Episode 32 Frederick Dudek (Freddy D)
Unlocking Success: The Power of Gratitude and Personal Engagement in Sales Relationships with Ken Wilson
In this episode of the Business Superfans Podcast, I had an amazing chat with my old friend Ken Wilson , a sales pro with 30 years in the software-as-a-service (SaaS) industry. We reminisced about our early days in Chicago, shared laughs about fax machines and brick phones, and dove into the core values that shaped our careers—trust, integrity, and hard work.
Ken shared his journey from feeling lost post-college to thriving in sales, emphasizing grit and continuous learning. We discussed building genuine relationships, creating superfans, and the power of gratitude. Plus, we touched on using tech to connect authentically with clients. Stay tuned for more insights and stories!
Discover more with our detailed show notes and exclusive content by visiting: https://bit.ly/4cGK52Q
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Mentioned in this episode:
Business Superfans Accelerator
Attention business owners, are you looking to transform your employees, customers, and business allies relationships and elevate your brand to new heights? Join the Business Superfans Accelerator today. Led by me, Freddie D, this dynamic mentorship program empowers you to turn your stakeholders into passionate superfans. The ultimate brand advocates who actively promote your business. Imagine a community of dedicated supporters promoting your products or services, not just through word of mouth, but as proud champions of your brand. With exclusive access to monthly Q& A sessions, brainstorming opportunities, and valuable resources like online courses, playbooks, and much more. This program is designed to provide you with the tools you need for sustainable, profitable growth. Don't wait. Every moment you delay allows your competition to get ahead. Sign up now at bizsuperfans. community and start unleashing the potential of your superfans today. Your brand's transformation awaits. Let's make business growth your reality.
Business Superfans Accelerator
Ken Wilson is just your average small time guy.
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:Who grew up in a blue collar family
in the cornfields of Illinois.
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:He overcame adversity early on.
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:He lost his mom at a very young age.
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:His dad remarried and ended up going
through a difficult divorce, which
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:left the family with little money
and living in low income housing.
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:Ken used sports to get him
through the hard times.
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:He excelled in baseball and got a
scholarship to play college ball only
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:to suffer a career ending injury.
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:After graduation, he landed an
unexpected job in a technology industry,
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:selling manufacturing software.
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:And over the past 25 years,
Ken has created a successful
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:career in that industry.
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:Winning many honors.
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:He attributes his success to a
positive attitude, great work ethic
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:surrounding himself with some incredible
people and a true desire to serve.
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:Ken lives in Florida with his wife of
almost 30 years and has a 23 year old
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:son and a 21 year old daughter for fun.
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:Ken likes to hang out on the beach, hike
in the mountains, ride his electric bike
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:workout and spend time with his family.
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:He is also the author of two books
that he wrote during the pandemic,
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:The Bible Simplified and The
Invitation both available on Amazon.
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:Welcome Ken Wilson to the
Business Superfans Podcast.
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:Ken Wilson: Freddie D.
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:Wow.
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:What a blast from the
past when you called me.
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:I remember our early days in the
manufacturing software industry
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:in Chicago, like 30 years ago.
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:Freddy D: Yeah.
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:Ken Wilson: Just think about it.
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:I was just how young and
clueless I was as a sales rep.
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:But you had drive.
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:Freddy D: You had Drive, and I remember
when we drove together in a couple of
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:accounts that we went because I was
managing the channel, and I think you
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:worked for CAD CAM tools at the time, if
I remember correctly, we just hit it off.
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:And we went to a couple of accounts.
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:We had
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:the same mindsets.
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:And it was a lot of fun.
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:Ken Wilson: Had a lot of fun.
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:And you taught me a lot.
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:Again, I was coming out of school.
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:So you were a little bit more polished.
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:It took me a little time to
learn from you on this stuff.
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:That kind of feeds into a little
bit more about my background
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:and set the stage here.
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:Like you said, anything is
possible with hard work, grit.
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:A desire to learn and
get better every day.
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:And most of the time You gotta have a goal
to have that vision of where you want to
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:go, because if you don't know where you
want to go, you're going in a circle.
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:Exactly.
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:But I think Fred, Freddie, I think the
most important thing is the ability
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:to deal with other people, right?
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:Not just in sales, but also in all
aspects of our lives, whether it's a
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:friendship, your marriage, any type of
relationship, it's just basically gets
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:down to, how do you deal with people?
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:I grew up in the cornfields of Illinois.
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:In a blue collar family, several
of my family members only
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:had fifth grade educations.
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:My dad went to army.
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:He got his high school degree.
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:So from my perspective, Freddie
is, we really weren't this
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:career minded driven family.
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:My grandma, she helped raise me and
she washed dishes most of her life.
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:My dad worked at the local
refinery on the night shift.
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:The majority of his life, he was just
doing all these odd and end construction
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:jobs, but what they did teach us.
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:Was the core values of trust,
integrity, respect, and hard work ethic.
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:It was driven by discipline too.
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:Like when we got out of line, my
dad made sure we got back in line.
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:Freddy D: I know that story very well.
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:Cause my parents came from
Europe, similar thing.
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:They were beginnings and what changed
my life was the fact that I met a guy
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:at a gas station when I was pumping gas.
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:I'm still friends with this gentleman.
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:His name is Don Tocco.
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:He gave me a pamphlet that had all
these books, the power of positive
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:thinking and think and grow rich and
how to win friends and influence people.
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:I read that stuff and it completely
transformed me and he taught
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:me to believe, so I totally
get where you're coming from.
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:Ken Wilson: Yeah, I used to work days
at the lumber store, nights stocking
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:shelves at the grocery store, just trying
to make ends meet and then thinking,
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:what the heck am I going to do with
the rest of my life with this degree?
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:Who am I going to be?
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:And is, do I want to be in advertising
and graphic design the rest of my life?
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:So I was basically lost after
college with no real direction.
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:And I sent out hundreds of resumes,
no callbacks, no responses.
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:So out of nowhere, a couple
of years out of college, I
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:get this call from a company.
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:Who wanted me to sell computer
RAM chips back in:
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:Again, I'm an advertising graphic
design guy, and the only chip I knew
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:back there was like potato chips.
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:Right?
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:I'm like, okay, you
want me to sell for you.
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:What does that have to do with
anything graphic design related?
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:And what about my lack of
experience and knowledge in sales?
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:A lot of us aren't, right?
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:Right.
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:Old and trained on how
to be a salesperson.
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:But this company, out of
nowhere, gives me a chance.
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:I said yes.
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:And the rest is history, as I've been
in sales now for, God, 30 years now, and
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:it's the best career move I've ever made.
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:Freddy D: You're very good at it.
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:Ken Wilson: And my advice to those people
out there who think they're just not good
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:enough, or maybe they don't have any idea
what they want to do with their life, or
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:maybe they don't think they deserve the
opportunity, I want to make it very clear.
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:Yes, you do deserve it.
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:You deserve it.
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:And you can do it.
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:You gotta go after it.
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:But you gotta make a choice, too.
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:Right, Freddie?
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:You gotta get past the fear, accept
the invitation, because you never
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:know where it's gonna take you and
the people you're gonna meet along
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:the way that are gonna help shape
your life and impact your career.
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:Freddy D: Yep.
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:Sylvester Stallone says it the best.
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:There's nothing tougher than life
because it will knock you down and it's
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:going to knock you back down and you
got to get back and knock back at it.
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:Ken Wilson: You know what?
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:You were so right.
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:I was reflecting back too.
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:So when your call came out of the blue,
I'm thinking about old school days on
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:that journey and just how far I've come.
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:All these struggles and obstacles
I've been encountering along the way
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:to help shape me into who I am today.
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:I'm grateful for you, all the
people and experiences in my life.
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:I truly believe the best education
is being in the trenches.
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:Freddy D: Absolutely.
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:Ken Wilson: Taking the punches.
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:You gotta take the punches.
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:Fall down.
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:Freddy D: And they hurt.
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:They leave a mark.
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:But you gotta get back up.
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:Ken Wilson: That's why they call them
the College of Hard Knocks, right?
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:I remember having a lot of these face
flat, on the mat moments along the way.
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:I always tell our kids this too, but
separates the winners from the losers.
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:This getting back up, getting back
in the game and doing it all over
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:again that you were talking about
the desire and then how you respond.
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:That's how you respond to those obstacles
and circumstances along the way.
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:And it's all gets down to your
choices that you make in life.
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:Freddy D: And sometimes
it's hard to get back up.
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:You think that it's over.
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:You can't make it and you get delusional.
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:But you got to slap yourself
upside the head a few times.
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:It doesn't happen right away.
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:Once you do and snap out of it,
you get back on the horse and
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:you start going forward again.
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:Ken Wilson: So old school days, Freddy,
early nineties, hip hop music, Michael
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:Jordan, the Bulls, fax machines were in.
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:Internet was just starting up and
knocking on doors, handing out business
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:cards when we were in a suit and tie.
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:You remember the old James Bond 007
brick phones that were so cool back then?
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:Freddy D: I had one.
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:I had a couple of them, but
we were cool, man, in our back
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:pockets, these big bricks.
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:So, yeah, those were wild times.
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:Ken Wilson: Freddie, do you remember
the one where I thought I was so
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:professional when I got my first leather
briefcase with those gold clasps?
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:Oh, yeah.
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:It would make that loud click when you
press the button to open a hard briefcase.
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:Oh, yeah.
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:Yeah, and we were men, man.
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:We made it to the top.
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:If they didn't buy, you just use it.
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:Freddy D: For real
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:Ken Wilson: it's eyeopening and pretty
amazing to think back on those 30 years.
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:I'll share what I mean and what
makes a person stand out from
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:another person or why one sales rep
is more successful than another.
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:Because when you get right down to
it, Freddy, it's not really magic.
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:Freddy D: No, it's not.
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:Ken Wilson: There's just some plain,
simple things that people can do, certain
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:values and principles that you can embrace
and practice that were in place hundreds
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:of years ago and are still in place today.
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:Freddy D: And they work, that's the thing
is the society has changed a bit to where
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:it's a lot more transactional, but the
ones that blend old school have a dramatic
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:advantage over those that are just
strictly in a transactional world today.
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:Ken Wilson: Exactly.
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:So for all the young people out
there too, who are deciding what
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:they want to do in their lives,
whether it's to get into sales.
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:Be an accountant, a
nurse, a doctor, whatever.
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:I think what I'm going to talk about
today with you, Freddie, is it applies
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:to every career and in life, even
someone who's 50 years old and wants
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:to reinvent themselves, this is for
them too, because I was reading up too.
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:Look at Colonel Sanders.
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:Freddy D: He failed many times.
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:Everybody kept saying no.
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:He never gave up and he made it.
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:There's a lot of people that
retire out of corporate world.
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:Okay.
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:And then they realize
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:this is boring.
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:That's why I was so quiet.
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:Nothing's happening.
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:And so they want to start a
business, but they got no clue
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:on how to start a business.
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:So that's one of the reasons I wrote
the book because it incorporates a
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:multitude of aspects from the beginning
of prospecting, you got to have a
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:roadmap, you have to have a vision.
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:And so just like you're saying, it
doesn't matter what the industry is,
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:it's the principles are the principles.
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:They don't change.
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:They're applicable everywhere.
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:Ken Wilson: Exactly, Freddy.
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:And you know what came to mind
too, like reading your book,
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:Business Superfans, awesome book.
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:And what came to mind after I read
that book is a great book that I read.
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:That had a huge impact in my life.
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:My success is Dale Carnegie's.
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:Freddy D: Yep.
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:Ken Wilson: How to Win
Friends and Influence People.
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:That was written back in 1936.
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:And it was about how to deal with
people, things you don't learn in
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:school, just becoming genuinely
interested in other people.
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:Freddy D: Sales is building
relationships and creating those
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:superfans out of those relationships.
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:That's why you and I were so successful
and still are successful in our
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:sales approaches is because of the
fact that we built relationships.
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:It wasn't the product
that we were selling.
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:We were helping that individual achieve
their vision of where they wanted to go.
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:The tools that we had were just
the tools to help them get there.
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:Ken Wilson: One of the core ideas
in his book, and is that possible
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:to change other people's behavior by
changing our behavior toward them.
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:Be enthusiastic.
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:Just make people feel
a bit more important.
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:Freddy D: Here's an important
aspect is if someone says their
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:name is Robert, don't call him Bob.
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:It's just who gave you the
permission to shorten the name?
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:If, especially if they
say it's Robert or Steven.
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:And turn around and says, Oh,
Steve, uh, it just that right
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:off the bat annoys people.
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:They don't usually say something,
some do, but right off the bat,
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:you just disrespected them.
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:Ken Wilson: Absolutely.
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:You really did.
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:And right off the bat, you wouldn't
believe that how much of an impact
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:that's going to have later on.
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:Freddy D: I learned that the hard way.
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:In Europe, you don't call the
person by their first name.
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:It's actually Mr.
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:Whatever their last name is.
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:Until they give you the permission to say,
okay, you can call me Robert or whatever.
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:Same thing in the Asian culture.
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:It's even more so important because
their culture is very different.
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:Ken Wilson: That's interesting.
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:Another thing too, Freddie is you gotta,
you know, me, I don't take life too
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:seriously, but I take my job and taking
care of my clients seriously, but I don't
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:let drama, negative talk get in my way.
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:Just like you, I surround myself
with positive, energetic, make it
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:happen, figure it out kind of people.
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:And I can't stress this next key
point enough because 95 percent
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:of the salespeople don't do it.
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:Be a great listener.
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:When I go into a meeting, I talk maybe 5
percent of the time, and that's basically
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:because I'm asking them questions about
themselves, their challenges, their goals.
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:And learning how we can
maybe solve a problem.
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:People want to feel understood
and get their point across.
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:Yep.
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:Think about the last time you had
a doctor's appointment, right?
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:And which doctor did
you decide to go with?
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:Do you want to go with the doctor
who prescribes you medicine the first
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:three minutes without even know what
your problem is, or you want to go to
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:a doctor who is genuinely interested
in you, your problems, your pains,
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:and they get to know you a bit more
before they offer you some advice to
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:validate your pain or fix your problem.
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:It's the same in business, right?
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:Acting, intentional.
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:Freddy D: Listening.
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:Ken Wilson: You know, listening.
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:Freddy D: Yep.
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:Ken Wilson: Because really, you're
building a case for your product
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:or service and why they need it.
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:And why I always tell people, Freddie
is I want the prospect or the client
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:to sell me on why they need my product
or service, not the other way around.
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:Freddy D: They're actually
selling themselves and that's
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:the fun part of the game.
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:Cause I look at sales as a game
because at my level and at your
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:level, we know how to play it.
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:So all we do is guide with the question.
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:Like I said earlier.
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:Whatever the software is, the widget, the
tool, whatever the gizmo is irrelevant.
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:It's all about how can we help
them get to where they want to go.
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:And the component that we're
selling is a component to help
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:them get to where they want to go.
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:Ken Wilson: You nailed it.
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:Far too many times, I see even the most
experienced sales reps, they'll just
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:come in and they'll just throw up on
clients for 95 percent of the meeting
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:about how good their products are, how
great their company is, and it doesn't
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:even apply to what they want or need.
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:And that turns people off and they
see right through that too, Freddie.
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:That rep never really took the
time to understand what the
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:company was trying to accomplish.
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:You only get one shot sometimes.
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:And if you blow it, you're out.
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:So you got to make a
great first impression.
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:They pick up on that.
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:Freddy D: And that's how you create
super fans is the fact that when you
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:leave the meeting, they're excited
because they know that you understand.
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:Where they're at and
where they want to go.
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:Ken Wilson: People buy from
people they like and trust.
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:And people can tell within the
first few minutes if you're
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:genuinely wanting to help them
or if you're trying to sell them.
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:Here's another thing too, Freddie,
is you got to get to know your
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:customers and their company.
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:So before my meeting, I'll
go to LinkedIn, ZoomInfo.
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:And I'll find out who I'm meeting
with, what their roles are, what their
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:previous jobs they had, where they used
to work, what colleges they attended,
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:groups they've associated with.
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:I research what the company does,
and when you meet with them, talk
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:about some of those things, right?
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:Learn about their family,
their favorite sports teams.
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:That conversation is more of a natural.
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:Fun way.
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:And it gets them to talk about themselves.
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:Maybe you got something in common.
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:Freddy D: Totally agree.
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:I used to drive a Mercedes, I still do.
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:And people would tell me,
Oh my God, you're coming in.
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:You're wearing expensive suits.
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:You're driving a Mercedes.
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:They're going to think your stuff is
too expensive and everything else.
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:They completely missed the situation
because really, while the tech guys
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:were talking to the tech guys, I'm
talking to the owner of the company.
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:And most of the time, what was he driving?
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:An expensive car.
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:And if it happened to be a Mercedes,
him and I would be yakking about
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:our cars and the tech guys would be
tackling, handling all the tech stuff.
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:We could care less.
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:It was a conversation about cars
and which mechanic did you use and
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:what issues were, and which car
were you thinking of getting next?
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:And just like you said, we built the
relationship and it was a game changer.
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:And that really showed more importantly,
success because people buy from people
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:that they like and trust and feel that
they're on the same level as they are.
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:Ken Wilson: And it's a
great icebreaker, right?
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:It tears down the walls.
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:It makes them feel more comfortable
and at ease that you're just a regular
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:person, maybe with some similar interests.
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:And then conversation and the meeting
flows with less of this wall of what is
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:this guy or gal trying to sell me into,
wow, you know what, this guy's different.
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:Maybe he does care.
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:I'll give him a chance.
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:And that's where the
magic happens, Freddie.
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:You go from selling to serving, right?
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:Selling to serving.
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:How can I serve this person?
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:How can I serve this company
and make them more successful?
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:Because you know this, and it's all
over your book, Business Superfans
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:too, is once you build that trust,
they start to become your Superfans.
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:Freddy D: Yep
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:Ken Wilson: And when I need a reference,
guess who I can feel confident to ask?
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:Those successful clients
who are now my friends.
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:Because prospects love to talk to actual
clients who've been in their shoes and
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:are trying to solve the same challenges.
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:And now they hear it firsthand
from their peers and not just us.
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:And those referral connections is where.
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:My business has grown
tenfold, no doubt about it.
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:Freddy D: And that's why I named the book
Creating Business Superfans is because
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:the focus is on the business aspect.
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:It's not, even though you can see
behind me, the faces are painting.
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:I took the idea, really, the
idea came from sports fans.
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:So if you think of the sports fans, the
guys that go to the football games, the
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:baseball games, the basketball games, got
their faces painted, they got the jerseys.
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:And they're just diehard fans.
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:What are they doing?
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:They're promoting that team.
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:Is the team paying them for that?
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:No.
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:Are they probably making
money off the merchandise?
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:Absolutely.
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:But those fans are promoting,
they got the bumper stickers,
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:they're wearing the stuff.
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:They're promoting that team.
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:So that's where my idea came.
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:And that's why we've got our faces
painted, but we're wearing business
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:attire is why businesses create
super fans for their business and
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:get, which are basically brand
advocates or advocates on steroids.
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:The ultimate advocates are the
superfans that are the diehard marketing
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:tool, in a sense, for that business.
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:Ken Wilson: It's like you said
in, your book too, Freddie.
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:I remember you had to swoop in and save
the day with that disgruntled customer.
383
:What I just mentioned above to save and
grow that account, you basically went in
384
:to save it and then grow it and create
some good relationships from that.
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:Freddy D: I felt like I was the cleaner.
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:Okay.
387
:We're sitting, sending in the
cleaner to go and get it cleaned up.
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:And it was fun.
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:I enjoyed doing that because it gave
me energy to listen to their issues.
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:Again, we go back to
listening, hearing them out.
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:But most people do is they try
to solve the problem right away.
392
:Versus let them vent, let them
get it out of them because once
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:it's out of them, Its gone.
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:That's one of the secrets.
395
:You let them just spill it all out
till they run out of stuff to talk
396
:about because they got it all out of
the system and says, okay, great, Ken.
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:So where do we go from here?
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:How do we get going?
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:How do we get moving forward?
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:And now all of a sudden all
the negative stuff is gone.
401
:And so mentally they're transformed into,
you're right, let's start moving forward.
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:And that's really the secret.
403
:Ken Wilson: It really is.
404
:Here's another thing that kind of feeds
into that is you can't speed date clients.
405
:I remember getting a new account
passed on from a few previous
406
:reps about four months into it.
407
:I finally got him on the phone and he
said, why would I try building trust
408
:in a relationship with you knowing
you're going to leave me in a year?
409
:Well, like, well, that's
pretty harsh, right?
410
:And I told him to just give me a chance.
411
:And I met with him in person.
412
:And now two years into it,
we've got a great relationship.
413
:We're doing some cross promotional
marketing campaigns together
414
:and we've grown their business.
415
:So having a happy, successful client
is like a friendship or marriage.
416
:It takes time to nurture it,
build that trust, respect.
417
:Freddy D: And you get out of the
conversation, talking about the
418
:business and you start really,
the business is 15 minutes.
419
:In the next 45 minutes, you're
talking about what vacation
420
:they're planning to go on.
421
:Where have they been?
422
:How was that vacation or what their
next gig that they're looking to do?
423
:Not business wise, but
adventurous wise or life wise.
424
:Ken Wilson: Yeah.
425
:Another thing, this is all over
your Business Superfans book too,
426
:is thanking people, thanking people
and building that bond of trust, and
427
:that's really about the relationships.
428
:It's amazing how those two
simple words, just thank you.
429
:Can transform your life and
another's person's life and
430
:you'll stand out from the pack.
431
:People recognize that and they're never
going to forget you because of that
432
:attitude of gratitude you had for them.
433
:I like how you said it too in your
book, Freddy, is you use their
434
:mailbox, not always their inbox.
435
:Everybody's hiding behind
text messages and emails.
436
:Send an actual handwritten
paper card next time.
437
:Freddy D: Game changer.
438
:Ken Wilson: Think about how you feel when
you get something in the mail, right?
439
:Freddy D: Well, what happens is
because realistically, we get.
440
:Junk mail.
441
:We get bills, okay,
that used to get bills.
442
:Now a lot of it's come email, but
then you still go to the mailbox
443
:and, Oh my God, something personal.
444
:That's the first thing you open.
445
:Ken Wilson: Yeah.
446
:Yeah.
447
:And it's the same with birthdays too.
448
:I know you have some apps
that you use too, but I've
449
:got this app called Smashups.
450
:I send some of my close friends and
business clients e cards that are
451
:customized with their first names on it.
452
:Freddy D: I use Mailbox Power.
453
:It has the ability to send a physical
card through the mail, as well as you
454
:can actually do personalized gifts.
455
:I add the name to the conversation,
and now it's your water bottle.
456
:It's not my water bottle.
457
:It's just that little thing
changes it dramatically.
458
:So now it's, don't take my water bottle
versus, oh, that's their water bottle.
459
:Ken Wilson: Little things like
that make you rare, right?
460
:You're rare.
461
:You're above 98 percent of the
population of business people or
462
:salespeople out there as well.
463
:Freddy D: My quote in the book,
people crawl through broken glass
464
:for appreciation, recognition.
465
:Ken Wilson: Absolutely.
466
:You know what the thing is too, Freddie,
I'm not just talking about clients.
467
:I just sent a gift card to one of my
colleagues who has been instrumental
468
:in helping me and my clients out.
469
:And then like Dale Carnegie
said, people work for money.
470
:But they go the extra mile for
recognition, praise, and rewards.
471
:And that's so true.
472
:Freddy D: Absolutely true.
473
:How important is to follow up, for
example, after a visit and saying, thank
474
:you for your time, because the most
precious commodity we have is the clock.
475
:You can be a gazillionaire and you can't
buy more time and you can't buy it back.
476
:Ken Wilson: Yeah, you took the time.
477
:Out of the blue, I'll
bring home some flowers.
478
:It's not even a special occasion.
479
:I'll send something to a friend
who was always there for me to let
480
:him know how much they mean to me.
481
:Listen to this one, Freddy.
482
:A few years ago, I wrote a 10
page letter to my pony league
483
:baseball coach who believed in me.
484
:And he gave me a chance to pitch
how instrumental he was in helping
485
:me land a college scholarship.
486
:He put me up on the pitcher's mound.
487
:I was the last kid picked out
of 200 kids and ended up with a
488
:full ride college scholarship.
489
:So he changed the trajectory
of me, of my life.
490
:And I wanted him to know that and I called
him after that and he was almost in tears.
491
:Freddy D: It's the same thing with
my friend, uh, mentioned Don Tocco.
492
:I met him pumping gas in
Michigan and I was 18 years old.
493
:At the time I was living on my own.
494
:He pulled in with the Lincoln
continental phone in the car.
495
:He's like 10 years older than me.
496
:And I'm going like, man,
this guy is so cool.
497
:I don't know why we just hit it off.
498
:He actually had a second car and
it was repaired at the gas station.
499
:He asked the owner for me to drive that
car because he couldn't drive both cars.
500
:So I followed him to his place.
501
:He walked in, he had the really cool
pad with the clear water bed on the
502
:floor, the lamps going down, it was
just like a bachelor pad to the twelves.
503
:And that's where he gave me the
pamphlet and I still have it.
504
:I reached out to him and
I thanked him in a book.
505
:I still have the pamphlet and I just
met with him in February this year.
506
:He was in Arizona.
507
:We reconnected after 30 plus years.
508
:He had my book with him and he had
all these pages marked and he goes,
509
:How did you learn all this stuff?
510
:I read the books listed in the
pamphlet and shared my career.
511
:He's actually going to order between 50
and 200 books, stick them into Hillsdale
512
:college in Illinois as part of a group
of 12 books, cause he lectures there
513
:and they're designing a space for him.
514
:He changed my life because he helped
me get a janitorial business started.
515
:And he taught me to think
big and believe in myself.
516
:Ken Wilson: Yeah.
517
:Those people.
518
:I think about my coaches all the time.
519
:When people in my life, whether
it be a teacher or be a pastor's
520
:message that spoke to me at a time
or whatever it is, those things
521
:really, they really hit your heart.
522
:And another thing I want to talk about too
is there is no replacement for community.
523
:Community like that even starts
with employees turning on
524
:their zoom or teams cameras.
525
:Like I always turn on my team
camera or zoom camera to help
526
:build that personal relationship.
527
:And then going on site
and visiting your clients.
528
:Freddy D: It is.
529
:Ken Wilson: Since COVID, it seems
like more and more people have stopped
530
:visiting customers face to face.
531
:And it's too bad because going on site,
and I tell this to my counterparts
532
:too, going on site is worth more than
a hundred zoom calls because that's
533
:when you really get to know that
person on a whole different level.
534
:So my goal every year.
535
:I've got a certain amount of counts
is to go out and meet every one
536
:of my customers face to face.
537
:Freddy D: It's transformational
because one, they get to see
538
:you, you get to shake hands.
539
:You get that personal touch right there.
540
:There's a connection that's made.
541
:There's energy that's shared.
542
:But you start seeing their environment
where their world and it's the dynamics
543
:are completely different and more
importantly, most of the time, they're
544
:going to welcome you with open arms.
545
:However, sometimes you're walking into
a hornet's nest, but the fact that you
546
:walked in, usually you calmed it down.
547
:Ken Wilson: Hey, our profession is
not all unicorns and rainbows, right?
548
:You're going to have,
those bad days and those.
549
:Tough customers or prospects
who just never call you back.
550
:They go dark on you and they just
think you're another one of these
551
:pesky sales reps out to sell them more.
552
:And that's okay.
553
:My mindset has shifted from, boy.
554
:Maybe they just don't like me.
555
:I was taken at personally going
through the college of hard knocks.
556
:My first few years, I changed
that self talk, right?
557
:That's the self talk you
have in your mind, right?
558
:I go now it's, Hey, that's their loss.
559
:Not in a mean way.
560
:I just say that's their loss
because there's so much value
561
:I could have brought to them.
562
:And they missed out because they
maybe have some preconceived
563
:notions of salespeople.
564
:And that's unfortunate that some
clients or prospects don't give you a
565
:chance to prove yourself and show you
why you're different from the others.
566
:That's on them, Robert.
567
:And I always say this too.
568
:Remember, some will, some won't.
569
:So what?
570
:Who's next?
571
:And you got to move on.
572
:It's like a deck of cards.
573
:You're flipping these cards
and it's a numbers game.
574
:Sometimes there is.
575
:Jokers and then you're going to hit an
ace and boom, then you're on your way.
576
:Freddy D: Yeah.
577
:So let's talk, Ken, about some
old school sales approaches that
578
:have gotten put aside that if were
brought into play in today's world.
579
:How would that be a game
changer for salespeople today?
580
:Ken Wilson: Yeah.
581
:Freddy D: We talked about thank you.
582
:Ken Wilson: Here's something that's a
game changer for me too, is I've gone
583
:from like this transactional mindset
early on, where it's let's hurry up,
584
:let's close the deal to more of a
transformational who genuinely taking
585
:the time to get to know them and their
business and bringing in the right
586
:people to help them achieve their goals.
587
:I always tell people that.
588
:I don't know everything, but I
know people who know everything.
589
:I can usually find them the right
person to get you answers fast.
590
:And that's why it's so important
to build, this network of very
591
:smart, reliable people that are
available to help me and my clients.
592
:And then I became their go to guy.
593
:Okay.
594
:And instead of them spending hours
researching a topic or a solution,
595
:they come to me and I connect them and
facilitate the meetings with our experts.
596
:So, It's this ecosystem that we
have, that we built and all the
597
:connections on LinkedIn I have and
all the good friends that I trust.
598
:I bring them into conversations
and it doesn't always have to
599
:be about my product, right?
600
:Freddy D: The fact that you're a
connector, so you may make zero money
601
:on it because it's not about the money.
602
:It's about helping them get to where,
solving their need at that moment.
603
:Ken Wilson: Yeah, that's so true.
604
:And you've seen it too.
605
:Heck, you've got, I'm sure, a
massive Rolodex of phenomenal
606
:contacts and connections in
the industry over the years.
607
:Everybody today wants
things like now, right?
608
:So what I try to do.
609
:It is, I pick up the phone, I
answer their emails immediately.
610
:It really sets you apart.
611
:It shows them when they need
something and they're in a
612
:bind, they're going to call you.
613
:Freddy D: Speed is everything.
614
:I tell people that you get an
inquiry through your website.
615
:You got 15 minutes.
616
:Look at it as it has to be
responded to in 15 minutes.
617
:Because if you respond within that
timeframe, one, it shows, wow, they're
618
:actually paying attention to this thing.
619
:They call somebody else, right?
620
:Yeah.
621
:So if you respond within 15
minutes, you set the tone.
622
:One is you're responsive.
623
:Number two, you've pretty much eliminated
any chance for competition because they're
624
:wowed that you responded to them so
fast that their mindset already is while
625
:these guys care, I've closed more sales
than they've Because I was the first
626
:one to respond to their website inquiry.
627
:Ken Wilson: Exactly, exactly.
628
:What are some other things you do daily?
629
:I think the way you start your day
sets the tone for the rest of your day.
630
:What I mean by that, Freddy,
is I get up real early.
631
:I'm a five o'clock in the morning.
632
:I get up.
633
:I work out.
634
:I go sit in Kenny's corner, right?
635
:My little place away from everything.
636
:You know I pray, I thank God for
all the things I'm so grateful
637
:for, I listen to positive podcasts.
638
:I fill my mind with all this positive
energy and I may have 20 or 30 emails out
639
:before it's eight o'clock in the morning.
640
:So right off the bat, I'm two
hours ahead of the other people.
641
:And if you start figuring all those
hours out, two hours multiplied by 365
642
:days, that's a lot of extra hours I have.
643
:And it really, it makes me feel at peace.
644
:So I'm at peace with myself
when I go into my day.
645
:I keep healthy and it really helps
me to get through the day as far as
646
:having this positive energy and just
having great conversations with people.
647
:Freddy D: Very important to stay ahead.
648
:Ken Wilson: Yeah.
649
:Freddy D: So let me ask you another
question is how has cloud based software,
650
:for example, in the SaaS industry
changed and become more transactional
651
:than the old school ways where we
would go in person, do a presentation.
652
:Slug all the computer equipment
all along and put it all together
653
:and in time to tear it down and
schlep the stuff out of there.
654
:Remember those days?
655
:Ken Wilson: My back still
hurts from those days.
656
:Lug and a 200 pound monitor everywhere.
657
:Freddy D: I know, I remember those days.
658
:Having to go upstairs because
they didn't have elevators.
659
:Ken Wilson: If you think back 30
years ago, you sell a computer, a
660
:high powered computer, with software,
to one person at a large company,
661
:you're talking 30, 000, 40, 000.
662
:Freddy D: Mm hmm.
663
:Ken Wilson: Those were the days.
664
:Workers needed some serious
money, so I think it broke
665
:down the barriers to anybody.
666
:Right?
667
:Think about what you can do now when
you're not paying this upfront, expensive
668
:software cost and now computers in the
cloud, it's so inexpensive that anybody
669
:now can start a business for a thousand
bucks, you get a laptop, you're paying
670
:monthly now on the software instead of
paying everything upfront and you've
671
:got Facebook now, you've got LinkedIn,
you've got all these other tools.
672
:I wish we had these tools.
673
:And software and technology back in our
days, Freddie, we would be, we did well.
674
:I think today's business people and
sales reps have a huge advantage.
675
:Not only that, but it opens up
bigger opportunities for people
676
:who are buying the software now.
677
:Freddy D: Right.
678
:I'm going to twist that a little
bit and go, okay, you've got the
679
:software platforms, and I think
this is advice for those people.
680
:Ken Wilson: It's transactional
because you go in, you put in your
681
:credit card or you got your 30
day free trial and you get emails.
682
:Some people will actually call you
and say, Hey, I just want to thank
683
:you for trying out our software.
684
:And those people usually have a better
close ratio because they get a chance
685
:to build that relationship versus the
emails, because you're still hiding.
686
:Freddy D: As we talked earlier,
you're still hiding behind emails.
687
:So I think that in today's world
for those SaaS companies out there,
688
:throw in a little bit of old school.
689
:Reach out, if you've got that person's
contact information, but if you don't
690
:have their phone number, send an email,
say, Hey, I'd like to schedule a quick
691
:video, a 15 minute conversation with
you just to understand why you're
692
:looking for the software, that's
going to be a game changer in my mind.
693
:Ken Wilson: Yeah, it really
is because you're right.
694
:So the client bought the
cloud software, see you later.
695
:And that's it.
696
:That's the end of the journey,
but it is a journey, right?
697
:So I always try to leverage
multiple touch points.
698
:I'll email, I'll text.
699
:I'll pick up the phone and call them.
700
:I'll link in with somebody.
701
:I'll send them a webinar, but I always
want to consistently drip and keep my
702
:name in our company in front of them at
all times, because I see far too many
703
:times reps who they sold the software,
they hit their quota, they move on.
704
:What's next, and it's too late because
maybe that customer who was your
705
:customer just purchased from somebody
else and they got a different solution.
706
:Yeah.
707
:Freddy D: Or they use your
product for six months and then
708
:all of a sudden they disappear.
709
:They will do another platform because
again, it's so easy to just say, you
710
:know what, I'm done with this package.
711
:I'm going to another package.
712
:And usually you don't
even get any followup.
713
:Why did you leave?
714
:What can we do?
715
:It's poof, gone.
716
:Ken Wilson: Freddie, everything
is so dispensable today, right?
717
:Oh, you know what?
718
:My, my cell phone, gosh, it
just doesn't seem to work.
719
:That's why you really have
to be on top of people.
720
:Freddy D: You can leverage
technology, but you can send video.
721
:You can send a video message to somebody.
722
:I love that.
723
:I mentioned it in the book, is you can
send someone in just a quick one minute.
724
:Ken, just want to reach out to
you, say hi, hope all is well.
725
:There's tech, there's a
bunch of tools out there.
726
:The onboarding of a new customer that's
in a SaaS world, you sending them a video,
727
:welcome to the family, blah, blah, blah.
728
:There's little things that you can do.
729
:There's still old school
way, using modern way
730
:.
Ken Wilson: Spot on, exactly.
731
:Good stuff, Freddie.
732
:You know, I'll end it
like this too, Freddie.
733
:My favorite.
734
:Saying, and you mentioned this in your
book, Business Superfans too, right?
735
:It's from Teddy Roosevelt.
736
:It really encapsulates everything we
were just talking about here, where
737
:people don't care how much you know
until they know how much you care.
738
:So true.
739
:Freddy D: Yeah.
740
:So I said, there's the little tools you
can, there's multitude of ways in today's
741
:world, there's so much technology that you
can utilize to build those relationships.
742
:Absolutely.
743
:Quick video.
744
:There's times where I FaceTime customers
because it just makes it, they're
745
:like, Whoa, why not look at each other?
746
:And they start laughing.
747
:That's the other thing too, is I think
the thing is getting people to laugh.
748
:That's one of the secrets.
749
:You get people to laugh.
750
:Everybody starts to relax.
751
:Ken Wilson: Yeah.
752
:Freddy D: So I really always try to get
some form of humor in the conversation.
753
:And you just make fun of myself.
754
:Ken Wilson: You know what?
755
:That's good.
756
:You're humble.
757
:When you can make fun of
yourself, that's a good thing.
758
:Some people can't do that.
759
:But yeah, I totally
agree with you, Freddie.
760
:That's why I was saying, I
don't take life too seriously.
761
:I just like to have fun.
762
:And people all like to have fun.
763
:But you gotta also solve a problem.
764
:Get down to business.
765
:My wife does that too.
766
:She runs a health business and
she got this automated text app.
767
:What used to take her hours to do.
768
:Now it takes her minutes where she
can send out hundreds of personalized
769
:text messages to people to let them
know about a new product or whatever.
770
:I love the FaceTime.
771
:She does a lot of FaceTime interviews.
772
:You'll have them talk about how
much weight they've lost or, how
773
:much better they feel or how they
transform their life and those really
774
:have a huge impact in people's lives.
775
:Freddy D: My soon to be wife.
776
:Ken Wilson: Congratulations.
777
:Freddy D: Oh, thank you.
778
:Thank you.
779
:Yeah.
780
:Coming up in a couple of months.
781
:We're guests.
782
:She sells hearing aids over the phone.
783
:Okay.
784
:No visual, no nothing.
785
:Think about that.
786
:She sells and their top
of the line hearing aids.
787
:Over the phone, but what she does
so unique and she's one of the
788
:top salespeople in the company.
789
:Is she's real with the conversation.
790
:It'd be like, okay, Ken, hang on.
791
:Let me grab my keyboard,
take a sip of my coffee.
792
:And that's how she does it.
793
:It's just like, she's having
a conversation with a friend.
794
:She's not selling them and she
starts off asking what's their
795
:challenges and everything else.
796
:And she kills it.
797
:And because she's real.
798
:Ken Wilson: I'll be right back.
799
:Freddy D: Those are some things that
we can still do to create business
800
:superfans being real and authentic.
801
:Really, at the end of the day is
being authentic and looking at
802
:how we can help them get to where
they want to go, whatever it is.
803
:Ken Wilson: Boom.
804
:Authentic, real.
805
:Freddy D: So last thing I want to
talk about is really how important
806
:is it to really recognize the
whole ecosystem of a company.
807
:When you're talking with the customers,
the employees, management, the
808
:partners, the suppliers, we talked
about that a little earlier before
809
:we started recording the show.
810
:So what's your take on really
recognizing that whole ecosystem?
811
:Ken Wilson: Extremely important.
812
:And I'll tell you why.
813
:I see some experienced sales
reps do it too, where they're
814
:tied down to one person.
815
:Or maybe that's the gatekeeper they're
in touch with and they're not making
816
:any movement within the company.
817
:That's why it's so important
to reach out to other groups.
818
:Within the company, they might have 30,
40 subsidiaries within their company.
819
:You need to get to know each and every
one of those and their pain points and
820
:how they interact and how they share
projects and data back and forth with one
821
:another and their suppliers too, because
their suppliers can tell you stories of,
822
:Hey, you know what, did you know X, Y, Z
company also works with didn't know that.
823
:So you learn so much by being
involved with the entire.
824
:Ecosystem of a company.
825
:So yeah, I try to
leverage as many contacts.
826
:Individuals, when I go into a company,
how do we touch more people within
827
:that organization, within that
ecosystem to provide them more value?
828
:Freddy D: And you learn more,
like you just said, you learn
829
:more about the business.
830
:And sometimes the individual
that you're thinking is the
831
:individual, isn't the individual.
832
:Ken Wilson: Yes.
833
:Freddy D: How many
times has that happened?
834
:Ken Wilson: You can't break
through that and find that person
835
:unless you did everything we
were just talking about, right?
836
:You got to get them to trust you
and then they'll start to open up.
837
:Clients that I've had, it could
take a year or two, two, who
838
:knows how long it's going to take.
839
:But once you get to that point, those
relationships with your customers,
840
:they'll introduce you to other people and
then you'll start them to other people
841
:in their industry who can help them.
842
:So it just, it's a circle of love, right?
843
:Freddy D: I remember one time I was
selling a software product to a company
844
:and there was this old guy walking around.
845
:Nobody ever paid attention to this
old guy and he was walking around.
846
:I'm talking to all these people.
847
:And so I finally asked, who's the old guy?
848
:He was the original founder of the
company and he just hung around there.
849
:But he was the influencer.
850
:So I learned this and I started to
talk to him to educate him on what
851
:we were doing, because at the end of
the day, they didn't make any large
852
:decisions unless he thumbed it up.
853
:It's so important to really understand
that whole ecosystem of a company, because
854
:like you were saying before, the guy
may not be the guy, but that's the guy.
855
:Ken Wilson: That's so good.
856
:And if you talk to my family.
857
:I talk to everybody, whether it's
in business, like you said, I'll
858
:be in the lobby and I'll just be
chatting with the receptionist and
859
:finding out information from her.
860
:We're just having a conversation
or, yeah, I could be in an elevator.
861
:Elevators are great places to trap people.
862
:I'll see the name of the company
I'm going to see on the elevator
863
:and I'll be like, Hey, who are you?
864
:And it could be the
president of the company.
865
:I encourage people to talk more, to
ask more questions, really, just like
866
:you did, whether you're in the lobby,
whether you're at the grocery store.
867
:Wherever you're at, just talk to people.
868
:You never know who that person might be.
869
:Freddy D: It could be the CEO of
the company, and here you get a
870
:chance to be one on one with them.
871
:Ken Wilson: Yeah.
872
:Yeah.
873
:You got to break down those barriers.
874
:I think the older I get too,
Freddie, I get to a point where
875
:awareness level is so much higher.
876
:What I mean by that is I'm always out.
877
:I'm looking for things.
878
:I'm looking for people.
879
:I'm looking for opportunities.
880
:Everything out there to
me is an opportunity.
881
:I think it's just being
aware of your surroundings.
882
:Being a little bit more confident too,
and not having self doubt, like, God,
883
:what are they going to think of me?
884
:That could be the best conversation
they've had all day long.
885
:Freddy D: You don't know what
someone's going through in life.
886
:And sometimes a little goodwill can
be transformative for that individual.
887
:They may be having a bad day.
888
:And the fact that you acknowledge them,
recognize them, little stuff is big stuff.
889
:Because again, you don't know
what's going on in their world.
890
:Ken Wilson: Yeah.
891
:Like my dad always said, you
don't know what it's like until
892
:you're in somebody else's shoes.
893
:And he's so right.
894
:I remember walking into a
grocery store, going to get a
895
:pound of turkey or something.
896
:I went there and saw the deli
lady and she just looked upset.
897
:Like she was frustrated.
898
:It looks like she was having a
bad day, just down in the dumps.
899
:And I remember looking at her
name tag and going, Hey Joyce.
900
:How's your day going over there?
901
:And she just brighten up and
she's slicing me some turkey.
902
:She gives me a couple of pieces
and I hopefully made her day.
903
:So just never know.
904
:Freddy D: That's how you create superfans.
905
:Everybody will remember
how you made them feel.
906
:Ken Wilson: Absolutely.
907
:Freddy D: If you make them feel special,
recognized, they're your superfan.
908
:Ken Wilson: That's right.
909
:Freddy D: Cool, man.
910
:Ken Wilson: Stuff,
911
:Freddy D: Man and a great show.
912
:So, how can people find you, Ken?
913
:Ken Wilson: Yeah, Freddie, so people
can reach me by going to my website.
914
:It's StorytellerLove.
915
:Storytellers with an S dot love.
916
:They can hit the contact me button.
917
:And that site, it's basically
about ordinary people
918
:doing extraordinary things.
919
:There's some great videos on there.
920
:There's podcasts and book recommendations.
921
:And they can even call or
:
922
:And speaking of books, I've authored a
few books that are available on Amazon.
923
:There's the Bible Simplified, where I
boil down the Bible to make it easier
924
:and less intimidating for anyone to read.
925
:And then my other book is called The
Invitation, and it talks about when a
926
:door is opened and an opportunity is
presented, it's our choice to walk through
927
:that door and do it, and how we need to
pay more attention to these nudges and
928
:opportunities and people in our life, and
how they are more than just coincidental,
929
:you know, to take more chances and
not let fear or self doubt hold us
930
:back from some massive breakthroughs.
931
:I'd like to offer both of those books.
932
:As a gift to an audience member there.
933
:So thanks again, Freddy D.
934
:I appreciate you having me on.
935
:I had a great time with you.
936
:Freddy D: Yeah, it's a great conversation.
937
:Let's set up another show to
talk about one of those books.
938
:I like the one, what'd you call it again?
939
:The Invitation.
940
:I like that.
941
:Let's have a conversation about that.
942
:Cause that's so important.
943
:Ken Wilson: You got it.
944
:Congratulations on your book
too, Business Superfans.
945
:Thank you.
946
:Freddy D: Ken, been a pleasure having you
on the Business Superfans podcast show.
947
:We look forward to having
you on the show once again.
948
:Ken Wilson: Thanks again, Freddie D.
949
:Appreciate it.