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CNN Sunday Morning

Interview With Shelly Brady

Aired July 14, 2002 - 11:41   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The name Bill Porter may not mean a lot to you, at least not yet, but once you learn about his story, you may never forget his name, or the drive that inspired him to make his mark in life.

Tonight on TNT, a movie tells the story of a man who wouldn't take no for answer.

First a clip, Bill Porter has just been turned down for a job as a door-to-door salesman. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "DOOR TO DOOR")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you hear that? Give me your worst route, give me the area nobody wants. What have what have you got to lose? If I can sell it, you're a hero.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Porter, let's be honest. This is a physically demanding job, and you're -- well -- crippled, and I don't see how -- what?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): Some people say a man is made out of mud, a full man's made out of muscle and blood, muscle and blood, and steel ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A challenged man, willing to take on yet another challenge. Bill Porter's assistant, Shelly Brady, wrote a book about him. It's called, "10 Things I Learned From Bill Porter," and she joins us now from Spokane, Washington to tell us more about Mr. Porter and his accomplishments -- boy, I'm having a hard time right now, Shelly -- you know, you noticed that this is a man of perseverance. You turned it into a book -- why?

SHELLY BRADY, ASSISTANT TO BILL PORTER: Well, I have learned so many things from Bill Porter, and I would have to say, I've learned more than 10, but you know, you have to a name on a book. And I went with 10 things, and he is just an amazing man. I've known him for 22 years. I have worked for him for 22 years, and he's now like family to my husband and my six children.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So, you pared it down to 10 among the lessons learned from him and the lessons you try to teach everyone through your book is, you know, don't take no for an answer, and that's exactly what we saw in that clip.

BRADY: He refuses to take no for an answer. And you're right, there he was, and that really happened. He kept going back until they finally gave him the worst territory. But he went on from there to become not just a successful salesman, but the number one salesman for Watkins Products in the northwest.

WHITFIELD: Wow. You talk about how your relationship has grown over the year. Want to take a look now at a clip from the movie that will be airing tonight on TNT about your meeting with him, and you were only 17, right?

BRADY: That's true. I was 17 years old, a senior in high school.

WHITFIELD: All right, let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "DOOR TO DOOR")

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let me help you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm here for the interview. I'm Shelly Sinpe (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let me -- let me get your bag.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just put it on the table.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you sure? I can put it away for you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, that's all right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. So, what do you have?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Excuse me?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your affliction -- your -- why do you talk like that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cerebral palsy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, how do you get that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From birth. The doctor squeezed my head with the forceps. It's not catching.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: I don't know if that piece really explains in part how you -- how he recruited you, or how you were willing to accept to help him in his job. It was your job to be his delivery person of sorts, right? We were able to see in the clip, that he described his disabilities and why you were able to help him out. So, what is it you did exactly?

BRADY: Well, because of Bill's cerebral palsy, he cannot drive a car, and so over the years as he would go out selling, he needed someone to do the deliveries, and he hired me to do the deliveries. And as the years passed, I also took on more responsibilities and helped him in many ways from getting his groceries to doing his laundry, to helping him around the house with lots of different errands and things.

WHITFIELD: Did it surprise you at the time how willing he was to, you know, keep going and try to find ways in which to assimilate, and in those areas that he couldn't, he didn't have a problem recruiting help.

BRADY: That's one of the great things about Bill. He refuses to stop. In fact, I have a question for you -- how do you feel when you have the knock on the door of a salesman, or you hear the phone ring right in the middle of dinner? Most people aren't too happy to have that happen.

Well, I can tell you in Portland, Oregon there is a salesman whose knock on the door people are thrilled to hear, and that's because he brings that personal touch that is so lacking in this day and age. You know, if you don't -- one of the chapters in my book is called, "If It Isn't Broken, Don't Fix It," and people have said, well, that's kind of old fashioned.

Well, I think that there are some things that simply never, ever go out of style, and that's a warm handshake, a friendly smile. And I think both the book and the movie bring this out. This man who got into people's hearts and into their lives -- and he really touched them, and he teaches us that we can each make a difference, that everyone is important, and we can change this world one door at a time.

WHITFIELD: And it must have amazed you to watch that -- despite the fact that people would either slam their doors in his face, or insult him verbally, even sometimes mimicking him, that he found a way to endear himself just by simply being himself to people, and eventually he did change an entire community. People wanted -- people welcomed him, and he developed a friendship with people, didn't he?

BRADY: He really did. His customers really are his extended family. And he truly is optimistic. He -- for every no he's got, he doesn't hear the word no, he hears -- "Oh, maybe I'll take something else -- or come back next time," and he truly believes that everyone will eventually buy.

WHITFIELD: So, here's another example of how the community learned to adapt for him, instead of the other way around. Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, DOOR TO DOOR) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning, Bill.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How's the baby?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, much better.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got one for you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lay it on me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Traveling salesman passes a farm house. He sees a pig with a wooden leg. He says to the farmer, "What's with the wooden leg?" Farmer says, "Well, that's a very special pig." A few months back our house caught fire, the pig came and woke us up and saved my whole family.

So, the salesman says, "But why the wooden leg?" "Well, hold on," the farmer says. "My little girl was playing in the road and one of those logging trucks lost his breaks and the pig ran up and dragged her to safety." "Well, that's amazing," says the salesman. "But why the wooden leg?"

"Well, says the farmer, you don't eat a pig like that all at once."

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's good, that's real good. I'm going to remember that one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, in that we were able to see how new friends would help him with his shoes, with his tie, and at the same time he made people laugh -- he was self-deprecating in a way. And in your book, I notice you also credited his mother -- the relationship that he had with his mother as being so head strong and being so determined to never feel inferior.

BRADY: You know, Bill's mother told Bill he could accomplish anything that he set his mind to. When the unemployment office said to Bill, "You are unemployable, stay home." One of the agents told him that he had too much motivation for his own good, and he refused to listen to them. And instead, he listened to his mother who said, "Bill, you can be anything that you want to be."

WHITFIELD: At what point in your relationship with him now, spanning over 20 years, did you realize, you know what -- everyone needs to know this story. You know, if it's not through my book, then it does need to be through a movie or something.

BRADY: Well, you know, "The Oregonian" did a wonderful article on him in 1995, and it really touched a cord. And from there, ABC's "20/20" did his story, and it got the largest viewer response in the history of that show. Companies all over the world started calling and asking if Bill and I would -- or Bill would come and share his story, and Bill didn't want to. He said, "Oh, I'm a salesman, I do one on one."

Well, I was a theater major, and I said, "Let me help you." And as I could see how people's lives were touched, I just knew that I wanted to be able to reach out even further by -- so, by writing this book I was able to do this, and of course we're thrilled with what TNT is also doing with the movie, because, again, his message is out there, and he's got an incredible message for everyone.

WHITFIELD: And that movie can be seen on TNT tonight underscoring the importance and how special Bill Porter was, and is, and how special you are too, for being there with him every step of the way, and friend now over 20 years.

All right, Shelly Brady, thank you very much for joining us. Appreciate it.

BRADY: Thank you so much, it's been great.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks -- and again, "Door-to-Door" airs tonight on TNT at 8:00 Eastern time, and Pacific on TNT.

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