AI Cannot Replace Human Connection.

Crunching Growth podcast by Philip Masiello Telemarketing Mastery: Unlocking Growth with Richard Blank Crunching Your Growth is the brainchild of an experienced entrepreneur, Phil Masiello. With several books on digital marketing and brand building already published by Amazon and an impressive portfolio of direct-to-consumer food, fashion, beauty, and personal care brands under his belt - you know your journey starts with the right mentor. But it doesn't stop there! Phil has gathered seasoned entrepreneurs from around the country who open up about their near-death experiences as startups – all for educational entertainment! No more generic advice about startup success stories! Hear first-hand accounts from those who lived it - enjoy the funny moments and grasp how to succeed in business without going through everything yourself. Get insight on how to launch your dream product or company and how to avoid potential mistakes along the way. Take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to learn what starting a business looks like. S3 E1: 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. AI Cannot Replace Human Connection So I'm saying AI will never know that connection that you, unless they were there listening to the conversation transcribing, which they're probably doing over the phone anyway. But if they weren't there during that private conversation that you and I had, when either you hit the home run or you struck out and I was there, right? They think they're not going to match that. And, um, I believe today, and as I say, I hate the texting. I know it's convenient sometimes, but when I walk downstairs, I'm going to say two things of what COVID did. Number one, it saved my industry, but then everyone went home. So I'm a virtual call center majority of it now, which took away my essence of seeing people playing the games with them and having that synergy. So I'm happy, but then again, it really trans. https://youtu.be/Puv0ndupEqo https://youtu.be/ipGxNIzC4_M

About Philip Masiello Philip Masiello is one of the founders of CrunchGrowth Revenue Acceleration Agency, one of the fastest-growing marketing agencies in the nation. Mr. Masiello is renowned for his e-commerce and Amazon selling expertise. He is also well-known for his entrepreneurial talent, having launched five unique international brands since the age of 25. In addition, Phil is an investor in several interesting startups as varied as digital games, the circular recycling economy, real estate, and personal care products. In addition to providing capital, Phil uses his marketing expertise to help these startups to scale faster.Why Choose Me As Your Growth Coach? Philip Masiello is one of the founders of CrunchGrowth Revenue Acceleration Agency, one of the fastest-growing marketing agencies in the nation. Mr. Masiello is renowned for his e-commerce and Amazon selling expertise. He is also well-known for his entrepreneurial talent, having launched five unique international brands since the age of 25. In addition, Phil is an investor in several interesting startups as varied as digital games, the circular recycling economy, real estate, and personal care products. In addition to providing capital, Phil uses his marketing expertise to help these startups to scale faster. Introducing Philip Masiello: A Visionary Entrepreneur Making Waves in the Business World! Philip Masiello, author of the highly acclaimed books “Think-Engage-Thrive: Marketing Actions To Skyrocket Your Brand In The Digital Age” and “Think-Engage-Thrive: A guide to Amazon marketing,” is a force to be reckoned with in the business world. As the founder and CEO of Crunchgrowth Revenue Acceleration Agency, Masiello has a proven track record of success. With expertise in Ecommerce, mobile application marketing, and Amazon Seller marketing, he has pioneered disruptive business models since his early days as a startup entrepreneur. But that’s not all – Masiello’s entrepreneurial journey is filled with impressive milestones. He has successfully launched and managed ventures such as 800razors.com, Raw Beauty, Inc., Metro Marketing, and The Daily Market. Each endeavor marked by his ability to drive sales and deliver outstanding results. The Education and Leadership Behind Philip Masiello’s Success With an MBA in Finance and Marketing from the University of Maryland, Masiello is not just a hands-on practitioner but also an accomplished academic. He remains actively involved in entrepreneurial programs at his alma mater and serves as a trusted advisor and mentor to multiple incubators in the Baltimore/Washington area. Today, Masiello is making waves once again with Crunchgrowth Revenue Acceleration Agency. This innovative venture supports consumer product companies in maximizing their Ecommerce efforts, mobile application marketing, and Amazon Seller marketing. His exceptional leadership and proven success make him the go-to expert for achieving business goals. When it comes to fueling business growth, Philip Masiello is the name to know. Embrace his expertise and unlock your company’s true potential! hil Masiello is an innovative and dynamic senior leader with over 20 years of progressive experience in the e-commerce, marketing, and startup sectors. He founded CrunchGrowth, a seasoned entrepreneur known for his revolutionary impact on business strategy and e-commerce. Phil's entrepreneurial journey began at 27, enhanced by an MBA with a concentration in Marketing and Finance, which has been a fundamental cornerstone for his ventures. From a pioneering role in e-commerce for the meal industry with the founding of The Daily Market to transformative work as the co-founder of Raw Essentials Skin Care with Carol Alt, Phil has consistently showcased his strategic insight. Phil's expertise extends to brand strategy and digital marketing across various consumer product spaces, including food, fashion, beauty, and personal care. As a founder and CEO, he's crafted several disruptive business models at the intersection of emerging digital technologies and consumer lifestyles, with a sharp focus on lifestyle products. His adeptness at developing effective digital and social strategies and campaigns has significantly elevated brand recognition and drive top-line sales growth. His ventures, such as 800razors.com, highlight his creative and effective PR strategies, while his agency, CrunchGrowth, is celebrated for its innovative, cost-effective approaches to maximizing sales, particularly in the food and personal care sectors. Phil's commitment to multi-channel customer acquisition models has built brand awareness and driven sales at a rapid and cost-effective rate. As an expert business startup builder in the B2C channel, Phil is also heavily focused on the finances, sales, marketing, and operations of multi-platform brand development. Additionally, he shares his wealth of knowledge through "Crunching Your Growth" on E360tv, interviewing leading experts and inspiring a new generation of business leaders. Phil Masiello's specialties include e-commerce, entrepreneurship, business startups, brand development, digital marketing, social media marketing, brand messaging, social media, branding and identity, DRTV, television shopping channels, infomercials, retail, and consumer marketing. His story is a testament to transformative thinking and the power of adapting to the ever-evolving e-commerce landscape. Ready to start your own business? 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. 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/ #PhilipMasiello #CrunchingGrowthpodcast #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO #BusinessConfidentialNow Philip Masiello, Crunching Growth podcast, 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,call centre, contact centre, contact center Telemarketing's Timeless Skills You ask how someone can make 300 calls a day or walk 15 miles with a pack and fight in a war. But they got to have their rhythm. They got to have their zen. They got to have their mantra. And for me, I go old school chivalry. I give honor in it. I let them know this is a dying field and we're being replaced by computers. But there will always be that one individual, that will press zero and want to speak with us. And so I say, try to preserve that still, because one day you will be that unique speaker that looks up and talks, compares to look down and text. Battling High Attrition in the Industry Number one is attrition rate. $300. percent in my industry, people just leave. They'll peace out. There's no two weeks notice. Hey, Phil. Yeah. What's up, Richie? Billy just quit. Got a job at Amazon. His girlfriend just worked there. But it happens. I think I said earlier, I'll never give them the walk of shame. I'll lose them on natural attrition. That's just a crazy thing in my industry because of the ramp up and investment in the people. But you always have reserves and you can kind of tell who may be a jumper or a mercenary or a cancer. Competing in Business: Ethics and Realism I can't compete offshore with India and the Philippines, they're half my rate. So this is my argument. Listen to me now. If it's inbound customer support with a set talk time and just going through the motions, I can't double the work. It's impossible for me to do twice the amount of calls. But if it's outbound prospecting for Phil and my soft skills, my environment and what these agents are able to do will offset that couple of dollars an hour because of merit. I can earn your business. We can do these sort of things. And so the responsible thing to do is to reject more business than you accept because I have to be realistic with people. I'm not going to overpromise and then make excuses. That's not cool. That's stealing money. Living the Dream in Central America I live in Central America in tropical areas. I'm from Philly where it used to be cold and there was slush and they wouldn't cancel school that day. So why do you think I'm smiling every day? This is like Gilligan's Island. It's the best. I've been living here for 25 years and I married the girl of my dreams. As I say, I'm the long shot that it should have never happened. I couldn't believe it happened. I fell in love with a tropical exotic girl. Built a company. I didn't think I'm on your podcast smiling and motivational speaking. Paying it Forward with Scholarships I'm very fortunate to have this sort of leverage with my infrastructure and my time. and my mediums to do something constructive. And it's fun for me. And something that happened which is very important is I'm very loyal. And so when I graduated the proud Abington High School and I got college recommendation letters which pretty much got me into college, I pay it forward. So I have a second language scholarship that I do every year for a graduating senior. I'll pay for their freshman books. And why am I doing this? I have to because if these individuals did not believe in me when I was immature 18 with bad grades, I've never gotten into Arizona. Dealing with Employee Burnout But what are also challenges, the burnout, because yeah, you do get the FUs on the phone and, and, What I try to do is I have preventative measures and I hate the Jerry Maguire spin out of control because I have seen people that have been with me with perfect records, have the worst day of their life cursing on the floor, cursing at everyone, screaming and yelling, and have lost so much face they can't come back anymore as much as I'd give them a second chance. You pull them off the phone, you give them some coffee, you get them to calm down for a minute. And then all of a sudden they start crying because they're taking care of their parents or they can't afford a bill. And that hits because you and I are in this beautiful, comfortable bubble of a roof over our head, a hot meal, warm bed. people that love you and support you. Creating a Gamified and Friendly Workplace It's interesting you say that I can match them with technology and salaries. I'm an avid collector of vintage pinball machines. My oldest is a 1970 Bally's Camelot. And so I will have this happy medium of a gamification culture. Why? Recess is the best class. You make friends there. Letting off steam, recharge batteries, it's one less cigarette and get off that freaking phone. And so I've seen that you retain... because they make friends there. Or I'll tell you what, you're not really supposed to touch a boss, but I'm there playing pinball in the morning. People come by, hit me on the shoulder and go, what's up, jefe? How you doing, buddy? And so that's a great positive reinforcement for me that people are comfortable enough and see I'm cool enough. It's like the nun or the priest that shoots basketball hoops with their client. That's extra cool. And what makes me different? I'm accountable.

The Power of Human Connection in Business

Data Leadership Lessons Podcast. Call Center Success Secrets with Richard Blank – Episode 92 The "Data Leadership for Everyone" podcast is an audio advice column for all your data and leadership questions! In today's world, everyone needs to harness the power of data. There's a lot involved in making that happen, and we're here to make it all a little bit easier. Data is everywhere in our businesses, and it takes a lot of work to make the most of it. We bring you the people, stories, and lessons to help you become a Data Leader. You'll be amazed at just how many different paths Data Leadership can take! Algmin Data Leadership Podcast. Anthony Algmin is an experienced Chief Data Officer (CDO), the author of the first published book on data leadership, and a dynamic keynote speaker and trainer of data strategy and management topics. With expertise drawn from multiple industries, Anthony is currently the Convergence Platform Program Lead for AbbVie, where he leads the building of a data and knowledge platform transforming how AbbVie R&D discovers and develops new medicines. Anthony's passion is transforming organizations with data and technology, applying them in pragmatic ways to create real business value. He has been a senior leader in several industries in roles as an employee, consultant, and entrepreneur. Anthony is also the founder of the data leadership advocacy organization, Algmin Data Leadership (Algmin.com), and was the host of the Data Leadership Lessons Podcast from 2020-2022 with 100 episodes of data thought leadership. Arcade Addiction Confession There's no shame And I'm willing to admit that I have a serious addiction. And if somebody knows a professional to help me, have them give me a call. Because at this moment, I'm going to keep buying these machines. Arcade Addiction Confession There's no shame And I'm willing to admit that I have a serious addiction. And if somebody knows a professional to help me, have them give me a call. Because at this moment, I'm going to keep buying these machines. Building Customer Relationships Through Positive Escalation Even if it costs you a little bit more by making an airline reservation or that you know you have to stay online because of a queue that could keep you on hold for 20 minutes, it might pacify you. And so my suggestion for companies is to give people options because like myself, I'm old school. I'd like to build a relationship with someone at your organization. I'd like to have someone understand my account so I don't have to repeat it all the time. and potentially get a first call resolution. And when you're speaking with companies, the greatest thing you could ever do, Anthony, is give a positive escalation. If I have a great experience with a gatekeeper before being transferred to you, I will mention it verbally, and I'll also do it in writing. So if I happen to call your company back, this individual will thank me for that compliment, add steam in my momentum, and potentially give me more company culture that I could use when I speak with you again. So it's not like trying to be clever or finding ways in order to manipulate a conversation. These are the sort of things that you and I grew up with, raised by our parents and grandparents, by just showing active listening and engagement and being sincerely interested in the well-being of the client. Communication Strategies in Call Centers really it all depends on the needs of the client what i ask for a couple things transparency to give us all the resources and to respect and understand our local labor laws but you were mentioning non-voice support and i think that's okay in some instances but today a lot of companies are gravitating towards that post covid so it makes it a little more challenging for the outbound prospecting agents to have higher contact ratios But still, we're capable of doing some additional due diligence on a website or a LinkedIn profile to custom make a voicemail, an email, or potentially when you speak to somebody showing that you actually have some active interest. One of the disadvantages you have of only having that sort of non-voice communication is that, A, you are not able to upsell a client, you may not be able to retain them, get a referral, or in the best and worst case scenario, get an exit interview. Some feedback on areas in which you and I may improve or what our competition had done in order to earn their business. And don't tell me that when you're frustrated, all you're doing is pressing zero and saying, I want to speak with somebody. Even if it costs you a little bit more by making an airline reservation or that you know you have to stay online because of a queue that could keep you on hold for 20 minutes, it might pacify you. Pinball Leadership So as much as Jeff Bezos has thousands of agents here and I compete against Amazon, the one thing I know I did is I play pinball with my people. So that just might separate me from these titans. Reviving the Art of Customer Service Multiple areas of improvement. I believe that people should be more active listening when speaking with clients so we can ask for clarification and edification to ensure mutual understanding. I also believe in due diligence. Nobody's really taking the time to get to know somebody. They're just grinding out the calls. They're probably going to call you sir and not take the time to call you Anthony. And also, I guess people become complacent when they're doing something for so long and they don't have any fidelity. They don't love it anymore. They lost the sort of spark that got them into that in the first place. They become plastic. Too well rehearsed, they just go through the motions. And to me, I always believe that every call should be unique, almost like a painting, where you still follow certain guidelines, but you make that sort of connection with somebody. Strategic Insights on Hiring and Training Anthony, that's why you have one of the best podcasts out there. One of my favorite questions. Let me look at it a couple of different ways. The first thing is that you could have somebody coming in here with 10 years experience being a top gun, but they could also be bringing in bad habits. And it's a seller's market, so they might be considered a jumper, more a mercenary, where they're not loyal to any flag, just looking for the most money that's coming in. So I don't really look at individuals like that for long term. In order to scale, we may need to bring somebody in without call center or this specific vertical experience, and that's fine. I can always teach a CRM system and how to use a Plantronic headset. But learning a second language in my specific case is 10 times harder than any project I'm gonna put them on, so I put fear into perspective. The Importance of Empathy and Leadership We must take into consideration that there might be some outside factors that are happening that are not work related that may affect their performance. And so these individuals are taking care of their families and have very large responsibilities. And it's not saying you give someone 100 chances. They have to follow the labor laws. But there are certain ways to reset somebody, to allow them a quick timeout, or find ways to recharge their batteries so they can conquer any sort of challenges that they may have outside the office. So that's where my empathy goes. As an owner, you have leverage. You can hire, fire, or make, or break. I choose the former. It's very important to keep momentum and add wind in people's sails. Adding wind in people's sails. I really like that statement and that sentiment because that's really what you want to do. You want to propel them and give them strength, give them an ability to move forward, literally and figuratively, I guess. I'm just thinking, too, your words... strike a little bit deeper, I think, for all of us after the last few years, like who whom among us hasn't needed a moment in the last few years with the pandemic and with all of the craziness in the world right now. If you haven't, you're in the vast minority. The Power of Human Connection in Business And the banker who I had used many years ago to set up the initial account, remembered me and was like i am so sorry this whole thing has been such an adventure for all of us and we're so far behind but just know like i know what you're because they they changed the structure of the accounts and they defaulted them the wrong way and they charged me fees that i shouldn't have and i'm like i'm out of here i'm out of here and she's like she's like just please stay with me because i'm gonna find a way to learn this system and make this happen and we are going to still be this partnership that we've had for many, many years. And I'm like, Sherilyn, her name's Sherilyn. I'm like, Sherilyn, if you stay, I'll stay with you. if you leave i'm out but it was that personal connection in that moment and it could have easily happened over the phone just happened to be in the branch but i see that relationship and i'm like the rest of that is is secondary she saved this account for that bank because she was human and she had empathy and she knew that it wasn't going to be easy and it wasn't be easy for her either and i saw that as well i said oh what she's dealing with is way where i deal with this very tiny percentage of my time her entire world got upended from this she didn't want that merger either but she's continuing to move forward and and get through it and and i have to appreciate that and so i i i don't know how much that story relates but i just have to That human connection carries so much weight even now. https://youtu.be/JU42nDWnkKs https://youtu.be/pmYLGxavfXo https://youtu.be/L4Q4O7fRdEI https://youtu.be/dvIDuS4x_2I https://youtu.be/1bDiM3D16mE https://youtu.be/-NP92TaB0g4 https://youtu.be/2j2Qh51s7Q0 https://youtu.be/7ba0rUJ66rY https://youtu.be/6LA4kPOcLI4 https://youtu.be/6LA4kPOcLI4?si=XMhYUYWJGE_inWwn Anthony Algmin, Algmin Data Leadership Podcast, Data Leadership Lessons Podcast, 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,call centre, contact centre, contact center Data Leadership Lessons podcast has accepted Richard Blank's invitation to join the audience for a solid discussion regarding starting a company from scratch in Costa Rica as an expat. Topics discussed with Richard advanced telemarketing strategy, conflict management, interpersonal soft skills, customer support, rhetoric, gamification, employee motivation, phonetic micro expression reading. 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. https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/ #AnthonyAlgmin #AlgminDataLeadershipPodcast. #DataLeadershipLessonsPodcast #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Leadgeneration #Appointmentsetting #dataleadershoplessonspodcast