~~The Introduction: An Introduction to Introductions, or Joe Ippolito and a Framework for Fighting for Your Life~~
Joe Ippolito had been in sales for quite a long time before finding Sandler and found that most sales companies focus on technique and tactics. But, with Sandler, the behavior is absolutely one of the most important pieces for a successful venture into business. Behavior and attitude—core beliefs, self-concept—can be the piece that takes us over the finish line to be top performers.
Before joining the network, Joe, a trainer from the Boston area, was a VP of Sales who moved up through the sales ranks at a Fortune 200 company. Had good structure, good management, and fantastic mentors—he had a great support group and management team that led him through his career. He was selling to the major mass retailers throughout the United States, the Costcos, Targets, and Walmarts of the world. He became a student of sales and watched the approach of prospects and their recreations with the intention of writing a book on sales. And in his research, he stumbled upon the Sandler Sales System. 90 days after finding Sandler he signed up with the network in 2005.
All training helps build a foundation for understanding, but theory won’t change you. Intention won’t change you. What creates change is when there is enough pain then we will change. Joe went through a series of events in his life that became the catalyst for taking Sandler to a much deeper and more technical level. Joe has experientially absorbed the BAT triangle better than most Sandler trainers.
Joe was fascinated with the BAT triangle and its place in the sales process. So, after joining the network, he learned the system and was a student. He listened to the material, sleeping with it on, listening to it in his car, and the whole learning process drove him. He was motivated by the psychology, the belief system, and the BAT triangle. Less than six years into his relationship with Sandler, Joe got a diagnosis of cancer.
~~The Conceptual: How Theory Becomes Practical, or You Mean I Need to Appreciate my own Lightning Rod?~~
As Joe says, he was hit by a bolt of lightning. No expectation, no reason, no family history. The first thought was how will I run my business, how will I retain my clients? And as we go through the journey of living starting with we don’t know what we don’t know to unconscious competence, where we need it it is embedded in us and it just comes out. The first thing that came to his mind when his wife came to his office door, waiting for biopsy results, and going into a weekend without results—after he got the news—for all the reading, listening, and drive time, his mind jumped immediately to the BAT triangle.
He said, our life is not going to change, we’re going to go day to day and live as normal as possible—now would you please leave and let me finish my day and I’ll be home at 5. This sounds harsh, but the point was I’m going to deal with this and not let the people around me be impacted. That resolve to have something to focus on came from nowhere that Joe can ground. Instead he looks back to Sandler and gives the power to it for having the peace to look to others and feel abundant in his life.
Everybody at some point in life goes through something, so Joe didn’t feel sorry for himself and instead reflected on the commonness and let the BAT kick in. For Joe, it was it’s not how you feel that determines how you act, it’s how you act that determines how you feel. He set up a BAT plan to implement on a day-to-day basis to get him through the chemo and radiation he would have to go through. By managing what he did, how he felt, and how he did what he does, he was able to overcome and adapt some of the points of his battle with cancer.
In staying focused on the BAT, a few things jumped out at him on the attitude side. The whole process of Sandler is a framework where you choose what resonates. His mantras he chose: I am a lion and I won’t be stopped, and It’s not about me, it’s about everybody else. These drivers were what he woke up to everyday. At the end of the day, he didn’t need to feel sorry for himself, this isn’t a common and justified thing to get hung up about, and whether he made it the question of how he would be remembered came to the forefront and he chose to fight through it and do whatever he could to control his result. Rather than worry about his end result, he chose to serve as an inspiration to others (without doing it for acknowledgment).
After his first round of chemo he contacted the Sandler network and the network immediately offered its support to help facilitate, support, and manage engagements, trainings, and what he needed to do. But, when he finally called his clients, each and every one wanted to see him—but it was his decision, if he felt strong enough they wanted him, but they saw it as his choice. For Joe, his vision of himself was not as a sick person (ignoring the losing hair, picklines, and chemo bag). Joe was who he was and he did his thing. The unintended consequence was inspirational.
Joe worked everyday and came to the office everyday. Gaunt, hairless, and with a chemo bag. He wasn’t recognized, but his self-concept hadn’t changed, so he saw himself as the same and did not allow the vision of others influence him. He continued to work out as much as he could—not 5 days a week—but as much as he could. He continued to eat healthy and exercise, these behaviors were motivated. His resolve, focus, and tenacity were a tremendous inspiration for those he engaged with. He role-modeled a behavioral pattern for a lot of people with other life changing opportunities.
Joe maintained his focus and continued training. A year later, after going through his experience, one person was experiencing the same symptoms that he was going through—but hadn’t taken action and got a diagnosis that was at stage three. Joe was luckily to be diagnosed at stage one, but it wasn’t take two advil and go home. The attitudes he chose drove him to the behaviors that maintained his schedule and reinforced his attitude. This allowed the triangle to come to life on a daily basis. If we aren’t aware of the influence the factors of BAT has on our lives then we won’t be able to access the framework to achieve and aim for success to help us through difficult times.
~~The Technical: The BATs of Sandler Internalized as a Framework, or Reinforcement to Change Programming~~
By changing our programming we will change our response at the time we need an altered response. Having an embedded substructure creates focus. It wasn’t as if Joe suddenly went to his Sandler material after finding out he had cancer. Instead, the attitudes that he adopted came from his years of previous training from 2005 to 2011. This helped Joe to look ahead to the world of abundance and not a world of limitations.
His attitude drove his behaviors and his behaviors drove his attitudes. Joe aimed to be who he was and follow his behaviors. On the technical side he focused on one task at a time and one day at a time. He drove himself to the hospital for radiation treatments. He was comfortable with sharing his story and make it about others in order to create a support group. One of the unintended consequences was these seeds of a model for which they can aspire when facing a similar situation—a tragedy—it’s not avoidable. The way we stand apart is with how we handle it and how we respond to it. For Joe, the way he approached it was with the framework of Sandler that built into it an ease to tackle it in a supportively healthy manner.
By striving to remain consistant and normal in day to day activities then he became better than over from his bout with cancer and learned an incredible amount from his experience. Rather than silently suffering, Joe became a visible warrior. It was important for him to get through the experience to be transparent. He was in battle-action day to day and his epiphanies came after the fact and it was only after he was finished with his bout that he was able to persevere through his struggle. By focusing on others and continuing with his actions Joe sees that as a main piece of his growth. None of us are invisible, so the question of preparation to handle it was important. We can’t control the outcome, or the destiny, but we can control the journey and know what that day to day feels like. Having the mental and emotional toughness to share and grow was important.
Joe’s worst experience was being pitied, but for him incorporating attitude, mindset, and belief should be a part of what people take away from his experience. Don’t make it about yourself and focus on the woe is me. Instead, see the community involved and make yourself stronger for the community. Build strength to muscle to and facilitate growth for your entire circle when faced with situations which can be oppressive or cumbersome.
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