- 1 minute ago
He emphasizes mastering communication skills, helping telemarketers handle rejections, improve persuasion, and maintain confidence under pressure
extraordinary-america.com
Blank also stresses the importance of speaking the local language to build rapport and respect with employees, fostering better team cohesion in a culturally diverse environment
Gamification and Engagement
A distinctive element of his leadership is the use of gamification. By integrating his collection of restored American pinball machines and antique jukeboxes into the workplace culture, he creates a fun and engaging environment that motivates employees and encourages creativity. The call center fostering a creative and engaging environment that improves morale and retention
This approach makes skill development interactive, boosting both performance and morale.
Emotional Intelligence and Empathy
Blank strongly advocates emotional intelligence and empathy as core leadership attributes
He encourages leaders to understand their team members’ perspectives, support them effectively, and cultivate loyalty and trust. This extends to appreciating long-term employees and recognizing their contributions to organizational success.
Strategic and Visionary Leadership
Blank combines day-to-day management with long-term strategic thinking. He actively trains staff through personalized mentoring and emphasizes resilience, risk-taking, and continuous learning
Category
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CreativityTranscript
00:00Hello, everyone, and welcome to yet another episode of the Tech Your Business podcast.
00:07Today on the show, today is another guest episode, not just me talking.
00:11So we have a guest that's going to share their expertise with us on one or two things.
00:17Today's guest is Richard Blank.
00:21Richard Blank is the CEO of the Costa Rica Call Center.
00:26So today he's going to share with us his thoughts on outsourcing and different things.
00:34And I'm sure it's going to be a really fun conversation today.
00:36So welcome to the show, Richard.
00:39Peter, I'm so happy to be here.
00:41I love the work that you do, and Tech Your Business is the place to be if you want to make your business better.
00:49So tell us a bit about you and what you do.
00:56Well, prior to this podcast, we were both comparing our accents.
01:01I'm a Northeast Philadelphia kid.
01:04I'm the proud graduate of Abington High School.
01:07And I decided to double down on my favorite class, which was Spanish.
01:10So I was a Spanish major at the University of Arizona.
01:14And then in August of 2000, Peter, a very good friend of mine, offered me a one in a million opportunity to move to Costa Rica, work at his call center for just a couple months.
01:23I got past my parents' guilt, and I decided to become an expat.
01:28And I worked at my friend's center for four years, learned the business.
01:31And then in my mid-30s, I threw my own hat in the ring.
01:34And we're close to celebrating our 16th year in business.
01:37So it's been a ride of twists and turns, but with preservation and endurance and grit, there's no reason why me, you, and your amazing audience can't go the distance.
01:49Definitely.
01:5016 years, that's really a lot.
01:53So in these 16 years, what lessons have you learned, especially the unexpected ones that came up along the way?
02:01My good friend, Peter, your show, Tech Your Business, are with some CTOs, you know, IT professionals, people that love the technology.
02:14I had to hire somebody for that.
02:17My secret sauce was empathy.
02:20When I worked at my friend's center, I didn't start at C-level.
02:24I learned it from the inside out.
02:26So I got to hear the good and the bad and the happy and the sad.
02:29And I think the biggest complaint across any sort of medium or job is people want to know that they're acknowledged, appreciated.
02:37They're not expendable if they're doing their job, of course.
02:40But they just want their dignity.
02:42And if I could go super old school and play pinball and Pac-Man with my agents, break bread with them, know their names, and give them the proper encouragement and motivation to get them the different levels, I might find that sort of fidelity where people will stay with me, will want to grow with me, allow me to delegate so I could promote them, Peter.
03:03And then collectively, that's how you're able to build an organization, because if nobody comes to your birthday party, you have no friends.
03:14And there are leverages here.
03:16Amazon is in Costa Rica, so I compete against one of the largest, if not the, in the world.
03:22So how do I compete, Peter?
03:23We do what we were raised by our parents and grandparents.
03:28We really do show that we are appreciative of what they do.
03:33We give people second chances, right?
03:36Benefits of the doubt.
03:37Sometimes a little bit of guilt, just to make sure I can get the best out of you.
03:42And that's how I've been able to make it work, my friend, just by having that sort of synergy and that really strong interpersonal relationship with myself and the people that work with me.
03:54Nice.
03:55So for your clients you work with, where majorly are they?
04:02What part of the world mostly are they?
04:07That's an excellent question.
04:09I usually qualify the clients because they may ask me for certain things that I'm not capable of doing.
04:15We usually work with clients in the United States, Canada, a little bit of Europe and Central America.
04:20So I have to make sure that the agents have that language capacity because English is their second language.
04:26So we expect an 85% proficiency.
04:30It doesn't have to be accent.
04:31I would prefer better grammar and vocabulary because an accent, and I told you this earlier, it's a beauty mark on people.
04:38I think it's wonderful when people have that little special step.
04:42But I also like personality because if you're just reading a script, you're a print, but if you're in the moment, you can pick up things from a client.
04:51So you can anchor and you can slow down a little bit and you can enjoy the dance of speech.
04:56And so when the agents are in the now, taking excellent notes, speaking, translating, and concentrating, this is intense sort of mind work in short periods of time, they find their balance.
05:09And I see the art of this speech, and that's why I gravitated towards it.
05:13Even though call centers have a bad rap and you see what happens with Hollywood and people scamming and things like that, there's also another side, Peter, where you've called your bank and they resolve the issue for you.
05:23So there are people on the other end that can help, but people are in a great living from it.
05:30And if you don't compromise your ethics, values, or morals, you can do very well with these sort of skills on and off the phone.
05:37And so what I tried to do besides giving them a stable career and good pay and the call center life, I wanted to make them more marketable, maybe self-confident, so they could potentially handle the challenges they have outside of the office, Peter,
05:52which may affect them when they come into the office.
05:56And so I'm just trying to assist people and pay it forward in the best way that I knew how.
06:05Interesting.
06:06And one thing that's, because you mentioned talking on the phone and empathy and things like that.
06:12And for the past few years, especially since the pandemic, we've seen a move.
06:19Most businesses are now working remotely.
06:22Most people work limited.
06:25They have a limited interaction face-to-face and all that.
06:29So what tips do you have?
06:31Because interacting face-to-face is different from talking over the phone or talking through Zoom, especially talking over the phone where you're not seeing the person.
06:40So what tips do you have for people communicating and interacting with their clients and partners and call over the phone to make it more pleasurable?
06:52Let me give a little bit of both.
06:54My expertise is sight unseen, and we'll go into that in a minute.
06:58But for those that are out of practice or have insecurities or just don't have those sort of courtesy social skills, a suggestion is the middle of the eye because there's energy givers look in their eyes all day long.
07:13I'm looking in yours, Peter.
07:13You're the man.
07:14But there's also the Medusa, the energy sucker, you know, like when you're in trouble.
07:20So you don't want to avert your eyes because then you'll get in trouble.
07:23But if you look in between their eyes and nod your head and pay attention, it's almost like they're not going to suck you into that vortex.
07:29And there's also certain positioning.
07:30You can do mirror imaging.
07:32There's certain sort of things you can do with people to anchor with them through touch or through mutual stuff.
07:38But I always believe that that could be manipulated.
07:43And when you're over the phone, my good friend, you are removing three of your senses, your taste, touch and smell.
07:51The scientists, as we all know, claim that when one or more of your senses are removed, the other ones are enhanced.
07:57So I am expecting people to have big ears and active listening, right?
08:02They can hear everything.
08:03But what about the sight, Peter?
08:06What do we do there?
08:07Well, I believe in metaphysics.
08:09I believe that the book is better than the movie because imagination.
08:13And even though I can't taste the food, smell the food or touch the food, I can describe the food.
08:20And there's nothing wrong with adjectives and colorful language to keep their attention, to expand on thought, to really be able to picture what you're talking about there.
08:31I believe every time you can tap into multiple senses, either through vocabulary, for example, lending a hand.
08:38You can imagine that.
08:39And it also has the sense as well.
08:41And so there is certain vocabulary that can pack a bunch.
08:44And so we focus on the thesaurus.
08:47We make our vocabulary strategic and diplomatic.
08:50And the best thing we can possibly do is give as many positive escalations as possible on the phone, thanking those that assisted us, possibly doing due diligence prior to getting on the phone.
09:01But I tell you what, my good friend, we did lose a little bit of the synergy here.
09:07Thankfully, I was able to survive with COVID.
09:09But through VPNs and through certain connections and CRMs and trainings, I was capable of surviving.
09:18But you work out better at the gym and with a partner than you do at your house with your dumbbells.
09:24And so they were hitting their metrics.
09:26It just was different than it was before when you and I were feeding off of that.
09:30And the greatest thing you could ever have is a best friend at work.
09:34And, you know, Peter, you and I would be hanging out all the time in the game room and having lunch together.
09:39And me today, you tomorrow, Peter.
09:42If it were your day where you closed the biggest deal, I'm the first one to congratulate you.
09:46And I know if my name was number one on the board, I could look at you and you give me the thumbs up.
09:51And that's what we do.
09:53And that was taken away.
09:55And a lot of clients don't want chat or email support.
09:59They do want to speak with people.
10:01And so that's why I believe there will always be a market for us.
10:05I know we compete with AI.
10:07But the one thing AI will never master, and if they do, it's going to seem facetious.
10:13AI will never have true, sincere empathy.
10:16They may have every answer, more than a doctor or scientist.
10:19They have a thousand answers for you.
10:21But they can't give you a hug.
10:23And even if it is a machine giving you a hug, it's not the same as Peter.
10:26And if someone says, I'm sorry, body, you know it's because it's programmed compared to your best friend that's calling you and telling you this.
10:36And so there are people out there that want that human touch in that relationship with companies.
10:44And as much as technology is getting better, well, that's great.
10:47Maybe it could save me time looking up your info.
10:50But in order for us to put the ball into the goal, we might need to hold hands and walk together on this because it's the final thumbs up and the OKs and final questions.
11:01And that's what I'm trying to preserve for customer support and call centers.
11:09And you were mentioning things changing.
11:12I would prefer to have that sort of concierge first class relationship that people do have with their clients, which are very valuable.
11:20And they should treat them in a certain way because they should be very thankful that they decide to give them the business.
11:28Interesting.
11:29So you mentioned the VPNs, you mentioned CRMs.
11:32So what types of technology help you in managing your business?
11:45The first thing is that thumb time clock report.
11:49I know when you're coming to work and you can't have Billy typing in your numbers.
11:53It's got to be you.
11:55And so that's number one.
11:56So that assists my payroll.
11:58That's it.
12:00But I like predictive dialers.
12:03But it's something that someone needs to work up to.
12:06It's like a batting cage.
12:08I mean, if you're not used to it, it's going to exhaust you.
12:11But if you can handle it, then my goodness gracious, the odds are there of triple production.
12:17And also it's much better reporting with the dispositions that we do.
12:20I like the fact that my industry alone focuses on quality control departments.
12:26It's a simple technology.
12:27It's a simple technology.
12:28All we're doing is recording calls.
12:30But there are certain key performance indicators that we can skim through and look through quickly in order to make fast adjustments.
12:37But that's what I'm paying you to do, Peter.
12:41You should be getting 100% on that.
12:43What I like you to do is the wild card, the freestyle, the recess, like in school, where you can show me 10% anchoring or military alphabet or hearing a dog in the background and telling them how much you love puppies.
12:58So these are the sort of things that, once again, when we're filling out third-party information and we call Mrs. Jones back, we ask how Fluffy is doing and congratulate her on that 25th anniversary and do those extra two or three things that the other companies just don't do, Peter.
13:18So when it comes down to Mrs. Jones making a decision to where to spend her money, she'll go with you.
13:24Yeah, but Peter's a little bit more money.
13:26Yeah, but the service is there.
13:28Yeah, but I got to drive an extra block.
13:29Yeah, but the food's better there.
13:31Yeah, but it's more expensive and it's longer to get there.
13:34Why do you keep going there?
13:35Because he knows my name and I get the best service and I love giving him the business.
13:39And he appreciates my business.
13:42And then the next thing you know, 10 of Peter's friends call me and you wonder why businesses grow.
13:49Nice.
13:51So that's business groups.
13:54I believe that's one reason why businesses outsource their call center function.
13:59So what are those main reasons they outsource to companies like yours?
14:06Good question.
14:07And let's keep expanding on that technology.
14:09Here I have internet redundancy.
14:12Okay.
14:12So I need to be up at least 99, if not 100% of the time.
14:15There are some national disasters, but I do have a backup generator that kicks in.
14:20Plus, I'm in one of the best grids in the city by the third largest public hospital, universities, you name it.
14:26So it's, we're usually up.
14:28Those are the sort of tech things I need to have.
14:30That's why the work from home could be an issue.
14:32But if God forbid there's a code red where all of a sudden their internet, electricity, or something goes wrong at home, they could be on a turnkey station at my center within 20 minutes.
14:41And so we have that as well.
14:44Why do the clients use us?
14:46Well, why don't we do the raking for you and the panning for you?
14:51Companies that like to prospect, maybe, you know, mold the agents, coach us, give us the script, and let's talk about the process.
14:59But you should be getting the stuff teed up to close.
15:03You should be investing your time and efforts.
15:05You know, allow the freshmen to learn the business and the onboard properly.
15:09And so I think what a lot of people do is they do busy work, or they just don't have the blind faith to allow somebody to do that for them.
15:19And so I address these things early, Peter.
15:22I try to see what they have on site to see if I can incorporate it.
15:26We always send a pre-launch checklist for the floor supervisor and especially for the IT department.
15:31Do we need to integrate?
15:33Whose phone system are we using?
15:35Five nine, CRMs.
15:37And a lot of the times when we do these checks or these mystery calls, we might have suggestions for people that they overlooked, or I could compare it to other verticals that were successful and make those sort of observations.
15:54And so I always like to share, and it always is done from good faith.
15:58And one of the greatest things I've done with clients is not to be a yes man.
16:03There's no surprises.
16:04And so, especially in your department, my friend, that's why I feel like a novice here, because I have my CTO.
16:13But he's the gentleman that will be on a call with me to answer those extremely technical questions.
16:20And so I have enough faith in this individual that's been with me over a decade to speak for me.
16:26And could they go rogue?
16:28Could they unplug the A and put it into B?
16:32They could.
16:33But then again, how are you ever going to get to different levels if you don't bring people with you?
16:39And these people did it through merit, Peter.
16:42I never brought in the top guy.
16:44They had to earn their stripes, not because I wanted them to, because when you're giving such delicate positions, keys of the company, server room access, this person has to be almost as thick as blood.
16:55You understand how important your department is.
17:00It could kill a company or it could save a company.
17:03And fortunately for me, through the years, I've had some incredible people with me.
17:09And I've also had to hire specialists.
17:11Don't kid yourself.
17:12There had to be some people to come in here, some Cisco certified people to work on my server room on very specific equipment.
17:19Or I had to order certain stuff because it had a shelf life or it got corrupted.
17:23Who knows?
17:24But I'm a guest in this country.
17:29I'm 3,000 miles away from my mother.
17:33And I just had to ensure that you choose the right people to surround yourself.
17:40And the tests that I did not do were not colloquial.
17:43I wasn't asking them IT questions.
17:46Peter, those are the tests that when you and I go out to lunch, what do we talk about?
17:50And how do we walk with one another and looking in someone's eyes?
17:55And how much depth do you have?
17:57Why do I ask you this?
17:59Because during chaos, especially with the IT department, you see somebody's character.
18:07And so, I mean, the server room could go down.
18:09A computer could go.
18:10Something could go wrong.
18:12And I believe like a surgeon, the chief technical officer needs to be steady.
18:18And they shouldn't yell at people on the floor.
18:21Right?
18:21They shouldn't elevate the situation.
18:24They're the ones that we look towards for calm and for reassurance.
18:29But the clock is ticking.
18:31It's been an hour and 20 minutes.
18:32I understand that.
18:34But this is a professional that is working on something here.
18:38And so, I'm constantly in touch with clients.
18:41Or I'm trying to do preventative measures to ensure that things do not happen.
18:49Peter, that's the part of maturity and what it's like when you run a business.
18:53That's, you know, when the honeymoon stage becomes over.
18:56But I'm willing to take the ball and the responsibility and the accountability.
19:02But I also want to choose the people.
19:04And so, that's kind of where we got to where we are today in regards to why people would choose us for our advanced technology and what we're able to offer their companies.
19:12Interesting.
19:13Interesting.
19:15You said something just now that piqued my interest.
19:20And which leads to the next question on delegation.
19:23So, as a business owner, you said you started this 16 years ago.
19:28So, at what point did you know that you were to delegate some functions to someone else?
19:34And how did you get to know that you could trust these people you've delegated those functions to?
19:41I never liked the expression, fake it till you make it, because you're going to get caught and then you lose respect.
19:49I wasn't faking anything.
19:51I was starting a business.
19:52And so, what I was trying to do, like in a funny joke in a cartoon, was wear a chef's hat, be a waiter, concierge.
20:01And what else?
20:02I mean, it was, I wish I were an octopus.
20:06And so, I realized it wasn't faking till you're making, it was over your head.
20:11I was blessed.
20:12The stars were aligned.
20:13All of a sudden, things were moving.
20:16And so, I brought my wife in, Grace for Bone, that assisted me with human resources.
20:22But then, when I was hiring in my accounts, thankfully, out of those individuals, I saw shining stars.
20:28And so, I would, besides what they were doing on the account, and even though I was new in my business, with a college degree, yeah, in Spanish, not in business.
20:40And so, what I would do is, and I think it's a very intelligent thing, is to sit with the people that worked with me and to hear what they were doing.
20:50So, then I could communicate with corporate.
20:52And little by little, guess what I was doing?
20:55Learning.
20:55So, as long as I was proactive and knew how to write the email and made a phone call, was there for the meeting and sat down with the supervisors and bought them pizza, it was great.
21:06Because a lot of the suggestions that I was writing down and bringing to corporate, they weren't aware of.
21:11So, all we were doing collectively was getting better.
21:13And I, Peter, started looking like a rock star.
21:17And so, then I realized the greatest thing to do is to speak to the people that are out there.
21:24And to not, you know, patronize them or to belittle them or to threaten them or to try to get something out of them through fear.
21:32But to maybe do a game where I give you something, you give me something.
21:39If you feel comfortable enough with this company to show me how you can maximize the business compared to minimize it, where you sneak time in the bathroom, do the minimum calls.
21:48But a player that actually thinks we can do another 20%.
21:51Then I, in turn, with my advanced English, my business composition skills, and even sitting in on meetings.
22:01I would have this individual participate so they can learn certain structure that could be marketable.
22:09And so, they saw that they were getting, not the private meeting, but if they're sitting in with me talking to somebody about how to script write, how to do a training class, what the KPIs are on the phone call, we listening to a call together.
22:22And instead of me just giving you a 93%, you're sitting with me for the 17 minutes.
22:27And you hear why I'm telling you this and this and that.
22:29And they're like, okay, I got you.
22:31And so, they walk out with, you know, bravado in their chest out because they sat with the jefe and they learned some special sauce from Peter and Richard.
22:42And so, I realized by giving them merit and caliber and something of value that could be making them a more well-rounded individual besides their salary.
22:56It had a marketplace for it.
22:59And so, I decided at which stage to add what to whom.
23:05And some people were so eager.
23:09You know, Peter, all you got to do, my man, is just bring a notepad and a pen.
23:13I don't like the computer thing.
23:14I like old school writing.
23:15And if you can do it in cursive, I'm really going to promote you.
23:17And so, the person that would take notes and have the meeting minutes.
23:23So, when I brought something up the next meeting, they go, I know what that means.
23:27It means ABC.
23:29I'm like, that's the person that I want because they mastered list level.
23:33And if they master that level, Peter, then they can master other levels.
23:38And so, for me, I get very excited, not intimidated, when I see people growing because that's what I'm supposed to be doing.
23:46They're not taking my job.
23:48I'm the boss.
23:49But if I can get another person at my level, not even for their own skills, Peter, but let's just say you've been with me a decade.
23:57And I got a $100,000 account coming in.
24:01You don't think I'm going to pull you in for a half an hour over some coffee and go, buddy, let's just talk about this.
24:05What are we going to do about the script?
24:07What are we doing here?
24:08How are we going to ramp them up?
24:09Remember the six accounts we did before five years ago?
24:12And so, you are going to be my confidant.
24:15You are my assistant captain.
24:20And they know it.
24:21And these are the people that you treasure their opinions because they know you so well.
24:29And the only way to get that, my friend, is time.
24:32And so, that's why I was able to get to where I am today because, thankfully, I've had people that are still willing to walk with me and contribute to the best of their abilities.
24:48Interesting.
24:48So, you took all the way from Philadelphia down to Costa Rica to start your business.
24:56And I think I have a similar story too because I grew up in Nigeria, schooled there, then went to school.
25:01I had my master's in the UK, started my business in the UK after my master's and made a couple of challenges.
25:10So, for entrepreneurs looking to start a business overseas, what are some key challenges that they would anticipate?
25:19Because I know you've seen a lot in the last 16 years.
25:22There's two types of challenges.
25:27It's either got to be mental or physical.
25:30The mental challenge is not paying attention to the people that have never done it before that say it's too difficult.
25:35You're not going to learn how to do it.
25:37You'll fail.
25:38Those are the negative Nancys and the Debbie Downers.
25:40You've really got to almost sometimes be selfish, tap into your vision quest, your spiritual journey.
25:48And as long as your intentions are honorable and you're being responsible, I always believe somebody does have a current in this life.
25:57But for me, I needed to learn the legalities.
26:01And I don't have the time or the patience or the mental aptitude to go to these sort of schools.
26:06So, I had to hire human resources directors, accountants, attorneys, and certain chief technical officers, right, and security downstairs for the front door, right, with the contractors, my computer and hardware providers.
26:25But I will share a secret with you.
26:28It's quite disappointing, but it should be expected.
26:31Look at me.
26:31I look like I should be, you should charge me 20 more percent, right?
26:36I'm not saying you, Peter.
26:37But of course, I walk into these stores and they look at me like, oh, man, come on.
26:42You can definitely get a buck 20 out of them.
26:43So, what I had to do is I had to have somebody that was local, that knew the local.
26:49So, first he's local.
26:51So, now it's not 20%.
26:52Now we're at 100%.
26:53Now he's got contacts.
26:54Now we're at 80%.
26:55Now he's doing volume discounts.
26:58Now we're at 50%.
26:58So, instead of doing 120%, I'm doing 50%.
27:03And I had to team up with people.
27:06I'm a guest here.
27:09And so, as long as you, as I say, align yourself legally, learn the labor laws, do things properly in regards to your paperwork.
27:17I've been married to a Costa Rican for over 20 years.
27:21And so, yeah, I've done all the right things.
27:24And I've paid taxes here.
27:27I feed families.
27:28And so, for most entrepreneurs, if you're chasing money, you can earn money a thousand ways.
27:34Look at all the different machines and games in a casino.
27:37But I believe that sometimes if you want to enjoy the beauty of life, not be a starving artist.
27:43But there is something that will give you gratification so you don't hate it.
27:48You eat too much chocolate.
27:51You don't want it anymore.
27:53And so, the tough side for me was the administration.
27:59You know, the paperwork's tough.
28:01Okay.
28:02And I got disappointed more than I did angry in regards to the attrition that we have, Peter.
28:08That was my challenge.
28:10Maybe I was naive.
28:11I always thought someone would get their gold watch with me after 40 years.
28:15But I compete.
28:18But I also learned something else, Peter, which reduced my stress and shed some light.
28:23There's something called natural attrition.
28:26I'll lose somebody because of a scheduling conflict.
28:29Come on, man.
28:29It conflicts with your university, right?
28:32Or maybe it's closer to your home.
28:34Imagine if it's five minutes away and you could walk.
28:37What happens if your girlfriend works there?
28:39See ya.
28:42And then how about this?
28:44There might be opportunities where you could earn more money.
28:48And I can't hold you back from that.
28:49Or you studied something at the university and you finally got that job and your degree.
28:55I have to be happy for that.
28:57But I tell you what, Peter, there is nobody that will ever get the walk of shame.
29:03I won't make you cry on the floor.
29:04I'm not going to embarrass you.
29:05I like to praise in public.
29:07And so I think that's helped reduce my attrition.
29:10But I do compete against Amazon.
29:12So if somebody is disgruntled, having a bad day or just not where they need to be, tomorrow they're hired.
29:20And so for me, there's really no threatening leverage there.
29:25And it's not part of me either.
29:28I'm not that kind of man.
29:29It's if the cage is open, Peter, the bird comes back.
29:34You shouldn't have to force a fit with people here.
29:37And so that's been my only real challenge because I invest time and money and energy into people.
29:46And I would like a professional two weeks notice.
29:49But then I also understand.
29:53Me today, you tomorrow.
29:54It happens here and there.
29:56But I would like a look in the eyes and a handshake and a good run, Richard.
30:02Well, Peter, sometimes I just don't get it.
30:06And so being a man like you and I are, we can look at ourselves in the mirror knowing we did the right thing.
30:12The challenge is these individuals not being able to look into our eyes because, you know, they did something wrong.
30:18And that's it, my friend.
30:21I mean, that's any entrepreneur, you can't lose steam on that.
30:24There are things that people make decisions on that are outside of your control.
30:28But if you do the right thing and you can live with yourself, right, then you can weather those sort of storms.
30:39Oh, I have another bit of advice for you.
30:41Can we go over the financial advice?
30:43Yes, definitely.
30:45Good.
30:46Yeah, definitely.
30:49Good.
30:49Well, when I first started, I was renting a turnkey station from a blended call center.
30:57So it's almost like renting an airplane seat, right?
31:01So was I paying premium?
31:03Yeah, back in those days, sure.
31:05A couple hundred bucks a month was a lot of money.
31:07But it guaranteed internet, coffee, a station, just nothing luxurious.
31:12But I could scale accordingly and not have that huge outlay of cash to start.
31:21And so after a couple of years when I had the stable clients and I had enough money in the bank, once again, paying premium, just accepting it, I decided to then rent space.
31:34So then what did I do?
31:37Well, in call centers, there are attrition.
31:41And so I was able to pick up furniture and pretty much new computers that were almost out of the box for a fraction of the cost, you know, with Billy, of course.
31:51And so I was able to scale a company through used furniture and used computer equipment.
31:56I didn't need it brand new.
31:58And you understand if you can get it, don't tell me you can't get a bargain sometimes on a used laptop compared to paying brand new.
32:05Yes or no?
32:07Exactly.
32:08Exactly.
32:08And so I was able to scale that way.
32:10I was at that location for six years.
32:13And during that time, I purchased a piece of property, built a third floor on it, upgraded it, and then moved my people.
32:23And this is where we are today.
32:25And so as much as I want to give you a quick success story, no, my friend, it was the tortoise.
32:30It was not the hare.
32:32And it was slow and steady.
32:34And as I was taught by my grandparents, if you don't do for it in cash, you don't do it at all.
32:41So, my friend, that was my pace.
32:43And that enabled me to sleep at night, have enough reserves to handle my financial responsibilities here with my employees and my taxes.
32:53Yeah.
32:53And still have a beautiful life of fun.
32:56I just never overextended myself in order to attract clients.
33:01I didn't believe that was the way to go.
33:04I think they were looking more of somebody that had heart than a fancy environment that treated their people poorly.
33:10Interesting.
33:14Interesting.
33:14That's a really good take on the importance of being frugal while running your business and how it lets you do more with the same resources everyone else has.
33:25So, when we talk about that now, it leads me to, you talk about competing with a giant, that's Amazon, in the same market.
33:36So, how has it been?
33:37How has it been competing against that?
33:41I think it's great.
33:42I think it's great.
33:42They have a fantastic training program.
33:46I'll name some companies.
33:47Amazon's here.
33:48HB, Intel, and Oracle.
33:50I mean, we're great for building those microchips.
33:52But anyone knows the BPO industry, Sykes is here, Teleperformance, Convergys, Concentrics.
33:59Oh, yeah.
34:01They're like seniors.
34:03You and I are like freshmen, Peter, but we're still cool, you know?
34:07I mean, they're Goliaths.
34:09They're huge.
34:11With billboards and buses and resources.
34:15Yeah.
34:16But the one thing, my friend, the one thing that Jeff Bezos have not done with all of his agents, he hasn't played pinball with them like I have with my agents.
34:29Does it make a difference?
34:31To me, it does.
34:32Why?
34:32At least I got one gold medal.
34:34At least I did something different.
34:36But that's the sort of thing I'm sharing with you.
34:39I've created an environment that has recess.
34:41It's got a neutral environment where people can let off steam and make friends and hang out with me to try antique machines that they made before their time.
34:53But I compete.
34:55And I cannot compete with them financially.
34:57You know that.
34:58Technical side, yeah, I got the equipment.
35:00Big deal.
35:01But what about the bells and the whistles?
35:03Well, they go through their training.
35:06They get on their phones and they become a number, a big number.
35:14It's true.
35:14They have a lot of people.
35:16And these environments, thank you so much for coming here and giving jobs and money.
35:22And that's great.
35:23But you have to admit, my friend, sometimes the cozy little restaurant gives you better service and better food.
35:31And if you're at that huge cafeteria where the waiter hasn't been there for 45 minutes, yes or no?
35:39And so there are certain environments, depending on the account, that can be done in a boutique, in a smaller environment.
35:49So where am I going with this?
35:51Well, my entry level matches all these companies.
35:54I know what the market is.
35:55So why am I going to charge more or charge less?
35:58If I pay someone less, they're not going to come work for me.
36:01If I do more, then, once again, the client, we got to make sure they understand exactly where the market is.
36:08So I match them.
36:10But a lot of people want an environment where they're not hidden.
36:16Some people do want to be in an environment where I know your name, Peter.
36:22I listen to calls.
36:23I break bread with you and pinballing, and it's close on.
36:28I don't have the tens of thousands as they do.
36:32Wish I did.
36:34I only have 150, which allows me to be selective.
36:40So it's exceptionally easy for me to find the right bus, right?
36:44See, people, I don't need the cattle call or carpet bomb.
36:49Bring them in.
36:51I can be selective.
36:52And I'd like to share a secret with you, because I know that people qualify to get hired.
37:00But like in Hollywood, half of it is, can they work with you?
37:03You know?
37:04You'll fill out the forms, and you'll give me all of the qualifications and bells and whistles
37:09and telling me you want to be loyal and be promoted and do all this stuff.
37:14Yeah, yeah, yeah.
37:17Turn that piece of paper over there, Peter, my man.
37:20Write me two paragraphs on a coming-of-age moment.
37:24You know?
37:25When you beat up a bully, or you saved a kitten, or you did both in one day.
37:29I don't know.
37:30Why am I doing this?
37:32A, because if my good friend Peter asked you a question on the phone, can you give him an answer?
37:37Do you have depth and essence, right?
37:40Can I make a cool nickname for you if you're not feeling well on a Wednesday?
37:46And can I see if I can connect?
37:49Because if you can't do that in the spur of the moment, tell me an awesome story on why you were a winner,
37:56so I can learn something positive about you.
38:01And maybe when it comes down to it, and I really need you, you're going to disappoint me.
38:06And you're going to peace out on me and go to Amazon the next day.
38:12And so you do these psychological tests, these mathematic tests, these IT tests, typing tests, background checks, referrals.
38:22Yeah, yeah, yeah.
38:26Give me the secret key.
38:28Let me know in the moment, in a spontaneous moment, Peter, are you capable of shining?
38:38Can you connect with me, my man, for just a second?
38:42Can you stop performing or even pretending and to see if we can be future best friends?
38:53I am selective.
38:56This is my time.
38:58This is my company.
39:00And I've made bad decisions before.
39:02People have tracked in dog dew on the carpet, if you know what I mean.
39:07But there's also been some incredible people that have stepped up to the plate and gave me such reassurance that what I'm doing is correct.
39:16You know, my friend, when you balance the bike for somebody, and then you let go, and it's so exciting to see them ride.
39:25I'm an old man.
39:26I'm 50.
39:27About to be 51.
39:28About to be 51.
39:29So this younger generation, when I see them have breakthroughs and shedding skin, that gets me very excited.
39:37And so that's why the jewels and the gold came.
39:43Because people believed in me, because people believed in me enough to elevate me.
39:48And by supporting me, gave me that sort of stability.
39:53And that's where the money came.
39:54And I can't be more grateful for something like that, Peter.
39:59Interesting.
40:00So for those businesses looking to outsource their operations, probably sales or customer service to a company like yours.
40:12What would you tell them to look out for?
40:15Sure.
40:15So they don't, yeah.
40:18Outbound sales, outbound lead generation or appointment setting, inbound customer support, back office support, non-voice support.
40:27If somebody is doing sales, I think that's kind of tricky.
40:32Because you're looking cradle to grave and someone might not be versed in that market.
40:36Or I always believe that somebody should do a warm transfer and then go on mute and listen to the closer corporate.
40:43So then they'd be able to onboard faster and learn if that's the individual taking it down to the 10-yard line.
40:50But appointment setting is great if the list is good.
40:54And since people today have more online presence with LinkedIn and profiles and websites, given time, unless you're just predictive dialing and carpet bombing,
41:05you can get some goodies in order to make a custom-made email or voicemail to somebody to separate you from somebody else.
41:14Like if you said, hey, Philadelphia, pinball machine, 16 years in business, Costa Rica's call center.
41:20Man, I'm going to give you five minutes, Peter.
41:21It's yours to lose.
41:22And so I've tried to upgrade these voicemails, emails, and even introductions when we're calling a company by doing a company name spike,
41:31maybe knowing who the owner is or in positive escalations when I get transferred, I talk about Kathy, do it in writing.
41:38That's important.
41:40And it's important also to be open-minded to the validity of your list.
41:44Is it good?
41:45Is it old?
41:46Right?
41:47Is it qualified?
41:48And also you have to give us proper resources because we need to be on a level playing field.
41:54You can't expect me to go to the beach on 30 cents worth of gas.
41:57It just doesn't work that way.
41:59And even on the flip side, think of the mentality of the agent.
42:03How do you think they're going to feel when three out of 10 are not even that good?
42:08You got to make sure that the soldiers feel all right so they can find their rhythm in the middle of the day and mark the board and compete that way.
42:18And so a lot of the time, I will make suggestions, Peter, in regards to the tone of the script.
42:25Maybe they're not experienced enough in prospecting where they expect it to be like Hollywood, or just like when you see in a porn movie, you just knock on the door and someone's like, let's go.
42:36I mean, it doesn't happen like that in real life.
42:39It really, it could, but the metrics aren't there.
42:43But the most important thing is that people do not compromise ethics or values, minding it is English second language, so you have to realize the vocabulary, but you might need to write it out phonetically so they can pronounce it even though they know how to spell it.
42:58And also, as I mentioned before, the thesaurus, there might be some word that could give them a power up, make them more comfortable, more relatable, or they feel comfortable with it.
43:08It's almost like someone choosing the tie to wear with the suit.
43:11So at least they feel like they're participating in some way compared to making it too rigid.
43:17And so we avoid words like help, I'll use guide and assist, instead of saying, excuse me, Peter, I'll say for my clarification.
43:29These are the sort of small swords that we fall upon to keep the tone positive.
43:36Your dog might be barking, bailed, soap collection.
43:39It's okay, that's, that's my issue.
43:41It's not yours.
43:42I don't want to spook the kitty.
43:43I don't want to rock the boat.
43:45And so these are things that we do to preserve the call, but also our egos are fine.
43:53Some people that are shallow might get offended, but sometimes you have to understand someone might step on your toes if they're dancing with you for the first time.
44:01So as long as you're not putting on your pearly whites on their feet, expect it.
44:06And if, especially if you're a boxer, you should expect to get hit in the chin, or if you've been boxing so much, expect the right hook.
44:12And so when you've been making tens of thousands of phone calls, you can almost put it out before it even gets out there by saying, I know what you're thinking, Peter, ABC 123, right?
44:22Oh yeah, Richard, are you a psychic?
44:24No, I know your call.
44:26And so we can lead along, we can shave time.
44:30So you don't have to repeat it three times.
44:32And so these are certain things that are not lying.
44:35It's just being more attentive, lucid.
44:40My goodness gracious, I could give you meeting minutes.
44:43And so by doing that, I believe increases our percentages of a conversion ratio, because there's less fear, there's more connection.
44:50And you're really just cutting away a lot of fat.
44:53But what happens if I got to call them back?
44:56Then call them back.
44:57This is not Blake and Glenn Gary.
45:00Sometimes, like Peter, your audience doesn't realize that you're a professional and you qualify your guests.
45:07You and I, we didn't speak on the phone, but we communicated via LinkedIn multiple times, wishing each other well on the weekends.
45:14You know, we're all excited and everything.
45:15And so we were chumming it up prior to this thing.
45:18And that's what pros do.
45:21You just didn't throw me out there in the deep end on this podcast.
45:24We both got a chance to know one another and to make nice.
45:30And so as long as people are willing to build a pipeline, respect people's parameters, stay with those target dates, keep up with people, take your notes, shave the fat, have patience.
45:43There's no reason why you can't not only build a business, but triangle it, where you just really start ripping through it and really getting your rhythm and learning where to go.
45:56And it's, it takes a little time.
45:59But there's also, Peter, there is that 10% that none of us know about.
46:05You know, when they say, you know, stars aligned, winning your back.
46:09And so for me, I am very grateful of those stars being aligned.
46:17And for the 18-year-old Richard deciding to continue to learn Spanish.
46:22And for me, not succumbing to the pressures of certain careers or, you know, expectations.
46:32I wanted to leave that castle.
46:34I wanted to slay a dragon and have an adventure.
46:37And I'm here today to let you know that I'm not a tech expert, but I have one that's behind me on this other side of the wall.
46:45But to let your audience know if they have a chance to feed families and pay it forward and make connections and build teams, that's a beautiful thing.
46:56And they should at least try and try to me is that extra 20% because most people quit at 80%, let alone start at all.
47:08But you do know those boxers and those athletes, or how about the people that made it over the oceans and cross deserts and out of the mountains that should have been dead.
47:24But there's something inside of them, spiritually, that keeps them going.
47:30And for me, I would have never been happy with my life if I had just settled for the box with no walls.
47:40That's no fun.
47:42I wouldn't be on your podcast telling fun stories.
47:47I'd still be bald, but I'd be miserable.
47:50And that would be terrible, Peter.
47:52You definitely wouldn't want me as a guest.
47:54So I think your health and your life and your smile and all that stuff is very important for you.
48:00And I want your audience to take that leap of faith and especially in themselves.
48:05And reach out to me and let me know your story.
48:08You know me, I'll be your biggest fan.
48:12That's amazing.
48:14So for audience members who might want to reach out to you, whom I want to learn from you, whom I want to maybe work with you too, how can they reach you?
48:30Well, first, they can buy a plane ticket and fly to Costa Rica, especially when it gets freezing in the UK in the wintertime, right?
48:38Definitely come down and visit.
48:40But if they can't get that ticket today, you can see my very large Facebook fan page, Costa Rica's call center.
48:47We have close to 120,000 local Costa Rica Ticos on there.
48:52And when this goes live, Peter, you're going to get a lot of new fans and they're going to get to know your show.
48:58Wow.
48:58Yeah, it's good stuff.
49:01But real quick for your audience, you were mentioning where we are in the world.
49:04We are north of Panama, south of Nicaragua.
49:08Costa Rica is the only democratic society in Central America.
49:12So there's no standing army here.
49:14They put all their money back into education.
49:17They boast a 95% literacy rate.
49:20I mentioned the big boys that are here.
49:22But we're known for ecotourism, medical tourism.
49:27And so people come here to live the Pura Vida, the pure life.
49:34And ever since I walked off the plane in August of 2000, I really consider this home.
49:41And Peter, I can't thank you enough.
49:42I had the best time on your podcast today.
49:44Look what you do bringing this out of me.
49:50The way you talk about Costa Rica, I'll probably add that to my bucket list of places to visit.
49:57Oh, man, I'm definitely getting you at the airport.
50:01Costa Rica has got some of the best surfing in the world.
50:05One of the top 10 in the world of surfing.
50:07And plus, if you like volcanoes and zip lining and quad bikes and stuff, it's just nature's paradise.
50:17It really is a beautiful rainforest.
50:20Now, it can be a little dangerous.
50:21Don't touch certain frogs to stay away from snakes and stuff.
50:25But when you are in the middle of this natural beauty, sitting under a waterfall, and you see the birds and the flowers and the plants and the air is as fresh as anything.
50:38And it's cool.
50:41Plus, your skin looks good.
50:43You might lose some weight.
50:44You know, people always seem to lose weight and get a better shape when they come down here because they're eating so much of the natural fruit.
50:51And a lot of the beef and the chicken, this is stuff that's from the farm.
50:57And it tastes differently.
51:00It's not as big and beefy, but it's delicious.
51:04And I tell you what, when you go to the farmer's market on the weekend, you can stock a fridge for under 50 bucks.
51:14I mean, you could just, it's incredible what you're capable of getting here that is so fresh and so healthy, where you almost have to change your lifestyle a little bit, unless you just want McDonald's every day.
51:31But you can't help but to bite into something, an apple or some of this fruit that is just so fresh.
51:38And the seafood's good, too.
51:42I mean, why would you go anywhere else?
51:47And, you know, to me, there's so much to learn here.
51:51I mean, there's a place called Tortuguero, which is in the north, eastern part of the country.
51:57And so this is where the turtles lay the eggs.
52:00It's a national park, very tough to get to.
52:03But these are places that are so remote and so untouched.
52:06There's not a billboard.
52:08There's no rose.
52:09There's nothing.
52:09And so if somebody really wants to see what these things are like and to experience being up close with nature, they have these special trips that go there.
52:22And so people come here to not just lay on the beach.
52:27It's a lot of it is just adventure driven.
52:30And they want to see if they can overcome certain fears when it comes to bungee jumping or ziplining or seeing monkeys and animals and stuff.
52:41But yeah, man, we'd love to have you come and visit.
52:43I got a thousand and one suggestions.
52:47Definitely.
52:47It sounds like my kind of place.
52:49I love exploring a lot.
52:52I love exploring a lot.
52:53So thank you so much for coming on the Tech Your Business show today and sharing your story, sharing your experience and everything with us today.
53:01And for the listeners, I'm sure you've picked a couple of things from this episode from Richard's experience.
53:08And like you said, if you want to reach him, every link will be in the show notes or you can just book the flight ticket to Costa Rica.
53:18And you can and you can meet up there.
53:20So thank you very much for being on the show.
53:24To the listeners, thank you for coming, for being with us this long.
53:27Until next week, when we come to you with another episode of this podcast, don't forget to keep checking your business.
53:35Bye for now.
53:36Bye.
53:36Bye.
53:38Bye.
53:38Bye.
53:38Bye.
53:40Bye.
53:40Bye.
53:42Bye.
53:42Bye.
53:43Bye.
53:44Bye.
53:45Bye.
53:46Bye.
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53:48Bye.
53:49Bye.
53:49Bye.
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