Brian McAuley is a senior sales executive in the IT industry.  I sit down with him to get some advice on how to be successful in sales.

Brian, please tell my audience a little about you?

I’m a husband of Jenn for over 23 years, and a father to 3 boys ranging from 12 to 20. I’m active in my community by serving at my local church.  I chair the board at the Alzheimer’s Society of Durham Region, and serve as a director of another charity board.

Professionally I’m a technology sales leader with over 20 years of experience who has enjoyed selling industry and technology solutions at the boardroom level across various verticals. I try to maintain a reputation as a collaborative leader who builds trust with clients, partners, and colleagues. I’ve served in various senior business development and management roles at IBM for over 12 years, led teams at Bell Canada, completed the sales turnaround in a software company specializing in healthcare solutions, as well as took a sabbatical from corporate to re-focus a not-for-profit.

What are some of the qualities one needs to have to be great at sales?

First off, you need to be a good listener.  Far too many salespeople fill the air with their own talking, but the sales profession is all about understanding needs. Customers need to know that you genuinely care, and have their best interests in mind.  Secondly, you have to be good at execution, meaning, you need to have a plan, and be able to be organized and intentional about getting things done.  Thirdly, you need to work well with others and recognize how to leverage the strengths of others.  I truly believe in the saying “if you want to go fast, go alone but if you want to go far, go together”.  Success is never achieved alone.

You worked in the non-profit and then came back to the corporate world.  How was that experience?

Making the transition to a different sector was both rewarding and challenging.  Taking the assignment was a risky one, but I’m grateful for what I learned, and for what I was able to contribute.  There are many transferable skills from one sector to the other, but business disciplines need to be applied differently in the not-for-profit (NFP). There is rigor in business that is not as easily digestible in NFP. In business, it’s all about results and metrics. In NFP, metrics are important, but the mission and relationships take precedence.  The velocity with which you can accomplish things in business, can’t always be achieved in the NFP sector – simply because the culture is not the same.  Reaching agreement through consensus is vitally more important.  The personal rewards received in changing or saving a life can’t be matched.  Great experience.

You talk a lot about approaching everything with abundance. Please explain?

We live in a world where, generally, everyone holds the belief that more is better. With that belief, we carry with us, thoughts that repeat in our heads saying “if I just had more X, then life would be easier”. If you had more in your bank account, a bigger house, a better car, more education, less stress, etc.  When we look around at others, we begin to feel inadequate.  I latched on to a saying years ago that said: “Comparison kills contentment”. On Monday, you can be completely thrilled with your “new to you” 3-year-old used car, until Ken and Barbie drive up next to you at the stoplight in their brand new convertible.  Or, you’re so proud of losing five pounds, until the next person loses ten.

Begin or end each day by being thankful for the details of what you’ve been blessed with.  Getting started is the hardest, but after a few weeks of writing a couple down each day, you will start to look at your world differently, and realize how much you actually have, without even looking at physical things.  You will start to look at relationships as your assets, the gift of encouragement that someone gave you, or the feeling you got for being able to help someone else out in your day.  Your abundance mindset will have you starting to look at the world not by what you don’t have, but by what you have and what you can give to others.  Oftentimes, we don’t recognize our unique gifts – a special skill, a piece of knowledge, undivided attention, or an encouraging word.

How has being a husband and father changed you?

When you become a husband, you transition from only thinking about your needs, to thinking about the needs of your spouse. When you have children, you transition further again and gain a greater sense of responsibility to not only provide physically but emotionally and spiritually for your whole family.  All the investments made in you now need to be imparted to others. Your life is now intertwined with others. Like a new recipe you’re trying for the first time, all the good (and the not so good) come together in a big mixing bowl with the strengths (and weaknesses) of your spouse, to form a new mixture. To make the new recipe work, you need to play with the ingredients. To make it all work, there becomes some give and take, and the ability to say “I’m not perfect, you’re not perfect, but together we are much better”. So, being a father and husband has humbled me and made me more grateful for my family who makes me a better version of myself.

Give my audience some sane financial advice?

I believe that making manageable changes, consistently over time, delivers the best results.  Someone once said, “It takes at least 20 years to become an overnight success”. Give away 10% of your income to help others and the charities you are most passionate about. Save 10% of what you make, consistently over your career.  But do the first two before you spend on yourself.  Often time, we set goals that are too big and fail.  Small sacrifices, consistently over time, pay big dividends in the long run.  Seek wise counsel. Only invest your money with someone who makes their money not by making a commission on what investments they sell you, but by the returns and the growth in your portfolio. Don’t carry a credit card balance. Buy your first house as early as you can. Learn to deny yourself luxuries until the staples are in place.

Tell me a good sales joke?

Ha – I actually respect your readers too much to share a sales joke.  I have yet to hear one that isn’t really corny.

How do you balance faith, finance, family, and food in the 21st century?

You create balance by putting priorities in their place and allowing everything else to fit around them. Priorities are established based on your values. For example, if I told you that my faith was important to me, but I never made it to church because of sports, would you say my priorities were in line with my stated values? Probably not.  I balance my life by prioritizing what I value and being intentional through my goals and actions. My faith is important to me, so I make sure I start each day by reading scripture and spending time in prayer.  I do it not because anyone says I have to, but because I need that time in order to stay connected to my faith, which I value so much.  I value my family, so I spend a lot of time with them. I value financial stability, so I make sure I save, and I don’t overspend, but I make sure I enjoy the fruits of my labor. Food – I don’t know what to say about that. Food for me isn’t important unless it’s shared around a table with those I love.

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Do you want to save money? Here are my favorite quotes on saving money.

Never spend your money before you have it. – Thomas Jefferson

Do not save what is left after spending; instead, spend what is left after saving. – Warren Buffett

He who buys what he does not need is stealing from himself. – Swedish Proverb

The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. – Henry David Thoreau

Therefore, it is not how much you make, but how much you save that matters.

It was 2001. I was a young, aggressive, investment advisor on Bay Street. A call came in and being the broker of the day I answered.

Meeting potential clients

The caller was in his late 30’s, an executive in the hydro business and his wife was a marketing executive. They had two kids. He wanted to meet with me as he needed help to save money and start saving for retirement.

Are you kidding me? Sure…. It was an opportunity of a lifetime.

I called the wife and told her I would be late for dinner.

I am dressed to kill. The car is washed. I am ready to make an impression. I am ready to open an account and help this couple save money.

I drive around and check the hood. I see a Mercedes and BMW parked outside their home.

I am excited. My heart is beating fast. I have my pitch perfected.

I ring the doorbell and they welcome me.

Zero Savings

After the basic get to know chat, we sit down to have a more serious conversation. The numbers are impressive. They have a total family income of 250,000 plus bonuses. I can work with that. I can give them tips on how to save money.

After that, I ask how much do you save at the end of the month?

Their face completely changed. They had zero savings.

The monthly payment for the mortgage was $ 3,000, each car was leased for $ 500, private school per child was $ 2,000, trips, vacation and eating out took the rest.

I made some recommendations that included some lifestyle changes to be made in order to reach their goals and how to save money.

As a result, I left empty-handed and never heard from them.

As a VP with a US discretionary manager, I covered Ontario and Manitoba. I would only go to see a potential client who had a minimum of $ 750,000 to invest.

I flew to Sudbury to see a surgeon, an executive in the construction business and a retired janitor.

How to save money

As a result, I googled the home of the janitor and it was not impressive. To be honest it was in a derelict state. I thought to myself he probably wants free information on our stock picks and is not interested in our services.

I went to see him at 5 pm and he preferred that we sit out in the balcony. After the usual small talk, I explained a little about our services and asked him the usual getting to know your client questions. I asked him about his net worth and he did not have a clue. He brought out two statements from different banks and the total was about $2.5 million.

As I am looking at all his holdings, he tells me he also has some share certificates and bonds. He brings about 30 share certificates and bonds and they consist of all blue-chip stocks listed in Toronto and New York.  His liquid net worth came to approximately $5 million.

I recommended that he convert them to electronic shares.

Above all, I was fascinated. I wanted to know his story.

He shared that he started off as an 18-year-old janitor and saved a lot of his money and invested in shares. He retired at 55. He was not interested in impressing anyone. He lived within his means and took vacations. Overall, he lived a simple life. He did want to leave a legacy with a few charities. He was good at saving money.

Conclusion

In conclusion, if there is something, I have learned from being two decades in wealth management is that it is not how much you make but how much you save.

It is important to go out, travel, spend time with family, and do other fun stuff but it has to be within your means.

Photo Credits: Michael Longmire Vanessa Lee Javier Reyes Zan Allef Vinicius Benedikt Geyer

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What is women’s fashion style for 2020? Jenisha Patel a DIY fashion blogger answers questions on fashion and food.

Jen, welcome to four columns, a lifestyle blog on food, faith, finance, and family. I want to know something about you that no one else knows. 

I’m just a girl, who loves fashion and secretly wants to be a personal shopper. I love learning new things and I am crazy about k-pop.

What is Jeny’s Closet all about? Who is your audience and why should we visit your blog?

Jeny’s Closet is a blog about lifestyle, fashion, trend, style & how to’s. I share an outfit every week & talk about the latest trend & how you can style a piece of clothing. My audience is those, who are looking for styling tips & tricks with minimal clothing & accessories. I created this blog to share my views on fashion & styling.

Walk me through what is different and unique about your women’s fashion style?

My way of dressing is comfort, minimal and classy. It’s not something you wear, it’s how you style it.

Explain to me what fashion means to you?

As I described in my last blog “Fashion is not about wearing expensive clothes or wearing fewer clothes, it’s about how you style and reform that piece of clothing to express oneself.”

Which city do you live in? What is exciting about it? Tell me a little about the food, fashion, and the music scene?

I’m currently living in Vadodara, (Gujarat, India). I moved here 10 years ago. It is home to me and I never want to leave. Vad in the Gujarati language is for the banyan tree. That is why it is called the city of banyan trees (Vadodara).

Vadodara is known for its industries, furniture, textiles, palaces, museums, and handicrafts.

Food — It’s a city with food culture. It is famous for many mouthwatering dishes. Famous dishes are — Sev Usal, Gujarati Khichdi and lots of street foods.

Fashion — It goes from western to traditional clothing. India is a country of festivals, cultures, and traditions. People here love to get dressed up for a festival. They are many textile & handicraft industries, which are often visited by many successful Indian designers.

Music — There are many music festivals or events always taking place. You can always hear music rhythms from a marriage,  concert or festival. Many people take part in learning music regardless of their ages.

Jen, help me understand what does women’s empowerment means to you?

As an Asian country, some women here are still dependent on others for their living. So I wish I could encourage those women to have their choices, dreams, and voice. I just want to say this to every woman all around the world — Ladies, be educated, keep learning, be strong and you can achieve anything in life.

Your generation has amazing opportunities that the previous generation did not have. Name me some of them and how are women taking advantage of it?

In my opinion, previous generations of women didn’t have many opportunities. There were only two choices, you either got educated or you got married. But nowadays, I see many women coming forward, accepting to learn more, work more and get settled on their own terms. Women today have made a significant contribution to society.

Life can be challenging…can you relate to this statement?

Yes, it is challenging and it will always be. Because I think I’m still struggling, still learning and still have many failures. But I guess I started taking my problems as a challenge, that how can I overcome my fears, my failures & my lacking self-confidence. To begin this “JENY’S CLOSET” itself was a challenge for me. Whether I should do it or not, am I capable enough to inspire others, or will I get a positive response or negative one. But I decided not to think much and rather do it. And here I am answering these questions. I feel proud of myself for overcoming fears and not quitting it.

Food, faith, finance, and family…What is important to you and how do you balance it all?

In order of importance, the family is first for me. I am grateful to my parents for working so hard and to give us this beautiful life. Second is faith as, without faith, we cannot achieve anything in life. Whether to have faith in oneself or others. The third is finance — It also an important factor. I grew up learning how to control money. I wonder how my parents raise us with our endless demands. It’s important to learn to invest in something that we need instead of what we want. Food in the last place is because without above all the factors, there’s no food.

Please, complete Love is… Food is…Without love there is…

Love is eternal.

Food is life.

Without love there is nothing.

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