Podcast appearances and mentions of richard weylman

What sets great leaders apart in times of uncertainty? As we enter 2025, host Denis Gianoutsos revisits the most potent lessons from 2024, featuring insights from Richard Weylman and Matt Alderton on branding, generational leadership, resilience, and business growth.Learn how to communicate across generations, build a brand that attracts lifelong clients, and scale a business while overcoming setbacks. Whether you are an executive or an entrepreneur, these highlights will equip you with strategies to lead confidently. Listen now and step into the new year with the wisdom of top industry experts.EP569: Richard Weylman – Mastering Branding, Generational Leadership & Selling with PurposeBranding That Resonates – Your brand is more than a logo—it's how people experience you and your missionWinning Across Generations – Every generation has different needs, and effective leaders understand how to connect with all of themThe Secret to Sales Success – People don't buy products; they buy outcomes. Delivering value is the ultimate sales strategyLeading by Example – The best leaders don't just discuss success; they demonstrate it dailyEP602: Matt Alderton – From Corporate to CEO: Scaling Businesses & Overcoming SetbacksFrom Employee to Entrepreneur – Leaving the safety of corporate life to build a thriving business requires vision and resilienceThe Power of Systems – Scaling a business isn't about working harder but building smarter systems that create long-term successBouncing Back from Failure – Every entrepreneur faces setbacks; what separates the great ones is their ability to adapt and keep moving forwardLiving the Dream, Not Just Working a Job – Work should be a passion, not just a paycheck. Building a business that supports your ideal life is the real successKey Quotes:"The only two things a consumer truly values? Experience and outcome." – Richard Weylman"Success isn't just about making money—it's about designing a life you love." – Matt AldertonThe 10 Proven Ways to Lead and Thrive in Today's World - FREE Executive Guide Download https://crm.leadingchangepartners.com/10-ways-to-lead Connect with Denis:Email: denis@leadingchangepartners.comWebsite: www.LeadingChangePartners.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/denisgianoutsos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denisgianoutsos/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipischanging/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DenisGianoutsos

This week on the Team Lally Real Estate Radio Show, we interview Richard Weylman, an award winning business consultant and a bestselling author. Richard delves into his new book "100 Proven Ways To Acquire & Keep Clients for Life", discussing the concept of elevated experience and the art of personalized communication.We also have our Experts We Trust with their Tips of the Week. Duke Kimhan of HI Pacific Property Management emphasizes the significance of selecting the right property manager and touches upon the Hawaii Tenant-Landlord Code. Amphay Champathong of Estate Planning Group sheds light on estate planning and provides insights into the probate process.Who is Richard Weylman?Richard is a globally recognized expert who delivers practical proven ways to acquire and keep clients. He is a keynote speaker and has earned himself a spot in the Hall of Fame. He is also the author of two international best-sellers, “The Power of Why-Breaking Out in A Competitive Marketplace", an Amazon Top Ten Business book available in seven languages and "Opening Closed Doors -Keys to Reaching Hard to Reach People." His next book that has already been selected as a feature book for both the Frankfurt and London 2024 Book Fairs, "100 Proven Ways To Acquire & Keep Clients for Life", will be published by Mango Publishing Group in March 2024.Since 1983, Richard and his team have been showing business owners and professionals around the world the path for permanent business growth and success. They have been blessed with the unique ability to see things from the client's/customer's perspective and interpret their needs and create the prescriptive strategies and tactics they need to elevate their business performance in today's marketplace.To reach Richard Weylman, you may contact him in the following ways:Phone: (941) 828-3600Email: richard@richardweylman.comWebsite: richardweylman.com

This week on the Team Lally Real Estate Radio Show, we interview Richard Weylman, an award winning business consultant and a bestselling author. Richard delves into his new book "100 Proven Ways To Acquire & Keep Clients for Life", discussing the concept of elevated experience and the art of personalized communication.We also have our Experts We Trust with their Tips of the Week. Duke Kimhan of HI Pacific Property Management emphasizes the significance of selecting the right property manager and touches upon the Hawaii Tenant-Landlord Code. Amphay Champathong of Estate Planning Group sheds light on estate planning and provides insights into the probate process.Who is Richard Weylman?Richard is a globally recognized expert who delivers practical proven ways to acquire and keep clients. He is a keynote speaker and has earned himself a spot in the Hall of Fame. He is also the author of two international best-sellers, “The Power of Why-Breaking Out in A Competitive Marketplace", an Amazon Top Ten Business book available in seven languages and "Opening Closed Doors -Keys to Reaching Hard to Reach People." His next book that has already been selected as a feature book for both the Frankfurt and London 2024 Book Fairs, "100 Proven Ways To Acquire & Keep Clients for Life", will be published by Mango Publishing Group in March 2024.Since 1983, Richard and his team have been showing business owners and professionals around the world the path for permanent business growth and success. They have been blessed with the unique ability to see things from the client's/customer's perspective and interpret their needs and create the prescriptive strategies and tactics they need to elevate their business performance in today's marketplace.To reach Richard Weylman, you may contact him in the following ways:Phone: (941) 828-3600Email: richard@richardweylman.comWebsite: richardweylman.com

In this episode, we discuss C. Richard Weylman's book 100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life, which offers practical strategies to build lasting client relationships. Richard shares key insights on client acquisition, creating loyalty, and providing exceptional customer experiences. We explore the proven tactics professionals can use to stand out, engage clients, and foster long-term success in today's competitive market. Tune in for actionable steps to elevate your business and retain clients for life!

I'm thrilled to bring you a conversation that could transform the way you build relationships and lead with empathy. My guest is the legendary Richard Weylman—a Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker, Customer Experience visionary, best-selling author, and former door-to-door salesman who's seen it all.Richard shares his wisdom on why being caring, kind, and truly thoughtful is the key to creating a culture where people thrive. We'll explore the secrets to building lasting relationships and why focusing on people is more critical now than ever.If you're looking to elevate your communication game, this is the episode you don't want to miss. Let's jump in! Additional Resources:► Follow Communispond on LinkedIn for more communication skills tips: https://www.linkedin.com/company/communispond► Connect with Scott D'Amico on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdamico/► Connect with Richard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-weylman-keynotespeaker/► Visit Richard's site: https://richardweylman.com/► Order Richard's book: https://bit.ly/100ProvenWays► Subscribe to the podcast: https://communicast.simplecast.com/► Learn more about Communispond: https:www.communispond.com

Richard Weylman has an amazing story. Orphaned at age 6, Richard lived in nineteen foster homes and attended eleven different schools. Rather than becoming victim of those circumstances, he overcame them and has had remarkable business success, including as an award-winning general sales manager of Rolls Royce to heading sales and marketing for the Robb Report - A Magazine for the Luxury Lifestyle from its inception until its record liquidity event. A Hall of Fame inducted keynote speaker, Richard has also been inducted into the Customer Experience Hall of Fame for his legendary work helping brands engage with their customers and retain them. He is the author of two international bestsellers, including The Power of Why: Breaking Out in a Competitive Marketplace, which is in seven languages and is also a CEO Reads best seller. His latest book 100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life is also a #1 best seller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to another episode of the Sales Leadership Show! Today, we have a special guest, Richard Weylman, who will be sharing his insights on how to keep customers for life. Richard is the author of "100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life," released on March 12th. Join us as Richard discusses his proven path for permanent business success and shares invaluable advice from his extensive experience in consulting, coaching, and speaking.You can listen above, or read the show notes that follow.Who is Richard Weylman?Phil: Richard, welcome to the show! Let's start with a bit about you and your latest book. What's the best advice you've received in your career?Richard: Thanks, Phil. My book, 100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life, is designed to put businesses on a proven path to success. The best advice I ever got was from someone who said, "Richard, you see things from the consumer's point of view, you should market that." This advice has shaped my 30-year career in consulting and coaching. Conversely, the worst advice I received was that I could speak to anyone, anytime, anywhere, about anything. That experience taught me to focus on my strengths – understanding the consumer and turning insights into prescriptive tactics.The Importance of Consumer Perspective:Phil: Congratulations on your book, Richard! It's fantastic. Tell me, who gave you that pivotal advice 30 years ago?Richard: It was Howard Van Bortle, the dealer principal when I was the general sales manager at a Rolls-Royce dealership. He recognized my ability to see things from the consumer's perspective, which has been a cornerstone of my career.Building a Customer-Centric Business:Phil: How do you get in front of customers to ask the right questions?Richard: Through our consulting, speaking, and coaching engagements, I've had the privilege to talk to consumers across various industries. The key is to ask what turns them into delighted advocates and what merely satisfies them. It became clear that satisfaction isn't enough; we need to elevate the experience and build emotional engagement.Elevating the Customer Experience:Phil: What does it mean to "elevate the experience"?Richard: Elevating the experience means consistently demonstrating thoughtfulness, kindness, caring, and empathy. It's about humanizing and personalizing every interaction. These qualities turn satisfied customers into delighted advocates and brand ambassadors.Practical Steps to Elevate the Experience:Phil: Can you break down the practical steps to elevate the experience?Richard: Absolutely. Simple changes like how you sign your emails or addressing customers by their preferred name can make a big difference. Instead of "Best," use "Warm regards." Instead of "Feel free to call," say "Feel welcome to call." These small gestures show thoughtfulness and care.Staying in Touch with Customers:Phil: How do businesses stay in touch with customers effectively?Richard: Logging customer interactions in a CRM system is crucial. Celebrate anniversaries, send personalized messages, and make customers feel valued. For example, a doughnut shop in Sarasota sends annual texts to customers celebrating their loyalty. Real estate agents can send cakes with personalized messages to clients' workplaces, making them feel appreciated and remembered.The Power of Thoughtfulness:Phil: It's not about the cake or the doughnut but the thoughtfulness behind it, right?Richard: Exactly, Phil. It's the thoughtfulness, kindness, and empathy that make customers feel valued. These actions show that you care and help build long-term relationships.Implementing Customer-Centric Strategies:Phil: How do businesses implement these strategies effectively?Richard: Start with a 90-day plan, focusing on a few key changes. Assess where you are and set specific steps for improvement. Tools and templates from my book can help guide this process. It's about adopting a mindset of giving rather than getting.Mindset Shift for Success:Phil: How do we help businesses shift their mindset to prioritize customer-centric strategies?Richard: It's about realizing that by giving – whether it's thoughtful communication or personalized gestures – you build stronger relationships. Bob Burg, who wrote "The Go-Giver," emphasizes this point: giving leads to greater opportunities and success.Conclusion:Phil: Friends, if you want to keep customers for life, focus on thoughtfulness, care, kindness, and empathy. Richard's book, 100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life, is a must-read. You can find it at any bookstore or on Richard's website, richardweylman.com. Remember, implementing these strategies will transform your customer relationships and business success. You've read the notes, now watch the video below. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit happyaf.substack.com/subscribe

Richard Weylman was orphaned at age 6 and he lived in 19 foster homes and attended 11 different schools. Rather than becoming the victim of those circumstances, he overcame them and he has had remarkable business success, including as an award-winning General Sales Manager of Rolls Royce to Head Sales and Marketing for the Robb Report, a Magazine for the Luxury Lifestyle from its inception until its record liquidity event.  A Hall of Fame inducted Keynote Speaker, Richard has also been inducted into the Customer Experience Hall of Fame for his legendary work helping brands engage with their customers and retain them.   He is the author of two international bestsellers, the latest of which, The Power of Why: Breaking Out in a Competitive Marketplace is in seven languages and is also a CEO Reads best seller.  His next book 100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life was released on March 12th, and is available for pre-order on Amazon, or your favorite bookstore. Finally, he is a Horatio-Alger nominee for his philanthropic work on behalf of orphans and widows.    Questions  ·      Could you share with us in your own words a little bit about how you got from where you were to where you are today? ·      This new book that was released almost 3 months now it's been out the book, 100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life. Could you share with our listeners maybe 3 overarching themes that the book covers? And who is the book really geared towards? ·     In your research, when you were talking to your different clients about the different ways that you can acquire and keep clients, did you find that there were some industries that were thriving with these four things that you've mentioned, based on the research and others? ·      Now Richard, could you share with our audience maybe one or two books that you've read, it could be a book that you read a very long time ago, or even one that you've read recently, but it had a great impact on you. ·      Now, Richard, could you share with our audience what's one thing that's going on in your life right now that you're really excited about? Either something you're working on to develop yourself or your people. ·       Where can listeners find you online? Highlights  Richard's Journey Me: Now, we always like to give our guests a little opportunity to share a little bit about their journey. Could you share with us in your own words a little bit about how you got from where you were to where you are today?    Richard shared that the key thing is when all of this stuff, he was an orphan, as mentioned in his introduction, and that was very kind. But he was orphaned, and he lived in 18 foster homes, went to 11 different schools. So, you learn just from life experiences, how to understand, how to adapt, how to connect, in his case with the people with whom he was living. But he thinks we all go through this similar journey in life, you learn how to connect or not with individuals. So, that really became the premise for all of his speaking and consulting.  And they are a research-based consulting firm, they do a great deal of research about what the consumers' looking for, why they're looking for it. And most importantly, how salespeople, marketing people, business people can connect with the expectations, let's use that word, expectations of the consumer. So, that's what prompted his first book, Opening Closed Doors, Keys to Reaching Hard to Reach People then The Power of Why: Breaking Out in a Competitive Marketplace, which was mentioned. And those are in seven languages.  And now his recent book, which really manifested itself after about October he would say in 2019, in the fall of 2019, it occurred to him that people were no longer talking about service anymore. They talked to people in their consulting projects, how would you rate the service of this company, and people didn't want to talk, they would say, “Well, the service is good. But let me tell you about the experience I had.” And it dawned on him that what people are really focused on good service is a minimum expectation today, what people really want, really want is an elevated experience, somebody who's thoughtful and kind and caring, and empathetic. So, that became the premise for the current book that's just come out, which is number one on Amazon hot new release. So, is that helpful?   About the Book – Who the Book is Geared Towards and it's Overarching Themes – 100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life Me: So, you have this new book that was released almost 3 months now it's been out. And you said it's number one on the hot new list for Amazon. Could you share with our listeners maybe 3 overarching themes that the book covers? And who is the book really geared towards?   Richard stated that that's it's a great question. The book itself is really geared, we'll start there, who reads this book? Anybody in sales, marketing, service, leadership, he's had over 2000 individuals that he knows of that are in either leadership roles or top advisors, top salespeople who have sent him emails because of the epiphany moments they've had in it and the reason he thinks that so many different types of people, it doesn't matter what industry, he's got people in real estate, he got a bunch of emails this morning, people in real estate, attorney, doctors, he had a dentist sent him an email, hairdresser.  So, it really doesn't matter what industry you're in. What really matters is do you want to acquire and keep your clients for life? And he guesses the obvious question is, “Why wouldn't you want to keep your clients for life, given the cost of acquisition?”  So, when he wrote the book, he didn't write it for any industry, he wrote it for individuals that really did want to, shall we say, connect with their customers or their clients in such a way that those individuals would never buy from anyone else in their space. And it really is the premise is to understand the lifetime value of a customer or a client.   And a lot of business owners, and certainly salespeople, we don't often think about the lifetime value, we sell somebody something and we see it as a transaction. When you sell someone, it's not the end of something, it's the beginning of what could very well become a lifetime relationship with that individual every single time they need something that you may offer, they can reach out to you, and they become a customer for life. So, the question is, how do you do it? So, that's where the premise of the book came from and who he wrote it for.   So, one of the overarching themes in interviewing literally hundreds, hundreds and hundreds of consumers. And the number really reaches over 1000 in all of their consulting work over the years from 2019 until now when he wrote the book, he would ask people, “What is something someone can do, or a company can do to get your attention and keep you as a client for life?”   And they would tell him that, and they began to write those down. And that's how he came up with the 100 Proven Ways. He didn't set out to do 100 proven ways, but what they found out is today, there are four things people look for, these are the overarching themes. They want an individual and company that is thoughtful. In other words, they'll go the extra mile, do the extra thing, take the extra moment.   Secondly, someone that's kind, will think about things from their perspective and do things that demonstrate kindness to them as an individual.  Thirdly, someone that cares, cares enough to find out what they really want, what they really need, and what is the right, shall we say, item for them? The right haircut, the right prescription, the right legal advice, the right advisory advice, whatever, they want somebody that cares about them.  And last but not least, they want someone in a company that's empathetic, someone that shall we say, demonstrates that even though I'm saying it's unique to me, my problem, and you've heard it 100 times as a salesperson, you know it's not unique. For me, it is unique. So, I appreciate your willingness to be empathetic. So, four things, thoughtful, caring, kind, empathetic, those are the overarching things.   Industry Insights and Best Practices Based on Research from Book Me: So, they need to be thoughtful, they need to be kind, they need to be caring, and they need to be empathetic. In your research, when you were talking to your different clients about the different ways that you can acquire and keep clients, did you find that there were some industries that were thriving with these four things that you've mentioned, based on the research and others?   Richard stated that it's really interesting Yanique mentioned that, and it's not so much industries, it's companies within that are doing well. Most industries are still in the transaction mode. Go to a restaurant, it's a transaction. If you order something online, it becomes a transaction. And as a result of that, people are looking for other options.   So, what's happened is a few companies have really jumped to the front. And he'll just give you a couple of example, in the United States; they have a company called Chick-fil-A. Chick-fil-A is a chicken sandwich is basically what it is. He knew the founder, his name is Truett Cathy and they did a lot of traveling together, meetings together. And he would often say him, “Richard, now remember, we got to remind the crew here that we're not in a chicken business, we're in a people business.”  So, they're closed every Sunday. So, that means if you want to put a characterize that differently, they're closed 52 days a year, that would mean they closed November 10 and re-open January 1, that's 52 days.  They have the highest revenue per store than any other food franchise in the world. And they're closed from November 10 to January 1, and they're not open 24/7.  So, the question is, why is that happening?  Yes, it's a great chicken sandwich granted, but you get a chicken sandwich pretty much anywhere. What they really are known for is please, thank you, and my pleasure. And people sit in long lines at their drive thru, which are two and three lanes wide because people there say please, thank you, my pleasure. That's one brilliant example of how they do it.  Give me another example, in the food industry, this company, for pets, and that company is called Chewy.  Now, how has Chewy done, this young kid had started he said, when manufacturers and sellers of food products and other products for pets, they need to realize pets are part of the family.  So, they need to take a family orientation and be kind, thoughtful, caring and empathetic with their customers about their pets.  Well, they've done that, and just a quick, he (Richard) was speaking, he speaks all over the world. He's spoken at the Pegasus Hotel there in Jamaica many times for various conferences, and he will tell you that he was speaking at a conference in Nashville, Tennessee, he told the story of a woman who had posted on LinkedIn.  She posted that she had a standing order with Chewy, this was in November when he was speaking, and her order for the cat food had just arrived.  She posted on LinkedIn, “The cat food came, I called Chewy and said my cat has died. And I want to return the cat food. They said absolutely not; donate it to the local shelter. And we'll give you 100% credit on the bill.” The audience goes wow. And he said but that's only half the story. The other half that she wrote about was 3 days later, she got a bouquet of flowers, and a condolence card from the Customer Service Rep at Chewy. At that instant, this woman stood up in the middle of this ballroom of about 1000 people and scream, “That was my cat.” and held up her phone. She said, “I posted that this morning. I've already got 147 likes.” And at that moment, he just stopped and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, what does this tell us about Chewy?”  And the whole room starts chanting, “We're switching to Chewy.”  So, there's a message here. And it's the undercurrent of what's going on in business around the world. And it's not just in the US. He'll be in France again in October speaking in a large conference there; he goes to Asia a lot. And everywhere you go, people are really interested in doing business with individuals that are kind, thoughtful, caring, and empathetic and once he realized that, and then people began to share these ideas, if you would do this, I would be a loyal customer, he just thought it'd be helpful to put that out in the marketplace for anybody, regardless the kind of business you're in. Because it makes a big difference in your life. He heard from a guy that sells hot water heaters to hotels, and he said this book changed his business completely. So, that's the difference.   Books that Have Had the Biggest Impact on Richard When asked about books that have had a great impact, Richard shared that one particularly, there's a series, his name is Bob Burg. And he's written a book, the original book, he was a co-author of a book called The Go-Giver: A Little Story about a Powerful Business Idea that is international bestseller, sold a couple million copies, what a fabulous book for anybody to read. And that would be one he'd recommend.  And another one that he has co-authored with a guy named Jeff West is called Streetwise to Saleswise: Become ObjectionProofÔ and Beat the Sales Blues, it's really a great book, it just came out he would say a few months ago. And it's really a story, they write it in a story format and what he means by that is that it's like you're reading a novel, well, it is a novel. But as you're reading the novel, it's written in a way that allows you to understand various things you can do in shall we say in business to expand your influence, to make a significant impact and to really make a difference.  Now, The Go-Giver book that he wrote, he's done a series Go-Giver Leader, The Go-Giver Sell More, and those are really dynamite books. But The Go-Giver, the original book is just oh my God, what a great book and they've sold millions of copies all over the world.  And then the other one is Streetwise to Saleswise, another great book by he and a guy named Jeff West. That book has been out maybe a couple of months, but it's called Streetwise to Saleswise, and it's really written around the city of New Orleans and sales individual that went out there to shall we say, be in the sales business, it's a fabulous read, particularly people like novels that have read really great nuggets on how to be a better salesperson.   What Richard is Really Excited About Now! When asked about something that he's really excited about, Richard shared that the book is doing extraordinarily well, he's been very grateful for that. It's been selected as the lead book for the London Book Fair and the Frankfurt Book Fair this year, which is a blessing. But what he's most excited about is he's getting in front of more and more audiences, he's in the Keynote Speaker Hall of Fame, and the Customer Experience Hall of Fame, and all of that is wonderful recognition. But what is really wonderful is when he has the privilege of being on the platform, and being able to share with audiences' ways in which they can elevate their client or customer experience, and stand apart from the competition, and that's what he's most excited about. He's got a lot of speaking engagements coming up this fall, and in places all over the world. And just to be a blessing to those people and to bring them some thoughts that perhaps they've never had, or to have reinforced that which is that they're doing so they really feel as though, “You know what, I'm on the right track, and we're going to continue to win more business.” So, those are the things that excites him.    Where can listeners find Richard online? LinkedIn - Richard Weylman Website - http://www.richardweylman.com/ Richard shared that on the website, there you can download a chapter of his book free, you can read it, you can also order the book there of course. There's also, he does a great deal of media, he guesses there's probably 25 or 30, ABC, CBS, NBC and, Fox, both TV and radio segments there, you just click on media and you can listen and watch those on various topics.   And then also under videos, you'll see a link there, you can go to learn services. And he puts up about he's going to guess 25 little video vignettes are a couple of minutes long that you can enjoy, they're all free, just wanted to plant those in your life. You can sign up for his performance tip that's the down at the bottom of every page but every 10 days he sends out researcher tips to about 20,000 people or subscribers, so it'd be wonderful if you subscribed.  So, you want to go to www.richardweylman.com if you want him to speak at your conference, or at your upcoming meeting, whatever the case might be, there's a form there, fill it out, he responds to those. He actually gets those himself, he'd be happy to partner with you, and find a way that they can bring some additional learning to your organization, to your people so that they can elevate their business performance as well.   Me: All right. Thank you so much for sharing, Richard. We just want to extend our deepest gratitude to for taking time out of your very busy schedule and hopping on this podcast. You shared some great insights and nuggets as it relates to some of the keys that you need to focus on in order to acquire and keep your clients for life especially based on the research that you did. And we love the examples that you gave, they were definitely relevant and something that I believe will motivate the audience to definitely go out and get a copy of your book, whether it be in soft or hard copy so they can try and elevate their own client experiences. So, thank you again.    Please connect with us on Twitter @navigatingcx and also join our Private Facebook Community – Navigating the Customer Experience and listen to our FB Lives weekly with a new guest    Links •     The G0-Giver: A Little Story about a Powerful Business Idea by Bob Burg •     Streetwise to Saleswise: Become ObjectionProofÔ and Beat the Sales Blues by Jeff West   The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience Grab the Freebie on Our Website – TOP 10 Online Business Resources for Small Business Owners  Do you want to pivot your online customer experience and build loyalty - get a copy of “The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience.” The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience provides 26 easy to follow steps and techniques that helps your business to achieve success and build brand loyalty. This Guide to Limitless, Happy and Loyal Customers will help you to strengthen your service delivery, enhance your knowledge and appreciation of the customer experience and provide tips and practical strategies that you can start implementing immediately! This book will develop your customer service skills and sharpen your attention to detail when serving others. Master your customer experience and develop those knock your socks off techniques that will lead to lifetime customers. Your customers will only want to work with your business and it will be your brand differentiator. It will lead to recruiters to seek you out by providing practical examples on how to deliver a winning customer service experience!

Richard Weylman, Customer Experience Hall of Fame inductee, shares insights and proven strategies for getting clients faster and keeping them longer. Learn more, contact him, order his book at https://richardweylman.com/ For more great insight on professional relationships and business networking visit https://www.networking-rx.com or contact Frank Agin at frankagin@amspirit.com.

Welcome to SaaS Fuel, where successful entrepreneurs and business leaders converge for insightful discussions on driving revenue and cultivating exceptional customer experiences. In this episode, Jeff Mains is joined by Richard Weylman, Keynote speaker and author of two international bestsellers, the latest of which, is "100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life". Together, they emphasize the pivotal role of kindness, thoughtfulness, caring, and empathy in fostering elevated customer experiences and long-lasting relationships. Throughout the episode, they share practical examples and highlight the significance of personalized interactions, strategic language usage, and the importance of providing clear next steps to customers. Tune in to gain valuable insights on building strong customer relationships and mastering the art of delivering an exceptional customer experience.Key Takeaways08:19 Childhood challenges shaped ability to build relationships.13:05 Networking led to successful speaking career worldwide.18:15 Repeated questioning on defining an elevated experience.20:53 Relationship, empathy, and kindness lead to success.29:23 Spoke at conferences, influenced client experience positively.32:41 Solving problems and dominating your marketplace.41:34 AI transforming customer services for efficiency and profit.45:47 Business success depends on people, not type.47:47 Interviews revealed need for understandable software applTweetable QuotesCustomer Experience Strategy: "People were always talking about the experience. They never talked. I said, well, you know, how would you characterize the service? Well, let me tell you about the experience I had." — Richard Weylman 00:18:10Elevating Customer Experience: "I want people to personalize and humanize the interaction we have together." — Richard Weylman 00:18:27The Importance of Compromise in Consensus Building: "Consensus is always good. So everybody's a little ticked off and, you know, so what do you really do? Well, we compromise. There's here another answer." — Richard Weylman 00:54:43The Entrepreneurial Journey: "Successful founders possess an unwavering drive to succeed." — Jeff Mains 00:03:12Building Strong Networks for SAS Founders: "Successful founders understand the power of community and mentorship. They actively seek out advisors, peers, and supporters who can provide guidance, share insights, and open doors." — Jeff Mains 00:04:48SaaS Leadership Lessons1. Prioritize Customer Experience: SaaS leaders should focus on developing an elevated customer experience by incorporating kindness, thoughtfulness, caring, and empathy into the product and service delivery.2. Personalization & Humanization: Emphasize personalized and humanized interactions as they play a crucial role in retaining customers, even in the presence of product or service flaws.3. Mindful Language & Communication: Be mindful of language in customer interactions, avoid using desperate or condescending phrases, and strive for empathetic and kind communication with customers.4. Understanding Customer Needs: Shift the focus from just presenting product features to demonstrating how the SaaS solution addresses specific customer problems and outcomes.5. Clear Next Steps: Clearly outline next steps for customers after a sales presentation as it significantly influences their decision-making and the likelihood of moving forward.6. Cultivate a Customer-Centric Culture: Foster a company culture that prioritizes the delivery of an elevated customer experience, ensuring consistent experiences across all touchpoints.Guest...

Do you want to learn the best ways to retain your clients? Then tune in as Richard Weylman unveils the secrets from his new book, "100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life," offering practical strategies for deepening customer connections and securing loyalty. Press that play button now!Key Takeaways To Listen ForThe inspiration behind Richard's book "100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life"What are the foundational elements crucial for acquiring and keeping clients?Practical examples and success stories that underscore the effectiveness of the strategies in Richard's bookImportance of adopting a customer-centric approach in your businessResources Mentioned In This Episode100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life by C. Richard Weylman | Kindle and HardcoverThe Power of Why by C. Richard Weylman | Hardcover and PaperbackAbout Richard WeylmanOrphaned at age 6, C. Richard Weylman overcame that obstacle and has developed several successful businesses. As a result, he is passionate about helping others understand today's marketplace, and elevate their business performance. Richard is considered one of the leading authorities on marketing innovation and understanding the customer perspective.Connect with RichardWebsite: Richard WeylmanConnect With UsMaster your context with real results leadership training!To learn more, visit our website at www.greatsummit.com.For tax, bookkeeping, or accounting help, contact Dr. Nate's team at www.theincometaxcenter.com or send an email to info@theincometaxcenter.com.Follow Dr. Nate on His Social MediaLinkedIn: Nate Salah, Ph.DInstagram: @natesalah Facebook: Nate SalahTikTok: @drnatesalahClubhouse: @natesalah

Richard Weylman is an acclaimed author and expert in customer experience, renowned for his innovative strategies that seamlessly blend client acquisition with loyalty. His latest book, "100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life," offers a comprehensive blueprint for creating exceptional customer experiences and building authentic relationships. Richard's deep understanding of empathy and human connection in sales has made him a sought-after consultant and speaker, helping businesses worldwide to elevate their customer interactions and drive growth.SHOW SUMMARYIn this episode of the Selling from the Heart podcast, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Richard Weylman, acclaimed author of "100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life." Richard shares invaluable strategies for creating personalized, humanized customer experiences that foster genuine connections and loyalty. From the importance of using clients' names correctly to crafting empathetic communications, this episode is packed with practical advice for sales professionals seeking to elevate their approach and build lasting relationships.KEY TAKEAWAYSPersonalization and Humanization: Use clients' preferred names and personalized communications to make them feel valued and understood.Empathy and Care: Demonstrating empathy and genuine care for clients' needs fosters deeper connections and loyalty.Client Experience: Focus on creating exceptional client experiences through thoughtfulness, kindness, and elevated interactions.Emotional Connection: Clients are looking for emotional connections with their providers, which can differentiate you in a commoditized market.Practical Strategies: Implement specific strategies like avoiding generic follow-ups and explaining the personal benefits of your services to the client.QUOTES"When you shine the light on the person or the people sitting in front of you, they'll shine the light right back.""People want someone who's kind, thoughtful, caring, and empathetic. If you deliver that, it becomes the bedrock of the relationship.""As salespeople, we have an incredible opportunity to create, enhance, and make that customer experience special in a way that nobody else does inside the company."Learn more about Richard Weylman: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-weylman-keynotespeaker/Learn more about Darrell and Larry: Darrell's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrellamy/Larry's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrylevine1992/Website: https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/Get the New Book That Will Help You Sell More... Without Destroying Your Relationships and Reputationhttps://sellinginaposttrustworld.com/home-prereleasePlease visit Barnes & Nobles to order your copy of the rerelease of the Selling from the Heart book.https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/selling-from-the-heart-larry-levine/1130142818SUBSCRIBE to our YOUTUBE CHANNEL!https://www.youtube.com/c/sellingfromtheheart/Click for your Daily Dose of Inspiration:https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/daily

In this episode of the 'Ready Yet' podcast, join me as I chat with Richard Wildman about vital strategies for small business owners to enhance their customer experience. Richard, an esteemed author and consultant, draws from his diverse background to explain the importance of customer engagement and personalized service. We dive into why businesses often fail to adjust to market changes and how they can develop more humanized and emotionally engaging approaches to retain clients. Richard also shares his inspiring journey and offers practical advice on how to implement effective customer-centric strategies in today's evolving marketplace.GUEST RESOURCESRichard Weylman was orphaned at age 6, and lived in nineteen foster homes and attended eleven different schools. Rather than becoming victim of those circumstances, he overcame them and has had remarkable business success including as an award-winning general sales manager of Rolls Royce to heading sales and marketing for the Robb Report- A Magazine for the Luxury Lifestyle from its inception until its record liquidity event.  A Hall of Fame inducted Keynote Speaker, Richard has also been inducted into the Customer Experience Hall Of Fame for his legendary work helping brands engage with and retain their customers. Finally, he is a Horatio- Alger nominee for his philanthropic work on behalf of orphans and widows. Richard is also the author of two international bestsellers, the latest of which, The Power of Why: Breaking Out in a Competitive Marketplace is in seven languages and is also a CEO Reads best seller.  His most recent book, 100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life,  is available on Amazon or your favorite bookstore. https://richardweylman.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-weylman-8a087026https://www.youtube.com/@RichardWeylmanhttps://x.com/richard_weylman Connect as a Human First: A simplified path to creating compelling content BE IN CHARGE >> TAKE ACTION >> GET RESULTSConquer Your BusinessJoin us on FacebookLinkedInInstagram

Join Tom Wheelwright as he discovers how business owners can acquire the best clients, be the best for their clients, and keep them for life with researcher, consultant, serial entrepreneur, and author, Richard Weylman.For nearly three decades he has shown business owners and professionals around the world the path to proven business growth and success. He uses his unique ability to see things from the client's or customer's perspective and interpret their needs to then create the prescriptive strategies and tactics needed to elevate business performance in today's marketplace. As a researcher, author, consultant, and serial entrepreneur, he helps to deliver personalized and dynamic presentations that achieve real outcomes and measurable results.In this episode, learn the path to permanent success and how to build an authentic, caring, and strong relationship with your clients.Order Tom's book, “The Win-Win Wealth Strategy: 7 Investments the Government Will Pay You to Make” at: https://winwinwealthstrategy.com

Settle in! Ken gets you ready for the first Presidential Debate between Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, plus recreational marijuana with Jerry Joyner, and popular Airline rankings with Richard Weylman. Keep it right here on 700 WLW!

Settle in! Ken gets you ready for the first Presidential Debate between Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, plus recreational marijuana with Jerry Joyner, and popular Airline rankings with Richard Weylman. Keep it right here on 700 WLW!

Settle in! Ken gets you ready for the first Presidential Debate between Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, plus recreational marijuana with Jerry Joyner, and popular Airline rankings with Richard Weylman. Keep it right here on 700 WLW!

While AI chatbots are taking over customer service, a majority of us would rather wait and speak to a human being. A Callvu survey found that if given the choice between a human or a bot, an overwhelming 81% said they would wait at least some amount of time to talk with a live agent. Furthermore, in a head-to-head comparison, live agents were perceived to be better suited to perform 7 out of 10 critical customer service tasks. Richard Weylman, a customer service expert, joined us to discuss.Ask Alexa to play WBZ NewsRadio on #iHeartRadio

EPISODE SUMMARYIn the ever-evolving world of SaaS, where personal touch and customer satisfaction are critical, it's essential to grasp the nuances of customer experience and relationship management. I was thrilled to chat with Richard Weylman, a distinguished business consultant and Hall of Fame keynote speaker this week. Richard offered invaluable insights from his upcoming book, "100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life."PODCAST-AT-A-GLANCEPodcast: Scale Your SaaS with Matt WolachEpisode: Episode No. 315, “Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Customers for Life - with Richard Weylman”Guest: Richard Weylman, Coach, Speaker, and AuthorHost: Matt Wolach, a B2B SaaS Sales Coach, Entrepreneur, and InvestorSponsored by: LeadfeederTOP TIPS FROM THIS EPISODEUnderstanding the Customer's PerspectiveEvaluating Customer ReevaluationCultivating Deeper ConnectionsInnovative Follow-up TechniquesEPISODE HIGHLIGHTSThe Four Core Attributes of Customer InteractionThe Impact of Authentic CommunicationConclusion: The Art of Customer ExperienceTOP QUOTESRichard Weylman[17:14] “You have a CRM, but what you really need to build out is a CXM, Customer Experience Manager.”[22:55] “You're not in the software business. You're in the people business.”Matt Wolach[16:57] “There are specific words within a software sales process that if you say them, it's going to kill the deal, and specific things you can do that actually accelerate the deal.”LEARN MORETo learn more about Richard, visit: https://richardweylman.com/You can also find Richard Weylman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-weylman-keynotespeaker/For more about how Matt Wolach helps software companies achieve maximum growth, visit https://mattwolach.com.Head over to leadfeeder.com and sign up for a 14-day (no strings attached) free trial: https://www.leadfeeder.com/ Get even more tips by following Matt elsewhere: Sales Tips LinkedIn Twitter Instagram

Robert talks with Richard Weylman about the importance of customer service and how the companies that truly care about people recognize the experience that they create. Richard helps business owners and leaders think about the experience they are creating for customers and how to improve their customer experience. We share some good and bad stories of customer service and the impact it has on people. Richard Weylman ( Pronounced while-men )Orphaned at age 6, Richard lived in nineteen foster homes and attended eleven different schools.Rather than becoming victim of those circumstances he overcame them and has had remarkable business success including as an award-winning general sales manager of Rolls Royce to heading sales and marketing for the Robb Report- A Magazine for the Luxury Lifestyle from its inception until its record liquidity event. A Hall of Fame inducted Keynote speaker Richard has also been inducted into the Customer Experience Hall Of Fame for his legendary work helping brands engage with their customers and retain them. He is the author of two international bestsellers, the latest of which, The Power of Why: Breaking Out in a Competitive Marketplace is in seven languages and is also a CEO Reads best seller. His next book 100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life just released this March is available on Amazon or at your favorite bookstore.Finally, he is a Horatio- Alger nominee for his philanthropic work on behalf of orphans and widows. www.richardweylman.comX= richard_weylmanLinkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-weylman-keynotespeaker/

The World's #1 Personal Development Book Podcast!  Join the world's largest non-fiction Book community! https://www.instagram.com/bookthinkers/ Today's episode is sponsored by Ken Rusk, if you're ready to get UNSTUCK check out the links below: https://courses.kenrusk.com/ https://www.kenrusk.com/ In today's episode we have the pleasure to interview Richard Weylman, author of “100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life: The Path to Permanent Business Success” Richard is a Hall of Fame Professional Speaker who has delivered over 4,000 keynotes on 4 continents to audiences ranging from 20 to 40,000! Richard was orphaned at age 6, lived in 19 foster homes and attended 11 different schools. He didn't let those circumstances stop him from success. Richard went on to lead an award-winning Rolls-Royce Motorcar operation then progressed to creating the initial sales and marketing organization for The Robb Report, an internationally recognized magazine for the affluent lifestyle.Now for nearly three decades he has been honored to show business owners and professionals around the world the path to proven business growth and success. As a researcher, author, consultant, and serial entrepreneur, he helps to deliver personalized and dynamic presentations that achieve real outcomes and measurable results. In this episode you'll learn about how to connect with people, how to master sales, the keys to becoming a successful speaker, actionable advice on how to take your business to the next level, and much more! This episode is full of actions you can take today to upgrade your business and your life! We hope enjoy this incredible conversation with Richard Weylman! To learn more about Richard and buy his book “100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life: The Path to Permanent Business Success”  follow the links below: Website: https://richardweylman.com/ Book:  https://a.co/d/e0I9uWo Twitter: https://twitter.com/richard_weylman YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RichardWeylman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-weylman-8a087026 The purpose of this podcast is to connect you, the listener, with new books, new mentors, and new resources that will help you achieve more and live better. Each and every episode will feature one of the world's top authors so that you know each and every time you tune-in, there is something valuable to learn. If you have any recommendations for guests, please DM them to us on Instagram. (www.instagram.com/bookthinkers) If you enjoyed this show, please consider leaving a review. It takes less than 60-seconds of your time, and really makes a difference when I am trying to land new guests. For more BookThinkers content, check out our Instagram or our website. Thank you for your time!

Acquire and Keep Clients for Life  Shep Hyken interviews Richard Weylman, hall of fame inducted keynote speaker and bestselling author. He talks about his latest book, 100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life, and how an elevated customer experience helps brands stand out amidst the competition.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    How can companies create elevated experiences at every touch point for their customers?  How does the concept of "lifetime value" impact customer-focused decision-making?  What's the significance of emotional engagement in driving customer loyalty and revenue?  How can small, personalized gestures impact the customer experience?  How does cultivating relationships with customers contribute to long-term profitability?  Top Takeaways:    There are four things that customers are looking for. They are looking for brands that are thoughtful, kind, caring, and empathetic.    Understand your customers' lifetime value (LTV). By recognizing a customer's potential long-term value, businesses can make better customer-focused decisions that are less about the amount they spend on any single purchase and more about nurturing relationships, ensuring positive experiences, and understanding their needs.     Small gestures and careful word choices matter. Businesses can make customers feel valued and respected by paying attention to details, like calling customers by their preferred names and avoiding generic follow-up messages. Even a simple gesture can leave a lasting positive impression, potentially leading to future business opportunities.    Building relationships with customers helps businesses stand out in a crowded market. Creating emotional connections and nurturing long-term relationships drive revenue by de-commoditizing your products and strengthening customer loyalty.    Plus, Richard shares how a thank-you note after a rejection earned him a future opportunity. Tune in!   Quote:   "What happens when you elevate the experience by focusing on kindness, thoughtfulness, caring, and empathy? What happens is you elevate the experience and create emotional engagement."    About:     Richard Weylman is a keynote speaker, customer experience expert, and the author of two international bestsellers, including The Power of Why: Breaking Out in a Competitive Marketplace. His latest book, 100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life, is now available on Amazon.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to another episode of The Friday Habit! Today, Mark and Ben chat with Richard Weylman, the mastermind behind '100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life.'Richard's journey from selling cookware door-to-door to becoming a guru in speaking and customer experience is truly inspiring. He emphasizes the power of connecting with people and nurturing relationships in business.We delve into the 'great reevaluation' phenomenon, where folks are seeking businesses that exude thoughtfulness and empathy. Richard shares practical tips on communicating from the consumer's perspective and creating emotionally engaging experiences.We also touch on the importance of crafting a vision for customer experience and personalization. Plus, we learn from industry giants like Chick-fil-A and Apple about the magic of exceptional customer service.In a nutshell: Treat customers as individuals, stay connected, and be top of mind when opportunities arise. TakeawaysBuilding relationships and connecting with people is crucial in any business.The 'great reevaluation' is happening in the business world, where people are reevaluating their choices and looking for providers who demonstrate thoughtfulness, kindness, caring, and empathy.Communicating from the consumer's perspective and creating an elevated experience fosters emotional engagement with clients.Demonstrating empathy and asking questions in a thoughtful and kind manner can lead to better communication and stronger relationships with clients. Create a vision for the customer experience and focus on the customerKnow the preferred name of customers and use itFocus on the outcomes customers wantAsk why customers left previous providersSend thank-you notes to customers who say noTreat customers as people and stay in touch with themMain Topics00:00 Introduction and Background of Richard Wildman15:46 The 'Great Reevaluation' in the Business World31:33 The Power of Thoughtfulness and Kindness37:35 Elevated Experience and Emotional Engagement45:28 Focusing on Outcomes and Asking Why54:59 Building Relationships and Treating Customers as People  Episode Linkshttps://richardweylman.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-weylman-8a087026/https://twitter.com/richard_weylmanhttps://www.youtube.com/@RichardWeylmanGo to TheFridayHabit.com to find show notes for this episode. There you can also find links to our websites and ways to get in touch. At the bottom of the page you can download our guide to the Friday Habit system that will show you how to set aside one full day each week dedicated to working on your business instead of in your business.If you enjoyed this episode please subscribe and leave us a review in the Apple podcasts app.If you have a question or a topic you'd like us to cover don't forget to record us a quick voice memo and send it to hello@thefridayhabit.comThanks for listening to The Friday Habit.Until next time. Live every day like it's Friday.Listen, rate, and subscribe!Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle Podcasts

Richard Weylman, at age 6, Richard was orphaned and lived in nineteen foster homes and attended eleven different schools. Rather than becoming victim of those circumstances he overcame them and has had remarkable business success including as an award-winning general sales managerof Rolls Royce to heading sales and marketing for the Robb Report- A Magazine for the Luxury Lifestyle from its inception until its record liquidity event. A Hall of Fame inducted Keynote speaker Richard has also been inducted into the Customer Experience Hall Of Fame for his legendary work helping brands engage with their customers and retain them. He is the author of two international bestsellers, the latest of which, The Power of Why: Breaking Out in a Competitive Marketplace is in seven languages and is also a CEO Reads bestseller. His next book 100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life is available on Amazon or your favorite bookstore. Finally, he is a Horatio- Alger nominee for his philanthropic work on behalf of orphans and widows. In this podcast for managers, Audrey, Lee and Richard discuss:   ·  What differentiates you with today's customers with their experience ·  Concrete examples of right from wrong in service levels ·  Free or inexpensive ways to change your business deliverables to garner client loyalty · Why creating brand evangelists is critical to growing your business “Thoughtfulness, empathy, caring, and kindness are valuable relationship-building traits that no amount of competitor marketing dollars can defeat.”– Richard Weylman Build Credibility and Effective Leadership with the Manage Smarter Podcast Join hosts Audrey Strong and C. Lee Smith every week as they dive into the aspects and concepts of good business management. From debunking sales myths to learning how to manage with and without measurements, you'll learn something new with every episode and will be able to implement positive change far beyond sales.   Connect with Richard Weylman https://richardweylman.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-weylman-keynotespeaker/ Connect with Manage Smarter Hosts ·         Website: ManageSmarter.com  ·         LinkedIn: AudreyStrong                                                                    ·         LinkedIn: C. Lee Smith   Connect with SalesFuel ·         Website: http://salesfuel.com/  ·         Twitter: @SalesFuel  ·         Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/salesfuel/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Richard Weylman is an award-winning business consultant, Hall of Fame keynote speaker, customer service Hall of Fame inductee, and international best-selling author. He offers personalized strategies for Fortune 500 companies to acquire and retain lifelong clients. As a researcher and serial entrepreneur, Richard delivers dynamic presentations to achieve tangible outcomes and measurable results.  In this episode: Nearly every business has become commoditized, making it difficult to differentiate your products and services from competitors. Customers now have hundreds of choices at their fingertips. How can you create a system that elevates their experience and positions your business as the top choice? Customer experience thought leader Richard Weylman says customers no longer care about your product or platform; they demand personalized and humanized interactions. These exchanges should involve identifying the customer's desired outcome and helping them achieve it. Since the pandemic, consumers have reevaluated their purchasing decisions, so brands must develop a process that mirrors this desire. Richard's process entails communicating with customers by providing thoughtful, kind, caring, and empathetic services.  Tune in to this episode of Systems Simplified as Adi Klevit sits down with Richard Weylman to discuss how he elevates the customer experience. Richard explains how to acquire and retain new clients, his system for networking events, and the components of an exceptional customer experience.

Ken Broo is joined by Dr Cogley, Gary Sirek, Richard Weylman, Lisa Miller, and Renee Marino in this edition of the show

Can adversity be transformed into a catalyst for leadership growth? Join Denis Gianoutsos and the extraordinary Richard Weylman as they explore converting life's challenges into success. This discussion covers empathetic leadership across generations, nurturing business relationships, and the impact of demonstrative leadership on team motivation.Listeners will discover strategies for engaging diverse generational teams, ensuring customer loyalty, and adapting to consumer expectations. Richard also highlights the importance of 'great re-engagement' in today's business landscape and shares his vision for the future of leadership, emphasizing purpose and collaboration.In This Episode:Denis introduces Richard Weylman's journey, highlighting his resilience and success despite early challenges.Richard emphasizes understanding generational differences in leadership to manage diverse teams effectively.The guest provides actionable branding and customer retention strategies, which are valuable for any business leader.Denis and Richard discuss demonstrative leadership, underscoring the importance of showing rather than telling.Richard addresses consumer expectations, focusing on the necessity of delivering experiences and outcomes.Weylman unveils the 'great re-engagement' concept, stressing its critical role for businesses in engaging with employees and customers.Denis wraps up with Richard's predictions on leadership, forecasting a shift towards purpose-driven and collaborative models.Main Takeaways:Overcoming adversity is possible with resilience and a clear vision for the future, illustrating the power of perseverance in personal and professional growth.Effective leadership requires understanding and adapting to generational differences to build strong, cohesive teams.Demonstrating what needs to be done is more effective than merely instructing, as it provides a transparent model for others to follow.Both customers and employees value the experience and the outcome above all, highlighting the need to simplify processes to emphasize these aspects.Empathy, kindness, and understanding are crucial for creating a positive and productive organizational culture.Success in leadership and business often comes from adapting to change and embracing new challenges.A clear vision and purpose drive motivation and alignment in leadership and engaging with customers and teams.Quotes:"It's important to show people how things are done, not just to bark orders or point them in a direction. Demonstrate the task, and then perform it exceptionally well." - Denis Gianoutsos"If a leader fails to establish a culture of kindness, thoughtfulness, caring, and empathy, people will become self-centered." - Richard Weylman"Today, the significant change is that people want clarity on our direction. They seek assurance that you will work alongside them, collaborating to transition from their current state to our shared destination." - Richard Weylman"When I observe a weak leader lacking mentorship and vision, the decision is simple: they're not fit for the role." - Denis Gianoutsos"Leaders must recognize generational differences among their team." - Richard WeylmanThe 10 Ways to Lead in Today's World - FREE Executive Guide Download https://crm.leadingchangepartners.com/10-ways-to-lead Connect with Richard: Website:

Join us in this podcast as we delve into client relationships with Richard Weylman, a distinguished business consultant. Richard's journey from adversity to success exemplifies resilience and expertise, setting the stage for invaluable insights into navigating the complexities of client interactions.

Richard Weylman works with businesses worldwide, helping them create customer experiences that keeps them coming back. In this episode, he shares what customers really want, that you can model in your own business, and sales. He shares a number of instantly-useable, how-to's and what-to-say messaging examples that you might not have heard before, and perhaps even correct mistakes that repel prospects and customers.

In this episode, Arek is joined by Richard Weylman, a celebrated consultant and Hall of Fame speaker. Richard, with his rich history in sales and customer engagement, unpacks his latest book, ‘Hundred Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life.' He shares insights into the importance of creating memorable customer experiences and the role of empathy in sustaining client relationships. Drawing from his extensive background working with diverse industries, Richard provides actionable strategies for businesses aiming to thrive through customer re-engagement. Tune in to gain valuable knowledge on how to elevate your brand's client acquisition and retention in today's competitive market. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ebaqdesign/support

Authenticity, genuine care, and personalized experiences aren't just words; they're your business's heartbeat. Today's guest, Richard Weylman, is here to share his secrets on turning clients into lifelong fans. Richard, a Hall of Famer in customer experience, will dissect the importance of genuine interactions and how they lead to business success. Expect to hear compelling […]

Orphaned at age 6, Richard lived in nineteen foster homes and attended eleven different schools. Rather than becoming victim of those circumstances he overcame them and has had remarkable business success including as an award-winning general sales manager of Rolls Royce to heading sales and marketing for the Robb Report- A Magazine for the Luxury Lifestyle from its inception until its record liquidity event. Richard's Website: Richard Weylman | Speaking - Consulting - Coaching From James: FREE Passive Income Masterclass (profityourknowledge.com)

Getting a client is just the beginning. To successfully retain a client for life, business owners should seek to exceed the client's expectations — turning them into advocates. In this episode of The Agent of Wealth Podcast, host Marc Bautis is joined by Richard Weylman, a business expert, serial entrepreneur, author, philanthropist, and keynote speaker. Tune in to discover how you can build rock-solid relationships that turn clients into delighted advocates for your business.In this episode, you will learn:What the Great Re-evaluation® is, and what it means for businesses and professionals.What sets a business apart from the competition.How any professional can make sure they are meeting the expectations of prospects and clients.The everyday phrase that can make or break your customer relationship (without you realizing it).And more!Resources:Episode Transcript & Blog | www.richardweylman.com | 100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life | The Power of Why: Breaking Out in a Competitive Marketplace | Bautis Financial: 8 Hillside Ave, Suite LL1 Montclair, New Jersey 07042 (862) 205-5000 | Schedule an Introductory Call

Financial Services industry veteran Richard Weylman has been a coach at all the major wire houses, and has partnered with Touchstone in the past, so we used this opportunity to re-connect. He talks about the tools he uses, including psychological needs of the affluent and 90-day elevation plans. You hear a lot of people talk about practice management ideas, but it is all in the execution -- and Richard can deliver on that.

The importance of brand building and sales adaptation since COVID. An award-winning CEO and best-selling author explains how to grow faster in this new reality!

Why optimizing customer experience is a MUST for growth in 2021 and beyond: How to make it happen!A leading author, speaker and digital marketing expert explains why optimizing customer experience is a MUST for growth in 2021 and beyond and how to make it happen!

Adrienne Lally · How to Gain and Keep New Clients with Richard WeylmanThis week on the Team Lally Real Estate Radio Show, we interview Richard Weylman, A Hall of Fame inducted Keynote Speaker and author of three international best sellers including his latest, the CEO Reads best-seller "The Power of Why; Breaking Out in a Competitive Marketplace". We'll talk about the secrets to gaining and keeping new clients and customers.We also have your favorite experts providing this week's tips on property management, mortgage loans, home inspection and home insurance!Who is Richard Weylman?Richard Weylman is considered by his clients to be a true disrupter of long held perspectives and they depend on his ability to reset current thinking and deliver actionable strategies to elevate their business performance even now during this pandemic. Orphaned at age 6, Richard lived in 19 foster homes and attended 11 different schools. Rather than becoming victim of those circumstances he overcame them and has had remarkable business success including as general sales manager of an award-winning Rolls Royce dealership to heading sales and marketing for the Robb Report from its inception until its record liquidity event.Today he serves as chairman of Weylman Consulting Group and he is the author of 3 international best sellers, the latest of which, The Power of Why: Breaking Out in a Competitive Marketplace is available in 7 languages and is an Amazon top 10 business book and a CEO Reads best seller. Christopher Forbes, Vice Chairman of Forbes Media, calls Richard's insights on business growth, and creating customer advocacy "brilliant." He is also a board member of the United States Luxury Institute whose primary mission is to enable organizations to better understand today's consumer. Finally, Richard is a Horatio- Alger nominee for his philanthropic work on behalf of orphans and widows. To reach Richard you may contact him in the following ways:Phone: (941) 743-0321Email: Richard@RichardWeylman.comWebsite: https://richardweylman.com/To get the latest Covid-19 information and its impact on the current real estate market, visit https://www.teamlally.com/covid19/  

Adrienne Lally · How to Gain and Keep New Clients with Richard WeylmanThis week on the Team Lally Real Estate Radio Show, we interview Richard Weylman, A Hall of Fame inducted Keynote Speaker and author of three international best sellers including his latest, the CEO Reads best-seller "The Power of Why; Breaking Out in a Competitive Marketplace". We'll talk about the secrets to gaining and keeping new clients and customers.We also have your favorite experts providing this week's tips on property management, mortgage loans, home inspection and home insurance!Who is Richard Weylman?Richard Weylman is considered by his clients to be a true disrupter of long held perspectives and they depend on his ability to reset current thinking and deliver actionable strategies to elevate their business performance even now during this pandemic. Orphaned at age 6, Richard lived in 19 foster homes and attended 11 different schools. Rather than becoming victim of those circumstances he overcame them and has had remarkable business success including as general sales manager of an award-winning Rolls Royce dealership to heading sales and marketing for the Robb Report from its inception until its record liquidity event.Today he serves as chairman of Weylman Consulting Group and he is the author of 3 international best sellers, the latest of which, The Power of Why: Breaking Out in a Competitive Marketplace is available in 7 languages and is an Amazon top 10 business book and a CEO Reads best seller. Christopher Forbes, Vice Chairman of Forbes Media, calls Richard’s insights on business growth, and creating customer advocacy "brilliant." He is also a board member of the United States Luxury Institute whose primary mission is to enable organizations to better understand today's consumer. Finally, Richard is a Horatio- Alger nominee for his philanthropic work on behalf of orphans and widows. To reach Richard you may contact him in the following ways:Phone: (941) 743-0321Email: Richard@RichardWeylman.comWebsite: https://richardweylman.com/To get the latest Covid-19 information and its impact on the current real estate market, visit https://www.teamlally.com/covid19/  

This episode is sponsored by https://www.theproductonboarders.com/ (The Product Onboarders), a startup that  helps B2B SaaS product owners identify conversion killers in their onboarding process so they can increase happy, activated users and gain more paying customers Promo Code for Balsamiq: https://balsamiq.com/go/saas-district/ (https://balsamiq.com/go/saas-district/) Peter is the founder of Luminous Communications, the Consulting MD of EZreferral & most recently the Co-founder & CEO of Budee Solutions, his broad base of experience includes: strategic planning, business workflow design, agile development, finance, raising capital, board governance, shareholder engagement, information technology, software development and deployment, sales management, change management, building partner networks globally, international sales, strategic planning, marketing, digital media, social media, inbound marketing, SEO, and, most importantly, customer engagement. Peter describes himself as “always managed to attract talent”. The teams he has recruited have always helped every company meet and surpass their goals. He has helped build successful businesses for over 30 years & his passion has always been the existing customer and the potential customer. During this interview we cover: 00:00 - The Product Onboarders Identify Conversion Killers in Your Onboarding Process so You Can Increase Happy, Activated Users and Gain More Paying Customers. (A Word From The Sponsor) 01:22: - Intro 02:30 - Peter's Background & Entrepreneurial Journey 06:56 - Common Denominators For SaaS Companies Struggling With Sales 10:59 - Sales Hiring Strategies For SaaS  11:52 - Growing Sales From 700K to 4.2M For Software AbsorbSoftware 16:16 - Running a Business Consulting Form For SMBs 20:09  - Challenges Scaling EzReferral Pre & Post-COVID 23:15 - Launching Budee, A Tech Solution For Workplace Safety 30:17 - Leaders To Check Out 31:55 - Get In Touch With Peter People: https://richardweylman.com/ (C. Richard Weylman) https://simonsinek.com/ (Simon Sinek) Companies: https://www.absorblms.com/ (AbsorbSoftware) https://www.budeesolutions.com/ (Budde Solutions) Luminous Communications https://ezreferral.org/ (EzReferral) http://www.springvalleywatersupply.com/ (Spring Valley Water) Get in touch with Peter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterjurisic/?originalSubdomain=ca (Peter's Linkedin) peter@budeesolutions.com Call Peter: 4036175277 Tag us & follow: https://www.facebook.com/HorizenCapitalOfficial/ (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/HorizenCapitalOfficial/ (https://www.facebook.com/HorizenCapitalOfficial/) https://www.linkedin.com/company/horizen-capital (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/company/horizen-capital (https://www.linkedin.com/company/horizen-capital) Instagram: @Horizen.Capital https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYvpqdVVSlSMunWiEwlMjzw (YouTube): Akeel Jabber - SaaS District More about Akeel: Twitter - https://twitter.com/AkeelJabber (https://twitter.com/AkeelJabber) LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/akeel-jabbar (https://linkedin.com/in/akeel-jabbar) More Podcast Sessions - https://horizencapital.com/saas-podcast (https://horizencapital.com/saas-podcast)

https://www.engati.com/ Engati is the world's leading no-code, multi-lingual chatbot platform. https://open.spotify.com/show/3G0uQwPnQib22emRi9VhUg Blog link: https://blog.engati.com/ | Subscribe now. Richard Weylman, Chairman & Managing Director at Weylman Consulting Group talks about Transformation in the face of adversity - on Engati CX. He talks about the most important thing when it comes to business survival and growth. He mentions how businesses are using conversational AI and chatbots for customer service and how businesses will digitally transform themselves post the pandemic. If you like the video, please subscribe to the channel, so we could keep producing more content like this! Follow us on Facebook: http://s.engati.com/157 LinkedIn: http://s.engati.com/158 Twitter: http://s.engati.com/156 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getengati/ #RichardWeylman #EngatiCX #DigitalTransformation

Brand Journalist & Marketing Consultant, Phoebe Chongchua, shares three tips to increase insurance sales by becoming an online authority in your industry. Learn how new media marketing builds trust with consumers and helps close deals. Learn more at MarkMiletello.com.   Guest: Phoebe Chongchua Phoebe Chongchua is a multimedia Brand Journalist, Consultant & Marketing Strategist who makes brands Remarkable. Using her skills as TV News Journalist, she connects brands and consumers through powerful storytelling. Companies gain a competitive advantage when they learn to "Be the Media." Phoebe is a "Top 50 Podcaster to Follow.” Listen to "The Brand Journalism Advantage" podcast in iTunes or at ThinkLikeAJournalist.com     Note: “Where The Insurance Pros Meet” is an audio podcast and is meant for the ear. A transcript of the audio is provided for referencing a particular section or for you to follow along. Listen to the episode to get the most out of our show. We use both speech recognition software and human transcribers to create the transcripts so they may contain errors. If you’re going to quote us in print, please be sure to check the corresponding audio. TRANSCRIPT   Mark Miletello: Welcome back to the show. I'm excited; we have a special show lined up today. We have one of the world's greatest minds in marketing and media and journalism. Our guest is a brand journalist and consultant who teaches businesses how to think like a journalist and be the media. I'm going to dive into that because I want to know what does that mean to us, how to think like a journalist, and how do we be the media. It's awesome. She launched the brand Journalism Advantage Podcast in the fall of 2014, and within nine months she was named a top 50 podcaster by Cision for shows on public relations, marketing, and social media. She also made the list of 35 outstanding podcast picks by entrepreneurs on Inc.com. She's an award-winning former TV news journalist from right here in San Diego who loves the pursuit of a good story. Welcome our special guest Phoebe Chongchua to the show. Phoebe Chongchua: Hey Mark, how are you? Mark Miletello: I have to step up my game. I'm doing great, but I don't even know, how many shows do you have live out there that you produced? Phoebe Chongchua: For the brand Journalism Advantage we have about 400+ episodes to date. You know that is no easy feat, right? Mark Miletello: It's not an easy feat. For the listeners, Phoebe is the inspiration behind and really my mentor in launching one of the first and greatest, I believe, platforms for our industry. What's so unique about you, Phoebe is that you've been around our industry now for at least nine to ten years. With your background, and now you know a lot of our background, it's just going to be an unbelievable show too, so thank you for joining us. It's an honor and a privilege. Phoebe Chongchua: You know what, Mark? I think that what you are doing truly is an inspiration and should be listened to by many agents because this is what it's all about, getting your voice out there, being heard and giving valuable information to the agents so that they can thrive in the industry. There aren't a lot of people out there doing this. Mark Miletello: We're jumping right into this, and I love it, but you know our industry. I feel like our industry is way behind on a lot of the social, maybe it's a lot of industries Phoebe. You work with very, very large corporations, some of the world's largest corporations. You've worked with Mom & Pop shops, you've worked with anyone in between. Is it me or is our industry way behind online marketing, social media, things like that, or is it really everyone struggles in that area? Phoebe Chongchua: I think a lot of brands and large corporations are definitely excelling in this space, but then there are a lot of brands that just don't get it, and they're really creating these streams of broadcasts where they get on a platform, and they think, "I've just got to hit it with marketing," and that's where they're going wrong. They're really not telling a story; they're not sharing their real reason for why they are doing what they're doing in the industry and how it's going to help people. That's what's most important, and that's kind of where this whole think like a journalist mentality comes in. When you think like a journalist, your number one rule is to find the story and make it a value to the end user. Who's the end user? When it's media, it's your viewing audience, or radio, it's your listener-ship. In the cases of brands, if they can think like a journalist and craft stories that are valuable to their end users, their core audience, their future customers, their current customers, they're really engaging them and bringing that story to them to help them through the buyer journey and that cycle of making decisions to choose their company, their product, their service. Mark Miletello: We're going to dive into this because I'm going to extract everything I can in this short amount of time we have together because you have so much to offer any industry, especially where the insurance pros meet the insurance industry. I definitely want to just pause and say thank you for inspiring me to launch this, coaching me. I don't want to use the phrase that I'd like to use, but you've polished me, and there's a lot of work to go, but I'm getting better. I've got to tell you, I've interviewed some of the greatest in our industry, and you're one of the greatest in your industry, but also knowing that you're one of the television's and online and podcast, you're one of the great interviewers out there, I'm a little bit intimidated. Phoebe Chongchua: Oh no. You know what I like about the podcasting platform? You take up space on someone's prized possession, their smartphone, their iPhone. You own space on that, and you're plugged into their ears, and they're listening while they're walking or running. You can be as real as ever. You don't have to be that broadcast journalist to get into this. What you have to do is have a message, care about it, Mark, as you do, and then drill down. Get the information out of each guest, make it valuable to your listener-ship and they'll keep coming back. Mark Miletello: Well, thanks for the confidence. I needed that right off the bat. Phoebe, let's jump into this. Let's talk about what you do and how you have become one of the greatest in your industry and how you can help our industry. This is where the insurance professionals meet; you are a professional in the media space, give us a professional tip right off the bat, something, a piece of technology, something, a tip that can transform our business. Phoebe Chongchua: This is probably one your industry, at least the agents, haven't heard of, and they might do a, "Huh," scratch their head and might have to hit the 30 second back button when I say it, but trust me. If you do any blogging, if you do any writing for the web, I'm going to give you a tool that is incredibly valuable. I actually got this from a guest on one of my podcast shows because I ask a similar question about a resource or tool that they can use, but I'll tell you what, it's really worth its weight in gold. This is called a headline analyzer. I'm sure in your show notes, Mark, you'll put a link to it, but it's basically from the Advanced Marketing Institute. What's a headline analyzer? This is a little bit crazy, when I got into TV, we wrote headlines, that bait that draws you in to watch those, what we call, teases so that you'll watch the 5 o'clock news or the 6:30 newscast. A headline analyzer takes your headline that you think it's so awesome and then tells you whether it really is awesome or not. It tells you if it's awesome not just for people, meaning the actual humans, on the web we write for the robots too. We write for the algorithms and all the bots that are searching the web, so you have to make your headline work for two things. When I first started writing on the web a long, long time ago, I thought it was really cool to be clever, that clever journalist like I was on TV. I realized clever doesn't pay, you have to be straightforward, you've got to be hard-hitting, and you've got to make your point, and that's what's going to make a good headline. Why am I telling you this? As an insurance agent, you may or may not have a blog, you may or may not write on LinkedIn. If you are not, you're making a huge, huge mistake and I'm sure we're going to get into that as we go through this episode. The headline analyzer will tell you things like is this hitting emotionally at the level you want? Is it hitting intellectually? Guess what, in the insurance industry, there's a lot of space for writing about things that are both going to hit intellectually and emotionally. I'm sure when you guys go on sales calls you guys are hitting on both levels, the intellectual and emotional. What's going to happen if you don't have life insurance, for instance, and your husband passes away? How will your wife be taken care of? That's emotional. If you're writing about stuff like that, but your headline doesn't match the content of your writing and doesn't work for the search engines and doesn't work at an impactful level for humans, then your writing isn't going to go anywhere and isn't going to be seen. That's why I recommend this. It's very easy to use, you just type in the headline, and it'll tell you whether you're writing it at the level of a complete novice or whether you're writing at the level of an expert copywriter. Mark Miletello: Thank you and we will definitely share the link. I'm going to get your commitment right now that maybe five or ten or twenty shows down the road I want you back because you've given me since I've known you, Phoebe, you've given me like ten sites of just things I would have never known or found. Recently you said, "Mark, you need to use Grammarly. Your writing needs help." Yup, you're right, I drag a document over, it proofs it, sends it back to me and then it needs more proofing, but the point is you have your finger on the pulse and anyone out there, whether you're an insurance agency, a management team or a Fortune 500 company, you need to look into this lady because she is something special, so thank you, your professional strategy. Phoebe, let's talk a little bit about you. Let's give the listener a little bit of background about maybe your rise to success. Can you share that with us? Phoebe Chongchua: My background is a television journalist, and I wanted to be a television newscaster since the age of 12. I really had this mantra, I don't even know where it came from, but I think in your industry it's sales meetings. You guys are heavily into creating what you want in your life and making that a reality. I lived by the mantra imagine it, and you can achieve it, similar to Walt Disney. This was something that really drove me. When I wanted to become that newscaster since the age of 12, I just bee-lined, like laser-focused, and doubled down on it. You're going to hear me say that about a couple of things as we go through the tips section, but that's what got me into broadcasting. My first job was literally delivering radios for KPBS. I look back, and I think, "This is crazy," but they were radios for the radio reading service for the visually impaired. I believe that still exists today. I would go into homes, and this taught me a lot about the psychology of humans because I would go into homes where there were people who were completely blind or mostly blind, and I would deliver a radio to them so that they could listen to this station that read the newspaper over the air. Quite an interesting thing, not anywhere along the lines of what I wanted to be doing, but I took it to get my foot in the door. From there, I worked hard, long hours and innovated and iterated into whatever I needed to be to make it to that next step. Over the course of about four years I ended up landing a job in TV news after doing many internships for all the television stations and three networks at that time, so you can see times have changed. There are a lot more networks in one local market today. I ended up becoming a TV news reporter for the ABC affiliate here in San Diego called 10 News. Within just a short period, maybe two year's time, I was promoted to an anchor. Really made all the mistakes you could imagine because I was green as ever, Mark, so believe me, sitting in your place, I know exactly what it's like except I was on TV very young, very green. I really do thank the San Diego audience for hanging in there and believing in me because I made lots of mistakes. From there, I really began to see my entrepreneurial skills develop, which I didn't even know that I had in me, but I started to innovate. I created fitness programs that became very popular on TV, and I created one of the things that I'm most proud of in my career, which is a resource festival that became know, at that time in California, as one of the largest resource festivals of its kind. We attracted 20 thousand people to it in just four year's time. I remember one of the funny stories is it was held out at Qualcomm Stadium, it was meant to differentiate the brand, so differentiate 10 News from watching any other network news, why we cared about the people, because again we were trying to answer and solve questions for our viewership so that we would stand out. You could watch a drive-by shooting on any network, right, so what makes the network different? If you care about the community, which is the same message that I teach today. The real highlight was it was held out at Qualcomm stadium, took up this very large area of the parking lot. I had the, then San Diego Chargers involved, the Padres, I had major businesses, about 500 businesses and non-profits coming together for this one day where we gave the community all the answers we could pack into a day to help them, and fun entertainment. There's a thing called a sig alert. A sig alert is when they dispatch over the air by the law enforcement that there are big problems, traffic problems in a certain area and it could mean that there's big breaking news going down. What happened was Channel 8 heard this sig alert. This is the competition, and we were in fierce competition at the time with Channel 8. Mark Miletello: You know there's a movie about this, right? Phoebe Chongchua: Right, so Channel 8- Mark Miletello: San Diego newscasters, right? Phoebe Chongchua: Yes, exactly. Mark Miletello: I won't go there. Phoebe Chongchua: Yeah, Anchorman. Anyway, Channel 8 shows up to cover the story thinking that it was breaking news and I'm telling you, I go, "You know you've arrived when the competition is coming to your event that you're trying to brand yourself about in the community." You've got 20 thousand plus people, you've got it all backed up, it looked like it was a football game or something. They came to cover it and then they're like, "Oh, it's only Channel 10's event." Mark Miletello: I love it. Phoebe Chongchua: What was so cool about that, Mark, and where this ties into branding for companies, is that we were creating something that our viewership needed. Our viewership is what drives the business of media. A lot of people forget that media is a business, and it is just like any other business. It has to bring in its profit, so we have to answer to them. We did this by connecting with them and engaging with them. This was long before the days of Twitter and YouTube and Facebook and LinkedIn and all the platforms that you can now, or podcasting, that you can now go live on and create your own stories and tell your messages. When we did this, it was so different and so unique that it drove a lot of attention. I still remember the customers, the viewers, coming in and saying to me things like, "This has changed my life. I didn't know that this business existed." We did a job fair and got 340 people hired in a single day. It was a pretty cool event. Mark Miletello: You said so much in there. I find when I work and talk with you Phoebe, I take notes, so that's awesome. I'm always learning from you. First of all, you said a quote that when you said it, it just reminded me, this is the number one quote I heard from my father growing up. It was a William Arthur Ward quote that says, "If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it." Thanks for sharing that because I hadn't even thought of that and that's kind of a staple quote in the insurance industry. That's where that came from, and actually, my father repeated that often throughout my life. One thing that you did, and I don't know if you have or have not, but I just recently read Blue Ocean Strategy. What you were doing and the idea is that we all compete in this red, bloody ocean of fierce competition. What you did was clearly before it was even coined that, you performed what was a "Blue Ocean Strategy." You've become the competition, so now I get to be the media, I see where that comes from. That's just a Blue Ocean Strategy that you, just like Amazon, just like Uber, just like, you broke out of an industry to create a whole new platform where you brought in connections. The last thing I'd want to say is, wow, what a great concept where you were able to build a community event, I bet you got some pretty good business relationships throughout that. Phoebe Chongchua: Oh, absolutely. One of the things I recommend when businesses come to me, and they say, "We're struggling with this concept of being the media. How do we be that voice? How do we tell our own stories?" I look at them, and I think for years, maybe even decades, a business has been using, what's called a press release. We heard several years ago; I can't remember how many now, but Coca-Cola said, "We're killing the press release." You've seen large companies like GE now, instead of using press releases, they tell stories. GE is a brand and a big, big brand. A lot of times a brand like that would not need to engage with its consumers. You're going to go out, you're going to buy washing machines and other things that they make, but the fact is when they tell stories about how certain things are made, or they tell stories that are along the lines of what the consumer wants to know about, they're engaging with that consumer in a way like the media does. That's the point, when you build these partnerships and you be the media, you have an opportunity to carry that story to your consumers and bypass traditional media, bypass that press release, that by the way, most of the time, quite frankly, when I was a news reporter, newscaster, it ended up in that circular file. You know, the one on the floor, right next to your desk? Mark Miletello: Yup. Phoebe Chongchua: Sadly, because it wasn't stories. Businesses were pitching advertisements and saying, "Hey, television station, do you want to cover our press release that's an advertisement?" No, that's not a story. You have to really dig deep and differentiate between what is a brand journalism story, which literally means just taking the journalistic skills and writing a story on behalf of a brand using those journalistic skills. Remember, we started off the show by saying journalists look for stories that matter to their end users. Brands need to do the same, what matters to the end user. As an insurance agent, what matters to that audience? What do you want to tell them? I know I've sat down with financial advisors, I've sat down with insurance agents, I've sat down with lawyers, they're all trying to help make the lives of the people they serve better. The problem is, sometimes they market to them instead of really answering the questions that that consumer might have. If they did answer the questions in an intellectual and emotional way, then they'd be able to close the sale a whole lot easier. Mark Miletello: That's kind of the show with Richard Weylman, that's exactly the point that he put. Let's talk now about the insurance agent, the insurance industry. Let's use all of your experience and knowledge in media and let's pinpoint some professional advice that you would give us so that we can ... I know sometimes I take your notes because you're so far ahead of where I'm at in social media and where I'm at in branding myself or my team. I have to take notes and go back and think and study on that and ask you more follow-up questions. What I want to do is kind of slow it down and really pinpoint a couple of areas, Phoebe, that you would advise with your knowledge of our industry you've had over the past decade and the knowledge that you have blending those to teach us how we can utilize your advice and skills to help us. Can you give us some advice? Phoebe Chongchua: Sure, so there are three things. I want to keep it really simple because what tends to happen is I have all these great thoughts, and I'm really an innovator. People hire me to strategically think for the brand and the business regarding marketing and content creation. Sometimes I get a little too far ahead of myself, so I want to break it down and make it very simple for anyone listening. Whether you are the leader of a very large company or you're a solopreneur or an independent contractor, wherever you fall in this, and the industry actually doesn't matter, but in this case, we're talking about insurance, you need to do three things. If you do these three things and you do them well, I can guarantee you success because you will be found on the web, you will be found in the offline and the online world, and really that's what's most important at this point. The tips are that you have to build authority, you have to be the media, and you've got to double down on distribution and promotion. Let me go into this a little bit deeper. What I mean by being the authority is you have to be recognized and seen as that expert in your industry. That's the big kahuna of it all. That's like, "Awesome." If you're seen as that, you open doors. When I launched all of this years ago, and I talked about be the media, a lot of people didn't understand. They thought, "Why do I have to be the media?" Today we're seeing everything from fake news sites to real news sites, to brands that are popping up that are literally dominating and getting more views than traditional media. Imagine that, Mark, more views than traditional media. That's crazy to think that's happening. I'll give you an example of a bank in Denmark called Jyske Bank. They're a bank, but guess what they are today? They're really the media. They wanted to get their news and information about their financial service products to the marketplace, but here's what was going on. The media just wouldn't have it. They didn't see stories; they saw marketing. They saw a press release. They saw, "You're in it for yourself." They said, "Huh, what can we do?" Someone had the ingenious idea to turn themselves into the media and to literally set up broadcasts, so today they broadcast both locally and nationally by the worldwide web. They tell stores about their products and service, and they give financial information, and now, you know what? They're quoted by people in traditional media jobs, by journalists, by producers, and they're actually turned to as a resource. This can literally pave the way, and you think, "I'm just an insurance agent. I've got to do my job, and now you want me to run a media company?" I want you to build your authority. It would be like saying, "I'm an insurance agent, but I don't have time to keep my resume up. I don't have time to do my business card." This is part of living, part of building a successful career. There's no room for can't; there's only room to get it done. You start by building your authority, building your expertise. If you have a website, you can put your content there. The second part would be the media; you do this by telling the stories that matter to your end users. Look at who you're trying to attract. If you're working on, let's say maybe you're going after the agriculture industry, then tell stories that matter to farmers and make them understand what they're missing if they're not using your product, but don't be so focused on your product. Be more focused on what they need and through that you'll build a relationship with them. They'll come to know, like and trust you because of the content you're putting out. Third, you double down on distribution and promotion, and I have to admit this is where sometimes even I've failed. I've created a lot of content and I've done what a journalist does, which is sometimes just broadcast, get it out there, but I've long wanted to create courses and to make myself more valuable to my clients by offering something that I don't have to teach in coaching sessions one on one. Had I doubled down on the distribution and promotion, that would have helped me get to where I was going faster. This is an area, we all can find the areas where we're stronger and weaker. Someone likes to podcast, so they like to get on the radio and talk, and that comes easier than maybe writing. You've got to force yourself to work at these things and really bring to light all three. Be that expert, be the media by having a story. Another great thing is analyzing other people's work. For instance, you can take something that's happening in the insurance world; you can pull that piece of content into your blog or your podcast and then analyze it. This is what the media does; they have a, "And that's my perspective," type thing. People will listen to that for your analysis of it. The third, spend probably the most amount of time on doubling down on what's working, whichever social media platform you're growing the fastest and promote it like crazy. Mark Miletello: Yeah, and sometimes we need to hire that done, sometimes we need to be part of that, right? Phoebe Chongchua: I'd say both. You can hire for it, but you need to be part of it. You need to take the time to go out- Mark Miletello: At least understand it, learn it, launch it and then lay the groundwork. Phoebe Chongchua: Yeah, because here's the thing, and this is a really important point. When you say, "Hire for it," you can hire people to do your social media, but they better know your brand inside and outside. Even still, a do a lot of that for brands, but I've still got to have that person who is the brand weigh in and make comments and talk and engage. That's important Facebook Live came about in the last couple of years, that can't be done hired out. That's got to be you; you've got to jump on, you as that person who's trying to be the guru, the expert, the authority has to jump in front of the camera and talk to your audience. If you do it all the time, if you do this formula, authority, be the media, double down, you will find success and you'll look back and you'll say, "Wow," in whatever year it was that you started, say it's 2018 at the time of this recording, you'll go, "I'm so glad I did that because I'm making my mark in the online world," which translates to business in the offline world. Mark Miletello: Right. You said, "To go out and gather their information and analyze it." I think since doing this I've been really doing that by following your podcast, the brand Journalist Advantage, listening to different CEOs or different marketing or all the guests and the talent that you bring on your show. Of course, I listen to it to learn from you as well, but you pick up something from all these industries, and you can rebrand that or rework it to either, number one, content for you, but also not just talking about the same thing all the time. There are different aspects and different angles to look at marketing and sales and all those different aspects of an entrepreneur, the business they build and things like that. Thank you for sharing that advice. You mentioned where maybe you lack and I definitely lack on the distribution and promotion. Sometimes we learn from our mistakes, and that's why I like to have this question that I'm going to throw at you. We all have fumbles, we all now and then drop the ball. Can you tell me, Phoebe, of a time that you've learned from a mistake that you may have made? Phoebe Chongchua: Like my guests say on my show when I ask my, "When it didn't work moment," there are so many, but one pops into my head. This was many years ago. I started out when I moved from TV to the web doing video production, and we still do that today where we create stories for brands and businesses. I had this one agency come to me, wanted me to do a shoot with a small business owner. We had to travel for that, so of course, the expenses were paid. I worked directly with the PR firm to set this whole deal up. I never spoke with the client until I actually go there. Once I got there, I realized she was deathly afraid to be on camera. She was super uncomfortable. What she probably needed first was coaching sessions from me on-camera interviews before she would ever be comfortable, but we were set to shoot. We had a limited amount of time, so we went ahead, and we shot, and it became painfully obvious that this was not going to work. I've done thousands and thousands of interviews, interviewed people like Walter Cronkite, interviewed Mother Theresa and interviewed people on the streets who are homeless, even rapists in jail cells, so I have a lot of experience in this, but I can't make somebody in the time we're there with the pressure we were under work at the level that they're going to be comfortable with that's going to present their brand in the way they wanted. We ended up shooting with, actually, the PR person, which wasn't bad, but the lesson in all this that I learned is I made a big mistake in not doing some of the homework upfront, in relying on the agency to have set everything up. Sometimes we take a shortcut because it's like, "Oh, okay, it just dropped into my lap, and it's a good deal for me. Let's go." That ended up costing me in the end because it took more time, the shoot took longer because we had to scrap a lot of it. I learned that you've really got to focus on getting to know everyone involved, making sure that they really understand what's going to happen and making sure that they're comfortable with it because very often, CEOs especially, and this isn't a jab at anyone who's a leader, myself included at times, jump in front of a camera or behind a microphone thinking, "We've got it all made. It's all under control." That's just not the way it is. Everyone can benefit from some coaching, no matter if you're a professional or not. If you need that first, that should come before you're actually setting up to do a shoot. I learned to look at that and do my homework beforehand to make sure that the person is really camera-ready. Otherwise, the segments aren't going to go the way they want. It's not going to be a success. The PR person, fortunately, was there and could jump in front and he did a great job, so all was well. Mark Miletello: Thank you for not bringing up the time I enlisted your help to shoot my first video. That was a little harder than I thought because I had some brighter lights than I've ever had pointed at me. Phoebe Chongchua: I hear you. Mark Miletello: Thanks for being patient. Anyway, we'll move on. Phoebe Chongchua: It's all good, right? That's the key, right, Mark- Mark Miletello: You made me look as good as someone can. Phoebe Chongchua: Yeah. Mark Miletello: You polished me again in that aspect, and wow, did you do ... I've seen that video of training on the Value Sells presentation. I watched it last night because I just did some enhancements to the site. Phoebe, I watched that last night, and I'm thinking, of course, that's me, and you want to criticize yourself so much, but the way you filmed that, it took just a lot ... I don't know if that comes as second nature or you really put the amount of time into building me performing at two different, one on, anyway you just did a great job, and I was just thinking that last night. I guess it's been a few years since then and I forgot how awesome of a job you tried to make me look. Phoebe Chongchua: Well, thank you. It's good stuff; the content really is what counts too. It's very important and can help people. Mark Miletello: That's what I hope about this show is that they realize I'm just a doer in the industry. I'm a manager, leader, an agent, a producer and I'm just having fun. Again, you've interviewed Walter Cronkite and many others, I'm going to make it through this show, and I'm going to have fun. I do have my mentor on the other side of this call, so thank you for that, and I really hope you inspire others the way that you've inspired me, but let me ask you this. If you're starting and understanding the social media the way you do, how do you start? What do you do first? How do you grow, Phoebe, in this day and time? Phoebe Chongchua: This goes back to the three tips that I was giving, and I see one way to success, and that's to develop that niche and become that authority in it. You must do that. Out of everything that we've said in this podcast, that's the important thing. Develop your niche, become the authority in it, then stick with one main platform. If you're going to write on LinkedIn, write on LinkedIn and double down on it. Mark Miletello: Be the best at it. Phoebe Chongchua: Yes, do the information and get it out there on that platform so that your audience knows where to follow you. Then introduce it on other social media platforms after you grow the first platform. A lot of times I come into brands, and they go, "We want to be on Twitter and Instagram and all these different things," and I go, "Let's just go one and work that one platform first." Seek to be on other people's shows because you can gain a lot by being published. I've been published in books like Donald Trump's The Best Real Estate Advice I've Ever Received, I've been published in other books on financial services. I have a lot of work out there on the web in platforms like realtytimes.com, so a lot around the lifestyle, home improvement, financial services, industry so that my work can be seen through their audiences as well. Again, double down on what you're doing, on the distribution and the promotion, and don't give up. Keep going, going, going. Mark Miletello: Wonderful advice. What I want to do, Phoebe is, and especially this is a perfect question for someone with your expertise. What is your professional prediction in ten years? The year is 2028, what do you predict, if you had to wave your wand and tell us, what does the industry, the media, the branding, social media, what does the industry look like? How do we as business people fit in? Phoebe Chongchua: If you do something now and you take that action now, you'll set yourself up for better success down the road. If you become known as that expert, building that niche, and maybe you're catching on to the theme here that you have to be an expert in your industry, but more importantly you have to be known for something. Here's the thing, if you're in insurance and you decide later to change into something else, you've got to be known for your skillset. Why does LinkedIn offer what are your skillsets and how people endorse you in those areas? Because that's going to translate to other jobs down the road whichever direction you go. A lot of times people start off into one area, and they migrate like I was a TV journalist, and I'm now a brand journalist and a consultant helping build other people's brands. I think the number one thing that you have to think about is in 2028, don't get focused on will YouTube be around, will Facebook still exist in the way it is. The internet will be here and what will you be known as on the internet? What is your virtual resume? How does it look there, but more important, you don't want just your resume. You want to be known as that person who has deep thought and analysis. You want to be known as that thought leader, and you only build that by writing, by talking, by speaking, by getting in front of people. If you want to be known to your customers, your homeowners, people that you are working with as the expert, you better be found on the web because it's basically like this. In the 70's and 80's, if you had a business, Mark, would you say no to the yellow pages? Mark Miletello: Absolutely not, in fact, I changed my name to AAA, Assurant Insurance Agency so that I would show up first. Phoebe Chongchua: Right? Exactly. Remember the tool I talked about, the headline analyzer? That's where things like this come in. It's all the same, but it's different at the same time. What I mean by that is you're still playing the game. Mark was doing AAA insurance, and on the web, you've got to use a web headline analyzer to make your content seen and to try to rank above the competition. The bottom line is you don't say, "I'm not going to be part of it." You don't say, "I'm not going to be in the yellow pages," in the 70's and 80's when you're a business and, "I'm not going to do social media because I think it might go away." You're only hurting yourself, so take action now, start writing, make it a habit or start podcasting. Do something so that you're getting your thought leadership out there to become that authority. Mark Miletello: The cheese always moves, the puck, the idea is to skate to where the puck is going and not to where it is. You are doing that and have done that. Who inspires you? Give us a professional recommendation of a book or a person, or article, someone that you would recommend. Phoebe Chongchua: There are so many great people, but I'm going to say this one just because I've listened to it recently and because anybody who does follow me knows that I'm a huge fan of Apple. It's Steve Jobs, The Man Who Thought Different. That might seem like, "Really? Another Steve Jobs reference?" Listen to this book; it's well done. If you want to, you can listen to it on Audible. You can get a free link from me over at my site thinklikeajournalist.com, but I recommend this book because what he does is so incredibly amazing. You learn a lot more about his younger years and how he thought, even when he was a kid. He, from the very beginning, he just thought differently. I love the way he brings attention to the product. What you're going to get out of this is you're going to recognize that it requires a lot of developing yourself and going deep into yourself to do what I'm talking about with this authority branding and authority marketing. I think Steve is an inspiration to anyone who wants to build a very successful business. If you follow some of his principles about his deep care for products, services and the way they're presented and the story that's told, you'll be on the right track. One of the things that Steve Jobs did is he rehearsed like crazy before those Apple presentations, which, by the way, the world watches. People line up all over the place to get into these conferences. He rehearsed those. He didn't leave things to chance. For anyone who's a platform speaker, that's so important because a lot of times you just try to wing it. You think, "I've got this, I've seen these slides. I'm just going to roll with it." He didn't do that. Mark Miletello: Exactly, and it's not just platform speakers. In our industry, it's the first time you meet with a client. It's very time you meet with a client. It's rehearsed, it's learned, it's practiced. If I had to say, and I'm not going to make it number one, but I'm going to say it's in the top three to five mistakes I find new agents, new reps making in this industry, is they don't rehearse, they don't practice enough and they go out and make mistakes. This is learned skills, so that sounds like a really good read. As I promised, it was a special show. I cannot believe, I'm just honored to have one of the greatest minds in the world in the media space, one of the most sought-after coaches and all those great things. I just want to say thank you for being a guest on the show and thank you for all you've done to mentor and coach me. I'm honored and privileged to know you and to be coached by you and to have you in my corner. Phoebe Chongchua: Mark, it's been so much fun, and I'm just thrilled with your success. You're doing great. Mark Miletello: And now you're in the corner of the entire industry with this show, so thank you for that as well. If you like what you hear on the show, you can definitely connect. All you have to do is Google Phoebe Chongchua. She's easy to find. If you want others to find me and this show, please go to iTunes, rate, and review, and you can follow me on markmiletello.com. Thank you for listening.

Guest Morris Sims shares why you have to know your "why". Recognizing how purpose drives us can help you finally get to the bottom of your "why" and cause you to excel in business. Thinking on purpose is a must for success. Learn more at MarkMiletello.com. Note: “Where The Insurance Pros Meet” is an audio podcast and is meant for the ear. A transcript of the audio is provided for referencing a particular section or for you to follow along. Listen to the episode to get the most out of our show. We use both speech recognition software and human transcribers to create the transcripts so they may contain errors. If you’re going to quote us in print, please be sure to check the corresponding audio. TRANSCRIPT Speaker 1: Where the Insurance Pros Meet, Episode 9. Morris Sims: Figure out what you're real why is. You're going to find out that it is absolutely wrapped in passion, that why drives me to get myself up and out of bed at five o'clock in the morning. Speaker 1: Where the Insurance Pros Meet is a podcast that brings the greatest talent in the world together, managers, coaches and producers, the very best experts that insurance and financial services industry has to offer. Get ready to change the way you do business to have your most successful year ever. Now, here's Mark Miletello, a top 1% producer, manager and your host of Where the Insurance Pros Meet. Mark Miletello: Welcome to Where the Insurance Pros Meet. I'm your host Mark Miletello. Today, we're going to discuss thinking on purpose, recognizing how purpose drives us. Now, our guest has been on Where the Insurance Pros Meet before discussing his book Practical Influence and how influence affects us. But today, we're excited to having back and share and influence us again regarding another important topic in a salesperson's mindset purpose. Again, he's trained over 80,000 agents, managers. I can't even wrap my brain around the work that he's done in this field. One of our industry's thought leaders and coach, Morris Sims, welcome back to the show. Morris Sims: Mark, it's great to be here. Thanks for having me again. Mark Miletello: Wow. I'm excited to have you again and thanks for coming back. Such a great topic we had last time, so I'm tremendously excited to jump right in this. But before I do, Morris, do you golf at all or no? Do you try? Morris Sims: I tried. At one point in my life, I tried and figured out that every time I hit that little white ball, it would go about 75 yards straight down the fairway and then turn 90 degrees to the right and I had never been able to get past that. My golfing now is at the range with my son having a nice adult beverage while he hits the golf balls. Mark Miletello: Well, that way you can enjoy it, right? You and I the last conversation we had was about my late father. And I remember every time I went with him in course, he was my mentor in the business. He was one of the greats in the industry. He was one of the ... Well I’ll tell you he was the number one agent under Combined Insurance with W. Clement Stone. I want to have maybe an entire other show about him one day, but I remember being on the course with him and every time I would swing, he would have like five tips so by the time the end of my game, I would have a terrible swing that we tried ... We didn't practice at all. We just went out on the field and by the end of the game, I was swinging this awkward swing and was mentally ... I couldn't even handle pulling that club back and striking the ball because he had so many tips. Finally, after a while, I'd say, "Look, just quit coaching me," and I think about that and how it relates to insurance and especially new reps that go out there without practicing, without refining their skill and I think they're going to have a par round in the world of sales and that's just not the case, is it, Morris? Morris Sims: No, it's not. It takes a lot of focus and a lot of hard work to get there. The key in my mind is that, well, it does take work. Anything that's worthwhile takes work and this is worthwhile, and it takes some effort, but you can do it. You can do it. It is certainly achievable and has been achieved by thousands and thousands of men and women across the ages. Don't ever give up. It may be difficult to get started but every minute of work that you put into it, I could promise you that. Mark Miletello: Well, and I've read in one of your writings that you said what I've said on the show, "If I can do it, anyone can." And of course, you're being very humble, but I think you're right in the fact that professional insurance agents and related financial services, we come from all walks of life and there are people that I have recruited and trained. And I would look at this individual and say, "Man, that is one ... You're going to be the best agent I've ever brought on board." Then, I've had some that you just sometimes, you cannot tell who wants it bad enough. I think one thing that I've learned is it is a learnable skill. It's those who have maybe this burning desire that we've heard many times, this something driving them, but the information is there. We just must learn it and practice it. At golf, there's no shortage of tips and advice out there to tell us how to be better. Can you start off the show with ...? Our show is about purpose but, Morris, can you start off our show with a tip or an advice that we can maybe improve our game with? Morris Sims: I'll be happy to try, Mark. I think it really has to do with just what we're talking about today, thinking on purpose. That's a line that hit my mind about a year ago and I realized that very few of us sit down and think on purpose. Our thoughts are the result of stimulus and Lord knows there's a lot of stimuli out there today from the telephones that we have in our pocket to the computers, to the books, to the people. You see, or you hear something, and you think about it. When was the last time you sat down to think on purpose about what it is you really want in life? I think that's the key to the whole thing is becoming clear, really crystal clear about what you want and here's the key, Mark. Be clear about what you want and why you want it. As you were saying earlier, you think it's that burning desire that people have that make them successful in this business and I would propose that it's in any business. That really comes back to that "why". Why do you want to do this? Why are you in this business? What's important to you? We'll talk more about this as we go along, but I think that's the best tip I could give you is to stop, sit down, have a piece of paper and pen, think on purpose what is it you want and why you want it. Mark Miletello: Yeah, I guess I can relate to that. We get so busy sometimes that we don't put our purpose out there, why and our focus and maybe in the short term it's to pay our bills. But it needs to be much more than that is what you're saying? Morris Sims: It does. It needs to be a whole lot more than that, and it is a whole lot more than that. But we rarely stop to take the time to figure it out. The other thing that I love to tell folks is that when you get down to the real bottom line when you figure out what you're real why is, you're going to find out that it is absolutely wrapped in passion and fueled with emotion. Wrapped in passion and fueled by emotion. To pay my bills doesn't sound very passionate or emotional, but to provide for my family, a house or a home, a house ... Let's take that one for a moment. To provide for my family a house that they can live in that has a nice backyard for the kids to play in can be very emotional when you stop and add the rest of it to that "why" which is I never had a house to live in. We always lived with my Aunt Sarah and Uncle Jim because dad died early, and mom couldn't afford a house. We lived in apartments after we lived with Aunt Mary and Uncle Jim, and I'm going to get a home and a house for my kids. Now, it's wrapped in passion and fueled with emotion. When I can remember that, it's going to change my behavior. Mark Miletello: Well, I get it. I get it. That's why I wanted to have you back, Morris, is I think you're right on is that rather than focusing on paying our bills or making a sale or this, the why behind it is the purpose. It's what's the purpose of us being a success ... Or just going out there and going into that grind or the trenches as you call it. Yeah, I totally get that and thanks for sharing that. Morris, we had you once before but for a listener that did not catch that series, you maybe share with us your professional history of where you've been and thanks for sharing that personal story and maybe how that shaped your purpose along the way. But I'd love to hear more about your career as well. Morris Sims: I'll be happy to, Mark. It's kind of interesting. I started my career as a chemical engineer after graduating from Auburn University and did that for five years, and I was mediocre. I was okay. I was getting promoted and good things were happening, but it just wasn't any fun. I know some really great engineers, and the guys I was working with were really great people, but we weren't having a whole lot of fun all day long, and you realize that you spend more time with the people you work with than you do with your family sometimes. I wanted to do something that was fun and about that time, my insurance agent came to the house because we had a brand new baby, and I thought, "Gee, you know what? He does look like it could be fun." Sure enough, the recruiter called me, and we went through a six-month recruiting process and eventually, long story short, I became a New York Life agent and was successful doing that for three years, and they said, "Hey, why don't you come over here and train other people to do what you do." I went into management and- Mark Miletello: You rose as one of the top trainers not only in that company but in the nation. That's a pretty big rise to success. Do you feel like just that schooling of accomplishments or did that mindset of having that engineer and scientific mindset helped you in any way in what we do in the world of sales or training or mentoring? Morris Sims: It did, Mark. I always had a penchant and a desire to try and help other people. That is what enticed me about training if I could help other people become successful. Folks always say in our business at least, "What do you want to do? Do you want to be a coach or be a player?" If you want to be a player, then stay an agent and go out there on the field every day and play the game and play as hard as you can and help as many people as you can. If you want to be a coach, go into management and then you can help coach those players to be even better at that what they do. I apologize for this sports analogy but that's the deal. For me, helping other people get better at what they do all day long became one of my why's, one of my purposes for what I wanted to get up and do every day. Mark Miletello: Well, no, don't apologize for the sports analogy. I do it all the time and in fact, I like the salaries that professional athletes have, and I see some of the greats in our industry do the same. That's why I want to help our listeners become a professional in this business, so they can experience that upper-level income that this business can reward you with. Last show that I had you and I made a commitment to myself that I was going to try to dig out some of that history in your illustrious career and those relationships that you made. I'm going to say it this time, and can you think of a couple of meetings that you've had or relationships that you've met along the way in a 30-year wonderful career of leading one of the nation's largest and most prominent life insurance companies? I want to know a little bit of maybe some of those people that you've met along the way. Morris Sims: As I began to move into management, the managers that I had at the general offices, the local agencies that I worked in Monroe, Louisiana and Little Rock, Arkansas were some absolutely great individuals and about as opposite of two people as you might ever want to know. The first gentleman, [Markie Jones 00:12:38] was an absolute expert at recruiting and managing and being ... I learned more from him about how to do that job of coaching agents than probably anyone else in the world. Then, I went up to Arkansas and I had a gentleman there, Tom Gilder, who was just a wonderful relationship person. He had never met anybody he didn't know and love and care about, and the people around him and his agents were ... They would follow him into whatever battle he wanted to lead them into or jump off whatever cliff he wanted them to jump off, and I was usually out there in front saying, "I'll do whatever Tom tells me to do." He was just that kind of an individual.I learned a lot about building relationships with him. The other guys, I've had the privilege of knowing, three CEOs at my company at New York Life. I've known a whole bunch of executive and senior vice presidents and these are people who some of them began as agents and became head of distribution for huge billions, several billions of dollars' worth of insurance company. These guys all had one thing in common, I believe, they all cared about what they were doing, and they cared about the people they were doing it for more than they cared about themselves. I think that is always going to be the bottom line with truly long-term success. Now, you may have some short-term success out there with people that are ahead, just for them that are greedy and all they want is them and they're all that's important. I think when you find a long-term success, you're going to find someone who does genuinely care about other people. Let's look at Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, they're talking about giving away what, half or three-quarters of everything they own? Because they care about helping other people. I think that's probably the bottom line for the whole thing, Mark. Mark Miletello: Well, thanks for sharing that and it just reminds me that most of the greats in this industry stand on the shoulder of others. I think it's kind of nice to give a shout out to those whether they hear it or not or whether anyone connects or not, at least you are able to share the influence that they've had on you. Getting back to really your professional advice and when you say thinking on purpose, you explained that in the opener a little bit about what you mean on thinking on purpose. I think back to the conversation we had about focusing on what you want and more of the "why", more of the purpose. But don't we really all have an idea of what we want in life but how does that relate to our business? Morris Sims: Another great question, Mark. The key I think is this: We all think we know what we want. We all believe that we have our purpose and it's probably pretty well lined out. Yeah, I'm sure there are plenty of our listeners out there who are saying, "Hell, no, not me. I really don't. I'm just going through the motions." That's okay too but at some point, in time, you have to stop and realize I need to make sure that what I think is my why, why I do this every day, I need to make sure really is what resonates them deep in my soul. I need to make sure that it really is much more than going to work every day and doing what I'm told to do for eight or six or 10 hours or whatever the case may be. Thinking on purpose means you take that time, as I mentioned earlier, to sit down and actually think about what it is you want in this world, in life, what it is you want and why. I think the why is probably again the most important part of the whole deal. Mark Miletello: Yeah. I've heard you say that and Richard Weylman used that. We talked about that considerably. Why is why that important in just the words that you use? Morris Sims: I think it's the most important thing there is out there. We can forget about a lot of things but if we ever forget our "why", then we're in deep trouble. Why is the reason that I set the alarm clock for 5:00 a.m. and get up every day. I'm loving what I'm doing right now, Mark, so much. Thirty-two years with a great company was fantastic but I wasn't as excited about getting up in the morning as I am today. That alarm clock goes off at five o'clock and I'm up and excited about what I'm going to get to do today and how this day is going to go because I know why I'm doing it. I'm doing it in order to accomplish what I want for my family. I'm going to be able to provide for them the things that the choices ... I want to give them the choices that they'd never been able to have before because either I was working all the time or traveling but I want to give them those choices to be able to do things they've never been able to do before and I want to fund our charities. We have charities that were involved with that feed hungry people. I want to fund those charities and that means, I've got to go out and help people and help them well enough and help them enough that they're willing to provide some revenue for my company. In doing so then, I can fund my charities and help my family. That why drives me to get myself up and out of bed at five o'clock in the morning and start on the journey of that day to figure out what I can do to be of service to the folks out there in the world that are trying to find their own purpose and get up and get going every day. Mark Miletello: Well, exactly. I believe in my career, I just don't think sometimes we coin it. We realized we put it down on paper that while we're doing things, we set goals and we have benchmarks, but really, you've said it perfectly that really the purpose that we're going for if we can really write down and focus on the purpose. I remember as a brand-new agent, I wanted a Harley so bad and I guess, in the South, you mentioned Monroe, Louisiana. I don't know if you know that that's where I'm from, so I love you already. Morris Sims: Fantastic, yeah! Mark Miletello: I had this picture of ... Every time I would open my desk drawer, I would see the picture of Harley. Then, I ended up owning a Harley and wrecking it, almost killing myself so therefore, that purpose, that why kind of faded away. But I think especially a younger agent that did not have really a family and all those charities to support maybe, that has to be a motivator. You're why, the purpose you're getting up must be something other than, like I said earlier, just paying your bills. You need a big ... Like Gary Kinder, I guess, would say, "Audacious [Harry 00:20:04] Dream." How do you think on purpose to get to your why? How does purpose drive you to get to what drives you? Morris Sims: The real deal is what I mentioned before. It must be wrapped in passion and fueled with emotion. If we can get it back down to something that really motivates us to move, then it's going to be easier to pick up the phone and make those calls. It's going to be easier to go walk into that business that you've never walked in before and try and meet the guy that owns the business or the lady that runs the show. You got to have that "why" to make that last call and then make one more call before you go home in the evenings. Mark Miletello: That might be the difference, I think. Morris Sims: That's right. Mark Miletello: That might be the difference in why some get through and give it that extra effort. Morris Sims: I think so entirely. I absolutely believe that. For me, personally, it was always about building the family and getting the family to the places that I wanted them to get to. Quick story, Mark, it might wind up on the editing floor and that's okay. My dad died when I was three weeks old. He decided that he didn't need to be around anymore. He took his own life. From that point forward, mom had two kids to bring up in this old world. We literally did live with my aunt for a while and then live in apartments until I bought the first house that I ever lived in with my lovely bride, Carla, in New Orleans. I wanted my kids to have those things that I never got to have. I wanted my kids to be able to do those things that I never got to do. That's what fueled me every day and let me tell you, buddy, that's wrapped in passion and fueled with emotion even today. It still is and that's what gets you up and gets you moving is when you can find that thing that you really are passionate about, that thing that really does touch your heart. And that's why I'm getting up, and that's why I'm making that phone call, and that's why I'm going to make one more call before I go home. That's what you're looking for, for sure, I believe. Mark Miletello: Well, thank you for sharing that. I'm very, very sorry, but I am very warmed to hear the story when you bought your first house. I bet that was a defining moment in your career. I know I have some of the same types of goals that I had said, and I think back to those moments that really were special, those benchmarks that your purpose and your why came together and provided you with really what this business can provide you, the great lifestyle that this business can provide you with. So, thank you for sharing that. Morris Sims: Well, you're very welcome. I think the other piece that really has to be there, and the heart of any good insurance agent today is what you're doing for others. If you can get in your head and in your mind the fact, it's not just the thing, it's the fact that what you do helps people, what you do makes a difference in their lives and it changes their lives for the better. When you can get that focus to realize that, "I'm going out tonight to help these folks plan for their retirement. And you know what? And the possibility that if I don't go out there and if I don't do that with them and do it well, they may not have the same kind of retirement they could have as if I were to go out there and do that work." You got to believe in what you do, Mark. One of the old objections that I used to hear from is, "Well, that guy just told me he doesn't believe in life insurance." You know what? You don't have to believe in life insurance to own it, but you certainly must believe in it if you're going to sell it. Mark Miletello: Exactly. Well said, and I think back of how I worked with agents and I think one of the most important things that I've tried to instill in my team and those I work with is taking care of the client, helping them find their "why". Like you've said before, you help others get what they want, and you get what you want, and I think that that's one of the most important things is that we help clients figure what their "why" and protect their "why". Why are they buying that life ... They may not believe in that life insurance, but they may believe in what happens if disaster strikes or when disaster strikes because at some point, it's going to happen. Normally, in this part of the show, I talked about professional predictions 10 years down the road. But I'm going to change it up a little bit because you've been on the show before. As a coach and leader, what I'd really like to know is thinking on purpose, how purpose affects me? How it affects my clients? How it affects my agents? How is my purpose going to drive me in the future? How can I best use it because I think, especially as a veteran in the business, we get so busy that we don't stop and set goals and do things a lot of the things that we did when ... The basics of building a business. I think as a veteran, sometimes I tell my agents to set goals and think about their purpose and their "why", but I don't ... In the future, how can we do a better job of focusing on purpose, thinking on purpose to help drive us to be where we want to be in our life and our career? Morris Sims: I think, Mark, many times, we are thinking as I mentioned earlier, we're thinking in response to some stimulation. And for our veterans out there, I know for me at least when I had been doing the job I was doing in New York for 20 years, it kind of got to be old hat. I knew what I was supposed to do. I didn't really have to think about it a whole lot because it was what I do. But every now and again, there would be something that would come along that would cause me to have to stop and really sit down and think through again what it is I'm doing, why I'm doing it, and how I can do it better because until I know why I'm doing it and what it is I want and why I want it, I can't necessarily work at getting better at doing what I do. Example, if I don't know where I'm going, if I'm going to take a trip and I don't know what the destination is, where do I want to go, then geez, it's going to be pretty hard to get there and it's going to be even more difficult to line it out on the map as to how I want to go from here to there. The same thing is true with our work. If we don't know what it is we're trying to achieve and why we're trying to achieve that, then you don't know what to work on to get better. You don't know where those things are that you need to hone, the skills you need to hone, the things you need to practice getting better at, the things that you could be doing but you just hadn't thought of because you've never done it before. You won't go to that level of thinking unless you do it on purpose unless you sit down and take the time. Study groups are so vitally important, I believe, in our industry where three or four or five top producers come together and help each other and guide each other and ask questions of each other. Some of the best business coaches in the world who ask those difficult questions about what is your strategy, how are you improving yourself to be able to carry out that strategy that is, every time you go out in the field to implement it and what do you need to do differently today? And finally, what are you not doing that you ought to be doing? And what are you doing that you ought to stop doing? There are many things that especially after we've been in a business for a long period of time that chances are we probably shouldn't be doing anymore, or if it should be done, it should be done by somebody else. And there are probably things that we need to do more of or things that we don't even know we need to do yet until we say, "I had to really think about it," and spend some time away from the rat race, away from the noise. And in fact, physically even getting away for a day or a weekend and maybe you and your spouse go out for a weekend, and you spend some of that time just talking with each other about what it is that you want for your family and for your life and how can you get there? What can you do differently to accelerate that operation? I still believe that that's some of the most important time that we can spend with our family and with ourselves and our business. Mark Miletello: Well, great advice, and I needed that. I don't know, I just needed that. I need to do a better job of that, and I need to do that from a family standpoint as well. Thank you for that advice. You may not be a professional golfer, Morris, I'm sorry to hear that, but one thing you are is a consummate professional in our industry. And we respect your tips and your recommendations. I'm going to put you on the spot because on the last show, you kind of gave us a couple of places to go and I appreciate that. I've got several books coming in from Amazon, mainly yours a while back but others as well turning me on to some great people to follow. Give us your professional recommendation on who we should maybe think about, read about when it comes to purpose. Morris Sims: There are several authors out there that still mean the most to me on a regular basis. I posted something on LinkedIn not too long ago, and one of the wonderful people who took the time to comment said ... Just two words, he said, "Old school." And I saw that and I laughed and I thought, "Yeah, it is." It's been around for a long time. But I also believed that every generation must learn some of these basics about sales and success all by themselves. They have to learn it on their own because it just doesn't resonate until they discover it until it's an "aha" in their own minds. I can talk until I'm blue in the face but until they have some experience that lights up their brain and lights it up for them and lets them see that, "Oh, yeah. That is important." Knowing exactly what your purpose is and why is important. They've got to have that aha experience. And some of the folks that did that or helped me with that when I was growing up in the business- Mark Miletello: Yeah, give us some old school recommendations. Morris Sims: Folks like Og Mandino. He's got a great story. Read about his life. It's amazing, and then read his books, The Greatest Salesman in the World part 1 and part 2. And Mark, I've got a hard copy of part 1 that he signed. Mark Miletello: Oh, wow. Morris Sims: I'm very proud of that one. But he's got a whole series of books, The Greatest Miracle, The Greatest Salesman, The Greatest ... Everything you can think of, and they all will touch your heart and give you very practical things that you can do to help you in your business. Mark Miletello: I agree. Morris Sims: And the other one is another old school that you and I talked about and chatted about before, Napoleon Hill. Think and Grow Rich, you talk to any business person out there that's been around for a while and then say, "Have you ever read Think and Grow Rich?" They'll say, "Oh, yeah. Absolutely. I read it 10 years ago, five years ago, 20 years ago." But nobody ever asks, "Have you implemented what Napoleon Hill taught you in the book Think and Grow Rich?" Because what we find is that most of us will read a book like that and say, "Yeah, man. That's great. I'm going to do this. I'm going to start my own mastermind group," which is one of the recommendations that he makes. And then we'll think about it. We'll talk to a couple of people about it, and then we get all locked up in the rat race of doing what we do every day and we never implement what we learned. Think and Grow Rich is a great book, a great reference book as well. But I would challenge you to actually take a piece out of there and commit yourself to implementing it in your life and in your business and see that commitment through to the end. Get some support. Get some help, but carry it all the way out, and that's what's going to change your life. Mark Miletello: You said rereading something when it triggers a different time or a different meaning to you and of course, I had a podcast with Tom Hegna, one of the greatest out there, and I mentioned to him that I read this book twice in the past. But after a recent read, it meant something totally and I finally got it. I think sometimes, yes, definitely the Og Mandino, Napoleon Hill books I hope is on every insurance agent's shelf. But I recently reread and unfortunately, a year and a half ago, my father passed away and I wanted his book library. And he's got some old pictures and books with his writing in it. And so, it kind of motivated me to go back and read those very two books again, and they just meant something totally different to me in my career. I appreciate you saying that. I totally agree. Morris Sims: Yeah. I think it is the most important thing that we can do is continue to work on our own development and so many times, our own development means remembering something that we may have thought of long time ago or looking at it with a different point of view. You're absolutely right. Mark Miletello: It may not be old school, right? Morris Sims: It may have been created a long time ago, but it certainly is relevant for today. Mark Miletello: Right. Well, I can't tell you Morris Sims how much I appreciate you being a returning guest on the show Where the Insurance Pros Meet. I want to thank you for your time and your expertise, and how if there are some leaders out there listening to this or agents, I know that we can bring you in to speak and do classes. Are there events? How do we do workshops? How do we get to tutor under you? Where do we follow you? Morris Sims: I say it's probably the website. And again, it's one of the most creative names I could come up with. It's www.morrissims.com. That's Sims with one M, so it's morrissims.com. Mark Miletello: Well, you're one of the greats. We'll definitely find you, but I guess my question I wasn't too specific, what do you offer in terms of maybe teams trying to focus in on what we've discussed? Morris Sims: Oh, thanks. Several workshops that we do, the Three Steps to Accelerate Your Success Now having to do with being real clear on your purpose, creating an action plan and creating a support system that will be there for you and that will never fail. That's a half day workshop that can be made to accommodate whatever venue and need an agency might have, or a company might have. That is, for sure, one. I have another workshop on influence, of course, that we do as well that's backed up by the book, Practical Influence. And then we do some customized work for folks who say, "Gee, Morris, in my agency we're really having a problem with X, Y, Z." And together then, we can craft some training opportunities that will help those agents get better at X, Y, Z, whatever that may happen to be. And, I think the hallmark of any of the training that I'm fortunate and blessed enough to be able to do has two things going on with it, Mark. One is it doesn't happen unless there are practical things that the agent walks away with that can help them change their behavior in their business that day. I believe very strongly that we don't do training for training's sake. We do training to change our behavior and help us get better at what we do all day long. It's got to be practical. That's the most important thing that comes to it as far as I'm concerned. And the second thing that is there is the follow-up. How many times, Mark, have you been to a seminar or workshop, and you get this really nice binder and all sorts of stuff in it. You brought it back to your office, you put it on the shelf and it's still sitting there today and hadn't moved. Mark Miletello: Yeah. Morris Sims: I know I have a thousand times. Follow-up is so very important for us as human beings because we do get back in that rat race. With the workshops that we do, there's always an opportunity for follow-up webinars or phone calls or individual coaching that can be done to help agents and managers improve and implement the things that they need to implement in order to get better. Mark Miletello: Well, wonderful, Morris. I appreciate it, and I love the fact that you and I are alike in the fact that I want people changed. I want something changed today. I don't want to pump you up and get you motivated and send you out the door. I want something positive to happen. And that's the type of professional you are and that everything you do. Even in your book, I noticed at the end of each chapter, there's an action plan. Thank you again for being a guest on the show. And hopefully, we'll have you again in the future, and I look forward to getting to know you and following you as well. If you like what you hear on the show, go to iTunes. Rate and review it. It will help others find us, and you can follow me, Mark Miletello at, of course, markmiletello.com. Thank you for being a guest on Where the Insurance Pros Meet, Morris, and we'll see you soon. Morris Sims: Thanks, Mark. I really appreciate the opportunity. Have a great week.

Author, Morris Sims shares how to create understanding with clients. Learn the power of influence in sales. View more at MarkMiletello.com. Note: “Where The Insurance Pros Meet” is an audio podcast and is meant for the ear. A transcript of the audio is provided for referencing a particular section or for you to follow along. Listen to the episode to get the most out of our show. We use both speech recognition software and human transcribers to create the transcripts so they may contain errors. If you’re going to quote us in print, please be sure to check the corresponding audio. TRANSCRIPT Speaker 1: Where the Insurance Pros Meet, Episode 6. Morris Sims: What we do, Mark, as insurance agents, we change people's lives. We change people's lives for the better every day. Speaker 1: Where the Insurance Pros Meet is a podcast that brings the greatest talent in the world together: managers, coaches, and producers, the very best experts the insurance and financial services industry has to offer. Get ready to change the way you do business to have your most successful year ever. Now here's Mark Miletello, a top 1% producer, manager, and your host of Where the Insurance Pros Meet. Mark Miletello: Welcome to Where the Insurance Pros Meet. I'm your host, Mark Miletello. Today we're going to discuss influence, understanding influence, increasing your influence, and principles of influence. Of course, in sales, we use our influence on either leading a team to increase production or as an individual just to increase sales. Influence is in everything we do. Our guest is an expert on the subject. He has trained over 80,000 agents and managers. He's written a book called Practical Influence. Highly sought-after leader and coach. I love welcoming Morris Sims to the show. Welcome, Morris. Morris Sims: Well, thanks, Mark. I really appreciate it. Mark Miletello: Glad having you and I'm excited to jump into this. You know, Morris, I kind of designed this show to run alongside a format of, and I gravitate toward, professional athletes. Many times, I was watching Major League Baseball this weekend and I was thinking the practice, from an early childhood they are practicing their skill. Even when they're late in their career, they still practice almost year around and honing their skills. They must have a coach. They have coaches throughout their entire career. I think there's a lot of similarities. What my goal in going into management was to bring that same understanding that we need, our clients really need us to be professionals out in the field. As we're recording this show, Major League Baseball is in the heat of the season. Teams are jockeying for the positions. But, Morris, professionals, they're in the spotlight, right? I would say they have a huge influence over others. Correct? Morris Sims: Oh, I think so, Mark. I think there are a lot of different principles of influence academically that are not necessarily the same principles that I have in the book, but rather maybe a little more academic principle that they've studied over the years in universities. The kind of influence that we're talking about there is the charisma and the collegial, if you will maybe, type of influence. It has to do with seeing someone and wanting to be like them. "I want to be as good as Dak Prescott. I want to be as good as," et cetera. Mark Miletello: Right. That's what drives me sometimes is watching others win awards. You know? Influence affects us. Aren't those major league athletes, aren't they influenced by others as well? Morris Sims: Oh, I think we all are. We all allow ourselves to be influenced by others around us all the time. I guess it's what you would call more of kind of influence: "I want to be like Mike. I want to be able to achieve the same things that Mark has achieved. I want to make MDRT." All those kinds of things are the kind of influence that comes along with other people. We're influenced by their lives, by what they've made of their lives, and we want to be able to be as good as they are. Mark Miletello: You hit it perfect. I want to be like Mike. That type of influence really still today, we know what that means, and they did a good job marketing that. Right off the bat, we're jumping into this, but, Morris, we're going to put you up to bat at first. We want you to step up there and hit us a home run on the first pitch and give us a professional tip right off the bat that can help us. Do you have a professional tip for us? Morris Sims: A professional tip. I'll come up with one for sure, Mark. You know, something I've been working on lately, let me just put it this way, folks. Social media is not dead. It's like what Mark Twain said, "The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated." Well, social media is far from dead. In fact, it is something that I believe we all should be very, very involved in because there are a lot of people out there and there are a lot of people going through that all the time.But here's the deal. You and I are experts in our own business in what we do. You all are experts in the insurance and financial services arena. You know more about insurance and financial services than a guy on the street knows, for sure. Now today, certainly with a Google search, you can learn a whole lot, but you still are much more expert in that than the average guy on the street. Work within your expertise, on your area of expertise, and hire a marketing professional to do your social media for you, or at least set you up to do your social media.The professional tip is one that I've worked on a lot, and I hope we get to talk about it some more, is focusing on what you do best and getting other people to do the things that are not in your area of expertise. You're an insurance expert and chances are you're not a marketing expert. Let's get a marketing expert involved. Mark Miletello: Perfectly said. We will have more time to talk about it. We're excited to dive more into it. Before we jump right into that, I want to know a little bit more about you, Morris. I've read up on you. I've read your book. I've found some articles. I see all the coaching that you've done and the great career that you've had, but I'm just having a hard time understanding how a chemical engineer with a master's degree in science, those aren't usually the prerequisites for having a successful 30-year career in this business. What were you going to be at first and how did you transition into this wonderful industry? Morris Sims: It's like I thought, "What were you thinking?" Yeah, I know. It makes for a really good story, though. I'll tell you that. After five years of being an engineer, I was okay. I was not a walk-on-water engineer. I was good, but I wasn't excellent. I didn't see myself becoming excellent. Frankly, I wasn't having any fun. I wanted to do something that was fun. I wanted to be recognized for the work that I was doing. I wanted to be able to have some control over my life. About that time, my agent came over and we looked at buying some more life insurance because we just had a child. I looked at what he was doing and how he did it and I thought, "You know, that might be fun." I went through the interview process and became an agent with New York Life. My life changed overnight. It really, really did. I've had more fun over the last 30 years than I ever did as an engineer. I've had the opportunity to work with some of the best in the business. I've had the opportunity to meet people, and go places, and do things that I would never have had as an engineer working in a chemical plant or sitting behind a desk designing pumping systems. It would not have happened. It turned out well in the long haul, but at the time I wanted to do something that was fun, Mark. This looked like it was going to be a lot more fun. Again, as I said, I have a lot more control over what I do and what I make than I was as an engineer, as an employee. Mark Miletello: We're sure glad that you did. Thinking about influence, and freshly reading your book, I guess, everything I'm thinking now, and one thing is that agent that came out to work with you on life insurance must have done a pretty good job or had some pretty good influence on you. Morris Sims: He did. It was interesting. He did what I guess we always trained our agents to do. If someone expresses an interest, you immediately defer to your manager because the recruiters are the guys that really know what they're doing when it comes to that kind of thing. That's what this gentleman did. He referred me to his manager. His name, just as an aside, is kind of cute, or funny at least. His name was Ernest Gordon, but everybody called him Flash. He was Flash Gordon. He did a great job of sharing with me how I could be in control of my life, how could I be in business for myself, but not by myself. With the backup provided in his team and the team at the company, we were able to find a way to get out there and go sell some insurance, which we did. That was fun. I enjoyed it. To this day, my son chides me that I didn't stay in the world of being an agent, and why in the world did I ever go into management? But the management turned out well for me, too, I guess. It worked out in the long haul all three ways. Mark Miletello: Yeah. Yeah, just I've been there. You and I spoke last week. There's a lot of similarities we have together. I really looked forward to having you on the show because of that. I was an agent as well. I don't know. I just think sometimes individuals are led to help and work with others. My gosh, you must be one of the leaders in this country of working with agents. Looking back over your career with literally tens of thousands, almost 100,000 or more, of mentees and the positions that you held with really one of the world's top life insurance carriers, and you must have met all the greats in the industry, but what are you most proud of looking back over your career? Morris Sims: Oh, great question. It must be the people, Mark. It must be the people that I had the opportunity to be involved with and hopefully have a little bit of practical, positive influence on their lives. That's the most important thing that I had the opportunity to do. I wish I had been able to do it better and still constantly, you mentioned practice earlier, I'm still constantly practicing how I can relate with people better and how I can have more of a positive influence on others. Because it is what we do with other people that makes all the difference in the world. I think that's the other reason why I am so passionate about what we do and what agents do for a living every day. Because what we do, Mark, as insurance agents, we change people's lives. We change people's lives for the better every day. That's really where the rubber meets the road is when you can change someone's life. As the head of the training area, I was able to institute some new programs and do some things that I hope provided some training that changed people's lives for the better. A lot of agents become successful in this business of ours that maybe might not have been as successful if they hadn't had the training that we provide. I guess that's it, man. It's having that positive influence on other people. Mark Miletello: Right. You're being very humble because everyone I talked to said that you had great influence over their lives. This show is about influence. Let me ask you, Morris, let's talk about influence. What brought you to studying and really writing a book about influence? Morris Sims: Well, it was really my own need. I felt like I needed to have more influence with others and that I need to do a better job of doing whatever it is you do to gain more influence. I wasn't sure what that was. I started doing what I guess most of us would do. I started reading everything I could get my hands on about influence in the popular books and media that were out there. I couldn't find a book, or a podcast, or anything that really answered the two questions that were most important to me, one being what is this whole thing about influence and what do I need to know? What do I need to know to be able to have more influence on other people? Then the second, I think the more important question was what do I need to do differently to have more influence on others? What do I need to do differently? What skills do I need? Finally, how in the world do you go about doing it? How do you improve your skill of having influence with other people? With that in mind, I sat down and started looking at it and started trying to answer those two questions. Suddenly, a book appeared. Mark Miletello: One of the books, I guess, that pop into my mind when I think of influence is Dale Carnegie's book. Morris Sims: Oh, absolutely. Mark Miletello: Did that inspire you or did you- Morris Sims: 100%. 100%. That changed my life back 40 years ago when I was an engineer doing those things that I was doing to read more about sales, and how you go about doing that, and how much fun it was, and where you go. Dale's book made all the difference in the world to me in making the decision to go into the world of selling life insurance. Yeah, that book has been important to me my whole career.It certainly was on my mind as we went through this because he does a lot better job than I do when he starts talking about how you go about gaining influence and how you go about building relationships with other people. That's really where there's the similarity between the two. He does a much better job than I do in helping people learn how. Mark Miletello: I think it was one of the first books I read in the industry 27 years ago and still on my shelf today. I'm glad that now we have another one that built off the back of that because it is one of the most important topics when you're in sales is how you influence others.Reading your book, Practical Influence, there's 10 principles of practical influence in your book. We don't have time to discuss all 10 so, Morris, pick one for me that you think might be the most helpful for our listeners, if you could. Sorry to do that to you. Morris Sims: That's okay. One out of 10. I guess the one that opened my eyes more than any of the others is when, finally, in the research and the reading and the study that I was doing, it finally came to me and I began to understand, probably our listeners understood it a lot faster than I did, but when I had understood that influence comes from how other people perceive us, that made it all clear to me from that point forward. In fact, at one point I thought, "If I can teach people that principle, is there any need for the other nine," and finally decided, yeah, there was. But the key is this. How other people perceive us is going to determine how much influence they're going to allow us to have. Because you see, Mark, I can't influence you unless you allow me to have influence with you. There's got to be a reason that you would allow me to have influence with you. That perception is what makes all the difference in the world. Perception all is derived from how we behave around others, and what we say, and what we do. If we can sincerely, and that's the key word, Mark, is sincere, change the way we relate to other people in a positive fashion, then we can improve our level of influence with those folks. Sincerely is really the key because I tell you what, fake shows up very clearly very fast. Sincere- Mark Miletello: I'm sorry, I'm trying to think of a practical example. Is there a way that you can tie this into maybe what we deal with on a daily or a weekly basis, how that relates? Morris Sims: Sure, I think so. If you think about what we were talking about earlier, the fact that you all are insurance experts in all reality, you know more than the average person out there, if the prospect perceives you to be an expert because of the knowledge you have, because of the experience you have in the business, then they're going to listen to you and you're going to have more influence with them when it comes to things dealing with insurance.For example, take an off the wall kind of example here maybe. Mark, if I were an expert in automobiles and automobile repair, and I was the best mechanic you knew, and I came in, we rode in your car, we've got out of your car, and I said, "Gee, Mark, you know, it sounded a little rough; You may have burned a valve in there, man; You need to take this in and have it looked at," if you perceived me to be an expert in that area, what are you going to do? Mark Miletello: I'm going to run right to the shop because you obviously have this trained ear. I have no knowledge of anything mechanical. I'm going to have to trust you. Morris Sims: If I were to go on and say, "You know, Mark, you really probably ought to take it to go see Joe Smith down on Main Street because he works on that kind of engine and that model car all the time; He is an expert in that area; You'd probably ought to take it to go see," what did I say: Joe? Mark Miletello: Right. Morris Sims: Whoever the guy is down on Main Street. You probably would take your car to go see him, right? Mark Miletello: Exactly. Morris Sims: That's called expert power. That is one of those things that we can do as insurance agents constantly become more and more of the expert in our own business. That will, in turn, allow you to have influence in that area with your prospects and clients. Does that help? Mark Miletello: Oh, absolutely. I was just thinking while you're talking, my mind was going all over the place, but I was thinking that we very quickly will throw out, especially let's say in the property/casualty world, or even life insurance, but in the property/casualty world, we very quickly will throw out a plumber or a water restoration. We have an influence. I think sometimes we forget, especially as newer agents, when maybe our confidence is lower than it will be later in our career, but we forget that we do know tons more than the client, and we should walk in there with a heightened sense of confidence. Maybe we forget about what influence we have. In this world of commoditization where pricing wars, it's harder to stand up and be a professional, especially as a younger rep in the business, a newer rep in the business. I think you're right. I was thinking of a lot of different scenarios where, as an insurance agent, we have influence and yet sometimes maybe we don't use that influence on its fullest extent. Right? Morris Sims: Oh, I think so. It's so easy. It was for me at least. The things you remember, I guess, but I can remember as a brand-new agent thinking, "My word, I'm going to go see this businessman. He's got to know more about this than I do." Finally, one day my manager looked at me. He said, "Morris, think about what you know today and what you knew four weeks ago when you walked in the door the first time to actually become an agent. Think of what you know now that you didn't know then." You think about it and you realize, "My word, I know more about insurance than I ever thought I would ever need to know, much less want to know. And yeah, I do know more than the average guy out there."That's when all of a sudden, a little bit of confidence will show up and a lot of confidence will show up. Then eventually you can be that humble expert that can walk in and have that expert power with your prospects. They will follow your lead because you're doing what's right for them. You're doing it sincerely. You're doing it with that expertise behind you. Mark Miletello: Well, I tell you, it's a struggle in this day and time to learn, to get educated. But you know, one thing, you're right, is that our reps know so much more than the average client. Even a poorly-presented or brand-new rep can really influence their clients by protecting them.You know what? That's what clients need in this day and time more than anything. That's a large reason for me to go into management and for me to start this podcast is we must become better at what we do at influencing our clients to not so much look at the $2-a-month, or $20-a-month savings, or as much as price. I'm a big proponent of value selling and showing the value. I think that does come down to how we influence. It starts right off the bat from the very first meeting as to how you influence your clients. Morris Sims: Yeah, I think you're right, Mark. I think that the most important thing that we can do to begin building that relationship and building that influence is being who we are, and being ourselves, and being sincerely interested in helping other people get what they need and get what they want. Wasn't it Zig Ziglar that said you can have anything that you want in life- Mark Miletello: Help others. Morris Sims: If you just be willing to help enough other people get what they want. Mark Miletello: Right. Morris Sims: If we can sincerely be of a mindset that, "I'm here to help this family, I'm here to help this individual, I'm here to help this business accomplish what they want, and protect their family, and protect their business, I'm doing it to help them," and not walk in there with an idea that, "Man, I'm going to make the biggest sale of my career and everything is going to be great because I'm going to sell a bazillion dollars’ worth of insurance," because you know, Mark, there isn't any sale out there, there's just not one, that is big enough to make your entire career or one that's going to, that if you lost it, is going to kill your entire career. It's a career. It's a 20-, 30-, 40-year practice. One sale isn't going to make or break you, but one relationship certainly is going to have a significant impact on your business. Mark Miletello: Well said. Well said. I was watching, out of all the practicing for their entire lifetime these Major League Baseball players have, they still make errors and they wish that they could take it back. Looking back over my career, there are things that I would do differently. I would. I mean, I learned a lot and people say, "Well, that's why you are where you are because of those trial and errors." Morris, having a highly-successful career and still having a wonderful influence on the entire industry, looking back I think sometimes it's easy for us to learn from maybe others' mistakes. Looking back, is there an error that you had on the field of play in the financial services arena that you can share with us that you might have learned from? Morris Sims: Yes. That would be another three-hour show, Mark. That's for sure. I think the one thing that I've learned recently that I look back and I can see where it caused me struggles and challenges throughout my career, I didn't learn it until I went out and started to try and run this business that I'm running now, that is you must focus. There are so many different things that you can do as an insurance agent, as a business owner, as an executive. There are so many different things you could do that are all good, all practical, all going to help some way or another, going to help move things forward a little bit. But if you try to do it all, you're shallow. You're doing everything just a little bit. It's like being a swamp. You're shallow and stagnant, and you're not moving, and having a great amount of influence and impact. You want to focus on things so that you can cut deep like the Colorado River and cut a Grand Canyon into the earth. You've got to focus to be able to do that. I think that was the key thing that I had to learn was that I had to focus. I couldn't do everything. I said earlier I finally realized I can't do all the things that have to be done to be able to be the marketing expert that I need. I've got to hire that. I'm going to have to go find somebody to do it. I found a great guy to help me, but I had to focus it down to three things. "Okay, what do you want to do, Morris?" "Well, I want to run my own business." You take that all the way down and there turned out to be three things that I wanted to do, three strategies for my business. I wanted to write. I wanted to write books and articles. Or to use that technical term, I wanted to write stuff, Mark, because I enjoyed writing and it works out well for me. I wanted to write. The second thing I wanted to do was speak in front of groups of people because folks have told me I'm good at it and I love doing it. I just love helping people. I wanted to be able to do keynote addresses, and workshops, and facilitate groups of people. That was the second thing. I wanted to be in front of folks.Thirdly, I want to do, frankly, Mark, what you're doing. I wanted to create some digital training that people can find online because, frankly, you know what, with that phone in my pocket or that computer in my briefcase, I'm connected to the world. If I want to learn something nowadays, the web is the first place I go. What if we can create just what you're thinking about? What if we can create a library of knowledge and some practical how-to instruction to gain a skill that will help people get better at what they do all day long? That was the third thing I wanted to do. Those were the three top things that are on my list every week when I plan my week. I guess the real key to focus is this. I sit down on Sunday afternoon and I write down everything that I must do this week. Everything. I put those activities in each of the five days of the week. On Tuesday, it's marketing day. I spend all my day Tuesday focused on how do I get in front of more people and how do I get in front of more people that can have a positive impact on our business so that we can have a positive impact on other folks. It fills it up, fills up the week that way. Then every day I don't have to create a new plan for tomorrow. All I must do is tweak my plan for tomorrow. It works out well.There are going to be a bunch of things on my list every Sunday that don't directly connect to one of these three key strategies. They don't get put on the plan. Mark Miletello: You know, you said this podcast as well. That's kind of where I went with this is that ... I'll give you a perfect example. A partner in this and myself, we Googled, "life insurance sales training," and dog training came up. We laughed, and we said, "This is not going to work. This is not going to work for our industry." What we had to do is develop what we feel is to go out there and find the best with Van Miller, and Garry Kinder, and Tom Henga, and Richard Weylman, and now you, Morris Sims, and the many A-list talent that we're going to have on this show so that others can tune in and, first, and I've said it on a previous show, filter through all the noise out there, all the ads. You're right. Five, 10 years ago, there was no digital online. There was no digital type of training that was substantial. Now they're popping up all over the place. They really are. I'm starting to find more and more. It's still kind of a dead space. Let the listeners decide, but we, as the host of this show, myself, I want to find the best talent so that people can tune in and say, "Okay, that's what I need to know and that's where I need to go to find it." I think that's one of the things out there, so I'm glad that you're also someone that we can trust in the number of people that you've led and coached, and the speeches that you've given that we can follow, and we can learn. We hope that you keep plugging away. But I agree. I think looking back over it, I think everything you say I seem to relate to it. I think we're going to be good friends and I want to continue following you. But looking back over my career, I think that's one of my issues as well. One of my very best agents to this date that, nine years ago going into a leadership position, he said, "Mark, I don't want to do group health. I don't want to do this. I don't want to do that. I want to do the two, three things that you tell me will make me most successful with the vehicle that I'm in." I shared with him those three things and he became my very, most successful agent because he stayed focus on anyone I've ever worked with. Not like myself, either. I became successful, maybe because I was raised in an insurance family and I had this knowledge of long-term care at age 17 and 18 when it was really a brand-new thing. I've kind of had this knowledge that stretched out. I think because of the history of it, therefore, I was probably doing a lot more things than I should rather than being laser-focused like he was. But you're right. Looking back, if I would have just focused on a couple things that I was really excelling at, I would have had much. I think younger reps in the industry, especially, and maybe even a veteran that's listening to this, that could refocus, that they can hear what you've said and maybe what I've shared, and they can say, "Okay, I'm not going to make that same mistake by trying to be a jack of all trades." Joint work is a wonderful way to do those things. I don't know why I felt like I needed 100% of every commission when in this day and time most of the leaders in our industry do joint work, right? Morris Sims: Oh yes. Absolutely. It is so vitally important as a learning activity. That whole idea of being able to go out and watch, and then be coached by someone who is constantly doing what it is that I want to do every day, man, if that's not worth 50% of any first-year commission that you're going to make, it's probably worth the whole thing in all reality. We're only asking you to put up maybe 30%, 40%, 50%. Mark Miletello: I'm still in the game. I just can't help it. It's just been on my mind and I must share this, Morris. I think you will appreciate this as a coach. I have a rep, went out on his first life sale without me, which I said don't do, but he did. He came back with two $20-a-month term life apps. There were some issues with one of the home policies. The policy was set up to lapse. Anyway, long story short, I went back out to the house with this rep to meet with the clients. We got a commitment with a $20,000 IUL commitment and he had walked out of the house with $40 a month in the term, the $20,000 annual IUL commitment with the same client. If that doesn't share with you right, there that joint work can produce way more than you could have on your own. I love that story because it's fresh and I'll be able to share it, but it's just what you're saying as far as joint work. The greats do joint work. Morris Sims: Oh yeah, absolutely. I think as a learning professional for the past 30 years, I can tell you right now the best practice you can get is out in the real world with a coach for your side. Because if you think about what all those baseball players do when they practice, they're practicing, but they've got a coach with them right there saying, "Think about your grip. Think about this. Try this. Try that." It's that coaching with the practice that makes all the difference in the world. Mark Miletello: You know what, Morris? As one of the thought leaders in our industry, I believe that we must look back at the past and think of what we've done right and wrong. Then we must focus on today and the near future. But I also have the segment on my show that has a professional prediction. The year is 2027. It's 10 years down the road. Morris, as a coach and a leader, help me prepare for five to 10 years down the road. Morris Sims: Wow. That's an important question. It really is. It's one that we all must ask ourselves. Where do you want to be five years from now? Every time I've answered that question, it has propelled me a lot further than my answer. I think for us in this industry, things are changing rapidly. I don't believe personally that we will ever see a world where insurance will be profitable, profitably I guess is as good a word as any, where insurance will be profitably and correctly sold to the masses without having personal contact. I believe that to make the right decision about the insurance protection that I need to have for my family, be it for my office, for my car, for my house, for my boat, for my motorcycle, for my life, to provide for my retirement, that's not going to happen to answer a few questions online or even with artificial intelligence software. It takes somebody being out their toe-to-toe, knee-to-knee, eyeball-to-eyeball, answering those questions, and helping people make the right decisions. Without that, it's just not going to work. It's not going to work at all and it's not going to be in everybody's best interest. With that in mind, here's the answer to your question. I believe we must stay on the cutting edge, whatever that edge might be. It's getting sharper and sharper every day, but we've got to stay on the cutting edge. That means studying and spending money to develop yourself. That means studying and spending money to get your CLU, your ChFC, your CFP, to get the advanced degrees. Maybe a master's in financial services. All those things are available and all of them are attainable. All you must do is go to look for it and go start. Put a foot in the water and get it started. But it's also why we've got to be members of NAIFA. It's why we've got to be members of other professional associations where we can learn from each other. It's one of the important reasons for making MDRT is to get to go to the MDRT meeting and learn from other great professionals. I think that self-development is probably the key, is going to be the key, even more, going forward over the next 10 years. Mark Miletello: Thank you for that and I completely agree. I wish we had more time to really dive into all the wonderful relationships you have and the people that you've met. We'll do that personally because I'm excited to know you now, but looking back over your personal development, can you pick maybe a book or a person that inspired you that we can also look at and maybe gain that same type of inspiration from? Morris Sims: Another great question, Mark. I think the people that have influenced me the most and have had a great impact on my life, are personal friends and mentors that have helped me personally. A gentleman here in Dallas, Andy Marshall, basically taught me how to do public speaking and how to think. Another great mentor, Tony Jeary, also happens to be here in Dallas. Tony has written a book called Strategic Acceleration. Strategic Acceleration. In that book, Tony teaches what he taught me over the last 30 years, that you've got to have focus. You've got to be clear on your purpose. You've got to have focus. You've got to execute. Then he goes into things that will help you learn how to focus, learn how to determine what it is you want, and learn how to execute properly and be able to do it in a very practical manner. I think Tony has been a huge influence on me.Other authors and books, Mark, golly gee. You mentioned Dale Carnegie. That was a big one, but a couple of more recent ones. Drive, by Daniel Pink, talks about how we get motivated and how we can do what we do better. Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell- Mark Miletello: Staple. Yep. Morris Sims: Yeah. He talks a lot in there about practice and it takes 10,000 hours to become a real expert. Then the other one that just really got me going was Shawn Achor's book, The Happiness Advantage. It's funny. He says in there that you don't become happy by becoming successful. In other words, because you become a success, it's not what's going to drive your happiness. In fact, it is the happy people in the world that become successful. It's the other way around from the way we've been taught to think about it as we grow up. The Happiness Advantage is really a great book as well. Mark Miletello: I'll tell you what, I've taken notes, and I've got a lot of new reads. I appreciate that. That's what this show is about is giving us places to go that is highly recommended, and will really filter through the noise, and find out what it is that we're looking for, and really help us in the way that you've explained. I want to tell you to thank you for the time of coming on the show. Tell Carla thanks for giving us your time. How can we find you? How do we research you? How do we follow you best, Morris? Morris Sims: Well, I'm on LinkedIn and that's always a good place to go, I guess. Just Morris Sims, I guess. It's the easiest way. But I have a website that's being developed right now. It took a lot of creative thinking to come up with this name, Mark. Are you ready? Mark Miletello: Go ahead. Morris Sims: Www.morrissims.com. Mark Miletello: Alright. Yep, yep. I got it. Morris Sims: That's Sims with one M. It's M-O-R-R-I-S-S-I-M-S dot-com. Those would be probably the best two ways. I'm doing a lot of posting on LinkedIn about sales skills and other sundry things. I would love to connect with you on LinkedIn. Mark Miletello: Absolutely. We'll look you up. Check out Morris Sims, morrissims.com. LinkedIn. There's a lot of ways. Google him. I think you'll be able to find him easily.If you like what you hear on the show, I ask you that you go to iTunes, rate and review it so that we'll pop up and others can find us because it's very hard to find good things out there. I want to tell the listeners thank you for supporting us and following us. Thank you, Morris. Morris Sims: Thank you, Mark. I really enjoyed it. It was a blast. Look forward to more conversations in the future.

Today's episode is on breaking out in a competitive marketing place. Richard Weylman is a highly sought-after marketing consultant in the financial services industry. Learn more at MarkMiletello.com. Note: “Where The Insurance Pros Meet” is an audio podcast and is meant for the ear. A transcript of the audio is provided for referencing a particular section or for you to follow along. Listen to the episode to get the most out of our show. We use both speech recognition software and human transcribers to create the transcripts so they may contain errors. If you’re going to quote us in print, please be sure to check the corresponding audio. TRANSCRIPT Announcer Where The Insurance Pros Meet, Episode 3. Richard Weylman Remember, relationships drive revenue, and if you want to grow a practice today, they want you to relate. Announcer Where The Insurance Pros Meet is a podcast that brings the greatest talent in the world together: managers, coaches, and producers; the very best experts the insurance and financial services industry has to offer. Get ready to change the way you do business to have your most successful year ever. Now, here's Mark Miletello, a top 1% producer, manager, and your host of Where The Insurance Pros Meet. Mark Miletello Today we're going to discuss breaking out in a competitive marketing place. We have a very, very special guest on the show today. He's a highly sought-after marketing consultant in the financial services industry. He's the author of two best-selling books, Opening Closed Doors: Keys To Reaching Hard-To-Reach People, and a recent read of mine, The Power of Why: Breaking Out in a Competitive Marketplace. This book has been endorsed with names like Donald J. Trump, yes, that's now President Trump, Christopher Forbes, Richard S. Bernstein, Milton Pedraza, founder of an online university, the Weylman Center for Excellence in Practice Management. By the way, his work has been described by Christopher Forbes of Forbes magazine as brilliant, and I personally agree. I've been following and learning from our guest for a decade now, and I'm honored and excited to welcome Richard C. Weylman to the show. Welcome, Richard. Richard Weylman Thank you, Mark. Great to be with you. I appreciate the privilege of being part of the programming Where The Insurance Pros Meet. Thank you. Mark Miletello And thank you. Richard, were you able to catch the Mayweather/McGregor fight? Richard Weylman Oh, absolutely. I'm a huge boxing fan. Although a lot of people thought it was going to be for show only, I thought it was very interesting. I thought that McGregor handled himself well given the fact it was way outside of his, how shall we say, his sweet spot. But it was really an interesting fight. I think that it was truly once in a lifetime. Mark Miletello Yeah, it's neat. I love the way the announcers even were questioning in the early rounds. It's funny. I like to start my show with a Mayweather jab, followed by a straight overhand right, which he implemented so well, but knock out information that will immediately help our listeners win in the arena of marketing and sales in the insurance and financial industry. Now, Richard, I know someone who paid $5,000 for a ticket. I personally paid $100 to see the fight. And others that I've talked to cannot even believe people were paying this much to see this fight. So, I think there's a lesson here. As a marketing coach, I can't help but relate this to consumers of our products. I guess the question is, regarding our products in the insurance and financial industry, products that may do the same thing but are priced differently, how is it that agents or reps stay in business unless they're the lowest price? I think you're the perfect person to ask that question too. Richard Weylman Wonderful question. It's a perfect analogy. Why would somebody pay $5,000 or $100 to be able to see that fight? In the end, there are a couple of things to always consider. Why do people, and why are people willing to pay more? If they can afford it, why are they willing to pay more than, let's say, the low-cost provider. It really gets down to a couple of very fundamental things. Number one, it's the value that they place, in the case of insurance, on the recommendations that are being made. If you do a great discovery and really uncover, hear me clearly now, the emotional issues they're dealing with, not just, "I need more life insurance to protect my family," but really be able to tell a story of delivering a death benefit, to tell the story of why disability insurance is important, to be able to tell the story from your own perspective, that engages people emotionally, and when people are emotionally engaged, the value is far beyond just the product, but it also brings value to the relationships they have. The important thing here is value is created. Cost is a function of value. If you expand the value, cost becomes a minimal or a minor issue. That's one. Two, the second piece of that puzzle is they really want to feel that their life insurance agent, or advisor, use any phrase you want, is really a resource for people like them. What do I mean by that? I mean, they want to feel comfortable. You're not just there to create a transaction, but you're there to be able to help them, more holistically, if you will, with all their financial issues. Now, you may not be cross-licensed. You may not be able to sell investments, but you certainly can be the individual that they can call when they have a financial question, and through strategic partnerships you can then place yourself in their mind as a resource to them so that they see the value you bring is not just the product, not just the platform, but the insight that you have and the specialist in your firm that you can deliver to them to help them to get their financial life in balance. Is that helpful? Mark Miletello Absolutely. I mean, I want to say, "If we could bottle that up and sell it, or give it away," but you really have. You have in everything you've done, in your books, in the classes that I've studied for 10 years, and you've done it with the Weylman Institute, so you really have bottled it up. But there are so many nuggets in what you just said. What I think, Richard, is I think people can afford what they want to afford as well. When you think about the value the promoters built in the right marketing campaign, it's numbers that they calculate, and they feel is their worth, not the cheapest that they could do it for. Right? I guess from the south I have a different perspective. I've seen a $5,000 pickup truck driving down the road with a $20,000 ATV in the back, so it reminds me that when you want something bad enough you find a way to afford it. It becomes part of your budget. Richard Weylman That's right. As I said, the cost is a function of value. I think it's important too for insurance, particularly with DOL and all the things, you know, there's all this noise out there. And people are like, "Oh, fee disclosure, or commission disclosure." Part of the problem, frankly, Mark, is that insurance agents and advisors, even on the financial advisory side, when they're asked ... and I asked an insurance agent recently who is a friend of my wife, and I said, "So, how do you get paid?" "Oh, I get paid on commission." Wow. And I ask advisors all the time, "So, what kind of a practice do you run?" "Oh, I run a fee-based practice." Well, either one of those statements, if you say you run a fee-based practice, my first question must be, "What's the fee?" If I say, "How do you get paid?" And you say, "I get paid in commission." I'll say, "So what's your commission?" My advice to everyone listening to this discussion today is very simple. If somebody says, "So, how do you get paid?" "Well, I get paid for the recommendations that I make that you accept to protect your family." Mark Miletello Love it. Absolutely. Well, you know, like I said, it seems like everything that you say, and when I'm reading your book, and listening to you, you add one little twist to things that people say that brings so much value. You're right. If someone asked me today how I got paid I would have said the same thing, because that's ... But that makes a lot of sense, and thank you for sharing that. Richard Weylman You're welcome. Mark Miletello We've kind of talked about the pinnacle of boxing, so as one of the leading minds, I believe, in professional marketing, Richard, right off the bat let's give the listener a professional tip or tool. Is there a tip or tool or a piece of technology that you can share with the listener that is either transforming your business or could help transform theirs? Richard Weylman Well, not a self-promotion. Obviously, I've been producing coursework for many years. We're a research-based consulting firm first. We've done a lot of discovery of what's going on with the consumer, and that's really our sweet spot, it is understanding how to engage the consumer, and, more importantly, convert them into a client. Our online platform The Weylman Center has allowed us now to bring 41 courses that used to be on DVD, et cetera, it's allowed me to upgrade all of that and put that in the marketplace. It's WeylmanCenter.com, and an agent or an advisor can sign up for $27 a month, have access to 41 different courses, hot links to every single market in the United States right at the local level. But setting that aside for the moment, because we've really designed that for people that really want to build a practice of distinction. I think the large picture here is this. We've just concluded doing research with 350 affluent individuals. What does that mean? Well, we have about 7,000 agents and advisors that belong to our online university. We do a lot of webinars, we have masterminds, it's a very interactive site with a lot of people, they're taking courses, they have all the tools they need to execute. I do a lot of webinars and masterminds, and they dial in. I got 70 of our members to go out and interview five of their best clients to ask four questions. Number one, "How can I get more clients like you?" Number two, "What do you look for when you engage with an advisor initially?" Number three, "How can I do a better job of explaining my platform to you?" And number four, "How important is good service?" In response to your point, as a tip, I will tell you this is what's critically important. 87% of people in this country today belong to an organization that supports what they do for a living or their special interest. Now, that could be everything from golf, and tennis, to book-reading, too, in our case, the fight game. But the bottom line is, 87% of people belong to some network that supports things they're interested in, including their occupation, business, or profession. But here's the bigger point. 71% of those people said they and people like them only want to work with an advisor that's in their network, meaning that individuals that really understand their situation. And everybody on this call, I mean, we all know this. If you all are honest with yourself, you've been asked the question. "Have you ever had clients like me, or have you ever worked with anybody like me?" They're really trying to get that discover in their own mind; do you know them, and do you know their situation. My tip for everybody is that absolutely not target small business, or not just target doctors, but to really break that down and say, "What type of small business? What type of doctor?" Because as an example in physicians, maybe 5% of physicians belong to the American Medical Association, but well over 97% belong to an organization that supports their specialty, whether it's anesthesiology, or chiropractic care, or orthopedic surgeons, because that's how they get their CE credits, and that's how they expand their learning. So that's really my tip for everybody based on our research, is that 87% of Americans belong to something that supports either their business or their interest, and by determining where your best clients, your top five or ten, what they spend their time on, the organizations they belong to, and then target those organizations where you can become a resource to the people in those organizations, that changes the game. Of course, we have our online platform, and you can sign up for $27 a month, and take the coursework, and participate in the study groups and all of that, but the most important point I want to make here is not just about our site. Let's set that aside. The key thing is, the tip: focus your marketing efforts. Being all things to all people today is a non-starter. If you do that, if you're targeting small business, you're targeting 13% of the population that's no longer involved in something. Is that helpful, Mark? Mark Miletello Absolutely. What you've shared, we usually take this opportunity to break for some industry news, and you really kind of segued right into what I've recently read; that some industry firms are not hiring experienced reps. To me, this is a complete about-face from past hiring procedures. I can honestly say, as a manager of over 20 reps and being in this industry for 27 years, and from thousands of interviews, I think I understand, and maybe perhaps agree with a little that it's difficult to hire experienced reps. But not because I don't want an experienced person, I mean, hey, I would love to bring someone on board that I don't have to teach all the little things to, but Richard, I really believe from personal experience the reason this news that I've read has come about is because it's hard to teach reps that are set in their ways new marketing skills, if you will. That's kind of what you've just ... You must be involved and plugged in. Just banging out the phone is not working as well as it was when I first started. Richard Weylman Well, that's true, and no disrespect to anybody, but I will tell you we have seen a massive shift in consumer behavior in the last, well, let's say the last ten years just to come up with a ... You know, this is '17, so let's go back to '08, and we all know what happened in '08, but we've really seen it in the last five, six, seven years. There's been a massive shift in consumer behavior, and because of that, many of the things we used to do in marketing simply just don't work anymore. Mass marketing is a good illustration. Of course, that's not to say that our best experience is not good. It's just that sometimes all of this best practice legacy experience, while it worked 15 or 20 years ago, it doesn't apply to the consumer today. The millennials are different. They're very engaged at a completely different level. They are buying life insurance. They're very engaged but at a different level. As an illustration, if you look at boomers, boomers give their money to major charities. Millennials give their money to their alma mater. That's a massive shift in consumer behavior. The point being that even individuals that are in the market today, and let me speak to the veterans for a moment. A lot of people say, "Well, veterans won't change behavior." They won't unless you really set a vision in place. If you can help yourself as an individual listening to this, if you're an experienced advisor, agent, or producer, any phrase you want to label yourself with, but if you're experienced in this business it's critically important you reset your vision for the impact you want to make, not just on your own personal income, but the impact on the lives of so many people. If you reset your vision, then a couple of other things come into play. The things that are important to change behaviors, first you've got to be open to new ideas because things have changed. Secondly, you've got to be willing to execute. And thirdly, you've got to be transparent if you're stuck. I mean, we've got several thousand experienced advisors on our online platform. We have mastermind groups, I have a whole top-of-the-table group. It's amazing how open they are. But they all have a story about, you know, "I finally got the point I was spending all my time running this thing and I realized I need to invest in services, I need to get back to doing what I love, which is bringing in new business. So, I got open to new ideas, I became willing to make some changes, and when I'm stuck I log into the masterminds and I'm moving forward." So those are the things that are important, I think, for people to think about. You must reset your vision for what you want to accomplish with your career with your business, and then be open, and willing, and transparent to make the changes. Mark Miletello Well, and they have such a leg up on a brand-new person, let's say, coming right out of school or someone with no experience in the industry. They have such a leg up, so it hurts my heart to see a veteran come on board to fail. After reading your book, Richard, The Power of Why I kind of felt it's possible a veteran in the industry could use the advice I think your layout so well in your book. I love even, and I've told you this before, what I really appreciated is by page seven you answered this why question, whereas I believe many others that I've read and listened to don't even know what the why question is, and that's "Why are we failing? Why do customers do business with us? Why are we not performing like others in the field?" And you answer to why companies or reps are excelling while others might not, is the message and deliver from their customers perspective. The veterans especially are sometimes stuck in the only sales process they know, which is selling a product, presenting a product, talking about their fee, their commission like you said earlier. I think they fail in my eyes, mainly from a lack of understanding your book The Power of Why. And just personally here recently, and I didn't mean to kind of get into this, but over the last three years as a leading life insurance agent in one of the largest companies and oldest companies in the nation I kind of felt clients weren't accepting things that they had did in the past, and I was not getting the same results. And little by little I saw this transition, Richard. I really think after reading your book I finally pinpointed that I'm not delivering from a customer's perspective. As a personal story, I've thrown out everything that I know in my life insurance, I call it, presentations, and I've changed to a new life insurance discussion that is centered around the customer. And I've got to tell you, my sales have increased tenfold over the last, just three to four months by implementing this new concept. But it's completely based on what you said right at the beginning of this book, of delivering from a customer's perspective. I think veterans have the hardest time accepting that. That's from personal experience, but… Richard Weylman Well, you're exactly right. Just to piggyback on that for a minute, John Wooden, who is America's basketball player I guess is the way he would be described, and just something he said many years ago, one of his great quotes, and I don't know if I'll get it exactly right, but it'll be close, and that is that "You learn the most when you think you know it all." I think that's so important today, and we've seen this massive shift in consumer behavior. To your point listen, information is ubiquitous, opportunity ... I mean, gosh, you want to buy life insurance? Type it in your computer and pull it up on the screen. Want to do a financial plan? You'll get 2 million links. So, the truth of the matter is that the consumer already has all the power. They've got all kinds of places they can get information, and they can source things, they can buy things. If you don't explain your value from their perspective, meaning, "This is what it means to you, and the benefit to you is ... " Then there's a complete disconnect. Let me put it this way. If you are there trying to convince them to buy as opposed to explaining the value you deliver, people are rejecting convincing. What they want to know is, "How is this recommendation going to solve my problem or address the issue I want to get handled?" So, when you make a recommendation, whatever it might be, "I think that these are the two recommendations I want to make. You've got two options here Mr. and Mrs. Wilson. Here's the first one. The first one is you could buy this particular product, and let me tell you what this will mean for you." And then explain what they will accomplish with that. Then, go to the second piece, "And the benefit to you is ... " Same thing when you make the second recommendation. When you make that ... "And here's what this will do for you. And the benefit to you is ... " People want to know how does your recommendation apply. That's the issue they deal with. When I did the research for the book and we surveyed and talked to thousands of people, the thing that people kept saying is, "I'm sick and tired of people trying to convince me without understanding they need to tell me how it applies to my issue. I want to know how it applies. What's the application? If they don't want to give me how it applies, I'm just going to find somewhere else to buy whatever that product might be." That's everything from life insurance all the way out to you name it. I'll give you an example. You go to Amazon or Walmart online, and no matter what product you click on, it always tells you, "What this means to you is ... And this is what it'll do for you." Because both of those firms have realized if they can articulate application to whatever it is that individual is attempting to do, people will buy it. Mark Miletello Well, perfectly said. That's why I love when you accepted coming on this show because I knew I would get that right there. It's something that, I'm still in the field as a producer, as a manager, as a recruiter, I'm still in the field, and I can tell you that's where I was going with it, is that you must get to the emotional issue as you said earlier and just talking about products, we have to move away from products, because products are everywhere. I'm going to get into some rapid-fire questions here for you. I want to talk professional strategy. Now, Richard, I've mentored under you, like I've said, for a decade now. I've read your books, articles, your email messages, which people should sign up for, which I very much enjoy the little short articles you put out on your blogs. Richard Weylman Thank you. Mark Miletello You have a tremendous and endearing story of where you've come from to where you are now. Now, not to compare it all, Richard, but I do feel like I'm also that guy that can say, "If I can do it then anyone can." And you have shown by a successful career that, no matter what the odds, it can be done. Success is obtainable. So maybe you can share with the listeners your professional strategy of how you succeeded? That would be something we'd like to hear. Richard Weylman Well, I thank you, Mark, and I'll be brief here. But I was an orphan, my mother died when I was five, my dad died when I was six, and my father had no insurance. I went through all his ... He was a journal. He wrote down everything. I could tell you what he had for lunch on May 5th, 1942. He just wrote everything down. I've gone back through all his old diaries, logs, journals. And there was never a mention of life insurance, but again, it wasn't a topic back in the 40s and even in the 50s like it is today. So as a result, we had no insurance. My brother and I and my sister were split up and lived in foster homes. I lived in 19 foster homes, went to 11 different schools. We didn't get back together until we were in our mid-20s. But here's the thing that ... And people say, "Oh, that must have been tough." Every one of you that are listening to this has a story you can tell. You might have been in a loving, nurturing home, but at the same time, you had that entrepreneurial fire burning in your belly, and you had to overcome obstacles to even be on this call today, or listening to this podcast. It's not that the story is important. What's important is what do you do about it? So, from a professional perspective, I will tell you, I read many years ago a scripture that said, "People without vision perish." And I mentioned this earlier about the importance of vision. From a strategic perspective, as a professional, the most important thing, even if it's your first day in the business or your 25th year in the business, you really need to have a vision for what you want to be in the marketplace. I mean, if you look at the big companies that are doing extraordinarily well, like, oh gosh, pick some, Ford, I mean, we could make a long list here, they all have reset. They've recovered from a lot of dark days, perhaps, in their industry because the CEO came in and reset the vision. "Here's who we're going to be in the marketplace. This is who we aspire to be. This is what's going to put us on track." Now, why is this important? Well, from a strategic perspective, the first step, get your vision clear. What do you want to be in the marketplace? Not a mission, but a vision statement. What do you want to be in the marketplace? Secondly, then you will make decisions about the right strategy to fulfill the vision. Now, let me flip that around. If you don't have a clear picture of the type of practice you want to build, the kind of impact you want to have on your community, the type of agency, perhaps, that you want to build if you're in a leadership role. If you don't have a clear vision, no amount of strategy in the world is going to save you, because you'll try this, and, "I'll try that, and I'll try this for six months." So, what happens is, if you have a vision in place then you are far better at selecting the right strategies to make that vision a reality. That's the key. From a professional perspective, I have a very clear vision. I'll just tell you what it was. Living in a foster home, I made up my mind that I was never going to live in basements and attics again, and my vision was that I was going to be able to live in some of the homes that I had seen when I was shoveling snow, and delivering papers, and all of the things I did when I was a young guy coming up, and I said, "Someday I'm going to live in a house where I don't have to live in a basement. I'm going to have a house of my dreams." That was my vision early in my life when I was like 11 years old. So, I became a student of that lifestyle, and I began to study the affluent. I read all the books on social graces. I mean, which silverware to use, I mean, incredible, Julia Child's books, I've read all those books because I wanted to learn how I could live in that lifestyle having never been raised in that lifestyle. Then, of course, as I got into the business I began to learn the things that were necessary to be effective in business, having a very clear picture of what my market was, meaning, "Who did I want to do business with?" Secondly, "How could I engage them at a deep level?" Thirdly, "How can I set myself apart in the ways that our product made a difference?" I was in the automotive industry, I was in the industrial laundry industry, I was in the publication industry, many other things, but I always looked at it from that standpoint: "Who's my customer? How can I bring myself and our product to market in a way that's set apart from others, and how can I engage people for the long-term, so it wasn't just a transaction, but it was a relationship?" So, I read everything I could. I spent a lot of time on strategy. So, to recap, get your vision clear. That's the crystal clear important point. Who do you want to be in the marketplace? Secondly, start selecting strategies to help you identify markets, strategies to help you bring your product to market in a way that's distinct. Mark mentioned that. Meaning what? Articulate from the, let's say, customer, or client, or prospect's perspective. Then, thirdly, it dawned on me very early, and by the way, our research now proves this out, that service was meaningless to people. In our country, if you go to McDonald's and the fries are cold, I don't know what ... Let's say they're $1. You can take them right back in and they'll replace them. So, for us to have somebody buy a life insurance policy and then tell them, you know, "We'll take your call when you call, or we're going to provide you service from time-to-time during the year," I don't know how- Mark Miletello That's a minimum standard. Richard Weylman Yeah. I mean, how magnanimous of us. What we've found out is people today are not interested in good service. That's a minimum standard. What they're looking for is an elevated experience. That means you know their name, you record the things they're passionate about. You send special notes on special days, "Happy anniversary. Another successful year as a policyholder." Not just a birthday card that your policy is going to cost more if you don't buy tomorrow. The important thing is, if you get your vision right, start setting the strategies in place about the market you want, the products you're going to deliver, how you're going to set yourself apart, and then, once they're a client, how you can turn them into delighted advocates. Mark Miletello Well, thank you. I'm taking notes as we're on this show because I love it. But I do want to say thank you for sharing your personal story. You're right. We all have our personal story and our challenges and the things ... I think I just learned something, and that was, "I always said," and I even wrote it in a book myself, "that fear was my motivator because I did come from means where I had to take care of myself at an early age." I used to think that it was fear, but I think now that you say it in that light, maybe it was the vision of wanting something better. So maybe that was my motivator more so than the fear itself of living like that. I know from knowing you that you've done a lot of work in the field with large corporations with advisors and, more importantly, their customers, and you've surveyed and met. I think you can answer this question better than anyone, which is, Richard, what would you say that people today want from an advisor in the field of insurance or related financial services, what do consumers want today from their advisor? Richard Weylman Mark, that's a great question. What do people really want today? Well, the truth of the matter is, what they really don't want, first, are they don't want somebody that's transitionally oriented. People today want a relationship. When you look at the industry, you must realize that relationships drive revenue. So, what do people want? Number one, they want personalization and humanization. They want to be remembered. They want to have memorable experiences. A lot of people talk about your insurance portfolio. Well, how about your portfolio of memories with my agent; about the things he or she did to really help me to get my financial life in balance, or to protect my family, or to educate my children? When you think about it from that perspective, relationships drive revenue. If you personalize and humanize, that's what they're looking for. I mentioned earlier they want you to be a financial resource. It doesn't mean you have to have all the answers, but it does mean that you need to pay attention to the specialists that work in your agency or in your firm or in your company that you can plug people into so that they really realize that when they have a question, that you're not just a custodian of their money or a seller of life insurance, but you're the guy or gal they can call when they have a financial question, because it'll open doors of opportunity, whether it be for an annuity, whether it be for an investment, or whether it be for an additional life insurance policy. It's important for us to think along that line. Remember, relationships drive revenue. If you want to grow a practice today, people want to have a relationship ... What's the keyword? They want you to relate. Think about if you took Latin. What's the core? Mark Miletello I agree. I'll tell you, it just happened this past month where I still have a property casualty agency as well, and we've taken our largest increase in three or four years. I've had one client consider leaving because of the relationships that you build through everything ... Not sending a Christmas card with the whole office name stamped on it where you can tell it's a computer-generated thing, it's a relationship. So, I think you're spot-on with that, and I try to teach that to my own team and to the listeners out there that you better find a way to build those relationships differently than you have in the past. I think that's where you're going with it. Richard Weylman You're exactly right. That's what the challenge is, that people get focused on the transaction. But we know that there are lots of psychological needs people have. One is meaning and significance. They want to know that they're meaningful to you. Secondly, they want emotional security, not just economic. They need to feel comfortable they can talk to you about their fear, their uncertainty, and their doubt. So, what that means is you've got to ask questions that allow them, gives them permission to engage. "What are three things you're most concerned about in terms of your financial future? If you were thinking about your grandchildren today, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, what are three things you want to make sure happens in their life after you are out of the picture?" These are the kinds of things that people want to talk about, but if you don't give them permission to talk about their fear, uncertainty, and doubt, if you don't engage with them at a deep level, then it's all transactional, and they'll have those concerns, but they won't bring them up. I'll give you a good example. I was in a city recently, got on the elevator with a couple. The agent was very kind, "Thank you very much. Appreciate it." Now, he should have gotten on the elevator and ridden down to the lobby with them. You never put them on the elevator and say, "Thank you very much." But this couple got on, he dusted them, "Thank you very much. We'll talk to you in six months or so." Now, we're going down the elevator. We were on the 23rd or 24th floor, something like that, and she turns to him and said, "Honey, why didn't you bring up what we want to do with the grandkids?" And his response was, "Oh, he's not interested in stuff like that." Now, my take was simply this, "How did that agent get in a position where they don't think he's interested? Is it because he's about the ... " I don't know, and obviously, that was a situation, but for the, shall we say, that couple, particularly the guy to have that mindset ... I'd say he was probably in his early 70s, late 60s, but it just reinforced to me how we must engage people at a far deeper level than just the surface transaction, taking care of the need now. We've all seen the statistics. Most people buy insurance from somebody else because they never hear from there, shall we say, the existing agent again, or somebody sells a policy and then never revisits them for additional policies. We've all seen those statistics, but the truth of the matter is they're very real because there is not a lot of relationship building that goes on that ... engaging people, sending them an article of interest. Setting up a Google Alert account. I mean, if you've got a client and you're working in the industry like chiropractors, and you live in Dayton, Ohio, well, just go on Google Alert. Go to Google, type in "alert", it comes right up. It's free. You can put "chiropractors, Miami Valley" which is where Dayton is. Great. Overnight, the internet will search, Google will search, and anything that gets published about chiropractors in Ohio or Miami Valley will show up in your inbox in the morning. That's the kind of thing you just forward onto your clients and say, "Hey, I know we haven't gotten together in four or five months, but I saw this article, thought you might be interested in it." What does that say? "I'm interested in you as a person, not just your money or that life insurance transaction." Those are the ways you build relationships. You mentioned Christmas or holiday cards. Those are all good. But why don't we send Thanksgiving cards, because nobody else does? "So thankful to have you as a client. Enjoy Thanksgiving." How about New Year's cards? "While we're celebrating the New Year, we're looking forward to another wonderful year as clients of ours." How about 4th July cards? "While we're celebrating our companies, independence knowing we're working hard here to make sure that you always can achieve financial independence." Those are the things that stick out in people's minds. Find out the month they started their business or got their job and send them a "Happy anniversary for another successful year on the job or in the business." You're going to be the only one that does that, but believe you me, that alone will help you stand out and say to them, you're about them, you're not just about that which it is that they've transacted with you. Mark Miletello Good tip. Richard Weylman Is that helpful? Mark Miletello Oh, that's a great tip. That's a great tip. My little addition to that would be if you're going to consider the card mailing, find out their kids' ages and send their kids birthday cards. I don't want to grow another year, and I don't want as much celebrating, but if you send my kids something, that's special and thoughtful. Now, Richard, we've talked about 10 years ago. So, I want to ask you a professional prediction. Let's say the year is 2027. What will the financial services industry maybe look like, and how do we fit in from a marketing perspective? Richard Weylman Well, that is a wonderful question. The reason it's wonderful is that I can remember 10 years back, and everybody was concerned, "Well, we've got trades, we've got all of this, so you can buy insurance online," and everything. "Oh, the insurance industry's going away. I mean, it's all but over." And people were like, "Well, that's it. The [inaudible 00:38:03. Start closing agencies here because consumers aren't going to go there. They're just going to buy the low-cost provider." But how shocked ... I mean, we could go back 20 years, go back to 1997 when the internet was first coming alive and eTrades were ... everybody's like, "That's the end. The warehouses are going out of business. Everybody's going to go to these $8 trades and that's going to be the end of this business." And yet, when you look at the numbers it's exactly the other way around. I'll give you a good example. You look at Betterment, which everybody's like, "Oh my God. A new way of investing." Yet, they're hiring advisors like crazy to work in their call centers because people want to call in to get advice even though supposedly it's more of a robot-advising platform. I mean, just an interesting piece. So, the year is, let's say it's 2027, just for our conversation. There's no question that relationships are going to still drive revenue. I know people are like, "Oh my God." But the millennials, I will tell you that cheaper rates and lower fees are always going to be in the marketplace, but what people forget, boomers are dying, and those who inherit even medium sums, they want guidance, personal connection. So, consumers are going to continue to migrate to those who can provide guidance and direction. Now, does that mean that millennials are going to be coming to everybody's office like, say, boomers do today? Or are they going to want a big conference room? Likely not as much. They tend to like to operate in their own "personal space". So, I think there's going to be a lot more, shall we say, out of the office time meeting with people that we see today. I do think the office model will change. I think we're going to see a lot of people that are going to be on a relational side of the business, really reaching out in the community establishing relationships with, let's say millennials, who will, of course, be getting older by that time, and they'll have children, and that will be a whole other issue for individuals in terms of protecting their assets, protecting their children's education, and taking care of the money that they've inherited that have come into their life. So, you're going to see a shift, I believe, in the way we do business. What I mean by that is there's going to be more time out of the office engaging with people in their personal space because that's how millennials like to operate. They like to operate on Skype. They want to operate on LinkedIn. And there's going to be another technology that'll come that we're not even aware of in the next 10 years. You know, we got Facebook, we got LinkedIn, and we've got Skype, but even, there's another one coming. You can pretty much bank on it given the mobile society we live in. I can tell you now, just think about how many times you FaceTime. What I have found is a lot of my clients today, they want to FaceTime with me if they're on their cellphones, which is fine. I think you'll see more of that. There's going to be more technology bringing us closer together, but people are going to want that guidance, they're going to want that direction, and that's what they're going to migrate to because, A, what they inherit, B, because millennials love to personalize, i.e. SnapChat, i.e. Instagram. They like humanization, i.e. SnapChat, i.e. Instagram. So, what that tells us is in 10 years I think we're going to see relationships drive revenue at an even higher level because people are going to be very networked, people are going to work only with advisors that are in their network and that work with people like them, and word of mouth is going to be a tremendous way to grow your business. Mark Miletello Well, I see that as exciting, but I also see it as scary for those that don't know technology or have the ability to do that. Technology, I think ... I guess my question, and I know your answer, but I'm going to ask anyway, I mean, I guess you could keep those ... In fact, the relationships may even be tighter by using these technologies, right? Richard Weylman Oh, absolutely. I mean, I think about just our client base. For years, I mean, we did conference calls. I do, well, even the people that are members of our online university, the Weylman Center, same thing. I mean, when I first launched it a few years ago I didn't do anywhere near the webinars that I do now, and people plugin. They're involved in those. We do a lot of Skype with clients. As I said, we use FaceTime now more on calls than ever before. People want that personal connection, and if you can take- Mark Miletello And convenience. Yep, it's convenient too. Richard Weylman Correct. It's convenience, it gives you a personal connection. You don't have to sit there in a room to have a connection given all the technology that's available today. I mean, we have six offices worldwide. I mean, we all Skype in. We're not all in the same location. But the advantage is we still have that personal connection, and the reason we're able to have it is that of technology. Anybody that's in this business today, insurance or advisory, absolutely, I don't care if you're 65 years old and say, "I don't use a computer." You need to use a computer if you intend to be in the business another five years because your clients are going to demand it. Mark Miletello Oh, perfect. Some other professional recommendations before we get to the close, Richard? Give me one book that I'm going to read in the next few weeks or a month, and one person that I should follow that you follow that has been instrumental in your career. Richard Weylman Oh, great question. Well, I read a lot. I think the book that had the greatest impact on me is the Book of Proverbs. That's not a religious statement. That's in the Old Testament. You can buy that separately, and there are lots of versions of it. But it was authored by King Solomon. And boy, that is really ... I read that very early on. I probably read it ... I have no idea, 20 times likely, every few years I read it again, because it gives real, practical advice that will help lead you to better decisions with greater confidence. Can I give you just one quick example? Mark Miletello Please, yeah. Richard Weylman I had a young guy, and he had asked me a similar question. Anyhow, I said, "Well, I remember reading ... " He was starting a business and had an opportunity, got married and they wanted to buy a new house. He came to me and he said, "Do you think I ought to do this?" Or whatever. He's like two years in the business. And his business was doing fine. I said, "Well, I remember reading a proverb that says, "Build your business before you build your house." And he just looked at me and he said, "Boy, that's great advice." And six months later his business took a real downturn. There was a regulation passed, and boy he slugged it. He had a tough two years. And now he's roared back and has built a massive business, and he and his wife have built a beautiful house in Hawaii. What's the message? Sometimes just getting that, you know there's a proverb that says, "In a multitude of counselor’s mistakes are avoided." And what that really did for him, just by asking me that question, he just kind of gave me that look. Now, that's one case. Someone else might say, "Well, forget that. I'm still going to build the house or buy the house. That's up to you. But what I found in the Book of Proverbs, it just gives you a real sense of reasoning, and it helps you make better decisions, so that would be one thing I would do. The other thing that I, in terms of who I follow, there's a lot of different people that I look to see how their mind works. Mark Miletello Well, and the reason I ask you this is with all this information and technology it's getting harder for us out in the field to figure out who is the real deal. You know what I mean? There's a lot of noise out there. So that's why I point that question at you. You don't have to give one. You can give several. But I think it's getting harder to follow the people that are really going to make differences in our careers. Richard Weylman Yes, that exactly right. And the second book I'd mention, by the way, was to read anything by John Wooden and his quotes. They're very sage advice. He was an incredible basketball coach, and this we all know, and player. But I think the person that I tend ... I used to follow Mark Cuban a lot. I don't anymore. What I've found is that Richard Branson has an unusual view of things. They're always positive, but his way of expressing himself or solving a problem is quite good. You can follow him on LinkedIn, and then you can set up a Google Alert account as I have for Richard Branson, so anything that happens in the Virgin business world I get notifications of. A good example, during the hurricane he evacuated all his guests from Necker Island, that's his private island in the Bahamas, but he stayed because his staff was staying, and he really felt like the best way to support them was to be there with them. And then he gave a long dissertation about why. Here's what struck me. The thing about him, he's always focused on purpose, not pressure. Everything he talks about is based on the purpose that he sees for the business and for himself. He doesn't talk about he's under pressure to do anything. And you could say, "Well, he's worth $1 billion." That's not the point. If you go back to his early history, that was one. The other one that I do a lot of reading on is Winston Churchill. My intent next year as soon as they open, I'm going to go to Oxford for six weeks to take a comprehensive course on the life of Winston Churchill. I go to England just about every year now to speak and all over Europe. I always go down to Chartwell, Winston Churchill's home in the country. I've read everything on Churchill, I've spent literally days at his home there. Churchill was a lot like Branson. He saw things. He was a curmudgeon, but he always saw things from the positive light, and more importantly, the way he made decisions was always on purpose too. So those are two people that I could mention to you. If that's helpful? Mark Miletello It very much is, and, Richard, as I said earlier, it's an honor to have you as one of the very first guests on Where The Insurance Pros Meet. We're so busy planning and marketing for today and tomorrow we can't even begin to look years out in the future; things we need to do now, technologies and techniques that we need to embrace so that not only will we be relevant in the future, but also thrive in the future. I feel we must take your advice to prepare for the future that's ever-changing as well as a tomorrow that's changing as we speak. I really hope the listeners reach out and subscribe to your emails and connect with you like I have. I hope they read your book, because it will change, I think, the perspective by just a small change in the dial, just enough to get it when you're thinking about how to brand maybe, or market, or present yourself and your company moving forward, I believe, in a world of complete commoditization. Richard, again, I want to thank you. Richard, tell us, what's the best way to connect and follow you. Richard Weylman Okay, just a couple of things. For those of you that want to subscribe, just go to ... I'll just make it very easy. Go to RichardWeylman.com, very simple, and you can enroll in my performance tip, and that comes out every week as Mark illustrated. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn because I do post a little ... It's very short. It's not like an article. It's just kind of an action item for the week. I post it there every week if that'd be helpful for you. A couple of other things really quick, when you go to RichardWeylman.com, if you just make a note of this, you'll see where it says, "Richard's Recent Videos" right on the homepage. We have just posted, and it will remain there for quite a long period of time, so we have just posted the findings from those 350 face-to-face interviews that members of our online university did with their clients. They're there in a strategic format. You'll see it. It's basically how to overcome the challenges. It's a six-minute video. Watch that video, because it will help bring some of what we talked about today to light for you. Then, the final point I would say just simply, like I say, connect with me on LinkedIn, certainly connect with me ... go to RichardWeylman.com and sign up for my weekly little tip that I send out. Then, also, if you're interested in really building a practice of distinction, finding your best markets, setting yourself apart in the marketplace, elevating the client experience, you can just go to WeylmanCenter.com. There's a little tour you can take there. It'll take you to a homepage. You'll see how our online university is set up, and you can sign up for $27 a month. That's month-to-month. We don't make you sign any contracts, et cetera. We've got about 7,000 advisors that are on there every month with us. Then, you'll get masterminds, and you get webinar notifications, et cetera as part of your membership. Mark, thank you for the time today. It's been a blessing to be with you. Mark Miletello Well, very good, very good, and highly recommended. If you like what you hear on this show, go to iTunes, rate it and review it. It'll help others find us. As your host of Where The Insurance Pros Meet, you can follow me at MarkMiletello.com.  

Today’s episode is on retirement income solutions. Tom Henga is a retirement income specialist. Learn more at MarkMiletello.com. Note: “Where The Insurance Pros Meet” is an audio podcast and is meant for the ear. A transcript of the audio is provided for referencing a particular section or for you to follow along. Listen to the episode to get the most out of our show. We use both speech recognition software and human transcribers to create the transcripts so they may contain errors. If you’re going to quote us in print, please be sure to check the corresponding audio. TRANSCRIPT Announcer 1 Where the Insurance Pros Meet, Episode 2. Announcer 2 If you really want to get good, I mean, you want to be the best in the business, you've got to train a little bit every single day just like the pro football players do. Announcer 1 Where the Insurance Pros Meet is a podcast that brings the greatest talent in the world together: managers, coaches, and producers. The very best experts the insurance and financial services industry has to offer. Get ready to change the way you do business to have your most successful year ever. Now, here's Mark Miletello, a top one percent producer, manager, and your host of "Where the Insurance Pros Meet". Mark Miletello Today we're going to discuss retirement income solutions. We have on the show with us the retirement income specialist himself. He's the author of four best sellers, "Paychecks and PlayChecks", "Retirement Income Masters", "Paycheck and Playchecks for Canadians", and most recently, "Don't Worry Be Happy: Seven Steps to Retirement Security, which has played on public television to over 72 million homes in the US and Canada. Our guest specializes in creating, what I love, is simple and powerful retirement solutions based on math and science and not opinions. I've seen him speak myself. He's exciting. You should look him up. He speaks to businesses, government organizations, professional associations, financial professionals, and more importantly, clients across the globe. The road warrior himself, Tom Hegna. Welcome to the show, Tom. Tom Hegna Thank you, Mark. Thanks for having me. Mark Miletello Well, Tom, NFL season is here. I'm excited. The pros are practiced, rehearsed, the butterflies are gone. It's game time. Tom, congratulations, and thanks for being a leader, a voice, and a consummate professional in the insurance industry; and is, really, the leading speaker and coach in the financial services industry. So, thanks for coming to the show. Can you give us a kickoff of this show with a professional tip or advice just to start us off and get this game going? Tom Hegna Sure. I mean, since you're talking about pro football, let me ask you a question. How often do they train do you think? Do they train once a quarter? Once every six months? A couple of times a year? They train every single day. Sometimes they do doubles. Sometimes they do triples. What people don't understand is that the top producers in any business, but let's just say pro football, they're constantly training. You know what else, they've got a coach. Why would they need a coach? They're the best players in the world. Because the coach sees things they don't. The coach can come up with a game plan. And I think what both you and I do is we focus on training and coaching. Why do people in our industry think that they don't need to train every single day? And, you know, if you or I were training or coaching them, even for 10 or 15 minutes every day, imagine how much better they would be in three months, six months, nine months. And so, I guess that would be my opening pitch, is that if you really want to get good, I mean, you want to be the best in the business, you've got to train a little bit every single day just like the pro football players do. Mark Miletello You know, I'm even more excited now because you're spot on. As a producer, as an agent, sometimes we're out there by ourselves; and here I am, 27 years into my career, and I still have a coach. I still have a mentor. I still look for more knowledge. So, you're exactly right, and that's the type of stuff I knew we were going to get right off the bat from you. Right now, let's break for industry news. There's no secret, the Department of Labor rulings are dominating the news in the insurance and financial services stadium. Tom, help us out. How do you think the industry will or will not change with these Department of Labor rulings? Tom Hegna Well, you know, it's kind of interesting, I was just on a nationwide debate last week with Knute Rothstead. He's the co-founder of the fiduciary standard, and he debated for the ruling. I debated against it. And I'd encourage your listeners to listen to it. It's free. They can go to apviewpoint.com and register for free and it's in there, or just look up any of my social media. I've got the recordings posted, but I encourage them to listen to it. But to your question, I would say this. I think some good things will come out of it. We all know there were some bad products out there. We all know there were some bad people out there. But what I tried to say in the debate is, you know, Bernie Madoff was a fiduciary, but I don't go around saying all the fiduciaries are Bernie Madoff, and I don't have anything wrong with fiduciaries. But my point in the debate is, right now, it's legal in all 50 states to do business with a fiduciary. So, if you really want a fiduciary, guess what? You can do business with one, but not everybody's choosing that. I said this, "If fiduciaries were so good at what they did, if they were so good, guess what, they'd put everybody else out of business." How could State Farm do what they do? How could New York Life do what they do? How could American National do what they do? If fiduciaries are so good, everybody would have to become a fiduciary, or they'd go out of business. But here's the truth, the truth is they aren't always that great. There are fiduciaries who are not taking longevity risk off the table. There are fiduciaries who are not taking long-term care risk off the table. There are fiduciaries who aren't using life insurance to leverage wealth transfer to children and grandchildren. So, my question to them is how can you be doing what's in the best interest of your clients if you're not using annuities, life insurance, and long-term care? So, that is on their side. But on our side, I would say this, I think we are going to see products, maybe a little more leveling of the commission, which I don't think is bad. I don't think there should be necessarily you make more commission on that versus this, and then you're tilted to recommend that over that. I think that's one of the good things that will come out of this rule is that companies are going to really must look at what is in the best interests of their clients? Now I don't agree that just a fiduciary puts their best interests. I see insurance professionals or financial professionals all over the country, every day, who are putting their client's best interests first; but I think there will be some good things that will come out of it as well. Mark Miletello Well, the Department of Labor ruling, I mean, I agree. I think that protecting clients ultimately is the goal, and that's more important than anything, but there is a balance, and I think that's the issue that you're talking about. We must find the balance, right? Tom Hegna Right. And what I proposed, at the end, instead of just beating up on my opponent or just trying to trash the DOL rule, what I tried to propose was a fiduciary process. You see I think the argument about fees versus commission, that's ridiculous. I can show you plenty of places where a commission is better for a client, and they can show you plenty of places where a fee is better. So, let's just agree that the fee commission argument just depends on the client. That's a ridiculous rule. But, let's also agree that nobody knows what's going to be the best. Here's the problem with the fiduciaries. It's the best interest. Did you know that if you go to five different fiduciaries, give them your exact same set of circumstances, you will get five different courses of actions proposed? Speaker 5 Exactly. Tom Hegna All in your best interests? I mean, that doesn't even make sense. How could five different people give five different solutions if this is in my best interest? So, what I say is let's agree that nobody knows what's going to be the best, all right? And what math and science do is when you get into a situation where you don't know what's going to be the best, there are so many variables, what math and science look for is the optimal way to do it. And all optimal means is this will be the best more often than anything else will be the best and it'll never be the worst. So, what I propose and what I talk about all the time, I don't talk about the best way to retire, because nobody knows what's the best way to retire. I talk about the optimal way. And so what I proposed at the end of the debate is something that I think both sides could agree on. What if we had a fiduciary process that said step number one you got to have a plan, and it's got to be in writing, and you need to work with a financial professional, and it needs to be reviewed regularly. That'd be step one. Step two, why don't we insist that they cover their basic living expenses with guaranteed lifetime income. That's what all the PhDs who study retirement say you should do. And then what if we said for the rest of the portfolio you optimize that to protect yourself against inflation. Or, if you weren't in the securities business, you could ladder their income products, so they could have one that starts at age 60, one that starts at age 65, one that starts at age 70; but the key is to give them increasing income for the rest of their life. What if we taught our clients how to maximize their social security benefits? See social security's the largest retirement asset most people have. What if we said that no retirement plan is complete without a plan for long-term care and that we were required to discuss a long-term care plan with the people. And then what if we used life insurance as the most efficient way to pass wealth. That if they have a life insurance policy for the kids, they could spend more of their money in retirement. I said now that is a process that would be based in math and science that, whether you are a fiduciary or non-fiduciary, whether you sell annuities or manage money, or you pay fees or commissions couldn't we agree that that would be a powerful process that would be in the client's best interest, and then we can just disagree. To me, that's the solution. Mark Miletello Wow. And thanks for being a voice for our industry. We need a voice right now more than ever, and really, you're a voice for the client as well. As I've read and studied and followed you, the sound advice you give is on behalf of the client and, like you said, the little things, how commissions are paid, that's the little things. Now giving more than 5,000 speeches and seminars and really influencing hundreds of thousands of advisors out there, let's talk about you. Let's talk about Tom Hegna himself. Can you tell us in your own words how you arrived at the point where you are today? Tom Hegna Well, look, I'm driven right now by one thing. There are 78 million baby boomers out there who are retiring. They're either in retirement or close to retirement. And tens of millions of them are going to run out of money if we don't get to them first. And so, I'm really driven by the fact that I can't get in front of 78 million people, but you know what? You can get in front of a 1,000. They can get in front of a 1,000. They can get in front of a 1,000. They can get in front of a 1,000. So, if I can get in front of 300, 500 thousand advisors, a million advisors, through the leverage of their work, we can get in front of most of these 78 million. Look, most people won't do everything they're supposed to, but we can fix a lot of them. I've been in the business for over 30 years. I've learned a lot in that time. When I was at New York Life, I was kind of in charge of their retirement income push, and so I found out things I never knew. Mortality credits. Longevity credits. I learned things about longevity risk. I learned things about why guaranteed income is so important. And happiness in retirement. See, I talk to people all the time. You know, it's one thing to retire optimal or not optimal, but don't you want to be happy in retirement; because I can show people how they can be happy in retirement. And happiness in retirement is tied almost 100% to guaranteed lifetime income, and so I can demonstrate that to them. I can show them all the research and all the articles that have studied it. And so that's kind of what gets me up in the morning is I'm trying to help 78 million baby boomers. I can't get to all of them, but I can get a bunch of advisors and try to help them help their clients. Mark Miletello Well, perfectly said. I'm looking at the parallels in our history. First, thank you for your service in the army, six years’ service. I had six years’ service in the army, as well, before I started my career, during my career. But I was an agent, I was a producer, and nine years ago I went into management. I had won a lot of the awards that I set out to and had the success that I wanted to have as a producer. I think at a point I wanted to touch more people, as well. I found that my passion and heart is helping clients with what you call miracles, selling life insurance, which I totally agree with that in your book. But what I wanted to do was touch more lives, just like you said. And going into management, I felt like building 20, 30, 40 agents, we could touch more lives and get the message out there. I love the fact that you've taken it even additional, and that's, of course, the reason for this podcast, having a place where we can touch more people, help more people through the things that you talk about and teach in securing and doing the right things. I told you right before we started to show that I read your book a third time Monday on a plane. I couldn't put it down until I got to St. Louis and I must tell you, it just meant something totally different to me at this point in my career. So, we talked about the industry, the news, we talked a little bit about you, and congratulations on all the accomplishments you've had, and the best sellers that you've had. Let's talk a little bit about clients. What is the number one piece of advice, Tom, that you would give to retirees today? Tom Hegna Well, that they've got to have a plan to retire. See, most people don't have a plan. And again, that plan should include some very simple things. They should make sure that their basic living expenses are covered with guaranteed lifetime income so that no matter what happens to the market or no matter what happens to interest rates, they will at least have their basic living expenses covered. Then they got to have a plan for inflation because guaranteed lifetime income, if you just buy one, unless you buy inflation protection on it, it's going to stay the same, and over time prices go up. So, you've got to have a plan for inflation and I leave that up to the advisor. They can recommend a market-based solution of stocks or mutual funds, commodities, real estate, that's fine, or you can ladder your guaranteed products. That's what I've done. I've got eleven of them and I've got them starting at different ages, and so I will have increasing income for the rest of my life. You've got to have a plan to protect yourself against inflation, and then you've got to have a plan to protect yourself against the risk of long-term care. That's probably, after longevity risk, that's the other biggest risk. Seventy-two percent of all people will need to have a plan for long-term care. They should maximize their social security benefits. That's the largest retirement asset that most of them have and, in general, just very simple, the breadwinner should delay. So, if you've got a husband or wife, and the husband made more money than the wife, the wife can take her benefits early if she wants to, but the husband should wait until 70 because his check covers both lives. That's why the breadwinner should delay. And then use your home equity wisely. There are all kinds of new things like reverse mortgage market. You can sell your home and capture capital gains tax breaks, and so use your home equity wisely. Then I always say leave life insurance to your kids for pennies on the dollar, and then just go out and spend your money and have fun in retirement. So, I talk a lot about how to have fun in retirement, how to never run out of money in retirement, and how to not have to go to a nursing home so you get to stay in your house for the rest of your life because you have a plan. And so, those are the concepts that I talk with retirees. Mark Miletello Well, I've been training based on a lot of what you've said, and I've also been following and mentoring with Van Mueller who, by the way, speaks very highly of you. Tom Hegna Dan's a great guy. We go way back. Mark Miletello Absolutely. And so, I've been rolling out to the agents that I'm mentoring and acronym, TVFIL, taxes, volatility, fees, inflation, and longevity. In your book, Paychecks, and Playchecks, you say the greatest threat to retirees is longevity. It's a multiplier of the rest. Can you expound on that? Tom Hegna Yeah, because the longer you live, the more likely the market will crash. The longer you live, the more likely you'll take out too much money. The longer you'll live the more likely inflation will decimate your purchasing power. The longer you live the more likely you're going to need long-term care. What I tell the people is this. Look, if you retire when you're 65, and you drop dead when your 68, it doesn't matter if the market crashes 10,000 points. It doesn't matter if inflation was 15%. It doesn't matter if you were drawing 12% a year. It doesn't matter if you forgot to buy long-term care insurance. You didn't a life long enough. But if you live to be 75, 80, 85, 90, it's all those other risks that will wipe you out. So, of all the research, I can find from the smartest PhDs in the world who study retirement said this: "To retire successfully you must take longevity risk off the table." Well, guess what, stocks can't do that. Bonds can't do that. Mutual funds can't do that. Real estate can't do that. Only some form of an annuity can do it. A lifetime income annuity, you might call it an SPIA, a deferred income annuity, you might call it a DIA, or an income or withdrawal benefit rider from a fixed index variable annuity, that is it. Those are the only things that can take longevity risk off the table. So, you've got to put an annuity in that portfolio. And then people don't understand that the reason is that you put it in the portfolio is to take longevity risk off the table. Why? Because only a life insurance company can issue an annuity. Why? Because only a life insurance company sells life insurance to be on the other side of that risk. See because an insurance company is on both the life insurance and annuity side, that if people die too soon or live too long, they can neutralize themselves. Because if this person lives to be 115, that's okay, that person over there died when they were 60, so they're protected against both longevity and mortality risk because they're on both sides of the risk. Your banker can't do it. Your broker can't do it. Only the life insurance industry can protect people from dying too soon or living too long. That is a mathematical, scientific, and economic fact. Mark Miletello I'm so pumped up right now. I read your book on a plane. I got off to give a speech. I believe it was the most powerful speech of my career. And in the speech, I held up your book and ... it was a study group of the top leaders in my company. I held up your book, and I said, "You have to find your voice right now." One of the things that you said in your book, Paychecks, and Playchecks, you said, "We are at different times." And I think one big message that you give is to wake up. Wake up and look around. And I think that's the hardest thing for me, was for me, is to find that voice like you have found, like Van's found, like others succeeding and ... Let me go back to one little point. You had mentioned annuities that pay for life, and you know what, I get caught up or have been caught up, with clients talking about rates of return. You get completely away from that, and you focus on the longevity. The income stream for life and the value and importance of that, and I really had some of my first discussions where I said that the interest rate doesn't matter. Can you dive a little deeper into how reps should consider ...? Because I've got to be honest, I've sold tons of annuities, tons of life insurance, I've helped protect families and clients; but I've never really until, I think this week, saw the value and importance of what you say and how you use these products to protect people in these uncertain times. Tom Hegna I often talk about the payout rates of annuities. And if you look at SPIA OR a DIA, the guaranteed payout rates for those things are very high. They're 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 percent guaranteed for the rest of the client's life. And I always tell advisors, I say someday if you talk about payout rates the client's going to ask you, "Okay, but what is my interest rate?"  I got two ways to answer that. Number one, "What would you like it to be?" Because the insurance company does not set the interest rate on an income annuity. They set the payout rate. It never sets the interest rate the client by how long they live. So, I say, "If you want a higher interest rate, just live longer. If you want a higher interest rate than that, live longer than that." That's what I love about these products. You get to set your own interest rate. I hope you set it very high. But the second way I handle it is this. It doesn't matter. Just like you said, it doesn't matter what the interest rate is. When somebody asks you "what is the interest rate", in their mind they think this is an investment that they want to compare to their Merrill Lynch or their Schwab or their Edward Jones investment. And what I would say that an income annuity is not an investment. It is a guaranteed paycheck for the rest of your life. So, if I went on an appointment with that advisor, these are the exact words that would come out of my mouth. "I'd say Mr. and Mrs. Client, congratulations, you're now retired. In retirement, you're going to need a paycheck. Now at our company, you can have your paycheck guaranteed or non-guaranteed, which do you prefer?" Most people say guaranteed. "We can guarantee it for your life or for both of your lives, which would you prefer?" Most of them say for both of our lives. So, I repeat it back. "What I just heard you say is you would like a guaranteed paycheck for the rest of both of your lives." Yes. That's what this does. And there's no other product in the world you can buy that will give you a higher guaranteed paycheck for the rest of both of your lives. So, it doesn't matter what the interest rate is. You want a paycheck. You want it guaranteed. You want it guaranteed for the rest of both of your lives. That's what this does. Merrill Lynch, Schwab, E-trade, they can't do that. Mark Miletello So, I've got my checkbook out. I feel like I need to pay you for that. Tom Hegna I mean, let's keep it simple, and let's have fun in the appointments too. I have fun when I'm in front of people. I get in front of more people probably than almost all your listeners combined. So, I'm in front of people every day and I have fun with it. [crosstalk 00:21:36 Mark Miletello Absolutely, and I'm glad I asked that question because I needed the answer to that, and I would imagine a lot of my agents and my listeners as well needed the answer to that. And so, that'll help us find our voice in competing again what interest rate is at, and just spot on. I obviously brought up "Paychecks and Playchecks" several times. That book is just filled with so many nuggets. I've highlighted the entire book, and it's going to be part of my process going forward and training, and teaching, and reading, and learning myself. I'm excited to hear a little bit more about, "Don't Worry Retire", but before that, what inspired you to write "Paychecks and Playchecks"? Tom Hegna Here's kind of what happened. I was still at New York Life at the time when I was asked to speak at the top of the table for MDRT, which is a huge honor. This is a top of the table event of MDRTs, the top of the top of the top, but I didn't know that MDRTs, that to test their speakers because it's a smaller group. It's the highest group, but there are only about 500 people. If you do good there, then they'll ask you to domain platform at MDRT, the general session, where there's six, seven thousand. But anyway, I had a presentation and they said you got have a name for this thing, you got to have a name for this. And we talked about it and said what about Paychecks and Playchecks. I said, "Oh, that's a great name." So, we titled my talk "Paychecks and Playchecks". Well, it was a huge hit, and then I did MBRT the next year in Vancouver. It was a huge hit. I didn't have a book. And that's killer. You're on the main platform at this big thing. I didn't have a book. Everybody said, "You've got to have a book." So, I sat down and I wrote the book and then what we did is we took my "Paychecks and Playchecks" talk from MDRT and we broke it out into chapters, and then we built up the chapters. I put in all the knowledge that I'd learned over the years and that was "Paychecks and Playchecks". And it was a foundational book. It sold over two million dollars. I mean less than one percent of books ever sell a million dollars. That sold over two million and "Don't Worry, Retire Happy" has now sold over a million. So, it's kind of cool. I got two books in the top one percent of all books ever written, but it was I wrote it out of my heart, you know. It was really all the knowledge and all the words and language. Because I tell people this, people think this is a knowledge business. I've got news for them. This is not a knowledge business anymore. You give me an iPad and the internet for 15 minutes, I can figure out anything I need to figure out. This is not a words business. This is a language business. This is a questions business, and this is a stories business. And my books are full of words, language, questions, and stories that are powerful. I always tell people if you don't have your ... People say all the time you got the words, you got the questions, you got the stories. You can borrow the stories, borrow the words, borrow the ... that's what I did when I was brand new. I listened to audiobooks every single day. I watched tapes of the Kinder Brothers so I could close business the way the Kinder Brothers taught me how to close business. I can handle objections the way they taught me to handle rejections. And what I did was learn the words, language, questions, and stories of the top producers in this industry 30 years ago and those words, language, questions, and stories made me millions of dollars. And now I've got the words, language, questions, and stories for this retirement income market and people can make millions of dollars off of that, but they're worried about spending 35 bucks on an audiobook or something. It's crazy. You've got to invest ... and I'll tell you this. The best investment you'll ever make is not in stocks or bonds or bitcoin, the best investment you'll ever make is an investment in yourself. That will make you the most millions. Mark Miletello It's perfectly said. I believe that what you've said it's not that ... you look at my upbringing and my challenges and I had Richard Weylman on the show last week and the struggles that he came through. It's about finding your voice and telling a story. And like I said in a speech, I used several things that you've said from "If a dollar was a second, what would a trillion dollars mean?" And things like that. It's just stories and I held up the book and I said, "You have to learn these stories because you don't have to make them up." They've already ... someone's already paved that way and you learn from the Kinder Brothers. We all have learned and quoted from someone that has inspired us, so thank you for putting that together. You know, I've got some self-published books and maybe that's what I need to do, record myself speaking and quit trying to sit down and write everything out. That's some good advice. But you know what? I work with a young team, but even us veterans we've, keeping with the theme of football, we've all had fumbles; and so, looking back, do you ever think about some mistakes that you could avoid, or you would have avoided for these new agents that are. Tom Hegna Well, kind of my best advice for new people is activity. I say an app a day keeps depression away. Look, this is a business is where you go way up, and you go way down emotionally. You go out and you close a million-dollar sale and you're on top of the world, "Oh, man I just sold the biggest case I ever did." And then two days later you get a call, and he says "Well, I talked to my brother-in-law. He says it's stupid. Please cancel that." Or, the guy got declined, or he changed his mind, or whatever. And now you're down and the depths of depression, and then you write another case and you go up here and then something bad happens, and you go down here. So, what got me through the storms, because I went up and down terribly. My first, in my first year, was very hard, but what I found is the more activity I had, then I could weather it. See if I got 12 applications in, and I lose one no big deal. If I got one application in, and I lose one, that's a life-threatening event. So, I started trying to see three people a day and then once I started doing that I saw five people a day. And then I would see seven people every day, and if you're seeing five to seven people every day, I promise you, you'll get through it. An app away keeps depression away. I tried to write at least one app a day, and my record I think was 13 apps in one day and I routinely get five or six in a day, that was not uncommon at all. I never had a blank week my entire time as a producer. I'm kind of proud about that because it was drilled into me activity, activity, activity. And so, there are only three ways to increase your production. See the people. See the people. See the people. So, I would encourage new advisors, see people face to face every single day. Mark Miletello Well, we can dive more into that. That could be its own separate show, but the good news on this show is you get the repeat of a first down. You get a do-over, so you're starting over, Tom, you know how tough today is, you're starting over right now, how do you grow a successful practice? I think you've given us a lot of these nuggets already, but I'm just going to point blank ask you because this is what a new agent wants to hear. What do you hear today? Tom Hegna I think you've got to build your frontal as full as you can, and what I mean is that you've got to be on social media. You've got to be on Facebook. You've got to be on Twitter. You've got to be on LinkedIn. I guess Instagram for millennials and all these guys. But you've got to be on social media. You've got to network and get as many people into your funnel. I don't care how well you know them. Go to Chamber of Commerce, get everybody's business card, put them in your funnel, connect with everybody you can. Because what you want to do it early in your business now you want to get thousands of people in your funnel of social media and then you want to watch your social media because you can learn a lot about people. Oh, we got engaged. That'd be a perfect person to call. Oh, we just got married. Oh, my dad died. My mom died. We had a baby. All that's on social media. Well, those are all life events that people need to buy more life insurance and they need to roll their 401K or they need to do something, right? So now today we can know when all these things are happening. When I was an agent, we didn't know. We had to buy a baby list from the paper or something and we'd get it like six weeks later or something, or the obituary list and you got go through there and figure whose parents they are. I mean, really, seriously? Now you've got all these tools and then there are marketing people that I'm not the marketing guy, but there are marketing people that can help you do campaigns and do things to get more leads. And then I would encourage people to do seminar selling. It does work. It's not dead. People think it's dead. It's not dead. I do seminars every single day almost. And they fill the place with three, four, five hundred people. If you're giving great content, great content, people will come. The number one producer I work with is a guy down and Florida. He does about a million a month in commission, a million a month, okay? And he runs educational seminars, no food; he brings them in two or three a day, does two or three days a month, he brings in top speakers, he said all the money I used to spend on restaurants now I put into my speakers. And he just is known as the educational place for all these retirees and they bring their friends, their neighbors, their brothers, their sisters. There's no selling done at these seminars. They are just educational workshops. He brings me in. He brings in Mary Beth Franklin, and he brings Moshe Maleski in, and he just educates people in the community. And guess what, they do a lot of business on him. Mark Miletello I bet. Well, activity is the key, we all know that, and you're right. There are almost so many places to go to create an activity that one doesn't know where to go. I think sometimes they're just looking around at all the different places and they don't know which one to choose. But you said get out there, get involved, and everyone watches it, make contacts because one thing you and I know that it's about timing more important than anything. You can call me today and discuss an annuity and a year and a half from now might be the right time to discuss that annuity. So, in this industry what I've found is when I was born there wasn't a big sign at the hospital that said Welcome into the world, Mark Miletello, natural born insurance salesman or financial services agent. No one's born, you know, you practice, rehearse, study, and so whether you find yourself successful or not, I believe activity is the key and timing, as well, is the key and with social media, we can hit that timing a lot better than we did just culling obituaries. Tom Hegna It's a numbers game, right? So, you want to have lots of numbers in your circle. As many as you can, even if you don't know them well. Then it's a timing thing, and then you've got to have the skills. So, it's really three things. It's numbers, it's timing, and it's skilled. And so, if you have the skills if you have the words, the language, the questions, and the stories and you know somebody who's right for talking to and you have enough of those people every day you've got people to go see every day. Just stop by. Hey, I saw you had a baby. We have a bib in our office, and it's just, you know, give them something. We used to hand out road atlases. I don't know what you hand out anymore, but just something you could give them, or bring them a little present, bring them some chocolates. I don't know what but get in front of people who it's the right time to talk about things and build a relationship with them and then help them. Do what's in their best interest, and they'll refer people to you. Mark Miletello Wonderful. Well, Tom, it's the future. It's the year 2027. This is maybe one of the toughest questions I'm going to ask you because this is on the minds of all of us with everything going on around, but also technology the future. What will the industry look like in ten years and how do we fit in, how do we stay relevant? Tom Hegna Well, there's all kinds of people worried about that, and I know on the P&C side they're worried that amazon.com is going to have a little thing you just plug into the USB port and you drive from here to the store and it just charges 12 cents to your prime account for insurance. And then you drive across to California and it's $2.42 for insurance. That your insurance will charge you by the number of miles that you drive, and it will be automatic, and you won't have to worry about it. That's was the P&C people are worried about. I think for life insurance, annuities, and long-term care investments you know these robot advisors, yeah, that's fine, let's see how that all works when that market crashes 50 percent. At the end of the day, people need help from people. People trust people. And I think they're going to need a financial person to walk them through this. The average person doesn't spend enough time learning about this stuff and what they hear, they hear from Ken Fisher or Susie Orman or Dave Ramsey. People are giving them opinions, not facts. And that's why I say stick with Tommy. Tommy's got the facts, and the facts beat opinions 100 percent of the time. And so, if we can just present them mathematical, scientific, and economic facts these are irrefutable. These are not opinions. I can win every argument with Ken Fisher because he's dead wrong. You know when he says, "Oh, anything you can do with an annuity, you can do better elsewhere." That's a lie. You know what I'm going to do? This week, I'm going to write an open letter to the SEC, because what I think he is doing is almost criminal and he's leading people astray and for the SEC and [Senator 00:34:37 to allow that kind of stuff to happen ... I'm just going to write an open letter and I'm going to clearly expose him for what he's doing. He's not doing good things. So, I got math and science behind me. He's got his opinion. Let's see how that works for him when that market crashes 50 percent. Mark Miletello Well, what you're saying is, we can't predict what the next 10 years are going to be, but we can sure be prepared. We can be an advocate for our clients. So, thank you for protecting us, and doing those things. You're right. Some of it is ... I don't even know what to say about some of the things that I hear, but one thing that I keep going back to that's one of the most powerful things that I've read in your book, and that's, "I talk about facts." I'm going to use that if you don't mind. I'm going to steal that when I'm talking to clients is that you know let's not look at all the opinions out there, let's talk facts. Tom Hegna Facts win, every time. Mark Miletello That's right. So, look, I would like to keep you for hours on end. I know your time's valuable, and thank you for sharing with us. We've gotten so much already. I'd like to ask you a hundred more questions, but give us your professional recommendations. How do we get started following you? What steps do we take to find, maybe this is a two-pronged question, but how do we get started to find a voice like you have found? Is part of that following you? What can we do? Tom Hegna Well, look, I know you got some great training, and you said Van was one of your mentors. Van and I are good friends. We've done a lot of work together. Joe Jordan was one of my mentors, as were the Kinder Brothers, as were some of the top producers back in the day, the Ben. And now Mark Feldman has a great book, "Man on a Mission", all about life insurance. Great life insurance questions. But if people want to follow me, I'm at tomhegna.com. I'm easy to find. If you google my name a million things will pop up. I got free videos on YouTube they can sure watch. I've got a subscription service called Tom Hegna on Demand where I literally put my entire brain online, sorted by video clips, three to eight minutes. over ten hours sorted by life insurance, annuities, long-term care, questions, sales ideas, handling objections, social security, all that stuff. So, my entire brain is there available 24 hours day, seven days a week. And I say what if you spent 10 minutes a day there, 15 minutes a day, or what. How good would you be in three months or six months or nine months? There's also a coaching site where, let's say, they get to the appointment at ten minutes early. They get on the iPhone. They go to the coaching site, and a video of me pops up. I say, tell me about this appointment. Is your client single or married? They put single. How old is this person? She's 70. Once you hit those two buttons, a video of me pops up. Okay, so you're going to an appointment with a 70-year-old widow. Here's going to be her key questions. Here's how I would answer those. Here's going to be her objections. Here's how I would answer those. Here's the product you're going to want to use. Here are the questions you want to ask her. And I coach you for 5, 10 minutes before you go on your appointment. The next day you're going on an appointment with a 45-year-old couple. You hit married, 45, and I coach you totally different than I did for the 70-year-old widow. Now that's all available online. We've got package deals on our podcast. So just go to tomhegna.com. I'm easy to find. Mark Miletello Well, the financial investment is ridiculous. That's a no-brainer. What we must do, and what I've tried to teach and install in the ones that I mentor is the time investment. And it's not that much. It could be 5, 10 minutes. It could be a ride on an airplane. But we must take what you're handing us, and we got to pass it down to the next generation. We got to build upon that, so that's what this podcast is for, is to reach out. With all the noise out there, it's getting hard to find who's the real deal. And you are the real deal, and I'm going to continue to follow you. I appreciate the advice on man on a mission. I didn't know that one. I'll look that one up. I hope that everyone out there listening to this will immediately go to your website. You are one of the top one or two that I recommend following, as well as you mentioned, Gary Kinder, the Kinder Brothers, and Van Mueller as well. So, thank you for being a guest on the show, and thank you for all you do. Tom Hegna Thank you, Mark. Great being with you. Mark Miletello Absolutely, and you can follow me on markmiletello.com. If you like what you hear on the show, go to iTunes and rate and review, and you'll help others find us.    

Big game hunting. In our world it's the 'corner office' advisor, the object of every wholesaler's affection. And if you are able to successfully bag a partnership with this most elusive producer you can change the trajectory of your practice. The question is: how do you do it? Richard Weylman is in the Professional Speakers Hall of Fame, the recipient of the Council of Peers Award of Excellence (CPAE) and is a Certified Professional Speaker (CSP). Richard has a worldwide reputation for helping clients better understand how to make the changes necessary to attract and retain new customers, as well as the right talent to elevate business performance. As an impactful keynote speaker and workshop leader Richard will bring his expertise to your audience, blending timely and provocative research with the right amount of humor and inspiration they can take away and use immediately. He has delivered over 2,500 keynote speeches on four continents to audiences of 20 to 40,000 and is a master at tailoring his presentations to the specific needs of your audience. Click here to get more information about Richard Weylman. To inquire about Bruce for your next event through Wholesaler Masterminds Speakers Bureau contact us at info@wholesalermasterminds.com Ask us about our Conference Success Plans - We're Helping Distributors Maximize Their Conference ROI

Sound Financial Group (SFG) is excited to welcome you to Sound Financial Bites, where we bring you bite-sized pieces of financial knowledge to help you design and build a good life. In the 18th episode, Cory Shepherd, Vice President of SFG, chats with Richard Weylman (pronounced “While –men”), a leading marketing expert, specifically in helping business owners build vertical markets. He was orphaned at age six and instead of becoming a victim of his circumstances, Richard overcame the adversity to enjoy remarkable business success. He is a former executive of Rolls-Royce and today Richard is the chairperson of the Weylman Consulting Group, which coaches organizations on how to elevate business performance in today’s marketplace. For full show notes and to download a FREE copy of the transcript for this episode, visit: http://www.sfgwa.com/blog Paul Adams is a Registered Representative and Financial Advisor of Park Avenue Securities LLC (PAS). Securities products and advisory services offered through PAS, member FINRA, SIPC. Financial Representative of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian), New York, NY. PAS is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Guardian. Sound Financial Group is not an affiliate or subsidiary of PAS or Guardian. This podcast is meant for general informational purposes and is not to be construed as tax, legal, or investment advice. You should consult a financial professional regarding your individual situation. Guest speakers are not affiliated with Guardian or PAS unless otherwise stated, and their opinions are their own. Opinions, estimates, forecasts, and statements of financial market trends are based on current market conditions and are subject to change without notice. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

Guido Schulz of AFEX to discuss how small businesses can mitigate currency risk ( Douglas Krone developed Leloca, a free Smartphone application that uses the internet to create a real time, geo-targeted discount platform for businesses. Bethan Davies founded TheCraftStar the nation’s fastest growing competitor to Etsy, the $1B a year online crafters e-tailer. She talks about ;how it she goes about competing against this giant competitor. C. Richard Weylman warns small business leaders they need to sell what their customers want in order to stand out in today’s crowded marketing environment.  Andrea Gellert SVP of Marketing for OnDeck do how better to apply and win a small business loan. More specifically she'll talk about  her company's latest survey on small business borrowing which is a real eye-opener.