WEBVTT 00:00:16.649 --> 00:00:20.510 Hello, and welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building 00:00:20.510 --> 00:00:23.629 Profitable Connections. Welcome back to the show, 00:00:23.690 --> 00:00:26.949 folks. I'm your host, Michael Foreman, and you're 00:00:26.949 --> 00:00:29.609 listening to the podcast where networking is 00:00:29.609 --> 00:00:32.429 more than just awkward handshakes and bad coffee. 00:00:32.810 --> 00:00:36.350 It's an art and a talent. But here's the twist. 00:00:36.570 --> 00:00:39.429 It's an art and talent you can actually learn. 00:00:39.729 --> 00:00:42.369 Yes, even if you're the person hiding in the 00:00:42.369 --> 00:00:45.429 corner at every event, pretending to check emails. 00:00:46.509 --> 00:00:49.789 Networking isn't just a nice skill to have, it's 00:00:49.789 --> 00:00:52.310 a game changer. And when you get good at it, 00:00:52.350 --> 00:00:55.670 you'll wonder why you didn't start sooner. More 00:00:55.670 --> 00:00:59.049 connections, more opportunities, more profits. 00:00:59.350 --> 00:01:03.289 It's like unlocking a cheat code for life. So 00:01:03.289 --> 00:01:05.450 whether you're the life of the party or the just 00:01:05.450 --> 00:01:08.129 let me stay at home and text type, we've got 00:01:08.129 --> 00:01:11.629 something for you. So stick around. Let's turn 00:01:11.629 --> 00:01:14.950 those awkward small talk moments into big wins. 00:01:16.189 --> 00:01:19.030 Now, I've got quite an interesting guest today, 00:01:19.269 --> 00:01:22.409 Richard Blank. He's calling all the way from 00:01:22.409 --> 00:01:25.909 Costa Rica, and I'll let him go into that a little 00:01:25.909 --> 00:01:29.930 bit further. But following his childhood dream, 00:01:30.189 --> 00:01:33.890 he owns the largest collection of restored American 00:01:33.890 --> 00:01:38.370 pinball machines and antique jukeboxes in Costa 00:01:38.370 --> 00:01:42.980 Rica. That in itself... Just sparks all my interest. 00:01:43.379 --> 00:01:46.340 But I'll let Richard. Richard, how are you? And 00:01:46.340 --> 00:01:49.579 welcome to the show. I'm so happy to be here, 00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:52.340 Michael. Thank you so much for having me as a 00:01:52.340 --> 00:01:55.439 guest. Yes, I'm in the land of Pura Vida, of 00:01:55.439 --> 00:01:58.700 pure life. And I did follow a dream. I grew up 00:01:58.700 --> 00:02:02.099 in the 70s and 80s. And Ricky Schroeder's arcade 00:02:02.099 --> 00:02:05.640 on silver spoons made everyone envious. And once 00:02:05.640 --> 00:02:08.530 you have discretionary income. Instead of buying 00:02:08.530 --> 00:02:10.449 a Rolex, I'd rather have three pinball machines. 00:02:10.689 --> 00:02:14.210 And so that's what I decided to do. Good, good. 00:02:14.530 --> 00:02:17.750 Okay. You know what? I'm going to delve right 00:02:17.750 --> 00:02:20.409 into the whole thing. Let me ask a question. 00:02:20.569 --> 00:02:24.530 Sure. How has your background in telemarketing 00:02:24.530 --> 00:02:29.169 shaped your approach to networking? Great question. 00:02:29.229 --> 00:02:32.810 And first is I am the CEO of Costa Rica's call 00:02:32.810 --> 00:02:37.379 center. We're a dedicated bilingual. near shore 00:02:37.379 --> 00:02:39.759 call center located here in beautiful Central 00:02:39.759 --> 00:02:43.340 America, north of Panama, south of Nicaragua. 00:02:43.460 --> 00:02:45.599 And real quick for your audience, and there's 00:02:45.599 --> 00:02:48.919 no exam or quiz on this, but we're the only democratic 00:02:48.919 --> 00:02:51.939 society in Central America, no standing army. 00:02:52.060 --> 00:02:55.439 They put their money into education, 95 % literacy 00:02:55.439 --> 00:02:59.080 rate, neutral English accent, best infrastructure 00:02:59.080 --> 00:03:01.439 in Central America, and companies such as Amazon, 00:03:01.620 --> 00:03:04.819 HP, Intel, and Oracle have made a very big name 00:03:04.819 --> 00:03:08.550 here. So we have a labor pool that packs a punch. 00:03:09.370 --> 00:03:12.629 And before we even got onto the podcast, you're 00:03:12.629 --> 00:03:14.090 like, what part of the world you call me from? 00:03:14.150 --> 00:03:16.909 And we're very close to the United States, just 00:03:16.909 --> 00:03:20.849 a couple hours flight from Florida and mountain 00:03:20.849 --> 00:03:23.770 time zone. But a lot of people either have been 00:03:23.770 --> 00:03:26.650 to the States, travel, no family. We have a large 00:03:26.650 --> 00:03:29.669 expat community here. So we're very attuned to 00:03:29.669 --> 00:03:32.710 the North American market. Anyway, in regards 00:03:32.710 --> 00:03:37.289 to telemarketing and networking. I see it as 00:03:37.289 --> 00:03:40.610 a means to an end. AI, I think, is wonderful 00:03:40.610 --> 00:03:43.389 in regards to gathering, but they can never master 00:03:43.389 --> 00:03:45.550 empathy. And if they try, it's weird. I don't 00:03:45.550 --> 00:03:49.229 want a computer to hug me. What happens is that 00:03:49.229 --> 00:03:52.830 people are used to chat, texting, and emails. 00:03:52.990 --> 00:03:56.210 We call that omni -channel non -voice. While 00:03:56.210 --> 00:03:59.810 today it's the actual reverse. Making a phone 00:03:59.810 --> 00:04:05.289 call might seem first class, top grade. going 00:04:05.289 --> 00:04:08.150 above and beyond. And if you want to talk about 00:04:08.150 --> 00:04:10.750 super old school, strangers or friends you haven't 00:04:10.750 --> 00:04:13.830 met yet, you're giving comparisons between being 00:04:13.830 --> 00:04:16.110 the life of the party and break dancing in front 00:04:16.110 --> 00:04:18.850 of everyone compared to staying at home and sending 00:04:18.850 --> 00:04:22.089 texts and both are good for you. But I agree 00:04:22.089 --> 00:04:25.370 with that. But there's times, Michael, when people 00:04:25.370 --> 00:04:28.569 need to shed some skin and they don't need to 00:04:28.569 --> 00:04:31.410 go all out and be the prom king and beat up the 00:04:31.410 --> 00:04:34.120 bully. But there are certain things where you 00:04:34.120 --> 00:04:36.540 can learn a proper introduction or listening 00:04:36.540 --> 00:04:40.160 skills or even asking second and third questions. 00:04:40.160 --> 00:04:43.319 So it's not glancing over it. It's actual foundation 00:04:43.319 --> 00:04:46.759 interest. And you might have one or two things. 00:04:46.819 --> 00:04:48.680 Yeah, of course. And I can remember something 00:04:48.680 --> 00:04:50.420 about you a year from now. You respect that. 00:04:51.620 --> 00:04:53.959 Telemarketing, a lot of people, it has a bad 00:04:53.959 --> 00:04:56.740 rap because of Hollywood or just bad experiences. 00:04:57.279 --> 00:04:59.579 But I tell you what, and I'll make this quick. 00:04:59.699 --> 00:05:03.180 If someone is clever, rehearsed, does their due 00:05:03.180 --> 00:05:05.560 diligence, knows positive escalation so they 00:05:05.560 --> 00:05:08.620 can make nice around the company before speaking 00:05:08.620 --> 00:05:12.079 to the decision maker, it's a means to an end. 00:05:12.220 --> 00:05:14.660 You're gonna make a ton of money. And those that 00:05:14.660 --> 00:05:16.680 have that skill are extremely marketable. They'll 00:05:16.680 --> 00:05:19.220 never have to look for a job. People want them. 00:05:19.879 --> 00:05:23.019 And not only that, but besides being the top 00:05:23.019 --> 00:05:25.759 on the board and making a ton of money, just 00:05:25.759 --> 00:05:28.000 like yourself, where you do speaking at schools 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:31.500 and helping the younger generation find jobs 00:05:31.500 --> 00:05:34.680 and tie a tie and be first class, you have the 00:05:34.680 --> 00:05:38.060 chance in this language, in this art of speech. 00:05:38.889 --> 00:05:40.970 To literally balance someone's bike and to pay 00:05:40.970 --> 00:05:42.769 it forward in regards to grammar, vocabulary, 00:05:42.889 --> 00:05:45.250 or just self -confidence and self -reliance. 00:05:45.310 --> 00:05:48.990 And so it's a beautiful environment of energy 00:05:48.990 --> 00:05:52.589 giving. And when I first got here 25 years ago 00:05:52.589 --> 00:05:54.810 and I walked into my friend's call center, just 00:05:54.810 --> 00:05:59.490 as a guest, I got the chills. There are some 00:05:59.490 --> 00:06:02.970 times you know where you belong. And I saw this 00:06:02.970 --> 00:06:05.310 environment. I go, besides being a native speaker, 00:06:05.470 --> 00:06:08.439 I have an advantage of them. Secondly, I love 00:06:08.439 --> 00:06:11.139 the artist's speech. I thought it was fun. And 00:06:11.139 --> 00:06:13.139 so I just took it in a different direction. I 00:06:13.139 --> 00:06:16.100 added some play and knowing people and going 00:06:16.100 --> 00:06:18.839 old school. But I still believe that a lot of 00:06:18.839 --> 00:06:21.220 companies can make a ton of money retaining clients 00:06:21.220 --> 00:06:24.360 and prospecting new business. And that's great. 00:06:24.459 --> 00:06:28.480 And you keep referencing old school ways. And 00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:32.209 people think, come on, that's old school. But 00:06:32.209 --> 00:06:35.589 it's so important now, that one -on -one connection. 00:06:35.790 --> 00:06:38.529 It's so important. And yes, you have to put the 00:06:38.529 --> 00:06:41.050 cell phone down. You have to put the Zoom computer 00:06:41.050 --> 00:06:44.529 away. You have to just feel what the other person 00:06:44.529 --> 00:06:49.089 is like. What conflict management techniques 00:06:49.089 --> 00:06:52.769 have you found most effective in professional 00:06:52.769 --> 00:06:57.449 relationships? Okay, really depends on the stage 00:06:57.449 --> 00:06:59.990 of the relationship. But in my opinion, I think 00:06:59.990 --> 00:07:03.490 adjustments of tone is very important. There's 00:07:03.490 --> 00:07:05.709 a technique in sales called mirror imaging, but 00:07:05.709 --> 00:07:07.149 you don't want to mirror image someone yelling 00:07:07.149 --> 00:07:10.769 at you or cursing at you. But we have a technique 00:07:10.769 --> 00:07:12.689 called the buffer boomerang technique where I 00:07:12.689 --> 00:07:14.589 can name Michael. That's an excellent question. 00:07:14.829 --> 00:07:17.810 ABC is one, two, three. Richard, what's one, 00:07:17.910 --> 00:07:19.769 two, three? Michael, that's an excellent question. 00:07:19.970 --> 00:07:24.170 One, two, three is ABC. So you read readjust 00:07:24.170 --> 00:07:26.689 negativity, put it into positive answer their 00:07:26.689 --> 00:07:29.709 questions. Don't be a child getting scolded by 00:07:29.709 --> 00:07:31.709 a principal or teacher. Come on, man. That's 00:07:31.709 --> 00:07:35.329 not fun. You need to buffer it. Michael, thank 00:07:35.329 --> 00:07:38.029 you for bringing that up. Calm you down for a 00:07:38.029 --> 00:07:41.470 second there, buddy. But there's certain ways 00:07:41.470 --> 00:07:43.610 to earn your respect. And like a chessboard, 00:07:43.730 --> 00:07:45.750 you make certain moves and sacrifice certain 00:07:45.750 --> 00:07:48.689 pieces. Let's talk another strategy of conflict 00:07:48.689 --> 00:07:52.579 management. I don't like to say excuse me. Same 00:07:52.579 --> 00:07:54.600 message, different delivery. I'll say, Michael, 00:07:54.639 --> 00:07:59.360 for my clarification, was it ABC or 123? Don't 00:07:59.360 --> 00:08:02.199 say I'm sorry, excuse me. And also the major 00:08:02.199 --> 00:08:05.379 thing people say is how may I help you? But I 00:08:05.379 --> 00:08:09.120 said may. I know you did. But help, it evokes 00:08:09.120 --> 00:08:12.100 an ego defense. I think of someone sinking in 00:08:12.100 --> 00:08:15.379 quicksand and James Bond needs to save you. Depending 00:08:15.379 --> 00:08:18.060 on the stage of the relationship, Michael, use 00:08:18.060 --> 00:08:22.790 words such as assist. In the middle, it's guiding. 00:08:23.089 --> 00:08:26.149 And towards the end, it's lending a hand. Since 00:08:26.149 --> 00:08:28.810 English is their second language, we thrive in 00:08:28.810 --> 00:08:32.070 the thesaurus. We look at similes to expand their 00:08:32.070 --> 00:08:34.529 vocabulary, give them roots and branches, so 00:08:34.529 --> 00:08:37.250 they're just not regurgitating the same word 00:08:37.250 --> 00:08:40.309 over and over again, which is just stale. They 00:08:40.309 --> 00:08:43.230 need to speak like a painting and be colorful 00:08:43.230 --> 00:08:46.330 to capture people's attention every 30 seconds, 00:08:46.409 --> 00:08:49.190 Michael. So we have checkpoints in these conversations. 00:08:49.210 --> 00:08:52.230 It's not a Glenn Gary, Glenn Ross, two minute 00:08:52.230 --> 00:08:55.389 pitch where you close them. Sometimes I need 00:08:55.389 --> 00:08:59.269 these positive or negative reinforcements from 00:08:59.269 --> 00:09:03.669 people. And so something very important. You 00:09:03.669 --> 00:09:08.309 wanted to gain the respect of the other person. 00:09:08.639 --> 00:09:11.820 and keep that respect. And as long as the person 00:09:11.820 --> 00:09:14.940 knows that's what you're trying, that you want 00:09:14.940 --> 00:09:18.159 to gain their respect, that goes such a long 00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:22.320 way. And in networking, there's a mantra. Know 00:09:22.320 --> 00:09:25.179 you, like you, trust you, they'll do business 00:09:25.179 --> 00:09:28.179 with you. And know you and like you. That's pretty 00:09:28.179 --> 00:09:30.899 simple because everybody knows you. You're a 00:09:30.899 --> 00:09:33.679 nice guy. Everybody likes you. Not everybody 00:09:33.679 --> 00:09:36.139 likes you. That narrows the field down just a 00:09:36.139 --> 00:09:39.340 little bit. But trust you. That's such a crucial 00:09:39.340 --> 00:09:43.460 factor. And the respect, the trust, it all goes 00:09:43.460 --> 00:09:46.600 hand in hand. Michael, sorry to interrupt real 00:09:46.600 --> 00:09:49.460 quick, but people will beat you for price in 00:09:49.460 --> 00:09:54.299 contractual terms or whatever. But if I come 00:09:54.299 --> 00:09:58.360 into your office and I speak to Judy prior to 00:09:58.360 --> 00:10:00.919 meeting you, and I mentioned how amazing this 00:10:00.919 --> 00:10:04.539 assistant was or how Billy in the IT department, 00:10:04.720 --> 00:10:06.779 I was talking to him having coffee this morning. 00:10:06.820 --> 00:10:08.860 I didn't know he went to Penn State, but a nice 00:10:08.860 --> 00:10:12.299 guy. He's a football fan. And when you write 00:10:12.299 --> 00:10:15.580 these follow -up emails and you do meeting minutes 00:10:15.580 --> 00:10:19.639 and you mention these people, maybe, just maybe. 00:10:20.350 --> 00:10:23.710 By doing verbal and written positive escalations, 00:10:23.730 --> 00:10:27.029 you might get that consideration compared to 00:10:27.029 --> 00:10:29.950 the person that's bullying in there. Why am I 00:10:29.950 --> 00:10:33.230 telling you this? Because the majority of the 00:10:33.230 --> 00:10:35.210 clients that I've closed where I've beaten out 00:10:35.210 --> 00:10:37.990 the price in the Philippines and India, they 00:10:37.990 --> 00:10:40.289 said, Richard, I love the way you spoke to Judy. 00:10:40.509 --> 00:10:42.350 You know you're going to be working with Billy. 00:10:42.570 --> 00:10:44.690 And look at that relationship you have prior. 00:10:44.809 --> 00:10:50.200 You wiped your feet. You asked permission. And 00:10:50.200 --> 00:10:52.299 you knew your please and thank yous. And when 00:10:52.299 --> 00:10:55.759 I do things that are outside of the box, where 00:10:55.759 --> 00:10:58.940 it's like chum in the water with sharks, and 00:10:58.940 --> 00:11:01.879 you and I need to sometimes bite our tongue, 00:11:02.039 --> 00:11:06.159 be reserved, or suck in our pride to earn it. 00:11:06.179 --> 00:11:08.039 I don't want you to do that, brother. I know 00:11:08.039 --> 00:11:09.580 what you're worth. You shouldn't have to work 00:11:09.580 --> 00:11:13.059 for free or beg for their business. It should 00:11:13.059 --> 00:11:16.860 be done on merit. And I tell you what. If a client 00:11:16.860 --> 00:11:18.940 says to me, I can get it for half the price. 00:11:18.960 --> 00:11:22.080 I go, listen, Michael, if my person can do twice 00:11:22.080 --> 00:11:24.120 the amount of calls in an hour, they can, but 00:11:24.120 --> 00:11:25.919 the metrics say they can't because it's a five 00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:28.139 minute talk time. Can't do 30 calls an hour. 00:11:28.539 --> 00:11:31.440 But if it's lead generation or sales or retention, 00:11:31.639 --> 00:11:35.019 and I believe that through merit or old school 00:11:35.019 --> 00:11:37.320 training like you and I do, where we call the 00:11:37.320 --> 00:11:39.940 balls and the strikes, that gives winning teams. 00:11:40.899 --> 00:11:43.480 That makes a difference. Come on, where's Rocky 00:11:43.480 --> 00:11:46.440 without Mickey? You got to give Mickey credit 00:11:46.440 --> 00:11:49.519 and even Adrian and give the team credit. And 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:51.039 so when people look at me, I go, you're damn 00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:53.440 right. I moved from Philadelphia to Costa Rica. 00:11:53.440 --> 00:11:55.600 I'm bilingual. I started my own call center. 00:11:55.720 --> 00:11:57.639 That's the kind of cat you want. That's raw. 00:11:58.460 --> 00:12:00.440 Or you can go to the B company where they don't 00:12:00.440 --> 00:12:03.080 even know you. So go with the home run king. 00:12:03.179 --> 00:12:06.320 Yeah, man, go with me. And you'll get the sort 00:12:06.320 --> 00:12:08.620 of attention that you're looking for. And so. 00:12:09.120 --> 00:12:14.429 Absolutely. Okay. How can. Customer support principles 00:12:14.429 --> 00:12:20.129 be applied to networking strategies. Customer 00:12:20.129 --> 00:12:22.289 support principles. That's what you're all about. 00:12:22.830 --> 00:12:28.429 Yes. It's listening. I don't know what you know. 00:12:28.629 --> 00:12:31.129 I know what I know. And so the more that I let 00:12:31.129 --> 00:12:33.470 you vent. Oh, and I have some interesting advice 00:12:33.470 --> 00:12:38.210 for you. Profanity. What do you do, Richard? 00:12:38.450 --> 00:12:40.490 I tell you what, if it's like the cartoons where 00:12:40.490 --> 00:12:43.029 steam's coming out of their ears. And they're 00:12:43.029 --> 00:12:45.490 saying, F this, I'm frustrated with that. Let 00:12:45.490 --> 00:12:47.190 them curse. And then I'll go, Michael, you're 00:12:47.190 --> 00:12:50.809 done. And then I make you feel guilty. And then 00:12:50.809 --> 00:12:52.549 you go, yeah, Richard, I go, yeah, sure. You 00:12:52.549 --> 00:12:54.269 can curse three more times. It won't hang up 00:12:54.269 --> 00:12:57.629 on you. And then the relationship we have after 00:12:57.629 --> 00:13:00.769 you apologizing to me, we get super straight 00:13:00.769 --> 00:13:04.330 and then we can walk calmly and resolve your 00:13:04.330 --> 00:13:06.350 issue. But if you curse at me, you get a warning. 00:13:06.470 --> 00:13:10.179 And secondly, we kill the call. But listen, there 00:13:10.179 --> 00:13:12.379 are certain times you will be speaking to someone 00:13:12.379 --> 00:13:15.659 on the best or the worst day of their life. Unless 00:13:15.659 --> 00:13:18.100 you know them well, they might be out of character. 00:13:19.000 --> 00:13:21.120 Or why don't you give the kid the benefit of 00:13:21.120 --> 00:13:23.519 the doubt? So as an owner of a company, unless 00:13:23.519 --> 00:13:25.580 they're flat out breaking the labor law, throwing 00:13:25.580 --> 00:13:27.840 a rock through a window or scratching my car. 00:13:28.500 --> 00:13:30.360 And as long as he's not cursing on the phone. 00:13:30.419 --> 00:13:32.639 But if there's a Jerry Maguire moment, I understand 00:13:32.639 --> 00:13:35.460 the timeout. He's got three kids. He's taking 00:13:35.460 --> 00:13:38.980 care of grandma. He's late on his rent. So what 00:13:38.980 --> 00:13:41.580 you do is, and I've seen grown men cry, guys 00:13:41.580 --> 00:13:44.840 that are twice my size. And I think it's geographical. 00:13:45.639 --> 00:13:47.559 What you're saying is, first of all, you have 00:13:47.559 --> 00:13:49.980 to have the patience to do what you're saying. 00:13:50.480 --> 00:13:53.639 But the patience on the other end, I come from 00:13:53.639 --> 00:13:56.820 New York. Okay. That's a hustle and bustle. Come 00:13:56.820 --> 00:13:58.919 on, get it done. You don't have what I want. 00:13:59.000 --> 00:14:01.500 I don't care. Next. And they don't even give 00:14:01.500 --> 00:14:04.139 you that chance. But I've since moved down to 00:14:04.139 --> 00:14:08.700 Georgia. Things are a little slower, but we have 00:14:08.700 --> 00:14:11.700 a little more patience. And you can actually 00:14:11.700 --> 00:14:15.559 respond to the person you're talking to. And 00:14:15.559 --> 00:14:18.500 telemarketers, that's a different horse, okay? 00:14:18.580 --> 00:14:20.940 Because everybody has their own thoughts on telemarketers. 00:14:21.279 --> 00:14:24.320 But you have to have that patience in order. 00:14:24.399 --> 00:14:27.179 If you can have the patience before you get on 00:14:27.179 --> 00:14:30.720 that phone, then that's half your battle. That's 00:14:30.720 --> 00:14:34.419 really good. It can be, but patience can wear 00:14:34.419 --> 00:14:37.700 thin. It depends on the person. It depends on 00:14:37.700 --> 00:14:40.879 the person and what they're going through. You 00:14:40.879 --> 00:14:43.100 may get hold of that person and they're going 00:14:43.100 --> 00:14:45.940 through whatever terror they're going through, 00:14:46.019 --> 00:14:48.259 whether it's the three kids or their parents 00:14:48.259 --> 00:14:50.600 or in -laws or whatever, and doesn't have the 00:14:50.600 --> 00:14:55.159 time. But so it really depends on what that person 00:14:55.159 --> 00:15:01.139 is going through. Yeah. Yeah. What's up? What's 00:15:01.139 --> 00:15:04.419 up? All right. How has gamification influenced 00:15:04.419 --> 00:15:08.019 your approach to building and maintaining professional 00:15:08.019 --> 00:15:12.419 relationships? Of course. Your best friends were 00:15:12.419 --> 00:15:15.600 made on the playground. Kickball captured the 00:15:15.600 --> 00:15:20.879 flag. Nerf football in the snow when they called 00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:23.600 off school that day, which was great. I love 00:15:23.600 --> 00:15:26.529 that. I love that. Of course you do. That's why 00:15:26.529 --> 00:15:28.629 you die for passes and stuff. I love it too. 00:15:28.789 --> 00:15:32.009 I was also a hockey player. So I'm a huge Flyers 00:15:32.009 --> 00:15:35.490 fan when we used to beat your Islanders and your 00:15:35.490 --> 00:15:37.409 Rangers. I'm a Rangers fan. I'm a Rangers fan. 00:15:37.409 --> 00:15:39.990 Okay, well, that's fine. Bernie Perrant, my broad 00:15:39.990 --> 00:15:42.090 street bullies. But where am I going with all 00:15:42.090 --> 00:15:44.929 this? You need play. You need to let off steam. 00:15:45.129 --> 00:15:46.950 And just because we're an adult doesn't mean 00:15:46.950 --> 00:15:50.669 we need to be boring. Look at the movie Tom Hanks. 00:15:50.710 --> 00:15:52.690 It was funny. The adult jumping on trampolines 00:15:52.690 --> 00:15:55.960 and playing with toys. Why? Because we have responsibilities. 00:15:56.179 --> 00:16:00.379 And so I tell you what, many things happened. 00:16:00.639 --> 00:16:03.379 First is one man's trash is another man's treasure. 00:16:03.679 --> 00:16:06.120 Arcades are going out of business. So I would 00:16:06.120 --> 00:16:10.120 look on Mercado Libre and I'd see some guy selling 00:16:10.120 --> 00:16:13.460 some game room and I'd drive three hours to Perez 00:16:13.460 --> 00:16:16.279 Zeledon with a pickup truck and three of my... 00:16:16.460 --> 00:16:20.500 buddies and a wad full of 20s, right? Ready to 00:16:20.500 --> 00:16:22.940 buy. And it was great. People were just giving 00:16:22.940 --> 00:16:25.460 them away. And you could get a machine for under 00:16:25.460 --> 00:16:28.580 500 bucks, spend a couple dollars to replace 00:16:28.580 --> 00:16:32.139 certain placas, certain memory cards and the 00:16:32.139 --> 00:16:34.539 screens. And now you're sitting on a $5 ,000 00:16:34.539 --> 00:16:36.980 machine. So it's amazing. And through the years, 00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:39.799 I've collected 13 pinball machines. My oldest 00:16:39.799 --> 00:16:44.139 is a 1970s Bally's Camelot. The newest is a 94 00:16:44.139 --> 00:16:46.919 Last Action Hero. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Data 00:16:46.919 --> 00:16:51.500 East. But I tell you what, when you have this 00:16:51.500 --> 00:16:55.899 space, it gives people a chance to meet others 00:16:55.899 --> 00:16:59.950 from different departments to try a game. to 00:16:59.950 --> 00:17:03.070 try a pinball machine. And they'll say, hey, 00:17:03.090 --> 00:17:05.250 Michael, I've played virtual pinball. You're 00:17:05.250 --> 00:17:07.910 like, yeah, great. It's like looking at Playboy 00:17:07.910 --> 00:17:10.789 and not going on a date. Come on, man. You need 00:17:10.789 --> 00:17:13.670 to be real. And so they get to feel the machine 00:17:13.670 --> 00:17:16.900 like Elton John when he wrote it. about you could 00:17:16.900 --> 00:17:19.339 you feel the machine you become one with it these 00:17:19.339 --> 00:17:22.339 and size these electrical mechanical machines 00:17:22.339 --> 00:17:26.720 that are just on contacts say what you want of 00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:29.039 course you're part of this experience there is 00:17:29.039 --> 00:17:30.880 an energy transfer and the ball could either 00:17:30.880 --> 00:17:33.240 go into the spot or run down the middle and they're 00:17:33.240 --> 00:17:38.000 gorgeous they're beautiful the marquees and the 00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:40.519 artwork and especially the ones from the late 00:17:40.519 --> 00:17:44.500 70s prior where they used to paint the play field. 00:17:44.660 --> 00:17:48.440 So it wasn't a laminate and say what you want. 00:17:48.619 --> 00:17:51.019 And Mike, I will say this to you and your amazing 00:17:51.019 --> 00:17:54.299 audience. When you know what you love, when I 00:17:54.299 --> 00:17:56.920 see these pinball machines and I can have them 00:17:56.920 --> 00:17:59.940 and maintain them, restore them, clean them up 00:17:59.940 --> 00:18:02.480 and shine them and turn them on. And just when 00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:05.539 you're a kid, 25 cents in a pinball will go in 00:18:05.539 --> 00:18:07.960 a minute compared to asteroids where I can play 00:18:07.960 --> 00:18:11.420 that for 45 minutes. And so. this is a dream 00:18:11.420 --> 00:18:14.480 for me. I'm like a child. And I love them, my 00:18:14.480 --> 00:18:16.700 purest passion. And the fact that I'm able to 00:18:16.700 --> 00:18:18.900 share this with people and we can be equal, we 00:18:18.900 --> 00:18:20.779 can tap each other on the shoulder and laugh. 00:18:20.960 --> 00:18:24.700 And I've been able to retain people, reduce attrition. 00:18:25.339 --> 00:18:27.319 People have fallen in love there. They smoke 00:18:27.319 --> 00:18:30.240 less cigarettes. They're on their phone less 00:18:30.240 --> 00:18:32.759 in the corner looking at Japanese anime or Instagram. 00:18:33.039 --> 00:18:36.640 My man, I've created fun place, fun time. Like 00:18:36.640 --> 00:18:39.160 Willy Wonka where he opened up that one room 00:18:39.160 --> 00:18:41.079 and you can eat anything and there's a river 00:18:41.079 --> 00:18:44.039 of chocolate. You walk into a company. Have you 00:18:44.039 --> 00:18:47.980 ever seen a game room? Never. Maybe a TV in a... 00:18:48.349 --> 00:18:51.289 ping pong table or something but have you flat 00:18:51.289 --> 00:18:54.130 out seen a half a dozen pinball a bunch of fighting 00:18:54.130 --> 00:18:56.970 machines air hockey machine and an alpine racer 00:18:56.970 --> 00:19:00.690 to name coast ski machine yeah that's how i treat 00:19:00.690 --> 00:19:05.509 my people that's how i treat me and so networking 00:19:05.509 --> 00:19:08.069 wise when people come in and size me up and have 00:19:08.069 --> 00:19:10.029 options of where they can work in the country 00:19:10.029 --> 00:19:12.269 they look at that and go you know what maybe 00:19:12.269 --> 00:19:15.849 i belong in this environment so it's about showing 00:19:15.849 --> 00:19:20.880 to then receive It's amazing. You're really bringing 00:19:20.880 --> 00:19:26.279 out the fun that an employee can have, but that 00:19:26.279 --> 00:19:30.160 makes them work that much harder. They're much 00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:34.380 more into their work because they know that it's 00:19:34.380 --> 00:19:37.440 a great place to work. So if you love the place, 00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:40.359 you work harder. And that goes to your customers 00:19:40.359 --> 00:19:45.420 as well. I always say, because I've owned many 00:19:45.420 --> 00:19:51.160 businesses. And you can be one way to your employees, 00:19:51.240 --> 00:19:55.420 but if you're not good to your employees, how 00:19:55.420 --> 00:19:58.119 can you expect your employees to be good to your 00:19:58.119 --> 00:20:01.039 clients? So you have to treat, that's the first 00:20:01.039 --> 00:20:03.299 and foremost, you have to treat your employees 00:20:03.299 --> 00:20:07.220 the best so they can treat your clients the best 00:20:07.220 --> 00:20:10.160 because they're not going to laugh and smile 00:20:10.160 --> 00:20:13.910 with your client if they're not happy. And it 00:20:13.910 --> 00:20:18.410 sounds like you're making everybody happy. But 00:20:18.410 --> 00:20:22.970 as long as we're on the pinball trajectory, what 00:20:22.970 --> 00:20:26.869 lessons of the world of pinball machines have 00:20:26.869 --> 00:20:32.950 you applied to your networking strategies? Concentration, 00:20:32.950 --> 00:20:40.789 using other senses, sometimes anticipation, planning. 00:20:41.049 --> 00:20:44.359 Or how about this? Regardless of the outcome, 00:20:44.480 --> 00:20:49.319 just enjoying the time. It's like a scent of 00:20:49.319 --> 00:20:52.359 a woman. When Al Pacino danced with that woman, 00:20:52.559 --> 00:20:54.920 yeah, they had the most beautiful dance for five 00:20:54.920 --> 00:20:57.160 minutes. Didn't mean they got married. But I 00:20:57.160 --> 00:21:01.380 tell you what, you ask either of them, hey, do 00:21:01.380 --> 00:21:03.380 you remember dancing with this person at that 00:21:03.380 --> 00:21:05.819 hotel back in 96? They'll be like, absolutely, 00:21:06.039 --> 00:21:09.920 I do. You remember somebody for the rest of their 00:21:09.920 --> 00:21:12.160 lives, so you don't need 30 years to do it. You 00:21:12.160 --> 00:21:16.539 could do it in five minutes. And so you try to 00:21:16.539 --> 00:21:19.519 anchor with people. You try to get real. If not, 00:21:19.599 --> 00:21:23.900 you're just like everybody else. And you're proving 00:21:23.900 --> 00:21:26.539 to me that you're not like everybody else. You're 00:21:26.539 --> 00:21:30.309 not like any other employer. And I like to think 00:21:30.309 --> 00:21:32.670 of myself in the same way because I've always 00:21:32.670 --> 00:21:36.470 treated the employees that way. So I got news 00:21:36.470 --> 00:21:40.150 for you. We are the exception to the norm. And 00:21:40.150 --> 00:21:44.309 it's unfortunate, but it's true. But you're painting 00:21:44.309 --> 00:21:46.869 a rosy picture on it, Michael. And I very much 00:21:46.869 --> 00:21:49.529 appreciate this. We might as well show the highlights. 00:21:49.849 --> 00:21:52.390 Why don't we show the fumbled footballs and interceptions 00:21:52.390 --> 00:21:55.910 and lost, you know, first place. All right. Let 00:21:55.910 --> 00:21:58.069 me ask you a question. Talk to me. Because you've 00:21:58.069 --> 00:22:01.630 had some great success with your company today. 00:22:02.650 --> 00:22:06.809 What mistakes did you make and how did you overcome 00:22:06.809 --> 00:22:10.990 it? The number one mistake I made was hiring 00:22:10.990 --> 00:22:14.470 supervisors or executives on the outside. I'll 00:22:14.470 --> 00:22:16.970 hire specialists for IT and stuff, but it needs 00:22:16.970 --> 00:22:18.930 to be promoted from within. So that was a huge 00:22:18.930 --> 00:22:20.630 mistake. They never earned the respect of the 00:22:20.630 --> 00:22:24.549 people. But my labor pool is about 24 years old. 00:22:25.559 --> 00:22:29.000 And most of them live at home. And this is fun 00:22:29.000 --> 00:22:33.359 money. And Amazon could hire them first thing 00:22:33.359 --> 00:22:37.000 tomorrow morning. So to think about a huge investment 00:22:37.000 --> 00:22:39.200 in someone and longevity is one thing. And so 00:22:39.200 --> 00:22:41.559 there's a very special balance there. First, 00:22:41.559 --> 00:22:44.500 we're very selective of A, the campaigns that 00:22:44.500 --> 00:22:47.480 come in. We don't do sports books, casinos, stocks, 00:22:47.559 --> 00:22:50.279 pharmacies, or sweepstakes. Secondly, I'm only 00:22:50.279 --> 00:22:52.680 150, so I can be selective of the candidates. 00:22:53.180 --> 00:22:56.079 But then you say, Richard, You see the shining 00:22:56.079 --> 00:22:58.319 object. Yeah, that's like a mercenary. They're 00:22:58.319 --> 00:22:59.720 not going to last. They'll be a jumper and a 00:22:59.720 --> 00:23:02.160 cancer. I'd rather have an 18 -year -old kid 00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:04.519 with great English that can mold like a squire, 00:23:04.539 --> 00:23:07.680 okay, that doesn't have bad habits, not a cancer. 00:23:07.740 --> 00:23:11.920 I can teach these things. But then again, how 00:23:11.920 --> 00:23:14.420 do I really filter somebody out? And even in 00:23:14.420 --> 00:23:16.180 networking, this could be a very interesting 00:23:16.180 --> 00:23:20.140 question to ask people. I always ask for a coming 00:23:20.140 --> 00:23:23.319 -of -age moment. I want to know a time when you 00:23:23.319 --> 00:23:27.180 beat up a bully or saved a kitten. Why? Because 00:23:27.180 --> 00:23:29.380 Michael might ask you a zig and zag question 00:23:29.380 --> 00:23:32.660 every now and again. Put your script down. Maybe 00:23:32.660 --> 00:23:34.599 he just wants to know, besides what your golf 00:23:34.599 --> 00:23:37.119 handicap, was there a time you stood up for yourself? 00:23:38.099 --> 00:23:40.200 Are you capable of telling me a three -minute 00:23:40.200 --> 00:23:45.119 story that's not well rehearsed? And so I get 00:23:45.119 --> 00:23:47.660 to see people because that might be the way I 00:23:47.660 --> 00:23:50.670 get the contract with Michael. Because he's got 00:23:50.670 --> 00:23:52.789 10 people to choose from, but no one could answer 00:23:52.789 --> 00:23:55.910 the simple question of standing up for themselves 00:23:55.910 --> 00:24:02.089 or saving the day. And when I see what some people 00:24:02.089 --> 00:24:05.190 write about taking care of families, of younger 00:24:05.190 --> 00:24:09.490 siblings, growing up, losing their innocence, 00:24:09.869 --> 00:24:14.589 or learning the violin. doing something in regards 00:24:14.589 --> 00:24:17.170 to travel or how many books they've read. So 00:24:17.170 --> 00:24:20.690 I'd rather hire the marathon runner. I want to 00:24:20.690 --> 00:24:22.849 see what somebody does outside of the office, 00:24:22.869 --> 00:24:25.789 which showed dedicated practice. Why? So I can 00:24:25.789 --> 00:24:28.269 also give you a nickname, call you killer or 00:24:28.269 --> 00:24:30.970 baby saver. Let's have kitten saver moments. 00:24:31.130 --> 00:24:33.849 I can tell you that on a Wednesday, but then 00:24:33.849 --> 00:24:36.329 I get to know you. Come on, give me some depth. 00:24:37.119 --> 00:24:39.079 Because if you don't play pinball with me, if 00:24:39.079 --> 00:24:40.819 you can't tell me that you saved a kid, then 00:24:40.819 --> 00:24:42.859 guess what, Michael? No offense. You might be 00:24:42.859 --> 00:24:45.119 qualified and you're a great kid, but I don't 00:24:45.119 --> 00:24:48.420 think you belong here. And it's not just me. 00:24:48.460 --> 00:24:50.180 It's the 10 other guys you're working with. They're 00:24:50.180 --> 00:24:53.319 going to be like, this guy just doesn't fit in. 00:24:53.759 --> 00:24:59.619 It's not part of the crew edge. And so that's 00:24:59.619 --> 00:25:03.240 what I think about too. I was in the Air Force 00:25:03.240 --> 00:25:07.150 for nine years. I was a police officer. And I 00:25:07.150 --> 00:25:12.109 saved five lives in that time. And I remember 00:25:12.109 --> 00:25:13.970 every single one of them like they were yesterday. 00:25:14.789 --> 00:25:18.049 And it's really amazing the difference when you're 00:25:18.049 --> 00:25:20.970 trying to serve, when you're trying to do your 00:25:20.970 --> 00:25:24.150 best, and you put the other person in front of 00:25:24.150 --> 00:25:28.750 you. The world's a better place, I feel. It is. 00:25:29.409 --> 00:25:32.109 Thank you for your service. Nine years. And we 00:25:32.109 --> 00:25:35.289 use the military alphabet at the end. Why? Because 00:25:35.289 --> 00:25:37.109 gentlemen like you've served. So instead of the 00:25:37.109 --> 00:25:39.309 call ending, now we're talking about the Air 00:25:39.309 --> 00:25:42.730 Force in Colorado Springs, the Air Force Academy 00:25:42.730 --> 00:25:46.250 and how awesome and top gone. Which one did you 00:25:46.250 --> 00:25:51.089 like? One or two? That was Navy. But still, that's 00:25:51.089 --> 00:25:54.829 all right. Yes, it did. OK, so let me ask you 00:25:54.829 --> 00:25:58.529 a question. Your top motivation that you give 00:25:58.529 --> 00:26:05.970 to your employees. Your top motivation. Guilt. 00:26:06.750 --> 00:26:08.869 I let you know that you're better than this and 00:26:08.869 --> 00:26:11.690 you're out of character. And come on, you did 00:26:11.690 --> 00:26:15.369 44 the other day. What's going on? And I also 00:26:15.369 --> 00:26:18.470 say, listen, you saw me last week. I showed up 00:26:18.470 --> 00:26:21.769 on time. You saw me last week with three clients. 00:26:21.829 --> 00:26:25.519 You even sat in on a business meeting. And I'm 00:26:25.519 --> 00:26:27.180 not going to tell someone to tie their shoes 00:26:27.180 --> 00:26:30.660 if mine aren't tied. But I'll also see the best 00:26:30.660 --> 00:26:35.559 in you. So I'll usually point something. I usually 00:26:35.559 --> 00:26:38.980 ask for your permission. May I make a suggestion? 00:26:40.019 --> 00:26:42.640 So now we're straight. And I'll usually do it 00:26:42.640 --> 00:26:44.920 over coffee. So it's not like I'm going to grill 00:26:44.920 --> 00:26:47.549 you, but I will grill you. And then I'm just 00:26:47.549 --> 00:26:49.569 going to mention how amazing you are. Then I'm 00:26:49.569 --> 00:26:51.589 going to mention about what I saw. And then I'm 00:26:51.589 --> 00:26:54.329 going to put myself in there too. And then I'm 00:26:54.329 --> 00:26:56.109 going to be quiet and just keep making faces 00:26:56.109 --> 00:26:59.029 at you until you say you're right. And then you're 00:26:59.029 --> 00:27:00.390 going to start telling me about things that are 00:27:00.390 --> 00:27:03.250 happening at home and just things you never knew 00:27:03.250 --> 00:27:05.230 about. So I can let off that steam. So I don't 00:27:05.230 --> 00:27:07.809 lose you that day. What do you want to review 00:27:07.809 --> 00:27:11.789 script or have me start quoting books from Zig 00:27:11.789 --> 00:27:15.420 Ziglar or Tony Robbins and stuff? Here's the 00:27:15.420 --> 00:27:18.839 thing about people like that. I think success 00:27:18.839 --> 00:27:22.660 is amazing and you can have certain mentors and 00:27:22.660 --> 00:27:25.440 gravitate towards. But at the end of the day, 00:27:25.559 --> 00:27:27.640 they're very alone. These people are looking 00:27:27.640 --> 00:27:29.819 in the mirror and realizing what they need to 00:27:29.819 --> 00:27:32.900 do. And advice is only so good. So I need to 00:27:32.900 --> 00:27:36.019 get something out of them. With broken ribs, 00:27:36.240 --> 00:27:39.240 they still need to stand up. And when they see 00:27:39.240 --> 00:27:41.579 someone like myself who has the leverage to make 00:27:41.579 --> 00:27:44.289 or break them. But takes them off of the floor 00:27:44.289 --> 00:27:46.789 when it's not their break time to either praise 00:27:46.789 --> 00:27:49.349 them during a moment when they're shining or 00:27:49.349 --> 00:27:51.869 a certain time where I see this readjustment 00:27:51.869 --> 00:27:55.009 because I just don't want to lose Billy. What 00:27:55.009 --> 00:27:59.369 a beautiful time. And so my motivation, unfortunately, 00:27:59.690 --> 00:28:01.589 doesn't come through sunshine. It comes through 00:28:01.589 --> 00:28:03.869 some darkness. Why? So you can find your own 00:28:03.869 --> 00:28:06.829 light. And when you do that, you're golden, man. 00:28:07.170 --> 00:28:10.210 I don't even know. Your motivation can come from 00:28:10.210 --> 00:28:15.670 either way. It's how you have created your atmosphere, 00:28:15.910 --> 00:28:18.630 whether you're going to do it in good times or 00:28:18.630 --> 00:28:20.930 bad times, whatever it is, but whatever works. 00:28:21.130 --> 00:28:24.410 That's right. Your motivation is so important 00:28:24.410 --> 00:28:26.950 because you're letting them know it's going back 00:28:26.950 --> 00:28:30.910 to that trust and respect factor that you respect 00:28:30.910 --> 00:28:34.650 this person so much that you're willing to find 00:28:34.650 --> 00:28:38.630 out what's wrong. Let him vent. Let him get it 00:28:38.630 --> 00:28:42.369 out of his system. He's a good person. You're 00:28:42.369 --> 00:28:44.990 doing a good job. So come on, get out there and 00:28:44.990 --> 00:28:48.589 do your best. Michael, we're cashing in the chips. 00:28:48.950 --> 00:28:51.190 If it's a person you've never met before, you 00:28:51.190 --> 00:28:53.009 can't do that unless they want to crawl on your 00:28:53.009 --> 00:28:54.910 shoulder. I'm talking about an employee. I'm 00:28:54.910 --> 00:28:58.190 talking about a track record. You can cash in 00:28:58.190 --> 00:29:00.289 those chips. Those are the time you leave the 00:29:00.289 --> 00:29:02.650 building so people don't see the scene and you 00:29:02.650 --> 00:29:06.910 take the walk. Like a body. And so people and 00:29:06.910 --> 00:29:08.750 then they look at you go, I'd never expected 00:29:08.750 --> 00:29:11.490 that from you. And then you say, why? Come on, 00:29:11.509 --> 00:29:13.230 Michael, how many people know me second and third 00:29:13.230 --> 00:29:16.529 chance? It's exact. I guess they didn't. Or they 00:29:16.529 --> 00:29:18.609 compared you to other bosses that just piece 00:29:18.609 --> 00:29:22.109 them out and fire them. And I don't know, man, 00:29:22.170 --> 00:29:25.150 I'm seaworthy. I don't know anything else besides 00:29:25.150 --> 00:29:27.569 technology. I got to hire a guy, my accountants, 00:29:27.569 --> 00:29:29.250 they got to do the numbers for me. What do I 00:29:29.250 --> 00:29:32.210 know? I know how to take a walk and have a coffee. 00:29:33.210 --> 00:29:35.829 My goodness. I guess that's the sort of thing 00:29:35.829 --> 00:29:40.750 that sustains seasons and tough weather. It's 00:29:40.750 --> 00:29:43.730 the only thing I know. It's what separates you 00:29:43.730 --> 00:29:47.910 from the masses. That's where people want to 00:29:47.910 --> 00:29:50.750 work for you. They want to work for you. They 00:29:50.750 --> 00:29:53.269 can take a job. They can take a job anywhere. 00:29:53.990 --> 00:29:57.829 But if they want to feel at home, they want to 00:29:57.829 --> 00:30:00.750 feel respected, they want to feel like a person, 00:30:00.930 --> 00:30:04.660 then they'll work for you. Work with me. Work 00:30:04.660 --> 00:30:07.000 with you. Sorry about that. Come on, Michael. 00:30:07.339 --> 00:30:10.640 What is it, 1984? Remember, they have the leverage. 00:30:10.759 --> 00:30:13.200 They can leave me anytime. It's like a cat. You 00:30:13.200 --> 00:30:15.200 don't want to spook the kitty. And then the feral 00:30:15.200 --> 00:30:18.119 cat runs away. So there's a beautiful balance 00:30:18.119 --> 00:30:21.200 of the open cage bird. And I think I've learned 00:30:21.200 --> 00:30:23.400 to understand that through the time. And I tell 00:30:23.400 --> 00:30:25.640 you what, by really assisting their English. 00:30:26.349 --> 00:30:28.650 And investing in this and giving them proper 00:30:28.650 --> 00:30:31.309 grammar and certain suggestions to watch the 00:30:31.309 --> 00:30:33.569 face man from the A -team or the show Remington 00:30:33.569 --> 00:30:37.710 Steel in their English. I love Remington Steel. 00:30:37.869 --> 00:30:42.230 They smile. It reduces defense. Let me ask you 00:30:42.230 --> 00:30:46.490 one last question that's going to bring everything 00:30:46.490 --> 00:30:50.769 together. Just give me a tip for networking that 00:30:50.769 --> 00:30:53.269 you would give to my listeners that they can 00:30:53.269 --> 00:30:56.920 begin today or tomorrow. to get them on their 00:30:56.920 --> 00:31:01.180 journey. Of course. Dedicated practice in your 00:31:01.180 --> 00:31:04.099 delivery. I need for you to record yourself. 00:31:04.980 --> 00:31:06.980 And because this is how people are going to hear 00:31:06.980 --> 00:31:09.559 you when you leave a message or see you in conversation. 00:31:10.380 --> 00:31:13.619 As much as you might think it's funny to sit 00:31:13.619 --> 00:31:16.640 in front of a mirror, if you're planning on sitting 00:31:16.640 --> 00:31:19.220 in business meetings and networking at a club 00:31:19.220 --> 00:31:22.720 and shaking hands and stuff, you better realize 00:31:22.720 --> 00:31:25.880 because sometimes people... They get not only 00:31:25.880 --> 00:31:29.220 distracted, but they give away tell signs. They 00:31:29.220 --> 00:31:32.160 get lazy in regards to self and object adapters, 00:31:32.160 --> 00:31:36.599 start biting nails, scratching, doing weird things. 00:31:37.079 --> 00:31:41.640 I've always put my customer service people, I 00:31:41.640 --> 00:31:44.200 used to have them have a mirror right next to 00:31:44.200 --> 00:31:46.819 their telephone. Of course. And when they were 00:31:46.819 --> 00:31:49.700 on the phone, they looked at themselves because 00:31:49.700 --> 00:31:55.099 when you smile, and you are happy, it comes through 00:31:55.099 --> 00:31:57.640 the phone. It comes through and the other person 00:31:57.640 --> 00:32:01.279 actually picks up on that, on the vibe of the 00:32:01.279 --> 00:32:04.720 person, and they're not even there. So I found 00:32:04.720 --> 00:32:07.839 that to be such an important part of customer 00:32:07.839 --> 00:32:09.259 service. Well, Michael, they're in the now. They're 00:32:09.259 --> 00:32:11.680 not spacing out or thinking of lunch. And I tell 00:32:11.680 --> 00:32:13.359 you what, this is something that will make things 00:32:13.359 --> 00:32:16.400 very easy for your audience. Like you and I did 00:32:16.400 --> 00:32:18.819 prior to the podcast, if you do just a little 00:32:18.819 --> 00:32:22.720 bit of due diligence. Facebook, LinkedIn profile, 00:32:23.019 --> 00:32:25.099 looking at the website. And it's not to have 00:32:25.099 --> 00:32:28.900 it memorized for final exam time, but there are 00:32:28.900 --> 00:32:33.519 goodies there. You'll see certain pictures of 00:32:33.519 --> 00:32:36.619 someone doing athletics or a company event or 00:32:36.619 --> 00:32:38.819 the loading dock that's next to the lake. You 00:32:38.819 --> 00:32:40.940 can say, this is beautiful where you guys are 00:32:40.940 --> 00:32:43.500 located in Maine. And it's just when people have 00:32:43.500 --> 00:32:45.460 called me and you've mentioned it multiple times, 00:32:45.500 --> 00:32:48.500 my arcades, if somebody calls me to pitch me, 00:32:48.970 --> 00:32:51.410 regardless of any sort of widget. But they go, 00:32:51.490 --> 00:32:53.130 hey, Richard Blank, I hear you collect pinball 00:32:53.130 --> 00:32:54.650 machines here in Costa Rica. What's happening? 00:32:55.269 --> 00:32:57.230 I'm going to give you three minutes unless I'm 00:32:57.230 --> 00:32:58.789 on the phone with Michael and I'm busy. I'm like, 00:32:58.890 --> 00:33:00.490 listen, credit card at the ready. It's yours 00:33:00.490 --> 00:33:03.910 to lose it because you snapped me out of the 00:33:03.910 --> 00:33:06.230 trance. You got rid of the bad taste of the black 00:33:06.230 --> 00:33:10.309 and blue, bad telemarketers. You might even patted 00:33:10.309 --> 00:33:12.470 my ego by saying Costa Rica's call center. How 00:33:12.470 --> 00:33:16.190 are you today? I was like. How nice. How nice 00:33:16.190 --> 00:33:19.190 is that? You gave me a company name spike, which 00:33:19.190 --> 00:33:21.710 snaps me out of the, hi, sir. Can I speak to 00:33:21.710 --> 00:33:25.230 a, I don't do things like that. And so I've realized 00:33:25.230 --> 00:33:27.490 that instead of making a hundred calls a day, 00:33:27.549 --> 00:33:30.549 make 85 calls a day and spend an extra 30 seconds 00:33:30.549 --> 00:33:32.630 looking up something and complimenting Judy, 00:33:32.769 --> 00:33:36.170 the secretary, and maybe leaving a custom made 00:33:36.170 --> 00:33:41.109 voicemail. You might get back that 20%. And you 00:33:41.109 --> 00:33:43.049 know what it also does? It doesn't ice a kicker. 00:33:43.529 --> 00:33:46.049 You were talking earlier about people in their 00:33:46.049 --> 00:33:47.890 rhythms and stuff and why the games are there. 00:33:47.930 --> 00:33:50.210 I tell you what, man, when people are on break 00:33:50.210 --> 00:33:52.470 time, if they slow down, it's like running in 00:33:52.470 --> 00:33:54.650 place at the stoplight, certain marathon runners. 00:33:54.809 --> 00:33:57.529 If you go down and play Pac -Man, air hockey, 00:33:57.789 --> 00:34:00.150 pinball machine for 15 minutes, don't go back 00:34:00.150 --> 00:34:01.430 to the phone. It's not saying you're going to 00:34:01.430 --> 00:34:04.109 do it better, but I tell you what, you're still 00:34:04.109 --> 00:34:07.170 warmed up. Your muscles aren't sore. So I can 00:34:07.170 --> 00:34:09.849 at least guarantee the same, if not better performance, 00:34:09.849 --> 00:34:12.449 not ramping up and getting lucky with a curve 00:34:12.449 --> 00:34:15.050 shot. It's just, you can't do that. People get 00:34:15.050 --> 00:34:17.989 stale, get cold. But what a beautiful art of 00:34:17.989 --> 00:34:19.929 speech. You're talking networking. Forget the 00:34:19.929 --> 00:34:22.030 guys that are texting. I don't even want to go 00:34:22.030 --> 00:34:24.789 there. Let's talk about speech. If you're capable 00:34:24.789 --> 00:34:29.369 of reading with conviction, using trigger words, 00:34:29.710 --> 00:34:33.050 spiking those for attention so it's not monotone 00:34:33.050 --> 00:34:37.360 speech. You should be pausing before names and 00:34:37.360 --> 00:34:41.880 numbers for emphasis, okay? You should be name 00:34:41.880 --> 00:34:45.320 dropping your name, at least in the beginning 00:34:45.320 --> 00:34:48.239 of a transitional sentence. Michael, makes sense, 00:34:48.239 --> 00:34:51.039 right? Move forward, right? And then if you say, 00:34:51.099 --> 00:34:53.360 but you don't use the word Michael over and over 00:34:53.360 --> 00:34:55.920 again, I know to name drop, calm down. It's like 00:34:55.920 --> 00:34:58.300 the beginning and the end of the bridge. Okay, 00:34:58.380 --> 00:35:00.079 the entrance and the end of the transitional 00:35:00.079 --> 00:35:02.559 sentence and the conclusion. But in the middle, 00:35:02.599 --> 00:35:05.460 why don't you just emphasize the personal pronouns, 00:35:05.599 --> 00:35:10.599 the your, or, what do you mean? Add a quarter 00:35:10.599 --> 00:35:13.079 second slide and spike it a little bit because 00:35:13.079 --> 00:35:15.300 it's still a tension grabber. It's the cousin 00:35:15.300 --> 00:35:18.980 of the name drop. Do you understand? And if you 00:35:18.980 --> 00:35:22.400 can do these things every 30 seconds, it gives 00:35:22.400 --> 00:35:25.369 you such balance. And movement. But Richard, 00:35:25.409 --> 00:35:27.510 two steps back. Yeah, brother, you got to sacrifice 00:35:27.510 --> 00:35:30.570 pieces. But I'm moving seven steps forward in 00:35:30.570 --> 00:35:33.050 this 30 seconds because I was able to checkpoint 00:35:33.050 --> 00:35:37.190 the fact of this. ABC, we checkpointed and moved 00:35:37.190 --> 00:35:41.010 it forward. Now, I have something for you. And 00:35:41.010 --> 00:35:44.809 you talk about target paralysis in the Air Force 00:35:44.809 --> 00:35:46.750 where you focus on the trees or the mountain, 00:35:46.809 --> 00:35:49.769 you hit something. People will get target paralysis 00:35:49.769 --> 00:35:53.099 on the phone. And I understand that. And one 00:35:53.099 --> 00:35:55.079 of the greatest things to do is to be in the 00:35:55.079 --> 00:35:57.900 now on so many different buttons to press, things 00:35:57.900 --> 00:36:00.659 to concentrate, breathing, if even it's the basics. 00:36:00.780 --> 00:36:03.599 And so it's a technique that we use, Michael. 00:36:04.079 --> 00:36:07.599 It's a phonetic micro expression reading because 00:36:07.599 --> 00:36:09.940 people love to read body language. We can talk 00:36:09.940 --> 00:36:13.000 about that on another podcast. But in the course 00:36:13.000 --> 00:36:17.099 of 25 years, tens of thousands of phone calls, 00:36:17.199 --> 00:36:19.619 I think I've cracked a code. And since you're 00:36:19.619 --> 00:36:23.039 my boy. And I'm so proud of your nine years of 00:36:23.039 --> 00:36:25.500 the Air Force. I'm going to share it with you 00:36:25.500 --> 00:36:27.000 and your audience. Is that cool? I'll give you 00:36:27.000 --> 00:36:29.940 some declassified top secret information. Are 00:36:29.940 --> 00:36:32.960 you ready for this? Go ahead, go. Okay, let's 00:36:32.960 --> 00:36:36.539 do this. Let's do this. Okay. So you have a simple 00:36:36.539 --> 00:36:40.840 XY chart. So think about it like this. The X 00:36:40.840 --> 00:36:45.139 is your rate of speech and your Y is the speaking 00:36:45.139 --> 00:36:47.989 level, the pitch. So it can be done in any language. 00:36:48.389 --> 00:36:51.389 So besides your tone of voice, which in my opinion 00:36:51.389 --> 00:36:53.670 should be confident and empathetic consistently 00:36:53.670 --> 00:36:57.150 until I can readjust your tone, I pay attention 00:36:57.150 --> 00:36:59.130 to how fast and how loud you go because I don't 00:36:59.130 --> 00:37:01.829 even know you. And so every 30 seconds, regardless 00:37:01.829 --> 00:37:04.150 of the transitional sentences, the semantics, 00:37:04.230 --> 00:37:07.840 our pitching, our... all the soft skills that 00:37:07.840 --> 00:37:09.820 I gave you earlier of the escalation, the company 00:37:09.820 --> 00:37:11.860 name spike, the due diligence. I still want to 00:37:11.860 --> 00:37:14.119 see if you're going fast, slow, loud, or soft. 00:37:14.159 --> 00:37:16.860 Why? Because if you're spiking or dipping, I 00:37:16.860 --> 00:37:19.739 stop and I ask a clarification question, if it 00:37:19.739 --> 00:37:22.489 makes sense. Sounds good. May we move forward? 00:37:22.710 --> 00:37:25.349 So these are insurance policies that take three 00:37:25.349 --> 00:37:27.989 seconds to get it to move forward because a lot 00:37:27.989 --> 00:37:29.670 of the people, and I've seen this in metrics, 00:37:29.969 --> 00:37:31.949 will just run through a call and realize they 00:37:31.949 --> 00:37:33.849 don't get the appointment. I'd rather have a 00:37:33.849 --> 00:37:35.909 five minute solid than a 10 minute shaky that 00:37:35.909 --> 00:37:38.889 doesn't hit. So you need to really solidify this 00:37:38.889 --> 00:37:41.269 thing and move it forward. Like in the show Get 00:37:41.269 --> 00:37:43.789 Smart, where you walk down the hallway and the 00:37:43.789 --> 00:37:45.829 doors close behind them. That's the only way 00:37:45.829 --> 00:37:47.949 to seal it, deal it and move it forward. And 00:37:47.949 --> 00:37:51.239 so the paralysis. The target paralysis is thinking 00:37:51.239 --> 00:37:55.500 of G when you should be on Bravo on B. And so 00:37:55.500 --> 00:37:57.960 I'm trying to get these people to focus on besides 00:37:57.960 --> 00:38:00.539 carrying this weight, you can mentally after 00:38:00.539 --> 00:38:04.360 three weeks of practice, it becomes habit. You 00:38:04.360 --> 00:38:08.539 become very lucid in regards to this micro expression 00:38:08.539 --> 00:38:11.639 reading. But then you say, Richard, yes, Michael, 00:38:11.780 --> 00:38:14.360 can't the tone rate and pitch be manipulated? 00:38:15.000 --> 00:38:17.860 Of course it can. The guess is one thing you 00:38:17.860 --> 00:38:21.639 cannot manipulate. the duration. The beauty of 00:38:21.639 --> 00:38:25.039 phonetics is without silence, you don't have 00:38:25.039 --> 00:38:30.099 the sound. So I study even more of a higher level, 00:38:30.199 --> 00:38:34.360 the silence time, compared to how your tone rate 00:38:34.360 --> 00:38:38.739 and pitches, or even your word choice. Why? Because 00:38:38.739 --> 00:38:40.900 someone like yourself, who's part of the police, 00:38:41.690 --> 00:38:44.869 Air Force and had extensive training in interrogation 00:38:44.869 --> 00:38:48.670 and psychology realized by the third or fourth 00:38:48.670 --> 00:38:52.329 question of me cursing at you, flicking the cigarette. 00:38:52.690 --> 00:38:56.349 Yeah, copper, you got nothing on me. All of a 00:38:56.349 --> 00:38:58.190 sudden, when you show the evidence, look what 00:38:58.190 --> 00:39:01.059 happens in regards to that. answering speed. 00:39:01.119 --> 00:39:02.980 Either it takes an hour for them to start crying 00:39:02.980 --> 00:39:05.559 or they start crying immediately. And so that 00:39:05.559 --> 00:39:09.119 cannot be manipulated subconsciously. So if you 00:39:09.119 --> 00:39:11.780 are capable in this controlled environment of 00:39:11.780 --> 00:39:15.519 160 hours a month, 300 phone calls a day, to 00:39:15.519 --> 00:39:19.739 besides doing your job, to crack this code in 00:39:19.739 --> 00:39:24.139 regards to being very focused on rate, pitch, 00:39:24.420 --> 00:39:28.300 and duration. To know when to ask these questions, 00:39:28.679 --> 00:39:31.500 you will reduce your talk time from a 10 -minute 00:39:31.500 --> 00:39:34.480 to a 7 -minute call, and your conversion ratios 00:39:34.480 --> 00:39:37.440 will go up about 30 % because you're cutting 00:39:37.440 --> 00:39:41.360 fat. You're reducing rabbit holes for my clarifications 00:39:41.360 --> 00:39:44.719 compared to I'm sorry's. And here's the best 00:39:44.719 --> 00:39:47.539 part, the military. Come on, Michael. Emails 00:39:47.539 --> 00:39:50.599 bounce back. You got to be kidding me. You walk 00:39:50.599 --> 00:39:53.360 through those emails at the end. And you pronounce 00:39:53.360 --> 00:39:57.420 those exotic names properly because some people 00:39:57.420 --> 00:39:59.139 will say, thank you. No one ever really asked. 00:39:59.139 --> 00:40:01.400 They're too afraid to ask how to say my last 00:40:01.400 --> 00:40:05.820 name. And that's a wonderful thing to do to somebody. 00:40:05.880 --> 00:40:09.599 Don't be afraid. You should ask the proper pronunciation 00:40:09.599 --> 00:40:12.519 the first time to not be afraid. And you ask 00:40:12.519 --> 00:40:15.059 for secret sauces. Come on, Michael. This is 00:40:15.059 --> 00:40:18.559 ABC 123 101. This is how grandma and grandpa 00:40:18.559 --> 00:40:21.380 taught you to behave. And if you do these sort 00:40:21.380 --> 00:40:24.699 of listening skills in the moment, paying attention, 00:40:25.019 --> 00:40:27.380 moving forward, cutting the fat, taking notes, 00:40:27.579 --> 00:40:29.820 acknowledging you're going to build an extremely 00:40:29.820 --> 00:40:33.380 large business of really solid long -term clients 00:40:33.380 --> 00:40:36.320 that will recommend you to people. Because they 00:40:36.320 --> 00:40:38.800 know you're a good guy. And they loved you before 00:40:38.800 --> 00:40:44.139 any contracts were even signed. Referrals are 00:40:44.139 --> 00:40:48.059 gold. It's golden. Especially if they are mentioning 00:40:48.059 --> 00:40:51.179 your name and everything. So that goes for a 00:40:51.179 --> 00:40:54.539 whole other podcast. But referrals, your whole 00:40:54.539 --> 00:40:58.280 goal is for that referral base. Because you do 00:40:58.280 --> 00:41:01.079 that referral base tenfold. You've done your 00:41:01.079 --> 00:41:05.619 job. That's right. Okay, Richard. Can anybody 00:41:05.619 --> 00:41:10.019 get hold of you, either call center, for pinball 00:41:10.019 --> 00:41:14.380 machines, for anything? What's the best way that 00:41:14.380 --> 00:41:17.440 they can get hold of you? Naturally, buy a first 00:41:17.440 --> 00:41:19.400 -class plane ticket, fly down and come visit 00:41:19.400 --> 00:41:24.380 me. Besides that. I hear it's freezing up north. 00:41:24.860 --> 00:41:28.940 It's cold. I'll give you that. Oh, my goodness 00:41:28.940 --> 00:41:31.500 gracious. But now you can send me an email to 00:41:31.500 --> 00:41:33.840 CEO Costa Rica's call center and check me out. 00:41:33.880 --> 00:41:36.739 And I tell you what, all they need to do is mention 00:41:36.739 --> 00:41:38.699 you, Michael, and say that they saw this podcast. 00:41:38.840 --> 00:41:40.820 I'll be more than happy to review some scripts. 00:41:40.900 --> 00:41:43.960 Some people give some advice for free. My thing 00:41:43.960 --> 00:41:46.420 is to pay it forward. Anybody that's got the 00:41:46.420 --> 00:41:49.039 guts to make a phone call and are not compromising 00:41:49.039 --> 00:41:52.300 their ethics, I think they're wonderful. And 00:41:52.300 --> 00:41:55.119 I'm going to say it again, dedicated practice. 00:41:55.980 --> 00:41:58.599 Speak out loud, practice your phonetics, record 00:41:58.599 --> 00:42:02.460 yourself, pay attention to this stuff. And if 00:42:02.460 --> 00:42:05.599 you do, you'll become one of the most incredible 00:42:05.599 --> 00:42:10.460 speakers that people will hire, promote. recommend 00:42:10.460 --> 00:42:12.500 or say hey will you speak for us you're the guy 00:42:12.500 --> 00:42:15.119 and yeah be bold and brave you only get one life 00:42:15.119 --> 00:42:17.159 you get 99 years that's all you get what i used 00:42:17.159 --> 00:42:20.099 to tell my players i was a coach for 16 years 00:42:20.099 --> 00:42:24.139 a baseball coach and the parents should say perfect 00:42:24.139 --> 00:42:27.219 practice makes perfect and i said no you're wrong 00:42:27.219 --> 00:42:31.380 perfect practice makes perfect so you have to 00:42:31.380 --> 00:42:33.800 because if you keep practicing the mistakes you're 00:42:33.800 --> 00:42:36.059 going to always make those mistakes but if you 00:42:36.059 --> 00:42:38.960 don't And you just practice, practice. That's 00:42:38.960 --> 00:42:41.559 what I do with networking, with speaking and 00:42:41.559 --> 00:42:43.179 everything else. Because I said in the beginning 00:42:43.179 --> 00:42:47.059 of this podcast, networking is a skill. Okay. 00:42:47.119 --> 00:42:49.760 And you have to practice, practice in order to 00:42:49.760 --> 00:42:53.380 get good. Anyway, Richard, thank you so very 00:42:53.380 --> 00:42:56.199 much. You have quite a background. You gave me 00:42:56.199 --> 00:42:58.739 quite an interesting, you gave me interesting 00:42:58.739 --> 00:43:02.280 thoughts on. the call centers and everything 00:43:02.280 --> 00:43:05.559 else. And I hope that some of my listeners or 00:43:05.559 --> 00:43:07.860 all my listeners, I don't care, once they reach 00:43:07.860 --> 00:43:13.260 out to you, I'll feel better. Okay, so I'll talk 00:43:13.260 --> 00:43:15.639 with you soon. Sounds good, Michael. Thank you. 00:43:16.820 --> 00:43:20.019 Well, hold on, folks. Don't go anywhere. 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And 00:44:42.869 --> 00:44:46.250 of course, a big shout out to you, our amazing 00:44:46.250 --> 00:44:49.190 listeners, for tuning in and spending your time 00:44:49.190 --> 00:44:53.070 with us. Remember, networking isn't about being 00:44:53.070 --> 00:44:56.409 perfect. It's about being present. So take what 00:44:56.409 --> 00:44:58.989 you've learned today, get out there and make 00:44:58.989 --> 00:45:01.989 some meaningful connections. If you enjoyed this 00:45:01.989 --> 00:45:04.969 episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave us 00:45:04.969 --> 00:45:07.590 a review and share it with someone who could 00:45:07.590 --> 00:45:10.889 use a little networking inspiration. Let's keep 00:45:10.889 --> 00:45:14.610 the conversation going. You can find me on Apple, 00:45:14.730 --> 00:45:19.380 Spotify, YouTube or my website. Michael A. Foreman, 00:45:19.400 --> 00:45:23.340 remember, until next time, keep practicing, keep 00:45:23.340 --> 00:45:25.920 connecting, and keep building those relationships. 00:45:26.360 --> 00:45:29.500 This is Michael A. Foreman signing off. Take 00:45:29.500 --> 00:45:31.139 care and happy networking.