บทถอดความฉบับเต็มของ How to Reverse-Engineer Sales & Scale to Eight Figures with Steve Trang

able to do what you do now? 00:03:59.840 --> 00:04:02.879 Or do you feel like you just looked at the value of that? 00:04:03.280 --> 00:04:07.439 I needed to get crushed because of my I was cocky, right? 00:04:07.599 --> 00:04:12.000 Up to that point in my life, I've been able to do everything I wanted to do at a very high level. 00:04:12.159 --> 00:04:15.599 I went to ASU for engineering, that was easy. 00:04:15.759 --> 00:04:18.800 Went to grad school, that was not easy, but made it through. 00:04:18.959 --> 00:04:20.000 I worked at Intel. 00:04:20.079 --> 00:04:21.839 I was working 25 hours a week at Intel. 00:04:22.079 --> 00:04:25.040 Intel has its reputation of being like this sweatshop where everyone works crazy hours. 00:04:25.199 --> 00:04:33.040 I was working 25 hours a week, taking hour-long lunches, rolling in late, taking hour-long lunches, leaving early to go play basketball at lifetime because that's where all the NFL players played. 00:04:33.199 --> 00:04:35.360 Up until that point, my life was really easy. 00:04:35.759 --> 00:04:36.079 Yeah. 00:04:36.800 --> 00:04:43.519 So I needed that crushing uh of the ego in order to be the person I eventually became. 00:04:43.839 --> 00:04:44.160 Yeah. 00:04:44.319 --> 00:04:44.560 Yeah. 00:04:44.720 --> 00:04:50.160 I would say, yeah, humility, it builds humility, which allows you to do what you're doing now, probably. 00:04:50.240 --> 00:04:50.879 So that's great. 00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:51.519 Exactly. 00:04:52.160 --> 00:04:57.759 Now, going back, how long was that stretch where it was really difficult in 2008? 00:04:57.839 --> 00:04:58.800 How long did that last? 00:04:59.040 --> 00:05:11.360 Like a year and a half, two years, because at that time I was doing short sales, but the foreclosure business, the REO business, listing properties for banks was a thing, and it was hard to get into, but I was able to get into it in 2009. 00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:13.920 And it was just through creative strategies, right? 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:16.879 And a lot of things, a lot of situations, the front door is sealed shut. 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:23.120 They'll tell you go to bankamerica.com, go to wellsfargo.com and apply to become one of our realtors for listing properties. 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:24.399 But it's a complete sham, right? 00:05:24.480 --> 00:05:26.079 They don't hire anyone through the front door. 00:05:26.480 --> 00:05:28.639 And you got to go through the back door or the side door, whatever. 00:05:28.720 --> 00:05:40.639 And so what I used to do at that time, 09, was I just took what was left on my credit card and I paid for hotel, airfare, and then paid to go to these REO events, these conferences where the bankers are at. 00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:44.800 And it was through there that I was able to get these accounts. 00:05:44.879 --> 00:05:47.199 Now, even going to there, that's still not enough, right? 00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:50.639 Training business cards, you're still one of these random faces. 00:05:50.959 --> 00:05:59.920 What I was doing is I was very intentional, was I was finding all the bankers, getting their cell phones, and then inviting them to go out to the clubs and go drinking and buying bottle service for them. 00:06:00.160 --> 00:06:08.879 Um and it was through going, taking them out drinking and buying them bottle service and all these other shenanigans that was able to get these listings from the banks. 00:06:09.279 --> 00:06:13.360 It's the personal stuff, the yeah, the building friendships, right? 00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:14.879 Exactly, exactly. 00:06:15.199 --> 00:06:19.759 Now, leading into that, you're now known as one of the best sales trainers in real estate. 00:06:19.839 --> 00:06:23.600 So, how did you get to that from where you were at there to where you're at now? 00:06:23.920 --> 00:06:24.560 Lots of pain. 00:06:24.720 --> 00:06:27.839 Again, starting in 07, I quit Intel as an engineer. 00:06:27.920 --> 00:06:35.199 So I was a horrific salesperson, probably one of the worst you'd ever meet, because I explained everything logically, factually, and I thought that's how everyone wants to buy, right? 00:06:35.439 --> 00:06:36.480 That's how I wanted to buy. 00:06:36.720 --> 00:06:39.360 And so that clearly failed for a very long time. 00:06:39.519 --> 00:06:44.399 And you pick up the books, you listen to CDs back then, audiobooks eventually. 00:06:44.720 --> 00:06:53.040 And it wasn't until 2018 where I actually worked with someone who was also a certified, or not certified, he who was a sales trainer. 00:06:53.439 --> 00:06:58.000 And it wasn't until I met him that everything I learned up to that point clicked. 00:06:58.240 --> 00:07:05.759 Because I've had all the bad experiences trying to buy people's houses, trying to list their houses on the market, showing buyers houses and so on. 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:09.199 Had all these experiences where I couldn't quite get over the hump. 00:07:09.360 --> 00:07:12.160 And I got all the books, so I got like all the one-liners, right? 00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:14.399 They say back when I was realtor, you asked, What's your commission? 00:07:14.480 --> 00:07:17.040 And I always say something along the lines like, What's more important to you? 00:07:17.199 --> 00:07:20.879 The amount of commission you pay or the amount of money that makes your bank account after we sell your house. 00:07:22.560 --> 00:07:22.879 Okay, cool. 00:07:22.959 --> 00:07:23.920 So it's not really about the commission then. 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:24.879 They're like, No, it's not realistic. 00:07:25.040 --> 00:07:25.439 Okay, great. 00:07:25.839 --> 00:07:35.600 So we all like you learn all these one-liners over the years, but it wasn't until 2018 where I actually hired a sales trainer that all my experience clicked. 00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:40.560 And then from that, I was able to share through my experience what's worked for us, and then translated that. 00:07:40.639 --> 00:07:48.240 And

through all that, basically what I was able to do was this really nerdy way of saying that we reverse engineered sales, and that's what we can teach. 00:07:48.959 --> 00:07:50.720 Yeah, that would make sense. 00:07:50.879 --> 00:08:00.560 I'm just picturing an engineer selling, and I it's very probably very detailed, like giving him facts, laying out everything. 00:08:00.879 --> 00:08:04.560 Let me show you this 15 comps to justify why your property is worth what it's worth. 00:08:04.879 --> 00:08:05.040 Right? 00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:07.040 Let's go buy square footage and so on. 00:08:07.120 --> 00:08:09.279 Yeah, that's hilarious. 00:08:09.439 --> 00:08:14.720 So you saw the, I guess, the value that it brought to you, and so then you wanted to share that with others. 00:08:14.959 --> 00:08:23.199 No, actually, what I did was after I got it working for myself, I trained my team on it and we demonstrated who our team. 00:08:23.360 --> 00:08:27.279 And what happened is I'm in Phoenix, and so like there's like a lot of big operators here, right? 00:08:27.360 --> 00:08:31.839 So we had Jesse Burrell, Jared Vidalis, Pace Morby, like all these other people out here. 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:32.399 Yeah. 00:08:32.639 --> 00:08:34.720 And they're asking me to train their teams. 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:35.919 I was like, okay, that's cool. 00:08:36.159 --> 00:08:37.200 What honor, right? 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:40.879 And then I spoke on stage at an event, and I was like, let me go ahead and share what's working for me. 00:08:41.039 --> 00:08:47.360 And from there, the amount of people that said, Hey, like, you've got something that I need. 00:08:47.600 --> 00:08:48.799 Can you teach me? 00:08:49.120 --> 00:08:54.240 And being a capitalist, like, we've got something here that we can monetize. 00:08:54.559 --> 00:08:55.279 That's great. 00:08:55.440 --> 00:08:58.080 So it just is out of pure need, that's great. 00:08:58.480 --> 00:09:06.639 So, what would you say is the biggest mistake that acquisition reps, sales reps make when they're on the phone with somebody that is motivated? 00:09:06.960 --> 00:09:12.080 Some of the biggest mistakes, the desire to be liked, and someone asks you a difficult question. 00:09:12.320 --> 00:09:14.720 They say up front, what's what are you gonna pay for my house? 00:09:14.960 --> 00:09:20.159 You have to be willing to not be liked and not answer that question because like it's really like you know the answer. 00:09:20.320 --> 00:09:22.000 So why don't we give it to them? 00:09:22.159 --> 00:09:22.399 Right? 00:09:22.559 --> 00:09:24.399 So that was one of the hardest things. 00:09:24.559 --> 00:09:29.120 The second thing is to understand that people don't buy rationally. 00:09:29.440 --> 00:09:31.840 This is 100% an emotional decision. 00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:36.000 There's not a 99% emotional, not a 50% emotional, it's a hundred percent emotional. 00:09:36.480 --> 00:09:51.039 So we gotta build this, we gotta remind the homeowner like how much pain and despair and everything that they've been going through the last three months to the last maybe three years, and how awesome it's gonna be when this is all done, right? 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:53.120 And help them understand this gap. 00:09:53.519 --> 00:09:55.840 And then ultimately it's like, but what if we can't make this happen? 00:09:55.919 --> 00:09:58.399 So one more like take it away from him. 00:09:58.639 --> 00:09:59.039 Yeah. 00:09:59.279 --> 00:10:03.440 And it's that emotional journey, they're like, please just help me out right now. 00:10:03.919 --> 00:10:05.120 So we have to go through all that. 00:10:05.200 --> 00:10:09.120 And so the going through the emotional journey, I say that's a uh second big thing. 00:10:09.200 --> 00:10:10.639 And then what else is there? 00:10:11.120 --> 00:10:23.600 There's the trying to convince people think sales is a convincing role, which is understandable because if you if you think about when you watch movies, they always portray salespeople as just these monsters. 00:10:23.919 --> 00:10:29.600 And then we go to our experience when we're buying a car or buying some expensive product, and we deal with a pushy salesperson. 00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:33.440 But the reality in sales is I compare it to officiating and sports. 00:10:33.679 --> 00:10:38.000 How can you tell a game is well officiated in sports, you don't notice the refs, right? 00:10:38.320 --> 00:10:40.159 A well-efficiated game, you don't notice the refs. 00:10:40.320 --> 00:10:43.279 But a poorly officiated game, you really notice the officiating, right? 00:10:43.440 --> 00:10:44.639 Yeah, it's the same thing in sales. 00:10:44.720 --> 00:10:48.960 If a really good quality, if it was a really good sales conversation, you don't even notice the salesperson. 00:10:49.440 --> 00:10:51.679 But if you notice it was because it was a bad salesperson. 00:10:52.240 --> 00:10:53.039 I like that. 00:10:53.279 --> 00:10:56.799 I always equate sales, good sales to being service. 00:10:57.039 --> 00:11:01.759 So you're not really talking them into anything, you're just helping them get what they want and what they need. 00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:02.480 Exactly. 00:11:02.639 --> 00:11:08.159 That and helping them get out of their own way is because it's their own reasons that they don't get what they want. 00:11:08.480 --> 00:11:09.120 That's good. 00:11:09.279 --> 00:11:10.080 That's good. 00:11:10.399 --> 00:11:16.720 I've also heard it's like uh exposing a wound and then pouring salt on it so that they can feel it. 00:11:16.879 --> 00:11:18.000 Would you agree with that or no? 00:11:18.240 --> 00:11:19.440 Oh, even more than that. 00:11:20.080 --> 00:11:21.440 Not even pouring salt on it. 00:11:21.679 --> 00:11:23.759 We might use our fingers to really make sure the salt gets in there. 00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:26.639 Yeah, and rub it in, pour a little alcohol. 00:11:27.919 --> 00:11:29.840 Oh, that's making me cringe.

00:11:30.080 --> 00:11:35.919 Now, you built objection-proof selling around the idea that the best salesperson doesn't overpower. 00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:36.960 So we just talked about that. 00:11:37.120 --> 00:11:38.480 They remove the objections. 00:11:38.559 --> 00:11:40.159 What does that actually look like in practice? 00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:44.080 So removing objections, um, yeah, getting out of their way. 00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:44.399 Yeah. 00:11:44.720 --> 00:11:47.200 So the biggest thing is we talk about a concept of zooming out. 00:11:47.279 --> 00:11:52.639 And so, like, if they want to, for example, be closer to their grandkids, right? 00:11:52.799 --> 00:11:56.080 A common reason we're buying people's houses, they want to be closer to their grandkids. 00:11:56.639 --> 00:11:59.759 And then they'll say, But I need more money. 00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:08.799 And so when they say I need more money, they treat it as it's your price versus my price, and it's purely like we're operating in a vacuum, right? 00:12:09.600 --> 00:12:19.519 But realistically, if we look zoom out, what's happening is they're wanting an extra$30,000 is preventing them from being closer to their grandkids right now to come into their home, right? 00:12:19.600 --> 00:12:20.480 Like things I've said before. 00:12:20.559 --> 00:12:27.519 It's like when someone invites you, when someone invites a complete stranger into their home, it's because there's a problem that they've recognized they can't solve on their own. 00:12:27.840 --> 00:12:32.559 And so instead of me comp uh beating them up on price, I was gonna bring it back to them. 00:12:32.799 --> 00:12:39.360 Melanie, what I'm hearing from you right now is you want to get more money for your house, you want to get as close to top dollar as possible. 00:12:40.080 --> 00:12:51.679 And what I heard you say earlier was that it's killing you that you're not close to your grandkids, that you felt you you failed as a parent with your kids, and now is your time to make it up with your grandkids. 00:12:52.639 --> 00:12:58.639 And from our conversation so far, it sounds like getting more money right now is more important than being there with your grandkids. 00:12:59.759 --> 00:13:03.840 And they're like, And then now we're we're zooming out. 00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:04.639 What's more important? 00:13:04.799 --> 00:13:06.000 The grandkids or the money. 00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:07.759 Because if it's the money, there's no judgment here. 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:09.120 I would probably value money. 00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:10.720 Grandkids, right? 00:13:11.039 --> 00:13:14.000 But if it's the grandkids, like, well, which is it? 00:13:14.159 --> 00:13:21.840 And now I'm putting it back on them where they're making the choice and they're expressing agency and autonomy, right? 00:13:21.919 --> 00:13:22.720 It's their decision. 00:13:22.799 --> 00:13:24.240 I'm not saying take it or leave it. 00:13:24.320 --> 00:13:25.679 We're not just arguing about price. 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:29.759 It's like, look, you want a higher price, let me send you to one of my realtor buddies. 00:13:29.840 --> 00:13:31.039 I'll get you the most amount of money. 00:13:31.519 --> 00:13:31.679 Right? 00:13:31.759 --> 00:13:37.360 But if you're saying it's killing you that you're not with your grandkids right now, I can make this happen for you. 00:13:37.679 --> 00:13:40.240 So you want the time with your grandkids, or you want more money? 00:13:40.320 --> 00:13:42.399 Because you want more money, I'll connect you with my realtor buddies. 00:13:42.480 --> 00:13:43.039 It's not a problem. 00:13:43.279 --> 00:13:44.399 There's no sweat off my back. 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:45.840 I don't need to buy your house. 00:13:46.159 --> 00:13:47.919 You tell me what you want what you need. 00:13:48.159 --> 00:13:48.960 And it's their decision. 00:13:49.039 --> 00:13:50.240 So it's not an objection anymore. 00:13:50.480 --> 00:13:52.879 They've they're choosing what they want. 00:13:53.200 --> 00:13:54.399 That's amazing. 00:13:54.639 --> 00:14:04.240 Now, the people like our listener is they're listening to the Live More show to pull themselves out of their business so they can use their business to live a life they love. 00:14:04.480 --> 00:14:06.960 Our listener is not going to want to be in sales forever. 00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:18.000 And so, what's the best thing they can do to prepare a sales rep to be able to train them so that they can do this kind of stuff and building up their their systems, all that stuff to be able to do that? 00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:20.720 Because that that's a skill that you just shared. 00:14:20.879 --> 00:14:21.200 Yes. 00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:23.919 It takes time and energy to build that skill. 00:14:24.159 --> 00:14:25.440 Yeah, there's a few different ways, right? 00:14:25.519 --> 00:14:27.120 Depending on how much money you want to invest into this. 00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:28.480 There's the books, great books. 00:14:28.720 --> 00:14:33.279 Never split the difference by Chris Voss, Can't Teach a Kid Right Bike at a seminar by David Sandler. 00:14:33.360 --> 00:14:34.639 There's gap selling by Keenan. 00:14:34.879 --> 00:14:35.919 There's great books out there, right? 00:14:36.320 --> 00:14:37.360 Or you buy courses. 00:14:37.519 --> 00:14:38.879 Jeremy Minor is a big name out there. 00:14:38.960 --> 00:14:39.919 He's got NAPQ. 00:14:40.080 --> 00:14:42.960 I've got my course out there, which we have for free now on YouTube. 00:14:43.440 --> 00:14:44.639 There's great courses out there. 00:14:44.799 --> 00:14:50.000 And then is you if you want to go even further, there's software or training with someone. 00:14:50.080 --> 00:14:51.919 We offer sales training, and there's a lot of other sales trainers. 00:14:52.000 --> 00:14:54.080 I just mentioned there's a lot of sales trainers out there, right? 00:14:54.159 --> 00:14:54.879 So we're one. 00:14:55.039 --> 00:15:03.759 And then we

have objection proof AI, which is our latest thing, which reviews every single sales conversation and says here's an area for improvement from your salesperson. 00:15:04.080 --> 00:15:05.919 Long answer to your question, it's just investing your team. 00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:08.960 It's how much you want to invest in your team to get out of it. 00:15:09.200 --> 00:15:17.679 We have a lot of clients, we have over 200 clients that invest in their teams with us to get them the results that we can see as providing RI because they stay with us. 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:20.799 But yeah, it really just comes down to like how much you want to invest in your team. 00:15:20.960 --> 00:15:35.759 The the biggest thing is we've seen from a lot of business owners the reason why other things they've said to us why they invest with us is that most business owners naturally are pretty good at sales, but they can't teach it because they're good at it. 00:15:36.080 --> 00:15:36.320 Right? 00:15:36.480 --> 00:15:39.279 The reason why I feel qualified is because I was an engineer and I sucked at sales, right? 00:15:39.440 --> 00:15:47.600 But like take someone like if you were to say Michael Jordan as your basketball coach and like you're struggling, he can't empathize with like your situation. 00:15:48.080 --> 00:15:49.840 So you can't jump really high. 00:15:50.159 --> 00:15:51.200 Like just jump higher. 00:15:51.279 --> 00:15:52.320 Why didn't you jump higher? 00:15:53.200 --> 00:15:53.919 That's true. 00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:59.679 So, and this is what we see with a lot of great business owners is that they're naturally good at sales, so they can't teach what they know. 00:16:00.159 --> 00:16:01.120 It's so true. 00:16:01.440 --> 00:16:04.480 So you have to have someone that can do it for you. 00:16:04.799 --> 00:16:06.159 It's a different skill set. 00:16:06.320 --> 00:16:12.960 It's when I played water polo, I was a very good water polo player, and then I went to go coach after I was done playing. 00:16:13.120 --> 00:16:23.279 And I'm like, this is a lot harder than playing because you actually have to figure out what they're doing wrong and teach a skill that came naturally in, you know. 00:16:23.519 --> 00:16:26.559 And then I refed, and that was a whole different skill. 00:16:26.720 --> 00:16:26.879 Yes. 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:31.519 And you're so it is just different skills, and just because you can do it doesn't mean you can teach it. 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:33.759 Yeah, that's a difficult, it's a difficult thing. 00:16:33.919 --> 00:16:38.960 So it's helpful to just be able to hire people like yourselves that has learned how to coach. 00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:40.240 So, what is this? 00:16:40.399 --> 00:16:43.360 The AI software you talked about, what does that look like? 00:16:43.519 --> 00:16:45.919 So it basically listens to your calls. 00:16:46.080 --> 00:16:48.320 Do you upload the transcripts and then it breaks it down? 00:16:48.639 --> 00:16:53.759 Yeah,

so if you have a CRM that's like listening to your calls, then it's all automated. 00:16:53.840 --> 00:16:58.639 As soon as the calls finish, it shoots into our AI, air reviews it, and then shoots it back to you, right? 00:16:58.720 --> 00:17:01.519 It's all automated so long as you're using a CRM to record your calls. 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:09.839 If you're not using a CRM to record your calls, then if you're having, for example, in-person appointments, or actually, even if you're using Fathom, or doing a Zoom call, you can still automate all that. 00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:16.079 But if you're doing in-person, we also have an iPhone app as well to record and then automatically upload. 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:20.000 So basically, there's just no excuse not to do it unless you don't want to get better. 00:17:20.319 --> 00:17:21.839 Yeah, it's live action coaching. 00:17:21.920 --> 00:17:22.559 That's amazing. 00:17:22.720 --> 00:17:26.960 Have you looked at what the most common things are that the AI catches? 00:17:27.359 --> 00:17:33.920 The most common challenge people have is they answer questions with answers versus using stories to sell. 00:17:34.480 --> 00:17:38.400 So for example, if someone were to say, What makes you great? 00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:39.920 Like, why should I go with you? 00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:49.759 And I will say, Because of A, because of B, because of C, this is answering a question with an answer, which isn't actually what we want to do because we want to be liked. 00:17:50.160 --> 00:17:51.920 But that's ineffective for selling. 00:17:52.240 --> 00:17:52.400 Right. 00:17:52.640 --> 00:17:54.319 So if someone asks me, like, why should I go with you? 00:17:54.400 --> 00:17:56.799 It's like, I'm not really sure we you should go with us, honestly, at the moment. 00:17:56.960 --> 00:17:58.240 I don't know enough about your business. 00:17:58.559 --> 00:18:06.559 Um, but you know, what people what people have said is that they appreciate that I've been in the business long enough that I can understand their reps' questions. 00:18:06.960 --> 00:18:12.240 They appreciate the we have a format that they can follow consistently to get consistent results. 00:18:12.559 --> 00:18:16.720 And they like that it's hands-on support versus just reading out of a book. 00:18:16.880 --> 00:18:20.000 But I'm not sure any of those would be valuable to you. 00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:23.200 And from there, I'm telling a story, right? 00:18:23.599 --> 00:18:24.960 And like, oh yeah, I like those. 00:18:25.039 --> 00:18:25.680 Yeah, I like B. 00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:26.400 Give me B. 00:18:26.960 --> 00:18:27.599 Yeah. 00:18:28.079 --> 00:18:29.119 That's good. 00:18:29.839 --> 00:18:31.200 All right, I love that. 00:18:31.440 --> 00:18:32.000 Well, cool. 00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:36.240 So um, I want to jump into our section of the show called Costly Confessions. 00:18:36.400 --> 00:18:43.759 This is where our one-stop tax strategist sponsors the show, and

their mission is to bring peace to taxes and purpose to profits to help you live more. 00:18:43.839 --> 00:18:49.200 So we want to dig into your wins, misses, and the lessons you learned that you now use to live more. 00:18:49.359 --> 00:18:54.960 So, yeah, what is one of the most expensive mistakes that you've made in business and what did it cost you? 00:18:55.440 --> 00:18:58.240 Most expensive mistakes was thinking I knew everything, right? 00:18:58.400 --> 00:18:58.640 Okay. 00:18:58.960 --> 00:19:02.799 So we mentioned that I started in 07, 08, it was terrible, right? 00:19:03.200 --> 00:19:11.279 In around that time, 07, 08, as the market was crashing, there were these hard money lenders and they lend money at 18% interest, which is crazy, right? 00:19:11.359 --> 00:19:12.000 Like that's credit card. 00:19:14.720 --> 00:19:20.880 But real estate that time was like$60,000 for a house that today is worth$400,000. 00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.680 Right? 00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:26.079 And so I'm looking at 18% as like that's stupid. 00:19:26.400 --> 00:19:27.759 Who's borrowing 18%? 00:19:28.960 --> 00:19:34.240 But if I bought all those houses for 60,000 at 18% interest, I would have cash flow from day one. 00:19:34.559 --> 00:19:34.880 Yeah. 00:19:35.119 --> 00:19:48.960 And all those houses, like the amount of wealth I could have created buying all these houses at 18% interest, but because of I was looking at it as the cost of money versus the opportunity if I did it. 00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:49.519 Right. 00:19:49.599 --> 00:19:52.000 I was asking the wrong questions because I thought I knew everything. 00:19:52.240 --> 00:19:52.640 Yeah. 00:19:52.880 --> 00:20:04.880 I remember I was in college during that that time, and I just think back always as oh, if I would have only known what I could have done then, mom, dad, I don't need to go to college. 00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:07.039 Just give me the money to buy houses. 00:20:07.200 --> 00:20:07.359 Yeah. 00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:10.000 Well, this opportunity might come again in near future. 00:20:10.079 --> 00:20:11.119 I don't know the way things are going. 00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:12.079 That's true. 00:20:12.160 --> 00:20:12.720 That's true. 00:20:12.880 --> 00:20:14.240 Always opportunities. 00:20:14.880 --> 00:20:20.000 We had a client that we got a$15 million deferral over the course of several years. 00:20:20.160 --> 00:20:22.640 And it was in that it was in 2008. 00:20:22.799 --> 00:20:25.359 He used it to invest in real estate at that time. 00:20:25.599 --> 00:20:27.039 And you can just imagine. 00:20:27.440 --> 00:20:28.799 Yeah, you can imagine. 00:20:29.039 --> 00:20:29.440 Yep. 00:20:29.599 --> 00:20:32.079 It was just wild what he has right now. 00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:32.720 Yeah. 00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:34.319 He's definitely a sense of millionaire. 00:20:34.400 --> 00:20:37.119 If he was able to buy$15 million of real estate back then, yeah. 00:20:37.200 --> 00:20:39.680 It's pretty cool

what it does, compounded. 00:20:39.839 --> 00:20:40.160 Yeah. 00:20:40.480 --> 00:20:42.559 What now going back to costly confessions? 00:20:42.640 --> 00:20:48.720 What's a belief about sales or business that you held for years that you eventually realized was costing you? 00:20:49.200 --> 00:20:50.480 I need to think about it. 00:20:50.559 --> 00:20:55.920 It was uh an objection I accepted because that's how I buy, right? 00:20:56.079 --> 00:20:56.480 Yeah. 00:20:56.720 --> 00:20:58.880 I want data and I actually want to think about this. 00:20:59.039 --> 00:21:01.119 I will actually go and run sprite sheets. 00:21:01.279 --> 00:21:01.839 This is crazy. 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:02.160 Right. 00:21:02.319 --> 00:21:03.279 So I need to think about it. 00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:03.920 Engineer. 00:21:04.319 --> 00:21:05.839 So I believed it, right? 00:21:06.000 --> 00:21:11.119 But the reality is people don't want to think about it because once the conversation's over, they don't think about it again until you call them back. 00:21:11.359 --> 00:21:11.519 Yeah. 00:21:11.920 --> 00:21:14.000 Everyone's too damn busy, overloaded, overwhelming. 00:21:14.400 --> 00:21:14.880 So true. 00:21:15.119 --> 00:21:15.599 Right. 00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:20.480 So it wasn't until I came to terms with the fact that people don't actually think about it. 00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:29.519 And like helped them and realizing that when they say they need to think about it, it just means I did a poor job of getting them emotionally involved in the process. 00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:33.920 Because once I got them emotionally involved in the process, the think about it went away. 00:21:34.400 --> 00:21:37.359 So yeah, I accept I need to think about it for far too long. 00:21:37.519 --> 00:21:39.839 Up until, again, meeting myself straight in 2018. 00:21:40.319 --> 00:21:48.640 Once I understood that we people buy, people sell the way they buy, and I was the problem in how I buy. 00:21:49.359 --> 00:21:50.240 That's so true. 00:21:50.400 --> 00:21:54.880 I'm more of like an impulsive buyer, so I just assume everybody is ready to jump ship. 00:21:54.960 --> 00:21:56.400 And so I'm always, yeah. 00:21:56.559 --> 00:21:59.759 Now, so that's what I've had to work around is some people actually want details. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:00.720 And want that. 00:22:00.880 --> 00:22:02.160 So how do you get around? 00:22:02.400 --> 00:22:09.039 So if you're getting that, if you're getting that objection, it means that you're not explaining it well or you're not getting to the actual need. 00:22:09.119 --> 00:22:12.319 Is that would you say that's actually fine enough pain? 00:22:12.559 --> 00:22:12.880 Okay. 00:22:13.200 --> 00:22:15.519 And we didn't find enough gain. 00:22:16.319 --> 00:22:17.279 Do you tell the client that? 00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:21.359 Like, hey, if you're telling me that it's because I didn't do a good job, so how do you get around that now? 00:22:21.680 --> 00:22:23.039 Well,

they say I need to think about it. 00:22:23.119 --> 00:22:25.119 Like, I would just tell them I feel like I missed something. 00:22:25.359 --> 00:22:31.759 When you asked me to come over here, I understood that you were dealing with this and you're basically ready to get be done with it. 00:22:32.319 --> 00:22:34.079 But I clearly missed something. 00:22:34.319 --> 00:22:36.400 And then I'm gonna start asking more questions again. 00:22:36.720 --> 00:22:37.039 Okay. 00:22:37.359 --> 00:22:39.839 Yeah, you have to be able to sit in the uncomfortable. 00:22:40.160 --> 00:22:41.920 Very much willing to sit in the uncomfortable. 00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:43.680 Like getting which goes back to the very beginning. 00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:47.279 I said the number one mistake most salespeople make is the desire to be liked. 00:22:47.599 --> 00:22:57.119 Yeah, I would say that's probably a struggle I have, is thinking back, it's like even saying that and just sitting them, like continuing to push them that not you know, push them to feel uncomfortable. 00:22:57.200 --> 00:22:57.920 That's hard. 00:22:58.160 --> 00:22:59.279 It is hard. 00:22:59.599 --> 00:23:00.079 Yeah. 00:23:00.400 --> 00:23:04.559 But you're helping them because they've obviously called you for a reason. 00:23:04.640 --> 00:23:06.160 So it's very true. 00:23:06.640 --> 00:23:08.480 So that's what you have to come back to. 00:23:08.720 --> 00:23:11.279 Now I want to go back to your origin story a little bit. 00:23:11.440 --> 00:23:17.200 Your family fled communism in Vietnam and then China before coming to America, right? 00:23:17.359 --> 00:23:18.000 Yes. 00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:20.960 So did you were you born in America? 00:23:21.039 --> 00:23:24.480 And then if so, how did that how did that background change? 00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:26.960 I was born in Italy in a refugee camp. 00:23:27.279 --> 00:23:28.079 Italy, wow. 00:23:28.319 --> 00:23:28.559 Yeah. 00:23:28.640 --> 00:23:30.480 So my grandparents fled China to Vietnam. 00:23:30.640 --> 00:23:30.799 Okay. 00:23:30.960 --> 00:23:36.960 But lost everything in China, rebuilt everything in Vietnam, successfully rebuilt everything in Vietnam, and then they lost all that again. 00:23:37.119 --> 00:23:38.240 And so my parents fled. 00:23:38.400 --> 00:23:41.680 And when they fled on boats from Vietnam, they're called boat people. 00:23:41.839 --> 00:23:44.880 And like they were legitimately at risk of sharks, legitimately, right? 00:23:44.960 --> 00:23:47.359 Like sharks eating people and pirates, right? 00:23:47.440 --> 00:23:52.240 Because they're legitimately pirates, like raping and murdering people as they're and robbing them, right? 00:23:52.400 --> 00:23:54.000 When they were leaving the Vietnam. 00:23:54.160 --> 00:23:56.640 My parents are able to survive all of that, fortunately. 00:23:56.960 --> 00:24:02.160 And we were picked out by an Italian picked up by an Italian Navy ship, which is why I was born in the refugee camp in Italy.

00:24:02.400 --> 00:24:05.200 And so that's our ordinance or that's what came here with, right? 00:24:05.359 --> 00:24:10.960 I came here with a chip on our shoulders as immigrants with something to prove and got a rebuild, which we have. 00:24:11.200 --> 00:24:12.160 That's amazing. 00:24:12.400 --> 00:24:15.200 How do you think that shaped the way that you approach work? 00:24:15.440 --> 00:24:18.559 Do you feel like because you said that things you felt like things came easy to use? 00:24:18.880 --> 00:24:21.599 Do you think it's because you had work ethic that nobody else had? 00:24:21.759 --> 00:24:23.519 Um were you just smart? 00:24:24.079 --> 00:24:24.960 Resourceful. 00:24:25.200 --> 00:24:25.440 Yeah. 00:24:25.680 --> 00:24:26.799 Because I was pretty lazy. 00:24:27.599 --> 00:24:29.680 All the way through college, I never had the tryhard, right? 00:24:29.759 --> 00:24:30.880 Through high school I didn't have to try hard. 00:24:30.960 --> 00:24:32.240 Through college, I didn't have the try hard. 00:24:32.480 --> 00:24:36.160 The only thing I tried hard in in life up to that point was sports. 00:24:36.240 --> 00:24:38.319 Because I'm not national, I'm not athletically gifted, right? 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:41.599 So I spent a lot of time in the gym working out on basketball. 00:24:41.759 --> 00:24:43.759 That's what that's the only thing I worked on, right? 00:24:43.839 --> 00:24:46.160 So like basically, if you left me open, you're gonna pay a price. 00:24:46.240 --> 00:24:47.200 I'm gonna hit the three, right? 00:24:47.359 --> 00:24:49.839 That's literally the only thing I worked hard on. 00:24:50.079 --> 00:24:54.960 And then when I went to grad school, until I got fell behind, the only thing I worked on was poker. 00:24:55.279 --> 00:24:56.079 I wanted to get good at poker. 00:24:56.319 --> 00:24:56.720 Poker. 00:24:57.599 --> 00:24:58.160 Statistics. 00:24:58.559 --> 00:24:59.440 Statistics, exactly. 00:24:59.519 --> 00:25:03.519 And even before then, like what I had to, I won't say I worked hard on, but I spent a lot of time playing video games. 00:25:03.680 --> 00:25:10.480 So work ethic is something I had when I needed it, but it's not something I always relied on. 00:25:10.559 --> 00:25:12.000 I would say it was really more resourcefulness. 00:25:12.160 --> 00:25:14.400 The the entrepreneurial, I'll figure it out. 00:25:14.640 --> 00:25:18.720 I would say that's what's I've always had with me is we'll find a way, we'll figure it out. 00:25:18.960 --> 00:25:23.200 Failing is not an option, and that's probably put in place by my parents, right? 00:25:23.359 --> 00:25:26.319 If you didn't get a 4.0, why didn't you get a 4.0? 00:25:26.480 --> 00:25:27.759 Go figure that out. 00:25:28.960 --> 00:25:29.839 I love that. 00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:31.039 Yeah, that's crazy. 00:25:31.200 --> 00:25:43.599 I had a teacher in college that came over from Vietnam on the boats, and I heard some of her stories, and it's pretty wild what they go through and what they've gone through to get the freedom that America provides. 00:25:43.759 --> 00:25:45.200 So yeah, it's amazing. 00:25:45.279 --> 00:25:47.279 That's the reason why I'm so grateful for what we have her, right? 00:25:47.359 --> 00:25:50.000 It's the reason why I'm so capitalistic, right? 00:25:50.160 --> 00:25:55.680 My parents, I had their book written, I haven't published it yet, but like they had guns drawn on them when they tried to land in Malaysia. 00:25:55.839 --> 00:25:56.079 Wow. 00:25:56.240 --> 00:25:58.480 Because Malaysia was tired of the refugees. 00:25:58.880 --> 00:25:59.200 Right? 00:25:59.359 --> 00:26:01.759 That's the world that they came from. 00:26:02.160 --> 00:26:03.599 That's crazy. 00:26:04.240 --> 00:26:08.880 Now you talk about wanting to make a hundred millionaires, right? 00:26:09.359 --> 00:26:09.680 Yes. 00:26:10.160 --> 00:26:11.680 What did that come from? 00:26:12.400 --> 00:26:15.440 I think it goes back to that capitalism, the entrepreneurship. 00:26:15.599 --> 00:26:20.559 And it also came from Andrew Carnegie, who at one point was the wealthiest man alive in history. 00:26:20.880 --> 00:26:28.880 And I remember there was an article, uh, a journalist asked him this, which was basically you've got 18 millionaires that work for you. 00:26:29.279 --> 00:26:32.480 How did you convince these millionaires, 18 millionaires to work for you? 00:26:33.119 --> 00:26:35.039 And he said, You're asking the wrong question. 00:26:35.200 --> 00:26:37.519 But they weren't millionaires until they worked for me. 00:26:37.920 --> 00:26:39.839 And for me, that was always like, man, like that's cool. 00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:42.240 He was able to create wealth for those around him. 00:26:42.799 --> 00:26:44.720 And that's what I wanted to do, right? 00:26:44.799 --> 00:26:49.440 It's like, man, like I'll know I'm doing a good job if I'm creating wealth for everyone around me. 00:26:49.680 --> 00:26:51.119 So that's the that's where that came from. 00:26:51.200 --> 00:26:59.599 And again, capitalism, entrepreneurship, the best way to preach the gospels of capitalism is to create a bunch of successful entrepreneurs. 00:27:00.880 --> 00:27:01.680 Love that. 00:27:02.079 --> 00:27:03.039 I love that. 00:27:03.519 --> 00:27:05.519 Now, living more. 00:27:05.759 --> 00:27:06.960 This show is about living more. 00:27:07.039 --> 00:27:09.279 How do you use your business to live the life you love? 00:27:09.359 --> 00:27:10.559 What does that mean for you? 00:27:11.279 --> 00:27:22.079 Boy, this is this is tough because I know we're supposed to be like wonderful fathers, mothers, spouses, and so on, right? 00:27:22.880 --> 00:27:26.079 But for me, I am in love with a game of business. 00:27:26.559 --> 00:27:32.079 So, like, even though I know in some ways this feels like a trap, this is the game I love. 00:27:32.319 --> 00:27:35.680 So for me, I just use it to continual continually level up. 00:27:35.920 --> 00:27:39.599

Now, with that being said, I take my kids to school every morning. 00:27:40.240 --> 00:27:40.559 Right? 00:27:40.799 --> 00:27:50.160 On Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, I take all three kids to school, and then on Tuesdays and Wednesdays I want to take the two older kids to school. 00:27:50.720 --> 00:27:53.279 So I spend time to take the kids to school. 00:27:53.519 --> 00:27:55.039 I go to every volleyball tournament. 00:27:55.839 --> 00:28:00.559 So when I'm at a volleyball tournament, during the game, my phone is in my pocket, I'm not looking at my phone. 00:28:01.119 --> 00:28:03.920 Between games, because volleyball tournaments are horrendously long. 00:28:04.559 --> 00:28:08.640 I am on the phone, I am doing stuff, but during the game, the phone's in a pocket, I'm paying attention. 00:28:08.799 --> 00:28:12.079 I'm definitely very intentional with that, intentional with my with my wife. 00:28:12.400 --> 00:28:19.920 But outside of those times, I'm still working, thinking about business 78 hours a week because I'm having fun. 00:28:20.400 --> 00:28:23.920 And that's the thing, it's it's you're not trapped in it, you're enjoying it. 00:28:24.079 --> 00:28:24.400 Yeah. 00:28:24.640 --> 00:28:32.960 And so I think that's what people need to be able to also give themselves permission if that's what if that's what it living more means to you, then that's amazing. 00:28:33.039 --> 00:28:35.200 And you're helping people in the process. 00:28:35.599 --> 00:28:39.359 So I think that you've built your business to be something that you truly enjoy. 00:28:39.680 --> 00:28:40.400 Yeah, I love it. 00:28:40.480 --> 00:28:41.200 I love every day of it. 00:28:41.279 --> 00:28:43.599 Like my kids, my young is like, Dad, why do you work so much? 00:28:43.759 --> 00:28:45.200 Like, it's not really working. 00:28:45.440 --> 00:28:46.960 Yeah, I'm playing. 00:28:47.599 --> 00:28:48.720 I mean that's awesome. 00:28:48.960 --> 00:28:51.920 With AI today, I describe this to my wife. 00:28:52.160 --> 00:28:56.880 I feel like every day with what we're doing with AI is when I was playing video games, right? 00:28:56.960 --> 00:29:00.160 When I was playing StarCraft, like I could play StarCraft for hours and hours. 00:29:00.640 --> 00:29:02.640 I feel like that's exactly how I'm living my life right now. 00:29:02.720 --> 00:29:06.079 It's like I'm just using the tools to just level up my business. 00:29:06.319 --> 00:29:07.440 Yeah, it's a game. 00:29:07.599 --> 00:29:08.720 Yeah, that's great. 00:29:08.960 --> 00:29:11.119 And it's great that you don't miss your kids' sports. 00:29:11.279 --> 00:29:12.880 My dad never missed my games. 00:29:13.119 --> 00:29:17.359 I never ever felt like the business was more important than me because he was a businessman as well. 00:29:17.519 --> 00:29:24.240 And that's what made me want to get into business because I never felt like you know, he he worked hard. 00:29:24.400 --> 00:29:25.519 It wasn't anything like that. 00:29:25.599

--> 00:29:30.880 It was more he was able to prioritize the things that are important because he had the freedom to be able to do that. 00:29:31.039 --> 00:29:31.200 Yeah. 00:29:31.359 --> 00:29:32.799 So I think that's great. 00:29:33.039 --> 00:29:35.200 And that's the reason why I do it. 00:29:35.680 --> 00:29:37.359 Yeah, for sure. 00:29:37.599 --> 00:29:47.920 I think even if I made the same amount, I would still want the freedom that entrepreneurship provides because you can't, you know, I like to be able to go where I want when I want with who I want. 00:29:48.160 --> 00:29:48.720 Exactly. 00:29:48.880 --> 00:29:49.200 Exactly. 00:29:49.440 --> 00:29:50.000 Yeah. 00:29:50.240 --> 00:29:56.480 Now, what would you go back and tell, Steve, back in 2007, 2008? 00:29:56.720 --> 00:29:59.440 What would you tell that version of yourself? 00:30:01.359 --> 00:30:02.319 I don't know. 00:30:02.559 --> 00:30:08.240 And the reason why I say I don't know is because the instruction would have been like, you need humility. 00:30:08.720 --> 00:30:17.200 But I also know about myself that I'm the kind of person who likes to learn, learn from other people's examples and so on. 00:30:18.079 --> 00:30:20.480 But I also need to face defeat. 00:30:20.960 --> 00:30:22.319 So I'll give you an example here. 00:30:22.640 --> 00:30:25.440 I had so many people say, Don't start a real estate brokerage, right? 00:30:25.519 --> 00:30:26.559 So many people like I admire. 00:30:26.640 --> 00:30:30.000 It's like, don't start real estate brokerage, doesn't make money, it's not profitable and this and that, right? 00:30:30.799 --> 00:30:34.559 And my response to that is I'll make it work, I'll figure it out. 00:30:34.880 --> 00:30:36.559 And I lost 10 years of my life. 00:30:36.880 --> 00:30:37.599 That was a disaster. 00:30:37.759 --> 00:30:39.680 If you're listening, do not start a brokerage. 00:30:39.839 --> 00:30:40.160 All right. 00:30:40.400 --> 00:30:47.039 So, but I needed to go through that experience because even though I had the answers, people told me the answers, I still didn't listen. 00:30:47.279 --> 00:30:52.480 And so even if I went back and told myself, like, hey you need humility, I probably wouldn't have listened. 00:30:52.640 --> 00:30:52.960 Right? 00:30:53.599 --> 00:31:00.720 I needed to fail and get punched in the face and have your legs kicked out to really learn the lesson. 00:31:01.359 --> 00:31:09.920 Yeah, I think that's the hard-headedness of uh sometimes the positive side of that also gets you in, gets you back, huh? 00:31:10.240 --> 00:31:10.559 Exactly. 00:31:10.640 --> 00:31:13.440 So you know, a lot of our strengths are also our weaknesses. 00:31:13.839 --> 00:31:14.960 Yep, I agree. 00:31:15.519 --> 00:31:19.039 What is the what's the biggest lie people believe about sales? 00:31:19.839 --> 00:31:25.279 The biggest lie people believe about sales that people do business with people they know and trust. 00:31:25.599 --> 00:31:26.240 I hear that quite a bit. 00:31:28.480 --> 00:31:30.240 People do business with people that they trust. 00:31:31.359 --> 00:31:42.799 So, like you can deal with so for example, if your your kid's a lot younger, but let's say a decade from now, God forbid, uh your daughter gets pulled over for a DUI, right? 00:31:43.519 --> 00:31:47.359 Drinking while in college, drove home, right? 00:31:48.720 --> 00:31:52.240 You got a friend who's a lawyer, right? 00:31:52.720 --> 00:31:54.720 She's pretty good, like how she is. 00:31:55.119 --> 00:31:58.000 She gets most cases dismissed, but not all of them, right? 00:31:58.240 --> 00:32:07.599 And you got this other scummy lawyer who like is friends with the judges, goes to the same golf club, gets 100% of the cases dismissed. 00:32:08.319 --> 00:32:09.599 Who are you going with? 00:32:10.079 --> 00:32:12.640 The good, yeah, the one that's gonna help my daughter. 00:32:12.880 --> 00:32:13.599 That's true. 00:32:13.920 --> 00:32:16.640 Not the one you like, but the one that you know is gonna get the job done. 00:32:16.960 --> 00:32:26.480 That's so true because actually I've worked for people or had people work with us that like I'm like, oh, I like the guy, but he's not gonna do what we need him to do. 00:32:28.160 --> 00:32:28.720 You're right. 00:32:28.880 --> 00:32:31.519 That's actually very you changed my mind on that. 00:32:31.680 --> 00:32:32.079 Yeah. 00:32:32.319 --> 00:32:33.440 That's true. 00:32:33.759 --> 00:32:44.319 What that's actually something that really means do what you say you're gonna do and follow through on things because that's where your reputation will bite you if it's not if it's not something that people will trust. 00:32:45.440 --> 00:32:49.599 What's one book that that changed the way you think about money? 00:32:49.920 --> 00:32:51.440 Oh, it changed the way I think about money. 00:32:51.680 --> 00:32:53.920 See, profit first, Mike Bikalowitz. 00:32:54.160 --> 00:33:00.799 Like, I was raised to go with money, I had no credit card debt ever, all the way until I got into sales. 00:33:00.960 --> 00:33:05.759 I paid every credit card bill off beginning every month, had no interest, right? 00:33:06.480 --> 00:33:12.799 And then for whatever reason, you get into business, you think about hustle and grind, right? 00:33:12.960 --> 00:33:14.720 Make your way through and pay yourself later, right? 00:33:14.799 --> 00:33:16.960 I'm gonna pay myself later on, right? 00:33:18.079 --> 00:33:18.799 But it doesn't work. 00:33:19.039 --> 00:33:22.319 Or it's not that it doesn't work, but the like the likelihood of that working is pretty low, right? 00:33:22.400 --> 00:33:23.359 And we saw so many people. 00:33:23.440 --> 00:33:30.400 Like when COVID occurred, I was telling my wife, I felt so bad, not for the people that were sick, probably would have been the rational thing. 00:33:30.720 --> 00:33:33.759 I felt bad for all the business owners who had their businesses shut down. 00:33:34.480 -->

00:33:39.920 Because they were the ones like one day I'll be able to pay myself, right? 00:33:40.079 --> 00:33:43.279 I'm gonna suffer, I'm gonna suffer, and I'm not gonna pay myself. 00:33:43.359 --> 00:33:49.359 I'm gonna I mean we're gonna live on within our means, and one day we're gonna it's all gonna pay off. 00:33:49.680 --> 00:33:56.319 And I don't know how many hundreds of thousands or millions of business owners that did not pay off because of COVID. 00:33:56.559 --> 00:33:57.119 Yeah. 00:33:57.359 --> 00:33:57.599 Yeah. 00:33:58.240 --> 00:33:59.119 That's the reality. 00:33:59.279 --> 00:34:00.400 That's a good, yeah. 00:34:00.559 --> 00:34:03.039 Do you do the profits for profit first method? 00:34:03.279 --> 00:34:06.720 Uh I mean, we could definitely do it better, but yes. 00:34:07.039 --> 00:34:08.400 To to an extent. 00:34:08.719 --> 00:34:12.559 Yeah, I mean we do it, but not to the numbers that Mike McHallowitz recommends. 00:34:12.800 --> 00:34:17.280 Yeah, that makes bookkeeping very expensive, but it does help with the cash flow. 00:34:18.159 --> 00:34:19.360 Yeah, I remember COVID. 00:34:19.519 --> 00:34:20.639 That was a wild time. 00:34:20.800 --> 00:34:26.239 We were doing the helping people guide get the guidance around the PPP loans and all that. 00:34:26.559 --> 00:34:49.440 And I just remember staying up till two or three in the morning reading about that stuff because I'm like, people's livelihood is on the line, their business is on the line, and it really I I just felt like extreme ownership over that because you're right, it is they sacrifice everything, and it's really just for the closing it down, that would be so sad. 00:34:49.760 --> 00:34:50.239 Rough. 00:34:50.400 --> 00:34:50.559 Yeah. 00:34:52.159 --> 00:34:52.960 Totally. 00:34:53.360 --> 00:34:57.840 Now, what do you do before a big sales call to get in the right headspace? 00:34:57.920 --> 00:34:58.719 Do you do anything? 00:34:58.800 --> 00:35:00.800 Or is it just more show up? 00:35:01.199 --> 00:35:01.519 No. 00:35:01.840 --> 00:35:02.559 Show up, yeah. 00:35:02.800 --> 00:35:03.119 Okay. 00:35:03.519 --> 00:35:05.119 Um you trust your skills. 00:35:05.360 --> 00:35:10.719 I trust my skills, but also it's funny because we've actually programmed, we're building an AI that can sell to you, right? 00:35:10.800 --> 00:35:10.960 Yeah. 00:35:11.119 --> 00:35:12.400 And so it's not released yet. 00:35:12.559 --> 00:35:17.920 And so the problem a lot a lot of times we have is preconceived notions, right? 00:35:18.320 --> 00:35:20.960 And so I want to show up with a blank slate. 00:35:21.119 --> 00:35:25.119 I want to know what's going on in your world, and I'm gonna find out through our conversation. 00:35:25.760 --> 00:35:32.000 So the challenge we have is if we if we do too much research, we might have we might be leading with wrong information. 00:35:32.079 --> 00:35:32.239 Uh-huh. 00:35:32.480 --> 00:35:36.400 And as far as mindset goes, as long as we follow our process, everything'll be fine. 00:35:36.480 --> 00:35:45.519 I have a belief, a conviction that if I do exactly what we teach people to do, then a sale is a naturally occurring event. 00:35:45.679 --> 00:35:55.199 Because again, people don't jump into a conversation with a complete stranger until unless they've identified there's a problem that they cannot solve on their own. 00:35:55.440 --> 00:35:57.440 I expect it's unreasonable, right? 00:35:57.599 --> 00:35:59.440 But I expect a hundred percent close rate. 00:35:59.920 --> 00:36:03.679 Even if what about if it's the the person doesn't need your services? 00:36:03.840 --> 00:36:09.119 Do you feel like that's that's if they don't need my service and we figure that out qualified, then we're gonna move them on. 00:36:09.199 --> 00:36:11.519 It's like that was not that was not a qualified prospect. 00:36:11.679 --> 00:36:12.320 Yeah. 00:36:12.719 --> 00:36:15.440 So 100% for qualified prospects. 00:36:15.679 --> 00:36:15.920 Yeah. 00:36:16.159 --> 00:36:18.400 And for me, I am fully disqualifying, right? 00:36:18.480 --> 00:36:19.920 Right, like we're gonna be very clear. 00:36:20.159 --> 00:36:22.719 It's not like I couldn't get it, that was not a qualified prospects. 00:36:22.880 --> 00:36:26.239 Like, no, like we know exactly why they should not go with us. 00:36:26.480 --> 00:36:27.440 I love that. 00:36:28.079 --> 00:36:31.039 That just asking questions, yeah, figuring out. 00:36:31.280 --> 00:36:35.440 And that actually, I think people love that because you're actually it shows you care. 00:36:35.599 --> 00:36:44.400 And so you're truly, it's like the doctor you're sitting down with that just wants you in and out versus the one that's sitting down and trying to understand your true needs. 00:36:44.719 --> 00:36:45.920 Yeah, exactly. 00:36:46.159 --> 00:36:51.440 We have uh we went to brought a loved one to a psychiatrist, and I could tell he cared. 00:36:51.519 --> 00:36:53.760 And by the way, I did all this research beforehand, right? 00:36:54.000 --> 00:37:08.079 But yeah, like we could tell he genuinely cared and he asked all the questions, and he cared not just about what my my loved one, but what my concerns were, and he talked to everybody versus just the five minutes, all right, take this pill and you'll be fine. 00:37:08.400 --> 00:37:11.280 Yeah, and then that builds the trust that you talked about. 00:37:11.519 --> 00:37:12.320 Exactly. 00:37:12.559 --> 00:37:14.320 Yeah, well, great, Steve. 00:37:14.400 --> 00:37:15.199 This was incredible. 00:37:15.360 --> 00:37:19.039 Thank you for spending time with us and pulling back the curtain on everything. 00:37:19.280 --> 00:37:41.519 If you as a listener, if anything in this conversation made you want to tighten up anything in your sales process, anything that Steve talked about that you feel you could gain value from, make sure you check out, actually check out anything in the show notes, but you can also text cash to 3377737s and to talk to an actual AI agent. 00:37:41.599 --> 00:37:45.760 Steve, you want to break that down a little bit, what they'll hear, what they'll experience if they do that. 00:37:46.079 --> 00:37:51.679 Yeah, when you text it, our AI agent will call you and you'll hear what our appointment setter actually sounds like. 00:37:51.840 --> 00:37:58.320 So if you want our AI to call your old leads, you'll hear what she'll sound like when she's calling it. 00:37:58.400 --> 00:38:04.320 So she'll be talking to you about your business, but that's exactly how she'll be talking to your old leads. 00:38:04.800 --> 00:38:05.599 Love it. 00:38:05.840 --> 00:38:08.880 It's pretty crazy what AI is doing these days. 00:38:09.199 --> 00:38:10.880 Uh it's unbelievable. 00:38:11.599 --> 00:38:15.440 It's like we're living in the future, but but now. 00:38:15.760 --> 00:38:17.039 Yeah, yeah, it's crazy. 00:38:17.199 --> 00:38:19.119 It's there's lots of concerns. 00:38:19.360 --> 00:38:20.079 Lots of concerns. 00:38:20.320 --> 00:38:25.199 Yeah, it's it is yeah, it's proceed with caution, but use it to your advantage while you can. 00:38:25.440 --> 00:38:26.719 Oh, yeah, absolutely embrace it. 00:38:27.039 --> 00:38:27.760 Not embrace it. 00:38:27.920 --> 00:38:29.280 Absolutely embrace it. 00:38:29.519 --> 00:38:31.039 But yeah, proceed with caution. 00:38:31.280 --> 00:38:32.079 Yep, for sure. 00:38:32.239 --> 00:38:32.719 I love it. 00:38:32.800 --> 00:38:34.079 I'm definitely gonna check it out. 00:38:34.239 --> 00:38:38.719 And I'm interested in even your AI, the objection proof where it breaks down the calls. 00:38:38.800 --> 00:38:48.239 I think that's such a valuable tool because it would be very expensive to pay for a coach to sit in on all of your calls, but you're able to just do that with AI. 00:38:48.320 --> 00:38:49.440 So it's so powerful. 00:38:49.760 --> 00:38:55.519 Make sure everything else in the podcast, Steve's podcast, his training, his 100 millionaire movement. 00:38:55.599 --> 00:38:56.400 Make sure you check that out. 00:38:56.480 --> 00:38:58.000 That's gonna be all linked in the show notes. 00:38:58.159 --> 00:39:02.639 You can follow him on Instagram, social media, and he just puts out a lot of value. 00:39:02.800 --> 00:39:06.000 So I would highly recommend checking out his stuff. 00:39:06.079 --> 00:39:08.719 We'll keep you seeing in the next one, keep the momentum going. 00:39:08.800 --> 00:39:09.679 We'll see you there. 00:39:09.920 --> 00:39:16.000 If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd ask that you leave a quick and honest review to help our business owners find the show.