Page 68 - James Caan - The Real Deal

The Real Deal

‘And how’s it going now, Steve?’
‘I think I should clear £40k this year.’
‘And tell us, how do you feel about the fact that if you don’t
perform, you don’t earn?’
At no point did I tell Brian there wasn’t a basic salary. I never
actually said those words because if I took Brian on the right
journey, he would overlook the lack of a basic salary. Tom had
shown me that if there’s enough gain, people are willing to risk a
little pain.
‘I thought it would be difficult at first,’ Steve would say, ‘but
initially it wasn’t so bad because I signed up all the people I knew.
The first couple of months I did OK and then I started picking up
referrals and now I’ve got into a routine.’
‘Thanks for that, Steve. So, Brian, what do you think?’
‘God, he’s on double what I’m earning.’
‘Can I tell you what he actually had to do to earn that, Brian?
He didn’t sell ten a week. He didn’t even sell five a week. Most
weeks he only needs to sell two.’
Brian would now be looking very confused.
‘We actually pay £200 for each sale.’
So now Brian was sitting there thinking, ‘Two a week, double
my salary . . .’ With most people I had a pretty good chance of
getting them to come and join us and exchange the security they
had elsewhere for the opportunity to earn a life-changing salary.
The drive I had to close each deal was immense, and with every
new recruit I grew in confidence. Knowing that I could lead people
on that journey and get the result I wanted was unbelievably
satisfying, and, of course, it was lucrative for me, too, and my
earnings snowballed.
It was incredible to see these fairly ordinary guys come to work
at Reid Trevena and grow in stature. First they’d start wearing
better suits, then they’d take better holidays, then they’d buy a
sports car, and then maybe a penthouse. And when you’ve got 500

58