Nerve Wins

“We missed our numbers for the quarter,” I confessed.

“Why?” asked Sterling Williams, CEO of Sterling Software.

“We just don’t seem to be competitive. We are in the deals but not winning the deals. We offer the very same services as the other company, but their lead salesman is eating our lunch,” I explained.

He said, “Get the guy on the phone right now.”

“What?” I said.

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“Get the guy on the phone right now. If he is that good, then he needs to be working for us and not competing against us,” he said.

We put the speaker phone in the middle of the conference table and dialed our competitor. When the receptionist answered the phone, Williams said, “Hello. This is Sterling Williams, and I am the CEO of Sterling Software. I would like to speak to Larry Johnson.”

She said, “One moment, please.”

“Hello. This is Larry Johnson. Who is this?” he said.

“This is Sterling Williams, the CEO of Sterling Software. As I understand it, you are the best salesman in our marketplace. You have been beating us in deal after deal. I want you to work for us. What will it take to make this happen?” he demanded.

“Are you serious?” asked the salesman.

“I want you to be selling for Sterling Software. We want the best working here. You are the best. You need to be here and not there. What will it take?”

The conversation ended with Williams getting the guy to agree to a meeting. Sterling Williams had nerve.

It takes nerve to be successful in life.

It takes nerve to get to number one.

It takes nerve to lead a company from ten million in revenue to one billion in revenue.

He did it and eventually realized a net worth of one hundred million dollars. I learned the lesson of nerve that day. Do what you believe to succeed. Act now. Nerve wins.