F!LtH AMA: Live Filthy or Die Clean!

Hey fellow savages, it's your friendly neighborhood Filth. On today's program we examine how desperate @Gasty is for content through the lens of me being asked to do an AMA. All kidding aside, I'm excited to be chosen regardless of it being first choice or last option lol. So I'm an open book. Ask me anything including but not limited to my Olympic drinking ability, High hopes of medicine turned law - turned please no more school. Slinging pizzas and phones then grinding through copier sales and now logistics software. I've been a degenerate (may still be), a BDR, a Territory Manager (AE for hardware), a Director for a hot minute, and eventually to where I am as a glorified AM.


Also fair game: going from sales bachelor to sales daddy of 4 in 2.5 years...yes that math is fun isn't it? I've made some big sales and had some slow slump times, gotten fired, been promoted and have worked remote, hybrid and of course in the office. I'm in the midwest and love no professional team more than the Browns so that should give you a clue of where I'm located and the regional sunglasses I see things through.



So enough of me...for now, and Fire away!

🏰 War Stories
🏹 War Room
🤴 AMA
23
CuriousFox
WR Officer
8
🦊
Spirit animals ❤🦊
Filth
Politicker
8
Live Filthy or Die Clean
@CuriousFox This is extremely true and now the hard part is finding the time for the 1 (knowing damn well it never stays 1 lol) on the plus side when the wife knows I'm stressed she says "why don't you call a buddy and grab a drink" to get rid of me lol
oldcloser
Arsonist
6
💀
Aight- Here it comes. In this crowd you’ve established yourself as someone that just fucking gets it. You came up through hardcore copiers, and have been in the grind long enough to have scars from the repeated carpet burns you’ve gotten on your forehead. I happen to dig your commentary, always. You carry yourself with a snark level that only comes over time with the hardening that a glamorous career in sales does to you.

My question- What’s the thing that breaks you, stops you cold and just makes you hang it up for the day? Is there anything?
Filth
Politicker
7
Live Filthy or Die Clean
And one more thing that i fucking cannot stand but we all have to put up with: Forecast and pipeline discussions that have to happen repeatedly with basically the same information being shared. I CANNOT STAND executives of any flavor that a. do not listen an take notes to answers that they ask of me the first time and b. HAVE THE FUCKING ACCESS TO THE SAME PLACES FOR DATA I HAVE....also yeah I wish I had a Revenue executive between me and my CEO again...it's getting old fast.
CuriousFox
WR Officer
6
🦊
Does the carpet match the drapes?
oldcloser
Arsonist
6
💀
Filth
Politicker
5
Live Filthy or Die Clean
It does not match my bald head, so sorry @CuriousFox LOL
Fenderbaum
Politicker
3
Retired Choirboy🪕
There's a way to fix that...
Filth
Politicker
2
Live Filthy or Die Clean
LOL its a defense mechanism I don't need filth spawn #5 to show up. love this comment ty @Fenderbaum
Filth
Politicker
5
Live Filthy or Die Clean
Honestly the thing that stops me and makes me so pissed I don't know why I do anything else @oldcloser is when my ops/product team does not understand what they are doing.
Example - we put out a new function and when I sell it to a client and it doesn't work right and requires fixes I get statements like, "well I hear what they are saying but it works fine for everyone else, so if they they want a change, they'll have to pay for it" except nobody is using the new function AND we half ass the approach to release without thinking of industry uses or standards and NOW i have to look my client in the eyes and say Yeah I get you but my org says tough shit pay me more for the thing I said was going to work and solve your problems.

My god is pisses me off OR when support half asses a ticket and closes it with little to no customer satisfaction that I have to go get involved with.
oldcloser
Arsonist
1
💀
The plight of the seller who has achieved some consultative mastery. All of that adds up to a hinderance of your ability to solve problems and someone else possibly breaking your promises for you. You ain't alone.
Sunbunny31
Politicker
2
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
My blood is boiling just reading that.
Gasty
Notable Contributor
5
War Room Community Manager
Sales daddy of 4 in 2.5 years needs to have a set of twins! My heart's on the journey though, not the math. My fiancé, peaking in their career atm, isn't keen on any baby talk. From a sales pro's lens, does baby-making mean bidding adieu to your prime, or can you reboot and hit new heights post-diapers?
Filth
Politicker
3
Live Filthy or Die Clean
@Gasty that would be one way to do it with tiwns but I took the stupider more conscientious route of marrying a woman with 3 kids then quickly deciding to have one of our own. From bachelor to family chaos REALLY fast lol I know damn well I'm crazy and life continues to throw fastballs as if sales life wasn't hectic enough on it's own lol.
It doesn't mean you can't find your prime but the ability to multi task and sharpen your focus to 3-5 Really KEY tasks each day and executing them becomes paramount. That doesn't mean that each day is just waiting to get fucked by a sick kid or a random appointment me and the mrs forgot about but luckily family life and kids used in conversations with prospects and clients makes you a real person instead of sounding like you have a million excuses.
I was 34 before I got involved with any children like situations so no reason to rush things at all. Shit happens the way it needs to in my opinion. DOesn't mean you just let fate decide but you don't want to but any undo pressure on yourself or partner.
Gasty
Notable Contributor
2
War Room Community Manager
Family talk making it more real in prospect conversations hit hard. I like your approach towards sales and life. You’re a true savage
Filth
Politicker
2
Live Filthy or Die Clean
Yeah one thing I've always done is overshare for better or for worse from BDR to director to now. I use my language, with swear words, memes, and inappropriate jokes (when the time is right) this lets people know I'm real and win or lose I get answer a lot more straightforward or eventually through back channels if the comms go ghost.
oldcloser
Arsonist
3
💀
G- I know you didn’t ask me, but I had my first and only kid at 48. It makes no difference when you do it. It’s extremely inconvenient at any age. It’s also the most important thing you’ll ever do. ✊
Filth
Politicker
1
Live Filthy or Die Clean
"extremely inconvenient at any age."
P R E A C H ! ! ! !
Filth
Politicker
4
Live Filthy or Die Clean
crickets as I expected lol
medhardwaredr
Opinionated
3
Director of Sales NA
Hardware or software?
Filth
Politicker
2
Live Filthy or Die Clean
@medhardwaredr I sell software now and it's crazy to me how continous of an evolution the product, process, and sales cycles take.
In my hardware world it was very concrete and lease based so timing was known and easily forecasted but software is the fucking wild west, especially in the logistics space where you are selling sometimes to knowledagble tech advocates and sometimes to neanderthal veterans who know all the data in their head from 30 years of doing the job. Both require completely different mindsets and approaches but it's a bit more exhausting than saying "your lease ends in 6mo and I can roll that in and save you money"
Beans
Big Shot
3
Enterprise Account Executive
How are you so fertile with the olympic level drinking?
Filth
Politicker
4
Live Filthy or Die Clean
Ha, I was only fertile enough for the last of the 4 but I owe it all to my Irish heritage, big shoulder genetics, informal conditioning starting in HS an collegiate training from the experts in Athens, OH. I've found that you CAN in fact mix beer and liquor and if you throw in some plants and chemicals that works well too ;D

YOU JUST HAVE TO WANT IT ENOUGH @Beans LOL great question.
Justatitle
Big Shot
3
Account Executive
I feel like hanging out on a one night bender would get very dangerous very fast
Filth
Politicker
3
Live Filthy or Die Clean
I do like to poke at things and see what happens and have been absolutely known to talk people into things they might not do on most days... I try to use my powers for good on most days but I get bored easily lol.
Fenderbaum
Politicker
3
Retired Choirboy🪕
My first job was slingin' ice cream at a Baskin-Robbins, for $2.65 an hour. I lasted four months, then got canned because I couldn't ever make a decent banana split. What was your first ever job?
Filth
Politicker
1
Live Filthy or Die Clean
I was both a caddy and a dishwasher at an Italian restaurant. I never got much work as a caddy as I was young but learned how to shave points and rig games at the caddy shack.

I had a 23 year old throw a few volleyball points after confronting him without knowing him as a 14 year old and asking him, "howd you like to make some real moneY?" he laughed but heard me out and we ended up splitting $500 after that tournament :D
QWhiz
Big Shot
2
Founding AE / ex-SDR
Would you go back to being an AE or territory manager from AM? Why or why not
Filth
Politicker
2
Live Filthy or Die Clean
@QWhiz I like this question as I think of it everyday of my life. So like you all know, in theory you are supposed to lose a bit of the roller coaster and go more of a farmer route when you become an AM...and in most cases org that is probably true. This is not so true in my current life/role. I LOVE, DREAM, AND LUST for the idea of selling the initial sale and being done with the hard part and turning it over to someone else and make it their problem.

When I go through the fucking hard aspect of selling something now, Not only do I have the fun of having a pipeline and making sure every executive is updated but THEN I have to hand hold through the implementation and traction process to ensure everything I said would happen, happens.

I don't do a many cold calls which is both ideal and a little less exciting on my day to day and my relationship building (my actual strong suit) with actual existing customers probably has me in a more AM like role to grow but in actuality I am quite honestly doing both the job of an AM and leveraging the relationships and networking within to continue to lock down new logos as an AE.

I would love to be a more defined as either instead of just doing both but I would be hesitant to go back out into the true AE world with a weak marketing team/bdr system that left it up to me to completely self secure leads.
Sunbunny31
Politicker
2
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
I’m a bit late to the party, so I’ll keep it short: Favorite role and why?
Filth
Politicker
2
Live Filthy or Die Clean
After hating it - I LOVED selling copiers for the first 1.5 years. I had an amazing manager and a very fun team. I was able to sell out one area make a Jamaica trip and move territories and land a whale. When I lost the personalities I loved working with a lot of the magic died. I also had people that would give me deals just b/c I needed a few more $$ to hit quota.

The "director" role was cool just b/c I had a gym and got in the best shape of my life between calls.

Can't say my favorite is now just b/c I can't compare my current life to any other time in my life and the needle keeps moving week to week month to month but maybe my views on roles from before are in the rose colored nostalgia glass...

Better late than never @Sunbunny31
Sunbunny31
Politicker
1
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
Amazing! It is the personalities that make things special - you get that with sports teams as well. Some years are just better than others, and it’s the makeup of the players that is the biggest contributing factor.
Filth
Politicker
1
Live Filthy or Die Clean
so true, you fight for the people next to you and without a team the trenches get ugly fast. I don't have the same Anchorman like sales team now but my success and engineers are my new clan so I do love that true feel of comradery.

Example I was having a bad day the other day and 2 of them came over at different times and lifted some work weight with some of my tasks and told me I had done the same for them time over. It was a little RUDY moment that hit deep and got me out of my funk.
jefe
Arsonist
2
🍁
The timing of this AMA threw/surprised me, but awesome stuff, my friend! Like @Sunbunny31 , I'm a little late to the party, but here we go.

When did you decide to eschew cleanliness and embrace living in the filth. and what does that mean to you?
Filth
Politicker
2
Live Filthy or Die Clean
To be honest my el @jefe the name and the motto comes from being a computer Counter-Strike player and tagging the walls after kills/wins. My dad an army major used to tell me the armored divisions would say 'FIDO' meaning FUCK IT DRIVE ON (I mean when you're in a tank why care what is in the way, keep moving). I've mixed that with my gamertag at the time and made it my mantra through thick, thin, and dirty.

What it means to me (and I've come to live most of my life by this) is - life is not pretty and it's def not black and white. I've learned that the more you acknowledge that shit happens both good and bad and it is what it is and you need to accept what you have and simply look forward...only then can you win and truly live.

Stop setting Instagram perfect expectations or plans b/c as soon as they hit reality or the enemy those plans turn to mud. Once you're entrenched in the filth then you can make a real plan with where you are and where you need to go.

I think you'll find you win more, when you lose, it makes sense, and you know where you stand and that no matter what shit gets thrown at you, you can adapt and survive.
jefe
Arsonist
2
🍁
There's a lot of truth in there, and it all makes sense. Shit never turns out the way you think it will,

Important follow-up question - CS 1.6?
Filth
Politicker
1
Live Filthy or Die Clean
Ha, I actually started with 1.2, played a lot of 1.5 DID not enjoy 1.6 with shield and famas and LOVED SOURCE (hate all the following)
I'm so happy you followed up with a legit CS question.
jefe
Arsonist
2
🍁
You go WAY back then. I've got even more respect for you than before.

1.6 has a special place in my heart from LAN games when I was in residence at university. Those games got HEATED
Filth
Politicker
1
Live Filthy or Die Clean
lol Dont call me old, but yeah I got into the gaming scene a lot sooner than i should have most likely.

Nothing but respect for however you got your WASD on especially in LAN format - that was mostly the source era for me, we had stolen a good enough router at that point, THANKS REGAL CINEMAS! lol.


Now you want to talk LAN i had so much fun w/16 player HALO xbox LANS OMG. CTF on blood gulch and hang em high for slayer. And of course shotty no shields on chill out.
Those were my high school days where girls would get tricked into going to "partys" that were just 16 of us staring at screens and the girls trying to talk to us during pizza breaks lol.
jefe
Arsonist
2
🍁
I was never a huge gamer but took advantage of breakneck speeds in residence.

The parties I went to in HS were a *little* different than that lol
Filth
Politicker
2
Live Filthy or Die Clean
I had those parties too lol they always involved running from the 5-0. Always park a neighborhood away and never take your shoes off. If you ain't running what are your taxes getting you?
jefe
Arsonist
2
🍁
Too true, amigo, too true.

Drinking was more fun underage. Now it just hurts the next day
Sunbunny31
Politicker
1
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
That is the best. Glad you have that kind of support!
Filth
Politicker
1
Live Filthy or Die Clean
when my team doesn't support me I know the War Room savages do.
Filth
Politicker
1
Live Filthy or Die Clean
@Gasty Thanks so much for the opportunity, I really had fun and I hope anyone that engaged got something worthwhile even if just some filth stories and opinions. Anytime you need anything you let me know, love helping those who have/continue to help me.
Gasty
Notable Contributor
1
War Room Community Manager
loved your AMA ! We’ll do this again soon. Cheers!
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