I write about sales, leadership & productivity to help you become a top sales performer. RSM at Lonestar Forklift | AIB MBA

I’m Chris Crane, and my mission is simple:

Transforming industrial sales reps & teams into formidable professionals.

Over my 15-year sales career, I’ve closed over $100 million in industrial equipment deals, trained more than 150 reps, and led industrial sales teams across Canada and the U.S.

I built the Scaling Success System™ to give industrial sales teams what no one else offers: a sales operating system specifically engineered for industrial sales.

This system has taught over 150+ industrial sales reps & teams to operate as formidable professionals, and it can do the same for your team.

DM "sales" to learn more.

Chris Crane

Ghostwriter & Messaging Strategist helping leaders achieve 70% opt-ins with a Microstory Journey using the 3-Minute Story Blueprint to build trust and convert hesitant prospects into eager customers.

Most businesses struggle to convert leads because they rely on forgettable downloads and meaningless discounts that fail to create an emotional connection. 

Prospects don't just need information, they need to feel valued, to trust you, and to experience genuine engagement. 

That's why I created the concept of the Microstory Journey, a 5-day emotional experience that uses the 3-Minute Story Blueprint to touch hearts, build authentic connections, and establish unshakable trust, turning hesitant prospects into eager customers ready to take action.

AWAI Verified Copywriter
Case Studies Certification
Sales Enablement Certification

WRITING SERVICES I PROVIDE:

📨 5-Day Education Email Courses
💲 Ghostwriting on Social Media Platforms
📰  Newsletters
🌐   Web Content
✍️   Blog Posting
📧   Email Marketing
🛒   Sales Pages
📱   Facebook/Google Ads 

WHOM I WORK WITH: I help executives, CEOs, founders, & coaches.

3 Simple Steps to Powerful Messaging
1. Define your goals and messaging. 
2. Develop a customized storytelling strategy. 
3. Execute and refine messaging for maximum impact.

HERE'S WHAT TO DO NEXT:
Email me at mike@mikehays.net OR
Book a call with me at https://calendly.com/ask-mikehays

Mike Hays

How To Get Complainers to Stop Complaining
Without Losing Your Mind.

You enabled the complaining the moment you 
started validating every grievance.

And now you're stuck in an endless loop of 
negativity instead of progress.

But here's what most people miss - 
stopping complainers isn't about dismissing their concerns.

It's about redirecting their energy strategically.

Here's what's really happening:
↳ Your empathy becomes their permission to continue
↳ Chronic complainers seek attention, not solutions
↳ They control the conversation through negativity

Here's how to break the pattern:

1. Acknowledge Once, Then Pivot

↳ Validate briefly, then shift to action
↳ Don't get trapped in the complaint cycle
↳ "I understand. What's one thing you can control here?"

2. Ask Solution-Focused Questions

↳ "What would make this situation better?"
↳ Move them from problem to possibility
↳ Force their brain to think differently

3. Set Boundaries Early

↳ Be clear about your role
↳ People respect confident limits
↳ Define what conversations you'll engage in

4. Model the Energy You Want

↳ Stay solution-oriented in your responses
↳ Your tone sets the standard
↳ Don't match their negativity

What Most People Are Overlooking:
Everyone can listen.
Everyone can sympathize.
But only leaders can transform complainers into problem-solvers.

Quick Question:

When was the last time you got stuck in someone's complaint spiral?

How did you handle it?

Follow Mike Hays for more communication strategies.

Mike  Hays

Messaging Strategist & Ghostwriter for Leaders - I help you turn short stories into trust, influence, and premium clients with my Microstory Journey using the 3-Minute Story Blueprint.

Work on December 25th looks… illegal.

(30-second read!)

No emails.
No Slack.
No “quick 5 mins?”

Even LinkedIn went quiet.
The grind took PTO.

I refreshed my inbox anyway.
Out of habit.
Out of fear.
Out of pure corporate trauma.

Nothing happened.

No fires.
No escalations.
No one died because I wasn’t “across it.”

The system survived without me.
Which was rude.
But enlightening.

Turns out constant intensity isn’t strength.
It’s just loud.

Rest doesn’t slow the work.
It reloads it.

Follow Mike Hays for big changes in the new year.

5 fears keeping coaches up all night

The one solution everyone overlooks...

Coaches aren’t losing sleep because of competition
they’re losing sleep because of "visibility".

Here are the fears I hear most:

1. **Being overlooked**
2. **Being ignored**
3. **Being misunderstood**
4. **Being easily replaced**
5. **Being forgotten five minutes after they speak**

These fears stack, quietly, until they feel like a weight on your chest.

But these fears rarely come from lack of ability
they come from not having a story that makes you unforgettable.

When your narrative is unclear, your value becomes invisible.
But when your story sharpens, the fear fades.

People don’t remember the loudest voice
they remember the clearest one.

Why this list matters:
Because every one of these fears disappears the 
moment your story starts working harder than your anxiety.

Which one hits you the most right now?

Follow Mike Hays for more coaching tips.

Every Successful Leader Does This: 

Start Creating It One Step at a Time

Confidence doesn't come before action it comes after.

The old way:

→ Seeking permission from others
→ Needing all the answers first
→ Overthinking every decision
→ Letting fear dictate timing
→ Waiting to feel ready

The new way:

→ Trusting the process
→ Learning through doing
→ Celebrating small wins
→ Taking imperfect action
→ Building momentum daily
→ Starting before you're ready
→ Iterating based on feedback
→ Embracing discomfort as growth
→ Proving capability through results

Action creates confidence, not the other way around.

Every step forward, no matter how small, 
builds the evidence you need to believe in yourself.

I used to think I needed confidence before I could move forward.

But the more I observed successful leaders, 
the more one truth became obvious:

They didn't wait to feel confident.

They acted their way into confidence.

Each action became proof.
Each attempt built competence.
Each failure taught resilience.

Confidence isn't a prerequisite it's a byproduct.

The leaders who move fastest aren't the most confident at the start.

They're the ones willing to be uncomfortable 
now to become unstoppable later.

If you're waiting to feel ready, you're giving fear control of your timeline.

What's one action you've been postponing until you feel more confident?

Follow Mike Hays for more leadership insights.

I doubled my productivity by adding "one" simple habit.

But first, credit where it’s due.

Holly Moe gave me the kick in the butt I didn’t know I needed.

I set a timer to go off every hour.

Each time it rang, 
↳I stood up, 
↳stretched, 
↳and took a quick walk inside or outside.

Within days, my focus sharpened.
My energy lasted longer.
And the mental fog I thought was “normal” disappeared.

That tiny break did more than reset my brain.

↳It reduced stress, 
↳improved circulation, 
↳boosted creativity, 
↳increased mood, and 
↳even prevented those crushing afternoon slumps.

One habit
multiple compounding benefits.

Small resets create big results.
What’s one tiny habit that changed your productivity?

Follow Mike Hays for more productivity tips.

You know exactly what you need to do.
But you're still not doing it.

Here's why:

Your brain isn't lazy.
It's just running a calculation you don't see.

Every decision comes down to emotional math:
↳ Pain of taking action vs. pain of staying stuck
↳ Whichever feels heavier wins

I used to think I lacked discipline.

Turns out, I'd just linked massive pain to starting:
- Anxiety about failing publicly
- Worry about wasting time
- Fear of looking stupid

Meanwhile, staying stuck felt... safe.

Uncomfortable, sure. But familiar.

The shift happened when I realized:
Inaction has a cost too.

It's just quieter.
More gradual.
Easier to ignore.

So I started asking myself:

"What's the real pain I'm avoiding here?"

Usually, it wasn't the work itself.

It was the vulnerability. The visibility.

The possibility of being wrong.

Once I named it, the math changed.

Taking action became less scary than staying invisible.

Here's what I realized:
You're not avoiding action because you're broken.

You're avoiding it because right now, it feels riskier than standing still.

What pain have you been avoiding by not taking action?

Follow Mike Hays  for insights on doing the work that matters

Ever replay one harsh comment all day?

I do.

Someone once told me my work "lacked depth."
Not in a meeting. Not with context.
Just a quick message, then silence.

I couldn't shake it.

I replayed it during lunch.
During my next call.
Even while brushing my teeth that night.

The comment wasn't even detailed.
But my brain filled in the gaps with worst-case scenarios.

Here's what I learned:

Our minds magnify criticism.
→ One negative comment outweighs ten compliments
→ We loop it, dissect it, personalize it
→ It becomes louder than reality

But here's the shift:

That comment forced me to ask better questions.
Not "Am I good enough?"
But "What specifically can I improve?"

I reached out. Got clarity. Made changes.
The work got stronger.

Harsh comments sting because they touch something real.
The goal isn't to ignore them.
It's to separate the noise from the signal, fast.

Because replaying it won't help.
But responding to it will.

What's one comment that pushed you to level up?

🔔 Follow Mike Hays for more leadership strategies

You Can Have Everything You Wanted… 

and Still Feel Empty.

I've been thinking about why successful people still feel miserable.

Here's what I discovered:

Your life conditions don't match your blueprint.

Your blueprint is your internal model of how life is "supposed" to be.
It's the standard you've built in your mind about relationships, success, health, and happiness.


Here's what's really happening:
↳ When they align, you feel fulfilled
↳ Most people never examine their blueprint
↳ When your life conditions fall short of your blueprint, you feel frustrated

The formula is simple:

LC ≠ BP = You feel stuck
LC = BP = You feel satisfied

But here's what most people miss:

You have two options when things feel off.

Option 1: Change Your Life Conditions
↳ Build the business, fix the relationship, improve your health
↳ Work harder to meet your standards
↳ This takes time and effort

Option 2: Adjust Your Blueprint
↳ This takes awareness and honesty
↳ Question whether your standards are realistic
↳ Examine if they're even yours or borrowed from others

The real power comes from knowing which one to change.

Sometimes your blueprint is outdated.
Sometimes your life conditions need work.

Quick question:

What part of your life feels "off" even though it looks fine on paper?

Follow Mike Hays for more insights on personal growth.

"Quick question" is never actually quick.

Feel That Stomach Drop?

I used to think it was just me.
Then, one day, I realized something:

"Those two words trigger an instant physical reaction."

I wondered why my stomach tightened every time I heard it.

It's always said like it's small. Casual. Friendly.
But the second you hear it, your body knows better.

Because "quick question" doesn't mean a question.

It made perfect sense to me.

It means a conversation.
With follow-ups. And feelings.

It's the verbal equivalent of: "We need to talk."

That pause you feel in your soul? You're not imagining it.

Here's what I learned about "quick question":
- Your stomach knows before your brain does
- Recognition beats explanation every time
- The tone is casual, the stakes are not
- It always leads somewhere bigger
- It's never one question

So here's my takeaway for anyone who's felt that tightness:

You're not overthinking it.
You're reading the room correctly.

Comment: "I've heard this one," and I'll share
the follow-up script that names what happens next.

Follow Mike Hays for more communication insights.

The 3 Hidden Habits That Make Success 10× Easier 

Stop Letting Complexity Strangle Your Success

Success looked impossible until I realized 
I was making it harder than it needed to be.

Most people overcomplicate what success requires.

I used to think I needed:
↳ The perfect strategy
↳ Ideal circumstances
↳ More credentials
↳ Better timing

But the more I studied successful people, the clearer the truth became:

Success isn't complex.

It's just uncomfortable.

And there are only two ways people approach it:

The avoidance way
→ Blaming external factors
→ Seeking more information
→ Waiting for perfect conditions
→ Making excuses about timing
→ Overplanning instead of executing

The honest way
→ Accepting discomfort as part of growth
→ Admitting what you're avoiding
→ Taking imperfect action daily
→ Starting before you're ready
→ Owning your resistance

One keeps you stuck.
The other moves you forward.

Here's what I learned:

Success is simple because the formula is clear:
Show up consistently, do the work, adjust based on feedback.

But it's hard because:
↳ Progress feels slow
↳ Consistency requires discipline
↳ Feedback bruises your ego
↳ The work demands vulnerability

The gap between knowing and doing is where most people quit.

Not because they can't succeed.

But because they won't admit what's really stopping them.

Which part of success are you making harder than it needs to be?

Follow Mike Hays for more insights on growth and communication.

What's Controlling Your Life Right Now?
It's Not What You Think.

(And it's definitely not your circumstances)

Most people believe their life is shaped by what happens to them.
But here's the truth I've learned:

↳ Your decisions create your reality, not your conditions.

There are three decisions driving everything in your life right now:

1. What You Choose to Focus On

↳ Your focus determines your experience
↳ Not what's happening around you
↳ But where you direct your attention

2. Your Emotional State

↳ Your emotions shape your actions
↳ Your state creates your outcomes
↳ You can change how you feel in any moment

3. Your Blueprint

↳ The standards you've set for yourself
↳ What you believe you deserve
↳ These are your expectations

Here's What Most People Miss:

↳ They wait for conditions to improve
↳ They blame circumstances for their results
↳ They give their power away to external factors

The Real Shift Happens When:

↳ You rewrite your blueprint
↳ You realize you control your focus
↳ You take ownership of your emotional state

Your life doesn't transform when you get the promotion, 
find the relationship, or hit the income goal.

It transforms the moment you decide differently.

When you stop waiting for permission from your 
circumstances and start making different 
decisions, everything changes.

So here's my question for you:

Which of these three decisions do you need 
to take back control of today?

Follow Mike Hays  for more insights on intentional living

I wrote out my perfect day from start to finish.
Not as fantasy, but as a compass.

Here's what I learned:

Clarity creates intentionality.

When I mapped out 6am stretches to 6pm, something shifted.

The Framework:

1. Write It Down

↳ Be specific with times
↳ Include what matters most
↳ Don't edit for "realistic"

2. Use It as a Filter

↳ Does this opportunity fit my vision?
↳ Will this decision move me closer?
↳ What can I eliminate today?

3. Build Toward It Daily

↳ One choice at a time
↳ Small adjustments compound
↳ Progress beats perfection

4. Revisit Quarterly

↳ Your perfect day evolves
↳ Update as priorities shift
↳ Stay aligned with growth

The Key Insight:
↳ Your perfect day won't happen by accident.
↳ Every decision either builds it or delays it.
↳ It requires deliberate design.

Remember: You can't chase what you haven't defined.

Quick Question:

What does your perfect day look like?


Follow Mike Hays for more intentional living strategies

To the Leader Who Thinks They Know Their Audience: 
You're Only Half Right.

You know their job title.
Their industry. Maybe even their pain points.

But here's what you're probably missing:

I used to think I understood my audience perfectly.
I'd done the research. Built the personas. Checked all the boxes.

Then I started actually listening.

Not to what they said in surveys.

Not to what I assumed they needed.

To the stories they told when no one was selling them anything.

That's when everything shifted.

I realized I knew "about" them, but I didn't know "them".

I knew their problems, but not how those problems 
made them feel at 11 PM when they couldn't sleep.

I knew their goals, but not the fears that 
kept them from pursuing them.

There's a difference between demographic data 
and human understanding.

One tells you who they are on paper.

The other reveals who they are in reality.

Most leaders stop at the data.
They think knowing the "what" is enough.

But your audience doesn't buy because you understand their role.
They buy because you understand their world.

The leaders who truly connect?
They go deeper. They listen longer. They ask better questions.

They stop assuming and start discovering.

So yes, you might know your audience.
But do you "understand" them?

What's one thing you learned about your audience that surprised you?

🔔 Follow Mike Hays for more leadership strategies

5 massive communication shifts you'll see this year

Do you have the skills to stay ahead?

1. People are drowning in AI-generated content
In 2026, the volume of AI-produced text, images, 
emails, pitches, and posts will reach saturation.

 When everything starts to sound the same, human voices stand out.
 Real communication becomes a filter and a relief in a world of infinite noise.

2. Trust becomes the rarest commodity
In an AI-heavy world, human connection signals credibility.

Tone, pacing, hesitation, and enthusiasm 
these are trust cues that AI still struggles to replicate.

Voice becomes a verification layer.

When you hear someone speak, you hear intentions, 
emotions, and authenticity.

3. Quality and clarity beat quantity
AI makes it easy to produce more… but not necessarily to matter more.

Professionals who communicate with precision, empathy, and presence become more influential because their words carry weight, not volume.

The more automation grows, the more value we place on the craft of clear, thoughtful communication.

4. Technology is shifting us back to voice-by-default
Wearables, AR, ambient computing, and voice 
interfaces reduce typing friction.

Speaking becomes faster than writing.

And when people speak more, they connect more naturally.

5. Human connection becomes a competitive advantage
Teams that communicate well outperform those that don’t.
Sales calls convert better when there’s warmth.

Leaders who speak with clarity and energy build stronger followings.

In 2026, communication isn’t a soft skill it’s a differentiator.

Follow Mike Hays for more communication and leadership tips.

Introducing the Fishbowl Practice

The First Method That Neutralizes Criticism Anxiety

(The drill that builds emotional armor)

I help smart people stop talking like robots.
But here's what nobody tells you:

↳ The fear of criticism keeps you sterile.

My Fishbowl Practice changes that:

1. Write Your Worst Nightmares Down

↳ Every harsh comment you fear
↳ Every cruel judgment possible
↳ Drop them in a fishbowl

2. Pull One Daily

↳ Record your response on camera
↳ Just you and the discomfort
↳ No script, no safety net

3. Watch Your Transformation

↳ Week one: You'll stumble
↳ Week two: You'll find your voice
↳ Week three: You'll own your message

4. Build Resilience Through Repetition

↳ Criticism loses its power
↳ Your authentic voice emerges
↳ Confidence replaces performance anxiety

5. Turn It Into Content

↳ Your growth becomes your story
↳ Your vulnerability becomes your authority
↳ Your responses become YouTube Shorts

The Real Win:
When you can handle the fishbowl, real comments feel easy.

I'm starting this series next week.
Each episode: one comment, one raw response, zero editing.

Quick question:

What's the harshest comment you're afraid to receive?

⤵️ Drop it below
Follow Mike Hays for authentic communication strategies

The safest career move in 2026 won’t look safe at all.

Introducing the 2026 Reality

For years, the script was simple.

 ↳Climb the ladder.
 ↳Park capital in the S&P.
 ↳Wait patiently.

Franchising sat on the sidelines.
 ↳Misunderstood.
 ↳Overlooked.
 ↳Written off as a “fast-food play.”

Then 2025 cracked the illusion.
Layoffs didn’t hit the reckless.
They hit the reliable.

Tenured professionals learned the hard way 
that security was rented, not owned.

That’s when behavior changed.

As we move into 2026, the shift is visible everywhere.
Franchising is approaching $900B in economic output.

Senior care and home services are surging 
as demographics collide with labor gaps.

Asset-light models now launch below $150K, 
without storefronts or payroll bloat.

Here’s the real turning point.
↳The risk equation flipped.
↳Leaving a job isn’t the gamble anymore.
↳Staying in a system where you build zero equity is.

Today’s franchise owners don’t look like yesterday’s stereotypes.
They use AI-driven marketing.
 They run lean, mobile teams.
 They scale boring, essential services while others wait for certainty.

By the end of 2026, the window narrows.
Territories tighten.
Entry costs rise.
Late movers pay premiums early adopters avoided.

The model hasn’t changed.
The timing has.

In the next cycle, wealth won’t favor the bold.
It will favor the prepared.

Are you building optionality or watching it consolidate?

Follow Mike Hays for more business strategies.

Fear Will Move You Forward 

But It Will Never Set You Free.

I've been thinking about what really drives most of us.

Here's what I've noticed:
Fear is the default setting.

Fear of failing. Fear of being judged. Fear of not measuring up.
It's exhausting, and it keeps you stuck in reaction mode.

Here's what I've learned:
• Both create movement, but only one creates freedom
• Fear pushes you away from what you don't want
• Vision pulls you toward what you do want
• Vision gives you energy; fear drains it

The shift happens when you stop running from 
something and start moving toward something.

When I switched from "I can't mess this up" to 
"I'm building something meaningful." 
Everything changed.

The work felt different. The decisions became clearer.

The pressure turned into possibility.

Fear will always be there, that's normal.
But it doesn't have to be in the driver's seat.

So ask yourself

What would you create if fear weren't calling the shots?

What vision would pull you forward if you let it?

Drop a comment or send me a DM
 I'd love to hear what drives you.

Follow Mike Hays for more communication insights.

Five minutes after I spoke…

I was already forgotten.

That's the moment I realized my message wasn't landing.

I used to think speaking more would solve it.

More posts.
More content.
More explanations.

But scattered advice only made things messier.

I was exhausting myself trying everything, yet nothing stuck.

Here's what I discovered:

Being remembered isn't about volume.

It's about structure.

The Scattered Approach
→ No clear thread connecting ideas
→ Trying every tactic you see
→ Hoping something resonates
→ Jumping between topics
→ Feeling lost in the noise

The Strategic Approach
→ Creating intentional repetition
→ Building one clear narrative
→ Following a proven framework
→ Guiding people through a journey
→ Connecting each message to the last

One leaves people confused.
The other creates lasting impact.

I stopped chasing every new strategy.

I started building a system:
A clear path people could follow.
A story they could remember.
A message that compounds over time.

The result?

People didn't just hear me.
They remembered me days, weeks, months later.

Because consistency beats creativity when it comes to being remembered.

If you want to be unforgettable, stop scattering your message.

Start building a journey people can follow.

Follow Mike Hays for more messaging strategies.

You can be competent and still be invisible.

Start Landing Moments That Stick

Most professionals won’t admit this fear.
↳ Being overlooked.
↳ Ignored.
↳ Misunderstood.

# You prepare.
# You show up.
# You do the work.

And still, your message fades before the next meeting ends.

That quiet anxiety follows you everywhere.

I learned it wasn’t a competence problem.

It was a communication problem.

*Long explanations didn’t stick.
*Polished logic didn’t travel.

But short stories did.
↳ A single moment.
↳ A bit of tension.
↳ One clear turn.

People don’t remember information.

They remember moments.

That’s why I started using a simple structure:
→Before.
→Break.
→Breakthrough.

Before: name the familiar struggle.
Break: introduce the tension or shift.
Breakthrough: land one clear insight.

No speeches.
No noise.

Just small, story-driven snapshots that build trust over time.
Each story becomes a stepping stone.

Together, they compound into a message people recognize and repeat.
The goal isn’t louder communication.
It’s communication people remember.

In January, I'll be leading a 4-week cohort. 10 to 15 people max. 
More information to follow.

Marketing isn't about volume.

It's about clarity.

We often assume more content equals more attention.
But in real business, especially when competing for seconds
positioning shows up in much quieter ways.

I started paying attention to the brands that 
consistently cut through the noise.

↳ They simply knew exactly why they mattered.
↳ They weren't everywhere.
↳ They weren't louder.

And once you notice it, you can't unsee it.

Most entrepreneurs skip the critical step:
Defining what makes them irreplaceable.

They plunge into content, ads, and campaigns
but struggle to explain their unique value in a single sentence.

The assumptions?

↳ "Our product speaks for itself."
↳ "We'll figure it out as we grow."
↳ "People will understand what makes us special."

But without clarity, your message gets lost
and your budget gets burned.

Three truths about positioning in the attention economy:

1. If you can't explain your edge clearly, 
don't expect your audience to figure it out.

2. You're not competing for market share.
You're competing for milliseconds of attention.

3. Vague positioning doesn't win that battle.

Here's what sets standout brands apart:

↳ They lead with relevance.
↳ They craft messaging that cuts through noise.
↳ They anchor every campaign in a crystal-clear answer to: 
"Why should I care?"

Compare that to those stuck in generic slogans, 
feature lists, and "we're better" claims.

One approach resonates.
The other fades.

Before your next campaign, pause and ask:

What makes us the only choice for the right people?

Can you explain your unique value in 10 words or less?

Follow Mike Hays Mike Hays for more messaging insights.

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Chris Crane

Mike Hays

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The Battle

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