Ben Gay III | 09072026

Guest: Ben Gay III

Host: Randy Chaffee

Producer / Director / Co-Host: Wes Wyatt

📌 Episode Overview & Intro Chat

• Show Intro & Friendship:
• Randy and Wes welcome back long-time friend and mentor Ben Gay III for what marks his 9th or 10th appearance on the show.
• Health and Gratitude: Ben playfully ribs Randy for describing Wes's past medical emergency as a mere "health scare." Wes shares that he received a clean bill of health at his doctor's appointment that day, allowing him to step down some medications after surviving two massive heart attacks, a brain bleed, stroke, and a 57-day hospital stay.
• Upcoming Celebration: Wes and Randy look forward to breaking bread again in December for the wedding of Wes's daughter, Carson, with Ben invited to join in spirit while keeping an eye on a Pittsburgh game.

📘 Welcoming The Closers – Part 7

• Arrival of the New Book:
• The primary celebration of the episode is the official release of The Closers – Part 7, co-authored by Randy Chaffee, featuring a foreword written by Wes Wyatt, and published as part of Ben Gay III's legendary sales series.
• Ben received his copy in the mail and praised the cover design and execution by Victoria and Richard Wolff, noting it stays true to the iconic "Blue Book of Sales" heritage while giving it a crisp, modern aesthetic.
• The Running Joke on "Foreword":
• Ben and Randy reminisce about spelling lessons. Ben famously left "forward" misspelled as an inside joke in the original The Closers – Part 1 after selling over 10.5 million copies.
• When Randy asked Ben to write the foreword for his earlier book, Asphalt and Algorithms, Ben agreed on one condition: make sure it is spelled F-O-R-E-W-O-R-D. Wes made sure to get the spelling right for Part 7.

✈️ Attention to Detail: The Learjet Photo Shoot

• The High Cost of Missed Details:
• Ben shares an embarrassing, humorous story from his days running a company with a flight school and a fleet of 40 aircraft, including a private Learjet.
• Publicity photographers staged a shoot of him dashing out of the jet in aviator glasses, trench coat over his shoulder, and briefcase in hand to look like a high-powered executive on the run.
• The Blunders: When the magazine published the photo, pilot friends immediately called out the obvious staging:

1. The engine dust plugs were still firmly in place.
2. The wheel chocks had not been removed.
3. The sunscreens were still up in the cockpit window.
4. There was no pilot sitting in the cockpit.

• The Sales Lesson:
• In sales, as in staged photo shoots, it is rarely the massive concepts that sink you; it is the overlooked little details that ruin your credibility.
• Ben also cautions modern "gurus" against posing in front of private planes without blurring the tail numbers, which can easily be looked up to expose that the plane is a rental.

🎪 Mastering Trade Shows as a "Sales Infiltrator"

• Beyond the Trade Show Booth:
• The Closers – Part 7 focuses on working trade shows and conventions not as static events, but as high-leverage relationship-building platforms.
• Randy and Ben reflect on the early mistakes salespeople make: showing up, setting out brochures and pens on a skirted folding table, and waiting around while playing on their phones.
• Randy emphasizes: "The end of the trade show to the casual observer is just the beginning of the trade show." The real business follows in the execution and relationships nurtured afterward.
• The Strategy of "Sales Infiltration":
• Ben links Randy’s methods directly to the final chapter of The Closers – Part 2 titled "Sales Infiltration."
• Real connections happen outside booth hours: having coffee at 6:00 AM in the hotel lobby, attending product demos to see who is watching, introducing yourself during educational sessions, and mingling at the host hotel bar.
• Ben's Speaking Routine: When giving keynotes, Ben is always the first person in the room (introducing himself to the hotel setup staff) and the last to leave (waiting until the vacuum cleaner starts running) because the highest-value interactions occur before and after the speech.
• The "Bill" Story:
• Randy recounts an interaction with an exhibitor named "Bill" who complained that a show had terrible foot traffic.
• When pressed, Bill admitted he had sent out no advance invites, used no free passes, posted nothing on social media, and pre-booked zero appointments. Randy gave him blunt feedback: the fault was not the venue, the weather, or the foot traffic; the fault lay entirely in Bill's lack of preparation.

🌟 Mentorship, Inspiration, & Upcoming Books

• Dolly Parton's Relational Genius:
• Ben highlights Dolly Parton as the ultimate real-world model of relationship building. Beyond her musical talent, everyone who ever interacted with her felt like they were the only person in the room. He notes that mastering that level of genuine personal connection is the real secret to sales infiltration.
• The Historic Zig Ziglar Contest:
• Ben and Randy recall the legendary year-long sales competition between Ben and Zig Ziglar when they both joined Holiday Magic Cosmetics.
• While Zig took time to celebrate what he believed was an insurmountable lead, Ben kept making sales calls right up to the final wire, edging out Zig to win the company presidency.
• Wes Wyatt's Upcoming Book Projects:
• The group highlights Wes's foreword in Part 7 and previews his two forthcoming book releases:

1. Market YOU First!: A core business and personal branding volume rooted in his long-time philosophy.
2. Are You Ready To Go?: A personal and spiritual volume drawing from his recovery, life perspective, and purpose.

🎙️ Closing Reflections

• Availability:
• The Closers – Part 7 is officially available on Amazon in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats.
• The True Scoreboard:
• While revenue and sales numbers track performance, Ben and Randy agree that the ultimate reward after decades in business is hearing from salespeople whose careers and lives were permanently turned around by the principles shared in these books.

💡 Key Takeaway

"Trade shows and sales calls are not passive spectator events. Don't just show up and hand out brochures. Infiltrate the entire event, master the small details, pre-book your appointments, and focus on building genuine, long-term relationships before, during, and long after the floor closes."

Ben Gay:

https://stores.ebay.com/ronzonebooks

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bengayiii/

Randy Chaffee:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/randychaffee/

https://www.facebook.com/therandychaffee

https://www.sourceonemarketingllc.com

https://www.buildingwins.live

Wes Wyatt:

https://www.weswyatt.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/weswyatt/

https://www.facebook.com/weswyatt/