Episode 18 with Frederick Dudek (Freddy D)

From Homeless to Sales Manager: The Unbelievable Transformation in Bill Sparks' Team

In this episode of the Business Superfans Podcast, Bill Sparks, a former chemical industry executive turned health insurance business owner, discusses his transition to entrepreneurship and his dedication to building a successful team. He shares an inspiring story of helping a once-homeless agent become a top sales manager, highlighting his commitment to supporting and transforming lives. Bill emphasizes the importance of trust, value delivery, and continuous personal and professional growth. He offers advice on creating a positive team culture and the “superfan effect,” where satisfied team members and clients promote the business, leading to organic growth. Bill also touches on the need for adaptability and incremental business improvement. Contact information for Bill is provided for those interested in health insurance services.

Discover more with our detailed show notes and exclusive content by visiting: https://bit.ly/4aq1BXO

Kindly Consider Supporting Our Show: Support Business Superfans Podcast

Want to elevate your business success with a team of dedicated Business Superfans? Join the Business Superfans Accelerator Community and Get Mentoring!

https://BizSuperfans.Community

Mentioned in this episode:

AFLS Podcast Advert

Have you encountered language barriers with non-English speaking clients? Are language communication challenges hindering your business opportunities? For top-notch language services. Choose a foreign language service. They facilitate communications in over 400 languages. Enhancing your offerings and driving success. As Arizona's premier language provider for over 30 years. They offer elite interpreting and translation services, including American sign language nationwide. With a focus on excellence, they provide 24/7 telephonic and video interpreting with a live interpreter in under 60 seconds request telephonic video or in-person interpreting, they also offer translation for documents, courseware, software, and websites, as well as audio transcription and voiceovers. Trust in our expertise for effective language communication solutions for your business needs. Get in touch today at 8 4 4 8 1 3 4 2 4 2. Or explore their services at 400Languages.com

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp
Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

Freddy D: 00:00:00

William Sparks, or as he prefers being called Bill.

Freddy D: 00:00:03

Has been happily married to his wife, Brenda Sparks for 19 years.

Freddy D: 00:00:07

And they have a son named Will, who is starting his first year

Freddy D: 00:00:10

at the university of Memphis.

Freddy D: 00:00:13

He and his family enjoy traveling, hiking and trying out new restaurants

Freddy D: 00:00:17

all over the United States.

Freddy D: 00:00:19

After working as an executive in a chemical industry for 34 years,

Freddy D: 00:00:23

he retired and evaluated various entrepreneur opportunities.

Freddy D: 00:00:27

Ultimately, he decided to start a health insurance business, which has now been

Freddy D: 00:00:32

running for five years and he has grown.

Freddy D: 00:00:35

And to becoming the largest in the Southeast division for USHEALTH advisors.

Freddy D: 00:00:40

It's a very fulfilling business.

Freddy D: 00:00:42

As we help others attain quality and affordable health benefits.

Freddy D: 00:00:45

Bill states.

Freddy D: 00:00:46

Welcome Bill Sparks to the Business Superfan Podcast Show.

Freddy D: 00:00:49

How are you, Bill?

Bill Sparks: 00:00:50

Oh, man, for a Saturday morning, I'm pumped up.

Bill Sparks: 00:00:53

Good to see you again, my friend.

Bill Sparks: 00:00:54

It's been a long time.

Freddy D: 00:00:55

Yeah, it's been.

Freddy D: 00:00:56

We've known each other several decades, at least.

Bill Sparks: 00:00:58

Yeah, like you said, it's been a minute, that's for sure.

Freddy D: 00:01:01

It's been a minute, yes.

Freddy D: 00:01:02

So, tell us, how did you get started?

Freddy D: 00:01:05

I remember back in the day you were selling, chemicals

Freddy D: 00:01:08

sales and stuff like that.

Freddy D: 00:01:09

So, tell us a little bit about your background, how you got

Freddy D: 00:01:12

started into chemical sales and your story a little bit.

Bill Sparks: 00:01:16

All right, absolutely.

Bill Sparks: 00:01:17

Yes.

Bill Sparks: 00:01:17

So, when I came out of graduate school, I was at Georgia Tech with

Bill Sparks: 00:01:22

a major in polymer chemistry at the time finishing up my master's and.

Bill Sparks: 00:01:26

On my way to get my PhD and a real good advisor my counselor through that

Bill Sparks: 00:01:32

program and said, you know what, you've got a lot of natural sales ability and

Bill Sparks: 00:01:37

I think you would be better served going into the business aspect of this of this

Bill Sparks: 00:01:42

competency versus went into, academia.

Bill Sparks: 00:01:46

It was good advice, and so I from that point the chemical industry

Bill Sparks: 00:01:50

was booming back in the early 80s.

Bill Sparks: 00:01:52

That's when I was in grad school.

Bill Sparks: 00:01:55

so I took some interviews and at that time it was called Union Oil or UNICAL.

Bill Sparks: 00:02:00

I was looking for bringing in some, chemical engineers, some polymer engineers

Bill Sparks: 00:02:05

through a new sales training program.

Bill Sparks: 00:02:08

I think it started and they offered me the opportunity so.

Bill Sparks: 00:02:12

Wrapped up my master's program, graduated and took that opportunity.

Bill Sparks: 00:02:16

And that's really how I got into sales that opened the door for me.

Bill Sparks: 00:02:20

Training was excellent that, that platform that the stage for my future not only was

Bill Sparks: 00:02:27

that, that technical training, but also the Dell skills and the competencies.

Bill Sparks: 00:02:31

And as a result of that I met four or five mentors in that company.

Bill Sparks: 00:02:36

That helped me all the way through the 34 years, that I was in the chemical

Bill Sparks: 00:02:41

industry, and they, gave me good advice.

Bill Sparks: 00:02:43

They would affirm me, they pull me up, and open a lot of doors.

Bill Sparks: 00:02:46

So, there's a lot, to be said about that is networking and.

Bill Sparks: 00:02:51

Connecting with the right people and being loyal to them and, it can really help.

Bill Sparks: 00:02:56

So with that that launched my sales career I'm the goal setter.

Bill Sparks: 00:03:01

And at that point, I came out and I said, ago that I wanted to be in

Bill Sparks: 00:03:04

the president and CEO of a chemical company and not because of the

Bill Sparks: 00:03:10

position, but what I would become going down that path on that journey.

Bill Sparks: 00:03:15

What I would learn.

Bill Sparks: 00:03:17

And I knew if I ever made there, you made it there, then I accomplished

Bill Sparks: 00:03:20

a lot, learned a lot, and had, and certainly would have had the

Bill Sparks: 00:03:25

support of many people to get there.

Freddy D: 00:03:27

How did you get that support?

Freddy D: 00:03:28

Because that's really key is, okay you might have the skill set but if

Freddy D: 00:03:33

you don't have people backing you and believing in you, it doesn't work.

Bill Sparks: 00:03:38

Yeah, being young like that I was very enthusiastic was eager to

Bill Sparks: 00:03:42

learn, worked hard, and they saw that, they saw the effort, I supported them,

Bill Sparks: 00:03:47

in their efforts, I gave them 110%.

Bill Sparks: 00:03:49

So I built their loyalty.

Bill Sparks: 00:03:51

We work together.

Bill Sparks: 00:03:53

We accomplished a lot together.

Bill Sparks: 00:03:54

That helped a lot been successful helping them being successful.

Bill Sparks: 00:03:59

Really?

Bill Sparks: 00:03:59

That's how I built the their loyalty, their trust in me.

Bill Sparks: 00:04:03

And as you are now if you reach down and help and, pull someone up, you

Bill Sparks: 00:04:08

look for those people that, that are hungry, that, that want that help,

Bill Sparks: 00:04:12

that are really working hard, that would use your your expertise and

Bill Sparks: 00:04:16

wisdom and and they're committed to it, somebody that you can trust and

Bill Sparks: 00:04:21

that's naturally, that's why I developed not knowing that's what I was doing.

Bill Sparks: 00:04:25

But it was just being loyal to them, being trustworthy, working hard.

Bill Sparks: 00:04:30

And that's, it really solidified those relationships.

Freddy D: 00:04:33

So you built superfan relationships with those people because

Freddy D: 00:04:36

they believed in you and they knew that you had their loyalty and their trust.

Freddy D: 00:04:44

And so they were superfans of you.

Freddy D: 00:04:47

And because of the relationships that you built.

Freddy D: 00:04:50

They knew that, okay, Bill can get it done, and you were recommended

Freddy D: 00:04:54

for promotions and everything else because your mentors were

Freddy D: 00:04:57

superfans of, Bill Sparks.

Bill Sparks: 00:05:00

Correct.

Bill Sparks: 00:05:01

Yeah and you're right.

Bill Sparks: 00:05:02

I mean, they knew they could count on me.

Bill Sparks: 00:05:04

I would get it done.

Bill Sparks: 00:05:06

and I, there was no, waste of time.

Bill Sparks: 00:05:07

I went at it, completed it always exceeded what was expected and

Bill Sparks: 00:05:12

wanted more and more responsibility.

Bill Sparks: 00:05:14

And as I earned that trust and that success, they gave

Bill Sparks: 00:05:17

me more and, it pulled me up.

Bill Sparks: 00:05:18

I advanced pretty rapidly through the organization.

Bill Sparks: 00:05:22

It's a corporate world, it can be tough politically.

Bill Sparks: 00:05:25

So, it does help to have those superfans mentors, that'll watch your back,

Bill Sparks: 00:05:31

that'll help you, give you good advice.

Freddy D: 00:05:33

Well, that's the difference right there.

Freddy D: 00:05:34

That's completely the difference is having people believe in

Freddy D: 00:05:38

you and see your potential.

Freddy D: 00:05:40

And they talk you up as a super fan, they talk you up to the higher ups and

Freddy D: 00:05:46

that's the secret that a lot of people don't realize it's about building

Freddy D: 00:05:49

relationships and those relationships open up opportunities for other relationships

Freddy D: 00:05:55

that can change people's lives.

Bill Sparks: 00:05:58

Right and I wish I'd have been more aware of that, more conscious

Bill Sparks: 00:06:01

of it, what was really happening.

Bill Sparks: 00:06:03

I would have done more of it.

Bill Sparks: 00:06:05

We're not working.

Bill Sparks: 00:06:07

I did, and now I try to teach that to my son and as he builds his

Bill Sparks: 00:06:11

career and my agents, network, build those in actions and those

Bill Sparks: 00:06:15

superfans, they're gonna help you.

Bill Sparks: 00:06:17

and it started early and networking is key to anything in life.

Bill Sparks: 00:06:22

Your family your family relationships your business relationships,

Bill Sparks: 00:06:26

your church relationships.

Bill Sparks: 00:06:27

It's absolutely key.

Freddy D: 00:06:29

Oh, absolutely.

Freddy D: 00:06:30

It's all about relationships.

Freddy D: 00:06:31

And, the transactional mindset is good for a moment, but it's not a long term aspect.

Freddy D: 00:06:38

It's really long term is building those relationships and getting those

Freddy D: 00:06:43

people to become, brand advocates.

Freddy D: 00:06:45

I in turn call them business superfans, but basically they're advocates of not

Freddy D: 00:06:51

only the business, but the individuals that are involved in that business.

Freddy D: 00:06:57

So, tell us how did you transition, out of the chemical industry and get

Freddy D: 00:07:03

yourself going into working with the U.

Freddy D: 00:07:05

S.

Freddy D: 00:07:06

health advisors and providing, health care insurances for small businesses.

Bill Sparks: 00:07:11

Well, good question.

Bill Sparks: 00:07:13

So I reside in Memphis.

Bill Sparks: 00:07:14

I moved here several rows and one of those led to my ultimate goal.

Bill Sparks: 00:07:19

And that was to be, became president and CEO of a company in town, and had

Bill Sparks: 00:07:24

a contract with them that we did some good there changed a business from

Bill Sparks: 00:07:29

being non profitable to profitable and set it on the right path to growth.

Bill Sparks: 00:07:33

So I finished out my contract and was on to the next opportunity.

Bill Sparks: 00:07:37

We liked the area it was going to take me out of this area here.

Bill Sparks: 00:07:42

I've been traveling a lot, and you come to the crosswords and I've always wanted

Bill Sparks: 00:07:46

my own business, so I knew I'd had to make a decision that if I was going to do, go

Bill Sparks: 00:07:52

out on my own, that it was time to do it.

Bill Sparks: 00:07:55

And I had the resources that would give me time to to do that, to find

Bill Sparks: 00:07:58

something, and make the right decision.

Bill Sparks: 00:08:00

So that's what I did.

Bill Sparks: 00:08:01

I evaluated all types of opportunities, went through about 30 and then

Bill Sparks: 00:08:06

I really stumbled across U.

Bill Sparks: 00:08:08

S.

Bill Sparks: 00:08:08

Health by mistake because I was looking for health insurance.

Bill Sparks: 00:08:11

I was on, of course, the COBRA plan, which was very expensive, so.

Bill Sparks: 00:08:16

I was looking at the Obamacare plans, which were very expensive, and I

Bill Sparks: 00:08:20

knew there had to be a better way.

Bill Sparks: 00:08:21

And like my clients and like I was at that point at that time, I knew

Bill Sparks: 00:08:25

nothing about health insurance or private health insurance.

Bill Sparks: 00:08:28

so I met the division leader at a networking event and primarily we're

Bill Sparks: 00:08:33

just talking to him about his business and to share with him my challenges.

Bill Sparks: 00:08:38

So he invited me to come over to talk about 2 things.

Bill Sparks: 00:08:41

1 is he wanted me to consult for him to help build his business.

Bill Sparks: 00:08:44

Number 2 he wanted me to show what they offered for my personal use.

Bill Sparks: 00:08:49

I loved it.

Bill Sparks: 00:08:50

I couldn't believe the plans they had, the value that they, they offered.

Bill Sparks: 00:08:55

We talked a lot about the corporate structure, their strategy.

Bill Sparks: 00:08:59

Really bought into it.

Bill Sparks: 00:09:00

Got to meet some of their senior leaders.

Bill Sparks: 00:09:02

So I consulted for him for about 3 months and really saw the potential

Bill Sparks: 00:09:06

in this business and decided, this is something I want to do.

Bill Sparks: 00:09:10

and the reason was there's people out there to just, and

Bill Sparks: 00:09:13

especially small business owners that just don't know where to go.

Bill Sparks: 00:09:16

I saw an opportunity, I can speak their language being an executive

Bill Sparks: 00:09:21

coming from that background.

Bill Sparks: 00:09:23

And help them and guide them in the right way, and just point them, lay out

Bill Sparks: 00:09:27

their options and allow them to, and coach them to make the right decision.

Bill Sparks: 00:09:31

So, I saw that as something that would be rewarding to me.

Bill Sparks: 00:09:35

And that's how I got involved with it.

Bill Sparks: 00:09:36

Basically took that leap of faith.

Bill Sparks: 00:09:39

Walked away from.

Bill Sparks: 00:09:40

Chemical industry that have been in for 34 years took on a totally different right

Bill Sparks: 00:09:46

side, different side of my brain something new to me, but but everything I've learned

Bill Sparks: 00:09:50

in my sales experience and my management experience and the chemical industry

Bill Sparks: 00:09:56

transferred very nicely into this.

Bill Sparks: 00:09:59

So I yeah, I took that opportunity grew to be the largest

Bill Sparks: 00:10:02

producing agent in the region.

Bill Sparks: 00:10:05

I was rewarded for that given a lot of promotion opportunities.

Bill Sparks: 00:10:09

Last year I was what we call a field sales leader and had 40

Bill Sparks: 00:10:12

agents, working under my tutelage.

Bill Sparks: 00:10:15

So, that's really how I got into it.

Bill Sparks: 00:10:16

Have a look back.

Bill Sparks: 00:10:18

I've really enjoyed it and very excited about the future.

Bill Sparks: 00:10:20

I was telling my wife, she asked me when I'm going to slow down.

Bill Sparks: 00:10:23

I said, why?

Bill Sparks: 00:10:25

Enjoy what I do.

Freddy D: 00:10:26

That's the secret right there is enjoying what you do.

Freddy D: 00:10:28

So let's go back and say, okay, so you've got about 40 agents.

Freddy D: 00:10:32

How did you build those agents?

Freddy D: 00:10:34

And then how did you turn those agents into superfans of you,

Freddy D: 00:10:38

because they have to believe in you and help grow your business.

Bill Sparks: 00:10:43

In this kind of business, it's you gotta watch the walk.

Bill Sparks: 00:10:47

And 1, 1 aspect.

Bill Sparks: 00:10:49

So, the fact that I had been very successful as an agent, they were aware

Bill Sparks: 00:10:54

of and, so I also was able to develop a very good model that was transferable.

Bill Sparks: 00:11:00

sO it's a plug in system.

Bill Sparks: 00:11:03

I provide them a lot of on hands training.

Bill Sparks: 00:11:06

aNd then just on the way.

Bill Sparks: 00:11:08

Basically, if they're they buy into it and put the effort into it and learn

Bill Sparks: 00:11:13

the system that we've rolled out.

Bill Sparks: 00:11:16

Then they have a really good chance of being successful.

Bill Sparks: 00:11:18

So that, that really helps a lot is that trust in me and that trust in the

Bill Sparks: 00:11:23

system, trust in me based on my, my my personal success, trust in seeing

Bill Sparks: 00:11:29

other agents come in and plugging in the system and they are being

Bill Sparks: 00:11:33

successful, that carries a lot of weight.

Bill Sparks: 00:11:36

aNd then when we're there to help them, it's we're 24, seven

Bill Sparks: 00:11:40

and after about four weeks.

Bill Sparks: 00:11:42

If they're really committed to it they'll start to see success.

Bill Sparks: 00:11:46

They'll grow, those start to build momentum and start believing in it.

Freddy D: 00:11:50

So what do you do and how do you recognize them?

Freddy D: 00:11:53

Do you have any kind of recognition system in place?

Bill Sparks: 00:11:57

Well, we do, we set little milestones for them.

Bill Sparks: 00:12:00

The first four weeks that they have the opportunity to hit so many, hit.

Bill Sparks: 00:12:04

So many revenue dollars, we have 3 different milestones and it

Bill Sparks: 00:12:07

tells us how they're coming along.

Bill Sparks: 00:12:09

There's a low tier middle tier and high tier and that really shows us

Bill Sparks: 00:12:15

who has the commitment who can do this and it shows them and, they can do it.

Bill Sparks: 00:12:21

So there's monetary rewards for their recognition as a result of that.

Bill Sparks: 00:12:27

We're really big in recognizing our agents on a weekly basis.

Bill Sparks: 00:12:32

We have a sales meeting.

Bill Sparks: 00:12:33

It's very consistent, every Friday where we take time to recognize

Bill Sparks: 00:12:38

the success of the agents and they and there's that, the monetary

Bill Sparks: 00:12:42

rewards that come with it as well.

Bill Sparks: 00:12:44

sO that's encouraging and these folks that are successful in this

Bill Sparks: 00:12:47

business, they're very hungry and then most of them are very.

Bill Sparks: 00:12:50

Well, warranted, so having those milestones and having that monetary

Bill Sparks: 00:12:54

reward for them really helps them.

Freddy D: 00:12:56

Yeah, because if you remember my book, people will crawl through broken

Freddy D: 00:13:01

glass for appreciation and recognition.

Freddy D: 00:13:03

So recognition is very important.

Freddy D: 00:13:06

The monetary is nice, but that personal recognition, and especially

Freddy D: 00:13:10

if you're doing it in front of others, because it's one thing to say,

Freddy D: 00:13:13

Hey, Bill, thanks a lot.

Freddy D: 00:13:14

Really appreciate for all your great efforts.

Freddy D: 00:13:17

And it's another thing to say, Hey, everybody, I want to take a

Freddy D: 00:13:19

moment to recognize Bill Cooks.

Freddy D: 00:13:22

For his efforts in growing his area and everything else in front of an audience.

Freddy D: 00:13:28

That's a completely different level of recognition.

Bill Sparks: 00:13:31

Yeah.

Bill Sparks: 00:13:32

And it, and some people come into this kind of business that are, it

Bill Sparks: 00:13:37

changes their life, financially.

Bill Sparks: 00:13:38

I mean, some folks just, this is their last, last opportunity they're broke.

Bill Sparks: 00:13:43

And they have nothing to lose.

Bill Sparks: 00:13:45

And then you see those.

Bill Sparks: 00:13:46

Those individuals transform their whole life through this opportunity, making an

Bill Sparks: 00:13:52

income that they never thought was ever possible taking care of the families.

Bill Sparks: 00:13:57

It's, it's tremendous.

Freddy D: 00:14:00

And it's going to make you feel proud and good and giving

Freddy D: 00:14:03

you the energy to saying, wow, look I've brought, a team together and

Freddy D: 00:14:08

I've transformed people's lives.

Freddy D: 00:14:10

I mean, that's huge.

Bill Sparks: 00:14:12

And those are my superfans, ones that they transform their life.

Freddy D: 00:14:18

They look at you as, as, you're right there.

Freddy D: 00:14:21

They're your super fans.

Bill Sparks: 00:14:23

Yeah, and so from that point, once you get develop a couple layers of

Bill Sparks: 00:14:28

that success, then the recruiting and then the success and the energy in the office

Bill Sparks: 00:14:33

is, it's, you have a lot of momentum.

Freddy D: 00:14:36

Right.

Bill Sparks: 00:14:36

And it's, it's just a perpetual.

Bill Sparks: 00:14:39

So that's really how we, we get it started and you start 1 step at a time

Bill Sparks: 00:14:43

and you build that momentum and success builds on success and you get superfans

Bill Sparks: 00:14:48

and they believe in the system and then.

Freddy D: 00:14:50

It automatically tracks others.

Freddy D: 00:14:51

I remember watching years ago, a YouTube video and it, has nothing

Freddy D: 00:14:56

to do with business, but it has everything to do with business.

Freddy D: 00:14:59

It was like a rock concert and there was a guy dancing on the hill by himself.

Freddy D: 00:15:03

And someone's videotaping it looking like, look at this idiot, he's dancing

Freddy D: 00:15:06

by himself, all by himself, dancing and partying and having a good time.

Freddy D: 00:15:10

Next thing there's a second guy that comes in there and the two of

Freddy D: 00:15:13

them are starting to dance, and, he's got someone that believes in

Freddy D: 00:15:17

them and hanging out with them.

Freddy D: 00:15:19

Next thing you know, you got four people that come down, and the next thing

Freddy D: 00:15:23

you know is all of a sudden you get 20 people that run down and then the

Freddy D: 00:15:27

people that are filming, they get up.

Freddy D: 00:15:29

And they run into it that now there's a huge crowd partying and it was all because

Freddy D: 00:15:34

one guy believed in himself and did it.

Freddy D: 00:15:38

So you're doing the same thing as you started out by yourself.

Freddy D: 00:15:42

You attracted other people into the business.

Freddy D: 00:15:45

You've created an energized environment of a bunch of superfans and they're

Freddy D: 00:15:51

attracting other people, which is what what my whole, creating business

Freddy D: 00:15:55

superfans is all about, is you build that energy and those that team, you

Freddy D: 00:16:01

can't buy that kind of marketing because they're out there propelling it and their

Freddy D: 00:16:05

friends and their family members and everybody else they're telling everybody.

Bill Sparks: 00:16:09

And you're right.

Freddy D: 00:16:10

That's the cool part.

Bill Sparks: 00:16:11

Yeah.

Bill Sparks: 00:16:12

And you can't buy that.

Bill Sparks: 00:16:13

It's just, you got to believe in what you're doing and that radiates and

Bill Sparks: 00:16:18

people it will tell if you believe in it or not as a leader, and once, and

Bill Sparks: 00:16:22

they see that belief and confidence you have, and then they latch onto it.

Freddy D: 00:16:25

Absolutely.

Bill Sparks: 00:16:25

Absolutely.

Bill Sparks: 00:16:26

Yeah.

Freddy D: 00:16:27

So let's talk about customers.

Freddy D: 00:16:29

What do you guys do to really energize your customers to become superfans?

Freddy D: 00:16:34

So they're in turn telling other potential customers or their friends

Freddy D: 00:16:39

or their business partners to attract.

Freddy D: 00:16:43

Create that momentum from a customer base.

Bill Sparks: 00:16:46

This line of work on this business trust is very key.

Bill Sparks: 00:16:49

You're dealing with people's lives, their health.

Bill Sparks: 00:16:52

So you've got to establish that and earn that trust.

Bill Sparks: 00:16:55

And you do that in a number of different ways.

Bill Sparks: 00:16:57

And that's really where it starts.

Bill Sparks: 00:16:58

It's at the agent level.

Bill Sparks: 00:17:00

So we're through the competency that we offer.

Bill Sparks: 00:17:03

Laying out options being very consistent, the plans do deliver what we say.

Bill Sparks: 00:17:09

And as an agent or an advisor to your customer, we don't go away.

Bill Sparks: 00:17:12

Yeah, we're with them from what I call cradle to grave.

Bill Sparks: 00:17:16

So, the entire life of that customer relationship.

Bill Sparks: 00:17:19

So, we establish, we really work on building trust, being

Bill Sparks: 00:17:22

trustworthy, delivering value, through the plan performance.

Bill Sparks: 00:17:27

Being very competitive that's the, and that starts at the grassroot level.

Bill Sparks: 00:17:31

And then from that, they share, they refer their network to us.

Bill Sparks: 00:17:36

And that's really how we build our business is one customer at a time.

Bill Sparks: 00:17:40

And then we encourage them, to share.

Bill Sparks: 00:17:42

and we do offer them incentives if, they do want some business in our

Bill Sparks: 00:17:47

way and we're able to help them.

Bill Sparks: 00:17:49

Not that's a driver, but it's a little something that they can look forward to.

Bill Sparks: 00:17:53

But it is just in this business it's earning trust and being

Bill Sparks: 00:17:57

trustworthy and delivering on your promises and solving problems.

Bill Sparks: 00:18:01

There's not the perfect situation in anything.

Bill Sparks: 00:18:04

There was never the perfect product in the chemical industry and there's

Bill Sparks: 00:18:06

not the perfect health insurance plan.

Bill Sparks: 00:18:09

But we can't solve problems and we, we can put them in the

Bill Sparks: 00:18:12

best situation it's possible.

Freddy D: 00:18:15

Do you have a story that you can share of how you had handled the

Freddy D: 00:18:19

problem and got it solved for a customer?

Bill Sparks: 00:18:23

Well, a lot of those through just misinterpretation on not

Bill Sparks: 00:18:26

knowing how the plan works coaching them how to get full utilization

Bill Sparks: 00:18:32

and maximize their benefits.

Bill Sparks: 00:18:35

That's really how we do it.

Bill Sparks: 00:18:36

For instance, I did have a customer that that had leukemia and, we were

Bill Sparks: 00:18:42

looking at $800, 000 in medical bills.

Bill Sparks: 00:18:46

Well, he had a plan that we offer that allows you to customize the options

Bill Sparks: 00:18:52

and you can start at a low level and that allows you to meet a certain

Bill Sparks: 00:18:56

budget, but it had an upgrade to it.

Bill Sparks: 00:18:58

In the situation, if you were diagnosed with cancer, they would pay 100

Bill Sparks: 00:19:03

percent of it after you were able to satisfy, a threshold or a deductible.

Bill Sparks: 00:19:09

He didn't, he wasn't aware of it.

Bill Sparks: 00:19:10

He just thought about it, found me all stressed out and I said, hey, don't

Bill Sparks: 00:19:14

worry, we're, we put you in good shape.

Bill Sparks: 00:19:17

I said, let's go back and revisit, where you are.

Bill Sparks: 00:19:20

This is your plan.

Bill Sparks: 00:19:22

It's upgradable.

Bill Sparks: 00:19:23

It's affordable and all you're looking at is the $3, 000 out of pocket costs and

Bill Sparks: 00:19:27

then it's going to take care of the rest.

Bill Sparks: 00:19:29

And I mean, it was just like, so much relief.

Freddy D: 00:19:32

Life changing

Bill Sparks: 00:19:32

Right.

Bill Sparks: 00:19:33

And that's really where we come in and, Just like anything,

Bill Sparks: 00:19:38

it's like me with a computer.

Bill Sparks: 00:19:39

I don't know exactly how to use all the technology that

Bill Sparks: 00:19:42

my computer has to offer me.

Bill Sparks: 00:19:44

That's where we step in and that's where we save the day.

Bill Sparks: 00:19:47

aNd we're consultants and we keep that line of communication open.

Bill Sparks: 00:19:51

So, customers aren't afraid to pick up the phone and call us, and we can help

Bill Sparks: 00:19:56

them, navigate, and the other is just self employed people just don't realize

Bill Sparks: 00:20:01

that there's an opportunity here with us for them to be a part of a large

Bill Sparks: 00:20:05

association of small business owners, as a self employed 1099 and achieve

Bill Sparks: 00:20:12

tremendous savings and their premiums.

Bill Sparks: 00:20:14

So, it's our job to define them.

Bill Sparks: 00:20:17

And through our marketing efforts and make them aware of the choices they have.

Bill Sparks: 00:20:23

And that's always rewarding to, when you can help somebody in that

Bill Sparks: 00:20:26

situation, who's, working week to week and just barely scraping by and then,

Bill Sparks: 00:20:31

they're 1 of their top 3 expenses and we can let that, 35, 40 per ton.

Bill Sparks: 00:20:35

tHat's tremendous value to them.

Bill Sparks: 00:20:37

Yeah.

Bill Sparks: 00:20:37

That's huge.

Freddy D: 00:20:38

Do you have a story that you can share, Bill, about, one

Freddy D: 00:20:41

of your agents and how, we talked about transforming their lives.

Freddy D: 00:20:45

Do you have a story of, somebody you don't have, don't use any names, but of

Freddy D: 00:20:49

how someone was in that bad situation and their life is completely different today?

Bill Sparks: 00:20:55

Yeah, I did have an agent.

Bill Sparks: 00:20:56

But he was one of my reports came in pretty much homeless.

Bill Sparks: 00:21:01

I don't know, I didn't really understand exactly how he got

Bill Sparks: 00:21:05

himself in that situation.

Bill Sparks: 00:21:06

He was in the military He was a teacher had a great background, his relationship

Bill Sparks: 00:21:12

with his wife didn't go right.

Bill Sparks: 00:21:14

Lost, his wife, lost his child.

Bill Sparks: 00:21:16

He was living in his car basically and I didn't really know that until a bit later,

Bill Sparks: 00:21:23

until we, brought him on, but this was it for him, he was living day to day and

Bill Sparks: 00:21:28

plugged him in the system we developed a relationship with him, poached him up.

Bill Sparks: 00:21:33

And it might learn more about his personal situation.

Bill Sparks: 00:21:36

I really, took put in some extra effort to help out.

Bill Sparks: 00:21:40

We do have some programs where financially, I can

Bill Sparks: 00:21:43

help him get on his feet.

Bill Sparks: 00:21:45

In a stable situation, moved him out of a car.

Bill Sparks: 00:21:48

We funded an apartment for him.

Bill Sparks: 00:21:51

So he was, living in an apartment close to the office.

Bill Sparks: 00:21:54

He's working.

Bill Sparks: 00:21:55

14,15 hours a day is trying to, learn the system, learn how to be successful.

Bill Sparks: 00:22:01

and we helped him financially.

Bill Sparks: 00:22:03

For 3 months until he got on his feet and he did, and it grew to be very successful.

Bill Sparks: 00:22:09

It became one of my my sales managers.

Bill Sparks: 00:22:11

And today he's thriving, totally changed his life, he's got a nice

Bill Sparks: 00:22:15

house now he has a relationship back with his son, so it's tremendous.

Freddy D: 00:22:21

That's, wow, that's big, and so he's definitely a superfan of you.

Bill Sparks: 00:22:26

Oh yeah.

Bill Sparks: 00:22:26

Yeah.

Freddy D: 00:22:27

That's the rewarding part is being able to transform somebody's

Freddy D: 00:22:30

life like you just did and shared that.

Freddy D: 00:22:32

And I'm glad that you shared that because that's inspirational for other

Freddy D: 00:22:36

people we're on this planet for a short time and there's nothing better than

Freddy D: 00:22:41

to be able to say, I transformed some people's lives, there's no money on that.

Bill Sparks: 00:22:46

Right, and that's, my goal to be financially independent

Bill Sparks: 00:22:50

so I can do more of that.

Bill Sparks: 00:22:51

There's a lot of, people that down on their luck, and for whatever reason,

Bill Sparks: 00:22:56

and, I don't know, just a helping hand.

Bill Sparks: 00:22:59

A little lift up, makes a big difference.

Bill Sparks: 00:23:01

Believing in them.

Bill Sparks: 00:23:02

That's really it is believing in them and give them the opportunity.

Bill Sparks: 00:23:06

Sometimes it's just that they need that opportunity, that's not given to them.

Bill Sparks: 00:23:10

And, giving that opportunity can, like you said, like you

Bill Sparks: 00:23:14

did, change that person's life.

Bill Sparks: 00:23:16

Yeah, I don't know where he probably wouldn't be on this earth if it

Bill Sparks: 00:23:19

hadn't been for this opportunity.

Bill Sparks: 00:23:20

So, and you're right.

Bill Sparks: 00:23:21

I mean, he is a superfan of mine.

Bill Sparks: 00:23:23

But I was glad to do it.

Freddy D: 00:23:25

Sure.

Bill Sparks: 00:23:25

And I would do it for someone else too in that situation.

Bill Sparks: 00:23:29

Luckily, it just, it worked out good for, both of us.

Freddy D: 00:23:32

So, you've been very successful in your career.

Freddy D: 00:23:35

What advice can you give an entrepreneur or a small business owner of, build the

Freddy D: 00:23:42

importance of building those relationships and creating those superfans that in turn.

Freddy D: 00:23:48

Propels their growth as you've done, for example, with this insurance

Freddy D: 00:23:51

agency that you've got right now.

Freddy D: 00:23:53

I mean, you've got a team of superfans that are propelling

Freddy D: 00:23:56

the growth of the agency.

Bill Sparks: 00:23:59

RIght.

Bill Sparks: 00:23:59

Well, it just you want to build, as a leader, you want to be

Bill Sparks: 00:24:02

consistent and be trustworthy.

Bill Sparks: 00:24:04

One thing that we focus on and this kind of business is,

Bill Sparks: 00:24:09

it's really three components.

Bill Sparks: 00:24:10

one is your mind developing a very strong mindset.

Bill Sparks: 00:24:15

We work on that constantly and very positive proactive.

Bill Sparks: 00:24:19

And we spend time every day working on that setting goals and

Bill Sparks: 00:24:24

developing a positive attitude.

Bill Sparks: 00:24:26

And then work ethic plays a large role in this type of industry.

Bill Sparks: 00:24:30

This work, you gotta put in the effort and set the goals,

Bill Sparks: 00:24:34

and then skill set development.

Bill Sparks: 00:24:35

We work a lot every day, developing our product knowledge and competitive

Bill Sparks: 00:24:41

industry knowledge and, friends and being good advisors to our for our customers.

Bill Sparks: 00:24:46

I have a lot of presentations to various organizations business networking group,

Bill Sparks: 00:24:52

BNI realtor groups toast masters, just sharing with them different trends.

Bill Sparks: 00:24:58

And not really specific about, our product line, but what's happening

Bill Sparks: 00:25:02

in the public industry, what's happening in the private industry

Bill Sparks: 00:25:06

as it pertains to health insurance.

Bill Sparks: 00:25:09

I would say in building a good nucleus is what we talked about previously is

Bill Sparks: 00:25:13

you start with 1 agent at a time help them be successful and teach them, how to

Bill Sparks: 00:25:19

transfer that success to the next agent.

Bill Sparks: 00:25:21

And then they pass the torch.

Bill Sparks: 00:25:23

And that's really it.

Bill Sparks: 00:25:25

You've got to have a good system, a system that works, people that stay with

Bill Sparks: 00:25:29

you, and, you, you're loyal to them, you're committed to them and vice versa.

Freddy D: 00:25:33

No, it's important.

Freddy D: 00:25:34

It's very important because, it's team building.

Freddy D: 00:25:37

You built a team which have now become superfans and they're out

Freddy D: 00:25:42

there promoting and they're attracting more, superfan team members.

Freddy D: 00:25:47

And it just perpetually grows because of the momentum that you've created all

Freddy D: 00:25:54

because of the fact that you take time to.

Freddy D: 00:25:57

Put things in place to ensure their success.

Freddy D: 00:26:01

So, that's really important because there's a lot of times, well, they're

Freddy D: 00:26:04

an independent agent, not my problem.

Freddy D: 00:26:07

It's up to them to do it, and if they don't make it, too bad.

Freddy D: 00:26:11

Where you guys have got something in place, you put something in

Freddy D: 00:26:14

place to ensure that if they follow this protocol, success is there.

Freddy D: 00:26:19

But they have to put in the effort to achieve that success.

Bill Sparks: 00:26:22

Yeah, absolutely.

Bill Sparks: 00:26:23

And it makes recruiting, I wouldn't say easier, but we don't

Bill Sparks: 00:26:27

really have to recruit anymore.

Bill Sparks: 00:26:28

The word gets out and, people waiting for an opportunity for an interview.

Bill Sparks: 00:26:34

So that comes with it as well.

Freddy D: 00:26:36

And that's the superfan effect, that's exactly the superfan effect.

Freddy D: 00:26:39

That's what it is.

Freddy D: 00:26:40

It's the superfan effect that, you've created energy.

Freddy D: 00:26:45

I'll call it energy that's out there that, wow, this is the

Freddy D: 00:26:49

people I want to be part of.

Freddy D: 00:26:52

And now they're in line to come in.

Freddy D: 00:26:55

You're no longer, like you said, you're no longer recruiting.

Freddy D: 00:26:58

People are lining up and raising their hands.

Freddy D: 00:26:59

Says, Hey, I want to be part of this.

Freddy D: 00:27:01

And it just goes back to what I was saying about the guy

Freddy D: 00:27:04

dancing on the hill by himself.

Freddy D: 00:27:06

Now all of a sudden you're the party and everybody wants to

Freddy D: 00:27:09

be part of, go to the party.

Freddy D: 00:27:11

It's like when you go to a restaurant, you can have two restaurants and

Freddy D: 00:27:14

they both serve excellent food.

Freddy D: 00:27:16

But one place is busy and there's a line and the other place is empty.

Freddy D: 00:27:20

That's what I'm saying.

Freddy D: 00:27:21

And the food is exactly the same in quality, but guess what?

Freddy D: 00:27:24

Which one would you go to?

Bill Sparks: 00:27:26

Everybody's going.

Bill Sparks: 00:27:27

That's right.

Bill Sparks: 00:27:28

What are they doing?

Freddy D: 00:27:30

Exactly.

Freddy D: 00:27:31

And so it's the same thing.

Freddy D: 00:27:32

That's you've got, you've created that same momentum, which is

Freddy D: 00:27:36

really cool because now you're in a whole different mindset.

Freddy D: 00:27:40

And your people feel that different mindset and now you've got a confidence,

Freddy D: 00:27:46

you're like when we were back in the Chicago days, you're like the

Freddy D: 00:27:49

Chicago bears, you had an attitude.

Freddy D: 00:27:51

There's the Chicago bulls, Michael Jordan had attitude, and once they

Freddy D: 00:27:56

had attitude, they were unbeatable.

Bill Sparks: 00:27:57

That's it.

Bill Sparks: 00:27:58

Yeah.

Bill Sparks: 00:27:59

That plays a large role in it.

Bill Sparks: 00:28:01

If there's nothing better, I'll, we'll take the team out and

Bill Sparks: 00:28:04

celebrate and we will build a really nice steakhouse in town.

Bill Sparks: 00:28:08

And and they see our guys come in and they're dressed nice

Bill Sparks: 00:28:11

and they're driving nice cars.

Bill Sparks: 00:28:13

And what do they, who do you guys what do you do?

Bill Sparks: 00:28:16

Everybody's that.

Bill Sparks: 00:28:16

What do you do?

Bill Sparks: 00:28:17

What do you do?

Bill Sparks: 00:28:17

What do you guys do?

Bill Sparks: 00:28:19

And that's fun, yeah, that's fun.

Bill Sparks: 00:28:20

I mean, just that, like you said, it's like the bears back, in our day, that

Bill Sparks: 00:28:25

attitude, that swagger that they have.

Freddy D: 00:28:27

That's it.

Freddy D: 00:28:27

The swagger.

Freddy D: 00:28:28

That's it.

Freddy D: 00:28:29

That's it.

Freddy D: 00:28:30

But that's, that attracts more.

Freddy D: 00:28:32

It just attracts more, but you got, and that's a superfan mindset, that you're

Freddy D: 00:28:36

now you're confident you're good and you got the swagger and people want to know

Freddy D: 00:28:39

what's going on what's with that group.

Freddy D: 00:28:41

Look at these guys.

Freddy D: 00:28:42

And.

Freddy D: 00:28:42

And.

Freddy D: 00:28:43

And.

Freddy D: 00:28:43

And the magic happens

Bill Sparks: 00:28:45

Exactly.

Bill Sparks: 00:28:46

And that's where you want to get to, it takes a lot of effort.

Bill Sparks: 00:28:48

It takes a little I don't believe in luck.

Bill Sparks: 00:28:49

I believe in opportunity preparing and when right opportunity

Bill Sparks: 00:28:52

comes along, you're ready.

Bill Sparks: 00:28:55

bUt I guess everybody could use a little luck too, but being successful

Bill Sparks: 00:28:58

and keeping committed to your system and not been afraid to make

Bill Sparks: 00:29:02

changes when necessary to adapt.

Freddy D: 00:29:04

And that's a big statement right there because a lot of people,

Freddy D: 00:29:07

well, if it's not broken, don't fix it.

Freddy D: 00:29:10

Well, sometimes you need to, it may not be broken, but you know, a couple

Freddy D: 00:29:13

of tweaks makes it so much better.

Freddy D: 00:29:14

And you need to, people need to take that moment to revisit their systems

Freddy D: 00:29:19

and say, you know what, that worked five years ago, but, we need to make an

Freddy D: 00:29:23

adjustment today and do that adjustment.

Bill Sparks: 00:29:27

Right.

Bill Sparks: 00:29:27

It's like sailing, the wind, you got the good wind and you're going

Bill Sparks: 00:29:30

along and all of a sudden it changes.

Bill Sparks: 00:29:32

So you gotta, make a few adjustments and pick it back up and let's go.

Bill Sparks: 00:29:36

Yeah, I changed the course.

Bill Sparks: 00:29:37

So, yeah you've got to do that.

Bill Sparks: 00:29:39

Got to keep growing.

Bill Sparks: 00:29:40

Never can keep growing.

Bill Sparks: 00:29:41

Our goal is to grow 1 percent every day, and then our personal

Bill Sparks: 00:29:44

lives or our business lives, physical lives or spiritual lives.

Bill Sparks: 00:29:49

So that's our model.

Bill Sparks: 00:29:50

What'd you do today to grow 1%.

Bill Sparks: 00:29:53

What are you doing right there?

Freddy D: 00:29:54

I'm going to have to borrow that statement because I

Freddy D: 00:29:58

like that, grow by 1 percent a day.

Freddy D: 00:30:00

That's very achievable.

Freddy D: 00:30:03

And that's something to really take into thought.

Bill Sparks: 00:30:08

Right, that's 365%.

Bill Sparks: 00:30:10

Yeah, that's where when we look at things, break it all down,

Bill Sparks: 00:30:13

it's visible, it's achievable.

Bill Sparks: 00:30:15

I think that's where people get lost.

Bill Sparks: 00:30:16

They want to go from A to Z and they rush and doing that instead

Bill Sparks: 00:30:21

of going from A to B to C., And that eliminates a lot of fear.

Bill Sparks: 00:30:24

There's a lot of anxiety when you're an entrepreneur.

Bill Sparks: 00:30:27

I had to break it down one step at a time, do that one

Bill Sparks: 00:30:31

percent you'll get there.

Bill Sparks: 00:30:32

Trust me, we've all been there and you can do it.

Bill Sparks: 00:30:35

We're examples of that.

Bill Sparks: 00:30:37

So, same with you, you've known you through all your career to like that,

Bill Sparks: 00:30:40

you're always evolving changing, zigzagging and you got that important mind

Bill Sparks: 00:30:45

and thing with us is, we never reach it.

Bill Sparks: 00:30:48

Once we get close to it, we raise it up a little more.

Freddy D: 00:30:50

Unfortunately, yes, we do, yes, we do.

Freddy D: 00:30:53

Cool, so Bill, how can people find you?

Bill Sparks: 00:30:55

It's real easy right now.

Bill Sparks: 00:30:56

What I like to offer is if it's only, this is the season.

Bill Sparks: 00:30:59

A lot of people are making those decisions.

Bill Sparks: 00:31:02

By next year about their health insurance, we're really focused on helping

Bill Sparks: 00:31:07

self employed small business owners.

Bill Sparks: 00:31:09

We do help individuals and families too.

Bill Sparks: 00:31:11

But give me a call.

Bill Sparks: 00:31:12

I'd be happy to do a policy review.

Bill Sparks: 00:31:14

No charge my phone number is 9 0 1 4 6 8 8 , 9, 3.

Bill Sparks: 00:31:21

You can send me an email at sparks412@gmail.

Bill Sparks: 00:31:27

Com.

Bill Sparks: 00:31:28

Or you can go to my website https://ushagent.com/WilliamSparks . So

Bill Sparks: 00:31:34

those are the places you can find.

Bill Sparks: 00:31:36

Don't feel reluctant to send me a text or an email and we'll certainly schedule

Bill Sparks: 00:31:41

a time to, so I can at least listen to your situation and see if I can help.

Freddy D: 00:31:44

Perfect, well, Bill, it's been a pleasure having you on the

Freddy D: 00:31:47

business super fan podcast show.

Freddy D: 00:31:49

I think we shared a lot of great nuggets for everybody and look forward to having

Freddy D: 00:31:54

you on the show again in the future.

Bill Sparks: 00:31:56

My pleasure.

Bill Sparks: 00:31:57

As always we've been good friends for a long time.

Bill Sparks: 00:32:01

Appreciate the invitation to be part of Your success and support it and thank you

Bill Sparks: 00:32:05

for giving me the opportunity to share some nuggets with the fan base here.

Freddy D: 00:32:10

Yeah, appreciate it, buddy.

Bill Sparks: 00:32:12

All right, man.

Bill Sparks: 00:32:13

Take care of yourself.

Freddy D: 00:32:14

Yep, you too!

Freddy D: 00:32:14

Thank you everyone for tuning into episode 18 of the Business Superfan Podcast Show.

Freddy D: 00:32:19

We hope you enjoyed it and gained valuable insights.

Freddy D: 00:32:22

To support us, please give us your thumbs up, subscribe, and share this

Freddy D: 00:32:25

episode with your friends and colleagues, which helps us expand our audience.

Freddy D: 00:32:31

You can also donate to support our show.

Freddy D: 00:32:33

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude for being a valued member

Freddy D: 00:32:37

of the Business Superfans community.

Freddy D: 00:32:39

Together, let's foster a community of passionate, successful business

Freddy D: 00:32:42

enthusiasts by showing support through likes, subscriptions, and sharing.

Freddy D: 00:32:47

Thank you.