“Life, business, success … it’s just like a nightclub.
There are always three ways to get in.
There’s the first door – the main entrance,
where 99% of the people wait in line hoping to get in.
The second door – the VIP entrance,
where the billionaires and celebrities slip through.
But what no one tells you is that there is always, always… the Third Door.
It’s the entrance where you have to jump out of line, run down the alley, bang on the door 100 times, crack open the window, sneak through the kitchen – there’s always a way.”
Alex Banayan, Author:
The Third Door: The Wild Quest to Uncover How the World’s Most Successful People Launched Their Careers
There is always a third door to success.
For example, several years ago, I was in New York, and I had an opportunity to attend the US Open. One of the four major events in tennis. I purchased my tickets from an online broker, rather than the sponsor of the tournament – The United States Tennis Association (USTA). Because I did not purchase my tickets from the USTA, the broker told me to print my tickets before I arrived at the venue.
Ever forget? I forgot. My proof of purchase was on my phone.
“I’m a speaker. I don’t have bad days, just new material.”
Ed Tate
I’m with a friend who reminds me that I forgot to print the tickets. I tell her, “I’m a speaker. I don’t have bad days, just new material.” I decided that no matter what, I would be nice and attempt to make people laugh.
As I approach the entrance, I see a teenager at the gate.
“Excuse me. I’m so sorry. I was supposed to print my tickets, and I forgot. I don’t want to get you in trouble. Would it be possible for you to get a supervisor to see how we can solve this problem?”
She says, “Okay.”
A few minutes later, her supervisor, Maria, appears.
Maria is marvelous!
“Maria, as I told this young lady, I purchased my tickets online, but I forgot to print them. As you can see on my phone, here is my proof of purchase. Would it be possible to find a printer?”
Maria says, “Sure.”
At that point, she gathers five of her employees with the mission of finding a printer. My friend Connie is shaking her head in disbelief.
Then she turns to me and says, “Mr. Tate, while we are waiting, would you like a brief tour of the US open facility?”
My outside voice said, “Let me discuss it with my friend.” Connie is stunned.
My inside voice said, “Are you kidding me! Of course! Yeah!!!! Does Maria know it’s my birthday?! Yes. It was my birthday. However, I decided not to tell Maria. I had gotten this far without using the ‘birthday card,’ (literally!) I wanted to see how far I could go without mentioning it at all.”
I tell Maria, “Yes.”
We get a tour of the USTA Grounds – This is where the lower-ranked players play – 22 outdoor tennis courts (plus 12 practice courts). The top players play in either Louis Armstrong or Arthur Ash Stadiums.
Along the way, I see Venus Williams (Serena’s Sister) and John McEnroe: both 7-time Grand-Slam Champions.
Technically, we don’t have tickets.
A shoeless man playing the harp
During our backstage tour, we see a shoeless man, playing the harp. I have watched the US Open for decades, and I never once saw a shoeless man playing the harp. I’ll tell you more about this later.
Maria gets a text that there is a printer in the USTA office. We go there. And the woman behind the counter tells us,
“You may not use the printer because your tickets were not purchased from the USTA!”
When we walked into this office, I had already found the printer on the Wi-Fi network. All I had to do was press’ print.’ I decided that I would play by the rules. After all, I was the one who forgot to print my tickets.
Maria turns to me and says, “Mr. Tate, do you have an American Express card?”
“I never leave home without it!”
There is always a third door.
We walk over to the America Express building. Maria explains to the woman behind the counter our dilemma. She sends a team of American Express employees in search of a printer. At this point, Maria says she must get back to work. We thank her.
Next, the woman behind the counter asks, “Mr. Tate, while we are waiting, would you like a free tennis lesson?” In this building were two indoor tennis courts.
My outside voice said, “Let me ask my friend.”
Connie has a WTF look on her face!
My inside voice said, “Are you kidding! Of course, I would! Does she know it’s my birthday?”
My outside voice: “Well, since we’re waiting…I guess I could take a lesson.”
Now I’m on an indoor tennis court, at the US Open, taking lessons from a tennis professional.
And technically, we don’t have tickets!
The tennis pro says to me, “Ed, I notice that you have a hitch in your swing. Would you like to go out to the video studio, where we can film your swing? I’ll give you directions on how to correct the flaw in your swing. Afterward, you’ll get a free copy of the video. Would that interest you?”
My outside voice said, “Let me ask my friend.”
Connie is now beyond stunned – she has given up!
My inside voice said, “Are you kidding! Of course, I would! Does he know it’s my birthday?”
My Outside voice: “Well, since we’re waiting…sure.”
Finally, one of the American Express employees finds a printer, and we are now legal.
On that day, I see Sarina Williams and Roger Federer play. They both won.
Let’s recap:
- I have breached a heavily secured facility! (There were a lot of police and national guards).
- I’m at the US Open in New York, one of the four most prestigious tennis tournaments on earth!
- Free backstage tour.
- Free tennis lessons from a professional.
- Free video lesson.
- I saw the greatest tennis players of all-time: Venus & Serena Williams, John McEnroe & Roger Federer!
- I don’t have printed tickets!
- And I did not have to use the “birthday card.”
This day will go down as one of my best birthdays ever.
Oh yeah, the shoeless harp player.
As it turns out, the reason we saw the harp player is that we accidentally went into the players’ entrance.
There is always a third door to success! Even if you stumble through it accidentally.
Had I gone into the main entrance, this story would have never happened! Also, I accidentally parked my rental car in the players’ parking lot – and it did not get towed or ticketed. Looking back, I was wondering why it was so easy to find a parking spot so close to the venue!
I decided to inform Maria’s boss of what a magical day she helped to create. We had to wait for over an hour to share our experience.
Maria is in the middle. Connie is on the right.
Maria’s boss: “At the end of our season, we name the best employee. “Thank you for telling me this story. Maria will be our employee of the season.” She got a nondisclosed monetary bonus.
Reflections
Would I have been okay with anyone, including the teenager, telling me no? Of course, I would. It was my fault! I was the one who forgot to print the tickets.
My company helps individuals and teams without sales experience win high-stakes presentations.
What has this story got to do with winning high-stakes presentations? This story is about influencing others without authority. Not one of these people met me before, nor did they know it was my birthday. I made up my mind going into this situation that I would be positive and have fun, regardless of the outcome. As I once heard, Dr. Wayne Dyer say, “Be open to everything and attached to nothing.” And it worked out.
What would happen if you made up your mind in advance to react positively regardless of the outcome?
I feel this experience made my mindset stronger. Winning a high-stakes presentation is all about mindset. As one of my mentors, Best-selling Author, Alan Weiss, Ph.D., says, “The first sale is to yourself.”
I’d love to hear from you. Why do you think I was successful?
#USOPEN
#Presentations
#keynotespeaker
