And at the time he was working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, doing plumbing with a boss that did cocaine every morning before work…
… All so he can help his mother pay for rent.
Isaiah lived in the worst neighborhood possible…
Where people were getting shot, stabbed and killed outside of his bedroom window…
So, he was determined to do whatever it takes to get his mother and 3 sisters out of that life and into a better one…
When I met him for the first time he was holding a Think And Grow Rich book in his hands (original edition)...
And I saw this dangerous look in his eyes…
A look that said “nothing is going to stop me”...
After the event…
He told me his story and all the struggles him and his family have been through…
And how he wants to break the generational poverty in his family once and for all…
And that’s when something inside of me (a whisper), told me to help him…
“I want to Mentor you Isaiah, if you’re up for that, I will teach you everything I know so that you can escape poverty, the same way I did.”
And then suddenly…
His head dropped down into the palm of his hands…
And he started to cry…
Doing everything he can to hold back the tears…
He mustered out the words:
“T-T-Thank you sir. Thank you sir. Thank you sir”...
And then…
I started to tear up…
Along with my entire team standing around us…
None of us could explain how or why…
But in that moment, we all knew something special just happened.
So I started to mentor him once a week for 1 hour…
Isaiah would take multiple buses and commute for almost 2 hours every Thursday just to come see me at my office for Mentorship…
He always had a long list of thought-provoking questions ready for me…
Amongst those questions was one specifically - that changed his life forever…
Isaiah: “Sir, what is the best way for me to make as much money as I can right now so I can quit my plumbing job?”
Me: “Sales.”
Isaiah: “Okay, and how exactly do you mean?”
Me: “Well, look at it like this, how much do you make right now from plumbing?”
Isaiah: “Around $2,000 a month sir.”
Me: “And you work how much? 84 hours per week?”
Isaiah: “Yes sir.”
Me: “Right so you’re spending 84 hours per week right now to earn $500 right? But see in Sales, you can make that same $500 in one 45 min phone call by just closing a sale. That’s how you start getting rich.”
Isaiah: “Really? Wow. So how do I learn sales? Can I work for you?! Can you teach me how to sell?”
Now, since back then I was busy running a breakthrough coaching business and was only doing sales myself, not teaching it…
I told him I couldn’t hire him nor would I have time to teach him so he would have to find another way to start learning sales…
But he had the most important quality of a world class salesperson already built into him - Persistence.
He simply did not take NO for an answer…
The next day he showed up, AT MY OFFICE, 1 HOUR before everyone else and INSISTED I take him in…
He left me no other choice but to give him what he wanted…
(And this would prove to be the most important sale he would ever make in his entire life)...
So, I pulled out a small desk and put it in the corner of my office for him…
And for the next 8 MONTHS…
He showed up to my office everyday…
Earlier than everyone else…
Sat across my desk…
And STUDIED me as closely as possible to understand the psychology and strategies I was using to sell millions of dollars worth of my services…
For that entire time I continuously denied his request to sell for me, because I didn’t feel like he was ready and didn’t want to risk my leads…
I even hired OTHER salespeople in front of him and gave them the job HE was begging me for…
Which I thought would break him, but he was unaffected…
Patiently sitting there…
Like a leopard prowling…
Just waiting for his opportunity to pounce…
Until finally - One day he got it.
There was a sales call scheduled and I was out of the office…
Nor I or any of my sales reps could take the call…
But Isaiah was the only one there…
So…
Once again, he left me no other choice but to give him what he wanted…
I called him up at the office and said…
Me: “Isaiah, I need you to take a sales call right now, because no one else can take it, do you think you can handle it?”
And with a fierce confidence in his voice he said…
Isaiah: “Yes sir, I can.”
I hung up the phone and just prayed he didn’t make a mess.
And 45 minutes later…
BOOM - $10,000 stripe payment.
I was SHOCKED…
I rushed back to the office…
Walked right up to him and gave him a big hug…
Me: “How did you do it? I didn’t even train you properly!”
Isaiah: “Yes sir, you did. I learned everything I needed to know by just watching you sell and understanding why you do what you do. Thank you for the opportunity once again.”
And that was the beginning for Isaiah.
I started to mentor him closely, teaching him everything I knew about influence, persuasion and psychology (what I now call “Mirror Selling”)...
And - Fast forward to today…