From Truck Driver to Executive Producer at Universal Studios with Mical Pyeatt

Welcome to this episode of the Million Dollar Mastermind. I'm Larry Wydell and let's get started. I am with Michael Payette that I spent a lifetime calling Payette because Art Williams told me that's how you say it, Payette. And Mike didn't want to ever correct Art Williams. Yeah, and I had my, I had one of my top guys named Butch Colson. And for the his entire career he was called Bruce by Art. But yeah, sometimes, you know, some things just don't matter. Butch, Bruce now. Yeah. So anyway, and I know you are, you really have your act together on the fundamentals that new people need to get in their head and get wrapped around to be successful and to be independent. And if they don't get these things, understand these things and get them, you know, and you can't cover them all right now. But just off the top of your head, what are some of the biggest things you want to take? A raw recruit, A person who wants to do great things, wants to be somebody. But, you know, you got to be a pro. You know, if you're, you know, when you start, you're not even an amateur, you know, because you don't even know how to be an amateur. But if you want to become a pro, you got to get up to where you know what to do, when to do it, and you do it consistently at a high enough level to be competitive and to improve and to compete in the real world where other people are taking it serious. So you got to know what to do and you got to know what to do with it. You know, it's like John Wooden used to say, you got to do the fundamentals at speed because if you're perfectly dribbling the basketball slowly, then it's going to be real easy for someone to steal the ball from you. And so you got to be able to do the fundamentals at speed. And what are some of the fundamentals that when you get someone coming in, the next guy comes in, or some of your team brings in to you, you get your, in front of them. What are things in your mind, just some of them right off the top of your head that are absolutely non negotiables? You got to get your act together on this. And I'm not talking about learn the presentation or learning the, you know, the policies and the, the technical stuff, how you figure that stuff out, but how to get themselves mentally organized to be a functioning, successful, mature professional.

Well, I'd start with what I think the basics are. And this isn't something I thought of last week. This is something I've been doing a long, long, long time, and it served me pretty well. And when you get somebody new in your office, you need to talk to them about the specialness of what you do about the end user, not how much money you got. Nobody's impressed about you. Nobody really cares about you. They don't care what you drive or where you live. They don't care. What they care about is when somebody does business with us, what happens to them? Because when they walk in the door, they know what they're putting on the line is their name, their name. They go, I want you to meet this Mike Pyatt guy. I really like him, and I really like what they're doing. And I think you need to listen well, they need to be sold out to that idea. They need to totally understand that we don't just sell a product to people, that we actually improve their lives. I mean, it's not a company throwaway line. When I was a little kid, when I was about four years old, my mom was pregnant with my first brother. My dad was about 27, 26. And somebody came into our house, and he was a graduate. I mean, he had an mba. And then he went back to seminary to become a pastor. He was at the top of his class. He started college at 16. So he was one of those really smart guys. And some guy came into our house and showed my mom and dad how to get out of the whole life policy they had and get term insurance. And the reason this guy told him that wasn't because their company pushed term. It's because my dad was a pastor and he felt he owed him honesty. He should talk straight to a guy that's a pastor as a living. And so he bought a term insurance policy which was about four or five times the coverage that he had. And they actually started a mutual fund, which really was 25 bucks a month. And what's interesting is a year later he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. And eight years later, he passed away and left my mom to raise three little boys. So I watched this. I was a part of this. I saw what happened. I saw when he passed away. And the church goes, we love you, but the house that you're living in is for the next pastor, so you got to move. So it was fortunate there was enough money for my mom to buy a house. I watched her work part time and go back to school and a few years later become a nurse. I watched all this. And without what that guy did for My family. Without that happening. I can't tell you how our young lives would have been for me and my two brothers. And we all live interesting lives. We're all somewhat independent. One lives in Thailand and another one lives in Mexico. And of course I live here. And we all came out of that one decision, the decision to go to term insurance instead of cash value insurance. So I was kind of set up to do this thing in advance. So when people talk to me, do, do you really think it's that important? It was the impetus for my career. And I don't mean the story between my mom and dad, I mean a sale I made early on when I was still. When I still didn't know anything. I had a guy. There's a part of the San Fernando Valley out here that's just hard to get to. It's kind of in between all the freeways. And he lived out there in an apartment with his wife and his two kids. And I went out there and did a sale on him when I was really naive and young. And it took forever to get there and forever to get back. And as I remember, it took three or four sales to get a simple term insurance sale done. However, I got him five times the coverage for the same amount of money. And I was so naive that I actually thought his existing insurance agent would call and praise what I'd done for their family. He had a one year old and a four year old, I remember him. And of course he didn't call and praise. He called and told him what a crook I was and a bad guy and all that. Hence the three or four more appointments I had to go out and convince him he was okay and I'm okay and all that. But I knew him from the studios, he was a dispatcher. So I didn't have a whole lot of credibility in financial services. But I was telling him the truth. And about a year later he passed away. And I went to his funeral. And of course the funeral is full of all the brothers that I worked with, all the union guys that all laughed at me when I left the studios. Except his wife walked up to me at the funeral and looked at me in the eye and thanked me. She said, had you have not done what you've done. I don't know how we've been able to make it from here. I appreciate it. And that one little line she said to me. I went back and in 90 days later I was an RVP. And that little run lasted for about six years straight up, income wise, just straight Up. Because when I go sit down with a client, I quit asking. I'd tell him, here's what you need to do. Here's what you need to do. You need to get this. You need to do this. I remember sitting with one guy and I couldn't convince him to buy the protection he needed on his wife and kids. She didn't work, and she got up and she went into the kitchen to get some coffee for us. And I'm sitting there with just him and me. And I looked over at him and I said, hey, are you having an affair on this woman or something? And he looked at me and he got really mad. And he goes, why? I said, because you don't seem to give a shit. Now, I don't think I'd do that today. But I did it at the time because I was convinced what we do is a big deal. Any close the sale 15 minutes later. And I think that's where you have to start with people. We make a big impact on people's lives that we'll never know. We don't know. I mean, we don't know the kids that go to college because we started $50 a month college funds. We don't know because we get busy and we do a 50 sale a month pay shop or 100 sale and you know, we get busy. But we're touching a lot of lives. And I think it all starts right there. I had a low bar. I wanted to be honest, and I didn't want a boss. And I. And I. The day I went full time, I met both those requirements.

Well, it sounds, you know, it's a matter of being convinced. What I'm hearing from you is the first thing that if someone's going to come in and be successful, they've got to know the business and know that it is a big deal. And to where when they talk to people, they're not apologizing. I mean, there's a way of talking to people about your business where they can see that it's nice or this, that the other, but maybe not that important, but it's the importance of what you're doing to that as you communicate to where people. You get to get people. And it's more than just a checklist of, you know, this versus that and the details. This other is like, yeah, this is a big deal. This is going to change. Here's what you're going to get. You know, you want these kind of things. Are you bothered by these kind of things? Whatever your business is, you've Got to focus on and sell people on the difference you're going to make in their life. Even if it's investing, you know that. You know you're going to get a chance here. You know, we do things a different kind of way. You. You can feel better about it here and give them real reasons to take you serious. Because they've got to understand, I guess, Mike, the first thing they've got to understand, you're not just doing it to make a dollar.

I got to know that. You know, it's one of the things I watched and I didn't put all this stuff together until years later. But when my dad passed, my mom just took the leadership role and did everything she needed to do. Was never an embarrassment to her kids, always was. She was courageous. But I came in and caught her just weeping for the next three years. You know when we say you're going to lose your primary income? No, it was way more than that. I mean, she was devastated. She was devastated. And that's the business. Well, we can't stop that from happening to a family. But you get a primary breadwinner that dies or a secondary breadwinner that dies. It's so much more than the numbers per month. I mean, they need breathing room. They need to be able to grieve. They need to be able to think clearly. And this culture, when something happens like that, the culture's got nothing for you. Move over, pay your bills, move over. We do a great job with that.

Well, Mike, thanks so much for your time. This has been great, and I'm looking forward to staying in touch and seeing how your business grows. What's the biggest thing right now about your life? The kind of lifestyle you're able to leave live now and things you're able to do as individually, as a family, the kind of friends you have. What is it about your life now that you really enjoy the most and you appreciate the most and you're proud of the most?

I'm gonna be on a call in a few hours with a couple of people from Australia, and they are both producers. They produce a show called Ozark on Netflix. You've probably seen it. They're down in Oz, down in Australia filming a movie right now with Liam Neeson. And they have taken a book that a friend of mine and I did on his life, and they have turned it into a script, and they're getting ready to go into pre production on a feature film with a movie called the Shot Caller. And it is a true story that a man told me I didn't know him that well, but he set me down years ago, eight years ago, and said, I want to tell you a story. And he told me about his life and it was just so remarkable. And I thought, why isn't this in a book? Why isn't it in a movie? And through a relationship with him that he and I developed, and the freedom that I have being in this company, was able to hire a writer. We hired a literary agent. We got it printed through one of the biggest printing companies in the world. It's on Amazon. It's a five star book. Every single referral on it, every review is five star.

What's the name of it? What's the name?

The name of the book is called the Shot Caller. The Shot Caller by Casey Diaz. And Casey was one of the most violent gang criminals in LA in the 80s that there was. And it's a most amazing story of transformation. I mean, really is amazing. And like I said, we're working with these two people, Mark Williams and his wife Adriana. And they are in Australia. They have the script all done. He's been writing it. I don't know if you've ever seen Ozark on Netflix, but it's the number one most watched production all last year. I mean, the guy is a genius. Yeah, really. And they think what we're doing with this is incredibly cutting edge. It's never been done. It's like threading a needle. It's an incredible story. We're turned down so many times. I mean, we're gonna do a second book called okay, I will, which will be a story about the making of this. And then we have four or five more books behind this that'll come in that we think will be the Shot Caller, Volume three. The Shot Caller. I mean, it's really. It's really rolling out. So with any luck at all, we could be in production sometime in this next calendar year.

Yeah, that's exciting. And that's. And it's just people wonder, why don't you quit? Why don't you, you know, why do you keep on pushing? Well, number one, it's so much fun to do something you're really good at.

Even if you're not good at. It's fun.

And then you learn.

It's like. It's like if you called me right now, you meaning whoever, and you said, no, how do I get a book out? And I go, well, I have friends over at HarperCollins now. I know a guy that does that. We know writers, but see, when we Started it. Our biggest idea, my big idea with this guy was, well, I'm going to set you up and you're going to tell your story and we're going to film it and hand out DVDs. That's as far along as we were. But since then, we actually have a best seller. Wow. We have a feature film underway. It's just. But it came through years and years and years of people saying no. And I learned in the business of sales that no doesn't mean anything to me.

Yeah.

Doesn't mean I right now or no, not for you. But we're gonna get it done. I remember I had one guy sitting with me and he was. He considered himself the big go between, between the Christian community and Hollywood producers. And I gave him the whole story. And it's, it's in. The first eight chapters are incredibly violent and gritty. It will be a rated R. And I get the story all done with him. And he says, well, he goes, he goes, it's too Christian for the secular community and it's way too violent for the Christian community because it can't be done. You're going to have to take out a lot of the violence. And I started laughing at him. And he goes, what do you think? So funny. I said, it's not a novel. I go, this is just what happened. I said, this is what happened. It's the real deal. And so we have the script done. And what's interesting is we wouldn't even sell these guys the right to the movie until the script was completed because I didn't want them to screw up the story. I don't trust anybody. I wanted it to be what it actually was. And that's exactly what's happening. It's, it's, it's coming through to that. And to have a role in all that and have a piece in all that is just. It's a. Because we were told from the beginning it can't be done. And you know, we may be within six months of a shooting schedule. I mean, it can be done. They're about ready to shop it right now to the financiers, so.

And talking about the chance to be somebody and to be a difference maker and who would, who would have thought, you know, your life would take a veer off into a direction like this. And that's the reason to keep pushing, isn't it?

Because I get to leave the studio as a truck driver and I get to come back on this feature, assuming we do it. I get to come back with Executive producer credits. Wow. What a fun deal that is.

Wow.

And with any luck at all, if we set this thing up right, we might get a Netflix series out of it later with these continuing stories that we're doing, because we have. My partner has a podcast called the Shot Caller, and he's interviewing. Yeah, and he's interviewing guys who come out of prison. And the story. Some of the stories are incredible. And without us, they would never get told and they wouldn't get printed, so.

Well, talk to him, and I'll have to get him on this one. I'll have podcast with him.

He's happy to do it. He's happy to do it. You can contact him@casey diaz.net.

Yeah, we will. And you're gonna be at JK Rowling here with Harry Potter.

I don't think so. I just. I'm just happy to be part. To tell you the truth, every day I wake up, I'm grateful just to have awakened another day, you know?

Yeah. So, folks, keep on pushing. You don't know what kind of adventures are out there. And people are having these kind of adventures, but they not having them. If they quit or they back off or they get intimidated or they cut corners or they lie to people. I mean, he just kind of, you know, give by doing things like that that seem to be smart at the time to relieve the pressure or to get out of it, rather than just sit in there, take it, keep on pushing through. You know, if you don't do that, you just throw away opportunities that are so big you can't even imagine it. And that's what Michael has done already, and he's continuing to do so. I can't wait to see how that turns out. I'm gonna go get that book.

I sent it to your son.

Oh, did you? Did you? Yeah, somewhere. Oh, well, he's up in North Carolina. I'm down here in Palm Beach. So, anyway.

Yeah, but I. Casey would be happy to be on your show or whatever. He's got a whole podcast thing set.

Up at his shop, so he's fantastic. Well, we will. We will certainly meet. Thanks so much, Michael. This has been so much fun. Say hello to your family. Tell your son I want him to be big. Do it big.

Actually, it's my. One of my daughters.

Oh, it's one of your daughters? Yeah.

I get four daughters and one son. My son's 15, so he's got a little ways to go.

Okay. Well, what's her name, by the way?

Alana.

Alana. Well, say hello. Say hello to Alana and I can't wait to meet her down the road.

Okay, Larry.

Thank you, Michael. See you later. Goodbye. Appreciate it so much. Thanks for listening to this episode of Million Dollar Mastermind with me, Larry Wydell. If I've helped you in any way, leave us a five star rating and review on Apple Podcasts. For more information like this, listen to our other Million Dollar Mastermind episodes and check out my Widel Academy YouTube channel and visit us on widelawnwinning.com I'm the million Dollar Mastermind. And until next time, go, go, go.