The famed tenor Luciano Pavarotti was born in Modena, Italy. His mother was a cigar maker; his father was a baker and amateur tenor.
The amateur tenor side of his father had the most impact on young Luciano. He loved listening to his father sing and playing his collection of recordings of famous tenors like Enrico Caruso. Father and son would sing along to the recordings in their home at full volume. Because of his nervousness, his father did not pursue a singing career, but he managed to sing in their church choir. At age 9, Luciano joined his father in the choir. He loved to sing, and people loved hearing him.
Pavarotti's favorite tenor and idol was Giuseppe Di Stefano, and he was also heavily influenced by Mario Lanza. In his teens, he would go to Mario Lanza movies and then come home and imitate him in the mirror.
As he got older, he needed a career path, and a musical one just after WWII was full of challenges. His mother thought he should become an athletic instructor. His father, on the other hand, encouraged him to develop his voice.
Luciano enrolled in musical studies at age 19 but also went to a teacher’s college. Upon graduation, he had to choose between teaching and singing. He made his choice and studied hard with intense voice practice for seven years until he made his first professional appearance. It took another seven years until he made it to the Metropolitan Opera.
He lived with a single focus — becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He became known as “The King of High Cs.” You can watch a portion of a performance from 1973 where Pavarotti was singing in Donizetti’s “La fille du regiment.” Also known as “Pour mon âme” (“For my soul”), the aria has an amazing nine high Cs in about a minute. Pavarotti’s Cs are quite extraordinary. The performance ended with a final high C with a power that was only Pavarotti’s.
His career crossed into popular music, gaining him a following from millions who had never set foot in an opera house. He sold over 100 million records.
His final performance at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy was viewed by millions as he sang “Nessun Dorma.”
Some Pavarotti quotes…
“People think I'm disciplined. It is not discipline. It is devotion. There is a great difference.”
“The rivalry is with yourself. I try to be better than is possible. I fight against myself, not against the other.”
“I’m a perfectionist, and I always think that I can do better than what I have done, even if it's good.”
“I think whether it's laying bricks, driving a straight nail, writing a book — whatever we choose, we should give ourselves to it. Commitment, that's the key.”
“If I go three days without vocalizing, the voice is gone.”
How disciplined and committed are you to your sales career?
Sales is a skill that can be improved through training and practice.
The best singers need to learn music theory and practice their scales before they go out and impress a crowd with their voices — like Pavarotti.
It’s the same for sales.
There is never a replacement for having a true hunger to be great at what you do.
Jeff Sleete is a 50+ year broadcast industry veteran — sales manager/GM/corporate sales head. He most enjoys helping sales departments position themselves as “mavens” (experts) of business to be more successful at selling advertising. Fundamentally, Jeff is a salesman. Through his media sales consultancy, Sleete Sales Script, he provides a daily road map for sellers of any media outlet type to be more consultative in their approach to their clients and set themselves apart from all their competition. Learn more about Jeff at https://www.sleetesales.com/. Or reach him at jeff@sleetesales.com.
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