Revenge is one of the main motivators I used to get to #1 at Salesforce. 

I’m not talking about doing harm or malice to anybody who has wronged you. 

I’m talking about proving somebody wrong through your results. 

Here’s the context of what happened. 

In my early years at Salesforce,  I missed quota three years in a row. 

I was very close to leaving Salesforce to go to Microsoft, and was offered an OTE that was lower than what I felt I was worth, so I decided to stay. 

Meanwhile, a close friend of mine went to Microsoft and my former Sales Engineer also went there.

They worked on the same team, and my buddy told me something my former SE said to him which became fuel to my fire. 

Here’s what he said: 

“Ian isn’t cut out for Enterprise Sales and won’t make it.” 

Now keep in mind, my SE had good reason to think this. 

He had worked with me for two years, and during that time I finished around 50% of plan each year.

He saw me during the WORST two years of my career, and we didn’t win many deals together. 

But upon hearing those words, I decided that I would prove him wrong. 

I was determined to figure it out, and decided to get help by finding a mentor, hiring a coach, and investing 20K in personal development. 

That year, I sold 5.7M ACV and finished #1 in the Enterprise Select Division of Salesforce. 

Every year thereafter, I made Club, averaged 717K W2, and and retired from Corporate Sales at age 41 to pursue my dream of coaching full time. 

I never told my former SE how I performed, or how much he motivated me to change. 

In fact, I still haven’t talked to him to this day. 

I should probably call him and thank him for the motivation, but I won’t. 

Because I don’t want to break trust with my buddy who confidentially told me what he said. 

But if he is reading this now, I want to say thank you! 

Thank you for giving me that extra push to prove you wrong. 

Thank you for doubting me. 

Thank you for fueling a fire within me, which to this day still hasn’t gone out. 

Sometimes the best way to get even with people is to show them what you’re made of and let your results speak for themselves. 

That worked for me, and I will be forever grateful for the doubters who thought I would never make it. 

If you have people who don’t believe in you, rather than letting their words discourage you, let their words fuel your fire! 

In today’s training video, I share how to use revenge for motivation and get the results which others would never dream possible for you!