we love about each other. I don’t want people to see Mike talk about hard work and he’s loafing and watching TV at night.

Michael Altshuler: Now, I want them to see I’m still grinding at 63, more than ever, I’m still out there and living my dream and working on my dream that never stops. I’m thinking big, not small. But doing small things to to get the big thing so so

Michael Altshuler: To me that’s critical when someone sees me. They say, Man, I believe that, and I trust that and I want to be that and do that. So, so

Michael Altshuler: I think like many of us rock that people that, to answer your question, people that don’t do these things because they imagine in their head.

Michael Altshuler: They’re difficult. Did you ever manage or think of something? And when you actually, you blew it out of proportion. We actually did it. It wasn’t as big and hard and

Michael Altshuler: Scary and

Michael Altshuler: audacious as you thought it might be. I think we all have and the truth of matter is creating values.

Michael Altshuler: And living them. The scariest part is that you have something you have to do that you’re committing to live by. That’s and that may hold people back from doing it that I would rather not live by something that way. I couldn’t disappoint myself every day.

Michael Altshuler: But the goal is to constantly be on the, the, the, the mission to be the best version yourself.

Michael Altshuler: St. Jerome said this good better never let it rest to your good is better and your best best. So every day should be a quest.

Michael Altshuler: To be your best. What can I do to be my best? I love this thing that when pro football players are done with a game and they interview the top two stars, typically in the game.

Michael Altshuler: The same two questions are always asked, and the same statements are always made by the person doing the interviewing, they say, hey,

Michael Altshuler: Bob, you had an amazing game today you threw for three touchdowns, no interceptions 350 yards unbelievable job and they give him praise.

Michael Altshuler: And the first thing. The first thing is that person and they all say the same thing. So there’s a common denominator of success.

Michael Altshuler: They also give credit to the other players, they all say, I couldn’t have done it with an amazing frontline my receivers made some amazing catches. So the first thing they do is give credit to others. But the second thing they do.

Michael Altshuler: Which is what we all need to do and that second thing is they said, yeah, we had a good game.

Michael Altshuler: But we’re going to watch the film and there’s definitely things that we need to improve upon. So the best of the best, the elite, the world class are constantly

Michael Altshuler: sharpening your ax saying, What can I do to get better, because that’s the path.

Michael Altshuler: That we all should be on what can I do today to be a better whatever your better is according to your values and I think that, again, to get back at your question.

Michael Altshuler: To set values and create days, people are making something bigger than it is would probably take someone maybe an hour.

Michael Altshuler: But if you’re going to have a goal or this is your life, you’re planning who I am and who I want to be. And it’s going to be giving you happiness and joy fulfillment.

Michael Altshuler: Is an hour, two hours of your time worth that investment. You bet it is. So spend that hour, two hours listening to this.

Michael Altshuler: That asked me, I have the three documents that I stand out free of charge, no obligation. I’m happy to do it and I’ll send people that will let them.

Michael Altshuler: A give them a real simple thing to fill out to create their values with example value statements like mine, and some others, and it will

Michael Altshuler: Help them ease the, the challenge that might be in their head of, how do I do this I’ll be happy to send that out to anyone emailing me and and also at the same token,

Michael Altshuler: Once they do it if holding you back from doing it is that you’re scared you won’t be able to do it.

Michael Altshuler: It’s just going to help you get better. You’re not. You’re never going to be perfect at this, but you’re going to get better and you’re going to have the peace, joy and fulfillment of your life.

Rock Thomas: Beautiful. Thank you so much for that. Alright. So before we get to the end of the show today. I want to get a little into the moment of today, we are

Rock Thomas: This will come out in a few weeks, but we are going through the pandemic and you have a year plan where you’re going to be doing some talking with Kevin Harrington, you’ve probably had to pivot on that. Yes.

Michael Altshuler: I’ve had to pivot on a lot and everyone’s had a pivot or a lot so yet. The answer is yes I have.

Rock Thomas: So what are some of the skills that you’re utilizing now to pivot and still stay upbeat.

Michael Altshuler: Well, great question.

Michael Altshuler: No doubt, this is the greatest level of uncertainty. Most people have experienced it in their lifetime. No doubt is the most fear people have experienced in their lifetime.

Michael Altshuler: No one has the answers, which is the scariest part. So what do you do? I created free speech and I’m giving some speakers bureaus that I work with.

Michael Altshuler: That they can give to their clients because I wanted to get back a little bit and it’s called forge forward and its pivot.

Michael Altshuler: Plan progress. So here’s a weekend everyone listening to this, we’re dealing with something that’s terrific. So you have a choice. You can have a pity party.

Michael Altshuler: Where you can have a Progress Party. What are you going to have, are you going to come out of this better. Are you going to come out of this worse when this is over, and it will be, oh, this will end.

Michael Altshuler: And we have an opportunity right now to focus on different things that we’re going to focus on two months ago.

Michael Altshuler: But all the things that we could focus on now with this pivot and plan will help us become better people. This is great, your value system.

Michael Altshuler: It’s a time to work on your self development, your personal development to become whatever your profession is if you’re in sales.

Michael Altshuler: Get the sales books out by Jeffrey Gitomer Jeff one whoever you love get those books out, get those audios out get to watch the videos.

Michael Altshuler: And commit yourself an hour a day to learning and getting better, because that will serve you. When you get better.

Michael Altshuler: As Gandhi says one of my favorite quotes, you know. Be the change you want to see in the world. When you get better everything in the world gets better for you.

Michael Altshuler: So this is the time when you never have time to do this and that was your excuse, now is your time to invest in our day to get better.

Michael Altshuler: And I don’t care what you like, but find a person, the vehicle, whether it’s audio, video, an actual book, read it. Listen to it. Watch it.

Michael Altshuler: And invest the time and get better. That’s number one. We all should do that.

Michael Altshuler: Number two is a what services. What can I do right to stay in touch with your clients? It’s another thing that I coach. I’ve been consulting clients now.

Michael Altshuler: And we’re doing on zoom calls. So what other technologies. I watch all the commercials on TV. How can I be creative?

Michael Altshuler: And serve my clients. Now with their needs first being sensitive that we’re all going through a lot right now it’s scary. So first be sensitive that they’re healthy.

Michael Altshuler: And and and there are people who are healthy and then after that come up with solutions. I just called the customer today with the solution. I said I thought of something they were so grateful for. So think of things that you can help others with.

Michael Altshuler: During this and you’ll solidify and and deepen and strengthen your relationships with your existing customers by doing that, you’ll also be making a difference.

Michael Altshuler: So I think that’s something we all should do, stay in touch with your customers just even if it’s reaching out to you and just say, I’m thinking about you. How are you, if there’s anything I could do for you, please let me know.

Michael Altshuler: That’s should you sell right now, depending on your product or service. I think the first step is definitely calling up just saying, I’m thinking about you and I care. But thinking and being creative with solutions.

Michael Altshuler: And work on projects that you never had time to work on that would advance your personal career or your business career. This is the time to pull them out and to really put the pedal to the metal and invest that time and energy and doing that.

Rock Thomas: Yeah, well, I think, you know, all of that is 100% true and I think it’s even timeless information because

Rock Thomas: You know, reaching out to your clients and finding out if they’re okay. It’s not something that you should ever stop the narrative.

Rock Thomas: Specifically this time will change, but the habit of reaching out to people should not change the habit of being in a Progress Party, not a pity party should be a muscle you develop. So I think your advice is timeless Michael is appropriate for adverse times

Michael Altshuler: Yeah, it’s and I appreciate that rock. I think that

Michael Altshuler: You know, it’s the old saying that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care now more than ever. I mean, that’s always been a my

Michael Altshuler: Coaching model that I profess you know you know I competed against Xerox, the biggest in the world and I beat them 75% of the time.

Michael Altshuler: And I didn’t beat them on price per se. I beat them on relationships and people are people first business people. Second,

Michael Altshuler: And. And the bottom line is, they buy you before they buy your product.

Michael Altshuler: And and I’m convinced that people say people buy from who they know, like and trust. But that’s not 100% true because

Michael Altshuler: If they know like and trust you and they know like and trust me more. They’re going to buy from me. So how do you develop deeper and stronger relationships?

Michael Altshuler: And that’s where you really dive in and Harvey MacKay wrote a great book, a while ago.

Michael Altshuler: Called swim with the sharks without, without being alive and he had the Mackay 66 and folks about 66 things. Yeah, it’s

Michael Altshuler: A little overboard, but it’s important. 66 things you need to know about your prospects. You know what sports their son or daughter plays, you know,

Michael Altshuler: You know what their, their habits and their passions are and you know when their anniversaries and birthdays are and when you talk to people about that you show you genuinely care because you asked about that first before the business that will transcend the business you do with them.

Rock Thomas: What was the name of that book again.

Michael Altshuler: swim with the sharks without being eaten alive and then McKay 66 speak specifically to the 66 things you need to know about your clients if you really want to drive that relationship and drive the business going down the road.

Rock Thomas: Well, for those of you that are listening to the I am moving podcast I recommend that you take this particular podcast and listen to it again.

Rock Thomas: There is a lot of great information in here on how you can, you know, live a great life, build your business, stay focused. Let’s get some parting words from you, Michael.

Michael Altshuler: Well I was around 15 years ago.

Michael Altshuler: At a woman sitting in my, you know, the keynote speakers I met you and I woman, her name is Lynn Goodrow sitting in my office. I said, excuse me sitting in the audience, and she was touched by

Michael Altshuler: My office now. Yeah, exactly.

Michael Altshuler: She was sitting in the audience. And when she left, she filled out an evaluation. And she said, I just want you to know you deeply touched my life. And to me, that was that’s what why I do what I do and it’s just meant the world to me rock and

Michael Altshuler: She said, I’d like to reciprocate in some way, I’d like to share this poem that my grandmother gave me when she died before she died.

Michael Altshuler: And I like to share it with you when I read the poem rock. This was many years ago, as I mentioned, and it made such a profound difference in my life that I closed every speech with it.

Michael Altshuler: And I close every podcast with it because I believe it’s a game changer. But more importantly, a life changer and I’d like to share with your audience. It’s, it’s called the dash

Rock Thomas: Hmm.

Michael Altshuler: I read a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on your tombstone from the beginning to the end.

Michael Altshuler: He noticed it first came her date of birth and spoke to the second date with tears, but he said that what mattered most of all, was that dash between those years.

Michael Altshuler: For that dashboard to be sensed all the time that she spent alive on Earth. And now, only those who loved her know what that little line is worth

Michael Altshuler: For It matters not how much we have the car. The house the cash would matter is how we live in love and how we spend our dash

Michael Altshuler: So think about this long and hard. Are there things you’d like to change for you never know how much time is left that could still be rearranged if we could just slow down enough to consider what’s true and real and always try to understand the weather people feel

Michael Altshuler: If we could be less quick to anger and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before

Michael Altshuler: If we could treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile, remembering to this special dash one or last little while

Michael Altshuler: So when your eulogy is being read with your life’s actions to rehash will you be proud of the things they say

Michael Altshuler: About how you spend your dash and it’s my sincerest hope wish hope and wish and dream and prayer that you rock and

Michael Altshuler: Everyone listening to this Spencer dash in a way that’s meaningful that makes a real difference in the lives of their customers. Their co-workers, their friends. But most importantly, their family members.

Rock Thomas: Well, that’s beautiful and heartfelt and thank you for sharing GREAT, GREAT REMINDER life is so precious. So if people want to get in touch with you follow you and learn more about you, what’s the best way, Michael.

Michael Altshuler: They can contact me via email at 

, Or they can call me directly at 561-818-6387

Rock Thomas: Well, I will again want to thank you for coming on to the I am moving podcast. You personify very, very intentionally somebody who has defined themself.

Rock Thomas: And who has their values aligned and he’s somebody who’s going to serve at a high level, you were built to serve Michael and I appreciate you coming on our broadcast

Michael Altshuler: Well, thank you for having me Rock was a real pleasure. Thank you.