Conversation Checkpoints and the Power of Answering Speed.

For the Curious and Confused podcast. Host Don McTaggart has a conversation about persuasion with Richard Blank For the Curious and Confused Podcast We live in a world where we’re surrounded by experts, but rarely do we get to hear what truly sparked their passion or how they grappled with uncertainty. So, how can we better understand this world through the people who inhabit it? "For the Curious and Confused" is a podcast hosted by Don McTaggart, a PhD Chemistry student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The podcast focuses on exploring diverse perspectives and experiences from thinkers and doers across various fields, aiming to foster understanding and address collective confusion. Don McTaggart's LinkedIn profile confirms his role as a PhD student and his interest in fostering deeper connections through listening. The podcast, described as a "collection of conversations meant to foster understanding and connection" according to Spotify - Web Player: Music for everyone, features interviews with guests from various backgrounds. The goal is to delve into the passions and uncertainties of individuals, offering insights into their personal journeys and how they navigate the world. Episode(#006) Richard Blank is the CEO of Costa Rica's contact Center, based in San Juan, Costa Rica. When Richard was 27, he moved from Philadelphia to Costa Rica and has since trained over 10,000 bilingual telemarketers. Richard specializes in advanced telemarketing strategy, conflict management, interpersonal skills, and customer support. He also owns the largest collection of restored American pinball machines in Central America. Our conversation was dynamic and zigzagging, and it's made me revisit the subtle ways we use behavior to influence or gain favor with others. Chapters: (0:00) - Introduction and background (5:00) - Costa Rica and making your own path (12:00) - Telemarketing as artful communication (17:00) - Soft skills and connection (23:00) - Gamification and pinball machines (30:00) - Recruiting and training in Costa Rica (37:00) - Ethics and stereotypes about contact centers (43:00) - The purpose of language and empathy (50:00) - Overcoming obstacles (1:01:00) - Extra questions and wrap up A Personal Story of Academic Failure and Self-Reflection when you reflect on some of the most challenging moments of your life, were there any internal narratives that either helped or hindered your ability to navigate those situations? I had to put some things to bed. Without getting too into it, there's some kids that have grown up and have failed out of school or gotten kicked out of school. I'm not saying I burned the school down. I just failed out via grades. I went to a really nice private school and I failed out in seventh grade. And it's a school my father and brother went to. And so I was a disappointment to people and to myself personally. And I'll never forget this moment. You know when people have dreams where they show up? A lot of people have high school dreams where they show up for the final exam and not studied. Well, this was a true dream. I mean, this must have been, what, late May? And I'm sitting at the dining room table on a Sunday, and it's like 3 or 4 o'clock, sun's going down, books are piled up. Challenging contact Center Stereotypes and Explaining the Industry Reality So you're an American who moved to a less affluent country to start a for-profit company. And you said you currently make seven figures. So I may be unjustly contacting it a stereotype here, But I think when people hear the phrase contact center, many of them think of like a large warehouse in India where labor can be exploited because poverty is widespread. And so just so we're all on the same page and understanding where you're at. Does your contact center have any similarities to this dynamic? And if not, what am I missing in the story? Well, you definitely have large areas where people are working in their cubicles. And a lot of times they have triple wides compared to things that are tight. Do they have natural light? Does it stink in there? Is it fresh air? What are the conditions like? What are the managers like? What are the accounts that you're on? Do you get paid on time? So as I say before, if it was as bad as people say it is, I would have never lasted 25 years in the industry, but there are so many people that give it a bad rap. Conversation Checkpoints and the Power of Answering Speed And so you think that a phone contact lasts 10 minutes done. It's really 20, 30 second checkpoints that gets combined into a conversation because there is an introduction, a body and a conclusion, just like in an experiment. Same thing with conversations. It could be done in 10 minutes or it can be done every 30 seconds, 20 times. That combines into one full conversation. And so that's just the fanatic part. But then here's the best thing. Your tone rate and pitch could be manipulated. It could, but the one thing that cannot is you're answering speed because you do need silence for sound. I mean, that's the part of the thing in the experiment. And so that's why the police usually bring out the evidence by the fourth question. And it's almost impossible for someone to control answering speed. And so that to me, I see is just more of a linear and to see where he goes from zero to 10 every 30 seconds, how quickly do they respond? Mastering Conversational Techniques in Sales contacts Let me teach you how to jump clouds and have a romantic death. Are you ready? This is what will keep you from not going insane on Devil's Island when you're in a contact center. If you can do a company named Spike... Okay, we're all going to talk about for the Curious and Confused podcast. How are you today? At least I'm going to say it. At least I said that. Judy answers the phone. I'm going to let Judy know she's great. But prior to that, Judy's going to say, who is this? And I'm going to say, it's Richard blank. And then who is Richard Blank? And that's where I use, and you were talking about adjustments of tones, a buffer boomerang technique. Judy, that's an excellent question. My name is Richard Blank. Richard Blank, what's ABC? Judy, glad you brought that up. ABC is 123. Richard, what's 123? Once again, Judy, so glad you mentioned that. 123 is ABC. Oh, it's... Beautiful adjustments. https://youtu.be/lVmtYq9xB1c https://youtu.be/EA8BZi6oO-k https://youtu.be/dHCJsJSvLUM https://youtu.be/nmtNgscKz-w https://youtu.be/Fb9bAvp3KgY Richard Blank hired bassist Garry Gary Beers of INXS. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieGjN5H4xPQ For the Curious and Confused podcast, Don McTaggart, Richard Blank,Costa Rica's contact Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing contact Centre, BPO, Nearshore Contact Center, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership, Marketing, CX, Guest, Money, B2C education, BPO trainer,contact centre, contact centre, contact center For the Curious and Confused