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Night Beat Media "Living The Dream" podcast. Mastering Business with a Bilingual Edge with Richard Blank
"Night Beat Media's Living The Dream" is a Podcast dedicated to providing inspirational and educational content for entrepreneurs, small business owners, and individuals seeking personal and professional growth. Through a combination of mindset hacks, interviews, and open discussions, our podcast aims to share the real-life stories and insights of successful entrepreneurs, entertainers, industrial experts, and thought leaders. Our mission is to empower and educate our audience, helping them overcome obstacles and turn their dreams into reality.
Night Beat Media "Living The Dream" podcast. It features mindset hacks, interviews and open discussions with entrepreneurs, entertainers, industrial and small business experts regard their journey, obstacles faced and how they overcame them to remain standing. In short it's the hero's story from real people. Our guests include a mix of people who speak on topics of the day that are relevant and important to the small businesses, entrepreneurs, game changers and thought leaders. The experts and guests alike offer great advice, stories and tips that are beneficial to entrepreneurs, everyday people, small businesses and the minority community. It's one thing to talk about succeeding, but it's another putting in the work in order to turn your dream into a reality.
Richard Blank, the innovative CEO of Costa Rica's Call Center, takes listeners on his extraordinary journey of defying expectations and embracing the power of bilingualism. From a young age, Richard's passion for the Spanish language set him on a path that would transform his life. Disregarding traditional career norms, he pursued Spanish studies at the University of Arizona, leading him to a pivotal opportunity in Costa Rica. There, he started from scratch, building both a successful career and an impressive team of over 10,000 bilingual telemarketers, all while fostering a company culture enriched with retro gaming and creativity.
Listeners will be captivated by Richard's insights on the profound benefits of bilingualism and the unique challenges of entrepreneurship in a foreign land. He shares his experiences of navigating cultural nuances and emphasizes the importance of adaptability and continuous learning. Richard's story highlights how embracing a second language can open up vibrant new worlds and enrich personal interactions, while also offering practical advice on assembling a team of skilled specialists to thrive in a competitive business landscape.
"Night Beat Media's Living The Dream" is a Podcast dedicated to providing inspirational and educational content for entrepreneurs, small business owners, and individuals seeking personal and professional growth. Through a combination of mindset hacks, interviews, and open discussions, our podcast aims to share the real-life stories and insights of successful entrepreneurs, entertainers, industrial experts, and thought leaders. Our mission is to empower and educate our audience, helping them overcome obstacles and turn their dreams into reality.
Night Beat Media "Living The Dream" podcast. It features mindset hacks, interviews and open discussions with entrepreneurs, entertainers, industrial and small business experts regard their journey, obstacles faced and how they overcame them to remain standing. In short it's the hero's story from real people. Our guests include a mix of people who speak on topics of the day that are relevant and important to the small businesses, entrepreneurs, game changers and thought leaders. The experts and guests alike offer great advice, stories and tips that are beneficial to entrepreneurs, everyday people, small businesses and the minority community. It's one thing to talk about succeeding, but it's another putting in the work in order to turn your dream into a reality.
Richard Blank, the innovative CEO of Costa Rica's Call Center, takes listeners on his extraordinary journey of defying expectations and embracing the power of bilingualism. From a young age, Richard's passion for the Spanish language set him on a path that would transform his life. Disregarding traditional career norms, he pursued Spanish studies at the University of Arizona, leading him to a pivotal opportunity in Costa Rica. There, he started from scratch, building both a successful career and an impressive team of over 10,000 bilingual telemarketers, all while fostering a company culture enriched with retro gaming and creativity.
Listeners will be captivated by Richard's insights on the profound benefits of bilingualism and the unique challenges of entrepreneurship in a foreign land. He shares his experiences of navigating cultural nuances and emphasizes the importance of adaptability and continuous learning. Richard's story highlights how embracing a second language can open up vibrant new worlds and enrich personal interactions, while also offering practical advice on assembling a team of skilled specialists to thrive in a competitive business landscape.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Hi, welcome to another episode of Mighty Media's Living the Dream.
00:19Joining us today is Richard Blank, the CEO of Costa Rica's Call Center.
00:26Richard's story is all about taking risks, overcoming family guilt and societal pressure,
00:37and building something amazing in a new country.
00:42He's been on this incredible journey for over two decades now,
00:49training over 10,000 bilingual telemarketers along the way.
00:55That's right, 10,000 telemarketers.
01:01Richard's got some seriously advanced telemarketing strategies tips on conflict management
01:11and insights into customer support that we're going to dive into.
01:18Plus, he's also about gamification.
01:24He owns the largest collection of restored American pinball machines and antique jukeboxes in Costa Rica.
01:35And he's integrated that fun into his company's culture.
01:41Now, we're going to hear about his unique techniques,
01:48like the famous Walker boomerang technique,
01:53how he reads phonetic micro expressions to enhance customer interactions,
02:01and his take on the goals and cons of AI in the industry.
02:10So, sit back, get ready, and be inspired by Richard's journey.
02:16Because Richard is living what many only dream about.
02:23And with that said, we're going to get to it.
02:27Richard, thank you, and welcome to Living the Dream.
02:33Greg, I'm so happy to be with you and your audience today.
02:36Thank you for that amazing intro.
02:38And I'm prepared to share a ton of golden nuggets with you and your amazing audience.
02:43Yes. Okay.
02:45Well, Richard, we're going to jump right into, first of all, the beginning, the genesis.
02:53How did you find yourself in Costa Rica?
02:58That's a great question.
02:59It was built on momentum.
03:01Ever since I was a little boy, I gravitated towards Spanish.
03:04I loved it.
03:05I was picking up vocabulary.
03:07Latino market was giving me a positive reinforcement.
03:10And then when it came down to make that big decision in high school,
03:14what you can study in college, I had a choice.
03:17I could fall under the pressures of going to Harvard Law like grandpa,
03:21Columbia Business School like my pops,
03:24or Washington Lee University like my brother.
03:27I didn't have the grades, the maturity,
03:28and I just didn't feel like that was a good path for me.
03:32It just didn't feel right.
03:34And so I decided to be a Spanish major and go to the University of Arizona.
03:38I knew it was going to make me versatile, marketable, open some doors,
03:43or at least I know I'd get a return on investment of those four years,
03:47or in my case, five years at the university.
03:50And so what happened was during college,
03:54I interned for Telemundo just to test the waters.
03:57Post-grad, I worked for the importers of Corona,
03:59and I also sold telecom for the Latino marketplace.
04:02I was practicing those skills.
04:04And so in August of 2000,
04:08I was given a one-in-a-million opportunity to move to Costa Rica
04:10and work at my friend's center.
04:12And as you stated, I got past some serious parents' guilt,
04:16decided to stop sending my resume out through a fax machine
04:19to try to get a job,
04:21and to take a time out.
04:22Little did I know I shed some skin,
04:25opened my eyes,
04:26fell in love with the girl of my dreams,
04:28decided to stay.
04:29And that pretty much began the second half of my life
04:33on this amazing adventure.
04:36It was very pure.
04:37It was raw.
04:38There was no blueprint.
04:40You couldn't use your family or friends' connections.
04:43It was pretty much just starting from scratch
04:45at a later age in life when you're 27.
04:47You're not a kid anymore.
04:49And so you may realize
04:51that you are given this incredible chance
04:55that only crosses your path once in a lifetime.
04:58And you may need to make selfish decisions.
05:01And in my case,
05:03it was a healthy decision
05:05because I knew that I wouldn't regret it
05:07and I could live with it.
05:09And that's kind of why we're here today.
05:12Richard,
05:13one of the things that you brought up
05:15and that is that
05:17later or while you were in school,
05:20you realized that
05:21you weren't going to be a doctor or a lawyer.
05:25So you decided as far as on language
05:30or linguistics.
05:34So with that being said,
05:37was there anything in your youth
05:40that prepared you
05:41as far as for this remarkable journey?
05:45Dedicated practice,
05:46just like in the karate kid
05:48waxing on and waxing off
05:50when Miyagi's not around.
05:51Anybody that does above and beyond
05:53what they do in school
05:55or in athletics during practice,
05:57that's when you become an ace.
05:59Become the best.
06:01And I knew that I was preparing myself
06:03for a life of this.
06:04But I tell you what,
06:06when I was the only one out of my friends
06:08that could speak Spanish,
06:09I knew that it was special.
06:11Also, Arizona had a great language department
06:14that gave me a chance
06:14to travel abroad my junior year.
06:16But it's your cosquillas,
06:18it's your butterflies,
06:19your intuition.
06:21And especially when I was graduating,
06:23I had terrible grades.
06:24They were not good.
06:25I was playing too much in high school.
06:28And so my Spanish teacher
06:29decided to offset those grades
06:31and give me a college recommendation letter.
06:33And then I got one from the principal,
06:35the late principal, Norman Schmidt.
06:37Without these two individuals,
06:38I would have never gotten into Arizona.
06:40And so even today, Gregory,
06:42I have a second language scholarship
06:44that I give to a graduating senior at Abington
06:47so they can study that second language
06:49and I'll pay for their books freshman year.
06:51So I like to pay it forward
06:53and be very humble
06:54and thank those that assisted me along the way.
06:57But this was a major decision.
06:59I had to convince my parents at the time,
07:01paying for college,
07:02why I was doing this.
07:04My argument was my great-grandparents
07:06that came to the United States
07:07from Eastern Europe at the turn of the 20th,
07:10they couldn't speak English
07:11and they made their money
07:13during the Depression.
07:14So I said, listen,
07:15if they didn't come,
07:16you wouldn't even be here.
07:17So we're nomads.
07:19It's in our blood.
07:20I'm not moving this way.
07:21I'm just going south.
07:23And you should never extinguish a spark in somebody
07:27as long as it's not hurting somebody else.
07:29And even if you don't understand it,
07:31there might be communities
07:32that do understand it
07:33and see your interest.
07:34And these are the ones
07:35that should be encouraging you,
07:36not your family
07:38that might be afraid for you
07:39or negative Nancy's trying to protect you.
07:41But think about it like this.
07:43If you never get on a roller coaster,
07:45you never experience loop-de-loops
07:46while your parents are afraid
07:48you're going to puke.
07:49Guess what?
07:49Both might happen.
07:50But whatever happens,
07:51you're still building character
07:53and you're drinking life
07:54and enjoying yourself.
07:55So I always believe
07:56that two conservative parents
07:58can hinder growth
07:59and the ones that are too free
08:01can just let someone make wrong decisions.
08:04So the greatest thing that I had
08:05besides my immediate family and friends
08:07were other mentors
08:08that helped direct me
08:09and balance my bike.
08:11And so I was curious.
08:13I didn't mind knocking on a door
08:15or asking a follow-up question
08:17or making myself vulnerable
08:19to let them know
08:19I know absolutely nothing.
08:20Is there any chance
08:21you can begin to fill my head
08:23with some ideas?
08:24And so being a dreamer,
08:27you might need to walk alone.
08:28You might get laughed at sometimes
08:30or people might think
08:31that it's far-fetched
08:32or it's cute
08:32or a passing phase.
08:34But you need to hold your ground.
08:37And so I made this commitment
08:38to myself at 18 years old.
08:39If I was going to really study this thing,
08:41I got to learn it
08:42and I got to figure out a way
08:43to make a living from it.
08:45But, you know,
08:45Spanish was my major
08:46and communication was my minor.
08:48So a lot of the stuff
08:49that I apply
08:50in my call center practice
08:52was from the theories
08:53and the activities
08:55that I did during college
08:56in the communication classes.
08:57And so thankfully,
08:59Gregory,
09:00I got a luxury trade
09:01and I'm able to earn
09:03a living through rhetoric,
09:04through speech,
09:05through that sort of performance,
09:06which thankfully still has value.
09:10And so, as you say,
09:11living a dream,
09:12I'm living a great dream.
09:13Why do you think
09:14I'm so smiling
09:14and happy all the time?
09:16Because it's not about
09:18how much money you make.
09:18I've done very well for myself.
09:21There's a certain time
09:22when golden jewels
09:22lose its luster
09:23and there's only so many
09:24dinners you can eat.
09:26And so being 52,
09:27bald and gray,
09:28it's my turn
09:29to somehow pass that wisdom
09:31and to do it
09:33where it's not just a phase
09:34or something that's in and out.
09:37I would like to
09:38do some sort of development
09:40so these diplomatic soft skills
09:43individuals have
09:44can enrich their lives
09:46so they can put their phone down
09:48and communicate with people
09:49in a different way
09:50as you and I were talking
09:52before the podcast,
09:52the old school way,
09:54the things we were raised on
09:55by our parents and grandparents.
09:57And so I'm trying to instill
09:59what I know.
10:01And unfortunately,
10:02our generation,
10:03Generation X,
10:05you know,
10:05we're unique,
10:06we're niche
10:07and some people find us interesting.
10:09But I think we had
10:10some serious backbone.
10:12There was a lot of coming of age
10:14and maybe we were
10:16the last generation
10:17that didn't have that
10:18computer and cell phone
10:20when we were growing up,
10:21lying on the grass,
10:21looking at the stars
10:22and telling our dreams
10:23to our friends.
10:24And so I'm trying
10:27to recapture that again
10:28in a sense.
10:29Okay.
10:30And it's interesting
10:31that you bring up mentoring.
10:33And that is
10:34one of the most important things
10:36that during our generation
10:38that we had access
10:40as far as to
10:41quite a number
10:42of mentors.
10:44Now,
10:44all of our mentors
10:46weren't giving us
10:47everything we needed,
10:48but we had
10:51the foresight,
10:52and especially you,
10:54had the foresight
10:55for us to get
10:56bits and pieces
10:58in order
10:59to put all of those
11:01pieces to the puzzle
11:03together.
11:06And you had mentioned
11:07that you are doing
11:08a scholarship right now
11:11as far as for
11:12young people
11:13who are in high school
11:15to learn
11:17that second language.
11:20When we were
11:22in high school,
11:23in my high school,
11:25I can only speak
11:26for my high school,
11:28we were offered
11:30the elective,
11:32but at that particular time,
11:35I don't think
11:35that many
11:37had the foresight
11:39in order
11:40to see
11:42down the road
11:44that the world
11:46were becoming
11:47more interconnected.
11:50So,
11:50what would you tell
11:51a young person
11:53today?
11:56Yes,
11:57well,
11:58anybody that's bilingual
11:59bears the mark
12:00of higher education.
12:02And if you're worried
12:02about an accent,
12:03it's just a beauty mark.
12:04Look at Ricardo Montalban
12:06from Fantasy Island.
12:07That was the man
12:08right there.
12:09What does it do
12:10for you?
12:12It really shows
12:13good faith
12:14in the beginning.
12:15People realize
12:16there's a sincere
12:17effort
12:17in really trying
12:20to communicate
12:20with someone.
12:22And so,
12:22I myself,
12:23in regards
12:24to a first impression,
12:25knowing the proper
12:26grammar,
12:26vocabulary,
12:27and pleasantries,
12:30was able
12:30to properly
12:32introduce myself,
12:33network accordingly,
12:34be invited
12:34to people's homes,
12:36second plates of food.
12:37I knew my social graces
12:39and I could do it
12:40in two languages.
12:41It felt very
12:41James Bond-ish of me.
12:43It's kind of cool.
12:45And if you're talking
12:45about smoothing,
12:46now you got extra game.
12:48You could talk
12:48about the weather
12:49and it sounds great.
12:50So,
12:51I mean,
12:51come on,
12:51you sound like an ace
12:52every time.
12:53And for some odd reason,
12:55life just seemed
12:56to get a little bit easier
12:57in this second language.
12:59But then you say,
13:00well,
13:01you might make a mistake
13:02or you might not
13:03understand something.
13:05Yeah,
13:05I got you.
13:06But the people
13:06are so enthralled
13:08for the fact
13:08that you're participating.
13:09You're there.
13:11You get points for that.
13:12There's like a handicap
13:13and a hedging
13:14and a curve.
13:15And everyone
13:16is more than willing
13:17to carry you along,
13:19to give you some grammar,
13:20some additional vocabulary,
13:22a couple expressions.
13:23My problem is
13:24I don't get jokes
13:25in Spanish
13:25or it takes me
13:26five years to get it.
13:27But that's cute.
13:29It's still innocent.
13:30It's still raw.
13:31You're not so rehearsed
13:33and the conversation
13:34isn't so mundane
13:36that you space out.
13:38When you're bilingual,
13:39you are really
13:40concentrating in the moment.
13:41You're translating.
13:42You're figuring.
13:43You feel smarter.
13:44It's like a recharging
13:45of a battery.
13:46You're really in there.
13:47And so,
13:48for somebody
13:49with attention deficit
13:51and attention spans
13:53and can be bored quickly
13:54if someone's not juggling
13:55in front of me,
13:56this really allowed me
13:58to live in the now
13:59and to really
14:00be there in life.
14:03And it surprised me.
14:06It's kind of weird.
14:07It's almost like surfing.
14:09You know,
14:09eventually you can kind of
14:10know where the board is.
14:11You kind of get a couple moves.
14:13But there's nothing better
14:14than a three-minute conversation,
14:16a five-minute conversation.
14:17You're like,
14:17wait a second,
14:18I'm really surfing.
14:19Next thing you know,
14:19you've been talking
14:20for two hours
14:21with someone over coffee,
14:22hanging out,
14:23and you feel
14:24that you have more culture
14:25you feel enriched.
14:27You want to start looking
14:28at paintings now
14:29and write poetry.
14:31I mean,
14:31there's other parts
14:32of your mind
14:33that you start
14:34taking things out of.
14:36It's,
14:37you know,
14:37when you do the arts,
14:39you are working
14:40certain areas
14:41of your brain.
14:42And they say
14:43when you get older,
14:44it's either crossword puzzles
14:45or second languages
14:46so you don't lose it.
14:48And for me,
14:48I chose the former.
14:50But it was versatile.
14:52Could you imagine
14:52if I chose something
14:54that I could go
14:54to a seminar twice a year
14:56or I had to be
14:56by a computer
14:57or buy something?
14:59All the world's a stage.
15:00So I gave myself
15:01a playground
15:02and it allowed me
15:04to not get reinforced
15:06but to constantly practice it.
15:08You know,
15:08I was getting two or three hours
15:09of free Spanish a day.
15:11And then when you were dating someone
15:12or my wife currently,
15:14that's a free tutor.
15:15Like the movie,
15:16My Tutor.
15:17That's great, right?
15:18You can kiss your tutor.
15:19And so,
15:20you know,
15:22life was fun.
15:23Everything was exciting.
15:25It's almost like
15:26in The Wizard of Oz
15:27where I'm from black
15:28and white to color.
15:29All of a sudden,
15:30everything seemed
15:30a lot brighter
15:31and it kept me on my toes
15:34where every second
15:35I'm asking
15:35what a definition is
15:37of a new
15:38furniture
15:39or food
15:40or life.
15:42And like a child,
15:44you know,
15:44you're just so excited
15:45and observant.
15:46And so,
15:47it was really
15:47a beautiful,
15:49beautiful gift
15:50that I gave myself
15:52and that has been,
15:54that just keeps giving
15:55to this day.
15:57What are some
15:59of the challenges
16:00that you faced
16:02when you initially
16:04started your business
16:05in a different country?
16:08We have a phenomenal
16:09labor pool here.
16:10So,
16:10it's not like I created
16:11the labor pool.
16:12Call centers were here
16:13a decade before
16:14I even got here.
16:15You have companies
16:16such as Amazon,
16:17HP, Intel, and Oracle.
16:18So,
16:19they are producing,
16:20you know,
16:21a training school
16:22for this industry.
16:24I wasn't on
16:26a home court advantage.
16:27So,
16:28let's be realistic.
16:29I needed to hire
16:30specialists.
16:31I can't go to
16:32Cisco school.
16:33I needed a CTO.
16:35I don't know the laws
16:36here like I do now.
16:37So,
16:37I needed an attorney,
16:39an accountant,
16:40human resources director,
16:41head of security,
16:42supervisors.
16:43And so,
16:45it's almost like
16:46branches and roots
16:46of a tree.
16:47Just make me the trunk.
16:49Make me the prima donna
16:50so I can just do
16:51the training classes
16:52and have fun with people.
16:53But,
16:54I did realize
16:55like the A-team,
16:57you know,
16:57you need to surround
16:59yourself with winners
17:00and you need to delegate.
17:02You need to have faith
17:03in individuals.
17:04Most of the time
17:05I've made good decisions,
17:06but I've had some
17:07bad hires before.
17:08You know,
17:09that's the name
17:09of the game.
17:10And my industry
17:11has an extremely
17:12large attrition rate.
17:14People burn out in it.
17:15Plus,
17:16we compete against
17:16Indy and the Philippines.
17:18But here's why
17:19it made sense to me
17:20to be in this industry.
17:21First,
17:21I was in my friend's
17:23center for four years.
17:24So,
17:24I got to hang out
17:24with the people.
17:25I learned it
17:26from the inside out,
17:27not at sea level.
17:29So,
17:29you get to hear
17:29what's going on
17:30behind the curtain
17:31and the good and the bad.
17:33And also,
17:34it's almost like
17:34my graduate school.
17:36In four years,
17:37I learned retention,
17:38onboarding,
17:38customer support,
17:39sales,
17:40SEO,
17:41search engine optimization,
17:43affiliate management,
17:44even some of the labor laws
17:45and training and onboarding.
17:46So,
17:47it allowed me
17:48to really hone
17:50those skills.
17:52And then,
17:52when I was in my mid-30s,
17:53I knew I was getting older.
17:54So,
17:55it was a chance
17:55just to throw my hat
17:56in the ring.
17:56And I did it
17:57conservatively.
17:58I was renting
17:59a turnkey station
18:01at a blended center
18:02like an internet cafe.
18:04There was no privacy,
18:05but I could
18:05scale accordingly.
18:07Make my margin,
18:08pay the taxes,
18:09and pay the overhead.
18:10And so,
18:10I did that for a couple years.
18:12It wasn't glamorous,
18:14but I had enough capital
18:15and some solid clients
18:16that I then rented space
18:18where I was buying
18:20used furniture
18:20and equipment
18:21from call centers
18:23going out of business.
18:24And I could scale
18:25quarterly per row
18:26and manage that effectively.
18:29And then,
18:29after six years of that,
18:30I had enough money
18:31and larger clients
18:33that I decided
18:34to purchase a building,
18:35put on a third floor
18:36and equipped it
18:37for 300 people.
18:38You're looking at
18:39a 17-year journey
18:40right now.
18:42This didn't happen
18:42overnight.
18:44So,
18:44just like Grandpa
18:44taught me,
18:45you do it in cash,
18:46slow and conservative
18:47so you can sleep at night.
18:48You pay your taxes
18:49and people's salaries
18:50before yourself
18:51so you're not struggling
18:52or making very risky,
18:55unethical decisions.
18:57I mean,
18:57this is my reputation here.
18:59And so,
19:00there is natural
19:02attrition I lose people
19:03because of a scheduling conflict.
19:05Their girlfriend works somewhere.
19:06They can make more money.
19:08Okay.
19:08But you and I
19:09will never give them
19:11the walk of shame.
19:12I don't want somebody to cry.
19:14I'm here to build you up,
19:15not to break you down.
19:17But I will do this though
19:18and you know
19:19we're the kind of people
19:20that call the balls
19:21and the strikes
19:22and I'll give you
19:24some serious Philly guilt.
19:26Okay.
19:26I'll call you out on it
19:27because I've seen you at your best
19:28and if you're capable
19:30of allowing me
19:32to work with you
19:34in that sort of way
19:35then we'll definitely
19:36crack some codes
19:37and get to different levels.
19:38It's this generation
19:41and it's okay
19:42but they're marketable
19:44and what they do
19:44is they'll enter strong
19:45but they'll just
19:46peace out on you
19:47and won't even give you
19:48two weeks notice.
19:49And what I have learned
19:50in business
19:51for your entrepreneur
19:51is that when you work
19:53with somebody
19:53it's character during chaos.
19:55Nothing's ever perfect
19:56and if there's no surprises
19:58and you can advise
20:00your client
20:00either of preventative measures
20:02or a game plan
20:03after something happens
20:04that you're on it
20:05they'll respect you more.
20:07I mean you may lose
20:08a few clients
20:08that might get emotional
20:09but the real players
20:11the ones that have run
20:11a business before
20:12love that accountability.
20:15Come on man
20:15even though you spilled the beer
20:16I'm going to clean it up
20:17I'll pay for it
20:18and let's keep going.
20:19You know
20:20you fall on certain swords
20:21you keep the peace
20:23and that's very important
20:24for me
20:25but you know
20:26it's very humbling
20:26when people come back
20:28they have options
20:29and the fact that
20:30individuals are putting
20:31wind in my sails
20:32hopefully I can do
20:34the same for them
20:35and you know
20:36when you run a business
20:37you do have leverage
20:38you can hire
20:39and fire somebody
20:39so I'm constantly
20:41looking for somebody
20:42that's raw
20:43that I can mold
20:44like a squire
20:44to a knight
20:45there's absolutely
20:47no way
20:47I would turnkey
20:49bring in
20:50a supervisor
20:51and have them run
20:52a department
20:53they would never
20:54get the respect
20:54of the people
20:55and so even
20:56if you're an 18 year old
20:57you know
20:58red cheek freshman
21:00that's wet behind
21:01your ears
21:02if you're killing it
21:03showing up to work
21:04on time
21:04great attitude
21:05come on
21:07Gregory and I
21:07are going to promote
21:08you like crazy
21:08we just don't want
21:09you to know yet
21:10you know
21:10we just keep seeing
21:12that you're not
21:12too good to be true
21:13but if you are
21:15you're going to be
21:15in that big boy meeting
21:17put a star on you
21:18and we'll see
21:20what you can do
21:20you had brought up
21:22something
21:22and that's
21:23regarding AI
21:25and how
21:26it has
21:28affected
21:29the industry
21:30would you
21:32care to
21:33elaborate on that
21:34of course
21:36most people today
21:37prefer omni-channel
21:39non-voice support
21:40they prefer
21:40texting
21:41chats
21:42and emails
21:42a lot of the bots
21:43in AI
21:44can assist you
21:45to gather the information
21:46and move along the way
21:47let's do a football
21:49analogy
21:49let's let AI
21:50take it to the
21:5110 yard line
21:52I need to put that
21:53ball into the end zone
21:55there needs to be
21:55that interpersonal
21:56communication
21:57people will still
21:58press zero
21:59to speak to somebody
22:00they'd rather have
22:02that live reservation
22:03also I believe
22:04my strongest
22:05argument
22:06against AI
22:07even though it is
22:08reducing my staff
22:09and making us
22:09more effective
22:10they will never
22:11replace empathy
22:13they can't
22:14they can do
22:15everything
22:15but
22:16a computer
22:18cannot tell you
22:19how bad
22:20they feel
22:20that your puppy
22:21ran away
22:21it just doesn't
22:22seem authentic
22:22what happens
22:23if you break
22:24your arm
22:24they're going
22:24to say
22:24they know
22:25how you feel
22:25no they don't
22:26it's AI
22:27they don't
22:28have arms
22:28and so
22:30I believe
22:31that the
22:32authenticity
22:32that crying
22:34on the shoulder
22:34that sort of
22:35as you mentioning
22:36bonding moment
22:37that will never
22:37be replaced
22:38it's better
22:39to see a painting
22:40than a print
22:41home-cooked meal
22:42than microwaved
22:43live theater
22:45compared to the movie
22:46and so
22:48you will see
22:49today
22:49and people
22:50talk about it
22:51that AI
22:51is writing script
22:52playing music
22:53creating art
22:53that's okay
22:54but if you walk
22:55downtown
22:5610, 20, 30
22:57years from now
22:58and you see
22:58a person
22:59playing live
23:00on the street
23:00you know
23:01this hat there
23:02to try to make
23:02a buck
23:03I guarantee
23:04it's going to
23:04have a long
23:05line of people
23:05dropping a dollar
23:06into his hat
23:07because they're
23:08going to love
23:08to see
23:09somebody that's
23:11passionate
23:11live
23:12doing their
23:13business
23:13I know
23:14that certain
23:15musicians
23:15are complaining
23:16they're not
23:16making as much
23:17money
23:17because they're
23:19on Spotify
23:19any of those
23:20areas
23:20we were talking
23:21about that
23:21okay
23:23but remember
23:25this
23:25you got into
23:26this first
23:26for the passion
23:27and then the
23:29money comes
23:29so I'm not
23:30saying you're
23:31not going to
23:31earn money
23:32but you might
23:32make more
23:33money playing
23:33on the corner
23:34on 5th street
23:35than you would
23:36trying to sell
23:37your CDs
23:38online
23:38it's like
23:39this famous
23:40artist that you
23:41hear the stories
23:41about them
23:42selling their CDs
23:43in the back
23:43of their
23:44cars
23:45in the trunks
23:46famous people
23:48right
23:49and so
23:50when they
23:52look back
23:52at those
23:53smaller club
23:54dates
23:55the times
23:56they were
23:56hustling
23:57when they
23:58were fixing
23:59a tire
23:59in the rain
24:00to get
24:00to a show
24:01now that
24:02they're
24:02multi-zillionaires
24:04they love
24:05those times
24:06it's like
24:08when you see
24:08the famous
24:09people that
24:09are still
24:09best friends
24:11with their
24:11kindergarten
24:11friend
24:12they realize
24:13that's still
24:13their buddy
24:14from back
24:14in the day
24:15even though
24:15they're
24:15super huge
24:16and super
24:17famous
24:17but when
24:18it comes
24:18to that
24:19phone call
24:20that moment
24:21wedding
24:22who sits
24:22at their
24:22top table
24:23it's that
24:24guy
24:24it's the
24:25one that
24:25loved him
24:26before all
24:26the fame
24:27and the
24:27fortune
24:27and got
24:28to know
24:28the individual
24:29when you
24:29skinned your
24:30knee fell
24:30out of the
24:31tree and
24:31was scared
24:32on a rainy
24:33night
24:33you know
24:34it's just
24:34so as
24:37much as
24:38AI seems
24:39threatening
24:39I'm not
24:40afraid of
24:40the buggy
24:41whip
24:41I'm not
24:42afraid of
24:42the steam
24:43engine or
24:43the industrial
24:44revolution
24:44some people
24:46are worried
24:46about their
24:46jobs
24:47listen if
24:47it's going
24:48to eliminate
24:48my industry
24:49I'll just
24:50be like
24:51Zorba the
24:51Greek
24:51put out
24:52my hands
24:52and start
24:53dancing
24:53when my
24:53ship
24:53goes down
24:54but until
24:55that time
24:56comes I'm
24:56still going
24:56to believe
24:57in the
24:57art of
24:57speech
24:58I believe
24:59that we
24:59have merit
25:00the individuals
25:01here will
25:01retain a
25:02client
25:02get that
25:03upsell
25:04get that
25:04referral
25:05and maybe
25:06even that
25:06exit interview
25:07that AI
25:08might not
25:08be able
25:09to get
25:09so we
25:10will still
25:11and I
25:11will still
25:11make this
25:12argument
25:12there's a
25:13huge value
25:14for these
25:15proficient
25:16speakers
25:16in this
25:17industry
25:17and I'm
25:19not to
25:19slam
25:20AI
25:20as you
25:21mentioned
25:22because it
25:23does help
25:24us get
25:24some things
25:25done
25:25quickly
25:27and it
25:27does some
25:28heavy lifting
25:29for us
25:29may I share
25:30an example
25:30with you
25:31okay
25:31venting
25:33when someone
25:34vents
25:35we have a
25:35rule here
25:36profanity
25:37if profanity
25:38goes this
25:39way
25:39it's okay
25:41we'll just
25:41let them
25:42vent
25:42if it goes
25:42at you
25:43we get a
25:43warning
25:44one more
25:44time
25:44I'll kill
25:45the call
25:45AI is going
25:46to have a
25:47default there
25:47where if you
25:48start cursing
25:48they're going
25:49to kill
25:49the call
25:49what happens
25:51when we've
25:51had people
25:51frustrated
25:52and they
25:52just curse
25:53for a couple
25:53seconds
25:54and they
25:54say Gregory
25:54I'm so
25:55sorry
25:55I apologize
25:56and I
25:56go
25:57you finished
25:58would you
25:58like to
25:59still do
25:59a little
26:00more
26:00they're like
26:00no no
26:00Richard
26:00I'm okay
26:01you sure
26:02Gregory
26:02okay
26:03good
26:04and then
26:05you get
26:05even closer
26:06and the
26:07call ends
26:08well
26:08and so
26:08imagine that
26:10they're going
26:10to be dropping
26:11and they're
26:13going to be
26:13dispositioning
26:14calls when
26:15people are
26:15just letting
26:16off
26:17steam
26:18okay
26:19and that's
26:20just something
26:21I'm concerned
26:21with too
26:22because when
26:22you're on
26:23the phone
26:23and people
26:23can't
26:24understand
26:24you
26:24when you're
26:25trying to
26:25put in
26:25the information
26:26you start
26:26screaming
26:27saying may
26:27I speak
26:27to someone
26:28F this
26:28what's going
26:29on here
26:30next thing
26:30you know
26:30click
26:31and then you
26:32got to get
26:32back in queue
26:33again and
26:33waste 25
26:34minutes
26:35and be extra
26:36nice and
26:37careful with the
26:38people on the
26:38phone so they
26:39don't hang up
26:40on you again
26:41and so
26:42please take that
26:44into consideration
26:45with people
26:45how long they've
26:46been waiting
26:46the latency
26:47right and so
26:49they might be
26:49just taking it
26:50out on you
26:50but just make
26:51sure it goes
26:51this way
26:52not at you
26:53directly
26:53really important
26:54in that
26:54developing those
26:55soft skills
26:56you should be
26:57attentive when
26:58listening
26:59if you ask
27:00somebody to
27:00repeat themselves
27:01multiple time
27:01it only
27:02frustrates them
27:03you should
27:04fall on certain
27:04swords instead
27:05of saying
27:06Gregory excuse
27:06me it's
27:07Gregory for
27:07my clarification
27:08was it ABC
27:10or 123
27:11those are
27:12nice things
27:12to do
27:13plus I like
27:15doing positive
27:15escalations
27:16if somebody
27:16assisted me
27:17along the
27:18way before
27:18I transfer
27:19just did a
27:19great job
27:20I'll let
27:20them know
27:20verbally
27:21and in
27:21writing
27:21that they
27:22did great
27:23so you
27:24sometimes get
27:24extra goodies
27:25out of that
27:26and also we
27:27have a soft
27:28skills technique
27:29it's the
27:29buffer boomerang
27:30technique
27:31you were
27:31mentioning it
27:32earlier
27:32how about
27:33this
27:33you already
27:36didn't see
27:36that
27:36you buffer
27:40the negative
27:40tone
27:41Gregory
27:41you say
27:42that's an
27:43excellent
27:43question
27:43ABC
27:44is 123
27:45yeah
27:46Richard
27:46what's
27:47123
27:47Gregory
27:48great
27:49question
27:49123
27:50is ABC
27:51I name
27:52drop you
27:53to buffer
27:54that negative
27:54tone
27:54let you know
27:55it's a great
27:55question
27:56repeat the
27:57question for
27:57active listening
27:58then send
27:59it back to
28:00you positive
28:00there's ways
28:02of readjustments
28:02of tone
28:03of gauging a
28:04positive and
28:05negative reinforcement
28:06if you're an
28:07entrepreneur and
28:07you're outbound
28:08prospecting
28:09and you hear
28:10the word
28:11good thanks
28:11is this a
28:12sales call
28:12no thank
28:13you
28:13why are you
28:13calling
28:14is this a
28:14scam
28:15sound like
28:16a salesperson
28:16what you're
28:17trying to do
28:18is land an
28:18introduction
28:19because the
28:19body and
28:20conclusion don't
28:21even exist
28:21so my
28:22suggestion for
28:23people is to
28:24start strong
28:24use your
28:25anonymity
28:25the first
28:26couple seconds
28:27should be the
28:27company name
28:28spike hey
28:29night deep
28:29media how
28:30you doing
28:30today
28:31you have no
28:32idea who
28:32I am
28:33and guess
28:33what Gregory
28:34I said it
28:34better than
28:34you did
28:35and then the
28:36first thing
28:36you do is
28:37you say hey
28:37who's this
28:38that's a great
28:39question my name
28:40is Richard
28:40blank
28:40and I'm
28:41going to wait
28:41for the
28:42double dip
28:42reinforcement
28:43you go Richard
28:43blank
28:44who are you
28:46what company
28:46do you
28:47represent
28:47I knew you
28:48were going to
28:48ask that
28:49question
28:49my company
28:50is Costa
28:50Rica
28:51Scalza
28:51and then you
28:52play your
28:52odds
28:53you reduce
28:53an ego
28:54defense
28:54from about
28:54a 10
28:55to a 4
28:55and you
28:56move that
28:576 into
28:57you
28:57so you
28:58get forward
28:58motion
28:59and this
28:59only happens
29:00in 30
29:00second to a
29:01minute clips
29:02so don't think
29:03you're on a
29:035 to a
29:0410 minute
29:04call
29:0410 minute
29:05calls is
29:0520 30
29:06second
29:06checkpoints
29:07you need
29:08tie down
29:09questions
29:09Gregory
29:09makes sense
29:10right
29:11Gregory
29:11sounds good
29:13right
29:13Gregory
29:14may we
29:15move forward
29:16you need
29:17to
29:17because I'd
29:18rather have
29:19a solid
29:194 than
29:20a shaky
29:2110 and
29:21then you're
29:22not working
29:22you don't
29:22have that
29:23appointment
29:23and so it's
29:25very important
29:26once again
29:26to give a
29:28military alphabet
29:29towards the end
29:30of the call
29:31so emails
29:32don't bounce
29:32back chances
29:33are somebody
29:33could have
29:34served for
29:34a while
29:35so you can
29:36anchor with
29:37individuals
29:37since people
29:38are working
29:39from home
29:39if you happen
29:40to hear a dog
29:41barking in the
29:41background
29:42why don't you
29:42stop for a
29:43second
29:43hey Gregory
29:44I love
29:45dogs
29:45what I'm
29:46doing is
29:46inadvertently
29:47and passive
29:47aggressively
29:48letting you
29:48know I
29:48can't hear
29:49you
29:49dogs barking
29:50right
29:50and then I'll
29:51go hey
29:52what's the
29:53name of your
29:53dog
29:53and you're
29:54going to
29:54go champ
29:54really
29:55what breed
29:56is it
29:56it's a
29:57German
29:57shepherd
29:57how old
29:58is your
29:58puppy
29:59ha ha ha
30:00my puppy's
30:0112 years
30:01old
30:02I'm like
30:02yeah
30:02and so
30:03come on
30:03man
30:04and then you're
30:05like hold on
30:05Richard I'll just
30:06put it outside
30:07real quick
30:08and I'm like
30:08of course you
30:09will
30:09and then you
30:09come back
30:10again
30:10and so
30:11out of a
30:12thousand people
30:13how many
30:14mentioned
30:14Betty your
30:15secretary
30:15probably me
30:16out of a
30:17thousand people
30:18how many
30:18mentioned
30:18your dog
30:19or if
30:19anything
30:19they're like
30:20hey I
30:20can hear
30:20your dog
30:21I can't
30:21hear you
30:21Gregory
30:22excuse me
30:22excuse me
30:23come on
30:23these are the
30:25sort of soft
30:25skills
30:25instead of
30:26going back
30:26and forth
30:27where it's
30:27a straight
30:27line
30:28do a
30:28half moon
30:29it still
30:30touches the
30:30two points
30:31but it
30:31eases in
30:32and eases
30:32out
30:33it doesn't
30:33hurt as
30:34much
30:34it's
30:34smooth
30:35slide
30:36in there
30:36right
30:37a little
30:38bit of
30:38a little
30:39bit of
30:39a lean
30:40and so
30:41it seems
30:42less
30:43offensive
30:43you're not
30:44aggressive
30:45you're more
30:46assertive
30:47and these
30:49are the
30:49sort of
30:49things my
30:50man
30:50someone's
30:50got to
30:51lead
30:51the dance
30:52and is
30:53it
30:53manipulation
30:54of course
30:54it is
30:55it's just
30:55not lying
30:56what I'm
30:57doing is
30:58it's like
30:58choose your
30:58own adventure
30:59I'm just
30:59following along
31:00what you're
31:00choosing
31:01and I'm
31:02just making
31:02sure at the
31:03end we get
31:03the gold
31:04and so
31:04it's a
31:05beautiful way
31:06to prolong
31:07your metrics
31:08and have
31:08longer talk
31:09times
31:09it doesn't
31:10mean that
31:10your
31:11conversion
31:12ratios
31:12won't
31:13increase
31:13I mean
31:13it should
31:14if you're
31:14pitching
31:15longer
31:15but how
31:16about this
31:17my man
31:17at least
31:17you're
31:17making
31:18your case
31:19at least
31:20you can
31:20have romantic
31:20deaths
31:21and jump
31:21clouds
31:22on these
31:23sales calls
31:23you knew
31:24you gave
31:25it your
31:25all
31:25the real
31:26college
31:26try
31:27and just
31:28by default
31:28it doesn't
31:29close
31:30but you can
31:31live with
31:31yourself
31:32you know
31:32you're doing
31:32perfect
31:33pitches
31:33and so
31:34these are
31:35the sort
31:35of simple
31:36soft skills
31:37that we
31:37repeat and
31:38do every
31:38day just
31:39in the
31:39beginning
31:39in order
31:40for us
31:41to get
31:41our composure
31:41our balance
31:42to anchor
31:43and at least
31:43give ourselves
31:44a 30 second
31:45by time
31:46so I get
31:47another 30
31:48seconds to
31:48potentially
31:49introduce
31:49myself
31:50and as
31:51and as
31:51they're
31:51talking
31:52they're
31:53describing
31:54the problem
31:56that they're
31:57having
31:58and how
31:59they're looking
32:01for the
32:01solution
32:02to that
32:03problem
32:03right there
32:04and if
32:04you're not
32:05actively
32:05listening
32:06or as
32:07you had
32:08mentioned
32:08and that
32:09is
32:10making
32:11sure
32:11using
32:12that
32:12boomerang
32:12to
32:13make
32:15sure
32:15you
32:15understood
32:16what they
32:18said
32:18and repeated
32:19back to
32:20them
32:20but like
32:22with your
32:22dog
32:23asking
32:23follow-up
32:24questions
32:24from
32:25horizontal
32:25to
32:26vertical
32:26and you
32:28ask the
32:28open-ended
32:29questions
32:30you were
32:31mentioning
32:31speech
32:32and people
32:32talking
32:33I understand
32:33that
32:34but you're
32:34talking about
32:35sight unseen
32:35so we're
32:36removing
32:37these sort
32:37of micro
32:38expression
32:38readings
32:39that we
32:39get face
32:40to face
32:40and so
32:41I've
32:42trained
32:42my
32:43individuals
32:43to really
32:44pay
32:44attention
32:44to the
32:45hmm
32:45ah
32:46okay
32:48or clicking
32:49of a
32:49keyboard
32:50calculator
32:51writing
32:52something
32:52so in
32:54essence
32:54really
32:54when you
32:55it's like
32:56a dessert
32:56tray
32:57I'm going
32:58to bring
32:58out the
32:5910 pieces
32:59of cake
33:01but I'm
33:02going to
33:02go through
33:02each one
33:03present it
33:05and then
33:05pause
33:06one or
33:06two seconds
33:07to see
33:08how you
33:08react
33:09let's say
33:10you don't
33:10react to
33:11any of
33:11them
33:12all right
33:12then put
33:13your last
33:13chip down
33:14and go
33:14hey
33:14Gregory
33:15I'm
33:15sure you
33:16like
33:16at least
33:16one
33:17I didn't
33:18say all
33:1810
33:19but come
33:19on man
33:20at least
33:20one out
33:21of 10
33:21you go
33:22yeah I
33:22think I
33:22like D
33:23I think
33:24I like
33:24the pumpkin
33:24cake
33:25pumpkin
33:25cake
33:26of course
33:26you do
33:27and now we
33:28focus on
33:28pumpkin
33:29cake
33:29and so
33:30really
33:31really what
33:31you're doing
33:32you're doing
33:32you're doing
33:32you're doing
33:32you're doing
33:32the menu
33:33offering
33:33chiseling
33:34repeating
33:35and then
33:36stacking the
33:37extra sauce
33:37cheese
33:38and the
33:39other stuff
33:39on it
33:40it's just
33:40people run
33:42through their
33:42pitches
33:43they're flinching
33:44waiting for the
33:45hang up
33:45if that's how
33:47you're doing
33:47it that's a
33:48forced march
33:49that's terrible
33:49that's carpet
33:50bombing
33:51you're going
33:51to burn
33:51them out
33:52you should
33:53really as I
33:54say go
33:54slow
33:55and when
33:57you do
33:57some due
33:58diligence
33:59like you
33:59and I
34:00have done
34:00prior to
34:01this podcast
34:01and I
34:02really appreciate
34:02it I mean
34:03before we
34:03got on live
34:04you knew
34:04half my
34:05life story
34:05and when
34:06you can
34:07do this
34:07with somebody
34:08that helps
34:10you with
34:10custom made
34:11voicemails
34:12and emails
34:13or if you
34:15do it like
34:15if you got
34:16me on the
34:16phone and
34:17you said
34:17hey Richard
34:17I hear you
34:18collect pinball
34:19machines
34:19and I got
34:20my visa
34:20and at the
34:21ready it's
34:21yours to
34:22lose
34:22I mean
34:23seriously
34:23you can get
34:25to my
34:25heart
34:25you know
34:26what I'm
34:27happy about
34:27look at
34:28their website
34:28look at
34:28their colors
34:29look at
34:29their locations
34:30if you're
34:31lucky enough
34:32you get to
34:32see certain
34:33things in
34:33the background
34:34I tell you
34:35what when
34:36I used to
34:37go on my
34:37job interviews
34:38back in
34:391996 I was
34:41going around
34:41Scottsdale
34:42and Phoenix
34:42trying to get
34:43jobs this is
34:44before people's
34:45cell phones so
34:45imagine how
34:46these individuals
34:47are sitting in
34:47the waiting
34:48room so it
34:49was my turn
34:50and I would
34:50go in and
34:50have to talk
34:51to Billy and
34:52Joey and make
34:52my case so
34:53I'd be sitting
34:54there talking
34:55and then I'd
34:55say listen
34:55gentlemen do
34:56you mind if
34:56I stand
34:57up for a
34:57second okay
34:59not to
34:59intimidate
35:00let me move
35:01around a bit
35:01and so what
35:02I would do
35:03is I'd get
35:03up and I'd
35:04do a half
35:05loop around
35:05their office
35:06why because
35:06if I'm
35:07sitting I'm
35:07talking to
35:08you I
35:08don't see
35:09the jukebox
35:10and the
35:11candy machine
35:12behind me
35:12and so
35:13there's a
35:14very good
35:14chance I'm
35:15going to see
35:15you fishing
35:16playing golf
35:17Michigan State
35:18you know
35:19something and
35:20I'm going to
35:21talk about
35:21things that I
35:22would have
35:22never talked
35:22about if I
35:23didn't look
35:23behind me
35:24I mean these
35:25are your
35:25things in
35:26your office
35:26turned on
35:27proudly
35:28displayed
35:29you'd be
35:30foolish not
35:30to find two
35:31or three
35:31me toos in
35:32there and
35:33to get real
35:34and raw for
35:35a minute and
35:35then everyone's
35:36laughing having
35:36fun and then
35:38I used to walk
35:38out of the
35:39interviews look at
35:39the room and
35:40six people would
35:40stare at me I
35:41go try to beat
35:42that boys good
35:43luck and just
35:44walk out you
35:46know because they
35:46were just way
35:47too serious and
35:48wearing their
35:49Brooks Brothers
35:50suits but I
35:52tell you what
35:53when you get
35:55raw and you
35:57don't have to
35:57act like a
35:58clown but if
35:59you make
36:00yourself vulnerable
36:01if you're willing
36:01to share some
36:02things about
36:02yourself the
36:03good bad the
36:04ugly grow a
36:05coming of age
36:06moments right I
36:08mean they're going
36:08to realize that you
36:09can zig and zag
36:10if you go out on
36:11an appointment and
36:12you're at some
36:12mechanics place
36:13compared to a
36:14carnivore you know
36:15meat shop are
36:16you able to stick
36:18and move oh
36:19yeah I know a
36:20little bit about a
36:20ton of things so
36:21at least I can
36:22talk about one
36:23thing I can
36:24almost say one
36:24word in multiple
36:25languages just to
36:26get your attention
36:26and it's just
36:28enough to anchor
36:31and to get a hold
36:32on that rock and
36:33then you figure out
36:34where you got to
36:35go from there and
36:36so people once
36:38again need to be a
36:39little bit more
36:39lucid in regards to
36:40their environment
36:41because there's tons
36:42of clues out there
36:43that's much stronger
36:44than the script that
36:45you're pitching
36:45I see quite a
36:48number I see the
36:49jukebox behind
36:52you and I see a
36:54pinball machine
36:55behind you and
36:56that brings me to
36:58the point gamification
37:00culture within your
37:02company how has
37:04that influenced
37:06morale
37:06remember the show
37:10silver spoons with
37:11Ricky Schroeder
37:12didn't we all want
37:14that arcade are you
37:16serious and so you
37:18know it's kind of
37:18like Tom Hanks in
37:19the movie big
37:20listen I'm still a
37:22kid the fact that I
37:23chose a very
37:24lucrative career had
37:25some very good
37:26years aren't I
37:27supposed to be going
37:28out buying
37:29Lamborghinis and
37:30Rolexes no I was
37:32looking for arcades
37:33going out of business
37:33so I can buy their
37:34machines like a kid
37:36and so what did I
37:39do I bought 15
37:41pinball machines six
37:42jukeboxes an air
37:43hockey table ski
37:44machine fighting
37:45machines why I got
37:47the room for it
37:47here so you know I
37:49got a bunch at home
37:50in my bodega but no
37:51I wanted to create
37:52recess I wanted a
37:54happy medium stop
37:55smoking cigarettes and
37:57looking at your phone
37:57damn it come hang out
37:59with me and Gregory and
38:00play some classic
38:00Bally's pinball from
38:02the 1970s and 80s and
38:04it forms friendships of
38:08people from other
38:09departments people fall
38:10in love by the Pac-Man
38:11machine and got married
38:12they even said yeah man
38:13we used to play games
38:14together downstairs we
38:15would play and then
38:17for me because people
38:18might misjudge me or
38:20compare me to other
38:21bosses but when I am
38:23downstairs in that
38:24game room we're all
38:25even we're all playing
38:26with each other and in
38:27the morning I'll have
38:29people tap me on the
38:30shoulder and say good
38:31morning jefe when I'm
38:33playing the game so they
38:34realize I'm cool like
38:35that and I also want
38:37them to try something
38:38that they've never seen
38:39before you can do this
38:42AI virtual pinball but
38:43there's nothing like a
38:44true Bally's data East
38:48Gottlieb Williams sitting
38:51right in front of you I
38:53mean you feel these
38:53things and you see the
38:54beautiful marquees in the
38:56play field and the
38:58artwork and especially my
39:0070s machines with the
39:02electrical mechanical you
39:03get to see the classic
39:04wheel and you hear the
39:05bells going it's a dream
39:08for me growing up pinball
39:10machines were like that
39:12high school cheerleader out
39:15of your league you know
39:17expensive talk to play you
39:19know it's like I'd rather
39:21play 45 minutes of
39:22asteroids and have my money
39:23wasted on a machine and so
39:24you know I was finally able
39:26to get them and it's just
39:28been such an obsession for
39:29me the restoration the
39:31unlimited plays the
39:32marathons and just I love
39:35it and you know it's
39:37beautiful in life when when
39:39you know your true tastes
39:40and instead of trying to
39:43emulate or do what society
39:45does which is fine if you
39:48really love that thing in the
39:50corner and that will make
39:51you happy then buy that
39:52sweater and wear it it makes
39:54you happy those are your
39:56days and with people here
40:00they realize how I treat
40:02them how I treat myself when
40:05clients visit me I kind of call
40:06them out saying why don't you
40:07have a game room for your
40:08people you know and don't
40:10tell me a TV or ping pong
40:11table helps I mean it's cool
40:13and everything but no give
40:15them an experience and as I
40:18say before when you're
40:19working at any sort of job
40:21instead of cooling a icing a
40:24kicker or getting you know
40:26you're off your rhythm if you
40:27can walk downstairs and making
40:29two hours worth of phone calls
40:30and then play a fighting game
40:31or you're still using hand eye
40:33coordination you're doing time
40:34you're still working it so when
40:36you go back upstairs you didn't
40:37miss a beat and you did let
40:39off some steam and you did
40:40have some fun and damn it I
40:42know we're adults but we're
40:43supposed to play play not the
40:48once a week golf course the
40:49occasional bowling or pool night
40:52or whatever you're supposed to
40:55have fun and sometimes people
40:59might find the games today
41:00complicated which I do I'm a
41:02retro gamer I'm a one-button
41:03joystick or pinball guy I would
41:05love to learn these games but
41:06it's like going to school I just
41:08can't plug and play and enjoy
41:09them and so it's it's time
41:11invested and so for me I just
41:14want to jump in and jump out and
41:15and just go in and go out and it
41:19helps me decompress it really does
41:21and it was a childhood dream that I
41:24fulfilled and I'm very selfish like
41:27that because there's space down
41:28here I could put desks or lockers or
41:31something call center-ish oh no on my
41:35arcade hey do you remember Willy
41:36Waka it's like when you walk in that
41:39place and it's all gray and boring and
41:40then all of a sudden you open those
41:41big doors and you got a river of
41:43chocolate you can eat anything you're
41:45walking into a cost and you're like
41:46oh my god I'm making phone calls but
41:49then the next thing you know you're
41:50walking through an amazing arcade and
41:51you realize it's not so bad you know
41:54at least this environment is kind of
41:56cool and so I've tried to reduce that
41:59stress in any way possible naturally
42:01and I've seen to accomplish it because
42:04that breaks the the image of a call
42:09center because often you know people
42:13think of a call center as the boiler and
42:17that is that you have these guys or these
42:21girls these people are sitting around
42:23uh with coffee sodas at their desk maybe
42:27with the mirror and they're just uh you
42:31know just constantly rattling off okay I
42:35get a call right here but they're kind of
42:38dreading that period right there there's
42:42nothing that's um it's just a plain
42:46sterile room and everyone's just talking
42:52right there uh it seems that you're
42:56training and you've taken it to an
42:59entirely different level and at the same
43:05time while you do have competition from
43:09the Philippines and from other countries
43:14you're doing something that you're
43:18taking that time to make sure you're
43:22getting quality versus just quantity
43:27making clients without having that
43:29quantity there and actually serving the
43:33customer yes
43:36those with skills should be selective if
43:41you're marketable you shouldn't be in that
43:43environment with bad lighting bad breath bad
43:46leads you should get out of there and you
43:48shouldn't compromise your ethics and
43:50values and morals if you have the skills
43:52and you know Hollywood god bless them I
43:56mean you're you're thinking of Blake from
43:58Glen Gary Glen Ross telling you know the
44:02machine that he can't have coffee because
44:04coffee's for closers and then you're
44:06looking at boiler room where you you have
44:09the people Vin Diesel closing on the call
44:12and asking where he should send the check to
44:14his office or his mansion and everyone's in
44:16suits and pitching I mean I've seen
44:18environments like that I think it's
44:20beautiful the energy I mean the skill set
44:21just depends on what they're selling and
44:24then you have the wolf of Wall Street
44:25which people you know they live and die by
44:28that movie and I agree I mean the skill set
44:31of the individuals and the training and the
44:35confidence is beautiful and we listen to
44:38some of those calls to analyze the name
44:41drops transitional sentences the loud
44:43whispering the pausing the illustrators
44:45Leonardo DiCaprio did a phenomenal job in
44:48Golden Belfort talented talented salesman and
44:52so it's not for the faint of heart a lot of
44:57individuals don't even manual dialer they're
44:59on predictive dialing which means they're in
45:01ready status if you haven't built up for
45:03that imagine doing a batting cage for eight
45:05hours a day it's heavy but then again your
45:07production goes to the roof tell you what if
45:10if you can settle on these skills and hone
45:13and craft them you can make a million
45:14dollars because it's not just over the
45:16phone you're just an advanced communicator but
45:19for me I extended the empathy I made the
45:22calls I was in the cubicles I've done it and
45:25so I know what it's like on rainy
45:26Wednesdays and when someone says F you to
45:29you on the phone and they try to rattle you
45:32up and makes you want to quit but realize
45:37this why you got into this in the first
45:40place you were looking for certain industry
45:44where you could make a lot of money where
45:47you're not going to be bored where if you
45:49see it like I do you could really every day
45:52as you say enhance your skills and get
45:54better at something compared to having it
45:55monotonous and when you're watching these
45:58movies or you see these boiler rooms of these
46:00environments that's the owner the supervisor
46:03and the agent's fault everybody has the
46:06chance to create that sort of synergy even
46:08if you don't have that big windows or
46:09natural light you can still make happy you
46:12can still make it great and you know a lot
46:15of it does deal with nurture and leadership
46:17my favorite people were my coaches and the
46:23teachers that let me take a test twice and
46:25gave me second chances or certain parents
46:28that realize I was growing up I was just
46:31mischievous but curious you know and still
46:33let me play with their kids and so you got to
46:36think of you giving benefit of the doubt to
46:41people and it's not just putting them in
46:42cookie cutter and realizing things happen at
46:45home and they might have stresses and you're
46:49this is an extremely demanding job and so I love
46:52the generals in the army that would sleep and
46:56eat the rest of their people I love that that's
47:01the best leadership for me I mean I know I wear
47:03the suit I write the checks I own the building
47:05so be it but when I've done training or if I'm on
47:09the floor and I give this positive feedback to
47:12people I know it's real I'm just not calling you
47:15champ I mean yes Gregory you are the champ but my
47:18main man I saw you did 44 last week I'm so
47:21exceptionally proud of you and by the way I
47:23listened to the Mrs. Jones call you did those 20
47:25minutes of course I did I want to make sure you
47:28landed the seven rebuttals and that you
47:31complimented her son that transferred the call
47:33you know and got you the actual appointment and
47:36the fact that we made some money off of it I just
47:37got to let you know you're hard work but it did
47:39and here's your bonus right now champ my main
47:42man and I want everyone to know on the floor oh by
47:45the way if you don't mind I'd like to use that next
47:46week for the training class so everyone can listen
47:48to you and ask you questions anything else I can do
47:51to embarrass you sir you know and that's what we do
47:55and then they realize through humor you're making it easy
48:00on them you're it's just one of those moments and I've
48:04learned that now especially with this new generation that
48:08needs that sort of acknowledgement and recognition you
48:12need to do something that's memorable that lasts because
48:15if I just do it in fleeting it's not going to pay attention
48:17but if I get two or three people around them to see it
48:20to follow up on it start nicknaming them things like that
48:25it might hit by the second or third time and then they
48:28incorporate it and then grow from it because it's it's not
48:32the sort of thing where you coach them once and it sits
48:35and no this thing needs a triple dip it has to it's the only way
48:40the chocolate stays on the ice cream and so I'm willing to do
48:43it and I have to do it through multiple stimulations
48:46through their colleagues publicly done so they get the
48:50acknowledgement and then finally the nickname so they can
48:53remember it and and have that trigger and so yeah nicknames
48:57we're good at that in Philly now one of the things that I
49:01did see on one of your videos and that was you have a college
49:07yet several colleges that came through your call center and
49:12you gave them a tour and at the same time you spent a lot of
49:19time going over things or educating them during that particular
49:27time they to me it was a lab right there a real world real
49:34experience lab that you offered that class is that something
49:40that often colleges are in contact with you or other organizations
49:47or looking Richard we need to move the needle we need training
49:55are they contacting you or I've had the local high schools I've had
50:02three of them here which is amazing and they come all day I feed
50:04them they hang out but I did have the Feliciano School of Business
50:08of Montclair State University they came to visit me and actually
50:12sat for like a two-hour lecture I had them ask me questions they're so
50:18learned I was envious of their theories and studies and they were so smart but
50:25what I saw was innocence it wasn't ignorance it was innocence and maybe what
50:36happens is you don't really see what's behind the curtain or under the hood and
50:41you might discuss spreadsheets and certain economic you know situations but the one
50:50thing that I realized that they weren't really asking me questions on was the wild card
50:55the random they just wanted to rattle off what they studied and see if I could confirm
51:02it or give an example of it but in business the ones that survive are the ones that are capable
51:09of adapting and change in the moment or have set up preventative measures to be able to
51:15offset certain things and so I found it almost cute and sweet the sort of questions they were asking
51:24because it just seemed like a hallmark after school special where all of a sudden you open up a
51:31business say grand opening there's a line out front and everyone's buying cupcakes five years later
51:36you're retired you know so I didn't want to shatter any sort of enthusiasm but I also didn't want to
51:44give doom and gloom but I tell you what you do get scars and you sometimes don't show it or
51:54you can hide it but when you get through this sort of thing you're you're beat up it's like a Mike Tyson
52:01fight you win the prize but you pay the price and so I just want to make sure people realize the
52:08sort of commitment mentally physically financially emotionally get disappointed sometimes as I
52:16mentioned sacrifices time away from family and friends but then again on the flip side you could
52:22retire early have a comfortable life and accomplish certain goals and so it's a trade-off but I tell you
52:30what though extremely intelligent young men and women that had such drive and ambition and so
52:40if I were a betting man I'd definitely put money behind them I think each one of them will be
52:46exceptionally successful and so I'm very proud I'm honored in the fact that they have come and visit me
52:52maybe I was the only one who wrote them back I don't know but the most important thing is they came to
52:57visit and the funny thing is too it's a jersey school and I'm from Philadelphia so I didn't want
53:01to make any jokes about jersey except you know I go to their shore in the summer you know that
53:06everyone's got to tease new jersey but um but thank you for bringing that up that was you want to talk
53:12about milestones that was a beautiful moment for me to be able to for a day feel like a professor
53:19yeah rock on college professor yeah I took it and so I got to do it for and I said to the class yo
53:28there's no exam so don't worry it's almost like when they brought in the old tv or the movie projector
53:33in class you're like yeah no quiz and so uh I wanted them to know to not feel any pressure it was just
53:38more of a learned environment okay and that's quite often uh with so many universities that you know
53:48missing that element right there going out and actually being in the mix so to speak of seeing
53:58things and how they how they actually work and having someone such as yourself who is more than
54:08gracious and generous enough to spend that time and provide those golden nuggets and speaking of
54:17providing time i am extremely grateful as far as for you taking the time and sharing this information
54:26for us with our audience now i know quite a number of people are going to want to know more about you so
54:35let me bring up your contact information right here so they can follow you one thing i have to say
54:43i got a very large facebook fan page about 140 000 local costa ricans there and real quick for your
55:08audience we are north of panama south of nicaragua only democratic society in central america no
55:13standing army 95 literacy rate and most neutral of english accents we're known for ecotourism medical
55:20tourism great for surfing and uh i can't thank you enough any you or your audience want to come visit me
55:27buy a first class plane ticket come fly down here and see the land of cora vida okay and they're
55:34you're able to see some of your pinball machines oh absolutely yeah if you just google richard blank
55:41pinball you see them all free play i don't charge anybody unless you want to buy me some sushi or something
55:47that's cool but yeah you get to play for free okay richard thank you again for spending this evening with us
55:56and sharing the valuable information with us sharing your story thank you gregory had a great time
56:07if you enjoyed this video don't forget to subscribe give us a thumbs up
56:13subscribe and share it with a friend your support means the world to us we'll see you in the next one
56:33you
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