Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Permission to Kick Ass Podcast: Episode 84 with Richard Blank. Sales trainer call centre.

Angie Colee's Permission to Kick Ass gives you a virtual “seat at the bar” for the REAL conversations that happen between entrepreneurs. This isn't another "X ways to Y your Z" tactical show. It's about the challenges and struggles every entrepreneur goes through as they grow. We talk about losing 80% of your business in a matter of weeks, head trash that keeps you stuck playing small, and everything in between. If you’ve ever worried that you're the only one struggling, that everyone else “gets it” and you’re missing something (or messing things up)... this show’s for you. Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe to the Permission to Kick Ass podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you stream your podcasts. My guest today, Richard Blank had a vision from an early age — to do work that would fulfill his needs vs society’s expectations. With that as his guiding compass, his path led him to Costa Rica where he eventually became the CEO of a call center. But Richard’s vision goes far beyond him… what I love about his business is how much intention he puts into paying it forward. Listen now for some major inspiration! Richard wasn’t willing to compromise his dreams of creating a life he loved. He brings that same passion and dedication to his business, day in and day out. To find someone so true to their ethics in business is rare and refreshing. This episode is jam-packed full of perspective shifting insight to running a people-first business. If you’re looking to strengthen the relationships within your biz (hint: you absolutely should be, if you’re not already!) this one’s for you. Can’t-Miss Moments From This Episode: Ever looked at someone else’s life and thought “I wish I could do that?” Great news: YOU ABSOLUTELY CAN! I lovingly request you take notes as Richard and I break down what it takes to live a life where you stay true to yourself. The surprising thing you can give to anyone, anywhere, in any situation that will immediately de-escalate tensions and build a ton of loyalty and goodwill. This is how Richard cracked the code on scaling his business and getting people to LOVE working with him. Embarrassing admission time: as a former hothead who LOVED hashing out issues right friggin’ now (read: arguing), I say this to you with all the love I have. You don’t have to solve every problem the instant it happens (and why trying to force it often makes things worse). If you struggle with how to frame up a tough convo, I got a little trick you can try out. Much to my surprise, once I put it into practice, I earned myself the title of “great people manager.” Here’s a counter-intuitive thought: what if you could use strategic passive aggression to help you deal with a difficult client? Richard’s take sounds shocking, but when used with intention (vs actual aggression), you can show, not tell, your client the path forward. This one is jam-packed full of advice. Don’t miss out - listen now! Both a podcast and a movement, and it’s all about freelancing and entrepreneurship (and all the fears, roadblocks, and head trash that come along with it). It’s where I publish my podcast episodes (want to be a guest? Read this) and talk about my travels. For too damn long, too many of us have been building businesses that take over our lives and leave us left with nothing for ourselves. Somewhere along the way, our work became the end-all-be-all thing that we’re “supposed to” be killing ourselves doing… at least if we want any kind of success. I don’t like it, and I’m not buying into it anymore. I don’t think you should either. Let’s bring back the days where more business got done outside the office than in. Angie Colee is a confidence coach helping creative entrepreneurs conquer fears and break through anxiety blocks that stop them from growing their businesses. She's coached and run creative teams for companies like Lowe's, Product Launch Formula, Copy Chief, and Orzy Media. Allow me a moment to climb up on my soapbox... Shit has gotten complicated. Tech is advancing at a scary rate, offers that used to work suddenly stop working, and at the end of the day we've still got to work with people (sometimes the hardest part of business, and life in general). It's enough to make some entrepreneurs quit and go back to a job, because managing all the moving parts is overwhelming, and quite frankly... lonely AF. That breaks my heart (and makes me want to set things on fire). Entrepreneurs are the future. We're the job creators, the community builders, the forward thinkers. Our work is important, which is why I specialize in working exclusively with creatives; people who lead teams, offer DFY or DWY services, personality brands, creators, and entrepreneurs. I help people like you develop business building skills so you can create something that works for YOU. Business Mentor for Rule Breakers and Rebels My name is Angie, and I’m on a mission to help entrepreneurs and creators build a stable, FUN business you actually enjoy. One that lets you live the ever-loving shit out of this one and only precious life. If what you've built isn't working the way you hoped, odds are one (or more) of these three things is breaking down: People Process Profit Finding your unique blend of those three business pillars is the key to finding all the success you’re looking for. Here's the thing... You get to do it your way, just like Sinatra said. You don’t have to sacrifice everything you are in order to build the business you’re envisioning. You don't need to become another person to achieve your goals. You only need strategy + skills + a loving kick in the ass to guide you in taking smart risks. If all this speaks to you, pull up a chair, grab a beverage, and get cozy… I think you’re gonna like it here. Hi, I'm Angie - business mentor for rule breakers and rebels. My three big beliefs: 1) creativity is one of the most valuable assets on the planet 2) business skills can be learned by anyone willing to do the work 3) people (NOT profits or processes) are the most important part of business - but a strong, profitable business requires a balance of all three Ps My ONE big mission: I don't want a single creator, creative entrepreneur, or creative service provider to go to their grave thinking they're not enough, or will never figure this business thing out. I specialize in you find hidden revenue opportunities that don’t take up a ton of time, resources, bandwidth, or cash... so you can grow your business with more confidence and less stress (without becoming a completely different person or losing your edge). Big names, big results: I've consulted with and run creative teams for companies like Jeff Walker’s Product Launch Formula (PLF), MasterClass, Lowe’s, Copy Chief, Orzy Media, and Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad brand (to name a few). I have a hybrid business-creative degree from Carnegie Mellon University, Master of Entertainment Industry management. It means I’ve got specialized expertise in turning creative work and intellectual property into viable businesses. When I'm not writing or publishing new episodes of Permission to Kick Ass, you’ll find me on the road living life as a full-time digital nomad with my cats, Stella and Ollie. Business Mentor for Rule Breakers and Rebels I'm gonna scream this from the mountaintops until I lose my voice: It doesn't have to be complicated to be GOOD. It's so easy to get caught up in the tactics and fads and strategies and feel like you're falling behind... Or like you don't "deserve" a certain level of success if you haven't "earned" it by working yourself to the point of exhaustion. Look, you don't have to build something that looks like anyone else's version of "success". And you also don't have to reinvent the wheel. Good business comes down to three basic pillars: People Process Profit I help you find and fix whichever one of those is causing challenges. And I do it with an eye on simple, fast, and effective. We got lives to live, people - let's get back to that and get the business running itself. I help creatives become the leaders their business needs to grow and thrive. My unique method combines KISS (Keep It Simple, Silly) with strategy and people skills to help you grow your business with more confidence and less stress... all without becoming a completely different person or losing your edge. Big names, big results: I've consulted with and run creative teams for companies like Jeff Walker’s Product Launch Formula (PLF), MasterClass, Lowe’s, Copy Chief, Orzy Media, and Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad brand (to name a few). I have a hybrid business-creative degree from Carnegie Mellon University, Master of Entertainment Industry management. It means I’ve got specialized expertise in turning creative work and intellectual property into viable businesses. In other words, my superpower is finding hidden opportunities in your people, profits, or processes that can be implemented fast. When I'm not writing or publishing new episodes of Permission to Kick Ass, you’ll find me on the road living life as a full-time digital nomad with my semi-Insta-famous cat, Stella. Angie Colee is a Senior Copywriter in retail by day and rockstar blues vocalist by night. She is obsessed with marketing strategy, simplifying complex ideas, and making her cat the next internet sensation. Life goals include trademarking her awesomely red hair and figuring out how to drink hot coffee without burning herself. If you’re ever in the San Francisco bay area, look her up. You Don't Need More Clients. Here's How You REALLY Grow Your Business... I'll show you simple, streamlined strategies to help you increase your profits and your productivity without having to clone yourself to keep up with an impossible workload. If you’ve got a flagship product or service, a solid customer base, and a year’s worth of content… you're already sitting on a mountain of hidden treasure. My name is Angie, and I'm mildly obsessed with seeing just how much juice I can squeeze out of already established businesses. What I do isn’t magic… no “hacks” or “tricks”. Just this: 3p growth guide (1) Almost every business that's struggling to scale is dealing with one (or more) of the above challenges. I help you find and fix those problems. And I happen to be pretty damn good at this. Here are just a few examples of results I've helped my clients generate... The steady 6-figure coach who discovered an untapped high-ticket private program. We created a framework and a simple sales structure to help her launch quickly. She filled her program within a matter of weeks, and now has a built-in next level step for her current students. The 9-figure retail company that had no re-engagement emails to recapture the attention of inactive subscribers. We added a few simple emails and made $8.4MM in sales to an already existing customer base… and they run automatically every time someone goes inactive. The 7-figure agency owner who had dozens of people ask him how he built his agency. We spotted an opportunity and created an email-only launch (zero slides, webinars, or production) to fill his beta training program and generated $90K in advance revenue… before he’d even finished creating the training. The 7-figure retailer who was doing everything herself, from answering customer service emails to packing and shipping boxes. I helped her prioritize her quickest wins and make her first hire, who now handles all her email marketing and content creation so she can finally work ON the business instead of spinning her wheels working IN the business. Not only that, we created an entire content marketing process centered on ease, designed to fit into what they were already doing (vs building it all from scratch). The 8-figure fitness brand that needed a new product but wasn’t sure which direction to turn. We ran a survey and had their most loyal clients and best buyers reveal an opportunity for an entirely new, high-end product line. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg… Hi, I’m Angie Colee. Nice to virtually meet you! I’m a marketing strategist and launch expert who works with info-marketers, content creators, and creative teams to execute sales campaigns that produce results. Basically, my superpower is finding hidden revenue opportunities in your business that don’t take up a ton of time, resources, bandwidth, or cash. In that time I’ve helped launch thousands of products and marketing campaigns, including two multimillion-dollar launches in the middle of a global pandemic. Combined, my work has generated more than $70 million in direct-to-consumer sales. And here’s something pretty cool: I’ve got a special hybrid business-creative degree from Carnegie Mellon University. It’s called Master of Entertainment Industry management, and it means I’ve got specialized expertise in turning creative work and intellectual property into viable businesses. In addition to my consulting work, I’ve got a passion project I love called Permission to Kick Ass. It’s a podcast (and movement) for freelancers and creative entrepreneurs who want to create businesses that are perfect for their personalities and their lifestyles. When I’m not helping entrepreneurs with marketing or empire building, you’ll find me on the road. I’m a full-time digital nomad and I host marketing workshops and entrepreneurial playdates business-building events in different locations all around the U.S. You can count on me to locate the really good food, find landmarks and local hotspots, and try all kinds of weird things like llama yoga and digging in the dirt with backhoes. Richard’s vision quest journey is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose. With a mix of motivational public speaking style backed by tactful and appropriate rhetoric, Richard shared his knowledge and trained over 10 000 bilingual telemarketers. Richard Blank has the largest collection of restored American Pinball machines and antique Rockola Jukeboxes in Central America making gamification a strong part of CCC culture.Richard Blank is the Chief Executive Officer for Costa Rica’s Call Center since 2008. Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain. A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business. Giving back to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level. Costa Rica’s Call Center (CCC) is a state of the art BPO telemarketing outsource company located in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica. Our main focus has been, and will always be to personally train each and every Central America call center agent so that we may offer the highest quality of outbound and inbound telemarketing solutions and bilingual customer service to small and medium sized international companies, entrepreneurs as well as fortune 500 companies. https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/ #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Leadgeneration #Appointmentsetting #permissiontokickass permission to kick ass podcast, Richard Blank,Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing, BPO, Nearshore, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership,Marketing, Radio, Guest, Money, education, trainer, Permission to Kick Ass Podcast: Episode 84 with Richard Blank. Sales trainer call centre. https://youtu.be/6igY7MCrBgE?si=Ss11zsHD_Qbc8frS https://youtube.com/shorts/DJsCV4k2vQo?feature=share