The Hidden Power of Talking: How Simple Conversations Can Save You Money and Change Your Life

Hello, Earnest Mann here. In this episode, I share something you probably weren't expecting: how talking to strangers—just striking up a simple, honest conversation—can change your life. Not only can it help you build meaningful connections, but it can also save you hundreds of dollars and keep your hard-earned money out of the hands of corporations.

Networking Without the Nonsense: Why Everyday Conversations Matter

I'm not talking about suits and handshakes at corporate events. I mean real networking, right in the grocery store line. I share a personal story where a casual chat with a stranger led me to a $175 professional car detail, instead of a corporate quote of $400. He did a better job than the big boys ever could—and that’s the kind of real-world win-win I’m talking about.

Cut the Corporate Cord: Save Money and Help Real People

These everyday encounters aren't just about saving money. They’re about keeping money in the hands of honest workers, not bloated corporations. From car mechanics to plumbers who moonlight as detailers, it’s about helping each other survive. This is about living off the radar, under the corporate thumb, and doing it ethically and smart.

Scared to Talk? Here's Why You Shouldn't Be

If you’re one of those folks afraid to say "hi" to a stranger, I get it. But listen—the worst they can say is no. The best? They might become your new mechanic, detailer, or even friend. You've got to take a shot, ask questions, and be proactive about your life. Talk to people. It works.

I would like to meet - both online and in person - individuals interested in discussing ideas on what really needs to be changed, to improve the quality of our lives.

So if you have a suggestion for an episode topic, or simply want to reach out to me for help, you can reach me via my website's contact page - https://theearnestmannshow.com/aboutcontact - and I will get back to you ASAP.

I'm not promising miracles, but my advice is often a hell of a lot better - and certainly cheaper - than a therapist!.

If you're interested in my new Incredible tote bag, which goes for a small donation for a very good cause - https://theearnestmannshow.com/earnest-stuff-vn9f-1qls - THANK YOU!

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You can also listen to any of my many previous episodes on my website at - https://theearnestmannshow.com/episodes

© 2020 - 26 The Earnest Mann Show

0:00

Greetings. Yesterday I posted an episode

0:05

number 35 I believe about listening.

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And today it only stands to reason that

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I'm going to talk about well talking

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and how you may be surprised that

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through just a little bit of talk

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you can accomplish amazing things.

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Now,

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um, when I'm talking about talking, I'm

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talking about actually networking.

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And here is why it's so important.

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Now, you see, it shouldn't be any secret

0:43

by now that I have a decidedly

0:47

um, let's say, non-corporate bent to me.

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And I don't want to be that misconstrued

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or misunderstood that I'm anti-American.

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Not in any way. I simply am

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non-corporate

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and non oligarch. So

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because of that I want to put this

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together to just talk about talking

1:14

networking. Now let me give you um a

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pure example of something personal that

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happened to me and to use this example

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to show you the importance of just

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talking to complete strangers. Now, if

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you happen to be one of those people

1:38

that the thought of hell talking to or

1:42

for that matter even saying hello to a

1:44

stranger, if that completely, you know,

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puts you into a state of terror, well, I

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don't exactly know and right now what to

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say about that. But what I can tell you

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is this. It is something so positive

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that it will enable you to

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basically do some very amazing things in

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your life. Okay. Okay.

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So here's my real world personal example

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of this.

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You see, what I do as part of my

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networking is I completely strike up

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conversations whenever the opportunity

2:30

comes my way of just talking and maybe

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just a little bit getting to know

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complete strangers.

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Now, for one thing, it's good because

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who knows that can lead to potential

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friendship and there's I don't see

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anything wrong with that. But on a

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purely practical level, you will find it

2:52

immensely helpful in your life. So like

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I said, let me just give you this

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example.

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You see, at one point I needed to sell a

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car

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and the car that I wanted to sell um was

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in very good condition

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um mechanically and otherwise. Um, and

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its appearance, well, it was relative to

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its age and, you know, and year, you

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know, but it was not beyond the point at

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all that a professional uh detail

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um wouldn't help me to sell it for the

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price that, you know, I thought it was

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worth.

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The problem is this.

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Um, most quote unquote professional

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detailers, particularly of the corporate

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type,

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uh, yeah, they want quite a penny to do

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this.

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And I'm talking anywhere between,

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depending, um, it could be in the $3 to

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$400 range. And that's more than this

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old cowboy can afford. So, if you can

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relate to that, listen up.

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Now,

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uh, at any opportunity, I don't care

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where I'm at, doesn't matter. I can be

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standing in in line at the grocery store

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anywhere. Anywhere there's people and

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I'm in line, I break up a, you know, I

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start up a conversation. Hi, how do you

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do? And if something, you know, seems

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comfortable and ensues,

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uh, depending on how much time I have,

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of course, I'll say something like, um,

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so, uh, tell me Johnny or whatever their

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name may be, what do you do for a

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living? And that is the catch point.

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And, uh, typically they don't mind

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telling you what they do for a living.

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And in one particular case, one guy

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said, "Well, I'm a plumber." And it's

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like, okay. So, very quickly, I know and

5:05

I recognize I I don't need a plumber. At

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least not now. But then he added, he

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says, "And I I detail cars on the side."

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And then my ears perked up. And I said,

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"Really?"

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And I said, "Hey, um, I might have a I

5:24

might have a job for you. Might you be

5:26

interested?" And he said, "Sure." So,

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after we got out of line at the grocery

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store, um, you know, we talked for a few

5:35

minutes and exchanged some information

5:37

and I told him what I was needing and he

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said, "Yeah, I'm definitely interested."

5:42

And so, um, the guy ended up, uh,

5:46

detailing my car

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and he did a damn good job. I mean, a

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superb job. He knocked 10 years off the

5:56

car. It looked that. I mean, it really

6:00

looked good. Now, he's not a bodyman

6:02

paint job. It isn't all that. It had,

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you know, the usual, let's say, road

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rash, a little bit of road rash on the

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front of the vehicle. He was not there

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to correct that, but just to make it as,

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say, new as new could be.

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And that included the engine

6:22

compartment.

6:25

And uh that's what he you know I hired

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him to do it and that's what he ended up

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doing.

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And instead of the $350 and $400 quotes

6:38

that I got,

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he did it for 175.

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And like I said, he did a damn good job.

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Now, I was able to achieve that by

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talking to a stranger. Oo.

7:00

And this is what I'm talking about in in

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uh right now is about how to how to do

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that and how it is a huge advantage to

7:11

you. Um, obviously for well if you're

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wanting and needing to save a hell of a

7:18

lot of money

7:20

and you can apply that technique to

7:23

virtually just about anything.

7:27

So it's like the old adage, the squeaky

7:30

wheel gets greased. You have to have the

7:33

will and the desire to do that. And you

7:36

may go through hell 5 10 15 20 people

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and nothing happens until something

7:45

does. And in my case something did.

7:50

Um,

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this is my way, as I say, being a

7:54

non-corporatist

7:56

that, um, you know, not only do I

8:00

obviously save money, but I get money

8:04

into the hands of people that actually

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need it, deserve it, and not into the

8:12

hands of corporations. There, there you

8:15

go. So that's just one, you know, small

8:20

example of what I'm talking about

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because

8:25

as the economy spirals down and it's

8:28

going to continue to spiral down because

8:31

the people are in the midst of being,

8:34

how do I say, robbed on a level that's

8:38

well unimaginable to me. And you're

8:42

going to have to develop because of

8:45

this, you're going to have to develop

8:48

these kinds of connections.

8:51

You're going to have to actually talk to

8:55

people and you're going to have to float

8:58

part of your life under the radar. Okay?

9:03

The same thing applies to a mechanic.

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I have a very very good mechanic and I

9:11

achieved uh I was able to get this

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mechanic

9:16

using the same technique

9:20

and it's just one of those deals that

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you first have to recognize

9:27

uh what potentially you know a a person

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is what their line of work may be. You

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don't know. [ __ ] your guessing. You

9:34

don't know until you ask. But that's the

9:38

whole point. You have to ask. You have

9:43

to want to do something active,

9:46

proactive

9:48

to cover your ass. Because at the end of

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the day, what matters is your ass and

9:56

his ass, whoever his ass may be. What

10:00

you've done is you've circumvented the

10:02

corporation

10:03

and um you've helped just an average

10:07

person with their life and helping them

10:11

to survive. It's a win-win situation.

10:14

Um but once you've achieved this,

10:19

once you have these people on your line,

10:22

so to speak, you never want to go back

10:25

to Firestone.

10:29

as I call them, fire criminals. Um,

10:32

yeah, at u anything that I that I get

10:36

done and you know, again, just briefly

10:40

to touch on cars again,

10:43

you know, if it's something super duper

10:47

complex or technical,

10:50

um, certain areas they simply cannot do

10:53

because they don't have the machinery to

10:55

do it, let's say. So, if you're talking,

10:58

for instance, tires,

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um, and he may be a great mechanic, but

11:03

he doesn't have a tire balancer, he

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doesn't have the means to to do that,

11:08

to, you know, install and balance tires,

11:12

then that that kind of leaves that part

11:14

out. But some guys do. Again, it's all

11:17

depending on, you know, who you meet and

11:20

and all that.

11:22

But for most stuff, most of it,

11:27

you can get it done on your car

11:31

for about a third of the cost of the

11:35

super special team of corporate bigwigs

11:39

with the how 5,000 computers and all

11:43

that nonsense. Um, and also, you know,

11:47

if they're decent, competent people,

11:52

they guarantee their work. Um, again,

11:55

old school handshake. And because, you

11:58

know, bear in mind, they want more work,

12:01

too. And so, again, it's a win-win

12:05

situation.

12:06

These are what you'd call off the radar

12:09

or underground techniques

12:12

of you know surviving of helping

12:16

yourself to uh survive and also as I

12:20

said before to help them survive but it

12:23

requires talking. It requires talking to

12:27

people. Some of these people for

12:28

instance you know they're they may be

12:31

listed let's say on Craigslist. That

12:33

doesn't make them evil. doesn't make

12:35

them necessarily crooks or criminals.

12:38

You know, there's a lot of them out

12:40

there and you simply have to check them

12:42

out. But that that is the entire point

12:47

is that you have to be willing to do

12:50

that and engage with people

12:54

um to to accomplish this and it's really

12:56

a good thing. Now, if you're people of

13:01

let's say you have lots and lots of

13:04

money, which very very few of us do

13:08

these days, but um you know, if if

13:11

that's the case, it's a very viable

13:14

alternative. And frankly, it's a very

13:16

ethical alternative

13:19

because the rates that the corporate

13:22

machine

13:24

is charging to fix cars is is just

13:27

obscene. It's just beyond beyond that.

13:30

It's it's criminal. It's actually

13:32

criminal.

13:34

So, um that is just one example of

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talking to people. And again, it's

13:39

through networking. And this can apply

13:42

to and be very open-minded. This can be

13:46

just about anything.

13:50

But you can't, in order to do that,

13:55

you can't sit back like a little

13:58

protective frightened mouse and standing

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there and you won't say word to anyone

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because you're perpetually frightened.

14:10

You're afraid of everything.

14:13

Everything frightens you. Okay. Speak to

14:15

a person.

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Yeah. If you speak to someone, what's

14:20

the worst they could say? Uh oh. Oh, no.

14:23

I don't I don't do that. Okay, then

14:26

there you go. You move to the next one.

14:30

So, anyway, I hope you found this

14:33

helpful or interesting. And if you have

14:35

any questions about this or any of my

14:38

other episodes, you can reach out to me

14:40

via my contact link in the description

14:44

below. And if you really want to give me

14:46

a compliment besides well hitting that

14:49

subscribe button, telling a friend about

14:52

the show would be the best compliment

14:54

you could ever give me. Until next time,

14:57

this is Ernest and that's all I've got

15:01

for today.