Cliff Shellhase
Why should you want to read this book? What’s in it for you?
Is there something you can learn and apply from reading these pages? Yes - - you’re going to learn from a seasoned sales veteran what it takes for you to succeed.
My aim is to inform, motivate and inspire you to want to “be somebody.” I write with authority, conviction, and experience.
At the risk of sounding presumptuous, I believe you’ll benefit from reading this book because unlike other motivational/inspirational authors, I pull no punches. I tell it as I lived it – and loved it – with no fanfare, no preaching, no excuses, no apologies. Every experience I relate, and every story I tell, is real and true – they all actually happened.
You may find some of my writing controversial. I welcome this because it’ll keep you interested. I was known in my industry as a “Maverick.” I can’t be truthful and politically correct at the same time, so I may step on a few toes with some of my views. But keep in mind, please, these will be my opinions based solely on my own experiences.
Throughout the book I use the pronoun “he.” I’ve done this in the interest of clarity and brevity.
When I write about my customers and mentors – those who kept me charged up, reaching and stretching till I reached the top rung of the ladder – I do this so that you, too, may benefit from the lessons they taught me, and so you can capitalize on the unique strategies for success that I learned.
While success eventually came my way, it was not without a price. You’ll learn about the costs of that success as you read through the book.
I hope my book will stimulate and encourage you to thought, actions and victories of your own so that you, too, may some day “be somebody.”
So, here it is, right from the heart, soul and gut of a guy who wants to see you win. If I didn’t want this, I wouldn’t be writing this book.
If you want to know why I chose this title, see Chapter 1.
Who is Cliff Shellhase and why should you be interested in reading his book?
Cliff, now retired, is a 46-year sales veteran, with experience in direct sales, sales training, sales management, conducting sales meetings, marketing work shops, and a seminar speaker for the Document Management Industries Association.
He co-founded Delaware Valley Business Forms, Inc. of Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He and his partner, the late Ed Miersch, ran a successful forms distributorship for twenty years, eventually becoming the Philadelphia area’s largest distributorship.
Following the sale of his company in 1986, Cliff joined his wife’s business, Emerald Solutions in Print, as Executive Vice President, for ten years. He loved calling on customers as a problem-solver right up to the very end of his career. In the process, many of those customers became his friends, and many colleagues served as mentors.
Cliff is active in SCORE, the Service Corps of Retired Executives, and is a member of Toastmasters International where he speaks frequently, sharing his wealth of sales and selling know-how with anyone who wants to listen and learn. He has appeared on radio and television extolling the virtues of both of these organizations.
Cliff was the recipient of the prestigious President’s Award presented to him in 1998 by the Document Management Industries Association.
He is a prolific reader and has authored many articles for trade publications.
Where can the next generation of salespeople go to learn the nuances to the art of sales?
Where can the current batch of salespeople go to better understand how to master their craft?
Where can the tired salespeople go to re-energize themselves so they can once again bring satisfaction to those they serve?
Where can all people go to learn life’s valuable lessons, taught from experience, and once learned and implemented can carry you to heights never envisioned?
Be Somebody! Be Somebody! For God’s Sake Be Somebody! achieves and surpasses each of these lofty goals.
Each of us wants to reach our full potential. Each of us wants to stretch our abilities as we grasp the next rung of the ladder. Each of us wants to “be somebody.” Cliff Shellhase achieved his full potential, stretched his abilities, climbed the ladder and became somebody. With almost fifty years of sales experience, Cliff mastered his craft. Cliff is a true salesman in every sense. Cliff has a passion for sales. Cliff has a passion to surpass his customers’ needs. Now Cliff has a passion to share his experiences so you too can achieve greatness.
Like you, I have read my share of books that purport to help grow my abilities. Some do help. Most, however, infuriate as the author teaches “down” to you somehow assuming that you’ll never achieve their “greatness.”
Be Somebody! Be Somebody! For God’s Sake Be Somebody teaches from the heart; teaches from experience, teaches in words we can understand with lessons that can be implemented immediately with success.
“Be Somebody” isn’t just for the salesperson. “Be Somebody” is for everyone. Cliff Shellhase’s experiences, told in true-to-life style, brings insights that will benefit your work, your home, your play and, most importantly, your life. Cliff sets a standard that if we follow, is sure to transform our daily routine into our daily joy.
I have known Cliff Shellhase for twenty-three years. Cliff is a friend, a mentor and a man I love. That’s not why I write this Foreword. I’m writing because I know the value you will receive and the growth you can achieve by implementing what Cliff has learned. Where else can you gain almost fifty years of experience in so few pages?
So . . . sit back. Relax. Open your mind. Become the student once more. And, most importantly, Be Somebody! Be Somebody! For God’s Sake Be Somebody.
