Remarkable persistence were the words in my mind when I discovered this incredible Californian-born salesman, Bill Porter, who, on the 9th of September, 1932, was born with cerebral palsy which caused his body to be twisted and having a speech problem. He refused charity, not accepting disability allowance and went on to overcome everyday obstacles to become the best salesman Watkins Incorporated ever had. Then, when a broken hip-bone due to a 1998 accident, forced him to stop walking the eight to ten miles he had to cover with such difficulty and pain each day in the Portland area to sell the Watkins house-hold products from door to door, he continued to work for Watkins as a consultant and online salesman. In his online business, he was the associate manager and anyone interested in having a business like his can join his downline. In this online business, his assistant and loyal close friend, Shelly Brady, delivered the products to his customers. Besides sales, he gave inspirational talks.
How determined he was to make it on his own was the fact that he took more than an hour to painfully put on his clothes and be ready for his work. In order that he could be ready to get on a 7.30 am. bus to reach his sales area by 9.00am, he woke up at the unearthly time of 4.45 am. Each day, he finished his work only after 7.00pm. And that was what he did not just for a year or two but for forty years! And when people closed their doors in his face, he did not break down and give up in despair. He carried on relentlessly to prove to himself and the world it could be done. The next customer would say ‘yes’ to his sales. Eventually, he won as more and more people came to know him and opened their doors and hearts to his perseverance. There is a wonderful message here to all salesmen. Sincere desire to achieve sales finally opened the customers’ doors.
Looks like the pain from cerebral palsy could not stop this man from covering a grueling ten miles a day on foot to earn his pay. Neither could the accident which broke his hip-bone. When one door closes, another door opens for this man. Where many would have dropped everything in despair, this Bill Porter climbed up again to even greater heights. Unable to walk such a distance any longer after breaking his hip bone, he went into the internet with the same business, this time as an associate manager with his own down-line.
How many of us able-bodied guys would be willing to face ten long miles each and every year for forty years? Yet, here is a man with a twisted body who did just that! For forty long years he walked door to door, knocked on every door, showed people pictures of a few Watkins products, took orders, then obtained the products and had them delivered as he could not drive.What a man!
Not only that! Before he got this Watkins job, he was rejected by so many companies for four months until even the employment agency told him that he had better stop searching for a job and depend upon welfare to survive. Did he do that? No, determination is one of the qualities that set great people against the odds they face. Determination, eventually, lead him to a job at Watkins, earning just commissions despite the tough job of having to cover such a vast area each day.
Three person played important meaningful roles in his life. They gave him the necessary support to propel him into the life he mastered and set him along the fantastic route to fame.
In a way, he was fortunate to have a mother named Irene who was always very positive and according to Porter, his mother insisted that he be likewise. The mother sent him to Public High School and when he graduated, his father told him that he had to go and get a job. There was no pampering and the parents moved him on to survive through good honest work. And that was what he finally did and do to this day.
His mother’s positive ways helped him to overcome the rejections he encountered as a salesman as doors were initially slammed shut. Through such positive attitude, he gradually overcame people’s reluctance to open their doors to him. He not only became a successful saleman; he was the best in Watkins.
Another person who played a prominent role in his life was shelly Brady, a lady who was initially employed as his assistant, typist, driver but soon became his friend and cospeaker at inspirational talks.
His marvelous performance in life was so unbelieveably great that he got recognition after the Oregonian had a 1995 column about Bill Porter which was so widely reprinted that he became a popular symbol of optimistic determination. Then, the ABC news magazine 20/20 did a television story on him called ‘A Moving Journey ‘. This received the largest viewer response of any show ever put up by 20/20. Articles were written about him in the ‘Reader’s Digest’ and ‘People Magazine’. Then, there was an award-winning movie about his life, called ‘Door to Door’. After that, in 2002, his friend and assistant, Shelly Brady, published the inspirational book ‘Ten Things I Learned from Bill Porter’.
For his indomitable spirit, his refusal to give up despite facing such seemingly insurmountable obstacles, John Glenn presented Porter with an award from the National Council on Communicative Disorders at the Kennedy Center in 1998. He also received the America's Award, honoring unsung heroes who personify the American character and spirit.
So, we see how obstacles in life can become motivational forces to strength and greatness. Here is a man who could have laid down and refused to do anything but depend upon charity; and nobody could have accused him of laziness. With the help of his parents and Shelly Brady, not only did he perform, he outdid all other able-bodied persons in his field!
If Bill Porter was not blessed with cerebral palsy, he would not have the opportunity to become an inspirational speaker. God gave him the challenge and he was able to take it to such fantastic heights.
So, the next time an obstacle were to drop into our path, let us think of marvelous Bill Porter.
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