Latest / Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections / Networking Unleashed: S1E31 An Interview with Richard Blank and Michael A Forman

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Networking Unleashed: S1E31 An Interview with Richard Blank and Michael A Forman · Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections

0:16
Hello, and welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building
0:20
Profitable Connections. Welcome back to the show,
0:23
folks. I'm your host, Michael Foreman, and you're
0:26
listening to the podcast where networking is
0:29
more than just awkward handshakes and bad coffee.
0:32
It's an art and a talent. But here's the twist.
0:36
It's an art and talent you can actually learn.
0:39
Yes, even if you're the person hiding in the
0:42
corner at every event, pretending to check emails.
0:46
Networking isn't just a nice skill to have, it's
0:49
a game changer. And when you get good at it,
0:52
you'll wonder why you didn't start sooner. More
0:55
connections, more opportunities, more profits.
0:59
It's like unlocking a cheat code for life. So
1:03
whether you're the life of the party or the just
1:05
let me stay at home and text type, we've got
1:08
something for you. So stick around. Let's turn
1:11
those awkward small talk moments into big wins.
1:16
Now, I've got quite an interesting guest today,
1:19
Richard Blank. He's calling all the way from
1:22
Costa Rica, and I'll let him go into that a little
1:25
bit further. But following his childhood dream,
1:30
he owns the largest collection of restored American
1:33
pinball machines and antique jukeboxes in Costa
1:38
Rica. That in itself... Just sparks all my interest.
1:43
But I'll let Richard. Richard, how are you? And
1:46
welcome to the show. I'm so happy to be here,
1:49
Michael. Thank you so much for having me as a
1:52
guest. Yes, I'm in the land of Pura Vida, of
1:55
pure life. And I did follow a dream. I grew up
1:58
in the 70s and 80s. And Ricky Schroeder's arcade
2:02
on silver spoons made everyone envious. And once
2:05
you have discretionary income. Instead of buying
2:08
a Rolex, I'd rather have three pinball machines.
2:10
And so that's what I decided to do. Good, good.
2:14
Okay. You know what? I'm going to delve right
2:17
into the whole thing. Let me ask a question.
2:20
Sure. How has your background in telemarketing
2:24
shaped your approach to networking? Great question.
2:29
And first is I am the CEO of Costa Rica's call
2:32
center. We're a dedicated bilingual. near shore
2:37
call center located here in beautiful Central
2:39
America, north of Panama, south of Nicaragua.
2:43
And real quick for your audience, and there's
2:45
no exam or quiz on this, but we're the only democratic
2:48
society in Central America, no standing army.
2:52
They put their money into education, 95 % literacy
2:55
rate, neutral English accent, best infrastructure
2:59
in Central America, and companies such as Amazon,
3:01
HP, Intel, and Oracle have made a very big name
3:04
here. So we have a labor pool that packs a punch.
3:09
And before we even got onto the podcast, you're
3:12
like, what part of the world you call me from?
3:14
And we're very close to the United States, just
3:16
a couple hours flight from Florida and mountain
3:20
time zone. But a lot of people either have been
3:23
to the States, travel, no family. We have a large
3:26
expat community here. So we're very attuned to
3:29
the North American market. Anyway, in regards
3:32
to telemarketing and networking. I see it as
3:37
a means to an end. AI, I think, is wonderful
3:40
in regards to gathering, but they can never master
3:43
empathy. And if they try, it's weird. I don't
3:45
want a computer to hug me. What happens is that
3:49
people are used to chat, texting, and emails.
3:52
We call that omni -channel non -voice. While
3:56
today it's the actual reverse. Making a phone
3:59
call might seem first class, top grade. going
4:05
above and beyond. And if you want to talk about
4:08
super old school, strangers or friends you haven't
4:10
met yet, you're giving comparisons between being
4:13
the life of the party and break dancing in front
4:16
of everyone compared to staying at home and sending
4:18
texts and both are good for you. But I agree
4:22
with that. But there's times, Michael, when people
4:25
need to shed some skin and they don't need to
4:28
go all out and be the prom king and beat up the
4:31
bully. But there are certain things where you
4:34
can learn a proper introduction or listening
4:36
skills or even asking second and third questions.
4:40
So it's not glancing over it. It's actual foundation
4:43
interest. And you might have one or two things.
4:46
Yeah, of course. And I can remember something
4:48
about you a year from now. You respect that.
4:51
Telemarketing, a lot of people, it has a bad
4:53
rap because of Hollywood or just bad experiences.
4:57
But I tell you what, and I'll make this quick.
4:59
If someone is clever, rehearsed, does their due
5:03
diligence, knows positive escalation so they
5:05
can make nice around the company before speaking
5:08
to the decision maker, it's a means to an end.
5:12
You're gonna make a ton of money. And those that
5:14
have that skill are extremely marketable. They'll
5:16
never have to look for a job. People want them.
5:19
And not only that, but besides being the top
5:23
on the board and making a ton of money, just
5:25
like yourself, where you do speaking at schools
5:28
and helping the younger generation find jobs
5:31
and tie a tie and be first class, you have the
5:34
chance in this language, in this art of speech.
5:38
To literally balance someone's bike and to pay
5:40
it forward in regards to grammar, vocabulary,
5:42
or just self -confidence and self -reliance.
5:45
And so it's a beautiful environment of energy
5:48
giving. And when I first got here 25 years ago
5:52
and I walked into my friend's call center, just
5:54
as a guest, I got the chills. There are some
5:59
times you know where you belong. And I saw this
6:02
environment. I go, besides being a native speaker,
6:05
I have an advantage of them. Secondly, I love
6:08
the artist's speech. I thought it was fun. And
6:11
so I just took it in a different direction. I
6:13
added some play and knowing people and going
6:16
old school. But I still believe that a lot of
6:18
companies can make a ton of money retaining clients
6:21
and prospecting new business. And that's great.
6:24
And you keep referencing old school ways. And
6:28
people think, come on, that's old school. But
6:32
it's so important now, that one -on -one connection.
6:35
It's so important. And yes, you have to put the
6:38
cell phone down. You have to put the Zoom computer
6:41
away. You have to just feel what the other person
6:44
is like. What conflict management techniques
6:49
have you found most effective in professional
6:52
relationships? Okay, really depends on the stage
6:57
of the relationship. But in my opinion, I think
6:59
adjustments of tone is very important. There's
7:03
a technique in sales called mirror imaging, but
7:05
you don't want to mirror image someone yelling
7:07
at you or cursing at you. But we have a technique
7:10
called the buffer boomerang technique where I
7:12
can name Michael. That's an excellent question.
7:14
ABC is one, two, three. Richard, what's one,
7:17
two, three? Michael, that's an excellent question.
7:19
One, two, three is ABC. So you read readjust
7:24
negativity, put it into positive answer their
7:26
questions. Don't be a child getting scolded by
7:29
a principal or teacher. Come on, man. That's
7:31
not fun. You need to buffer it. Michael, thank
7:35
you for bringing that up. Calm you down for a
7:38
second there, buddy. But there's certain ways
7:41
to earn your respect. And like a chessboard,
7:43
you make certain moves and sacrifice certain
7:45
pieces. Let's talk another strategy of conflict
7:48
management. I don't like to say excuse me. Same
7:52
message, different delivery. I'll say, Michael,
7:54
for my clarification, was it ABC or 123? Don't
7:59
say I'm sorry, excuse me. And also the major
8:02
thing people say is how may I help you? But I
8:05
said may. I know you did. But help, it evokes
8:09
an ego defense. I think of someone sinking in
8:12
quicksand and James Bond needs to save you. Depending
8:15
on the stage of the relationship, Michael, use
8:18
words such as assist. In the middle, it's guiding.
8:23
And towards the end, it's lending a hand. Since
8:26
English is their second language, we thrive in
8:28
the thesaurus. We look at similes to expand their
8:32
vocabulary, give them roots and branches, so
8:34
they're just not regurgitating the same word
8:37
over and over again, which is just stale. They
8:40
need to speak like a painting and be colorful
8:43
to capture people's attention every 30 seconds,
8:46
Michael. So we have checkpoints in these conversations.
8:49
It's not a Glenn Gary, Glenn Ross, two minute
8:52
pitch where you close them. Sometimes I need
8:55
these positive or negative reinforcements from
8:59
people. And so something very important. You
9:03
wanted to gain the respect of the other person.
9:08
and keep that respect. And as long as the person
9:11
knows that's what you're trying, that you want
9:14
to gain their respect, that goes such a long
9:18
way. And in networking, there's a mantra. Know
9:22
you, like you, trust you, they'll do business
9:25
with you. And know you and like you. That's pretty
9:28
simple because everybody knows you. You're a
9:30
nice guy. Everybody likes you. Not everybody
9:33
likes you. That narrows the field down just a
9:36
little bit. But trust you. That's such a crucial
9:39
factor. And the respect, the trust, it all goes
9:43
hand in hand. Michael, sorry to interrupt real
9:46
quick, but people will beat you for price in
9:49
contractual terms or whatever. But if I come
9:54
into your office and I speak to Judy prior to
9:58
meeting you, and I mentioned how amazing this
10:00
assistant was or how Billy in the IT department,
10:04
I was talking to him having coffee this morning.
10:06
I didn't know he went to Penn State, but a nice
10:08
guy. He's a football fan. And when you write
10:12
these follow -up emails and you do meeting minutes
10:15
and you mention these people, maybe, just maybe.
10:20
By doing verbal and written positive escalations,
10:23
you might get that consideration compared to
10:27
the person that's bullying in there. Why am I
10:29
telling you this? Because the majority of the
10:33
clients that I've closed where I've beaten out
10:35
the price in the Philippines and India, they
10:37
said, Richard, I love the way you spoke to Judy.
10:40
You know you're going to be working with Billy.
10:42
And look at that relationship you have prior.
10:44
You wiped your feet. You asked permission. And
10:50
you knew your please and thank yous. And when
10:52
I do things that are outside of the box, where
10:55
it's like chum in the water with sharks, and
10:58
you and I need to sometimes bite our tongue,
11:02
be reserved, or suck in our pride to earn it.
11:06
I don't want you to do that, brother. I know
11:08
what you're worth. You shouldn't have to work
11:09
for free or beg for their business. It should
11:13
be done on merit. And I tell you what. If a client
11:16
says to me, I can get it for half the price.
11:18
I go, listen, Michael, if my person can do twice
11:22
the amount of calls in an hour, they can, but
11:24
the metrics say they can't because it's a five
11:25
minute talk time. Can't do 30 calls an hour.
11:28
But if it's lead generation or sales or retention,
11:31
and I believe that through merit or old school
11:35
training like you and I do, where we call the
11:37
balls and the strikes, that gives winning teams.
11:40
That makes a difference. Come on, where's Rocky
11:43
without Mickey? You got to give Mickey credit
11:46
and even Adrian and give the team credit. And
11:49
so when people look at me, I go, you're damn
11:51
right. I moved from Philadelphia to Costa Rica.
11:53
I'm bilingual. I started my own call center.
11:55
That's the kind of cat you want. That's raw.
11:58
Or you can go to the B company where they don't
12:00
even know you. So go with the home run king.
12:03
Yeah, man, go with me. And you'll get the sort
12:06
of attention that you're looking for. And so.
12:09
Absolutely. Okay. How can. Customer support principles
12:14
be applied to networking strategies. Customer
12:20
support principles. That's what you're all about.
12:22
Yes. It's listening. I don't know what you know.
12:28
I know what I know. And so the more that I let
12:31
you vent. Oh, and I have some interesting advice
12:33
for you. Profanity. What do you do, Richard?
12:38
I tell you what, if it's like the cartoons where
12:40
steam's coming out of their ears. And they're
12:43
saying, F this, I'm frustrated with that. Let
12:45
them curse. And then I'll go, Michael, you're
12:47
done. And then I make you feel guilty. And then
12:50
you go, yeah, Richard, I go, yeah, sure. You
12:52
can curse three more times. It won't hang up
12:54
on you. And then the relationship we have after
12:57
you apologizing to me, we get super straight
13:00
and then we can walk calmly and resolve your
13:04
issue. But if you curse at me, you get a warning.
13:06
And secondly, we kill the call. But listen, there
13:10
are certain times you will be speaking to someone
13:12
on the best or the worst day of their life. Unless
13:15
you know them well, they might be out of character.
13:19
Or why don't you give the kid the benefit of
13:21
the doubt? So as an owner of a company, unless
13:23
they're flat out breaking the labor law, throwing
13:25
a rock through a window or scratching my car.
13:28
And as long as he's not cursing on the phone.
13:30
But if there's a Jerry Maguire moment, I understand
13:32
the timeout. He's got three kids. He's taking
13:35
care of grandma. He's late on his rent. So what
13:38
you do is, and I've seen grown men cry, guys
13:41
that are twice my size. And I think it's geographical.
13:45
What you're saying is, first of all, you have
13:47
to have the patience to do what you're saying.
13:50
But the patience on the other end, I come from
13:53
New York. Okay. That's a hustle and bustle. Come
13:56
on, get it done. You don't have what I want.
13:59
I don't care. Next. And they don't even give
14:01
you that chance. But I've since moved down to
14:04
Georgia. Things are a little slower, but we have
14:08
a little more patience. And you can actually
14:11
respond to the person you're talking to. And
14:15
telemarketers, that's a different horse, okay?
14:18
Because everybody has their own thoughts on telemarketers.
14:21
But you have to have that patience in order.
14:24
If you can have the patience before you get on
14:27
that phone, then that's half your battle. That's
14:30
really good. It can be, but patience can wear
14:34
thin. It depends on the person. It depends on
14:37
the person and what they're going through. You
14:40
may get hold of that person and they're going
14:43
through whatever terror they're going through,
14:46
whether it's the three kids or their parents
14:48
or in -laws or whatever, and doesn't have the
14:50
time. But so it really depends on what that person
14:55
is going through. Yeah. Yeah. What's up? What's
15:01
up? All right. How has gamification influenced
15:04
your approach to building and maintaining professional
15:08
relationships? Of course. Your best friends were
15:12
made on the playground. Kickball captured the
15:15
flag. Nerf football in the snow when they called
15:20
off school that day, which was great. I love
15:23
that. I love that. Of course you do. That's why
15:26
you die for passes and stuff. I love it too.
15:28
I was also a hockey player. So I'm a huge Flyers
15:32
fan when we used to beat your Islanders and your
15:35
Rangers. I'm a Rangers fan. I'm a Rangers fan.
15:37
Okay, well, that's fine. Bernie Perrant, my broad
15:39
street bullies. But where am I going with all
15:42
this? You need play. You need to let off steam.
15:45
And just because we're an adult doesn't mean
15:46
we need to be boring. Look at the movie Tom Hanks.
15:50
It was funny. The adult jumping on trampolines
15:52
and playing with toys. Why? Because we have responsibilities.
15:56
And so I tell you what, many things happened.
16:00
First is one man's trash is another man's treasure.
16:03
Arcades are going out of business. So I would
16:06
look on Mercado Libre and I'd see some guy selling
16:10
some game room and I'd drive three hours to Perez
16:13
Zeledon with a pickup truck and three of my...
16:16
buddies and a wad full of 20s, right? Ready to
16:20
buy. And it was great. People were just giving
16:22
them away. And you could get a machine for under
16:25
500 bucks, spend a couple dollars to replace
16:28
certain placas, certain memory cards and the
16:32
screens. And now you're sitting on a $5 ,000
16:34
machine. So it's amazing. And through the years,
16:37
I've collected 13 pinball machines. My oldest
16:39
is a 1970s Bally's Camelot. The newest is a 94
16:44
Last Action Hero. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Data
16:46
East. But I tell you what, when you have this
16:51
space, it gives people a chance to meet others
16:55
from different departments to try a game. to
16:59
try a pinball machine. And they'll say, hey,
17:03
Michael, I've played virtual pinball. You're
17:05
like, yeah, great. It's like looking at Playboy
17:07
and not going on a date. Come on, man. You need
17:10
to be real. And so they get to feel the machine
17:13
like Elton John when he wrote it. about you could
17:16
you feel the machine you become one with it these
17:19
and size these electrical mechanical machines
17:22
that are just on contacts say what you want of
17:26
course you're part of this experience there is
17:29
an energy transfer and the ball could either
17:30
go into the spot or run down the middle and they're
17:33
gorgeous they're beautiful the marquees and the
17:38
artwork and especially the ones from the late
17:40
70s prior where they used to paint the play field.
17:44
So it wasn't a laminate and say what you want.
17:48
And Mike, I will say this to you and your amazing
17:51
audience. When you know what you love, when I
17:54
see these pinball machines and I can have them
17:56
and maintain them, restore them, clean them up
17:59
and shine them and turn them on. And just when
18:02
you're a kid, 25 cents in a pinball will go in
18:05
a minute compared to asteroids where I can play
18:07
that for 45 minutes. And so. this is a dream
18:11
for me. I'm like a child. And I love them, my
18:14
purest passion. And the fact that I'm able to
18:16
share this with people and we can be equal, we
18:18
can tap each other on the shoulder and laugh.
18:20
And I've been able to retain people, reduce attrition.
18:25
People have fallen in love there. They smoke
18:27
less cigarettes. They're on their phone less
18:30
in the corner looking at Japanese anime or Instagram.
18:33
My man, I've created fun place, fun time. Like
18:36
Willy Wonka where he opened up that one room
18:39
and you can eat anything and there's a river
18:41
of chocolate. You walk into a company. Have you
18:44
ever seen a game room? Never. Maybe a TV in a...
18:48
ping pong table or something but have you flat
18:51
out seen a half a dozen pinball a bunch of fighting
18:54
machines air hockey machine and an alpine racer
18:56
to name coast ski machine yeah that's how i treat
19:00
my people that's how i treat me and so networking
19:05
wise when people come in and size me up and have
19:08
options of where they can work in the country
19:10
they look at that and go you know what maybe
19:12
i belong in this environment so it's about showing
19:15
to then receive It's amazing. You're really bringing
19:20
out the fun that an employee can have, but that
19:26
makes them work that much harder. They're much
19:30
more into their work because they know that it's
19:34
a great place to work. So if you love the place,
19:37
you work harder. And that goes to your customers
19:40
as well. I always say, because I've owned many
19:45
businesses. And you can be one way to your employees,
19:51
but if you're not good to your employees, how
19:55
can you expect your employees to be good to your
19:58
clients? So you have to treat, that's the first
20:01
and foremost, you have to treat your employees
20:03
the best so they can treat your clients the best
20:07
because they're not going to laugh and smile
20:10
with your client if they're not happy. And it
20:13
sounds like you're making everybody happy. But
20:18
as long as we're on the pinball trajectory, what
20:22
lessons of the world of pinball machines have
20:26
you applied to your networking strategies? Concentration,
20:32
using other senses, sometimes anticipation, planning.
20:41
Or how about this? Regardless of the outcome,
20:44
just enjoying the time. It's like a scent of
20:49
a woman. When Al Pacino danced with that woman,
20:52
yeah, they had the most beautiful dance for five
20:54
minutes. Didn't mean they got married. But I
20:57
tell you what, you ask either of them, hey, do
21:01
you remember dancing with this person at that
21:03
hotel back in 96? They'll be like, absolutely,
21:06
I do. You remember somebody for the rest of their
21:09
lives, so you don't need 30 years to do it. You
21:12
could do it in five minutes. And so you try to
21:16
anchor with people. You try to get real. If not,
21:19
you're just like everybody else. And you're proving
21:23
to me that you're not like everybody else. You're
21:26
not like any other employer. And I like to think
21:30
of myself in the same way because I've always
21:32
treated the employees that way. So I got news
21:36
for you. We are the exception to the norm. And
21:40
it's unfortunate, but it's true. But you're painting
21:44
a rosy picture on it, Michael. And I very much
21:46
appreciate this. We might as well show the highlights.
21:49
Why don't we show the fumbled footballs and interceptions
21:52
and lost, you know, first place. All right. Let
21:55
me ask you a question. Talk to me. Because you've
21:58
had some great success with your company today.
22:02
What mistakes did you make and how did you overcome
22:06
it? The number one mistake I made was hiring
22:10
supervisors or executives on the outside. I'll
22:14
hire specialists for IT and stuff, but it needs
22:16
to be promoted from within. So that was a huge
22:18
mistake. They never earned the respect of the
22:20
people. But my labor pool is about 24 years old.
22:25
And most of them live at home. And this is fun
22:29
money. And Amazon could hire them first thing
22:33
tomorrow morning. So to think about a huge investment
22:37
in someone and longevity is one thing. And so
22:39
there's a very special balance there. First,
22:41
we're very selective of A, the campaigns that
22:44
come in. We don't do sports books, casinos, stocks,
22:47
pharmacies, or sweepstakes. Secondly, I'm only
22:50
150, so I can be selective of the candidates.
22:53
But then you say, Richard, You see the shining
22:56
object. Yeah, that's like a mercenary. They're
22:58
not going to last. They'll be a jumper and a
22:59
cancer. I'd rather have an 18 -year -old kid
23:02
with great English that can mold like a squire,
23:04
okay, that doesn't have bad habits, not a cancer.
23:07
I can teach these things. But then again, how
23:11
do I really filter somebody out? And even in
23:14
networking, this could be a very interesting
23:16
question to ask people. I always ask for a coming
23:20
-of -age moment. I want to know a time when you
23:23
beat up a bully or saved a kitten. Why? Because
23:27
Michael might ask you a zig and zag question
23:29
every now and again. Put your script down. Maybe
23:32
he just wants to know, besides what your golf
23:34
handicap, was there a time you stood up for yourself?
23:38
Are you capable of telling me a three -minute
23:40
story that's not well rehearsed? And so I get
23:45
to see people because that might be the way I
23:47
get the contract with Michael. Because he's got
23:50
10 people to choose from, but no one could answer
23:52
the simple question of standing up for themselves
23:55
or saving the day. And when I see what some people
24:02
write about taking care of families, of younger
24:05
siblings, growing up, losing their innocence,
24:09
or learning the violin. doing something in regards
24:14
to travel or how many books they've read. So
24:17
I'd rather hire the marathon runner. I want to
24:20
see what somebody does outside of the office,
24:22
which showed dedicated practice. Why? So I can
24:25
also give you a nickname, call you killer or
24:28
baby saver. Let's have kitten saver moments.
24:31
I can tell you that on a Wednesday, but then
24:33
I get to know you. Come on, give me some depth.
24:37
Because if you don't play pinball with me, if
24:39
you can't tell me that you saved a kid, then
24:40
guess what, Michael? No offense. You might be
24:42
qualified and you're a great kid, but I don't
24:45
think you belong here. And it's not just me.
24:48
It's the 10 other guys you're working with. They're
24:50
going to be like, this guy just doesn't fit in.
24:53
It's not part of the crew edge. And so that's
24:59
what I think about too. I was in the Air Force
25:03
for nine years. I was a police officer. And I
25:07
saved five lives in that time. And I remember
25:12
every single one of them like they were yesterday.
25:14
And it's really amazing the difference when you're
25:18
trying to serve, when you're trying to do your
25:20
best, and you put the other person in front of
25:24
you. The world's a better place, I feel. It is.
25:29
Thank you for your service. Nine years. And we
25:32
use the military alphabet at the end. Why? Because
25:35
gentlemen like you've served. So instead of the
25:37
call ending, now we're talking about the Air
25:39
Force in Colorado Springs, the Air Force Academy
25:42
and how awesome and top gone. Which one did you
25:46
like? One or two? That was Navy. But still, that's
25:51
all right. Yes, it did. OK, so let me ask you
25:54
a question. Your top motivation that you give
25:58
to your employees. Your top motivation. Guilt.
26:06
I let you know that you're better than this and
26:08
you're out of character. And come on, you did
26:11
44 the other day. What's going on? And I also
26:15
say, listen, you saw me last week. I showed up
26:18
on time. You saw me last week with three clients.
26:21
You even sat in on a business meeting. And I'm
26:25
not going to tell someone to tie their shoes
26:27
if mine aren't tied. But I'll also see the best
26:30
in you. So I'll usually point something. I usually
26:35
ask for your permission. May I make a suggestion?
26:40
So now we're straight. And I'll usually do it
26:42
over coffee. So it's not like I'm going to grill
26:44
you, but I will grill you. And then I'm just
26:47
going to mention how amazing you are. Then I'm
26:49
going to mention about what I saw. And then I'm
26:51
going to put myself in there too. And then I'm
26:54
going to be quiet and just keep making faces
26:56
at you until you say you're right. And then you're
26:59
going to start telling me about things that are
27:00
happening at home and just things you never knew
27:03
about. So I can let off that steam. So I don't
27:05
lose you that day. What do you want to review
27:07
script or have me start quoting books from Zig
27:11
Ziglar or Tony Robbins and stuff? Here's the
27:15
thing about people like that. I think success
27:18
is amazing and you can have certain mentors and
27:22
gravitate towards. But at the end of the day,
27:25
they're very alone. These people are looking
27:27
in the mirror and realizing what they need to
27:29
do. And advice is only so good. So I need to
27:32
get something out of them. With broken ribs,
27:36
they still need to stand up. And when they see
27:39
someone like myself who has the leverage to make
27:41
or break them. But takes them off of the floor
27:44
when it's not their break time to either praise
27:46
them during a moment when they're shining or
27:49
a certain time where I see this readjustment
27:51
because I just don't want to lose Billy. What
27:55
a beautiful time. And so my motivation, unfortunately,
27:59
doesn't come through sunshine. It comes through
28:01
some darkness. Why? So you can find your own
28:03
light. And when you do that, you're golden, man.
28:07
I don't even know. Your motivation can come from
28:10
either way. It's how you have created your atmosphere,
28:15
whether you're going to do it in good times or
28:18
bad times, whatever it is, but whatever works.
28:21
That's right. Your motivation is so important
28:24
because you're letting them know it's going back
28:26
to that trust and respect factor that you respect
28:30
this person so much that you're willing to find
28:34
out what's wrong. Let him vent. Let him get it
28:38
out of his system. He's a good person. You're
28:42
doing a good job. So come on, get out there and
28:44
do your best. Michael, we're cashing in the chips.
28:48
If it's a person you've never met before, you
28:51
can't do that unless they want to crawl on your
28:53
shoulder. I'm talking about an employee. I'm
28:54
talking about a track record. You can cash in
28:58
those chips. Those are the time you leave the
29:00
building so people don't see the scene and you
29:02
take the walk. Like a body. And so people and
29:06
then they look at you go, I'd never expected
29:08
that from you. And then you say, why? Come on,
29:11
Michael, how many people know me second and third
29:13
chance? It's exact. I guess they didn't. Or they
29:16
compared you to other bosses that just piece
29:18
them out and fire them. And I don't know, man,
29:22
I'm seaworthy. I don't know anything else besides
29:25
technology. I got to hire a guy, my accountants,
29:27
they got to do the numbers for me. What do I
29:29
know? I know how to take a walk and have a coffee.
29:33
My goodness. I guess that's the sort of thing
29:35
that sustains seasons and tough weather. It's
29:40
the only thing I know. It's what separates you
29:43
from the masses. That's where people want to
29:47
work for you. They want to work for you. They
29:50
can take a job. They can take a job anywhere.
29:53
But if they want to feel at home, they want to
29:57
feel respected, they want to feel like a person,
30:00
then they'll work for you. Work with me. Work
30:04
with you. Sorry about that. Come on, Michael.
30:07
What is it, 1984? Remember, they have the leverage.
30:10
They can leave me anytime. It's like a cat. You
30:13
don't want to spook the kitty. And then the feral
30:15
cat runs away. So there's a beautiful balance
30:18
of the open cage bird. And I think I've learned
30:21
to understand that through the time. And I tell
30:23
you what, by really assisting their English.
30:26
And investing in this and giving them proper
30:28
grammar and certain suggestions to watch the
30:31
face man from the A -team or the show Remington
30:33
Steel in their English. I love Remington Steel.
30:37
They smile. It reduces defense. Let me ask you
30:42
one last question that's going to bring everything
30:46
together. Just give me a tip for networking that
30:50
you would give to my listeners that they can
30:53
begin today or tomorrow. to get them on their
30:56
journey. Of course. Dedicated practice in your
31:01
delivery. I need for you to record yourself.
31:04
And because this is how people are going to hear
31:06
you when you leave a message or see you in conversation.
31:10
As much as you might think it's funny to sit
31:13
in front of a mirror, if you're planning on sitting
31:16
in business meetings and networking at a club
31:19
and shaking hands and stuff, you better realize
31:22
because sometimes people... They get not only
31:25
distracted, but they give away tell signs. They
31:29
get lazy in regards to self and object adapters,
31:32
start biting nails, scratching, doing weird things.
31:37
I've always put my customer service people, I
31:41
used to have them have a mirror right next to
31:44
their telephone. Of course. And when they were
31:46
on the phone, they looked at themselves because
31:49
when you smile, and you are happy, it comes through
31:55
the phone. It comes through and the other person
31:57
actually picks up on that, on the vibe of the
32:01
person, and they're not even there. So I found
32:04
that to be such an important part of customer
32:07
service. Well, Michael, they're in the now. They're
32:09
not spacing out or thinking of lunch. And I tell
32:11
you what, this is something that will make things
32:13
very easy for your audience. Like you and I did
32:16
prior to the podcast, if you do just a little
32:18
bit of due diligence. Facebook, LinkedIn profile,
32:23
looking at the website. And it's not to have
32:25
it memorized for final exam time, but there are
32:28
goodies there. You'll see certain pictures of
32:33
someone doing athletics or a company event or
32:36
the loading dock that's next to the lake. You
32:38
can say, this is beautiful where you guys are
32:40
located in Maine. And it's just when people have
32:43
called me and you've mentioned it multiple times,
32:45
my arcades, if somebody calls me to pitch me,
32:48
regardless of any sort of widget. But they go,
32:51
hey, Richard Blank, I hear you collect pinball
32:53
machines here in Costa Rica. What's happening?
32:55
I'm going to give you three minutes unless I'm
32:57
on the phone with Michael and I'm busy. I'm like,
32:58
listen, credit card at the ready. It's yours
33:00
to lose it because you snapped me out of the
33:03
trance. You got rid of the bad taste of the black
33:06
and blue, bad telemarketers. You might even patted
33:10
my ego by saying Costa Rica's call center. How
33:12
are you today? I was like. How nice. How nice
33:16
is that? You gave me a company name spike, which
33:19
snaps me out of the, hi, sir. Can I speak to
33:21
a, I don't do things like that. And so I've realized
33:25
that instead of making a hundred calls a day,
33:27
make 85 calls a day and spend an extra 30 seconds
33:30
looking up something and complimenting Judy,
33:32
the secretary, and maybe leaving a custom made
33:36
voicemail. You might get back that 20%. And you
33:41
know what it also does? It doesn't ice a kicker.
33:43
You were talking earlier about people in their
33:46
rhythms and stuff and why the games are there.
33:47
I tell you what, man, when people are on break
33:50
time, if they slow down, it's like running in
33:52
place at the stoplight, certain marathon runners.
33:54
If you go down and play Pac -Man, air hockey,
33:57
pinball machine for 15 minutes, don't go back
34:00
to the phone. It's not saying you're going to
34:01
do it better, but I tell you what, you're still
34:04
warmed up. Your muscles aren't sore. So I can
34:07
at least guarantee the same, if not better performance,
34:09
not ramping up and getting lucky with a curve
34:12
shot. It's just, you can't do that. People get
34:15
stale, get cold. But what a beautiful art of
34:17
speech. You're talking networking. Forget the
34:19
guys that are texting. I don't even want to go
34:22
there. Let's talk about speech. If you're capable
34:24
of reading with conviction, using trigger words,
34:29
spiking those for attention so it's not monotone
34:33
speech. You should be pausing before names and
34:37
numbers for emphasis, okay? You should be name
34:41
dropping your name, at least in the beginning
34:45
of a transitional sentence. Michael, makes sense,
34:48
right? Move forward, right? And then if you say,
34:51
but you don't use the word Michael over and over
34:53
again, I know to name drop, calm down. It's like
34:55
the beginning and the end of the bridge. Okay,
34:58
the entrance and the end of the transitional
35:00
sentence and the conclusion. But in the middle,
35:02
why don't you just emphasize the personal pronouns,
35:05
the your, or, what do you mean? Add a quarter
35:10
second slide and spike it a little bit because
35:13
it's still a tension grabber. It's the cousin
35:15
of the name drop. Do you understand? And if you
35:18
can do these things every 30 seconds, it gives
35:22
you such balance. And movement. But Richard,
35:25
two steps back. Yeah, brother, you got to sacrifice
35:27
pieces. But I'm moving seven steps forward in
35:30
this 30 seconds because I was able to checkpoint
35:33
the fact of this. ABC, we checkpointed and moved
35:37
it forward. Now, I have something for you. And
35:41
you talk about target paralysis in the Air Force
35:44
where you focus on the trees or the mountain,
35:46
you hit something. People will get target paralysis
35:49
on the phone. And I understand that. And one
35:53
of the greatest things to do is to be in the
35:55
now on so many different buttons to press, things
35:57
to concentrate, breathing, if even it's the basics.
36:00
And so it's a technique that we use, Michael.
36:04
It's a phonetic micro expression reading because
36:07
people love to read body language. We can talk
36:09
about that on another podcast. But in the course
36:13
of 25 years, tens of thousands of phone calls,
36:17
I think I've cracked a code. And since you're
36:19
my boy. And I'm so proud of your nine years of
36:23
the Air Force. I'm going to share it with you
36:25
and your audience. Is that cool? I'll give you
36:27
some declassified top secret information. Are
36:29
you ready for this? Go ahead, go. Okay, let's
36:32
do this. Let's do this. Okay. So you have a simple
36:36
XY chart. So think about it like this. The X
36:40
is your rate of speech and your Y is the speaking
36:45
level, the pitch. So it can be done in any language.
36:48
So besides your tone of voice, which in my opinion
36:51
should be confident and empathetic consistently
36:53
until I can readjust your tone, I pay attention
36:57
to how fast and how loud you go because I don't
36:59
even know you. And so every 30 seconds, regardless
37:01
of the transitional sentences, the semantics,
37:04
our pitching, our... all the soft skills that
37:07
I gave you earlier of the escalation, the company
37:09
name spike, the due diligence. I still want to
37:11
see if you're going fast, slow, loud, or soft.
37:14
Why? Because if you're spiking or dipping, I
37:16
stop and I ask a clarification question, if it
37:19
makes sense. Sounds good. May we move forward?
37:22
So these are insurance policies that take three
37:25
seconds to get it to move forward because a lot
37:27
of the people, and I've seen this in metrics,
37:29
will just run through a call and realize they
37:31
don't get the appointment. I'd rather have a
37:33
five minute solid than a 10 minute shaky that
37:35
doesn't hit. So you need to really solidify this
37:38
thing and move it forward. Like in the show Get
37:41
Smart, where you walk down the hallway and the
37:43
doors close behind them. That's the only way
37:45
to seal it, deal it and move it forward. And
37:47
so the paralysis. The target paralysis is thinking
37:51
of G when you should be on Bravo on B. And so
37:55
I'm trying to get these people to focus on besides
37:57
carrying this weight, you can mentally after
38:00
three weeks of practice, it becomes habit. You
38:04
become very lucid in regards to this micro expression
38:08
reading. But then you say, Richard, yes, Michael,
38:11
can't the tone rate and pitch be manipulated?
38:15
Of course it can. The guess is one thing you
38:17
cannot manipulate. the duration. The beauty of
38:21
phonetics is without silence, you don't have
38:25
the sound. So I study even more of a higher level,
38:30
the silence time, compared to how your tone rate
38:34
and pitches, or even your word choice. Why? Because
38:38
someone like yourself, who's part of the police,
38:41
Air Force and had extensive training in interrogation
38:44
and psychology realized by the third or fourth
38:48
question of me cursing at you, flicking the cigarette.
38:52
Yeah, copper, you got nothing on me. All of a
38:56
sudden, when you show the evidence, look what
38:58
happens in regards to that. answering speed.
39:01
Either it takes an hour for them to start crying
39:02
or they start crying immediately. And so that
39:05
cannot be manipulated subconsciously. So if you
39:09
are capable in this controlled environment of
39:11
160 hours a month, 300 phone calls a day, to
39:15
besides doing your job, to crack this code in
39:19
regards to being very focused on rate, pitch,
39:24
and duration. To know when to ask these questions,
39:28
you will reduce your talk time from a 10 -minute
39:31
to a 7 -minute call, and your conversion ratios
39:34
will go up about 30 % because you're cutting
39:37
fat. You're reducing rabbit holes for my clarifications
39:41
compared to I'm sorry's. And here's the best
39:44
part, the military. Come on, Michael. Emails
39:47
bounce back. You got to be kidding me. You walk
39:50
through those emails at the end. And you pronounce
39:53
those exotic names properly because some people
39:57
will say, thank you. No one ever really asked.
39:59
They're too afraid to ask how to say my last
40:01
name. And that's a wonderful thing to do to somebody.
40:05
Don't be afraid. You should ask the proper pronunciation
40:09
the first time to not be afraid. And you ask
40:12
for secret sauces. Come on, Michael. This is
40:15
ABC 123 101. This is how grandma and grandpa
40:18
taught you to behave. And if you do these sort
40:21
of listening skills in the moment, paying attention,
40:25
moving forward, cutting the fat, taking notes,
40:27
acknowledging you're going to build an extremely
40:29
large business of really solid long -term clients
40:33
that will recommend you to people. Because they
40:36
know you're a good guy. And they loved you before
40:38
any contracts were even signed. Referrals are
40:44
gold. It's golden. Especially if they are mentioning
40:48
your name and everything. So that goes for a
40:51
whole other podcast. But referrals, your whole
40:54
goal is for that referral base. Because you do
40:58
that referral base tenfold. You've done your
41:01
job. That's right. Okay, Richard. Can anybody
41:05
get hold of you, either call center, for pinball
41:10
machines, for anything? What's the best way that
41:14
they can get hold of you? Naturally, buy a first
41:17
-class plane ticket, fly down and come visit
41:19
me. Besides that. I hear it's freezing up north.
41:24
It's cold. I'll give you that. Oh, my goodness
41:28
gracious. But now you can send me an email to
41:31
CEO Costa Rica's call center and check me out.
41:33
And I tell you what, all they need to do is mention
41:36
you, Michael, and say that they saw this podcast.
41:38
I'll be more than happy to review some scripts.
41:40
Some people give some advice for free. My thing
41:43
is to pay it forward. Anybody that's got the
41:46
guts to make a phone call and are not compromising
41:49
their ethics, I think they're wonderful. And
41:52
I'm going to say it again, dedicated practice.
41:55
Speak out loud, practice your phonetics, record
41:58
yourself, pay attention to this stuff. And if
42:02
you do, you'll become one of the most incredible
42:05
speakers that people will hire, promote. recommend
42:10
or say hey will you speak for us you're the guy
42:12
and yeah be bold and brave you only get one life
42:15
you get 99 years that's all you get what i used
42:17
to tell my players i was a coach for 16 years
42:20
a baseball coach and the parents should say perfect
42:24
practice makes perfect and i said no you're wrong
42:27
perfect practice makes perfect so you have to
42:31
because if you keep practicing the mistakes you're
42:33
going to always make those mistakes but if you
42:36
don't And you just practice, practice. That's
42:38
what I do with networking, with speaking and
42:41
everything else. Because I said in the beginning
42:43
of this podcast, networking is a skill. Okay.
42:47
And you have to practice, practice in order to
42:49
get good. Anyway, Richard, thank you so very
42:53
much. You have quite a background. You gave me
42:56
quite an interesting, you gave me interesting
42:58
thoughts on. the call centers and everything
43:02
else. And I hope that some of my listeners or
43:05
all my listeners, I don't care, once they reach
43:07
out to you, I'll feel better. Okay, so I'll talk
43:13
with you soon. Sounds good, Michael. Thank you.
43:16
Well, hold on, folks. Don't go anywhere. Let
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-U -P -K -I -D -S .org. Well, that's a wrap,
44:36
folks. A huge thank you to our special guests
44:39
for sharing such incredible insights today. And
44:42
of course, a big shout out to you, our amazing
44:46
listeners, for tuning in and spending your time
44:49
with us. Remember, networking isn't about being
44:53
perfect. It's about being present. So take what
44:56
you've learned today, get out there and make
44:58
some meaningful connections. If you enjoyed this
45:01
episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave us
45:04
a review and share it with someone who could
45:07
use a little networking inspiration. Let's keep
45:10
the conversation going. You can find me on Apple,
45:14
Spotify, YouTube or my website. Michael A. Foreman,
45:19
remember, until next time, keep practicing, keep
45:23
connecting, and keep building those relationships.
45:26
This is Michael A. Foreman signing off. Take
45:29
care and happy networking.