We just concluded the most successful and most highly attended Great Recruiters Seminar to date! This was due in part to the support of our Southwestern alumni, who shared wit and wisdom with the young people following in their footsteps.
Pat Roach (SW: 1993 – 2006) kicked off the GRS with a keynote Thursday night about “Your ‘Journey Toward Understanding’”—the evolution of a student manager in the business. Pat started a residential real estate brokerage – Southwestern Real Estate – as a part of our company. After several years of working by himself he has already sold over 7 million dollars worth of real estate in the Chicago market. He stressed a new K.I.S. model for success: “Keep it Stupid,” emphasizing that success at Southwestern was astoundingly simple. His PowerPoint was full of monkeys.
Two powerhouses from Southwestern Consulting (formerly Success Starts Now!) contributed to the seminar: Dustin Hillis (SW: 2002-2005) and Rory Vaden (SW: 2001-2005). Dustin shared ideas on how to prepare for a Mort Utley summer in a heavily-attended workshop, and Rory Vaden keynoted Friday evening on the value of discipline, that is, the value of “taking the stairs.”
Our international guest alumnus was Rob Lilwall (SW: 1999 – 2001), former Highlander turned author, explorer, and cycling adventurer. Rob shared his tale of riding home from Siberia to London on a most circuitous route. He paid for his three year journey with the money saved from selling with SW!
Each of our alums did an outstanding job of communicating the value of the Southwestern experience, and they all contributed to the GRS’ overall success. As always, we very much appreciate alumni who share their insights and expertise with young student managers.
The Southwestern family is saddened by the loss of former bookfield great, District Sales Manager, and Director of Sales Larry Beckham, taken by cancer this past Friday morning in Houston, TX. He is survived by his wife, Shelly, and children Abigail Renee of Houston; Lesli Beckham Douglass of Knoxville, TN; William Zachary Beckham of Denver, CO; and Amber Terry Beckham and Briana Beckham Pitt, both of Nashville.
Larry was a phenomenal bookman. One week on the bookfield, he made 180 demonstrations and sold 126 customers. A great recruiter, and with the mentorship of Dr. Jim Samuel and others, he grew a great sales organization. He eventually became Director of Sales and head of the Home Learning Division. His gift with the spoken word was extraordinary, and thousands of students enjoyed and were inspired by the stories he shared in Sales School. He shaped countless lives.
Our hearts go out to his family.
There is a Nashville memorial service set for Friday, Dec. 18 at Belmont Church, with receiving of friends from 10-12:30 and a service at 1:00. Larry’s family ”would love to see a big turnout from all the SW people who knew and loved him”. The Belmont Church is located at 68 Music Square East Nashville TN. (615-256-2123)
We also invite you to share your memories of Larry below.
All Southwestern alumni know that the bookfield is a powerful place. Many times you begin selling books for one reason, but along the way discover lessons you didn’t even realize you needed to learn. I started selling books to help pay for college and to set myself apart from other college students by doing something different with my summer. However, I came back for seven more summers because of the caliber of people I was surrounded by at Southwestern and the personal growth that I believe would have taken me decades to gain elsewhere.
Recently, fellow Southwestern alum Josh Crews wrote about about what he gained from his six summers selling with Southwestern on his blog. Josh sold from 2000-2006 with the Winning Tradition -The Standard group.
I heard about Southwestern almost 10 years ago and sold books the next summer (2000). I did average my first summer, but kept coming back and improving each summer and became a top salesperson.
These are three benefits that I received from selling books with Southwestern
A rescue from the disease of growing up in modern America
In school, I was really smart. A lot people are, and don’t have to work hard to do well. So I end up filling in the time with TV, video games, and conversations about nothing.
I really wish I had been working during that time, because work is great for the mind, body and soul. To illustrate this point, think of the wealthy American family today. The parents grew up working, didn’t have a lot of money then, but built up wealth over their lifetime. Their kids didn’t have to work, and now are either “failing to launch” into adulthood, or worse, are addicted to drugs or video games.
For many middle-class college students today, the hard work of a Southwestern summer is a refreshing cure to a disease they didn’t know they had. Many Southwestern students feel alive at the end of their summer; amazed at what they can accomplish in a day.
That was my experience.
Learning the law of reaping and sowing in 3 months
There is a law, worked by God into human life, “you reap what you sow”. And sometimes it takes years or decades to prove true. Take the example of a neglected marriage: it may take 25 years; but the pain of not investing in your relationship will be much greater than the “pain” of being intentional now. Neglect sown now will reap misery later. It’s a law of reality.
The reap-what-you-sow principle gets accelerated into 3 months with Southwestern. In selling books if you invest good habits, encourage your roommates, treat customers well, work the schedule, learn your presentations; you will harvest a rewarding summer.
If you sow compromising the schedule, mistreating customers, and not being coachable; you’ll reap a crummy summer.
The value of experiencing that principle in a Southwestern summer helps me everyday in my job, community and marriage.
Instant self-employment experience when it’s safe to fail
A person who can create their own customers from nothing is much more happy and economically secure than one who fears having to run their own business.
I do not preach the virtue of economic independence; I’d rather live like George Muller who relied on God in prayer for all his needs; but I do recommend avoiding economic dependence on your employer.
Southwestern allows you to gain that experience in college, where it’s really OK if you have a financially terrible summer, because you’re just a college student (no family, no mortgage…)
Summary
I got into Southwestern for the money. And the money was great. Today I’m most thankful for how Southwestern changed me as a young man in ways that will be paying dividends to me for the next 50 years.
Josh lives with his wife Stephie (who sold books 3 summers) in Nashville and runs his own web-development company.
I am very proud to work at Southwestern and stand behind the principles we strive to develop in young people.
This fall, I had the pleasure of working ”check out” for a couple of weeks. Every year I really enjoy getting the chance to see the students as they finalize their Southwestern summer. Every bookperson can recall how crazy big checkout weeks are and what a team effort is required to get all of the students back to campus on time. Through all the craziness, book counts, and number crunching (which I must admit the nerd in me enjoys) is the unique opportunity of watching a hard working young person reap the rewards of their efforts.
Yes I am proud to work at a place where you are rewarded for your results and not just your intentions. Can you imagine if we gave out awards in sales school for those who intended to work hard and have a great summer? What sort of message would that send? An environment where there is no politics or red tape involved in your success brings a certain amount of peace to each day. If you work hard you will get results; if you get results you will be rewarded. What a simple lesson in controllables for young people to understand. Of course in most professional work places there is a little politics going on, however, I learned on the bookfield that good things come to those who work.
Setting goals and thinking big are part of the process, but it is the hard work and results that count. As more and more schools turn to “no fail” policies, simple life lessons are being lost. In my eight summers on the bookfield as a Southwestern salesman my results were not always extraordinary, but the lessons learned always were.
I am proud to be part of the 150 year Southwestern tradition that still believes that results should be rewarded and the lessons learned will always be the biggest reward.
I truly treasure the life lessons I learned on the bookfield. My mentors at the Southwestern Company inspire me by not only the lessons they teach, but also the way they live their lives. One of the simpliest and greatest lessons that I learned and observed was to “do what you say you are going to do”. This simple practice in business and in life can make a world of difference. I saw this principle practiced by everyone at Southwestern from my student manager to the Chairman of the Board, Spencer Hays.
Jerry Heffel, President Emeritus of Southwestern, has always been a man I aspired to model my life after. I have great respect for how he lives his life by sound principles. I’ve had the privilege of talking with many alumni that worked with Jerry throughout his time with Southwestern. It is wonderful to see him through their eyes and understand what a great impact he has had on each of them. You can always count on Jerry to do what he says he is going to do. Because of that I was not surprised when I read the following in the African Leadership newsletter:
Jerry Heffel, Chairman of African Leadership’s Board of Trustees and partner in Oasis Wellness, got more than he bargained for on his second trip to Africa.
While he was visiting a K-6 school in a cramped one room building, a little girl gave him a hand scrawled note. It thanked him for coming and asked if someone would give them desks and two books. “No problem,” Jerry thought. When he spoke, he promised that African Leadership would provide these things.
Afterward, he was puzzled as to why the girl would ask for only two books. He showed the note to Larry Warren, who burst out laughing. The girl had written “blocks,” not “books.” In Africa, “block” means building. Jerry had just promised the people two school buildings!
Jerry called a couple of long time friends who have hearts for Africa. God used their generosity to build the two school buildings Jerry had “accidentally” promised. Recently returning to Africa for his third trip, Jerry and his two friends, Rick Desoto and Keith Holland, had the priviledge of participating in the dedication ceremony. “Every time you go to Africa, it just gets better,” says Jerry.
Today we celebrate those who dared to declare our independence and ensure our right to pursue happiness and the American dream.If you love quotations and you enjoy great music and photos, you will love this 3 minute inspirational movie titled Great Quotes from Great Leaders.
Shayne sold books with the Southwestern Company from 2001-2006. He is a member of Southwestern’s Wall of Greats and is currently a Career Counselor with Southwestern Career Services.
Breaking News: Our economy is in a recession, and that this is the worst job market in the last 60 years. Ha! Okay, so everyone with access to any form of media knows the market is tough right now. An indication of the severity of the job market could be that I have helped more Southwestern Alumni with their resumes and provided more interview counsel than ever before. But to the contrary, I have also placed more salespeople, year to date, into careers than ever before.
So, what’s the lesson? The world will always make room for top performing, proven salespeople. It’s not that there are not opportunities available and companies are not hiring—the problem is that there is an abundance of qualified candidates on the market.
So, how can you separate yourself from the pack? For anyone that finds themselves in career limbo, this is the time to put your ‘bookfield’ skills to work! No, that doesn’t mean that you have to strap on the ol’ sample case—although, my friend Ryan Davis DOES have a spot on his team (wink)—this means apply the success principles learned on the ‘bookfield’ to your career search! This is the time to develop a prospect list, re-establish the positive self-talk, feed your mind with positive material, set realistic goals, and go knock on company doors! Just as the top Southwestern salespeople were always those who saw the most people, the people who are finding great new careers are those who are pleasantly persistent and work the numbers. The things that worked on the ‘bookfield’ will work on the ‘jobfield’, as well. Everything besides cold showers, that is.
But, don’t take my word for it, hear what Fortune Magazine has to say in a recent article entitled,“How to Get a Job”.
Southwestern Career Services is the division of Southwestern dedicated to helping alumni in the career search….for anyone in need of career assistance, contact your appropriate Career Counselor directly.
This past week redandblack.com, a student newspaper serving the University of Georgia, ran an article, I Would Bike 4,000 Miles, about Adam Nubern who is biking 4,000 miles this summer with Bike and Build. Bike and Build, is a nonprofit organization that raises money and awareness for affordable housing. Adam sold books with The Southwestern Company for two summers. “He will bike from Charleston, S.C., to Santa Cruz, Calif., helping build homes during rest stops and devoting eight days to new homes in Colorado. Of the eight routes riders may choose from, Nubern is taking the route that logs the most build days than any other trip in Bike and Build’s history. Nubern said he learned the value of a family home as a door-to-door book salesman.
After talking to hundreds of families, he said he realized how important the home is in the development of families and communities.”It’s where families come together to share and grow with one another. All the relational aspects of life happen at the home,” Nubern said.
I also learned of another two-summer bookwoman, Carolina Canavati who is biking with the Texas 4000 for Cancer this summer. She will bike 4,800 miles from Austin, TX to Anchorage, Alaska, raising money to support the fight against cancer.
I know there are countless alumni serving others and I hope to tell you more about them as time goes on. Until I sold books through Southwestern, I’m not sure I truly realized how much your life is enriched when you are serving others.
Most of the time I look at the calendar and wonder where all the time went. At the end of each Southwestern summer I felt very much the same way. However, in the midst of those twelve weeks on the bookfield there was an occasional day I thought would never end. It was those days I was grateful I had learned to help control my attitude by breaking up my goals. During my cross country years I quickly learned to focus on getting to that next tree, then the stop sign…etc. If I focused on the whole race at once it seemed impossible. At Southwestern I broke the summer down to weeks, the weeks down to days, and the days down to goal periods.
During those later weeks on the bookfield I sometimes needed a little more to keep me going. It was then I started to dedicate my weeks to different things. By far, my favorite week was Service Week. I spent my mental energy that week focusing on providing the best service I could to everyone I met. And that didn’t mean making sure they all bought books. I could have been making an elderly woman smile, or reminding parents how important it is to read to their kids. We make a difference every day. I would also give away a Volume Library set that week. What an amazing feeling! That week always flew by, and lo and behold, it was usually one of my best sales weeks of the summer. When I stopped worrying about myself and the things I wanted, and focused on helping others get what they needed, everything fell in to place.
Being service-miinded is just one of the many lessons of the bookfield. Good luck Adam and Carolina!
In January 2009 CNBC started a ”Pony Blog“. “The Pony blog’s intent is to find the lighter side of the economic crisis and distract you with humor long enough for the seeds of hope to spring forth from the rubble.” It is quite refreshing to see the media finding the positive in the current ecomonic situation. Now most people may pause and ask themselves, what do ponies have to do with the ecomony or positive thinking. However, if you have attended a Southwestern Company Sales School since 1956, you remember the pony. I attended eight Sales Schools and I ALWAYS looked forward to hearing Mort Utley tell The Pony Story. In fact, until now I didn’t realize that anyone but Mort told the story. Well the truth is no one can tell it quite like Mort.
Many days during my Southwestern summers I would be going into that last gravy goal period sitting on zero. (Translation: zero sales for the day with 2.5 hours left) At that point, my affirmation would switch to “there’s gotta be a pony somewhere”.
I learned so many life lessons selling books. I would have said I was a postive thinker before my Southwestern experience, but the bookfield taught me how to harness my thoughts. At first it amazed me that, by continually telling myself outloud good things were going to happen, they did. We really do believe what we tell ourselves; so why do we tell ourselves such bad things? By focusing on finding the yes’s and getting the no’s off my list I could make my attitude do a complete 180.
I would like to say that I am an expert at applying this lesson off the bookfield, but I’m not…yet. Guarding our self-talk can be difficult in a world filled with so many outside negative influences. The ponies are all around us; we just need to remember to look for them.
Until now the video of Mort has been only shown in the Southwestern Sales School. Today I would like to share with you “The Pony Story”.
One of the challenges that I encountered when recruiting college students for the Southwestern Company summer program, was conveying to a non-business major how sales experience would benefit them. Most of us quickly learn once we leave academia that everything is some form of sales. That statement has been validated every time I talk to a Southwestern alumnus that is not in sales.
This year at the Southwestern Great Recruiters Seminar (GRS), Whitney Ferré spoke about how valuable her Southwestern experience has been in her everyday life.
“In my current roles as author, artist, restaurateur, and mother, not a day goes by that I do not draw on the skills I learned both selling books and recruiting a team. I am constantly having to convince someone about something. It is ALL sales and it is ALL about how well I can communicate with people.”
Whitney sold books with Southwestern for four summers (1992-95). She was a top salesman, top recruiter, and a top manager–a triple threat. Fourteen years after leaving the bookfield, Whitney came back to share how tapping into your right brain can positively impact your success.
“The right brain voice is completely present, while the left brain is thinking past or future. The left brain gets frustrated with specific details, while the right brain looks at the big picture. I think you have to be in your right brain to be open to ‘coincidences’ or trusting that even though you’re not in your comfort zone, that things will be provided for you.”
After leaving Southwestern, Whitney began helping hundreds of people find their creativity as founder of the Creative Fitness Center. The Center first gained national recognition on HGTV. Today she continues her outreach leading corporate seminars, teaching art classes, and as a creativity expert on television & radio. Whitney is also an artist, a wife, a mother, and a co-owner of Rumours Wine Bar that builds communities around food, wine, and art. Whitney recently published her first book, The Artist Within: A Guide to Becoming Creatively Fit (Turner). In Whitney’s book she discusses the principle of tapping into your right brain in order to use all of your resources in everyday decision-making.
“I had a blast speaking at GRS because I know what it takes to be successful as a recruiter and I have had 14 years since my Southwestern career to gain valuable hindsight that I was excited to share. I feel all of my experience has led to this moment when I am busy selling and promoting my book. The message in my book is so important because it proves that our right brains have a powerful voice that we are not hearing, a powerful perspective that we are not seeing and that it has access to valuable mental skills that we are simply not using if we do not access this voice! My last summer on the bookfield was my “right brain summer”. I went from 5000 units to 8900 units and from a 35 person team that sold ZILCH to a #3 team. How? I accessed the RIGHT side of my mind that did not get caught up in the details or frustrated at individual results. I was completely tapped in to my vision of selling a TON of books and having a top team. Because of the strength of my vision and the right brain voice inside my head, I trained my team more effectively and I hit steak EVERY single day on the field. It did not matter what temporary circumstances tried to trip me up, I knew it was all going to work out and it did! That is a ‘right brain performance’.”
It seems that the sales experience can benefit the artist and the artist can also positively impact the sales experience.
Learn more about tapping in to your right brain at creativelyfit.com.
Pat Roach (SW: 1993 – 2006) kicked off the GRS with a keynote Thursday night about “Your ‘Journey Toward Understanding’”—the evolution of a student manager in the business. Pat started a residential real estate brokerage – Southwestern Real Estate – as a part of our company. After several years of working by himself he has already sold over 7 million dollars worth of real estate in the Chicago market. He stressed a new K.I.S. model for success: “Keep it Stupid,” emphasizing that 
success at Southwestern was astoundingly simple. His PowerPoint was full of monkeys. 
Our international guest alumnus was Rob Lilwall (SW: 1999 – 2001), former Highlander turned author, explorer, and cycling adventurer. Rob shared his tale of riding home from Siberia to London on a most circuitous route. He paid for his three year journey with the money saved from selling with SW!
The Southwestern family is saddened by the loss of former bookfield great, District Sales Manager, and Director of Sales Larry Beckham, taken by cancer this past Friday morning in Houston, TX. He is survived by his wife, Shelly, and children Abigail Renee of Houston; Lesli Beckham Douglass of Knoxville, TN; William Zachary Beckham of Denver, CO; and Amber Terry Beckham and Briana Beckham Pitt, both of Nashville.
However, I came back for seven more summers because of the caliber of people I was surrounded by at 
So, what’s the lesson? The world will always make room for top performing, proven salespeople. It’s not that there are not opportunities available and companies are not hiring—the problem is that there is an abundance of qualified candidates on the market.
But, don’t take my word for it, hear what Fortune Magazine has to say in a recent article entitled,“
This past week 
I also learned of another two-summer bookwoman, Carolina Canavati who is biking with the ,-Whitney-2008.jpg)
