Key Fundamentals for Successful Call Center Reps.

The Brian Nichols Show. An Old-School Retro Gamer vs. the Sales Experience with Richard Blank. Welcome to The Brian Nichols Show. Part of the We Are Libertarians Podcast Network. Brian Nichols Instead of focusing on winning arguments, we’re teaching the basic fundamentals of sales and marketing and how we can use them to WIN in both the worlds of business and politics; teaching you how to meet people where they're at on the issues they care about. When people are best friends with other people, they usually stay at a company. On today's episode of The Brian Nichols Show, I'm joined by Richard Blank (CEO of Costa Rica's Call Center) who give us some real, authentic means to enhance the sales experience for both the prospect AND the salesman. Episode 5. On today's interview of The Brian Nichols Show, I'm joined by Richard Blank (CEO of Costa Rica's Call Center) who give us some real, authentic means to enhance the sales experience for both the prospect AND the salesman. Empowering Leadership in Call Centers Well, Brian, you do know when you're a CEO of a company, you have leverage. You can hire, you can fire, you can make or break somebody. You and I, the way that we were raised, we chose the former. My ego's fine. I don't need to go on the floor and embarrass somebody or make them cry. What I'm looking to do is to delegate promote from within. And in order for me to scale, sometimes I gotta bring in people that have no experience at a call center, but they're coming bilingual, which bears the mark of higher education. It gives you and I the opportunity to mold them, to coach them. They don't bring in bad habits and we can have them grow with our own company culture. And so for me, everybody has the opportunity to grow at this company. Key Fundamentals for Successful Call Center Reps So let's kind of walk through some of the basics. What are some of the key things that you would say are fundamentals that make a good call center rep, as you would say over at Costa Rica's call center? Perfect. Before I give you an actual phone call tips and tricks, let's talk about leaving a voicemail. I believe something should be custom made. Take an extra couple seconds to look at a LinkedIn or a company website so you can find something specific to separate you from others when you're leaving a message. Also on an email template, as I'm mentioning before, make sure it's custom made so it's not just boiler room. https://youtu.be/vgPEh9Se8EA?si=1FlU3xa4Iy8VD9m7 https://youtu.be/ZbFZwoyegGM https://youtu.be/JDpVdJHcp_8 "Well, since I grew up in the 70s, and 80s, I loved going to arcades - and I'm a retro gamer. I don't have a PlayStation or an Xbox. I'm an old-school gamer. And so my passion turned into an obsession. And once I started making a little money and have the room here at the center, I started treasure hunting. And there are people down here with pinball machines and jukeboxes and a lot of toys that one man's trash is another man's treasure. And so call me Oscar the Grouch, I'll be willing to drive a couple hours to find myself a classic rock cooler, or a pinball machine. And so most of these games are older than the agents here, I created a happy neutral environment so people can meet others from different departments that can let off steam - they can recharge batteries. And imagine an environment where you can hang out and play some games together. And so, for me, I felt it was very important. It reduces attrition. When people are best friends with other people, they usually stay at a company." We're all tired of the partisan politics. It's exhausting hearing the news with their blatant bias and narrative. People are looking for solutions to the problems they see in the world. Where to turn? At The Brian Nichols Show, we're solving those problems by interviewing noted entrepreneurs, elected officials, business executives, economists, and more by offering practical, liberty based solutions; not rhetoric. As a sales and marketing executive in the greater telecommunications/cybersecurity sector, I've spent years working with C-Level executives to help them "future-proof" their company's infrastructure for an uncertain future. And at The Brian Nichols Show, I’m taking that industry experiencing and bringing it to the liberty movement. Instead of focusing on libertarians being right, we’re teaching the basic fundamentals of sales and their application in the world of politics, teaching you how to ask better questions to help change people’s minds. So, you ready to help change the world? Richard’s journey in the call center space 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. We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica. While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry. https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/ The Brian Nichols Show, Richard Blank,Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing Call Centre, BPO, Nearshore Contact Center, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership, Marketing, CX, Guest, Money, B2C education, BPO trainer, #TheBrianNicholsShow #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO #AuthoryourBrandPodcast Richard Blank's Journey to Costa Rica I'm really looking forward to this conversation because you have taken what was a 27-year-old's opportunity to train a couple thousand folks, and you've turned it into, fast forward 20 years later, an amazing career. And you're at the point now, I'd say you've probably trained tens of thousands of folks at Costa Rica's call center. Talk to us. What was the story that led Richard Blank going to Costa Rica, of all places, and now having such an amazing career of success leading this amazing call center team? Thank you so much for the great question. It actually starts back in Northeast Philadelphia. When I graduated Abington High School back in 91, I doubled down on my favorite class, which was Spanish. Strategic Communication Tips There'll be times when a child, a dog, or some sort of distraction in the background. And if I can't hear you, I'm not going to say, excuse me, Brian, could you repeat that? No, I'm going to fall on that sword. Strategically and diplomatically, I'm going to say, for my clarification, Brian, was it ABC or 123 for my edification. So what these will do is reduce any sort of ego defense and eliminate any sort of rabbit holes. And once you do some dedicated practice outside of the office where you just practice speaking and recording yourself, then you'll be prepared because you and I make it look easy. The Power of Daily Effort Your audience does not see the amount of time and hours that we put into to prepare not only for our jobs, but for these podcasts. So as long as somebody puts in a little bit of effort, a little bit of extra outside of work, you will see the dividends when you return to the office. Oh, those little tiny things you can do every single day that will add up into something huge. Like I started, so I'll give you a real life example. So I was notorious and I like sleeping in.

Empowering Leadership in Call Centers.

The Brian Nichols Show. An Old-School Retro Gamer vs. the Sales Experience with Richard Blank. Welcome to The Brian Nichols Show. Part of the We Are Libertarians Podcast Network. Brian Nichols Instead of focusing on winning arguments, we’re teaching the basic fundamentals of sales and marketing and how we can use them to WIN in both the worlds of business and politics; teaching you how to meet people where they're at on the issues they care about. When people are best friends with other people, they usually stay at a company. On today's episode of The Brian Nichols Show, I'm joined by Richard Blank (CEO of Costa Rica's Call Center) who give us some real, authentic means to enhance the sales experience for both the prospect AND the salesman. Episode 5. On today's interview of The Brian Nichols Show, I'm joined by Richard Blank (CEO of Costa Rica's Call Center) who give us some real, authentic means to enhance the sales experience for both the prospect AND the salesman. Empowering Leadership in Call Centers Well, Brian, you do know when you're a CEO of a company, you have leverage. You can hire, you can fire, you can make or break somebody. You and I, the way that we were raised, we chose the former. My ego's fine. I don't need to go on the floor and embarrass somebody or make them cry. What I'm looking to do is to delegate promote from within. And in order for me to scale, sometimes I gotta bring in people that have no experience at a call center, but they're coming bilingual, which bears the mark of higher education. It gives you and I the opportunity to mold them, to coach them. They don't bring in bad habits and we can have them grow with our own company culture. And so for me, everybody has the opportunity to grow at this company. https://youtu.be/vgPEh9Se8EA?si=1FlU3xa4Iy8VD9m7 https://youtu.be/ZbFZwoyegGM "Well, since I grew up in the 70s, and 80s, I loved going to arcades - and I'm a retro gamer. I don't have a PlayStation or an Xbox. I'm an old-school gamer. And so my passion turned into an obsession. And once I started making a little money and have the room here at the center, I started treasure hunting. And there are people down here with pinball machines and jukeboxes and a lot of toys that one man's trash is another man's treasure. And so call me Oscar the Grouch, I'll be willing to drive a couple hours to find myself a classic rock cooler, or a pinball machine. And so most of these games are older than the agents here, I created a happy neutral environment so people can meet others from different departments that can let off steam - they can recharge batteries. And imagine an environment where you can hang out and play some games together. And so, for me, I felt it was very important. It reduces attrition. When people are best friends with other people, they usually stay at a company." We're all tired of the partisan politics. It's exhausting hearing the news with their blatant bias and narrative. People are looking for solutions to the problems they see in the world. Where to turn? At The Brian Nichols Show, we're solving those problems by interviewing noted entrepreneurs, elected officials, business executives, economists, and more by offering practical, liberty based solutions; not rhetoric. As a sales and marketing executive in the greater telecommunications/cybersecurity sector, I've spent years working with C-Level executives to help them "future-proof" their company's infrastructure for an uncertain future. And at The Brian Nichols Show, I’m taking that industry experiencing and bringing it to the liberty movement. Instead of focusing on libertarians being right, we’re teaching the basic fundamentals of sales and their application in the world of politics, teaching you how to ask better questions to help change people’s minds. So, you ready to help change the world? Richard’s journey in the call center space 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. We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica. While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry. https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/

#TheBrianNicholsShow #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO #AuthoryourBrandPodcast Richard Blank's Journey to Costa Rica I'm really looking forward to this conversation because you have taken what was a 27-year-old's opportunity to train a couple thousand folks, and you've turned it into, fast forward 20 years later, an amazing career. And you're at the point now, I'd say you've probably trained tens of thousands of folks at Costa Rica's call center. Talk to us. What was the story that led Richard Blank going to Costa Rica, of all places, and now having such an amazing career of success leading this amazing call center team? Thank you so much for the great question. It actually starts back in Northeast Philadelphia. When I graduated Abington High School back in 91, I doubled down on my favorite class, which was Spanish. Strategic Communication Tips There'll be times when a child, a dog, or some sort of distraction in the background. And if I can't hear you, I'm not going to say, excuse me, Brian, could you repeat that? No, I'm going to fall on that sword. Strategically and diplomatically, I'm going to say, for my clarification, Brian, was it ABC or 123 for my edification. So what these will do is reduce any sort of ego defense and eliminate any sort of rabbit holes. And once you do some dedicated practice outside of the office where you just practice speaking and recording yourself, then you'll be prepared because you and I make it look easy. The Power of Daily Effort Your audience does not see the amount of time and hours that we put into to prepare not only for our jobs, but for these podcasts. So as long as somebody puts in a little bit of effort, a little bit of extra outside of work, you will see the dividends when you return to the office. Oh, those little tiny things you can do every single day that will add up into something huge. Like I started, so I'll give you a real life example. So I was notorious and I like sleeping in. Key Fundamentals for Successful Call Center Reps So let's kind of walk through some of the basics. What are some of the key things that you would say are fundamentals that make a good call center rep, as you would say over at Costa Rica's call center? Perfect. Before I give you an actual phone call tips and tricks, let's talk about leaving a voicemail. I believe something should be custom made. Take an extra couple seconds to look at a LinkedIn or a company website so you can find something specific to separate you from others when you're leaving a message. Also on an email template, as I'm mentioning before, make sure it's custom made so it's not just boiler room.

Understanding Call Center Contracts and Compliance.

Author your Brand Podcast. Surfing, Bilingualism, and Non-Voice Omnichannel Support with Richard Blank The Author Your Brand show takes a deep dive into becoming a best selling author, sometimes without writing a word. The host, Doug Crowe, interviews CEO’s of multi-million dollar firms, successful entrepreneurs, and “slightly” famous people. Guests include the former CMO of Starbucks Asia, the Inventor of GPS (who sold the company he founded for $6.6 Billion) & NYT bestselling authors. This daily LIVE show uncovers the mindset of these visionaries & their success tips In a lively podcast interview hosted by Doug Crowe, Richard Blank, founder and operator of Costa Rica's Call Center (CCC), a thriving call center in Costa Rica, shares his passion for surfing, bilingualism, and the challenges of operating a call center in a global market. Richard explains the high-quality services his call center provides to clients across North America, Central America, and Europe, emphasizing the importance of bilingual, college-educated agents dedicated to specific campaigns. The conversation then turns to the benefits and drawbacks of non-voice omnichannel support, as Doug and Richard discuss the value of personal engagement when it comes to creating a rapport with customers that extends beyond the immediate transaction. This interview will be relevant to anyone interested in call center operations, customer support, and building lasting customer relationships. AI vs. Human Touch in Customer Service The pros and the cons. I think when people have these non-voice omni-channel supports, which are chats and emails, which could be generated and used, fine, that saves time and can move things forward. But how about this? You've been a client a long time somewhere and you'd like to speak with somebody. And if no one speaks with you or their office hours are better, you're in a queue a long time. When you finally get someone, you're going to pop. And there's a very good chance you're gonna curse, you're gonna scream, and you're just gonna let it out. And so these relationships cost a lot of money to build. And as much as AI can assist you, it really won't put the ball in the end zone because me and you talking about your dog or your trip to Egypt, or your being a magician, or these fun things that both you and I do in lives with pinballs in Costa Ricas, your AI will not catch that. And that's where the situation is going to be. Understanding Call Center Contracts and Compliance One seat for one month is my minimum contract. But if it were my own personal opinion, I like odd man outs. I'd prefer three seats for three months just to at least see. Yeah, right. And do you do any list bill stuff or the client's got to provide the list to call on? Not only does the client provide me the list, but it has to be scrubbed through the DNC because my company is inscribed in the United States that follows all U.S. business and banking laws. Okay. And for clarification, those who don't want to mention, DNC stands for do not call list, which I'm not sure if that actually works or not. They should know because I know a lot of people that have been hit for that. And so you have to be very careful. https://youtu.be/CCbCZ-gi8e0 https://youtu.be/eFZHKjI4aA8 Doug Crowe is a business growth strategist that’s passionate about getting results for his clients. Doug is your partner in business growth and your best option for leveraging the digital revolution. He has helped clients maximize resources and build a thriving business. Doug leverages his years of expertise to bring growth to your business. WE TELL YOUR STORY ...Better Why consider becoming an author? Is the time, money, and resources necessary to create a book of impact even worth it? Influence. Impact. Authorship. Becoming an author is always a major achievement... but never done alone. Our authors do more than simply publish a book; they make a dent in their Universe. Why Authoring Your Book Can Change the World (But You’ll Surely Fail if You Don’t Do This…) Your story matters. Your ideas need to be shared. But if you depend only upon a book to become the tipping point, it simply won’t work. In today’s ecosystem of information overload, even a social media influencer has an impact that lasts about as long as the memory of a goldfish. Engagement? That’s cute. What does that mean, anyway? There is a single foundational element all thought leaders, influencers, and visionaries have that most authors hope for, but very few achieve. Stop Dreaming. Start Researching. Your idea for a book may be the greatest thing since sliced bread. Why haven’t you written it and had a dozen publishers beating down your door for a movie deal? For most authors, there’s a bit of doubt and fear, and that's normal. Is what you are saying worthy? Will people resonate with it? Can you make a difference? What if there was a way to find out the answers to all of these questions? Here's the good news. Not only can you get these questions answered, but our proprietary "vet & validate" answers them and begins building your audience... before your book is written. AUTHORS OF IMPACT What’s your idea, your dream, your vision? Do you know a better way to communicate at the office? Maybe your leadership principles would apply to a new demographic like local government? Your story can be life-changing for somebody. But only if you are published. Don’t go through life with the potential to make the world a better place and squander the opportunity. Once your idea of becoming an author is in your heart-don't hesitate. Take action today. What do John Grisham, Tony Robbins, and JK Rowling have in common? These visionaries didn’t start at the top. Like all people of influence, they had humble beginnings. They were just trying to make ends meet as… …A lawyer in a busy firm. …A janitor in a corporate office. …Or a single mother on child support writing the first few words of her book on a napkin. The one thing they have in common is that they were as busy as you (maybe more). But that did not deter them from moving their vision into reality. Authorship, like any large venture, requires a blend of patience and perseverance. Equally important is a process and team to pull it all together. At Author Your Brand, we use that same system the Fortune 100 do for developing and guaranteeing a new product launch. Research. The process is detailed, thorough, and will give you the data, confidence and pre-sales to boldly move forward; to helping you become a #1 Best Selling Author… without you writing a single word. We help people just like you capture, organize, publish, and market a beautifully crafted book that tells your unique story within the context of serving others. We transform leaders into respected experts in their field. We make sure that your book is a timelessly powerful tool that attracts new opportunities and has the power to make a dent in the Universe. If You Qualify, Expect: Unparalleled collaboration to frame your unique perspective Professional journalism to distill your content into a compelling story A systems-based creative process that perfectly captures your voice Over 200 data points of competitive intelligence Unlimited revisions and focus group testing on your book cover #1 status as a Best-Selling author on Amazon. Major media attention and outreach to build your author*ity ...and much more. Doug Crowe Founder A gifted leader with a variety of talents, Doug is a prolific businessman, marketing expert, and a brilliant writer. He writes for Entrepreneur.com and has been published in Yahoo Finance, Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald, and the Seattle Times. Richard’s journey in the call center space 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. We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica. While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry. https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/ Author your Brand Podcast, Doug Crowe, Richard Blank,Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing Call Centre, BPO, Nearshore Contact Center, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership, Marketing, CX, Guest, Money, B2C education, BPO trainer, #Doug Crowe #AuthoryourBrandPodcast #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO #AuthoryourBrandPodcast https://youtu.be/CCbCZ-gi8e0