ABOUT TODAY’S GUEST
Jeff Bry is the Midwest Region Manager for the Cutco/Vector Marketing organization. A member of the Cutco/Vector Hall of Fame, Jeff is widely considered to be one of the most emulatable leaders throughout the entire company. His combination of internal characteristics, outward professionalism, and excellent results has made Jeff an amazing role model for thousands of people over his 30-year career with the company. He’s a proud Michigan State Spartan and lives near Detroit with his wife and 2 kids.
Q&A WITH JEFF BRY
Q: Tell us a little about how you got started with Cutco/ Vector 30 years ago.
- My brother started working for Cutco/ Vector the summer before I did and he did so well that he was offered to open his own office the next summer.
- My brother asked me what I was doing over summer and I didn’t know so he told me I was selling knives.
- I was only mediocre at the job. I missed every target my brother set for me.
- But I learned a ton!
Q: Tell us about some of those early lessons you learned.
- That summer I listened to a ton of audios from Zig Ziglar. So learning the power of personal development.
- Running a Branch office was huge for me and my personal development.
- I decided to stop working for my Senior year in college and as graduation was approaching I decided to weigh the pros and cons of the opportunities available to me. When I had considered all the possibilities, running a District office fit my goals the best.
- I become an Assistant Manager for 4 months to brush up on my skills and then opened my District office in January. My office was the #1 office in the region which was a major confidence boost. At that point, I knew I could succeed here.
- Commitment was the thing that changed for me. 99% commitment isn’t commitment. Just like water at 211°F is just hot water. That extra degree changes everything.
Q: We’ve introduced Marty Domitrovich on this podcast (Mike Muriel interview) before so most of our listeners know the kind of leader he was. You got to work closely with Marty for a while, tell us about some of the lessons you learned from working with him.
- The biggest things I learned from Marty were integrity, humility, and class.
- Always focus on integrity before profits.
- What’s best for my people?
- What’s to keep my integrity intact?
Q: What are some elements of class and professionalism that you’re teaching to your team and those you lead?
- We teach some things like dining etiquette, how to dress for success, using manners, remembering that there’s a person on the other end of digital communications and treating them with respect and being courteous.
- There’s a common technique people like CEOs will implement when deciding who to hire for high up positions- they watch to see how that interviewee treats the wait staff at a restaurant meal. How they treat the wait staff is a window into the soul to see how they’ll treat those they lead.
- It takes no skill to be classy. It takes no skill to be professional. It takes a little bit of knowledge and then just doing it.
Q: I feel like young people need to focus on learning the skills of influence and communication and you’re viewed as one of the best in Cutco/ Vector. What are some of the keys to developing in those two areas?
- The simplest but most important is practice, practice, practice.
- Take your opportunities to influence and communicate to groups seriously.
- “Passion is the genesis of genius.” Tony Robbins
- 2 keys to good communication: 1) have something good to say 2) say it well (Jim Rohn)
Q: How does someone become more influential with their peers and others?
- I think leadership 101 is walking your talk. Are you a good person?
- Ego is usually from low self esteem so keep your ego in check.
- Give of yourself.
- Who you are speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.
- “Who are you when no one is watching? Champions are built on 1,000 invisible mornings when no one else is around.
- How you do one thing is how you do everything.
- In business, what I’m most proud of is that I try to do things the right way, with integrity. I try to do what’s right for people.
Q: As you look ahead in your career and in your life, how do you aspire to continue to change people’s lives through your work and through your influence?
- I hear people generalize Millennials as lazy or entitled and I vehemently oppose that perspective. I have seen what happens when people are put into the right environment and given the right skills.
- In our business you can outwork your skill until your skills eventually catch up. Work ethic!
- I want to expand our platform to help more young people learn the valuable skills we teach so they can go on to become the best they can be in life.
FINAL THOUGHTS
- Who you are speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.
- First impressions, integrity, results, and how you make people FEEL are so important.
CUTCO/VECTOR TERMS
- Launched- the term given to the moment a new rep leaves training and goes to their first appointment.
- Branch Office- a Cutco office usually run by a college student during summer break.
- District Office- a Cutco/ Vector office that runs full time, year-round.
- CPO- a number used in Cutco/ Vector to describe the revenue generated from Cutco sales upon which a representative or manager is paid.