Do you want to learn the best ways to retain your clients? Then tune in as Richard Weylman unveils the secrets from his new book, "100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life," offering practical strategies for deepening customer connections and securing loyalty. Press that play button now!
Key Takeaways To Listen For
Resources Mentioned In This Episode
About Richard Weylman
Orphaned at age 6, C. Richard Weylman overcame that obstacle and has developed several successful businesses. As a result, he is passionate about helping others understand today's marketplace, and elevate their business performance. Richard is considered one of the leading authorities on marketing innovation and understanding the customer perspective.
Connect with Richard
Website: Richard Weylman
Connect With Us
Master your context with real results leadership training!
To learn more, visit our website at www.greatsummit.com.
For tax, bookkeeping, or accounting help, contact Dr. Nate’s team at www.theincometaxcenter.com or send an email to info@theincometaxcenter.com.
Follow Dr. Nate on His Social Media
Do you want to learn the best ways to retain your clients? Then tune in as Richard Weylman unveils the secrets from his new book, "100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life," offering practical strategies for deepening customer connections and securing loyalty. Press that play button now!
Key Takeaways To Listen For
Resources Mentioned In This Episode
About Richard Weylman
Orphaned at age 6, C. Richard Weylman overcame that obstacle and has developed several successful businesses. As a result, he is passionate about helping others understand today's marketplace, and elevate their business performance. Richard is considered one of the leading authorities on marketing innovation and understanding the customer perspective.
Connect with Richard
Website: Richard Weylman
Connect With Us
Master your context with real results leadership training!
To learn more, visit our website at www.greatsummit.com.
For tax, bookkeeping, or accounting help, contact Dr. Nate’s team at www.theincometaxcenter.com or send an email to info@theincometaxcenter.com.
Follow Dr. Nate on His Social Media
[00:00:00] Dr. Nate Salah
Music, hello, my friend, and welcome to this episode of A Call to Leadership. I'm Dr. Nate Salah, your host. I am so glad you are here. I have a treat for you on this episode. Mr. Richard Weylman, who is a best-selling author, has written a book on how to attract retain customers for life. Can you possibly imagine that he's gonna unpack his wisdom? What a powerhouse. Can't wait for you to join us. This is A Call to Leadership. Richard Weylman, welcome to the program.
[00:00:35] Richard Weylman
Well, good to see you and glad to be here. Nate, thank you so much for the privilege.
[00:00:39] Dr. Nate Salah
Oh, my goodness, yes. Well, you've got this fresh book. It's hot, it's so relevant, and what a wealth of knowledge for our listener to talk about these trends that are emerging in this consumer marketplace that you've identified when it comes to acquisition and retention of your customer. And your book is called 100 proven ways to acquire and keep clients for life. What inspired you to write this book?
[00:01:03] Richard Weylman
Well, it really, you know, we're a research based consulting firm. I've written two previous books before this, both of which have been well received internationally and But about 2019 it was in the fall of 2019 we were in the middle of a consulting project. We helped a lot of professional organizations rebrand themselves. And I do a lot of work with entrepreneurs all different types of businesses. And one of the things we always ask about when we talk to their customers, we ask them, tell us about the service level that you're getting there with your Padilla, etc, etc, whether it's an air conditioning company or a CPA, what it doesn't matter. We won't know at the service level how they would read it. And people began to use a different word. We'd ask and say, so how would you describe the service level that you get with Dr Nate? Well, let me tell you about my experience.
[00:01:47]
I was like, and we kept hearing this, and the team said, you know, my interns, and they were like, they keep using the word experience. And I was so then I began to make more calls, and I would say to people, tell me about the service level. Well, let me tell you about my experiences. And I said, so you're not really focused on the service. I said, Listen. Service is a minimum expectation. What we're worried about now is what kind of an experience we're going to have when they answer the phone, because that's where it even starts. And that was like an epiphany moment for me. I thought that's the shift people are going through a great reevaluation. Am I with the right pick one, CPA, hairdresser, dentist, doctor, just make a list political party. I mean, we're seeing all kinds of dynamics. So what people have decided is, I'm going to reevaluate the great reevaluation. Am I in the right place? Am I with the right fill in the blank? Provider, now that was in 19, and then we began to track it in 20 I was looking for expressions.
[00:02:43]
We did Google Alerts, which are going to Google, and you type in words, and it'll search overnight, and we'd get 17,000 hits in a week on the word experience, on articles all over the world. I'm like people were writing weren't realizing that they were just using the word because someone had said, Well, based on my experience, so it was crystal clear to me that this was the next big thing. So that's when I began the journey. And of course, the pandemic helped us all realize the importance of network and importance of experience, and on and on it goes, alright, so fast stop, fast forward. So I began to talk to people, and I interviewed people, and I partnered with organizations, and I asked them, I said, what kind of experience do you want? What are you looking for from a provider? And if you're with that provider, what's it going to take to keep your business there? And when I was all done, I just made notes. I wrote them down, wrote them down, wrote them down, wrote them down. And then the good Lord just kind of spoke to me and said, Now you can put this in a book. So I didn't want to write the book. We can talk about that later, but that's how it all started. Interesting. Kept getting triggered all the time. Experience, experience, so.
[00:03:47] Dr. Nate Salah
You bet, man, and I'm glad you wrote it. I mean, it's, you know, here's the thing, man, this is a powerhouse, by the way, of a book. No, most books, 1020, I mean, 100 you've done your homework, and framing it around this idea of experience reminds me of Peter Drucker and of course, famously, the Father, if you will, of modern management, who said the purpose of a business is to not only acquire but to satisfy a customer. And satisfaction has different connotations in different periods, by the nature of what's happening around us. You talk about the pandemic, existential crises, man, so many people are like, hold on. Hard, stop breaks on life. I mean, five people who I know are no longer here anymore. I mean, I can't see this person. I can't do that. I can't even leave my house. And it's like this, as you said, this great reevaluation of what is truly meaningful, what is truly satisfying, what is going to be, something that I am drawn to, that I feel an experience within. And that's not just like my social interactions. That's everything in life.
[00:04:56] Richard Weylman
Exactly right Nate, and that's the differential that. Is that people today, as I said, I mean, service is a minimum expectation if you go to McDonald's. I'm not a McDonald's guy, but let's say we went to McDonald's. I'm sure if the french fries are cold, they'll give you hot fries and make it good. So, you know, the reality is to tell somebody, well, you should do business with us, because we give good service. Well, how magnanimous of you. You know people, you know they get service anyway. What people are looking for is an experience. And so when I wrote the book, and I really didn't want to write it, I really didn't Nate, I mean, but I tell you, I didn't want to write it. I mean, it was I didn't want to write I had the idea. I was formulating my mind and percolated, and I was like, I'm not going to do that, don't I'm not going to write this. You know, from your own experience, it's a lot of work. It's a lot of work, very busy. I'm speaking consulting all over the world, and I just said no, but finally, I just got up and I said, in March, and I said to her, I said, Okay, I'm going to sit down and I'm going to start this book.
[00:05:56]
But if this doesn't come easy, I'm done, and eight weeks later, come out of the office, and she looked at me and she said, Oh my God, you're done, aren't you? I said, Yeah. She said, How many are there? I said, I have no idea. I just wrote till I felt the good Lord gave me all of the ones. I took all my notes and all what people had said. If you do this, then I'll do that. And if you do this, I'll do that. If you want to explain value, say it to me this way, so I understand it. You say you're empathetic, but say it this way, so I believe you're empathetic. All those notes for all those many years. She said, Well, can I go in and count them? I said, Well, of course you can. And she was in my office for at least 15 minutes, and she came out, she was crying, but she said, there's exactly 100.
[00:06:37] Dr. Nate Salah
It's a good number, man.
[00:06:41] Richard Weylman
Well, interesting. I didn't set out to write out. I didn't. I have no number in mind, yeah, but to be able to feel the flow of the words and get it all out, you know, as an author, all of us know from anything we do, when I wrote that last sentence, it was like, Oh, well, I'm done now.
[00:06:59] Dr. Nate Salah
Well, let's just say a one for every year of your good, long life ahead of you. How about that?
[00:07:04] Richard Weylman
Thank you. Amen.
[00:07:07] Dr. Nate Salah
So our listeners probably chomping at the bit. Okay, you know what? One, number one, when we start to identify these proven ways, we'll definitely open it up for ones that you really, you know, I'm sure all of them are amazing, but there's probably some that are like, you have to know this early on, somebody listening says, Okay, where do I start? You know what? Where do I start with the model for acquisition and keeping clients for life? I have an idea where you're going, but I'm gonna open it up for you.
[00:07:35] Richard Weylman
Okay, so first things first for all of you that are listening, if you decide to buy the audiobook, or get the hardcover. You'll see in there a reference where you can get the tools. There's an assessment tool to assess how you're doing on the experience right now already, and that's on my website. You can go there and you can download it free, so you'll see the reference in the book. So you can just go there and download that tool if you want to sit down with your team and say, Okay, let's figure out where we are in this whole deal. However, as CEOs, as leaders, as developers of people, the starting point for any acquisition today is to realize what people are looking for. And they're looking for four things now, full set aside, full transparency, competency is a given. Your business card says we service air conditioners. I don't need to see your permit. If you say you're a CPA, you don't need to break out the test scores. Okay? But let's be crystal clear, so we'll get we'll just set competency over here.
[00:08:36] Dr. Nate Salah
As a foundation, right? It's not a pillar, it's a foundation. You know, if
[00:08:39] Richard Weylman
You come tell me you're a chiropractor is I'm going to let you snap my back. We're going to be fine, okay. But what are people then looking for? And then we ask that question, in addition to competency, what are you looking for? Overwhelming? Four things when I tell you overwhelming. Also, Salesforce did a lot of survey on this over 6000 people. Guess what? Same four words people are looking for, an organization and an individual that is thoughtful, that takes an extra moment and does something thoughtful. Maybe it's finding out how things went before, how things are going or what are you most excited about this summer with you and your family? Maybe, if it's coming in to buy a car and they say, Why do you want to buy Alexis? You go, well, because I heard they're safe. Well, who do you want to buy it for? Be thoughtful and engage with people. Second thing, they're looking for someone that's kind, kind, meaning, very simple. It's one thing to say.
[00:09:27]
You know, the men's and ladies rooms down the hall to the right, you go to third door and fourth door on the left. You can't miss it, and don't forget to code. If you forget to know it's walking them down and taking them there. Kindness is if they're in your building and the car's parked across the street and it's raining, you give them an umbrella with your name on it that they get to keep. That's kindness. So they want someone thoughtful and kind. Now, when somebody cares particular organization that cares enough to find out what they really want, that you're a student, I think that'd be the proper word Nate of servant leadership. But I think Steve Jobs. I mean, I think if you really boil it down to where the rubber meets the road, or in his case, the tech. Technology meant the internet, but people don't realize this how they sold that iPad. But in talking to his first original Head of Sales and Marketing, his comment to me was Steve told us, let's not talk about the iPad. Let's show people that teach them and care enough to show them what they wanted to do. We'd ask them, What do you want to do? Oh, I'd love to see pictures of my grandkids. Let me show you how that happens. I like it. Let me show you how. And they demonstrated they cared enough to take the extra mode.
[00:10:25]
And we all know the rest of the story. So what do they want? And is somebody thoughtful? Is someone kind, someone that cares enough to find out what you really want? Don't assume, because you're 54, years old, you're in here, that you probably want to retire, and you need investment account. We need to get this number right away and get you in the mutual fund and see what kind of annuity you got. Now maybe you got now, maybe you ought to put the brakes on and say, What are you most proud of that you've accomplished in your life? Care enough to find out about the individual, because everybody has a story. If I heard that once in the people I interviewed, I heard it 100 times. People would say, I just wish the salesperson would take time to find out my story, why I'm here, and then the fourth thing. So let's recap. We have what we have thoughtfulness, we have kindness, we have caring. And the fourth thing people are looking for is empathy.
[00:11:08]
Yeah, see things from my perspective. Now the problem most of us have, and I say most of us, because we're all guilty as charged. The longer we're in any kind of business, we see the solution before they even know they got a problem. That's right. And So therein lies the problem with empathy. Because people get cut you, they'll say, let me tell you what my situation is. It's very unusual, and you've never heard this before, I'm sure Nate. And then they start down the road and go, Hey, I got it. We'll see that's they want to be able to what believe you're on their side of the table. So four things people are looking for are kindness, thoughtfulness, carrying and empathy, and if you demonstrate those things, that's the bedrock of relationships. Yeah, and contrary to before the pandemic or we're in a price driven consumer society, relationships now drive revenue, nothing else.
[00:11:55] Dr. Nate Salah
I love that. Oh, my goodness, that's gold. You know, there are things we think about, but yet there are things we haven't put together necessarily, in that context, with that order. And as you're saying this, Richard, I'm a business owner. I've been in business almost 30 years. I get it same thing, right? You hit the nail on the head. Someone listening right now saying, Yeah, I can tell someone what they want and how I'm gonna solve their problem within the first four minutes of our conversation, but that's not the experience, right? That's the outcome. And so what happens along the way? I love how you framed it as a story, too. Because, you know, stories are a journey, and when you start framing this, you know, these four parts as part of the journey, the first part of the journey, I really believe that thoughtfulness is saying, I see you, I hear you. You're important. I value you and people today more than than I've seen in the last 30 years. Deeply desire that they're looking for others who can simply and by the way, and I know this is something that is expected genuinely and sincerely, is thoughtful, not because it is part of your script, by the way, because people can see through a script.
[00:13:12]
I don't know if you've ever gotten a phone call and someone was scripting and you're like, okay, yeah, this is just you're checking off boxes, but there is, you know, as human beings, intuitively, you know, unless you're a master manipulator, and there are many out there, but generally speaking, you can tell, I can tell Richard. You can tell someone listening. Can tell, Hey, are you being genuine? Are you really genuinely thoughtful? And if so, then I'm getting the message that, you know what the time that you're giving me, because you might not be a client, you might not be a customer, right? That thoughtfulness is really it's, in a way, it's a gift. It's a gift of your time to say, hey, you know what this may or may not lead us to this particular outcome, but during this interaction, my responsibility, as you said, as a servant leader, is to shepherd those who are called to walk, walk alongside of me through this journey. And you may or may not be that person, but let's thoughtfully have a conversation around that.
[00:14:13] Richard Weylman
Well, you're right, Nate, and what I've seen, well, two couple things I speak at Oxford University, and they graciously gave me a dictionary written in 1827, and was asked anyhow, during a session there by one of the grad students that said, How would you define authentic? And I said, we were talking about this very topic of authenticity. And he said, Well, Professor, how would you and I'm not a professor, but they call you professor when you stand on the stage and you look like everyone, I guess. And how would you define authentic? I said, Well, I've been given a beautiful dictionary here by the dean. I said, Let's look it up in 1827, and see what it says there. So I looked it up and it had authentic, and it said in parentheses, see genuine. So I looked up genuine had a two word definition, not counterfeit. I thought that was sort of brilliantly stated. And the whole room just went, you get it? Was just like, got it. So to that's to your first point. The second point is, in a sales or marketing environment, when you talked about that, people really want to feel that sense of connection that they're not You're not working from a script.
[00:15:15]
Here's what we discovered when you sit down. I mean, we can take any type of business you want anything, accounting, financial services, even your hairdressers. But if you say, you know, if somebody comes in and sits down in your office, your chair, your business calls you on the phone and just simply said, you know, I need my air conditioning repaired here at the office, and we've got some things that are going on here, and you have a conversation and say, well, great, one of the things I love to do is our clients say that we really help them get their air conditioning running. So we're going to go out there and take care of that for you. But before we get to all of that, I'm just curious, how long have you been in that building? Yeah, well, we moved in here 11 years ago, etc, when I started the company. Oh, really. So you started the company yourself? Well, actually, I had a partner, and what happens is people start telling you their story.
[00:16:01]
And here's what we found out. Regardless of what business you're in, we ask people, How do you feel about it when a provider takes time to find out a little about what you're most proud of, or what you've accomplished or what you're setting forth to do, you know what their answer was, I feel like I'm in the right place with the right provider. Yeah. Had nothing to do with fixing anything, yeah, solving anything. It had to do with the fact that I felt like I was in the right place with the right provider, because that individual wanted to know more about me as an individual now, but situation right now in Northern California, this young guy is brand new in the financial business. Five years met with a very elderly couple, and guy in his 80s, wife in the late 60s, and could come out to lunch. They don't have a financial advisor. And they said, you know, we're not our son-in-law told us we ought to meet with you, but we don't want to. We're not moving any money to you. We don't believe in financial advice.
[00:16:53]
He went, Oh, no, no, that's fine. I love what I do, because my clients say I'll get their financial life imbalance. He said, but I do have a question for you, what is the thing you're most proud of that you've accomplished here in the valley? Oh, so the guy starts talking, and then ask him, What do you still want to accomplish in your life here, 83 years old? And he kept talking, well, tell me about your family. So anyway, they talked for an hour and 30 minutes, and he said, Well, frankly, he said, I'm going to tell anybody. When we just sold a piece of property, we closed this morning for $25 million we sold it to a historic hardware. You sound like you kid. You care about people. How about I give you that $25 million you set up with good trust from my grandkids?
[00:17:28] Dr. Nate Salah
Yeah, love it. You know what you're saying? Here is there must be a genuine sense of curiosity in all of us. And this is something I've written about at length in a lot of my research around these icons of American entrepreneurship. Curiosity drives innovation, it drives progress, it drives relationships. And you say, Nate, I'm not a very curious person. It's time to get curious, because curiosity is an non negotiable for leadership, you must be curious. And by the way, sales is leadership, right? Because we are guiding someone to a better future, because they're here in your presence, because they have a problem, they are in a current state that is not ideal. If they were ideal, they would need you, right? So it's because it's not an ideal state that you are in their company, and it's up to us to be curious enough to know about them in such a way that explores that curiosity. I love that.
[00:18:22]
In fact, I remember, I was interviewing a potential client several years ago who had just retired from the movie industry. Was a general manager for a movie chain, and we were talking about his role, and I said, Hey, I got a question for you. I'm super curious about this. I said, you're probably gonna chuckle, because you probably been asked this 1000 times. But why is movie popcorn so salty? And he starts laughing. He's like, Nate, you know why? It's because you'll buy more soda. I was like, Well, I just need an affirmation. And so we started talking about my research, my dissertation, of course, partly on Milton, Hershey, Walt Disney and Steve Jobs. And of course, the latter two were in the movie industry. Of course, Walt Disney through Disney Pictures, and Steve Jobs through Pixar. And I had genuinely desired to explore that curiosity even further and say, you know, I've got a podcast I'm just launching, and if it's in your wheelhouse, I'd love to have you on the show and talk about more about some aspects of movies.
[00:19:18]
You know, here's the thing, that thoughtful Curiosity number one, as you said, you know, it's not counterfeit. I love that, but it connects us. It binds us because human beings are communal creatures. We desire to share in experiences, and we desire to find that shared purpose as human beings that's a beautiful place to explore, and we get and to me, what a gift it is every day that you get to explore that
[00:19:45] Richard Weylman
yeah, and the unfortunate thing is, a lot of people have difficulty with it because they're shy or they're afraid they're going to offend. I'll give you a tip on that in a moment. But the key thing today is that when you demonstrate curiosity. And I talk about that a lot. In fact, one of the things I often say to people is, when you're having a conversation with them, you can say, you know, I'm in a financial service business, and I love what I do, because I help people get their financial life in balance. But before we get to all of that, I'm curious. Just use that phrase and then toss a question about their background, their life. But some people are very shy about it, or they don't want to offend others. Often struggle with, how can I ask a tough question empathetically. Because I don't want to be overly direct, and most people are somewhat overly direct. We get a little familiar with the person. We ask a direct question in a very direct way, a sensitive question.
[00:20:38]
Some people today can get offended by it, or they don't want to reveal, and then the relationship can suffer. And I had an epiphany moment on this in the middle of the night. So I was writing the book, and I was working on a whole chapter on empathy, and I'm thinking, how can I help people to know the words to use to demonstrate empathy without having to stop and go? I need to be empathetic. How can they do that? And I woke up in the middle and I said, straight up in bed, and I just yelled, yelled, it's the predicate. And, of course, woke my wife up. She's like, What is it? What it's the predicate? The predicates the problem. She said, What do you and my dog, who thought, I guess that? I said, predator. He's up. He's ready. Let's go get him, Dad, get the nine millimeter, and let's get out there. Anyhow, I was like, No, the predicate, the predicates in the wrong place.
[00:21:27]
Give me an example, if you don't mind me asking Nate, ooh, first thing, people go, Oh, my God. Well, they're going to ask me. Now, if you don't mind me asking how we tested it in focus groups, we would say to people, and I'm going to ask the question the same way, two different ways. One, I'm going to say, if you don't mind me asking, the other, I'm going to ask and then put another predicate on the back. I never could get the first question out. I said, if you don't mind me asking, they did I say, folks, I need to finish the question. No, that's rude when you start that way. I said, Okay, here's what we're going to do. We're testing this. I want to put the predicate on the front and a predicate on the back. Okay? Everybody got it. We got 32 people here. We're all adults. Let's go ready if you don't mind each okay, it's just rude. I'll give you an example.
[00:22:10] Dr. Nate Salah
Well, and there's a reason I think, that people say it's rude in my opinion, and tell me if you found differently, that as soon as someone says, If you don't mind, you mind? I mean, my initial assumption is that you're going to ask me something that I do mind. You're asking me permission to not have to mine, correct?
[00:22:27] Richard Weylman
So on the other hand, if I were to send you, how much money do you want to invest in a new house, if you don't mind me asking? And people go, Well, I normally don't. And here it comes. I've got, I don't know, hundreds of emails from people that saw that in the book, change that predicate. They're like Richard, tell people. Tell me stuff. They say, I've never even told my family this. So empathy is a very powerful way seeing things from their point of view. As I say.
[00:22:55] Dr. Nate Salah
Yeah, for many people, empathy is difficult. It's extremely difficult. It was for me for many years. In fact, thank goodness for a wife who's helped me to become much more empathetic over the years. And today, people say I couldn't believe that you didn't have empathy. Nate, you exude it and like, well, you can learn it. The point is that you can learn it. And especially and you made a good point earlier. And I want the listener, I want our listener, to really think about this if you've been in a business for a number of years, and you can become this desensitized to how people feel about the challenges they're facing currently. And I'll give you an example in you know, the advisory work, the tax work that we've done for many, many years.
[00:23:37]
Taxes hurt. Taxes are stressful for many, many people, if you've prepared 1000 5000 10,000 tax returns, you're likely going to have less sensitivity over time to how that felt. You might even completely have forgotten the feeling of getting a letter from the IRS because you get a letter. He's like, Okay, well, I'll just deal with the letter, right? Most people get a letter and they're like, I mean, they're almost in some people are in tears. I've had people say, Well, I had to take a valium before I called you because I was I needed to come down about five notches. People, there's been, mean, there was someone who flew his Cessna into an IRS building because of the stress of taxes. So, so the empathy then is, hey, look, I know this can be very stressful, and it hurts. This kind of stuff hurts. Uh, start there, right? Start with the acknowledgement of how someone feels in the moment. That's a good place. And again, just do it with just a little bit of decorum.
[00:24:35] Richard Weylman
Well, the reason is, is because, you know, everybody else would talk about security, economic security. We got a good price. We got a good but the bedrock of it all is emotional security. And if I have people have emotional security, they'll have a conversation about that which it is they want to accomplish. Otherwise it's all about price. And if it's all about price, it's a transaction. And so then people begin to chase the price, as opposed to the relay. If you build a solid. Relationship based on thoughtfulness, kindness, empathy and caring. What happens is no amount of marketing dollars is going to dislodge that relationship from you, because people know, I mean, we've interviewed 1000s of people, and they say, I just feel like I'm in the right place with the right provider. But how much you paying, you know, I really don't care. They just want to feel like they're in the right place with the right provider.
[00:25:25] Dr. Nate Salah
Well, and the kindness piece, you know, just that, that second mark, I've always said it like this, if you if all things being equal, if you have the opportunity to be do business with a jerk or someone who's kind, all things being equal, right? All everything else, you're always going to do business with the person who's kind with you. I mean, then somebody's gonna say, oh Nate, you know that might be, you know, not me. That's fine, but the overwhelming majority of people are seeking someone who is not rude, not condescending, not belittling, not critical, someone who's just say a few kind words. Then you have to be kind words, right? Richard, it could just be a smile.
[00:26:03] Richard Weylman
Just be a smile makes a difference. And you know, from a leadership perspective, I am involved in a firm in Miami. In any case, we were doing we're having dinner a restaurant, new restaurant in Miami Beach called Catch E, A, T, C, H, the original one is in New York. There's another one in LA one in Las Vegas, Michelin, quality food. I mean, it's incredible. Fourth night they're open, we're there. The place is packed. Fourth night they're open, it's weeks, now, probably months, to get in. The place runs like it's been there 100 years. So I know the GM, Carla, he was, came from New York, and I called him over and I said, Carl, how and you open these restaurants, all different themes, unbelievable food. The place is packed, and everything runs like a watch. How four nights? Your four nights with a brand new crew. You didn't bring from New York. You came down with your server manager, and that's it. How do you pull this up? And he said something very smart. Basically said, we hire people that are nice. And he said, we take care of the staff, and the staff takes care of the customer, and the customer takes care of the bills.
[00:27:08] Dr. Nate Salah
Brilliant, yeah, it really is that simple. Someone listening, it's it really is that some it's not complicated. We shouldn't overcomplicate business. And now, does this make it easy? By the way? Because it's not always easy to find that type of person. However, you've got to have your business model in place. You've got to have your mission, right? You have to vision, right? You have to have your core values dialed in. You have to be the kind of person that emulates those qualities, because that's leadership. Well,
[00:27:33] Richard Weylman
where it starts? And this is almost back to your first question, truth. Kathy was a very dear friend of mine, and Chick fil A, we travel love. We did a lot of anyway, a lot of stuff together. And, of course, Dan, his son, runs it now. And but everybody asked, How can Chick fil A do so? Well? Well, one of the things they do is that truant had a vision, and his vision, I mean, every time we were going to go somewhere or be with any of the Chick fil A employees and others, remember Richard. We want to remind him we're not in the chicken business. We want to remind him we're in the people business. And that is to them very well. So the point is that because they're that he had a vision for the experience he wanted people to have. Please, thank you, and my pleasure has had a profound impact. We work with Freddie steakburger and custard out of Wichita, and he had read my previous book, The Power of wine breaking out a competitive marketplace, the CEO and called me.
[00:28:27]
I flew out and met with him, and they had great steak burgers, and he said, but I'm just concerned about sir, so I did an audit in stores. And I said, Well, it's great that you serve craveable food in a fun environment, but what's missing is what's the experience going to be? So we modified that trayvable, crabable food delivered with genuine hospitality in a fun environment, and then we began to hire people whose personality was they were pleasant and nice. Two years later, won the National Restaurant award for the best, best schedule in the United States, they beat everybody, Culvers, smash burger, everybody. Why? The number of people that were repeat buyers of their business was sky high. Because people went back, not just for the steak burger, which, by the way, no kidding, that great, but by God, the experience was unbelievable.
[00:29:21] Dr. Nate Salah
Yeah, I would submit. If you're listening, you say, Richard Nate, I don't have the resources to bring those kind of people on. I just got to do what I got to do. I'm going to tell you, you're just not going to get the optimal results. You're not going to get the results that are the high bar standard that you believe is possible. Hey, look, I would even submit if I have to close my doors long enough so that I can have the right people in the right seat, I would even consider that because I would rather build my reputation on the strength of the experience rather than saying, You know what, I cut a lot of corners, and I cut a lot of corners. Because I just needed to make my money. Let's do business. You know, if I'm a customer, I'm going to say, maybe I want to do business with someone else.
[00:30:07] Richard Weylman
Well, the reason that people and that does happen, I mean, there's lots of comment I could make. You have to look at the lifetime value of a customer, and most people don't. They look at every sale as a transaction. When you make a sale, that's the beginning of something. It's not the end of something. And if you think about the lifetime value of their client, their customer, you invest the time to make a difference. I'll give you an example here in Sarasota, where I am today. There's I have a home here and a home out in the Hawaiian Islands, and because I work a lot in Asia as well, so it's halfway to everywhere. But next to the police station. Here, there is a donut shop called Five. Oh donuts, appropriate name, next to police station, and their tagline is arrestingly good donuts.
[00:30:51]
Another good thing. And I bought my first donut there, August 4, 2019 Now you say, Well, how in the world would you know that this is 2024 because every August 4 I get a text from them, congratulations, as a loyal squad member, here's $5 off for your next order of donuts. And I'm not a big donut guy, but here's a company that sells donuts, Nate, let's be clear here, we're selling a $2 donut, a donut, and they can cultivate a relationship with me, and you're servicing my air conditioner, you're selling me a car, you're taking care of my taxes, you're managing my money, and I haven't even heard from you. I mean, let's just it's easy to make excuses about what. We can't find good people, etc. You got to train people. You know, Chick fil A, what do they do? They train them. Thank you. My pleasure. That's the difference. It makes all the difference in the world. And they don't advertise chicken. If you look at Chick Fil A's ads, what do they advertise? People sitting on accounts, talking about the experience there.
[00:31:53] Dr. Nate Salah
That's right. That's so important. And even in our businesses, if you would ever walk around our company, I'm so thankful for great people. And if you've listened to the show, you'll have heard me talk about this. When I go around, I say, what business are we in? And people don't say we're in the Tax Accounting and Advisory business. They say we're in the love business. That is the business we're in, because people need love in this crazy, hectic world of their financial picture. And if not giving enough love, turn it up, you know, because not every business is perfect, and so you learn from that. At the same time, I've found that when we identify what our client needs are, and we satisfy those needs, you know this, Richard, they are connected to us because they're part of our success.
[00:32:37]
We are successful together. And you talked about that, you know, the annual, annual message of, hey, you know what? We've been together on our annual flyer, we put on a flyer celebrating and then the number of years that we've been serving, allowing being blessed to serve, and so many of our clients, we want them to recognize you're part of this celebration. You know, without you, this doesn't happen. So that we have some clients who have been with us since day one in February of 2025 it'll be 30 wonderful years, and their appliance and day two and day five and day 10, and they're all equally important. However, the ones who truly identify with that and value that, they make sure to let it be known. Hey, I've been with you since the beginning. I'm not going anywhere. We're going to keep doing this together.
[00:33:27] Richard Weylman
Well, what you realize, and I think everybody that listening to this, if this is of interest to you, I think that I can just say from experience, that if you elevate the experience with people and are thoughtful, kind and caring and empathetic, they're going to become delighted advocates for your business. Some people call them brand ambassadors. Use any phrase you want, but you know, the marketplace has shifted so dramatically Today we talk about influencers, and some of the most powerful influencers are the people that are in other people's networks. As an example, if I belong to a country club, other people in that country club, I might ask them a question, who should I use for blank? And if your name comes up in a positive light that influences my ability to say yes, I think I'll inquire there. And it used to be that advertising drove the business. Now it's word of mouth and experience is what's driving the business. It's other people telling other people what a great job you've done, and this is key on their behalf. When you talk to somebody say, here's what we're going to do on your behalf.
[00:34:30]
If I called in and said, Okay, now I've got a couple of questions about this, this and this, say, okay, great, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to get the answers, and this is what I'm going to do on your behalf. And then you set a time for us to talk again, because it really demonstrates that you're there for them. And some of the things you can do is you might say, well, you know, to your point about, I can't afford to have no but you can change the way you you address people. I mean, look at your database. Are you capturing the names of your customers? If her name is Elizabeth, does she go by Betty? Beth, Elizabeth or Liz? Or like my good friend in Atlanta, whose name is Elizabeth, but she goes by Lolly because her grandfather called her Lolly because she loved lollipops. And she's 80 something years old, and if you call her anything but Lolly, she doesn't respond. So, you know, Dave might like David. Nate might be Nathan. My first initial is C.
[00:35:19]
I get a lot of emails, dear C, I don't open those T. Boone Pickens was a friend of mine. He never went by T. So these are little things you can do when you send your emails out, but don't say best. That's the number one dislike. We interview people who say, which do you like the most? The one they hate was best. Somebody would send their email best. Richard, they would like that is so rude. Best, what? What does that mean? It means nothing. It's institutional. What else is institutional? Sincerely, yours. It's almost as bad. What would you like? How about Warm regards or kindness regards? Oh, so you mean to tell me if I change two words or can they have a deeper level of emotional connection? I don't know. Sounds like it? Let's try that. So what does that cost? I could go with nothing. It'd be a good, good point. Don't send me an email. Say you're following up with me. I mean, I don't want to hear what do you mean? You're following up what to see if I made a decision made, if I made a decision, I would have already called you, that's right. Why don't you send me an email?
[00:36:16]
Say, Hey, Richard, I've identified three additional steps to help you get that house that we were looking at two weeks ago. Conversation, tell me that you've been thinking about me and helping me move forward. Yeah, what people said they can't afford this air conditioning system. I mean, what would I tell them the next step? Well, your next step might be, I've identified this is really the best system for you, but let's have a conversation. I've identified a couple of different steps we could take to perhaps keep you cool this summer. What do people do then they say that you're seeing them, you're on their side of the table. You're doing something on, quote, their behalf. That's right, just a couple of I mean, there's 100 of them in the book, but people said to us and in providing value.
[00:36:54] Dr. Nate Salah
Listen, this book is going to be just hot. 100 proven ways to acquire and keep clients for life. I can't wait to share it on the podcast and share it on our social media to get the word out, to really focus on the heart, really the heart, the heartbeat, if you will, of our business, and that's our customer, exactly right.
[00:37:19] Richard Weylman
Thank you. Nate, if people want to go to the website, I've got about 20 or 30 videos. I put up videos all the time. They're free. If you go two minute, little, big vignette, you can show it sales meeting, signature staff, just go to Richard Weylman, W E, Y L M A n.com W E, Y L M A N.com and of course, I speak at conferences, and if I can help you in some way, feel welcome, to reach out. Always feel feel welcome, not feel free welcome.
[00:37:46] Dr. Nate Salah
I like that. I like the terminology. You're such a student of the the forming and the shaping of your words so that they're impactful. They're just not sent out into the ether without true thoughtfulness and discernment. And so I'm going to ask you to shape a few more words as we close here. I like to ask you, from time to time, when time allows our guests to think about for just a brief moment, the end of the journey, if you will, you're on the great summit of life, and you've seen all that you've done, you've seen all the people who you've impacted and affected, and you've got those that all in view. I'm gonna ask you a question, when you're on that great Summit, what would you have liked others to have said about you?
[00:38:26] Richard Weylman
I would say that. I mean, I suppose off the top of my head it was and I get emails from people, they say, you know, you helped me find the path. You helped me find the path to fill in the blank to building a business. You helped me find the path to dealing with this issue, and the gift that God's given me is the gift of discernment. I mean, I have CEOs that call me, that have spent a lot, millions of dollars on a project, and just a very few discussions, I'm able to see the issue. I don't, I can't explain that. It's just how it is. So people whose name you would know, even entertainers that have said to me, and in private, they'll say, you know, Richard, I was really stuck, and then we had a conversation, and you just was like, you showed me the path, you showed me how to take the next step.
[00:39:17]
And, you know, I was an orphan. My mother died and I was five, my dad died in a six. I lived in 19 foster homes. Went to 11 different schools. So, you know, with all of that background and the life experience, it really helped me to realize that it's not what happens to you, it's what you do about it, and you know, you have to. I read a scripture when I was little kid. I said, God is the Father of the fatherless. So I figured I'm way ahead of most people. So that was I just never occurred to me I was supposed to be a victim of that. And I think that perhaps is one of the things that people also say is that you help me to stay focused on the future, not the past.
[00:39:56] Dr. Nate Salah
Well, you are on your way, my friend. I. Love to have you back and share more about your story and what happens to you is important, but much, much of greater value is what happens through you, and you're demonstrating that every day, and the world's a better place because of it. Thank you, Richard.
[00:40:14] Richard Weylman
Thank you. God. Bless you.
[00:40:15] Dr. Nate Salah
God Bless you. Well, my friend, I am so thrilled that you join me on this episode of A Call to Leadership, and before you go to the next episode, especially if you're binge-listing, take a moment. I would love to get your honest review right here on your screen. Your feedback is so important. It helps the podcast. It encourages me, and it helps me. Helps me to give you more and more and more value. So I can't wait to read your review. I can't wait to be with you on the next episode. I'm Dr Nate Salah. This is A Call to Leadership.