How many people do you meet who CHANGE your life?

By Hal Becker

Let me start by revealing a simple truth! I am not one of the brightest people around. In fact, I finished third in my class in high school...that is third from the bottom. I was the kind of kid that always looked for the short cut, the angle You know....a simpler way to do things without a major amount of work....Oh my parents must have been so proud!

Enrolled at t he University of Cincinnati for my freshman yearin 1972. The two major reasons I picked this school is that three of my best friends were going there and it was the only school that accepted me.

Well, things changed and my friends returned to Cleveland, and being the insecure kid that I was, I followed and got accepted to John Carroll ( I can't figure out how I got in!) I majored in sociology, since it involved the least amount of math, Most kids have no idea what they want to be when they grow up. Now this is the part that brings us to why you are reading this article. In 1975, my mother and I met JCU's Dr. Walter Nosal for the first time and he suggested that I take an aptitude test. The test was form T399 from Testscor Inc. It was titled Report Form for Strong Vocational Interest Blank-Men (I still have it...obviously). Now remember I am a kid, who has no idea what I want to do with my life. I scored off the scale on the negative side in the categories of biologist, chemist, forest ranger, mathematician or even carpenter. On the positive side, it said sales, sales management, business ed. teacher or chamber of commerce executive.

As of this writing, I am 51 years old, and the president of my chamber of commerce, a best selling “business author” and I made my career in sales or teaching sales people how to sell. I have to think that Dr. Nosal had a pretty good idea of which testing service he should use. Around the end of my senior year, Dr. Nosal offered to get me interviews at a few “big” companies like IBM, AT&T, Proctor and Gamble, etc., so I could get a bit of discipline as he referred to it, and then go off to whatever company I desired since I would be a little more marketable after some great training.

Only one little problem, none of those interviews worked out. Nobody wanted me...I could not find a job. Disillusioned, I met a guy in my apartment building who worked for Xerox, and he got me an interview and to my surprise they hired me.

Now I said to myself, what I am going to do is take Nosal's advice and work hard, so I can get out of there in one year and go work for a company to which I would be better suited. Another problem cropped up: I did what John Carroll's educational psychologist said, focused and worked hard, and in my second year I was the #1 salesperson in the country at Xerox, out of a national sales force of 11,000 people. Now I had to stay for a while.

This brings us to May 25, 2000. I was telling a friend how this man changed my life with his common sense, insight and caring. He suggested I contact Dr. Nosal. I called and someone said, “Would you like me to connect you?” As soon as I said, “Dr. Nosal, I doubt you remember me,” this spunky voice replied, “Hal, how are you, Of course I remember you?” Then he verbally went through my entire career like there was a biography in front of him. He knows my whole life since college! Was I his only student? Is he that way with everybody? Is he really from this planet? I nearly fell off my chair at his genuine caring about “his students”

We had breakfast in May of 2005, and I proceeded to ask a few questions Here is what he said to me, and it is the most valuable message I have ever heard...period!

#1. When did you have fun and play...work to recreate that combination.

#2. Energy equals life. Find that little boy or girl inside of you and do not let go.

#3. Have daily surprises with your wife and always compromise.

He told me he has a date with with his wife every Saturday night. - he was 82 when we met for breakfast.

Walter Nosal, you are my hero! Thank you for putting me in the right direction as a youth and an adult! I gotta go now and have my Saturday night date with my wife

Hal Becker '76 is a nationally known speaker on Sales and Customer Service. He is the author of two bestselling books Can I have 5 minutes of your time? and“ Lip Service . Hal's newest book on negotiating is titled Get What You Want! He can be reached at Halbecker.com