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[00:00]
A
Foreign. You're now listening to the Fullerton Unfiltered Podcast. Straightforward, no nonsense business advice.
[00:13]
B
Completely on unfiltered.
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A
Grow your business, grow your life.
[00:18]
C
Now here's your host, Brian Fullerton.
[00:22]
B
All right, guys, super excited about today's podcast guest episode. This is actually episode 1000 on the Fullerton Unfiltered Podcast. Folks, we are really excited by having a thousand podcast, you know, episode deep show for you guys. And I've been sandbagging a little bit here. We have somebody who I think is really fun, really cool. I've been following him along on social media for several months now. And so I saved episode 1000 for a special guest interview. And. And if you guys don't know this guy, you got to give him a follow on social media. But without further ado, Alex Herrera. Good evening, brother. How are you doing today? It's awesome to have you on the show.
[01:01]
A
Thank you, man. I appreciate you having me for the 1000th show. I know we were talking about it and trying to make it happen, so I was like, man, I got to make this 1000th show. It's a huge deal, and it's an honor to be here and talking to you and in this position. I really never thought I would be in this situation that I'm in now. So I'm super excited about it.
[01:20]
B
Absolutely, brother. Absolutely. So if anybody doesn't know your background, this is. Folks, we're having some fun on today's episode. All right? It's not the usual business, Brian, where I probably just yell at you about growing your company. You know, that whole deal. We're gonna. We're gonna lighten it up a little bit. It's a celebration. So what better way to do it than. I'll let Alex give his background here in a quick second. But if you don't know, Alex sells Lamborghinis at Lamborghini San Antonio, if I'm not mistaken. And he's got a freaking awesome jamming Instagram page, Facebook page, and folks, I'm a sucker, okay? Like, I love. I love Lamborghinis. I've got the poster on the wall since I was probably 10 years old, like every other kid in America. And I told Alex there's two conversations I'm gonna have with him. The first one is to get him on my show to do a podcast like today. And the next time I call him, it's, dude, we're putting in the order. So again, without further ado, Alex, if you want to maybe fill into some of the holes of Your background, man, it's. It's fun to have you on the show. I'm really excited about this, man.
[02:21]
A
I'm excited, too. So a little bit of the background is I got into the car industry probably 12 years now. 12 years ago now, I fell into it completely on accident. So we originally moved out to Austin because me and some buddies were trying to run a startup, and we felt like Austin was the perfect place to run that startup. So we get to Austin and I'm like, oh, crap, I don't have a job. So I start looking for jobs, and I go and I look online, and I found this one job, which was like selling gold, essentially over the phone. I was like 20 something years old, and I was like, I could do this. They make 100 grand a year. I thought that was a ton of money. So I get there, and it's just like a massive room full of guys, and everyone's like, calling these leads and trying to sell gold. And I was like, man, this is so boring. I don't even get to meet people face to face. It's all over the phone. It's mostly old ladies and old guys who see the ad at the back of a magazine. So I was like, man, this doesn't really work. And the money was okay. And I started doing a little digging. I was on Craigslist, of all places, one night. That's just where you found jobs back then, especially with a degree. And I'm like, what the heck? I found a job on Craigslist, and there was this place, and it said, make $13,000 a month. So I said, I sent him a message. I was like, I want to make $13,000 a month. And I showed up the next day, interviewed. They hired me on the spot. But it turns out, like, it looked beautiful online. This dealership, oldest dealership in Texas called Sames, Red Barn Motors. And I get there, and it's a nice place. I don't want to down the place at all, but I get there, and it's just like your small, little used car lot. It was like a buy here, pay here store. And I thought, man, this is not really what I thought it was. But I just stuck it out anyway. I was like, wait, where's the guy making 13k a month? And it was this lady, and she speaks total Spanish. That's most of their customers. And I'm like, crap. I talked to all the other sales guys, and they're like, dude, you got to speak Spanish. You're not going to make it here. And I was like, dude, I don't know any Spanish. So they were like, here, here's these leads. Just calling these leads. So they give me this piece of paper. I start blowing up all these leads and just start getting tons of people to come through the door. And it became very successful. Within the first few days, I started selling a decent amount of cars. And they were like, after about a week, they're like, dude, you're setting like 150 appointments a month. We're going to make you the Internet manager, and you're going to do this for everybody. So I was like, oh, shoot. Okay. So they were like, we're sending you an Internet manager school. You're going next week. So I showed up. This was probably. This is in some random hotel. So I get there, meet a bunch of people there, and one of the guys there was from Honda, and we're sitting right next to each other. We were both the ones asking all the questions. He was a little bit older guy, this guy named Bill Ford. And he was like, dude, he's like, where do you work? And I was like, sam's Red Barn. He's like, you work at that dump and it's a cool place, man. And he's like, dude, come over here. Go to. Come work at Honda. These guys are. Some of the guys are making 16k a month. So I jumped over there. Literally, like, within a few weeks, they're like, we want to hire you now. So I started. Started selling Hondas, and I just started cranking them out, man. I sold Hondas for about three years, did very well. I was. I became like one of the top guys in that store, which is a store that sold 500 to 700 cars a month. And this place in Austin called First Texas Honda. So I was. I felt like I was an assassin at sales.
[05:42]
C
Sure.
[05:43]
A
I was selling anywhere from like 20 to 35 cars every month. And just in and out, they were having me train people, and at the very end, they started putting me on commercials, which I enjoyed. And then this guy from Porsche called, one of our top guys at our store, and he said, dude, who's your number one guy at the Honda store? And he threw my name in the bucket. And this guy, this gm, calls me from Porsche and he's like, hey, you want to come sell Porsches? I was like, man, no, not really, man. I'm killing it over here. I was like, I'm selling like 20, 30 cars a month. I was like, I'm probably making more than all your guys. He's like, dude, he's like, you probably are. But he said, I think you can make double here and sell less cars. He said, you can sell 10 cars and make that same amount of money you're making. I was like, what the heck? So I went and interviewed, jumped immediately. And I essentially made my entire Honda team pretty sad by jumping over because they were so used to me kind of leading the pack. But I made the switch, and when I got to that Porsche store, I found out quickly a lot of guys are selling like five, six, seven cars a month. There was one guy there selling like 12 cars a month, and sometimes he'd sell a little bit more. But my first month, I think I sold like, 14 cars, started selling less cars, which was kind of odd for me because every month I felt like I was failing. Because if you're used to selling 20 to 30 cars a month and now you're selling like 15, 17, 18 cars, you feel like, what am I doing wrong? And then the paycheck shows up. You're like, I'm not doing anything wrong. This is perfectly fine. So it was nice having those big paychecks show up. I really felt like unstoppable at that time. I was like, man, I can do anything because I'm making some crazy money now. And it was just awesome. And in doing that, you're meeting tons of different people. You switched the whole sells approach because the clientele is way different. So I learned a lot of that going into the Porsche world. And then finally, at the very end of it, I jumped over to the Lamborghini side, where they invited me over to open up the store, and that's how I got to Lamborghini. Now it's just a combination of, I guess, right place, right time.
[07:52]
B
That's awesome. That's a. That's a crazy story. I wanted to, one, one kind of pick your brain a little bit about, like, yes, the brand and cars and all that fun stuff. And I know, I'm sure you have nothing but crazy fun stories with. With everything that you guys are doing there at Lamborghini. But also maybe talk for a couple of minutes. You know, practical, you know, I. I'm just a nerd. Like, I can't do something without trying to make a point or get some business advice out of it. Right? One of those deals when I. When I was actually reaching out to you on Instagram, I had mentioned that a lot of the followers that follow my content, we do a lot of lawn care, landscaping, snow, etc. And I feel like our ICP ideal customer profile is who you are also selling to. And I thought maybe we could do like some fun sales tips and you know, like, what works these days, what doesn't work, you know, selling to this audience. Because I would imagine if you're trying to sell them a, you know, $300,000, half a million, million dollar car, some of the guys that are listening into our show are trying to sell those same guys a backyard landscaping patio for 100 grand, 300 grand at a pool, etc. Etc. So knowing that you, you know, are selling to that same icp, you know, maybe we can, we'll come back to the, you know, whole Lamborghini story. I don't want to fanboy out too much on all that, but yeah, ask.
[09:19]
A
I know this, this is more of a, like a sales approach and the organization is more geared on the sales world. So yeah, if we want to dive like, deeper into like the strategy and concepts and thoughts and ideas, I'm all for it.
[09:33]
B
Well, what. So, so tell me a little bit more about the evolution of you selling. Whether, you know, personally, professionally, what works, what doesn't, doesn't work. I'm sure it's been an evolution, I guess, you know, over maybe your last decade career going from selling Hondas and maybe what those folks value versus clientele, you know, with Porsche, Lamborghini, I'm sure that's probably significantly different, right?
[09:56]
A
Oh, 100%. So the clientele overall is a different person in a different part of their life. When I'm talking to these Honda people, their ages from 16 to 85, actually 94 years old, is the oldest Honda customer I ever had. And their wants and needs are completely different. They're in there for more of a practical car, something that's going to last longer, something that is a good value, something has good miles per gallon. So they're approaching it like they need this car. Most of the time they're only there because their current car is taking a crap and it's like literally on the fritz. So it's, it's a different approach and a lot of times they're looking for the best value. So they're calling every store in the area, every store in the state, and they're willing to drive the miles to get the deal that they want the versus the Porsche customer. When I made that switch, it was like these customers have already been there, done that with every car, and now they're buying the cars for the experience, they're buying the cars for the next level of prestige and they want to have fun with it. So that customer was looking for a want rather than the need. So I was selling them their wants, and I was hitting more on the emotional side versus when I'm on the Honda side, I'm hitting them, like, on the practical side. I'm like, miles per gallon is this. Here's the safety. Majority of the time, I'm talking about, like, value number one, and then just safety. Because safety was such a big deal at Porsche. I don't remember ever talking about safety. It was like, what's the miles? Or what's the horsepower? What's the 0 to 60? How does it do on turns on the track? How does it handle on the canyon carves? And how does it do on long road trips? Can I get on it? Is it reliable enough to, like, beat on it every single day and go like 200 miles an hour? And yes, yes, yes to all the above. So that customer approach was way different. I'm selling them on the luxury side of the car, and that's what they want. They're really looking for that because you got to put yourself into their perspective. They've done very well in their life. The average customer was making Porsche. Customer was making half a million to a million dollars a year. So they can buy anything from anywhere and any person. So you've got to be number one. You've got to be a really sharp on the ball, very responsive, but easy to deal with all in one, but very knowledgeable and quick. Because most of them, they have little time, so they're trying to move quickly, but they want to also be respected. So a lot of times what I'll do is I'll ask them why they're there. Number one, I'll ask them, like, what's their ultimate goal and their desire of buying the car? Like, why are you at point Porsche rather than like Mercedes or Maserati or Ferrari or Lamborghini? And they, a lot of times will tell you, and they'll paint the picture for you. So using that knowledge, you kind of dial it in. So if I was in your situation with your guys and they're calling your company because they want, like, a backyard with a certain style and a design of a pool, and they want, like a certain gazebo over it, and they want. They want to do certain activities, you start asking them, like, well, you know, what kind of even got you into this idea of having all this in the first place? Because I really want to understand why, why you're even calling us. I know you, obviously you called us because Our record is supreme. We do very good work, and we've got a really good background in this world. But what's your ultimate goal here? As. And if you build enough rapport in the beginning and you kind of lower their guard, they'll tell you really what the ultimate goal is. Or like, hey, I just had some grandkids. I want to start getting the family back together and coming in and watching football games and doing this and doing that. So as long as you can kind of peel that onion back and figure out what the ultimate goal is of that backyard, then I think they will, number one, feel a little bit more heard. So they'll be able to say, you know what? My dream, my whole life was to have, like, this big, beautiful house. But now I want to do a lot more entertaining in the backyard. I want to do grilling. I'm a grilling master. My wife's a grilling master. And here's kind of our envision. Like, we want a smaller pool, but I want to concentrate more on, like, I want to this or a dance floor or whatever. And I think as long as you've. You let them talk, you ask the question, and you let them talk, then they'll feel heard. And. Because they're probably going to have two or three or sometimes four different people come to their home and give them bids and give them their ideas and their thoughts. But if your salespeople or whoever is showing up to offer that the bid is listening to them, they're asking the right questions, and they're very gentle with these people, then they're much more likely to work with you. Because what they're also noticing, too, is when they're dealing with that salesperson that's there at their house, they're getting a little glimpse of what it's going to be like working with them for the next six months or a year, whatever it takes for their project. So you've got to really kind of match their energy. I think matching and especially, like, energy and tonality is a big deal, because obviously, if you get to a guy who's, like, from New York, and he's very quick thinking and he's very on the ball and he's moved very quick, you've got to really catch up to speed, because if you come in and you're going a lot slower and you're taking your time and that approach is not going to work. He didn't vibe with that guy. So when you're coming and you got to really match the customer up and match their Vibe and their energy. So sometimes you deal with little quiet grandmas and they're very calm and they work totally different than that New York guy or the west coast guy or the Florida guy. So whoever's in front of you, you've got to really almost be a chameleon and be able to work with who is in front of you. Because people like to buy from people who are just like them.
[15:50]
B
I like that, I like that. The. A friend of mine says, you know, typically we're selling landscaping, right? And again, residential for versus commercial, a rear outdoor patio versus somebody who's getting snow removal for their, you know, manufacturing company. He talks a lot about pain and pleasure. And you know, you're not trying to sell a facility manager, commercial snow removal and Excel trying to excite them about the, the pleasure of that. You know, you're of $20,000 snow contract and he just wants the docks cleaned and cleared and he wants his employees to be able to get to work safely. But when you're talking about what you just alluded to, so you're getting a half million dollar backyard pool and patio, you know, they're, they're looking for an experience. They want to enjoy that backyard and that's the pleasure hot button. And you can really, by listening, right, uncover a lot of those desires and, you know, needs and wants. I love what you said there. Let me ask you this. When talking in this conversation for sales, and again, not to get so granular here, but where do folks blow it in the sales process? You know, whether it's selling cars or selling patios, where, where do you notice maybe some of your, your peers along the way or maybe even earlier days in your career where you maybe goofed up more than you should have and somebody maybe said, hey, like Alex, have you ever thought about this or considered this part of your sales process? Do you have any like aha moments or breakthroughs or common mistakes that people are making out there in sales?
[17:24]
A
I think number one is being able to connect with the customer. I think if there's no connection there, then there's no emotional involvement from the customer side. Because if I've had some guys who they, they're very aggressive. So when I joined a Porsche, I pulled a lot of the Honda guys to follow with me. Like after like six months to a year, a lot of those guys jumped over, but some of those guys brought that very aggressive approach that they were used to at Honda. So a lot of times they were not connecting with these customers. They weren't listening. They were more like tallying rather than listening. And sometimes when the customer, when they feel like they're being told all this stuff or they're being talked down to or the vibes aren't right, I think that's where the connection goes bad. So I think listening more than talking when it's right makes more sense than just some of these sales guys. They just talk and talk and talk their way out of a cell. So I think at the end of the day, when. When it's the customer's time to talk, you listen there and you listen intently and you don't say a word. Because I have a lot of sales guys who would be listening to somebody discussing a topic, then they suddenly interrupt and they start talking over them. And then the guy like, oh, my gosh. Or they're not giving the equal amount of time to the husband and the wife. Sometimes they're just talking specifically to the husband and not to the wife. And sometimes in my situation, I would have husband, wife, kids, grandma, and I'm talking to all them equally. And I'm asking questions equally because I think everybody wants to feel heard. That's the reason why they're even there. If they weren't at that meeting with me, then it doesn't matter who they are. But if they're there in front of me and they're taking their own personal time, whether it's the kid or whether it's Grandma or whether it's the mom and dad, I want to make sure everybody feels heard. Because sometimes an entire cell relies on the kid. Like, just this past Saturday, I had a family in the configuration room, and we're building the car, and they kept looking back to her. What do you think? What do you think? Do we need to get the sunroof? Or hey, do we need to get the TVs in the back? Or hey, which color? Purple. So the kid, this kid was like five or six years old, but the kid was dictating the entire car. Like, oh, no, we gotta do this and we gotta do this. So then I started diverting a lot of my questions to the kid during the test drive. At the very end, I'm asking the kid a lot of questions and. And the parents, they felt like I was respecting the kid and their time. So I think connecting with them equally is a big part of the deal. And I think another deal is if you're not going at the right pace, if you're too slow or too quiet or not listening, it's going to just throw off the whole situation. So cells is really. It's an emotional thing. You've got two human beings that are very emotional, and one of them is trying to buy a product, the other one's trying to sell a product. But if you can kind of step back and put yourself over here and watch the situation happen, you would be able to really identify, like, how to sell the car, how to sell the product. The customer will tell you how to sell them the car or the product or the backyard or service for the snow shoveling for the whole year. You just have to be able to listen, and you have to be able to solve that problem. So, number one, listen, and then number two, you got to give a solution that makes sense for them, and it's got to be reasonable. The.
[20:44]
B
The line you just said there, brother, I think is one of the best lines I've heard in sales. If you, you know, shut up and listen for a hot minute, that customer will tell you how to sell them. And it's. It's so, so good. The. It reminds me of a story. I. I did a podcast a couple months ago. I just, I just have to reciprocate with a quick story here. Audi came out with the. The new RS5, you know, know, overseas.
[21:11]
A
That's right.
[21:12]
B
And so I called. So I was like, dude, this thing looks sweet. Probably going to be 90 to 110 grand. I'm turning 40. Like, yo, let's go. Just kidding. So I told my wife, I'm like, can I just, like, call on it, see what's up? And she's like, you're going to do whatever you want to do. Go ahead. So I call the Audi dealer and local dealer, and guy picks up the phone. New sales get patched through. Guy says. So I go, hey, like the. I just saw on Instagram, you know, in. In social media, the new RSQ, whatever, RS5 came out. And the guy goes, oh, yeah, we've got, We've got a bunch of them on the lot. And I'm like. I'm like, really? I'm like, it literally just came out, like, yesterday and, and he didn't even acknowledge that. He goes, so. So when are you looking to, to, to make a move on one of these? And I said, well, like, I'm sure, like, you got to order them in. And, gosh, it'd probably take, you know, six to eight weeks, the whole deal. And again, just to be clear, like, I'm looking for the, the RS5, like the new, like, 600 horsepower or whatever. And he goes, well, I've got a bunch on the lot here and they're definitely priced the move. And we can get you a test drive on, on the new S5. And like, we're like, if you're listening closely, like we're 02 of me explaining who I am, what I'm doing, the way he was selling me like their price to move and, and I was like, and I know enough about sales to like, know if somebody's listening to me right within 90 seconds of that exchange and to be like, I remember asking like one other question and it was something like, you know, about customization and like final specs and performance. And I was all excited about performance. And again, the guy like, I remember going back to the price conversation and like, homie was just not listening. Like I was like 600 horsepower, 110 grand. I explained to him I just turned 40, I hit some like big milestones in my life and I wanted like a cool, fun reward and I, and I proposed this like conversation. Imagine if the sales guy said like, hey, so like, what, what's up with this car? Like, why this car? And I was like, dude, it's fast, it's cool. I've always wanted an Audi. And he said like, well, that's pretty cool. Why have you always wanted it? And I would have said, well, dude, like, it's like one of the fastest, coolest sports car that you know, any 40 year old dude would want to get. The performance numbers are crazy. And I just feel like I'm due for a reward after grinding out my business for 20 years.
[23:56]
A
Yeah.
[23:56]
B
And if the guy would have said, right? Think about this conversation. If the guy would have said, hey man, like, it's probably been a brutal 20 years, but you know what? You've made it. And you couldn't get or pick out a more finer car than to celebrate that achievement of what, of what you and I'm sure your wife have put together. And you should be proud of that. If, if somebody would have said that to me, I would have been like, dude, here's my credit card for the $2,500 reservation. But he didn't, he didn't, he's like, we've got old model on the lot, price to move. Price, price, price. And I was like, I got off the phone, I was literally pissed. And then, you know, of course the wife, you know, she's like cooking dinner. She's like on the, the other end of this wrath. And I was like, I was like, nobody freaking listens. Why can't people just hear what I have to like, I'm, I'm literally on the other end of a phone willing to spend 100 grand on a car and do like, I was frustrated. Does that story, like relate or resonate to you?
[24:58]
A
It does. No, I, that, that's another part of when you said how to salespeople break sales or how do they just screw it up? It's not listening. Like, that salesperson was more worried about trying to move a unit and trying to move what's available. Not even listening that to the fact that you were looking for Rs5, not an S5. I mean, that's insane. I mean that, that car just came out. They shouldn't have any on the lot. That should be something that it's going to be made to order. Essentially. There's no discounts on that car. Right. And he should have definitely just number one observed the fact that this is a huge milestone you had suit. I'd be like celebrating like, man, this is a huge accomplishment. Congratulations. Maybe ask a couple questions about your background. And yeah, you want to connect with the customer too. You want to find out a little bit about who they are because at the end of the day, no one gives a crap about what you know until they know how much you care. So if you personally on your side feel like the salesperson has a little bit of care in the world and they're showing a little bit of empathy and they are listening, I mean, it's easy. You want to buy the car, this customer, this service or the salesperson just made it very difficult to sell the car. So the second you get online or on the phone with the salesperson who number one listens number one, they're not trying to push on old models because obviously you don't want that. You didn't work your ass off for an old model. You worked your ass off to get the latest, greatest technology available. And you want to have some fun and celebrate and be proud of it. So that, that's big time of one of the reasons why guys fail in sales is they just don't listen. They, they think sales is just getting very aggressive, being very pushy and pushing and pushing and pushing until you buy. But essentially you're just pushing that customer out the door into another salesperson's hands. And that happens every single day in sales.
[26:59]
B
Yeah, the I, I, I had to show that rank. I knew it probably make your, your skin crawl here and like that experience, you know, And I, there's a book I read a long time ago is called the Best Damn Sales Book ever. Fantastic. Read one of my like all time go to favorites. And it was just talking about how sell is really just a four letter word for help and you're just basically advising and sale. But traditional or old school, even maybe sales, if you could say that is, I got to move a unit versus if this guy really wanted to make a sale, he would help me to get the exact car of my dreams and hopefully just have a little bit of long term thinking like dude, okay, maybe I'm not going to get one on the whiteboard for, you know, may, but at least I can count on a dunk, you know, in September and you know, does that, does that make sense?
[27:53]
A
No, it does. And the sales approach over the last, I'd say even 10 or 15 years has really changed because with the Internet you're able to get on the phone and call a guy from Nebraska who has the car or the model or the option that you want, versus back in the day, you essentially were stuck with the dealership in your town. Sure, you had no other choice because you didn't want to risk driving two hours to the next dealership and then wasting your time to come to find out that you're going to get the same exact deal you could have gotten your other town. You just got to deal with some a hole back there. But these days with the power of the Internet, you can get on the FaceTime, you can get on the phone, you can get on email, call the person or the place that has the thing and you can order it and they'll deliver it straight to your doorstep. I've got customers who try to buy cars from me, from Africa, China, Russia, Morocco, I mean all, every country you can think of. I have, I've had somebody reach out and say, I want to buy a car from you that just, I just want to do it and I'm ready to sell them a car. But Lamborghini is like, you can only sell cars in the usa. So that's just the power of the Internet. So with the whole power of the Internet coming into play, I think salespeople have really had to change their approach and go into more of the consulting approach where you really are trying to help this customer because anybody can sell them a car. But not many people are going to try to consult them through the next phase of buying that car and help them. And sometimes in my situation, specifically at Porsche, you're waiting anywhere from three to six months or sometimes a year for a 911. At Lamborghini, sometimes you can wait two years for a car, because wait Lister so long. And I respect that. And I, they respect that too. And I let them know up front, I'm like, hey, look, you know what? This is probably going to be a year and a half away, but it's going to be so worth it. And they really respect the fact that I'm not trying to push them like a used car that I have here. I'm like, you know what, let's just hunker down. Let's order the exact one you want, the one you've always dreamed of, because it's going to be so sweet when it comes in. And all these months of waiting are only going to make it sweeter when it finally arrives. Because the month that that thing is on the boat and every night you just can't sleep because you're tracking it like, oh my God, the boat's getting closer. Once that damn thing arrives, you're going to be crying with tears because you're just so excited because all the waiting that you've waited the last year, not even including the last 40 years, you've waited your entire life to be at this position. But it's just like the end of the race is almost there and it's just getting closer and closer once it hits. It's so sweet and you're so glad that you waited for the right one.
[30:38]
B
I love what you said there with like, building that relationship for folks and like helping them get exactly what they're, what they're looking for. And again, I just keep it practical whether you're selling them that $500,000 backyard, patio, pool, outdoor living space, or their dream, you know, sports car. Just making it special and really trying to add value and add service to the, to the sale. Not just, you know, dollars and cents. Treat them like a number, not a, not a customer, not a relationship.
[31:12]
A
Yeah, I heard this thing maybe when I was 16 years old from this big time leader. I was reading a lot of books growing up and one of these leaders was talking about how his approach was make a friend, then find the need. Most people try to find the need and then make the friend do it backwards. And a lot of times it doesn't work as smoothly as like me and you. If I just ran into you and you're trying to sell me my dream backyard, the right approach would be first connect with the person on the human to human level. Then next you say, hey, by the way, like what keeps you in? Or what's, what interests you? And then you start finding out, oh man, I'm a big time griller. I love bringing the family over, and I love doing this and this and this. Oh, man, that's pretty interesting. I actually know a guy who builds backyards, and he builds dream backyards. You know what? You should meet him one day. And then now the guy is much more receptive to whatever you tell him, because y' all connected on the human level first. Then they're going to. He'll be able to listen, he'll lower his guard, and it's like, oh, yeah, who is this guy? Give me his number. Or if you're the guy, you know what? Funny thing, I actually build backyards. He's like, oh, are you serious? You know what? Let me come check out your backyard. I'll just give you some ideas and some thoughts and whatever you do, whatever you want with the information, but I just kind of want to check out your backyard now, because I love backyards. And then he's like, you know what? Come over a beer. You come over. Y' all are essentially, you're still connecting as the friend. But then he starts talking. He's like, you know what? After you explain to him the whole situation, the goal here, then he's like, you know what? I think I want to build this backyard with you. So I think if you can tell your salespeople whether they're selling a service or whether they're selling like an entire $500,000 backyard is approach it like you're trying to, number one, connect with them on a human level. Try to make the friend first, then find the need. I think that's a way better approach, and it's much smoother in the long run. Because if you can be their friend first, two or three years down the road, when they're expanding their backyard or they're changing the pool or they're doing something else, they're going to call their friend first, rather than the other guy who is just pushing numbers and trying to push products on them every single time.
[33:28]
B
Yeah, I like that. I like that. Let me. Let me ask you maybe one final question. We'll kind of maybe pivot to maybe more the funner conversation. Talk about Lamborghinis and all that. But let me for sure, let me. Let me propose this. If, and I don't know your background extensively, like how you, you know, grew up and all that, socioeconomics and. And all that, but for. For guys that are maybe out there, you know, it sounded like you. You didn't start selling Lamborghinis, you started selling Hondas. And that's that's fun. And obviously you were calling the, the buy now sell gold, you know, kind of deal back in the day which is we've all, we've all been there, done done all those fun jobs. If, if. How do you propose somebody who doesn't come from money learn how to communicate and talk to people with money while not overly like faking it to your making it or overcompensating being like hyper aggressive or you know, talking this like fictitious language that they think that that person talks about. You know like like the private equity talk or. I for example, I remember once meeting a guy and I went into a Land Rover dealer and I, I've always been like the annoying guy that would come check out cars and do test drives. I was just a big dreamer. I still am. And I remember going into a Land Rover dealer and the guy was like a 28 year old dude and I was like 21. Dude shook my hand and like weird funny story dude. I remember this like it was yesterday. His like hand like cracked like like a bone. Like his like hand like cracked. I just felt like this weird pop and he like just so strong arm grabbed my hand to like assert dominance at like the Land Rover dealer. Range Rover dealer, whatever.
[35:16]
A
Wow.
[35:17]
B
And, and, and I like it was such an aggressive like handshake and I was like hey dude, are we not going to address the fact that your hand just like massively popped in socket? You know like. But the, the dude was like so over overbearing. He's like yeah, these things are 120 grand and you know, if you're not making, you know about the same, you're probably not going to be able to get, we'll probably won't be able to get you into one of these things. And I'm like dude, I just want to get like a catalog to put a poster on the wall, bro. Like you know, meet me with where I'm at. Like give me a decade. I'm comment, you know. Yeah. How do you, how do you propose somebody that is making 42 grand a year? Their, their businesses is on the grow, they're on the come up but they are selling that backyard 300 grand pool and patio. They're competent, you know, maybe, maybe you know they're only making 40, 50 grand a year and or they're they're just, just the Lamborghini sales guy but they're selling it to a guy worth $100 million. Like how do you, how do you personally navigate like that imposter syndrome or trying to sell to those type of folks if you're not quote unquote on that pay grade just yet.
[36:27]
C
LauncherPreneur Academy Live is back November 7th in Novi, Michigan at the newly named Vibe Credit Union Showplace. This year brings a new format, new speakers, expanded breakout sessions, hands on learning and more chances to put ideas into action right right away. Bring your entire team and get ready for a bigger, better experience at launch A Preneur Academy Live tickets go on
[36:53]
A
sale Wednesday, July 15th at 6pm get
[36:56]
D
details and tickets using the link in the show description.
[36:59]
A
It's a baby step approach. You can't go straight to the top and start dealing with like that's the private equity guys and those type of people are like they're on championship level stuff. So they really like to deal with people who are at least trying to get on that level but also are very respectful. My background is a little bit different. I definitely didn't come from a ton of money. My parents had me when they were like 17 years old. So we grew up with my parents both working in a job and really I was always at my grandparents house while they were out working and my mom was going to school doing the whole bit. So I saw them hustling and trying to make it and eventually they started coming up as I was younger and I saw their growth. But I was able to really respect the fact that if I'm going to do this, I've got to work. So one of my first jobs was working in the back of this barbecue joint and I'm just literally washing dishes. And I think that's what it takes is you're going to have to start from a lower approach where you just start serving people and you start watching people and you start listening to them. And after three months, actually might have been six months, I joined our local grocery store where I think if I could get everybody to go and sell groceries for a year, I think it would change your whole perspective and your whole life because you deal with so many people every single day, different personalities, different wants and needs that you really start to figure out how people work and how they're geared. So if I can tell anybody, go into that grocery store and just start being a freaking cashier if, if they're young enough to do it and if they're young enough to like afford to make the 17 or $20 an hour, whatever those kids make, especially younger people, if they're in that position, I'd say man, just go to the grocery store for a little. Especially if you want to get into sales and just get in front of 100 people a day because you're going to see the grandmas, you're going to see the private equity guys, you're going to see the middle class guys, you're going to see the $100 million guys. Because everybody goes to the grocery store. I would meet every type of person in that grocery store. And I'm not going to lie, my first few months I was probably super annoying. But after you start dealing with a number of different people and personalities and perspectives, you really start to become a chameleon and you start to mimic their energy and you get good at it and it becomes second nature because after a year into it, you've dealt with thousands and thousands and thousands of customers. So you really, within a first split second, you can tell how to work with this customer, how to manage them and how to keep them happy and keep them coming back very quickly. So right after that I joined Nordstrom's, which you're probably familiar with. Nordstrom's, they sell high end clothes. And right away I'm only dealing with very wealthy people. So I think being at the HEB for a number of years kind of geared me up to go to that next level of customer, to where I was dealing with the guys who, when they would come to the HEB line, you know who they are, they're dressed real nice, they're real sharp, they've got the Rolexes on or the big fancy handbags and. Or they throw the Mercedes keys on the drawer when you're at heb. So you kind of identify those people are. So those same people are coming to Nordstrom and you kind of use that same approach that I was using with them at H E B. And you watch more than you, you talk unless you're asked a question. Because at that point the customer is really there to tell you what they're, they're there for. So number one, they put me in suits pretty quickly. So I'd have a guy, I come in and I'd say, oh man, what brings you in? I know you probably don't have a lot of time today. Let's try to accomplish whatever you want. And you say, you know what? I'm looking for a black suit and a gray suit, and I'm wearing it for this and this and this. So okay, perfect. How long do you expect to wear this suit for a year, two years, three years? And he said, you know, and I'm only going to wear it for a few times or I'M only going to bring it out for a funeral. So then you, number one, you know exactly kind of how to approach it. But you let the customer kind of dictate the way the sale is going to go and then you just roll with it and you make little subtle announcements here and there of like what your thoughts are on the ordeal or the suit or whatever recommendation, but you let them essentially do the deal and you serve them as much as you can. I think in that situation you really want to be a servant. It sounds crazy. I don't want to be a servant. But you almost have to be because you're in that position to serve them and you're literally in service. So I think that's the approach I would recommend. If somebody can, if heb or whatever, the grocery store is too low for them as far as pay grade, maybe they can go to Nordstrom's and just kind of knock it out for six months and just really learn the perspective of that client because those high end buyers are in there. And when I went from Honda to Porsche, the customer was very much a different person, but the Porsche person was very similar to the person that I used to deal with at Nordstrom's. And the same thing with the Lamborghini customer. They're very similar to the Nordstrom's customer. So I think it's all about reading books is huge. If you, the more books you can read, the better you're going to be in the long term. Because you can't just expect to go in one on one and play basketball with Kobe Bryant unless you've been training and training and training and trying to get on that level. Because the way that these high end customers are, I think are similar to the level of a Kobe Bryant or a Lebron James or Michael Jordan. You've got to really know what you're doing before you just go get in and try to go toe to toe with these people. Because the second they sniff you out and they're like, oh, this guy's not the real deal, then they're not going to want to deal with you. They're going to want to move to the next guy who is technically a subject matter expert. That's who they want to deal with. Because their time is so limited and so valuable that they only want to spend it with subject matter experts. So if you're not like the easiest guy to approach or the easiest guy to talk to, at least know your product in and out like a machine. Because at the end of the day, if the customer Is like, you know what, the guy's a little rough around the edges, but damn, he really knows his products. And man, he's super sharp and he has great recommendations. I would say then go that approach. So if you're not the sharpest guy in the, the tool shed, then definitely just sharpen up your skills with your product. That's the biggest thing. Whatever you're selling, just figure out how to be the best at that product specifically. Because if you are, sometimes people will just deal with you.
[43:38]
B
That's. It's so good. I love what you shared there. And the whole personal self development thing I think is often overlooked these days. There's a big upswing of that in like 90s, 2000s, 2010, but not as much as today. Like, it's all podcasting, it's all like YouTube, but there's just something dare say, you know, there's a, a magical effect, you know, reading a physical, tangible book. I mean, I, I read, you know, how to Raise Myself from Failure to Success in Selling by Frank Beckcher. And yeah, like all these classics, like Bringing out the Best in People and Magic of Thinking Big and Dog Mandino books.
[44:18]
A
Like, man, you read some good ones, dude.
[44:20]
B
Like all the class, dude. I came from very, very far back. I used to sell, you know, pizzas working at Little Caesars and we would get, you know, bonus on our breadstick, you know, percentage of sales, you know, and so I was like, man, everybody's leaving here today with breadsticks. And that's. It sounds so dorky, but that's like where I learned to like sell at the counter. Exactly what you just described. And then I actually had a stint. I don't know if you remember Circuit City back in the day. Oh, yeah, dude, that was an experience, I'll tell you that. But SiriusXM100. Yeah, like, satellite radio was just coming on the scene. And like you said, you'd have corporate guys all day long. Where we're at is a big commercial area, like I was alluding to in automotive. So one customer would come in and he wanted to know the exact price and the subscription cost and all that stuff. And the next guy, he couldn't care less. He just wanted to learn or listen to Howard Stern because that was like the big contract, you know, Next guy was, hey, can I get talk radio and still get the weather? And how, how, how long does the install take? And he's more detail and, and you know, like you, you look back on life, you're like, man, how did all this Happen, like, how did I even get here? But I realized, like, all these little weird job experiences, I. I tried to, like, learn the lesson while I was there. And I'll. I'll tell you, like, my personality is dominant, like, introvert. Not usually one to, you know, put myself out front. I'd much rather be in, like, the corner of a. Of a seminar than to delete it, you know, and all that fun stuff. But I. But I realized, like, I have to learn how to talk with people and how to have immediate rapport and get people to know, like, and trust. And that. That has been a lifelong pursuit of mine for like 20 years now. Because I just realized if I can work that lever, then sales and making money and profit will likely follow. But I feel too many folks just aren't willing to put in the. The scrimmage. You know, to. Some people have charisma for sure, but I think working with people is definitely a skill, not just a talent. You know what I mean?
[46:41]
A
Yeah, you're right. A lot of people see, especially these days with, like, the instant gratification on social media, they see these people of where they're at, and they're like, I want to do that. So every single day I get people who hit me up and say, hey, how do I sell Lamborghinis with you? And I'm like, what have you sold? And they're like, I've never sold anything. I want to sell Lamborghinis.
[47:02]
B
Sure.
[47:03]
A
I'm like, man, you know, I'm very respectful about it. I'm like, you know what, man? You really don't want to. Not. You don't want to come right into this because you will fall on your face. These people are. They're looking to deal with subject matter experts. They want to deal with somebody who's very skilled in a way, rather than just come into a guy who's just kind of learning how to walk and learning how to ride a bike. So I think it's very important that, especially in your situation, that you were at the Little Caesars and you really learned how to just deal with a little bit of interpersonal relationships and how to build a relationship real quick, how to build rapport, how to take a person you just met two seconds ago and now you're selling on breadsticks. It's something as simple as that. Doing it every single day actually sharpens your sales skills. And then eventually you jump to the level of a Circuit City where you're selling a little bit more expensive of a product. It's A little bit more dynamic, There's a little bit more information, but also the customers are also very different. Some people want the information, some people could care less and just listen to the Howard Stern. So going in those steps, the stair step approach, I think, is the right approach to get to those higher levels. Because Kobe Bryant didn't just go straight to the NBA. He was playing basketball as he was a kid and then playing against people on his own level. And then he got better and better and played people that were better than him and better than him. And eventually he got to that level in the same situation. For yourself and anybody else who's at the top of their game and sells, I think they had to go through these stair steps. You can't just go straight to the top. And as much as I would love to hire every kid who says, I want to sell Lamborghinis, I just think it would be a dissatisfaction for them to just put them right in that spot. Because there's so much learning you're going to do from this level to this level that you really, you have to go through it. That's what makes this whole thing so sweet. Because one day you're going to be at a situation where you're sitting at the table and you're about to sell your company for all this money and you look back and you're like, dude, you're like, I would do it all over again. Start back at the Little Caesars, Circuit City and go that exact same path. Because if you didn't go that approach, then you wouldn't be where you're at today because of the Little Caesars job is probably the reason why you're so successful now. It, it all had to happen in order. You can't just skip steps.
[49:27]
B
I, I couldn't agree more. And now today, you know, you're selling a, again, you know, called a $10,000, $20,000, $30,000 contract, backyard, patio, whatever. That's an evolution. And I think what you just said was so eloquent, like, you got to give yourself the time. We're talking years, if not decades for some of us, right, to hone these skills. But it should also give you the confidence to know that you can develop these skills. It's not talent. Right? And I used to hide behind, well, that guy's a people person and of course he's funny and his personality type is this. Sure, that can help you. If you got some God given talents, that's fine. But I'm also the belief that, you know, if that's the case with some folks, then I'll just have to outwork them, you know, and I'll just have to master some of these basic skills that much better, you know, and then I feel like it has paid some pretty good dividends along the way. So I'm right there with you.
[50:23]
A
Yeah, man, it's truth. And these days I see some of these sales gurus that are like 21 years old and I'm like, man, come on, he started selling like two years ago. And now you're a sales guru and a professional expert and these other 15, 16 year old kids are watching. I'm like, oh, this is a sales guru. But you really want to get into the arena where you're talking to a guy who's been in sales for 15, 20 years, 30 years. That's where you're really going to pick up the golden nuggets. And they're going to tell you the real life approach. They're going to say, start here, start here, start here and just gradually work your way up because every little cell and interaction you have is going to make you better. I think if you're not like the most charismatic or you're very introverted, just get in front of more people. Get in front of as many people as you can. That's why when people ask me what's the best way to get into Lamborghini, I say, go, start selling Hondas, Toyotas, Fords. Something where you're dealing with people in the volume level, where you're dealing with 100 people per month and you're selling 20 cars a month. That's probably the best approach to sell the higher end Lamborghinis and these higher end cars because eventually you'll get to that level. But you've got to get in front of more people now to understand how to deal with those people in the future. Because these days I'm selling people cars that are $800,000 and you're not going to just sell that person a car unless they feel very confident in who you are and they feel very understood and heard and they feel like they've got a relationship. So I think the most important thing in my job is building a relationship with these people because they can pick up the phone and call any Lamborghini store in the country and buy a Lamborghini from that person, because it's easy with the Internet.
[52:04]
B
So good. So let's do this. We'll, we'll pivot for maybe last five or ten minutes here. I want to be respectful of Your time. This is.
[52:10]
A
No, no, no. I mean, I got, this is good.
[52:13]
B
Well, keep it as a. Don't say that. We'll. We'll make episode 1000. 1001, 1002. No, I'm just kidding. But no, no, this, this is a good conversation because, you know, just to set the stage, like, in the next, like, handful of years, I definitely want to get a Lamborghini. Like, anybody listening to my show, they know that, that I'm a big fan of, of the car or the brand. I, I wanted to get a Huracan, you know, like everybody else last decade. Go figure. I finally get into somewhat of a position maybe to buy one, and I said, I decided to build a Mack Daddy house. So, yeah, as I kind of looked at it, and somebody told me, I said, if I, if I get my wife the house, she'll help me get the car. If I go for the car, I'll probably lose my wife in the house. So, so if you guys have gotten nothing out of today's show, remember that one. Okay, so I, I, I got my wife the house and, you know, doing the family deal. So, yeah, and, and obviously beyond happy to do that. Well, I told my wife, I'm like, hey, like, only one more notch, like, on the ladder that I want to accomplish. It's the car. And she's like, all right, all right, so we set some goals. And she's like, let's. Let's try to get this much money in the bank. And I'm a big fan of, like, assets pay for liabilities. I'm a big, like, rich dad, poor dad kind of guy. So how, how big of a business, how much cash flow, how much down payment do we need? I'm a big work backwards from what I need kind of a guy. So the funny story is, I love what you said about building relationships because believe it or not, I've called in a couple of dealers. I've actually visited my local dealer, and then one in a major metro city about four hours west. I'm not naming names because big audience, you know, everybody, Everybody listens in. But yeah, you know, the one thing that really made me fall in love with you and your content is, like, I felt like you were, because of the way you were approaching your social media, that I had a guy. Like, I had a relationship with this dude, Alex, watching, you know, God, probably a hundred of your reels, you know, over the last six months. And finally, funny, like I told my wife, I'm like, hey, I got this great guest coming up for episode 1000. I'm really excited about it. She's like, who is it? I'm like, and I. Sounds kind of weird, but I was like, it was my. It's my friend Alex on it on Instagram. He sells Lamborghinis. And she's like, I don't know this Alex person. I'm like, oh, like, no, dude. Like, Alex taught me how to like, buy a Lamborghini. The car, model, lineup, how much, you know, income you need, what's the sales process look like? Because this is all the reels that you've been putting out.
[54:54]
A
Yeah.
[54:54]
B
Over the last six months. And so. But that's, it's, it's funny like you. I say it that way to you, but when I go to an event, people come up to me and they're like, hey, man. Like, how's the wife? How's the kids? How's the new expedition? Like, they, they know me just from that, like, relational. Relational commerce, maybe, you know, if you will. And, and it's the same way that I feel with finding you. I'm like, that's my sales guy. Like, I haven't bought a car just yet, but I jokingly was telling you, I'm like, when I'm ready. It's. It's Alex. Because of everywhere I go and everybody I talk to, nobody's reached out to me or said like, hey, here's a business card. And it's no indictment on anybody. You know, I'm a tire kicker like anybody else. But that relationship is what I'm looking for. I couldn't, I couldn't totally care less about the spec, although I do. I couldn't care less even sometimes about what model. Although I'm going to, you know, try to stick to a little bit of a budget here. But it was like, I want somebody to be my quote, unquote guy that helps round that circle, that 20 year, you know, journey of business, of rags to, I wouldn't say riches, but having a little bit more. And, And I want to say, hey, like, dude, the car is cool. But my sales guy, Alex was awesome and he helped, he helped make this dream come true just as much as I did. And so it's that relationship. And again, I just think it's. It's a fun story to, to, to throw out there in the ethos right now because I, I promise you guys this, like, I will make sure that this dream comes to pass. Because the one thing Alex, I'll just share candidly, like, my wife's always like, what's what's the big deal about the car? She's like, I don't understand it. She's like, is it a dude thing? Like, is it, is it like drama? You know, she's, she's funny. I'm like, probably all the above. But I said, and this is just one of my belief. And everybody's got their own belief out there, but I think like, the car represents. And again, pick your car, pick your brand, pick your poster on the wall. We all had the Ferrari F40 or F50. We all had the, the Countach. We all had the, you know, Mercielago. We all saw Cradle to the Grave with dmx, with the Diablo. Like, dude, like, you know, here we go. Gone in 60 seconds is like one of my, like top three favorite movies, right? Like Eleanor and all that. All that mess. Yeah, all you, are you car guys out there, you get it. You're like finally, like, it's been a thousand shows. You finally get to a good topic, right? But I told my wife, I said, what the car represents to me is somebody who changed their stars. They're like, it's somebody who set out a goal, probably the, you know, obviously make some good income, probably build a good big burly business, help people in the community, help people on their team, get, you know, great jobs, great income, and they were able to help a lot of people along the way. And for me it's, you guys probably know how this goes. But my goal is to get the stupid car to then take it to the local cars and coffee to then have the 10 year old dude, the little boy, go with his dad and say, dad, that's a really cool car. Like, how do we get one of those? And the dad would say, well, I don't know, I don't have one. Why don't you ask him? And then that guy, hopefully me, says, well, you know what we did? I start a business and I helped a lot of people. And because I helped a lot of people, I made a lot of money. And because I made a lot of money, I was able to help a lot of people.
[58:31]
A
Yeah.
[58:32]
B
And like, dude, like, I could get emotional about this, but when I share that story to my wife, like, she like tears up and she goes, I get it because it's not the stupid car. Although, yes, I hope to, you know, go over the speed limit at least once and burn some rubber, you know, and do the deal. But it's, I feel like it's. And this is just how I work sometimes. I'm just, I'M a deep thinker. I. I want to get the car so I can put a fun, cool vanity plate on the tag. Right. And not, not in a smug way, but in a way that inspires the next generation.
[59:10]
A
Yeah.
[59:10]
B
You know, and so, like, when, when I'm shopping for who's going to sell me that car to. To whole that circle, like, that's a very intimate person to me that I'm going to invite into making that relationship and making that transaction happen. Does that make sense?
[59:27]
A
Oh, 100%.
[59:29]
B
So it's, that's my story about the car. But anything you want to add on that or can you relate to that?
[59:35]
A
I hear that question a lot, especially coming from wives and women. The husband and wife are always sitting there, and the wife's like, why do you really want this car? She's asking the guy, and a lot of times he can't really answer on the spot. It's a combination of a lot of stuff, but it all comes back to our core. When you're a little kid, whether you're a boy or a girl, you always have toys. And for girls, it's always going to be the Barbie and then the Barbie Dream House. So that's like their fun and that's their dreams from the core. But with kids, a lot of times we were given these little Hot Wheels cars and whatever cars or trucks or whatever we had, and we just loved cars and we were obsessed with cars and we played the games with cars and it was just our core. And then one day we're like, you know what? I really want that car. So it's always been the dream in the back of your head. And you set out to get that car, that crazy, stupid car one day. But the journey to getting that car requires so much, especially for that car is the Countach or the Lamborghini or the Ferrari or the RS5 or that super cool car. And your brain is so incredible the way it works. You're like, I really want that car. So what do I got to do to get that car? Where you got to make money. Well, how do I make money? Well, you got to get with people. So then you start going through all the steps to get the car. Then you start making your trajectory like this. And you're coming up and you're coming up and you're helping more people and you're making more money. And at the end of the day, you not really forget about the car because it's always in the back of your head. It's something you always wanted but then life happens, and you start getting so busy in life trying to build this company that sometimes you get sidetracked and you kind of lose sight of the dream. But the dream is always there. You're never going to forget about it. But then once you do start hitting all these goals and you start making all this money, the dream kind of starts getting clear again. And you're like, oh, yeah, what is this all about? It's like in trying to get this huge, massive goal, the Lamborghini, one day, I built this beautiful family, I built this beautiful home, I built this beautiful business. I have incredible income, all because of that one dream to buy that car. So I think the car is a huge, massive goal. It's like our Mount Everest. Like, it's at the very top of this peak. But in order to get up there, you've got to do all these little things to get to that position. So that's why it's so deep for us. It's because we do want to get to that point where we do hit the Mount Everest peak and we do get our car, and you do take it to cars and coffee. And then you meet that little boy who's in the situation where you were and when you first started, where they're dreamers and they don't have anyone to help them get to their dream, but the person who's in that cool car. So when I was young, I never got to go to cars and coffee. I never got to do any of that because my parents were so busy. But if I did, I would love to have gone up to that person and said, hey, what do you do for a living? How do I get that car? And then they would be able to give me the steps. And that would have been much easier than having to really go and figure it out myself, because at that point, you're like, well, crap, how do you make, like, enough cash to buy that Lamborghini? And sometimes it's the sweeter way because then you've got to throw crap at the wall, see what sticks, and you got to really figure it out. So I think that is a very big deal. But, like, for women, it's. It's the beautiful dream house. And then you're like, well, why? Why do you have to have this dream house? And a lot of times, I don't know, but I think it's really. It's the core of the kid. When you go back to them, when they're three or four, two years old, they had the Barbie and then they had the dream house. And they had the Ken and the Barbie and they're married and they're in this massive. They have this big Barbie dream house and that's their dream so that one day they want their own dream house and the boys want their dream car. But a lot of times we forget that fact that it all goes to our core. But the sweetest part about getting to these levels is helping the next generation kind of see the path to getting there. And it's a big deal. And sometimes we just forget about it because life happens.
[63:45]
B
Yeah. Yeah. So I appreciate your perspective on that too. I never thought about my wife's similar year in for the home and always like, yeah, it's safety, security and she's nesting. I don't know, I'm a dude, you know, so it makes a lot of sense that because my, my daughter's five and no joke, over the weekend we got her like the Barbie Playhouse and the Barbie Jeep and like, funny that you brought that up. And I'm like. And she, we didn't have to teach her how to be feminine and mom, you know, and a baby in a girl to be a home maker, if you will. Like, it's innate. And then I gave my son, you know, he's got a couple like little toy helicopter toys or whatever, and my other son is 14 months old and he's already making like the mimicking sound of like a helicopter noise and car noises. And I'm like, we didn't even teach him how to make that noise. And so there's got to be more there. You know, I don't get too, too deep, but it's just, it's just fun how, how it all comes together. By the way, I already have like my license plate, you know, picked out for my Lamborghini one day because you do have to sometimes have like the fun, smug vanity plate, you know, 100. Like there's an element of that, you know, so. But this is such a, a fun conversation. I know we're kind of jumping around a little bit talking about sales and thought process and selling and, and all this. But maybe on a little bit lighter note, just maybe to, to button up the show because it's been just a blast getting a catch up with you for like the last hour or so. Yeah. What, what any like funny stories that, that you know, are top of mind, like getting into this process, like, have you anything that stands out to you while selling cars along the way? I, I watch your Instagram stories and your feed and the value that you put out there. And the. The fun content you put out there is. It's really worth. I mean, checking out. I invite you guys to give him a follow. But is there anything that sticks out? I'm always thinking, like, the. The scene with, you know, dmx, and he's got, like, the million dollars cash in the. In the duffel bag, you know, and he's, like, revving the engine in the showroom. Like, any. Any wild or wacky stories, I guess, from, like, your career that. That you think are fun?
[65:59]
A
You know, I. I've had. There's a ton of stories when you're in the car business. You. I have enough stories to talk all night about them.
[66:06]
B
Sure.
[66:07]
A
One of the funny recent ones was this past December. This guy calls in and tells the receptionist, and I had no idea this was going on. He calls in and says, hey, I'm on my way. Is that black car available? And she was like, which car? He said, the Technica. She said, well, we haven't even posted it. How did you see it? He's like, I just saw it online. And she was like, yeah, it's available. It's here. He's like, well, I'm driving in from Houston. I want to look at it. And so she's like, okay, come on in. And. But the guy comes in, awesome guys. Younger, probably 24 years old, and he. I don't know if you. I don't want to say he was a Korean guy, but I think he might have been. And just a super cool dude came in with his wife, dressed head to toe in designer clothes. They looked like they were definitely coming for money. And I was with some other people at the time. And the guy walked in, and he's like, hey, Alex. And I'm like, it caught me off guard as I'm like, a lot of people do that. They come in and like, hey, Alex, what's up? And they're kind of like you. They watch the videos, and they kind of feel like they have a relationship with you. And he comes up and he, like, hugs me, and I'm like, what's up, man? He's like, dude, I sent you a message about this car. And it was like, last night at midnight, and he said it was available. And I was like, oh, yeah? Yeah. And he said, I called into the front desk, and she said, it's still available. He said, I want to buy the car. And I was like, okay, what do you want to do? And then he pulled out this big bag, and he's like, I got the Money right here. And I was like, oh, shoot. Okay. I was like, yeah, let's do it. He's like, so what do we do? And I was like, man, I don't think we take cash. I said, I don't have a vault to put this money in. So he's like, oh, man. He's like, I really want the car. So I'm like, okay, number one, let's make sure you like the car first. Because I said, you just saw the video last night. I don't even know if you're going to like the car. I said, get in the car. Turn it on. Start it up. And he turns it on. And I actually posted the video. You can see it. And he was just like, going hysterical when I turned on that engine. And he was like, oh, my God. And he was like, I want it right now so bad. And I called my gm Cause he was just gone. I don't know if he was on vacation or what, but he was like, what do you mean? He showed up with a big bag of cash. I'm like, yeah, he's got the cash in a backpack, and he wants to buy the car right now. And he's like, dang it, how do we do this? And because all the banks were closed at that time, normally we would have just. If it was a weekday, we would drive to a bank, he would give them the money. They would give us a cashier check, or they would do something. They would put it direct. We would take it essentially directly to our bank.
[68:49]
B
Sure.
[68:49]
A
But we couldn't do that. So the guy just drove in from Houston. He's ready to go, and we're like, crap, so what do we do? So I asked him, like, hey, why don't you just finance the car? And then just. We'll pay it off on Monday. And then he's like, man, actually, I can't finance because I'm closing on a house, and if I finance this car, it's going to blow up my whole deal. And I'm like, oh, yeah, do not do that. I said, I don't want to blow up your house. And I said, is there any way that maybe you can just go back to Houston today and then on Monday, you'll just deposit that money into our account or our bank, and I'll just ship you the car for free. And he was like, yeah, but I really wanted to take it today. So I'm like, dealing with this whole thing, and I'm like, crap, what do I do? Because I have these other people who are trying to buy a car and they're kind of sitting around watching me deal with it. But at the same time, I'm trying to respect this guy's time because he drove in from Houston, didn't really give me any notice. He's, I guess I didn't respond to him in time because he definitely sent me more messages in the morning. But that's the problem of not checking your DMs every day. Is like, there's money sitting in that bank right there. And he was like, man, I told you on the dm, I'm so sorry. I should have tried to call you. But we ended up making a deal later on that next week. But that was just one of the first times I'd ever seen that much cash before. Enough cash to buy a Lamborghini on the spot. Another really funny one was this one. I, nobody really knows the story, but I don't know, did you see that deal I did with that crazy Chario? It was like a multi million dollar white car. It was a convertible top.
[70:27]
B
So I don't know if I saw that one. I, I, I love your delivery videos. Like, I'm, I, I literally like dream that that's me. So I'm with you, but I don't know if I saw that one.
[70:35]
A
Yeah, there's this car that came in, it's called the, that people might call it the Centenario. There's only of this one, I think there might be like 20 in the world of the roadster. It's a multimillion dollar car, but there's a dealership in Florida who had been trying to sell that car for, I don't know, six months. And then the owner got just, he was on, it was on consignment with that dealership in Florida. And he thought that they were going to sell the car, but they couldn't sell it. They couldn't get any bites on it. So he calls our, our whole organization because he knows somebody there. And he said, hey, can you guys put this on consignment here locally where he lives, to see if y' all can sell it? And they kind of mentioned it to me. They're like, hey, this is car. They couldn't sell it in Florida. And I was like, how the heck am I gonna sell it? I was like, if they couldn't sell it, I said, there's only a few people in the world who can probably buy that car. How am I gonna sell it? They're like, I don't know, just post a video And I was like, okay. So they say, okay, the car is on its way. It's going to be here in this day. So I get this phone call from the driver. He's like, dude, I'm like five minutes away with the centenario. And I'm like, oh, my gosh. So I get my receptionist, I say, okay, get this camera. And we're going to film the whole car getting off the truck. And it's just going to be cool because we got to post this immediately because this is like a. Almost a $3 million car. I was nervous about this because they were like, dude, we have to sell. This is a big client for us. We got to do whatever we can to sell this. So he gave me this number, and I don't even want to talk about it online because it's just a ton of money. Let's say it's a little under 3 million. And the car gets here. I see the truck pull up and I'm like, oh, my God. This is like the most expensive car that I've ever been around. And I'm about to try to sell this thing and the gate starts coming down and I start getting goosebumps. I'm like, oh, my gosh. Like, I've sold a million dollar car, but I've never sold almost a $3 million car. So this is a potentially a big goal. It's potentially a big sell for me. And I'm just kind of. A lot is kind of going through my mind and I'm like, you only have a certain amount of time to make this video. What do you do? Because right now the time is ripe. The car is about to get off the truck, and the guy literally just gets in that car, turns on the engine, and I'm like, oh, crap. And then he's like, hey, can you come guide me out? Like, can you come help me move it out? I'm like, dude, I'm not gonna do that. I need to make a video. I need to film this thing. I was. I went and grabbed other two guys like, dude, help this guy figure out how to get the car out. Because he's like, I don't have any eyes back there. I don't want to scratch this three million dollar car. So it's kind of chaotic because we're just. I want to capture the moment, but at the same time, I don't want him to scratch this car. And he's freaking out because he's like, this is like his first day on the job because we. I guess our Company had just hired this driver to go pick this car up. So he's like, really panicking. He's like, dude, he's like, why don't you back it up? And I'm like, dude, I'm not backing up the car. I want to film you backing it up. And I want to try to, like, tell the story here. And so he gets in, he starts backing it up. You can go look at. Watch the story, and you'll see the driver, he's kind of got like, I think a ponytail, and he starts pulling it back up. And so I'm like, okay. I tell my receptionist, I'm like, okay, grab the camera and. And just follow me. I'm going to essentially walk out and say, we just got a 1 of 40 in the world, and it's about to be right here outside. Can you guess what it is? And I kind of blow out the door, I walk out, and then she kind of follows me. And the gate is already open, and he's backing up the car, and I'm like, this is the Lamborghini Centenario. And he just slowly starts backing that thing up. And I'm just starting to talk about the car, what it is, how special it is. And I'm just trying to build the. I'm like, edifying this car as much as I can because, number one, it's the coolest thing I've ever seen. And it was just a huge deal at the moment. So he pulls out the car. He essentially gets it all the way down. And I start walking around. My camera guy's following me, and I'm just talking about the car, trying to sell it in a way, but it's not, like, pushy, but also just trying to show all the angles. And then I finally, like, end the video. I post it, like, within 30 minutes. And then I get a call, like, in three hours. And this guy is like, hey, I want that car. I was like. I was like, okay, how do you want to buy? And he's like, I want to buy for this much money out the door. And I was like, dude, I can't do that price. He's like, why not? I was like, no, that's going to be like a hundred thousand dollars off because tax auto license, I can't make that deal work. I'm so sorry. He said, okay, what about. He raises the price 100 grand over my asking price. And I'm like, okay. And he says, but, Montana? I'm like, okay. So you went. You raised yourself 100 grand to cover for what I thought was going to be the taxes, but in the city of or the state of Montana where he was registering and I guess where he lives, he's not going to have to pay tax on that car. So he raised himself 100g. So I'm like, oh, crap. Like, boss is going to be excited about this. But then I'm like, wait, is this real? So I'm like, okay, well, who are you? And he's like, man, I've been following your social media for X amount of time, and I have this car, this car, this car. I'm like, okay, this guy sounds pretty legit. So I'm like, normally I don't just take cars off the market unless I have a massive deposit or this or that. And there was already kind of closing time, so there's nothing really I could do. And he said, do not sell that car. I want the car. He said, on Monday, let's do the deal. So this was Saturday. And I'm like, let me call the boss, see if I can essentially take it off the market till Monday. And I call the boss. He's like, dude, he's like, we can't pull that car off unless this guy is super serious. What if someone else calls and they want to buy the car? I'm like, you're right. So the guy said, just get an agreement, see if he can sign some type of docusign. And I think I ended up sending him some offer and this and that. And then that night ends. So then Sunday morning, I'm calling the guy and he's like, oh, wait, wait. Back to. I didn't even tell you about the other deal. So I had a second guy call in same night, and he's like, dude, I want the car. Another follower on my Instagram. And I'm like, dude, man, the car is kind of sold. He's like, what the heck? Why didn't you call me? I told you, I like cars like that. I only buy stuff like that. And I'm like, dude, I'm like, crap. Because I kind of knew who this guy was, but I didn't know the first guy who called in the other guy. I know, he is totally about it. He's got every supercar in the book. He could pay cash for the car, make it work. And I'm like, crap. I'm like, dude, I feel so bad because I should have called this guy first, number one, right away. But I accepted this other guy's deal. I said, hold the phone. I said, let me talk to the first guy, and see how serious he is. So the guy's like, please, please get me that car. The second guy. And then he's a big guy out of California. He's a lawyer. And so the first guy. Now I'm trying to, like, figure out, is this real? Because I don't want to screw this other guy off. And then he's like, you know what? Screw you. You should have sold me the car. I'm gonna go try to find another one, because I'm like, dude, we have $3 million almost on the line here, so I've got to make a really important decision right now. So I called the. The first guy back. He wasn't answering. Wasn't answering. I was answering all night on Saturday. And then Sunday rolls around. He calls me. He's like, dude. He's like, what would you do if somebody offered you that same centenario but not for almost 3 million? This one's gonna be 2 million. And it's a coupe. It's not a roadster. It doesn't have a top or it has a top, and it's full black, full carbon, whatever. And I'm like, what? I was like, what are you talking about? He's like, so and so found out that I was about to buy your car. And then they called their buddy, who's also selling a car, and his is, like, way lower than yours almost. It's about $2 million. And I was like, you know what? I'm thinking about my second customer. In my head, I'm like, you know what? Sounds like you're not fully sold here. So I was like, here's what I would do. I said, just go think about it. You don't have to commit to my car right now. Just take some time and just figure out what you want to do. Because I said, that other car sounds like a really great deal. I said, man, if I were you, I might buy that other car, because I'm trying to push him off of my car to get the other guy on the car. And he's like, you know what? I appreciate that. I respect that. I might just buy the other car. So I get excited, and I start calling the other guy after I just told this guy, hey, dude, off the car. Go. And I start trying to call my other guy, and he's not answering. And he's not answering all of Sunday. I'm like, dude. I was like, did I just blow it? Did I just blow a $3 million deal telling a buyer who I had in my hand? He was Like, I'll buy your car if he told me to buy it, or I'll buy this other one. So I kind of shoot him off. Hey, buy the other one, because I want to sell the car to this guy from California who I knew. And he just wasn't answering. Wasn't answering. So then my GMs like, hey, dude, what's going on with the first guy? Dude, he's gone. He's like, what do you mean he's gone? I'm like, dude, I couldn't even tell him the whole story, but I was like, he's out. He's like, what happened? He said, another way lower expense, like, car, about a million dollars, almost less than ours popped in. And he had the option to buy this or buy that, and he was really leaning towards that. So I said, hey, dude, take your time. Just do your thing. But I said, hey, don't worry. I got a backup guy. He's over here. And he's like, what's he doing? I was like, oh, he's not answering right now. He's like, well, crap. How do you know you have a deal? So I'm like, I'm stressed out here. I'm like, dude, you're right. So then finally, the guy calls me Monday morning, and he's like, sorry, I was in this state doing this. I was in Vegas, whatever, having fun. I left my phone back. I didn't want to have it on me and lose it. So he was like. I was like, you still want the car? He's like, dude, I want the car. He's like, I'm serious. And I'm like, oh, cool, this is legit. So then he's like, I'll wire you, like, half a million now, and then the other money, I'll wire it later. And then we start kind of going down this path of buying the car. But then the money situation turns into, like, a couple weeks of, like, moving money around. And then we're like, crap. He was like, dude, it's going to take a little bit longer because that is a lot of money. I've got to sell this or sell this, remove that from this bank account. And he's like, should I finance it? Should I lease it? And I'm like, dude, I thought we were paying cash. And he's like, man, I might want to lease it. I might want to pay cash. So we ended up going down all these different avenues. He ultimately bought the car, but he had to move a lot of money around over, like, a period of whatever, a couple of Weeks and ended up buying the car at the price, solidified the deal. But, man, I almost lost that deal. And it was like the scariest moment of my life because we had already bought the car off of the owner who was consigning it with us. So now the car was like one of the most expensive cars in the country at the time that we didn't own. The other guy, the guy who brought the car to us, was consigning it with us until I told my GM like, hey, dude, I got a buyer. He's about to wire half a million dollars. We're good to go. And then the original guy who was selling the car to us did indeed sell us the car. We paid him out. So now he's off the chain, he's running on the wind. I mean, he just made a lot of money on that car. And now we're stuck with the car and we're trying to get this deal done and bought. But as the money is getting moved around, we are playing floor plan interest on this car every single day because that's how dealerships work. And every day like they're asking us, hey, what's going on? What's going on? What's going on? I'm like, oh, dude, we're moving money around this and that. So it kind of, as he was moving money around the dealership and the ownership of our store was kind of panicking because they're like, dude, what if this guy just walks away from this deal because someone else offers him a car? And then now we're stuck with this car that we don't know if we're going to be able to sell this thing. So I'm like, dude, you're right. So now I'm calling the guy every day and obviously he's so busy because he's, he's a big time guy and sometimes he couldn't even answer the phone because he is in, he's in the courtroom battling cases. And I would be like, my owner or whatever would call and be like, hey, what's going on? Like, dude, he's not answering. What do you mean he's not answering? Dude, he's not answering. I'm thinking maybe he's walking away from the deal, but truth is, he was just busy working because that's what he's doing. So that's probably one of the craziest stories in the car business that I've ever dealt with is just getting that deal over the hump, which, I mean, the car essentially sold in the first Day, two days. But it took time to get like the final like cashed in, signed all the docs, done. And that was like a very stressful part, but probably one of the coolest cells ever because the guy is super cool, the car was super cool, and I'll remember that story for the rest of my life.
[83:47]
B
That's so good, dude. That's awesome. I love that.
[83:50]
A
It was a freaky story, man.
[83:52]
B
No, it's, it's when you're like trying to sell, sell anything. It's my wife and I like, dude, if we sell a 50 thing or 50, $50,000 thing, we still like do a little like family happy dance, you know, like we're making sales, you know, like we're, we're excited. And so I, I, I can't say I've had, you know, $6 million worth of commitments on the other end of the phone, but that's, that's a pretty, that's a pretty wild story.
[84:17]
A
It was keeping me up and I did. I have gray hair in my beard now, I think from that one cell. And it was just like every day I'm like, crap. Cause you, in sales, you always think it's not a deal until like in my situation, I see tail lights either on a truck or leaving with a person 100%. Since it wasn't fully solidified, I couldn't sleep because now everyone's like, high five me. Congrats, dude, on selling the car. Congrats. And like in my head I'm smiling, but internally I'm like losing my like, dude, it's not done yet. I'm like, crap.
[84:47]
B
No, I, I, I, I, we said the same thing. Sometimes in sales they say like when you, when you make a sale and you're leaving like the client, you have to like do like two turns, you know, two turns out the drive and then you get the high five and like, dude, we got it, we crushed it. But like, until then, dude, it's Cool Hand Luke. You know, like, you can't, you can't play like, you know, all excited, you know, like, oh, this happens every day, you know, so, so I know that exact feeling that you're talking about. You're like, let's not count our chickens before they hatch.
[85:17]
A
Yeah. Because in cells and number of situations we, Especially when I'm younger and more novice than my sales journey, I had counted my chickens before they hatch. Like you think someone's buying a car on Saturday and then come Monday so and so happened at the house and they can't buy the 200, $300,000 Porsche anymore or the Lamborghini off of one weekend of just a conversation with the wife or whatever. After they committed, they signed paperwork. They said, hey, I'm going to wire all the money on Monday. And then Monday comes around after you just went and partied all weekend, spent all the money before you even got paid. And they're like, dude, hey, so, you know, the deal over the week, man, I don't think I'm going to be able to do it. We. I forgot. We're. We're building a house right now. And so, and so said we can't technically finance or spend any cash right now until this is done. And I'm like, well, like, we have a couple days or a couple weeks. Ah, now we're like four months out. I'm like, oh, dude.
[86:19]
B
Oh.
[86:20]
A
At that point, I'm not going to be an a hole. And like, say, dude, you got to buy this car. I'm like, you got to respect them and say, you know what, I get it. I say, I really, I appreciate you spending the time trying to make that commitment with me, but obviously I don't want you to lose that deal with the house, so just move forward with it. But internally, I'm like, oh, they always come around. They come back. As long as you're, like, gentle on the way out. Because sometimes, you know, like, there's no way this is going to go through. So there's no amount of pressure that's going to make the deal done or happen. So you just be gentle with them because if you're easy enough on them, they will come back. And they always do it. Just sometimes it takes a few months.
[86:58]
B
Especially at that level, you know, when you're moving big ticket items like that, I would imagine you have to be like you said, so salvage that relationship and, you know, think long term. Right? But my, my way, the not. Not my proudest moment. But along the way, man, when I would lose a sale or, or miss mess up on something, bad day, bad day to be drywall around me, you know, Like, I would just punch a hole in the wall. And my wife, she's like, what's up, dude? I'm like, this is bull crap, you know? And as we started, like, moving into nicer apartments and then built our nicer home, I'm like, yeah, I can't. I can't punch the walls here. Like, that would not work out very well. You know, like, these walls would cost me thousands of dollars to fix. Back in our halfway housing, you know, we were just bondo stuck on that called, you know, but, but I'm like, what do you mean you went with somebody else? Or what do you mean you found a, a guy that does it a little bit cheaper, you know, in our background. So folks, if, if, if you've lost a sale, Alex has lost a sale, I've lost the sale. We've all been there. It's fun hearing these stories because there's so many parallel paths.
[88:09]
C
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[88:57]
A
The first few times I would, it would just take over me. I would ruin my whole weekend or my whole week and your next cell or your next cell or whatever after that. It will be affected if you're showing any type of emotion because sometimes you lose a cell in the morning and you've got two or three potential cells the rest of the day. But if you're like, if it's riding on you and it's sitting on your face and people can feel it, then it's gonna affect your next cells going forward. So I learned like, dude, try to internalize it, hold it in as much as you can. Which probably isn't the best thing because it could cause a lot of stress. But at the end of the day, I would just try to be like, you know what? I'm still alive, I'm still healthy, I still got money coming in, there's going to be more money coming in. And I would try to look at the bigger picture. I'm mostly a positive guy, so I probably can't name one day where I really lost my mind. I would just be more depressed and mad at myself, but I would always try to be positive about it because at the end of the day, I still think that there's a God up there watching me and kind of watching how I'm reacting to this. So I'm like, you know what? I'm going to Just try to smile about it, laugh about it, move forward as best as I can so that it doesn't affect my next sales going forward. And sometimes I had this one deal where this lady came in and she didn't look like she was like the richest person in the city, obviously, she looked like a normal country lady. Came in with this kid and they were just all hopped up, real excited, hey, what's going on? She had two kids with her and she was like, I just came into a lot of money and I just want to buy some Lamborghinis. And I was like, okay, cool, cool, cool. What are you thinking? I was like, here's, here's this, here's this, here's this. Oh, man, I love that car right there. What is that red one? I'm like, oh, this is this car? And she was like, man, I love that car. Her boy was probably 15 or 16 or 17 years old. She's like, do you like that one? He's like, I like that one, Mom. She's like, can you sit in it? And I was like, yeah, yeah, let me go get the key. So I go open the car, she sits in it, turn it on. And he's revving it. 16 year old kid revving a Lambo in the showroom. And everyone's looking at me like, what's this guy doing? And these people, obviously, they don't look super rich. They're like, dude, what are you doing, like, with this kid in the car? And she's like, we'll take it. And I was like, okay. I was like, all right, all right. She's like, what about for me? Because I want a car. And then she was like, what about that car? The purple one over there? I was like, that's a Revelto. That's an incredible car. Thousand horsepower, zero to 60 in this. She's like, how much is it? I was like, that car is like 715,000. She's like, oh, that's not bad at all. I thought it was a million dollars. And I was like, no, no, it's not a million. It's only 700. Can I sit in that one? I was like, yeah. So I'm all jazzed up. Go grab the keys, turn on the car. And she was just like revving the engine. Oh, I love this car. Take a picture of me. And I do a video. And she's like, I'm definitely buying this one. So I'm like, all right, Cha ching, two cells. And then she was like, what about you? And then she had another boy with him. And she was like, you know what? She's like, what do you want? He's like, I don't know. I really like this car over here. And it was like an Aventador, a yellow one. She's like, well, how much is that car as? That one's like 500,000. She's like, that's not a million. I'm like, no, no, no. This was only 500 grand. She's like, man, I really like that one, too. Can we turn that one on? And we turned it on. Revving the car also. And now the GMs, like, stepping out, like, dude, why are you turning on all these cars for these people? And they're all revving the hell out of them like they've never revved a car before. And they're. I'm like, dude, I got a sell over here, a big one. I'm like, dude, don't worry. Just go back in your office. I got this. I'm going to sell all these cars, like the whole showroom. So she's like, okay, we're taking the yellow one, too. She's like, you know what? We need a family suv, because I got a mom, and she's kind of sick, and I got to take her to and from hospitals and this and that. So I'm like, you know what? This urus is perfect. And she sits in it, and I show her a couple. She's like, you have any other colors? Showed her some other colors. She's like, you know what? I think we're going to take this red one right here. I was like, oh, perfect. So I'm like, all right, I've got, like, four cells down. So we go walking around the back to the next showroom. She sees another one. She's like, oh, man, I really like that one. I kind of want to just have an extra car in case a family member comes by and they want to drive one with us and we can all go on a rally. I was like, man, that's a great idea. She's like, how about you do this? She said, draw the paperwork for all five of them and give me wiring instructions right now and make me a deal on each and individual one of them. So I go into my office for about 30 minutes, and I'm crossing, cranking all this out. I'm. I'm on a super high right now and getting them all ready. I'm penciling them all up, and I get them all ready. I pull them in the office. I'm like, okay. Here's this car price. Here's this car price. Is this car price. And she's like, okay, perfect. What's my total out the door that I can just wire you cash. I was like, okay, it's going to be this number right here. Just wire it right here. And I was already closing time, so the banks had already closed. She's like on the phone, and the banker's not answered. My banker's not answering. My banker's not answering. She's like, okay. She's like, give me till Monday and I'm going to figure this out because I want all five. She's like, can you get them all tinted too before Monday? And I'm like, you know what? I'll start working on the tinting. I'll start scheduling it. She's like, I don't want any of them driven. I want them trailered to the tent shop and to my house. I was like, where do you live? She gave me the address. And I was like, okay, let's rock and roll Monday. And all weekend, I'm celebrating. I'm like high fiving, having fun. Biggest sales record in my life in one day, just over a weekend. And I'm just like, man, I just sold millions of dollars worth of cars. I should make X amount. So in my head, I'm kind of counting my chickens. Monday rolls around, she's not answering, not answering, not answering, not answering. Tuesday rolls around, not answering, not answering, not answering. Dude, what's going on? I'm really like, I called the tent guy. He's expecting five cars on a truck, and I'm not going to take them until I have, like, some kind of phone call. Wednesday rolls around, no answers all day long. And my jam's like, dude, I don't think that's a real sell. I'm like, dude, no, no, it's legit. She just want a lot of money. And in my head, I don't want it to be fake. So I'm like. She calls me Thursday. She's like, dude, I'm so sorry. Something happened with mom. We've been in the hospital. Also, my banker said it's tough to move that much money around. She's like, just give me another couple of days. I'm trying to pull it out of our trust. And I'm like, okay, good. Cell's still on. So we keep waiting. Friday comes around, no answer. No answer on Saturday. Monday rolls around again. I call her, call her, call her. No answer till about midday. She calls me back. Hey, Alex. So sorry. Been Busy with mom, this and that. She's kind of in the hospital again. But the banker's telling me that he doesn't really want me to spend all this money on five cars. And I was like, well, okay, well, what can he buy? 4, 3? She's like, man, I don't know. She's like, give me a little time because this is my money and I do what I want with my money. So I was like, she's like, I'm going to buy five cars. You know what? Screw him. This is not his money. It's mine. So now I'm back on my high. I'm like, okay, good. She's. She's in it. So then Monday rolls around, no answer. She doesn't answer for a whole week straight again. And I never hear from her again. No, dude, never heard from her again. Six months go by, her and her son and a friend of hers and another son, they roll into the dealership and I see him and I'm like, I'm dealing with another car. Like, dude, where y' all been? I was like, she's like, y' all have all my five cars. And I'm like, dude, I sold all of them. And she's like, well, what do you got right now? She's like, we're ready to buy this weekend. And I'm like, ah. I was like, am I gonna do this again? Yeah. So I'm like. I was like, you know what? I was like, what do you want? She's like, I want that Bentley in this car and this car. And oh, that car looks just like the purple. She's like, get me sales or work orders. I'm do it this time. I have control on my money. I'm going to make it happen. So again, being the dumb guy that I am, I go and write up five car sales and give her the papers. She's with some friend. And she's like, I'm going to buy my friend a car too. She's like, which one do you want? And so here comes the six car work. Six work orders again. And my gym's like, dude, are we doing this again? And she's like, I want to put those all on hold. She's like, put hold signs. Put sold signs on them. So I'm like, okay, so I just go put sold signs on all the cars, and there's other customers in the showroom. Like, they were like, well, I was looking at that car and I'm like, I'm sorry, she's buying it and then she leaves and as soon as she leaves, I just go take all the sold signs off because I'm like, dude, this is not real. The customers are like, what was that? I was like, she does this. I don't know if she's showing off or trying to, whatever, But I was like, it's not real. And never heard from her again. Still to this day.
[97:43]
B
That's the stuff that would drive me. Ludicrous, brother. Like, that would drive me like, we're doing quotes with our sites, and, you know, I'm like, I just send the quote. I don't even care. Like, we, like. Like, just give them the, you know what number. And sometimes you get it, sometimes you don't. You know, some people just like messing with us in sales, you know, and they're just like. They know that we're hungry for it and we're aggressive. And some of us, like you said, we're maybe still dumb, you know, Myself, you know, along the way, I'm like, yeah, no, it's a shoe in, dude. And a friend who appears like, oh, that one's not gonna buy. But I'm just. I'm green, you know, I'm still a sucker, you know, for a sale, so I'll make the effort.
[98:23]
A
You know, the funny thing is, I'd say at least once a month, somebody comes in and does that. They'll. They'll come in, they'll look at a car, we'll drive it, we'll negotiate on price, and they'll say, you know, I'm ready to go. I'm going to wire all the money on Monday. It always happens on a Saturday, and they're with their girlfriend or whatever it is. And then Monday rolls around, no answer all week, no answer, no answer, no. Never hear from them again. And I was just like, why do people do that? Like, they come in, they waste your time, they get you all jazzed up. I'm paying full cash. They negotiate with you. You spend like a couple hours with them.
[98:57]
B
Oh, sure.
[98:58]
A
Never hear from them again. I just started to kind of. I just said, you know what? It's. Maybe it's good practice for me. So I just laugh about it. I don't take every deal serious until those lights are on the road. So, yeah, in the past, when I was younger, I would get all jazzed up, like, oh, I got another cell. I got another cell. And I would count it. But I'm like, you know what? I don't count it until I'm paid. And I don't try to get emotional about it until I'm paid. Once I'm paid, I'll high five everybody. I'm like, ah, cool. And then I just keep moving to the next cell. But it's pretty funny how people do that in this business, especially on this level of car. They come in and they, they essentially talk you up. Like they're this big person and, and they're just the, the fakest thing in the world. It's not even a real deal.
[99:43]
B
That's crazy. I'm sure I was going to ask about that. I'm sure you get some, some of the craziest, you know, like folks, backgrounds. Like, you know, one guy you wouldn't know, he's a billionaire, and the next guy looks like or tells you, you know, how, how awesome he is. And he's worth about $80, you know.
[99:58]
A
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's. It's normally the people who are telling you how awesome they are, the ones that like, don't end up ever doing business. It's the guys who don't ever say anything about, like, their personal stuff. You just can kind of feel the vibe where they're the ones who pay cash. They wire the money because there are some deals that get agreed on Saturday and then they wire money on Monday. It still happens all the time. But then there's like the fake ones out there that they, they tell you, they build this whole story about them. And I'm like, you know what? You're building too much of a story. So I can kind of suspect it now. I did. You've already sold me way too much on who you are and why you're going to buy that. I don't really feel like this is real anymore. I don't change my approach. I'm not rude to him. I still continue on with 10 out of 10 service.
[100:42]
B
Sure.
[100:43]
A
But I don't get as emotional about it. I don't count the cell in my head. I just say, you know, we're just here practicing. We're having fun. Maybe they're a mystery shopper, but I look at it like that.
[100:53]
B
Yeah. And that's the approach you got to have. You got to. Even if you, like you said, you mail it in because you just didn't make that sale that, that morning. You can't go into your next sales appointment saying it's not like you're going to buy either anyway, you know, like, that's, that's a horrible approach, you know? So, yeah, you got, you gotta. It's. It's easier to say, tougher to do Right. For, for all of us. No, no, no. Different. Especially if you have a, you know, a rougher customer situation or somebody's mad or upset or you got to fix something. Like that's real. So we've all, we've all experienced that. So this is, this is a good brother. Do you, by the way, like, last question I have for you amongst 100 I could ask you, but do you, do you have a dream car that you're looking for? Like how, like, you know, to go full circle on this whole conversation. You're selling them all day, but you want.
[101:46]
A
The cool thing about working in Lamborghini is they always let you have these, these cars to drive and these demos. So I've been able to, in my situation, drive every car I've ever dreamed of. And it's pretty cool being able to do that and not have to pay for it like up front. So I'll tell you the reality of the situation is I'm not as hungry to get that car as I once was because I've experienced all of them over and over again, night after night, weekend after weekend. And for me, it's sad in a way that I don't have like that same desire that I did when I was like, not selling these cars. Because when you're not selling them, all you can think about is the car. And then you finally get the car, you drive the car, you be around the car, your wife gets in the car, you'll go to dinner, do this and that, and it just, it starts to become such a normal thing for you that I kind of lost that drive to go and get like that super crazy dream car because I'm just in them every single day. Like on the weekends. People are like, hey, let's go this car show or this car show. I'm like, dude, I just kind of want to go hang out and chill with my wife and my dog and not do anything. And they're like, oh, you don't want to go look at cars? I'm like, man, I'm looking at cars all week and I'm selling them and I'm in them and like, this is my whole life. So it becomes like one of those things where I guess you're around it so much that it's just not as desirable. Like, man, I used to have these. This was probably before I ever even sold these high end cars. And I was probably selling Hondas. I would have these. Have you ever heard of a lucid dream? I would have, I would have these lucid dreams. Because I was desired to drive these cars so much or I would be in the dream and I'd control it. And every time I was in control of the dream, the first thing I'm doing is I'm like going over to the Lambo store and I would walk into this dealership in the dream and there was no one in there. And I would go and grab keys off the wall and go start like the events door and then I would just drive it right out of the parking lot and I would just go drive the car in the dream forever. And that would, that was, that dream happened over and over and over almost every single night. I was having these lucid dreams of driving these Lamborghinis. And then a few years later, now I'm like in them and I'm driving them and I'm having fun. And it's like, it's kind of a full circle thing for me where I used to dream about driving them and now I am driving them every day. And my, my dreams essentially have come true in a way that I don't even have to own the car because I like, I get to pick any car I want and I'll be like, I'll drive the Revelto one day or the Tamara or the Huracan or the Aventador or the svj. And it's just such a normal thing for me. I think I'll still end up buying like my ultimate dream car is probably still going to be maybe like an Aventador Roadster. It's such a hardcore car. It's not as refined as like the new Revoltos. I think my ultimate dream car will be a Revolto, but man, that's like 800,000 bucks. So that I'm definitely, well, far from that right now. Way far out. I think the Aventador is a little bit closer. It's probably in like the 400k range for the one I want. So that, that would probably be. If I'm going to get my dream car, it's going to be that car because it's just the car I've always dreamed about. So I think at the end of the day it's going to be an Aventador Roadster. Maybe an S. If I can get an S, that'd be.
[105:16]
B
I love it. I had to ask because, you know, it's funny you say that that's a whole nother probably podcast for a whole other time, but I've asked a couple of my friends of mine that are exceedingly wealthy. I've just Able to befriend the last couple of years. And, you know, it's funny, like, the. The whole goal, your whole life is to, like, get the stuff. And then eventually, once you can get the stuff, or even when you get the stuff, like, nobody cares about the stuff.
[105:41]
A
Yeah.
[105:42]
B
And then you realize, like you said earlier and at the top of the hour, like, the. The pursuit of that goal and, like, who you were becoming along the way and the people you were helping is, like, that much more rewarding than the stupid stuff or the car.
[105:58]
A
True.
[105:59]
B
And. And. And it's funny. I've, like, experienced that a little bit on a smaller level. Like, I have a couple of watches that I procured along the way. I definitely had a materialistic phase of my life a couple years ago and spent some money. Rightfully so.
[106:14]
A
Yeah.
[106:15]
B
And I'll tell you what, like, dude, a couple years later, like, I don't even. I don't even wear them. I haven't worn some of them in years, which sounds absurd. Absurd to, you know, me of 10 or 20 years ago, which. That's all I thought. And in fact, I remember, like, being able to afford a certain watch, same one that you have on. And I told my wife, I'm like, I don't even want it anymore. She goes, we're in Chicago at the store, at the boutique. And she goes, that's. She's like, you, like, younger. You, like, like, sold out to get this thing. Like, you owe it to a younger you to. To get. To get that thing. Like, don't. Like, that's what you. That's why you work so hard.
[106:54]
A
Yeah.
[106:55]
B
And I was like. I was like, you're right. Like I said. But I'd rather, you know, she's like, just buy it. She was like, you've done it. You deserve it. Like, this is what you've been working hard for. And so I did, ironically enough, like, reluctantly, if that makes any sense.
[107:10]
A
Yeah. Makes so much sense.
[107:12]
B
Yeah. And it's like, the same thing. Like, I've asked some of my friends. I'm like, what about this car? What about that car? What about the jet? Like, nah. And I'm like, what do you mean, math? You know, I'm like, that's the goal. And they're like, nah. And in a weird way, I can relate. In a weird way, I'm still. All right, well, I'm still here for the car, you know, so. So I don't know. It's a fun, weird dynamic with all that, man.
[107:37]
A
It is, man. And I don't want to, like, boo everybody's dreams like that with my own story, because I'm just in a situation. I'm lucky enough to, like, drive these dream cars every single day, and it's just become so normal for me that they're like, dude, what are you putting away for right now? What's your next big car? And I'm like, dude, I get to drive these dream cars every day, and I'm not, like, completely seeking them out like I was anymore. When you're. When you're on the journey to that stupid, crazy car, that goal, you start changing as a person little by little along the way. And then your perspective changes and different things become important to you more. So, like now your wife and your kids are probably the most important thing ever in your life, more than you ever would have dreamed of. Twenty years ago, you would have never thought, like, you cared more for these people than, like, that cool car. But now, like, the only thing you can think about is you want to take care of your wife and your kids and put an incredible house over their head and build an amazing business. And little by little, little by little, as we get older, I think we start to realize how important relationships and people are. And that's why the older you get, the more respectful you become to others, because you just realize that we're all human beings here and we're all emotionally charged, and the more people you help, the more gratifying it is, and you start to realize, you know what? Like, maybe this is just all about the people. And that's when you really make the big switch in your business. When a business goes from good to great is when it switches from just taking care of business to taking care of people. And I think us as humans will only get better at that. If we go into business for ourselves and we start helping other people, it really becomes who you are. And, like, at the end of the day, when you're sitting there on your deathbed, the last thing you're going to want is, like, all your possessions in the room. The only thing that's going to matter is the people who care and the people who you love. And that's just. That's what it's all about, man. At the end of the day, I know there's a lot of people who are probably going to watch this video who do have the hopes and dreams and aspirations of having the house and the car and all these things, but I'll tell you, one day, you're going to come to the realization that the most Important thing in your life are your relationships.
[109:56]
B
Yeah, yeah. No, dude, I couldn't, I couldn't say it any better. And what a, what a powerful way to end a fun conversation and show like this. I'm with you 100. And I, and I. And I've realized that along the way and I, and I'm still realizing that every single day, you know, and that's the fun part about maturing through this whole process of, as I've come to find it, you know, through entrepreneurship, but for a lot of us along the way, just growing up in life, as I call it. So that's awesome.
[110:24]
A
But you know what? At the same time, I don't want to poo poo any dreams because I'll tell you this, we only really have one life to live and that's it. The days are going by faster and faster as you get older. So if you haven't gotten that dream car yet or you haven't gotten that dream house or that dream watch, I would say go get it. And go get it as soon as you can. Because the sooner you'll get it, the happier you'll be at the time. And then you'll realize right away, like, man, I hit this goal and you're always looking for the next best thing. So I would still say hit those goals, get those products, enjoy yourself. Because one day you are going to be in an age where the money is not coming in like it used to and you're going to be just too old to sit into that low car. So I'd say if you have the money and the resources and the time to do it, do it. Because one day we're going to move on to this next life and we're going to wish we did more stuff. You're going to wish you went on more vacations. You're going to, you're going to wish you bought more supercars. So, like, there's this nice balance where you talk to me. And I'm always going to try to hit the core of like, why are you doing this? It's because that one time you did have that dream of owning that supercar. So I'd say if you don't have the ability to drive supercars every single day like me, then you got to go get one. Because the second you go get one, it's going to change your whole perspective. Because now every day that you get up that supercars in the garage and you can go drive it anytime you want, and when you do drive it, it makes you feel good. And you go to those cars and coffee and you feel good and you talk to people, and it opens up relationships and it opens up doors to places you'd never even dream of by getting that supercar. So if you can work into getting that car, it's going to take time, it's going to take resources. You're going to have to work your off to get it. And in doing that, in chasing that goal, you're going to get so much more in wealth and relationships and connections and all this stuff, because you had that one goal in mind. So I would say don't take your eye off the ball. If you want that supercar or that dream car, go get it. Make it happen. Because you never know how many days you got left. What if I told you right now you only had three summers left? You know, your whole life would change if you figured out, you know, what. What if you only had three summers and three Christmases left and three spring breaks left? Or what if you only had 10 summers left? Wouldn't every summer be way more important than it is now? Because a lot of us, we're living every day in our lives and life happens. So we envision ourselves getting into our 80s and our 90s, or maybe some of us lucky to be 100, but we don't really know if those years are going to come. So I think we've got to take every day and enjoy it as much as we can and enjoy the people around us, but at the same time, be a little risky. Go out and buy that crazy car as soon as you can, because the longer we wait and the more you push off your dream, the less fun it's going to be when you finally get there. Because I've got guys who are 70, 80 years old who do come and finally buy that Lamborghini, and they sit in the car and they cry because they feel like they should have did this 20 or 30 years ago. And now life is around the corner, it's about to end soon. And they're just sitting there crying, and they're with their wife and they're all crying because they're like, dude, we had the money to do this years ago, but life got so busy and I pushed off my goals and my dreams to the very end. And now I only have a few years left to enjoy it. Or they have cancer now and they're literally six months away from death and they're finally buying their car and they're like, dude, say if you can tell any young person to get their car when they're younger, do it, because they say, if I can go back, some of the people I've talked to said they would give everything that they have up to be 30 years again, 40 years old again, 50 years old again. Some of these guys who are 70 years old would give everything just to get 10 years back. So time is so precious and it's so valuable. That's the biggest thing I've learned from all my customers is time is such a valuable commodity that you don't want to disrespect it and you want to enjoy it every single day. So just be advantageous. Get crazy. Go get that supercar. Go get the dream house. And sometimes you're going to fall on your face. But that's just life, man. That's the way that this whole thing works. As we get older, we're going to experience stuff and we. We're going to learn from our experience, we're going to learn from our failures, and you're only going to get better. And then one day you're going to write a book about it. Because the guy who writes a book when he's 70 or 80 years old, he has so much life experience that you can read about in a week. And somebody's going to read your book one day, and it's going to take him one week to read it. But there's so much information in those books. So that's why books are so powerful, because it took somebody a lifetime to get that knowledge and a lifetime of experience and that you can learn sometimes in one night if you read it fast enough.
[115:21]
B
So good, dude. So good. So on that note, here's my credit card. No, I'm just kidding. But. And it's going to happen sooner than later. And, you know, listen, every one of you guys listening in, the job's not done yet. I'm definitely going to make sure that dream and goal comes to be. I've told my guys, my guys know, I'm excited to get that and let them, you know, take it out and have some fun with it and share. Share that dream and that goal. And obviously, if I'm doing that, my guys are, you know, eating good, too, you know, at that point. And that's. That's the goal. Like, a rising tide raises all boats, you know. So, folks, I, I hope you enjoy the show that I, I, you know, honestly, I only really asked Alex for like a half an hour. I'm like, hey, I don't want to be a bother, you know, I know you're selling Centenarios, you know, for crazy commission. But I, you know, if you could take some time for little low loss on the podcast, we would appreciate it. And here we are probably almost two hours deep, which is absolutely crazy.
[116:18]
A
So, man, I really. I respect the time that you guys have given us and the time you've given me. I'm glad I finally got to do this because I get requests all the time to do stuff like this, and I'm always so busy in my life and I'm working and I'm moving and I'm hustling that I forget to slow down sometimes and just, like, recollect and talk about it and explain it and go over it, because this is so important, to be able to, like, capture this moment and look back in time. Because then 10 or 15 years from now, we're going to look back on this video or this podcast or whatever, and we're going to say, man, remember when we were at that point and we were dreaming about these cars and we're dreaming about one day, and then you're going to look back and you are going to have three Lamborghinis in the garage and your wife's going to have one, too, and you're like, dude, I wish I can go back and start all over from the time that I didn't have any of these cars. It's. You're gonna just wish so right now and the spot you're at and the journey to the top. Enjoy it, because you won't get this. This chance ever again.
[117:22]
B
Dude, I love it. I love it. So good. So good. I. In Funny Story, like, I know just pitching and catching with you here on the show today, you and I can go for another two hours. So it's for sure.
[117:33]
D
This is.
[117:34]
B
This is a good conversation, brother. Well, let me. Let me do this. I. I just want to sincerely say, like, dude, I feel like I made a new friend today. Like, this is awesome. I definitely have my guy, you know, quote unquote, like, I'm ready to rock and roll, so just give me a little bit of time. Got to get my ducks in a row, but you can count this one on the board in another, you know, year or two or whatever it's going to be. I got you.
[117:55]
A
But there's no. There's no rush to get the car. Yeah, you get it on your own time because everybody's on their own timeline.
[118:02]
B
Amen. Amen. Well, it's. It's. Look, if you guys have ever seen my Instagram stories where I pan my Dream board. To the, to the left of my desk, I've got the Temario, you know, in the, the red. I think everybody sent you photos of it, speced it out a little bit and, and I think that's just like every red blooded male out there who's not going on, you know, your Ford or Chevy, building out your dream truck. Know every night who's not going to Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche every night and building out those specs. Bleed my eyes out on estimates and quotes and invoices for the business and I'm like, dude, I gotta veg out for 20 minutes. Let's go, let's go build a Lamborghini tonight. Yeah, I, I've done that for 20 years and, and I'm sure as soon as I scoop up my dream car, whenever that might be, I'll b my eyes out like, like everybody else because it's just, it's such a fun, like you said, culmination of 20, 25 years, whatever it is for, for, for that story of, of just putting in the work, you know, so. It's good, man, it's good.
[119:02]
A
I agree, man. It, the longer it takes you to get there, the sweeter it's going to be because when you finally do hit that goal, man, you're going to be so overcome with emotions and you can't control it because it's just like some of these athletes, you see him finally win their first championship and are crying live on TV and they can't control it. Even if they try to be as manly as they can, they're just balling out because they know that all the blood, sweat and tears it took to get there, it all hits them at once. They're like, dude, this is what it was all about.
[119:30]
B
Amen. Amen. I love it. I love it. You're gonna be all fired up, dude. And it's getting late, so this is fun. Well, if, if folks want to follow along, if, if they need to place their orders out there. Just kidding, but sort of, where can people find you? I know you're all over social media, obviously, but what's your handle so people can give you a follow?
[119:50]
A
So just go on. All my social media handles are Lamborghini Alex. And you'll find me right there. Just type in Lamborghini Alex. It's Lamborghini underscore Alex. It should come up if you just type in Lamborghini Alex. But find me there. My cell phone if you want to reach out. It's 210-726-115, 3. And send me a text, call me, whatever I normally answer. Even if it's 2 or 3am, my customers know that as soon as you're in with me, I'm always going to be a servant for you. Especially while I'm here serving or selling cars. And even if you're just my friend, if you call me at 3am, my wife knows this, I will pick up and I will come pick you up from jail. I say it lightly, but it's true. I tell my customers, they don't realize this when they're buying the car, but at the very end, after they finally signed on the dotted line, I'm like, listen. I said, we're in relationship for life now. I said, whether you buy more cars for me, I don't care. I want to always be there for you. So if you're ever stuck on the side of the road and it's 3am or 4am you're coming home from a family trip, just call me. Because I want to, I want to make sure we get you taken care of. I've got the access and the resources to get you picked up. Or sometimes if you're close enough, I'll come pick you up myself. Because when you're getting into these relationships, they got to know that you're there for them. So I always want to be there for whoever it is who's got my phone number. So if you're just going through a tough time and you just need someone to call or someone to talk to, just call me. Even if you're never going to buy a car for me, I like to connect on a one to one, like a human level. And if I can be there for you, if you're in a bad spot or you just need some type of, some push or some type of motivation, just call me. I really just enjoy people first and foremost. I mean, I would do the job for free because I love cars, but I just love people more than anything.
[121:42]
B
That's awesome. Awesome. Thank you so much, brother. Super cool, very grateful and thankful and thanks for rounding us out on this thousandth episode show. I will probably do a sappy follow up for 1001 with my wife and talk about the journey a little bit along the way. You know, we've done a Monday, Wednesday, Friday show pretty much every week for, gosh, almost six years or whatever it is now. But I want to do something just wildly, totally different. And again, I love getting other great folks on the show with wild stories, crazy backgrounds and. But you know what? Like still Painting that dream, you know, that's. I'm a big. The dream's got to motivate you to get off of it and go on and get it. And I think you did a fantastic job. Way more than I even bargained for today. So great job today, Sharon, brother.
[122:30]
A
No, man. I appreciate the time, guys. And just keep dreaming. Never stop. Because I think the moment you stop dreaming, that's the moment you stop living. And that's when. When everything just goes south. So if you can keep that dream alive, if your dream is bigger than the obstacles in front of you, then nothing will get in front of you. The way I look at it is picture a path and then you picture like a little a brick wall. If that dream is this big and that brick wall is this big, you still have your eye on the dream. You'll just keep pushing right through it. So never stop dreaming. That if I can just convey one message to anybody, never stop dreaming. Chase the dream and get the dream and make it happen. Whatever it takes to get it done, just get it done.
[123:12]
B
Amen. Amen. Awesome. All right, gang, well, that's. We'll butt it up right here tonight. Appreciate all you guys listening in and thank you guys also so much for the support listening to a thousand shows on the Fullerton Unfiltered podcast. So thank you again, guys for all of your support along the way as well. And hopefully you enjoyed not only today's conversation, but the other 999 episodes that we've done today. So. All right, over now, gang. We appreciate you have a great night and look forward to catching up with all you guys here on the next one.
[123:43]
D
Thanks for taking the time to listen to the Fullerton Unfiltered Podcast with Bryan Fullerton. We hope you enjoyed this production. If so, please consider leaving us a five star review for the show. While the techniques and ideas presented here are designed to help you grow a more successful and profitable business, no one can guarantee these results for you. We want to emphasize that entrepreneurship is not easy and the ideas presented here are just the opinions of Brian Fullerton and his respective guests. No one can guarantee success for you. That being said, we hope the idea presented here help you and motivate you to go on out there and crush it with your own business.
[124:17]
C
Fullerton Unfiltered Podcast.
[124:19]
D
Thanks for listening and we hope to see you on the next episode.
[124:23]
C
This has been a Brian Fullerton and Mr. Producer Production.

Summary7 min read

Fullerton Unfiltered Podcast – Episode 1000 🎉 Special Guest: “Lamborghini Alex” (Alex Herrera)

Release Date: August 7, 2026
Host: Brian Fullerton
Guest: Alex Herrera (“Lamborghini Alex” of Lamborghini San Antonio)

Episode Overview

Episode 1000 of Fullerton Unfiltered celebrates a milestone with a special guest who embodies the intersection of ambition, sales mastery, and following big dreams: Alex Herrera, “Lamborghini Alex.” Known for his high-energy social media presence and hands-on approach to exotic car sales, Alex traces his own journey—from washing dishes and selling Hondas to spearheading Lamborghini sales—and reveals the universal sales principles applicable whether you’re selling supercars or six-figure landscaping projects.

The conversation balances lighthearted car talk with deep-dive, actionable sales wisdom. Listeners are invited to rethink their goals, their approach to customers, and what it really means to chase (and achieve) a dream.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Alex’s Origin Story: From Startups to Supercars

[02:20-07:52]

Alex did not set out to sell exotic cars; he “fell into” the auto industry by accident while pursuing a startup in Austin. Jobless, he ended up selling gold over the phone, then found his first car sales job via Craigslist for “$13,000 a month”—at a small, Spanish-speaking used lot.
Adaptability was key: “I don’t know any Spanish… they were like, ‘Here’s these leads, just call these leads.’”
His hustle soon got him promoted to Internet Manager.
He moved up to Honda, became a top performer, and was then recruited by Porsche, where he learned the difference between value-driven and emotion-driven sales.
“Finally, at the very end of it, I jumped over to the Lamborghini side, where they invited me over to open up the store, and that’s how I got to Lamborghini. Now it's just a combination of, I guess, right place, right time.” [07:52]

2. Sales Evolution: Matching Sales Styles to Sophisticated Clients

[09:56-15:49]

Selling Hondas is about meeting practical needs; selling luxury/exotics requires appealing to desire, status, and lifestyle.
“With Hondas, it’s value and safety. With Porsche, it’s about the emotional want—the experience. Luxury buyers want to feel heard, respected, and they value rapport.”
On digging deeper: “You start asking them, ‘What kind of got you into this idea [of a dream backyard, car] in the first place?’... Peel that onion back.”

Actionable insight:

Ask why the customer wants the thing—not just what they want.

3. Mistakes in Sales & How to Avoid Them

[17:23-20:44]

Biggest mistake: Not connecting emotionally or failing to listen.
“Some of these sales guys, they just talk and talk and talk their way out of a sale.”
Always involve everyone present in the process—sometimes the child is the decider (“the kid was dictating the entire car!” [18:45]).
Adjust your pace and energy to the customer: “Be a chameleon.”

Golden Quote:

“If you ... shut up and listen for a hot minute, that customer will tell you how to sell them." — Brian Fullerton [20:44]

4. Adapting to Modern Customers & Sales Channels

[27:53-31:11]

Internet access has flipped the sales game. Today, clients can buy from anywhere—expertise and relationship trumps location.
“With the whole power of the Internet coming into play, I think salespeople have really had to change their approach and go into more of the consulting approach.”
“In chasing that goal, you’re going to get so much more in wealth and relationships and connections and all this stuff, because you had that one goal in mind.” — Alex [110:24]

5. From ‘Imposter Syndrome’ to High-Ticket Confidence

[36:59-43:37]

Alex’s journey: humble beginnings (“My parents had me at 17... I was always at my grandparents’ house while they were working.”), jobs washing dishes and at the grocery store (HEB) and Nordstroms gave him people-reading skills.
“Get in front of 100 people a day... After a year, thousands and thousands of customers. You start to be a chameleon.”
For new salespeople, start with high-volume roles and get business knowledge via books, not just social media.
“You can’t expect to go in 1-on-1 and play basketball with Kobe Bryant unless you’ve been training and training and training.”

6. Sales Mastery: You Build It Over Decades

[44:17-52:03]

Both Alex and Brian agree: sales is a skill you hone for years, not something you skip steps to master overnight.
On “sales gurus”: “Some of these sales gurus are 21 years old… but you really want to get into the arena with someone who’s been in sales for 15, 20, 30 years.”
Volume and variety in early career is essential—sell a lot, to a lot of different people, to get good.

7. Car Dreams, Emotional Motives & What Luxury Means

[54:53-63:44]

The “car dream” represents much more than a vehicle—it’s earned confidence, proof of changing your own stars, and a symbol to inspire others.
“For me, the car represents somebody who changed their stars... I want to get the car so I can put a cool vanity plate on it. ... in a way that inspires the next generation.” — Brian [59:09]
Alex likens the pursuit to a child’s core desire: “The car is our Mount Everest... but in the journey to that goal, you build so much more.”

8. Wild Stories from the Showroom

[65:58-99:43]

Anecdotes range from customers arriving with suitcases of cash (“I got the money right here!”), to nerve-wracking multi-million-dollar deals (the Centenario Roadster), to being ghosted after “sells” of five or more cars—deals that never materialize.
Key lesson: Never count the sale until the money is in and taillights are gone.
“Sometimes you lose a sale in the morning and you’ve got two or three potential sales the rest of the day. But if ... people can feel it, then it’s gonna affect your next sales.” — Alex [88:57]

9. On Materialism, Maturity, and What Really Matters

[105:16-110:24]

Both reflect candidly: the pursuit of stuff fades, but the journey, relationships, and growth are the real treasures.
“At the end of the day, when you’re sitting there on your deathbed, the last thing you’re going to want is all your possessions ... what’s going to matter is the people... That’s when a business goes from good to great, when it switches from just taking care of business, to taking care of people.” — Alex [107:36]

10. Parting Wisdom: Dream Bold, Don’t Delay

[110:24-123:11]

“If you haven’t gotten that dream car yet... go get it. Because the sooner you get it, the happier you’ll be at the time, and then you’ll realize right away, like, man, I hit this goal.”
Don’t put off living your dream; time is precious: “What if I told you right now you only had three summers left?”
Never stop dreaming: “If your dream is bigger than the obstacles in front of you, then nothing will get in front of you.” — Alex [122:29]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

“No one gives a crap what you know until they know how much you care.” — Alex [24:58]
“Make a friend, then find the need. Most people do it backwards.” — Alex [31:11]
Brian on buying his dream car: “I want somebody to be my ‘guy’ that helps round that circle, that 20-year journey.” [54:54]
“Selling is just another four-letter word for help.” — Brian [26:58]

Notable Timestamps for Key Segments

[02:20] – Alex’s entry into car sales and adaptability lessons
[09:56] – Tailoring sales approach for luxury customers
[17:23] – The importance of listening and familial decision dynamics in high ticket sales
[27:53] – Consulting over pitching; Internet’s transformation of sales
[36:59] – Overcoming imposter syndrome; building rapport with the wealthy
[65:58, 83:47, 88:57, 97:43] – Showroom stories (suitcase of cash, nearly-lost $3M deal, serial tire-kickers)
[107:36] – Reflections on what success really means

Follow & Connect

Instagram & Social Media:
@lamborghini_alex (or search “Lamborghini Alex”)
Text/Call: 210-726-1153
“Even if you’re never going to buy a car from me, I like to connect on a one-to-one, human level.” — Alex [119:50]

Key Takeaways

Listen more than you talk; customers will always tell you how to sell them, if you’re patient enough.
Connect as a human first; whether you sell backyard patios or million-dollar Lamborghinis, the same principles apply.
Sales mastery is about repetitions, empathy, and always honing your product knowledge.
Never count the sale until the money is in and the taillights are going.
Don’t wait for your dreams—start climbing “your Everest” now, because time is the most valuable commodity you have.
Success is about helping others—and enjoying the journey as much as the reward at the end.

Closing Wisdom

“If I can just convey one message to anybody: never stop dreaming. Chase the dream and get the dream and make it happen. Whatever it takes to get it done, just get it done.”
— Alex Herrera (“Lamborghini Alex”) [122:29]

Listen to this episode to get inspired, sharpen your own sales approach, and remember to keep pushing toward your next summit—no matter what dream you’re chasing.

Loading summary

Transcript113 lines

[00:00]
A
Foreign. You're now listening to the Fullerton Unfiltered Podcast. Straightforward, no nonsense business advice.
[00:13]
B
Completely on unfiltered.
[00:16]
A
Grow your business, grow your life.
[00:18]
C
Now here's your host, Brian Fullerton.
[00:22]
B
All right, guys, super excited about today's podcast guest episode. This is actually episode 1000 on the Fullerton Unfiltered Podcast. Folks, we are really excited by having a thousand podcast, you know, episode deep show for you guys. And I've been sandbagging a little bit here. We have somebody who I think is really fun, really cool. I've been following him along on social media for several months now. And so I saved episode 1000 for a special guest interview. And. And if you guys don't know this guy, you got to give him a follow on social media. But without further ado, Alex Herrera. Good evening, brother. How are you doing today? It's awesome to have you on the show.
[01:01]
A
Thank you, man. I appreciate you having me for the 1000th show. I know we were talking about it and trying to make it happen, so I was like, man, I got to make this 1000th show. It's a huge deal, and it's an honor to be here and talking to you and in this position. I really never thought I would be in this situation that I'm in now. So I'm super excited about it.
[01:20]
B
Absolutely, brother. Absolutely. So if anybody doesn't know your background, this is. Folks, we're having some fun on today's episode. All right? It's not the usual business, Brian, where I probably just yell at you about growing your company. You know, that whole deal. We're gonna. We're gonna lighten it up a little bit. It's a celebration. So what better way to do it than. I'll let Alex give his background here in a quick second. But if you don't know, Alex sells Lamborghinis at Lamborghini San Antonio, if I'm not mistaken. And he's got a freaking awesome jamming Instagram page, Facebook page, and folks, I'm a sucker, okay? Like, I love. I love Lamborghinis. I've got the poster on the wall since I was probably 10 years old, like every other kid in America. And I told Alex there's two conversations I'm gonna have with him. The first one is to get him on my show to do a podcast like today. And the next time I call him, it's, dude, we're putting in the order. So again, without further ado, Alex, if you want to maybe fill into some of the holes of Your background, man, it's. It's fun to have you on the show. I'm really excited about this, man.
[02:21]
A
I'm excited, too. So a little bit of the background is I got into the car industry probably 12 years now. 12 years ago now, I fell into it completely on accident. So we originally moved out to Austin because me and some buddies were trying to run a startup, and we felt like Austin was the perfect place to run that startup. So we get to Austin and I'm like, oh, crap, I don't have a job. So I start looking for jobs, and I go and I look online, and I found this one job, which was like selling gold, essentially over the phone. I was like 20 something years old, and I was like, I could do this. They make 100 grand a year. I thought that was a ton of money. So I get there, and it's just like a massive room full of guys, and everyone's like, calling these leads and trying to sell gold. And I was like, man, this is so boring. I don't even get to meet people face to face. It's all over the phone. It's mostly old ladies and old guys who see the ad at the back of a magazine. So I was like, man, this doesn't really work. And the money was okay. And I started doing a little digging. I was on Craigslist, of all places, one night. That's just where you found jobs back then, especially with a degree. And I'm like, what the heck? I found a job on Craigslist, and there was this place, and it said, make $13,000 a month. So I said, I sent him a message. I was like, I want to make $13,000 a month. And I showed up the next day, interviewed. They hired me on the spot. But it turns out, like, it looked beautiful online. This dealership, oldest dealership in Texas called Sames, Red Barn Motors. And I get there, and it's a nice place. I don't want to down the place at all, but I get there, and it's just like your small, little used car lot. It was like a buy here, pay here store. And I thought, man, this is not really what I thought it was. But I just stuck it out anyway. I was like, wait, where's the guy making 13k a month? And it was this lady, and she speaks total Spanish. That's most of their customers. And I'm like, crap. I talked to all the other sales guys, and they're like, dude, you got to speak Spanish. You're not going to make it here. And I was like, dude, I don't know any Spanish. So they were like, here, here's these leads. Just calling these leads. So they give me this piece of paper. I start blowing up all these leads and just start getting tons of people to come through the door. And it became very successful. Within the first few days, I started selling a decent amount of cars. And they were like, after about a week, they're like, dude, you're setting like 150 appointments a month. We're going to make you the Internet manager, and you're going to do this for everybody. So I was like, oh, shoot. Okay. So they were like, we're sending you an Internet manager school. You're going next week. So I showed up. This was probably. This is in some random hotel. So I get there, meet a bunch of people there, and one of the guys there was from Honda, and we're sitting right next to each other. We were both the ones asking all the questions. He was a little bit older guy, this guy named Bill Ford. And he was like, dude, he's like, where do you work? And I was like, sam's Red Barn. He's like, you work at that dump and it's a cool place, man. And he's like, dude, come over here. Go to. Come work at Honda. These guys are. Some of the guys are making 16k a month. So I jumped over there. Literally, like, within a few weeks, they're like, we want to hire you now. So I started. Started selling Hondas, and I just started cranking them out, man. I sold Hondas for about three years, did very well. I was. I became like one of the top guys in that store, which is a store that sold 500 to 700 cars a month. And this place in Austin called First Texas Honda. So I was. I felt like I was an assassin at sales.
[05:42]
C
Sure.
[05:43]
A
I was selling anywhere from like 20 to 35 cars every month. And just in and out, they were having me train people, and at the very end, they started putting me on commercials, which I enjoyed. And then this guy from Porsche called, one of our top guys at our store, and he said, dude, who's your number one guy at the Honda store? And he threw my name in the bucket. And this guy, this gm, calls me from Porsche and he's like, hey, you want to come sell Porsches? I was like, man, no, not really, man. I'm killing it over here. I was like, I'm selling like 20, 30 cars a month. I was like, I'm probably making more than all your guys. He's like, dude, he's like, you probably are. But he said, I think you can make double here and sell less cars. He said, you can sell 10 cars and make that same amount of money you're making. I was like, what the heck? So I went and interviewed, jumped immediately. And I essentially made my entire Honda team pretty sad by jumping over because they were so used to me kind of leading the pack. But I made the switch, and when I got to that Porsche store, I found out quickly a lot of guys are selling like five, six, seven cars a month. There was one guy there selling like 12 cars a month, and sometimes he'd sell a little bit more. But my first month, I think I sold like, 14 cars, started selling less cars, which was kind of odd for me because every month I felt like I was failing. Because if you're used to selling 20 to 30 cars a month and now you're selling like 15, 17, 18 cars, you feel like, what am I doing wrong? And then the paycheck shows up. You're like, I'm not doing anything wrong. This is perfectly fine. So it was nice having those big paychecks show up. I really felt like unstoppable at that time. I was like, man, I can do anything because I'm making some crazy money now. And it was just awesome. And in doing that, you're meeting tons of different people. You switched the whole sells approach because the clientele is way different. So I learned a lot of that going into the Porsche world. And then finally, at the very end of it, I jumped over to the Lamborghini side, where they invited me over to open up the store, and that's how I got to Lamborghini. Now it's just a combination of, I guess, right place, right time.
[07:52]
B
That's awesome. That's a. That's a crazy story. I wanted to, one, one kind of pick your brain a little bit about, like, yes, the brand and cars and all that fun stuff. And I know, I'm sure you have nothing but crazy fun stories with. With everything that you guys are doing there at Lamborghini. But also maybe talk for a couple of minutes. You know, practical, you know, I. I'm just a nerd. Like, I can't do something without trying to make a point or get some business advice out of it. Right? One of those deals when I. When I was actually reaching out to you on Instagram, I had mentioned that a lot of the followers that follow my content, we do a lot of lawn care, landscaping, snow, etc. And I feel like our ICP ideal customer profile is who you are also selling to. And I thought maybe we could do like some fun sales tips and you know, like, what works these days, what doesn't work, you know, selling to this audience. Because I would imagine if you're trying to sell them a, you know, $300,000, half a million, million dollar car, some of the guys that are listening into our show are trying to sell those same guys a backyard landscaping patio for 100 grand, 300 grand at a pool, etc. Etc. So knowing that you, you know, are selling to that same icp, you know, maybe we can, we'll come back to the, you know, whole Lamborghini story. I don't want to fanboy out too much on all that, but yeah, ask.
[09:19]
A
I know this, this is more of a, like a sales approach and the organization is more geared on the sales world. So yeah, if we want to dive like, deeper into like the strategy and concepts and thoughts and ideas, I'm all for it.
[09:33]
B
Well, what. So, so tell me a little bit more about the evolution of you selling. Whether, you know, personally, professionally, what works, what doesn't, doesn't work. I'm sure it's been an evolution, I guess, you know, over maybe your last decade career going from selling Hondas and maybe what those folks value versus clientele, you know, with Porsche, Lamborghini, I'm sure that's probably significantly different, right?
[09:56]
A
Oh, 100%. So the clientele overall is a different person in a different part of their life. When I'm talking to these Honda people, their ages from 16 to 85, actually 94 years old, is the oldest Honda customer I ever had. And their wants and needs are completely different. They're in there for more of a practical car, something that's going to last longer, something that is a good value, something has good miles per gallon. So they're approaching it like they need this car. Most of the time they're only there because their current car is taking a crap and it's like literally on the fritz. So it's, it's a different approach and a lot of times they're looking for the best value. So they're calling every store in the area, every store in the state, and they're willing to drive the miles to get the deal that they want the versus the Porsche customer. When I made that switch, it was like these customers have already been there, done that with every car, and now they're buying the cars for the experience, they're buying the cars for the next level of prestige and they want to have fun with it. So that customer was looking for a want rather than the need. So I was selling them their wants, and I was hitting more on the emotional side versus when I'm on the Honda side, I'm hitting them, like, on the practical side. I'm like, miles per gallon is this. Here's the safety. Majority of the time, I'm talking about, like, value number one, and then just safety. Because safety was such a big deal at Porsche. I don't remember ever talking about safety. It was like, what's the miles? Or what's the horsepower? What's the 0 to 60? How does it do on turns on the track? How does it handle on the canyon carves? And how does it do on long road trips? Can I get on it? Is it reliable enough to, like, beat on it every single day and go like 200 miles an hour? And yes, yes, yes to all the above. So that customer approach was way different. I'm selling them on the luxury side of the car, and that's what they want. They're really looking for that because you got to put yourself into their perspective. They've done very well in their life. The average customer was making Porsche. Customer was making half a million to a million dollars a year. So they can buy anything from anywhere and any person. So you've got to be number one. You've got to be a really sharp on the ball, very responsive, but easy to deal with all in one, but very knowledgeable and quick. Because most of them, they have little time, so they're trying to move quickly, but they want to also be respected. So a lot of times what I'll do is I'll ask them why they're there. Number one, I'll ask them, like, what's their ultimate goal and their desire of buying the car? Like, why are you at point Porsche rather than like Mercedes or Maserati or Ferrari or Lamborghini? And they, a lot of times will tell you, and they'll paint the picture for you. So using that knowledge, you kind of dial it in. So if I was in your situation with your guys and they're calling your company because they want, like, a backyard with a certain style and a design of a pool, and they want, like a certain gazebo over it, and they want. They want to do certain activities, you start asking them, like, well, you know, what kind of even got you into this idea of having all this in the first place? Because I really want to understand why, why you're even calling us. I know you, obviously you called us because Our record is supreme. We do very good work, and we've got a really good background in this world. But what's your ultimate goal here? As. And if you build enough rapport in the beginning and you kind of lower their guard, they'll tell you really what the ultimate goal is. Or like, hey, I just had some grandkids. I want to start getting the family back together and coming in and watching football games and doing this and doing that. So as long as you can kind of peel that onion back and figure out what the ultimate goal is of that backyard, then I think they will, number one, feel a little bit more heard. So they'll be able to say, you know what? My dream, my whole life was to have, like, this big, beautiful house. But now I want to do a lot more entertaining in the backyard. I want to do grilling. I'm a grilling master. My wife's a grilling master. And here's kind of our envision. Like, we want a smaller pool, but I want to concentrate more on, like, I want to this or a dance floor or whatever. And I think as long as you've. You let them talk, you ask the question, and you let them talk, then they'll feel heard. And. Because they're probably going to have two or three or sometimes four different people come to their home and give them bids and give them their ideas and their thoughts. But if your salespeople or whoever is showing up to offer that the bid is listening to them, they're asking the right questions, and they're very gentle with these people, then they're much more likely to work with you. Because what they're also noticing, too, is when they're dealing with that salesperson that's there at their house, they're getting a little glimpse of what it's going to be like working with them for the next six months or a year, whatever it takes for their project. So you've got to really kind of match their energy. I think matching and especially, like, energy and tonality is a big deal, because obviously, if you get to a guy who's, like, from New York, and he's very quick thinking and he's very on the ball and he's moved very quick, you've got to really catch up to speed, because if you come in and you're going a lot slower and you're taking your time and that approach is not going to work. He didn't vibe with that guy. So when you're coming and you got to really match the customer up and match their Vibe and their energy. So sometimes you deal with little quiet grandmas and they're very calm and they work totally different than that New York guy or the west coast guy or the Florida guy. So whoever's in front of you, you've got to really almost be a chameleon and be able to work with who is in front of you. Because people like to buy from people who are just like them.
[15:50]
B
I like that, I like that. The. A friend of mine says, you know, typically we're selling landscaping, right? And again, residential for versus commercial, a rear outdoor patio versus somebody who's getting snow removal for their, you know, manufacturing company. He talks a lot about pain and pleasure. And you know, you're not trying to sell a facility manager, commercial snow removal and Excel trying to excite them about the, the pleasure of that. You know, you're of $20,000 snow contract and he just wants the docks cleaned and cleared and he wants his employees to be able to get to work safely. But when you're talking about what you just alluded to, so you're getting a half million dollar backyard pool and patio, you know, they're, they're looking for an experience. They want to enjoy that backyard and that's the pleasure hot button. And you can really, by listening, right, uncover a lot of those desires and, you know, needs and wants. I love what you said there. Let me ask you this. When talking in this conversation for sales, and again, not to get so granular here, but where do folks blow it in the sales process? You know, whether it's selling cars or selling patios, where, where do you notice maybe some of your, your peers along the way or maybe even earlier days in your career where you maybe goofed up more than you should have and somebody maybe said, hey, like Alex, have you ever thought about this or considered this part of your sales process? Do you have any like aha moments or breakthroughs or common mistakes that people are making out there in sales?
[17:24]
A
I think number one is being able to connect with the customer. I think if there's no connection there, then there's no emotional involvement from the customer side. Because if I've had some guys who they, they're very aggressive. So when I joined a Porsche, I pulled a lot of the Honda guys to follow with me. Like after like six months to a year, a lot of those guys jumped over, but some of those guys brought that very aggressive approach that they were used to at Honda. So a lot of times they were not connecting with these customers. They weren't listening. They were more like tallying rather than listening. And sometimes when the customer, when they feel like they're being told all this stuff or they're being talked down to or the vibes aren't right, I think that's where the connection goes bad. So I think listening more than talking when it's right makes more sense than just some of these sales guys. They just talk and talk and talk their way out of a cell. So I think at the end of the day, when. When it's the customer's time to talk, you listen there and you listen intently and you don't say a word. Because I have a lot of sales guys who would be listening to somebody discussing a topic, then they suddenly interrupt and they start talking over them. And then the guy like, oh, my gosh. Or they're not giving the equal amount of time to the husband and the wife. Sometimes they're just talking specifically to the husband and not to the wife. And sometimes in my situation, I would have husband, wife, kids, grandma, and I'm talking to all them equally. And I'm asking questions equally because I think everybody wants to feel heard. That's the reason why they're even there. If they weren't at that meeting with me, then it doesn't matter who they are. But if they're there in front of me and they're taking their own personal time, whether it's the kid or whether it's Grandma or whether it's the mom and dad, I want to make sure everybody feels heard. Because sometimes an entire cell relies on the kid. Like, just this past Saturday, I had a family in the configuration room, and we're building the car, and they kept looking back to her. What do you think? What do you think? Do we need to get the sunroof? Or hey, do we need to get the TVs in the back? Or hey, which color? Purple. So the kid, this kid was like five or six years old, but the kid was dictating the entire car. Like, oh, no, we gotta do this and we gotta do this. So then I started diverting a lot of my questions to the kid during the test drive. At the very end, I'm asking the kid a lot of questions and. And the parents, they felt like I was respecting the kid and their time. So I think connecting with them equally is a big part of the deal. And I think another deal is if you're not going at the right pace, if you're too slow or too quiet or not listening, it's going to just throw off the whole situation. So cells is really. It's an emotional thing. You've got two human beings that are very emotional, and one of them is trying to buy a product, the other one's trying to sell a product. But if you can kind of step back and put yourself over here and watch the situation happen, you would be able to really identify, like, how to sell the car, how to sell the product. The customer will tell you how to sell them the car or the product or the backyard or service for the snow shoveling for the whole year. You just have to be able to listen, and you have to be able to solve that problem. So, number one, listen, and then number two, you got to give a solution that makes sense for them, and it's got to be reasonable. The.
[20:44]
B
The line you just said there, brother, I think is one of the best lines I've heard in sales. If you, you know, shut up and listen for a hot minute, that customer will tell you how to sell them. And it's. It's so, so good. The. It reminds me of a story. I. I did a podcast a couple months ago. I just, I just have to reciprocate with a quick story here. Audi came out with the. The new RS5, you know, know, overseas.
[21:11]
A
That's right.
[21:12]
B
And so I called. So I was like, dude, this thing looks sweet. Probably going to be 90 to 110 grand. I'm turning 40. Like, yo, let's go. Just kidding. So I told my wife, I'm like, can I just, like, call on it, see what's up? And she's like, you're going to do whatever you want to do. Go ahead. So I call the Audi dealer and local dealer, and guy picks up the phone. New sales get patched through. Guy says. So I go, hey, like the. I just saw on Instagram, you know, in. In social media, the new RSQ, whatever, RS5 came out. And the guy goes, oh, yeah, we've got, We've got a bunch of them on the lot. And I'm like. I'm like, really? I'm like, it literally just came out, like, yesterday and, and he didn't even acknowledge that. He goes, so. So when are you looking to, to, to make a move on one of these? And I said, well, like, I'm sure, like, you got to order them in. And, gosh, it'd probably take, you know, six to eight weeks, the whole deal. And again, just to be clear, like, I'm looking for the, the RS5, like the new, like, 600 horsepower or whatever. And he goes, well, I've got a bunch on the lot here and they're definitely priced the move. And we can get you a test drive on, on the new S5. And like, we're like, if you're listening closely, like we're 02 of me explaining who I am, what I'm doing, the way he was selling me like their price to move and, and I was like, and I know enough about sales to like, know if somebody's listening to me right within 90 seconds of that exchange and to be like, I remember asking like one other question and it was something like, you know, about customization and like final specs and performance. And I was all excited about performance. And again, the guy like, I remember going back to the price conversation and like, homie was just not listening. Like I was like 600 horsepower, 110 grand. I explained to him I just turned 40, I hit some like big milestones in my life and I wanted like a cool, fun reward and I, and I proposed this like conversation. Imagine if the sales guy said like, hey, so like, what, what's up with this car? Like, why this car? And I was like, dude, it's fast, it's cool. I've always wanted an Audi. And he said like, well, that's pretty cool. Why have you always wanted it? And I would have said, well, dude, like, it's like one of the fastest, coolest sports car that you know, any 40 year old dude would want to get. The performance numbers are crazy. And I just feel like I'm due for a reward after grinding out my business for 20 years.
[23:56]
A
Yeah.
[23:56]
B
And if the guy would have said, right? Think about this conversation. If the guy would have said, hey man, like, it's probably been a brutal 20 years, but you know what? You've made it. And you couldn't get or pick out a more finer car than to celebrate that achievement of what, of what you and I'm sure your wife have put together. And you should be proud of that. If, if somebody would have said that to me, I would have been like, dude, here's my credit card for the $2,500 reservation. But he didn't, he didn't, he's like, we've got old model on the lot, price to move. Price, price, price. And I was like, I got off the phone, I was literally pissed. And then, you know, of course the wife, you know, she's like cooking dinner. She's like on the, the other end of this wrath. And I was like, I was like, nobody freaking listens. Why can't people just hear what I have to like, I'm, I'm literally on the other end of a phone willing to spend 100 grand on a car and do like, I was frustrated. Does that story, like relate or resonate to you?
[24:58]
A
It does. No, I, that, that's another part of when you said how to salespeople break sales or how do they just screw it up? It's not listening. Like, that salesperson was more worried about trying to move a unit and trying to move what's available. Not even listening that to the fact that you were looking for Rs5, not an S5. I mean, that's insane. I mean that, that car just came out. They shouldn't have any on the lot. That should be something that it's going to be made to order. Essentially. There's no discounts on that car. Right. And he should have definitely just number one observed the fact that this is a huge milestone you had suit. I'd be like celebrating like, man, this is a huge accomplishment. Congratulations. Maybe ask a couple questions about your background. And yeah, you want to connect with the customer too. You want to find out a little bit about who they are because at the end of the day, no one gives a crap about what you know until they know how much you care. So if you personally on your side feel like the salesperson has a little bit of care in the world and they're showing a little bit of empathy and they are listening, I mean, it's easy. You want to buy the car, this customer, this service or the salesperson just made it very difficult to sell the car. So the second you get online or on the phone with the salesperson who number one listens number one, they're not trying to push on old models because obviously you don't want that. You didn't work your ass off for an old model. You worked your ass off to get the latest, greatest technology available. And you want to have some fun and celebrate and be proud of it. So that, that's big time of one of the reasons why guys fail in sales is they just don't listen. They, they think sales is just getting very aggressive, being very pushy and pushing and pushing and pushing until you buy. But essentially you're just pushing that customer out the door into another salesperson's hands. And that happens every single day in sales.
[26:59]
B
Yeah, the I, I, I had to show that rank. I knew it probably make your, your skin crawl here and like that experience, you know, And I, there's a book I read a long time ago is called the Best Damn Sales Book ever. Fantastic. Read one of my like all time go to favorites. And it was just talking about how sell is really just a four letter word for help and you're just basically advising and sale. But traditional or old school, even maybe sales, if you could say that is, I got to move a unit versus if this guy really wanted to make a sale, he would help me to get the exact car of my dreams and hopefully just have a little bit of long term thinking like dude, okay, maybe I'm not going to get one on the whiteboard for, you know, may, but at least I can count on a dunk, you know, in September and you know, does that, does that make sense?
[27:53]
A
No, it does. And the sales approach over the last, I'd say even 10 or 15 years has really changed because with the Internet you're able to get on the phone and call a guy from Nebraska who has the car or the model or the option that you want, versus back in the day, you essentially were stuck with the dealership in your town. Sure, you had no other choice because you didn't want to risk driving two hours to the next dealership and then wasting your time to come to find out that you're going to get the same exact deal you could have gotten your other town. You just got to deal with some a hole back there. But these days with the power of the Internet, you can get on the FaceTime, you can get on the phone, you can get on email, call the person or the place that has the thing and you can order it and they'll deliver it straight to your doorstep. I've got customers who try to buy cars from me, from Africa, China, Russia, Morocco, I mean all, every country you can think of. I have, I've had somebody reach out and say, I want to buy a car from you that just, I just want to do it and I'm ready to sell them a car. But Lamborghini is like, you can only sell cars in the usa. So that's just the power of the Internet. So with the whole power of the Internet coming into play, I think salespeople have really had to change their approach and go into more of the consulting approach where you really are trying to help this customer because anybody can sell them a car. But not many people are going to try to consult them through the next phase of buying that car and help them. And sometimes in my situation, specifically at Porsche, you're waiting anywhere from three to six months or sometimes a year for a 911. At Lamborghini, sometimes you can wait two years for a car, because wait Lister so long. And I respect that. And I, they respect that too. And I let them know up front, I'm like, hey, look, you know what? This is probably going to be a year and a half away, but it's going to be so worth it. And they really respect the fact that I'm not trying to push them like a used car that I have here. I'm like, you know what, let's just hunker down. Let's order the exact one you want, the one you've always dreamed of, because it's going to be so sweet when it comes in. And all these months of waiting are only going to make it sweeter when it finally arrives. Because the month that that thing is on the boat and every night you just can't sleep because you're tracking it like, oh my God, the boat's getting closer. Once that damn thing arrives, you're going to be crying with tears because you're just so excited because all the waiting that you've waited the last year, not even including the last 40 years, you've waited your entire life to be at this position. But it's just like the end of the race is almost there and it's just getting closer and closer once it hits. It's so sweet and you're so glad that you waited for the right one.
[30:38]
B
I love what you said there with like, building that relationship for folks and like helping them get exactly what they're, what they're looking for. And again, I just keep it practical whether you're selling them that $500,000 backyard, patio, pool, outdoor living space, or their dream, you know, sports car. Just making it special and really trying to add value and add service to the, to the sale. Not just, you know, dollars and cents. Treat them like a number, not a, not a customer, not a relationship.
[31:12]
A
Yeah, I heard this thing maybe when I was 16 years old from this big time leader. I was reading a lot of books growing up and one of these leaders was talking about how his approach was make a friend, then find the need. Most people try to find the need and then make the friend do it backwards. And a lot of times it doesn't work as smoothly as like me and you. If I just ran into you and you're trying to sell me my dream backyard, the right approach would be first connect with the person on the human to human level. Then next you say, hey, by the way, like what keeps you in? Or what's, what interests you? And then you start finding out, oh man, I'm a big time griller. I love bringing the family over, and I love doing this and this and this. Oh, man, that's pretty interesting. I actually know a guy who builds backyards, and he builds dream backyards. You know what? You should meet him one day. And then now the guy is much more receptive to whatever you tell him, because y' all connected on the human level first. Then they're going to. He'll be able to listen, he'll lower his guard, and it's like, oh, yeah, who is this guy? Give me his number. Or if you're the guy, you know what? Funny thing, I actually build backyards. He's like, oh, are you serious? You know what? Let me come check out your backyard. I'll just give you some ideas and some thoughts and whatever you do, whatever you want with the information, but I just kind of want to check out your backyard now, because I love backyards. And then he's like, you know what? Come over a beer. You come over. Y' all are essentially, you're still connecting as the friend. But then he starts talking. He's like, you know what? After you explain to him the whole situation, the goal here, then he's like, you know what? I think I want to build this backyard with you. So I think if you can tell your salespeople whether they're selling a service or whether they're selling like an entire $500,000 backyard is approach it like you're trying to, number one, connect with them on a human level. Try to make the friend first, then find the need. I think that's a way better approach, and it's much smoother in the long run. Because if you can be their friend first, two or three years down the road, when they're expanding their backyard or they're changing the pool or they're doing something else, they're going to call their friend first, rather than the other guy who is just pushing numbers and trying to push products on them every single time.
[33:28]
B
Yeah, I like that. I like that. Let me. Let me ask you maybe one final question. We'll kind of maybe pivot to maybe more the funner conversation. Talk about Lamborghinis and all that. But let me for sure, let me. Let me propose this. If, and I don't know your background extensively, like how you, you know, grew up and all that, socioeconomics and. And all that, but for. For guys that are maybe out there, you know, it sounded like you. You didn't start selling Lamborghinis, you started selling Hondas. And that's that's fun. And obviously you were calling the, the buy now sell gold, you know, kind of deal back in the day which is we've all, we've all been there, done done all those fun jobs. If, if. How do you propose somebody who doesn't come from money learn how to communicate and talk to people with money while not overly like faking it to your making it or overcompensating being like hyper aggressive or you know, talking this like fictitious language that they think that that person talks about. You know like like the private equity talk or. I for example, I remember once meeting a guy and I went into a Land Rover dealer and I, I've always been like the annoying guy that would come check out cars and do test drives. I was just a big dreamer. I still am. And I remember going into a Land Rover dealer and the guy was like a 28 year old dude and I was like 21. Dude shook my hand and like weird funny story dude. I remember this like it was yesterday. His like hand like cracked like like a bone. Like his like hand like cracked. I just felt like this weird pop and he like just so strong arm grabbed my hand to like assert dominance at like the Land Rover dealer. Range Rover dealer, whatever.
[35:16]
A
Wow.
[35:17]
B
And, and, and I like it was such an aggressive like handshake and I was like hey dude, are we not going to address the fact that your hand just like massively popped in socket? You know like. But the, the dude was like so over overbearing. He's like yeah, these things are 120 grand and you know, if you're not making, you know about the same, you're probably not going to be able to get, we'll probably won't be able to get you into one of these things. And I'm like dude, I just want to get like a catalog to put a poster on the wall, bro. Like you know, meet me with where I'm at. Like give me a decade. I'm comment, you know. Yeah. How do you, how do you propose somebody that is making 42 grand a year? Their, their businesses is on the grow, they're on the come up but they are selling that backyard 300 grand pool and patio. They're competent, you know, maybe, maybe you know they're only making 40, 50 grand a year and or they're they're just, just the Lamborghini sales guy but they're selling it to a guy worth $100 million. Like how do you, how do you personally navigate like that imposter syndrome or trying to sell to those type of folks if you're not quote unquote on that pay grade just yet.
[36:27]
C
LauncherPreneur Academy Live is back November 7th in Novi, Michigan at the newly named Vibe Credit Union Showplace. This year brings a new format, new speakers, expanded breakout sessions, hands on learning and more chances to put ideas into action right right away. Bring your entire team and get ready for a bigger, better experience at launch A Preneur Academy Live tickets go on
[36:53]
A
sale Wednesday, July 15th at 6pm get
[36:56]
D
details and tickets using the link in the show description.
[36:59]
A
It's a baby step approach. You can't go straight to the top and start dealing with like that's the private equity guys and those type of people are like they're on championship level stuff. So they really like to deal with people who are at least trying to get on that level but also are very respectful. My background is a little bit different. I definitely didn't come from a ton of money. My parents had me when they were like 17 years old. So we grew up with my parents both working in a job and really I was always at my grandparents house while they were out working and my mom was going to school doing the whole bit. So I saw them hustling and trying to make it and eventually they started coming up as I was younger and I saw their growth. But I was able to really respect the fact that if I'm going to do this, I've got to work. So one of my first jobs was working in the back of this barbecue joint and I'm just literally washing dishes. And I think that's what it takes is you're going to have to start from a lower approach where you just start serving people and you start watching people and you start listening to them. And after three months, actually might have been six months, I joined our local grocery store where I think if I could get everybody to go and sell groceries for a year, I think it would change your whole perspective and your whole life because you deal with so many people every single day, different personalities, different wants and needs that you really start to figure out how people work and how they're geared. So if I can tell anybody, go into that grocery store and just start being a freaking cashier if, if they're young enough to do it and if they're young enough to like afford to make the 17 or $20 an hour, whatever those kids make, especially younger people, if they're in that position, I'd say man, just go to the grocery store for a little. Especially if you want to get into sales and just get in front of 100 people a day because you're going to see the grandmas, you're going to see the private equity guys, you're going to see the middle class guys, you're going to see the $100 million guys. Because everybody goes to the grocery store. I would meet every type of person in that grocery store. And I'm not going to lie, my first few months I was probably super annoying. But after you start dealing with a number of different people and personalities and perspectives, you really start to become a chameleon and you start to mimic their energy and you get good at it and it becomes second nature because after a year into it, you've dealt with thousands and thousands and thousands of customers. So you really, within a first split second, you can tell how to work with this customer, how to manage them and how to keep them happy and keep them coming back very quickly. So right after that I joined Nordstrom's, which you're probably familiar with. Nordstrom's, they sell high end clothes. And right away I'm only dealing with very wealthy people. So I think being at the HEB for a number of years kind of geared me up to go to that next level of customer, to where I was dealing with the guys who, when they would come to the HEB line, you know who they are, they're dressed real nice, they're real sharp, they've got the Rolexes on or the big fancy handbags and. Or they throw the Mercedes keys on the drawer when you're at heb. So you kind of identify those people are. So those same people are coming to Nordstrom and you kind of use that same approach that I was using with them at H E B. And you watch more than you, you talk unless you're asked a question. Because at that point the customer is really there to tell you what they're, they're there for. So number one, they put me in suits pretty quickly. So I'd have a guy, I come in and I'd say, oh man, what brings you in? I know you probably don't have a lot of time today. Let's try to accomplish whatever you want. And you say, you know what? I'm looking for a black suit and a gray suit, and I'm wearing it for this and this and this. So okay, perfect. How long do you expect to wear this suit for a year, two years, three years? And he said, you know, and I'm only going to wear it for a few times or I'M only going to bring it out for a funeral. So then you, number one, you know exactly kind of how to approach it. But you let the customer kind of dictate the way the sale is going to go and then you just roll with it and you make little subtle announcements here and there of like what your thoughts are on the ordeal or the suit or whatever recommendation, but you let them essentially do the deal and you serve them as much as you can. I think in that situation you really want to be a servant. It sounds crazy. I don't want to be a servant. But you almost have to be because you're in that position to serve them and you're literally in service. So I think that's the approach I would recommend. If somebody can, if heb or whatever, the grocery store is too low for them as far as pay grade, maybe they can go to Nordstrom's and just kind of knock it out for six months and just really learn the perspective of that client because those high end buyers are in there. And when I went from Honda to Porsche, the customer was very much a different person, but the Porsche person was very similar to the person that I used to deal with at Nordstrom's. And the same thing with the Lamborghini customer. They're very similar to the Nordstrom's customer. So I think it's all about reading books is huge. If you, the more books you can read, the better you're going to be in the long term. Because you can't just expect to go in one on one and play basketball with Kobe Bryant unless you've been training and training and training and trying to get on that level. Because the way that these high end customers are, I think are similar to the level of a Kobe Bryant or a Lebron James or Michael Jordan. You've got to really know what you're doing before you just go get in and try to go toe to toe with these people. Because the second they sniff you out and they're like, oh, this guy's not the real deal, then they're not going to want to deal with you. They're going to want to move to the next guy who is technically a subject matter expert. That's who they want to deal with. Because their time is so limited and so valuable that they only want to spend it with subject matter experts. So if you're not like the easiest guy to approach or the easiest guy to talk to, at least know your product in and out like a machine. Because at the end of the day, if the customer Is like, you know what, the guy's a little rough around the edges, but damn, he really knows his products. And man, he's super sharp and he has great recommendations. I would say then go that approach. So if you're not the sharpest guy in the, the tool shed, then definitely just sharpen up your skills with your product. That's the biggest thing. Whatever you're selling, just figure out how to be the best at that product specifically. Because if you are, sometimes people will just deal with you.
[43:38]
B
That's. It's so good. I love what you shared there. And the whole personal self development thing I think is often overlooked these days. There's a big upswing of that in like 90s, 2000s, 2010, but not as much as today. Like, it's all podcasting, it's all like YouTube, but there's just something dare say, you know, there's a, a magical effect, you know, reading a physical, tangible book. I mean, I, I read, you know, how to Raise Myself from Failure to Success in Selling by Frank Beckcher. And yeah, like all these classics, like Bringing out the Best in People and Magic of Thinking Big and Dog Mandino books.
[44:18]
A
Like, man, you read some good ones, dude.
[44:20]
B
Like all the class, dude. I came from very, very far back. I used to sell, you know, pizzas working at Little Caesars and we would get, you know, bonus on our breadstick, you know, percentage of sales, you know, and so I was like, man, everybody's leaving here today with breadsticks. And that's. It sounds so dorky, but that's like where I learned to like sell at the counter. Exactly what you just described. And then I actually had a stint. I don't know if you remember Circuit City back in the day. Oh, yeah, dude, that was an experience, I'll tell you that. But SiriusXM100. Yeah, like, satellite radio was just coming on the scene. And like you said, you'd have corporate guys all day long. Where we're at is a big commercial area, like I was alluding to in automotive. So one customer would come in and he wanted to know the exact price and the subscription cost and all that stuff. And the next guy, he couldn't care less. He just wanted to learn or listen to Howard Stern because that was like the big contract, you know, Next guy was, hey, can I get talk radio and still get the weather? And how, how, how long does the install take? And he's more detail and, and you know, like you, you look back on life, you're like, man, how did all this Happen, like, how did I even get here? But I realized, like, all these little weird job experiences, I. I tried to, like, learn the lesson while I was there. And I'll. I'll tell you, like, my personality is dominant, like, introvert. Not usually one to, you know, put myself out front. I'd much rather be in, like, the corner of a. Of a seminar than to delete it, you know, and all that fun stuff. But I. But I realized, like, I have to learn how to talk with people and how to have immediate rapport and get people to know, like, and trust. And that. That has been a lifelong pursuit of mine for like 20 years now. Because I just realized if I can work that lever, then sales and making money and profit will likely follow. But I feel too many folks just aren't willing to put in the. The scrimmage. You know, to. Some people have charisma for sure, but I think working with people is definitely a skill, not just a talent. You know what I mean?
[46:41]
A
Yeah, you're right. A lot of people see, especially these days with, like, the instant gratification on social media, they see these people of where they're at, and they're like, I want to do that. So every single day I get people who hit me up and say, hey, how do I sell Lamborghinis with you? And I'm like, what have you sold? And they're like, I've never sold anything. I want to sell Lamborghinis.
[47:02]
B
Sure.
[47:03]
A
I'm like, man, you know, I'm very respectful about it. I'm like, you know what, man? You really don't want to. Not. You don't want to come right into this because you will fall on your face. These people are. They're looking to deal with subject matter experts. They want to deal with somebody who's very skilled in a way, rather than just come into a guy who's just kind of learning how to walk and learning how to ride a bike. So I think it's very important that, especially in your situation, that you were at the Little Caesars and you really learned how to just deal with a little bit of interpersonal relationships and how to build a relationship real quick, how to build rapport, how to take a person you just met two seconds ago and now you're selling on breadsticks. It's something as simple as that. Doing it every single day actually sharpens your sales skills. And then eventually you jump to the level of a Circuit City where you're selling a little bit more expensive of a product. It's A little bit more dynamic, There's a little bit more information, but also the customers are also very different. Some people want the information, some people could care less and just listen to the Howard Stern. So going in those steps, the stair step approach, I think, is the right approach to get to those higher levels. Because Kobe Bryant didn't just go straight to the NBA. He was playing basketball as he was a kid and then playing against people on his own level. And then he got better and better and played people that were better than him and better than him. And eventually he got to that level in the same situation. For yourself and anybody else who's at the top of their game and sells, I think they had to go through these stair steps. You can't just go straight to the top. And as much as I would love to hire every kid who says, I want to sell Lamborghinis, I just think it would be a dissatisfaction for them to just put them right in that spot. Because there's so much learning you're going to do from this level to this level that you really, you have to go through it. That's what makes this whole thing so sweet. Because one day you're going to be at a situation where you're sitting at the table and you're about to sell your company for all this money and you look back and you're like, dude, you're like, I would do it all over again. Start back at the Little Caesars, Circuit City and go that exact same path. Because if you didn't go that approach, then you wouldn't be where you're at today because of the Little Caesars job is probably the reason why you're so successful now. It, it all had to happen in order. You can't just skip steps.
[49:27]
B
I, I couldn't agree more. And now today, you know, you're selling a, again, you know, called a $10,000, $20,000, $30,000 contract, backyard, patio, whatever. That's an evolution. And I think what you just said was so eloquent, like, you got to give yourself the time. We're talking years, if not decades for some of us, right, to hone these skills. But it should also give you the confidence to know that you can develop these skills. It's not talent. Right? And I used to hide behind, well, that guy's a people person and of course he's funny and his personality type is this. Sure, that can help you. If you got some God given talents, that's fine. But I'm also the belief that, you know, if that's the case with some folks, then I'll just have to outwork them, you know, and I'll just have to master some of these basic skills that much better, you know, and then I feel like it has paid some pretty good dividends along the way. So I'm right there with you.
[50:23]
A
Yeah, man, it's truth. And these days I see some of these sales gurus that are like 21 years old and I'm like, man, come on, he started selling like two years ago. And now you're a sales guru and a professional expert and these other 15, 16 year old kids are watching. I'm like, oh, this is a sales guru. But you really want to get into the arena where you're talking to a guy who's been in sales for 15, 20 years, 30 years. That's where you're really going to pick up the golden nuggets. And they're going to tell you the real life approach. They're going to say, start here, start here, start here and just gradually work your way up because every little cell and interaction you have is going to make you better. I think if you're not like the most charismatic or you're very introverted, just get in front of more people. Get in front of as many people as you can. That's why when people ask me what's the best way to get into Lamborghini, I say, go, start selling Hondas, Toyotas, Fords. Something where you're dealing with people in the volume level, where you're dealing with 100 people per month and you're selling 20 cars a month. That's probably the best approach to sell the higher end Lamborghinis and these higher end cars because eventually you'll get to that level. But you've got to get in front of more people now to understand how to deal with those people in the future. Because these days I'm selling people cars that are $800,000 and you're not going to just sell that person a car unless they feel very confident in who you are and they feel very understood and heard and they feel like they've got a relationship. So I think the most important thing in my job is building a relationship with these people because they can pick up the phone and call any Lamborghini store in the country and buy a Lamborghini from that person, because it's easy with the Internet.
[52:04]
B
So good. So let's do this. We'll, we'll pivot for maybe last five or ten minutes here. I want to be respectful of Your time. This is.
[52:10]
A
No, no, no. I mean, I got, this is good.
[52:13]
B
Well, keep it as a. Don't say that. We'll. We'll make episode 1000. 1001, 1002. No, I'm just kidding. But no, no, this, this is a good conversation because, you know, just to set the stage, like, in the next, like, handful of years, I definitely want to get a Lamborghini. Like, anybody listening to my show, they know that, that I'm a big fan of, of the car or the brand. I, I wanted to get a Huracan, you know, like everybody else last decade. Go figure. I finally get into somewhat of a position maybe to buy one, and I said, I decided to build a Mack Daddy house. So, yeah, as I kind of looked at it, and somebody told me, I said, if I, if I get my wife the house, she'll help me get the car. If I go for the car, I'll probably lose my wife in the house. So, so if you guys have gotten nothing out of today's show, remember that one. Okay, so I, I, I got my wife the house and, you know, doing the family deal. So, yeah, and, and obviously beyond happy to do that. Well, I told my wife, I'm like, hey, like, only one more notch, like, on the ladder that I want to accomplish. It's the car. And she's like, all right, all right, so we set some goals. And she's like, let's. Let's try to get this much money in the bank. And I'm a big fan of, like, assets pay for liabilities. I'm a big, like, rich dad, poor dad kind of guy. So how, how big of a business, how much cash flow, how much down payment do we need? I'm a big work backwards from what I need kind of a guy. So the funny story is, I love what you said about building relationships because believe it or not, I've called in a couple of dealers. I've actually visited my local dealer, and then one in a major metro city about four hours west. I'm not naming names because big audience, you know, everybody, Everybody listens in. But yeah, you know, the one thing that really made me fall in love with you and your content is, like, I felt like you were, because of the way you were approaching your social media, that I had a guy. Like, I had a relationship with this dude, Alex, watching, you know, God, probably a hundred of your reels, you know, over the last six months. And finally, funny, like I told my wife, I'm like, hey, I got this great guest coming up for episode 1000. I'm really excited about it. She's like, who is it? I'm like, and I. Sounds kind of weird, but I was like, it was my. It's my friend Alex on it on Instagram. He sells Lamborghinis. And she's like, I don't know this Alex person. I'm like, oh, like, no, dude. Like, Alex taught me how to like, buy a Lamborghini. The car, model, lineup, how much, you know, income you need, what's the sales process look like? Because this is all the reels that you've been putting out.
[54:54]
A
Yeah.
[54:54]
B
Over the last six months. And so. But that's, it's, it's funny like you. I say it that way to you, but when I go to an event, people come up to me and they're like, hey, man. Like, how's the wife? How's the kids? How's the new expedition? Like, they, they know me just from that, like, relational. Relational commerce, maybe, you know, if you will. And, and it's the same way that I feel with finding you. I'm like, that's my sales guy. Like, I haven't bought a car just yet, but I jokingly was telling you, I'm like, when I'm ready. It's. It's Alex. Because of everywhere I go and everybody I talk to, nobody's reached out to me or said like, hey, here's a business card. And it's no indictment on anybody. You know, I'm a tire kicker like anybody else. But that relationship is what I'm looking for. I couldn't, I couldn't totally care less about the spec, although I do. I couldn't care less even sometimes about what model. Although I'm going to, you know, try to stick to a little bit of a budget here. But it was like, I want somebody to be my quote, unquote guy that helps round that circle, that 20 year, you know, journey of business, of rags to, I wouldn't say riches, but having a little bit more. And, And I want to say, hey, like, dude, the car is cool. But my sales guy, Alex was awesome and he helped, he helped make this dream come true just as much as I did. And so it's that relationship. And again, I just think it's. It's a fun story to, to, to throw out there in the ethos right now because I, I promise you guys this, like, I will make sure that this dream comes to pass. Because the one thing Alex, I'll just share candidly, like, my wife's always like, what's what's the big deal about the car? She's like, I don't understand it. She's like, is it a dude thing? Like, is it, is it like drama? You know, she's, she's funny. I'm like, probably all the above. But I said, and this is just one of my belief. And everybody's got their own belief out there, but I think like, the car represents. And again, pick your car, pick your brand, pick your poster on the wall. We all had the Ferrari F40 or F50. We all had the, the Countach. We all had the, you know, Mercielago. We all saw Cradle to the Grave with dmx, with the Diablo. Like, dude, like, you know, here we go. Gone in 60 seconds is like one of my, like top three favorite movies, right? Like Eleanor and all that. All that mess. Yeah, all you, are you car guys out there, you get it. You're like finally, like, it's been a thousand shows. You finally get to a good topic, right? But I told my wife, I said, what the car represents to me is somebody who changed their stars. They're like, it's somebody who set out a goal, probably the, you know, obviously make some good income, probably build a good big burly business, help people in the community, help people on their team, get, you know, great jobs, great income, and they were able to help a lot of people along the way. And for me it's, you guys probably know how this goes. But my goal is to get the stupid car to then take it to the local cars and coffee to then have the 10 year old dude, the little boy, go with his dad and say, dad, that's a really cool car. Like, how do we get one of those? And the dad would say, well, I don't know, I don't have one. Why don't you ask him? And then that guy, hopefully me, says, well, you know what we did? I start a business and I helped a lot of people. And because I helped a lot of people, I made a lot of money. And because I made a lot of money, I was able to help a lot of people.
[58:31]
A
Yeah.
[58:32]
B
And like, dude, like, I could get emotional about this, but when I share that story to my wife, like, she like tears up and she goes, I get it because it's not the stupid car. Although, yes, I hope to, you know, go over the speed limit at least once and burn some rubber, you know, and do the deal. But it's, I feel like it's. And this is just how I work sometimes. I'm just, I'M a deep thinker. I. I want to get the car so I can put a fun, cool vanity plate on the tag. Right. And not, not in a smug way, but in a way that inspires the next generation.
[59:10]
A
Yeah.
[59:10]
B
You know, and so, like, when, when I'm shopping for who's going to sell me that car to. To whole that circle, like, that's a very intimate person to me that I'm going to invite into making that relationship and making that transaction happen. Does that make sense?
[59:27]
A
Oh, 100%.
[59:29]
B
So it's, that's my story about the car. But anything you want to add on that or can you relate to that?
[59:35]
A
I hear that question a lot, especially coming from wives and women. The husband and wife are always sitting there, and the wife's like, why do you really want this car? She's asking the guy, and a lot of times he can't really answer on the spot. It's a combination of a lot of stuff, but it all comes back to our core. When you're a little kid, whether you're a boy or a girl, you always have toys. And for girls, it's always going to be the Barbie and then the Barbie Dream House. So that's like their fun and that's their dreams from the core. But with kids, a lot of times we were given these little Hot Wheels cars and whatever cars or trucks or whatever we had, and we just loved cars and we were obsessed with cars and we played the games with cars and it was just our core. And then one day we're like, you know what? I really want that car. So it's always been the dream in the back of your head. And you set out to get that car, that crazy, stupid car one day. But the journey to getting that car requires so much, especially for that car is the Countach or the Lamborghini or the Ferrari or the RS5 or that super cool car. And your brain is so incredible the way it works. You're like, I really want that car. So what do I got to do to get that car? Where you got to make money. Well, how do I make money? Well, you got to get with people. So then you start going through all the steps to get the car. Then you start making your trajectory like this. And you're coming up and you're coming up and you're helping more people and you're making more money. And at the end of the day, you not really forget about the car because it's always in the back of your head. It's something you always wanted but then life happens, and you start getting so busy in life trying to build this company that sometimes you get sidetracked and you kind of lose sight of the dream. But the dream is always there. You're never going to forget about it. But then once you do start hitting all these goals and you start making all this money, the dream kind of starts getting clear again. And you're like, oh, yeah, what is this all about? It's like in trying to get this huge, massive goal, the Lamborghini, one day, I built this beautiful family, I built this beautiful home, I built this beautiful business. I have incredible income, all because of that one dream to buy that car. So I think the car is a huge, massive goal. It's like our Mount Everest. Like, it's at the very top of this peak. But in order to get up there, you've got to do all these little things to get to that position. So that's why it's so deep for us. It's because we do want to get to that point where we do hit the Mount Everest peak and we do get our car, and you do take it to cars and coffee. And then you meet that little boy who's in the situation where you were and when you first started, where they're dreamers and they don't have anyone to help them get to their dream, but the person who's in that cool car. So when I was young, I never got to go to cars and coffee. I never got to do any of that because my parents were so busy. But if I did, I would love to have gone up to that person and said, hey, what do you do for a living? How do I get that car? And then they would be able to give me the steps. And that would have been much easier than having to really go and figure it out myself, because at that point, you're like, well, crap, how do you make, like, enough cash to buy that Lamborghini? And sometimes it's the sweeter way because then you've got to throw crap at the wall, see what sticks, and you got to really figure it out. So I think that is a very big deal. But, like, for women, it's. It's the beautiful dream house. And then you're like, well, why? Why do you have to have this dream house? And a lot of times, I don't know, but I think it's really. It's the core of the kid. When you go back to them, when they're three or four, two years old, they had the Barbie and then they had the dream house. And they had the Ken and the Barbie and they're married and they're in this massive. They have this big Barbie dream house and that's their dream so that one day they want their own dream house and the boys want their dream car. But a lot of times we forget that fact that it all goes to our core. But the sweetest part about getting to these levels is helping the next generation kind of see the path to getting there. And it's a big deal. And sometimes we just forget about it because life happens.
[63:45]
B
Yeah. Yeah. So I appreciate your perspective on that too. I never thought about my wife's similar year in for the home and always like, yeah, it's safety, security and she's nesting. I don't know, I'm a dude, you know, so it makes a lot of sense that because my, my daughter's five and no joke, over the weekend we got her like the Barbie Playhouse and the Barbie Jeep and like, funny that you brought that up. And I'm like. And she, we didn't have to teach her how to be feminine and mom, you know, and a baby in a girl to be a home maker, if you will. Like, it's innate. And then I gave my son, you know, he's got a couple like little toy helicopter toys or whatever, and my other son is 14 months old and he's already making like the mimicking sound of like a helicopter noise and car noises. And I'm like, we didn't even teach him how to make that noise. And so there's got to be more there. You know, I don't get too, too deep, but it's just, it's just fun how, how it all comes together. By the way, I already have like my license plate, you know, picked out for my Lamborghini one day because you do have to sometimes have like the fun, smug vanity plate, you know, 100. Like there's an element of that, you know, so. But this is such a, a fun conversation. I know we're kind of jumping around a little bit talking about sales and thought process and selling and, and all this. But maybe on a little bit lighter note, just maybe to, to button up the show because it's been just a blast getting a catch up with you for like the last hour or so. Yeah. What, what any like funny stories that, that you know, are top of mind, like getting into this process, like, have you anything that stands out to you while selling cars along the way? I, I watch your Instagram stories and your feed and the value that you put out there. And the. The fun content you put out there is. It's really worth. I mean, checking out. I invite you guys to give him a follow. But is there anything that sticks out? I'm always thinking, like, the. The scene with, you know, dmx, and he's got, like, the million dollars cash in the. In the duffel bag, you know, and he's, like, revving the engine in the showroom. Like, any. Any wild or wacky stories, I guess, from, like, your career that. That you think are fun?
[65:59]
A
You know, I. I've had. There's a ton of stories when you're in the car business. You. I have enough stories to talk all night about them.
[66:06]
B
Sure.
[66:07]
A
One of the funny recent ones was this past December. This guy calls in and tells the receptionist, and I had no idea this was going on. He calls in and says, hey, I'm on my way. Is that black car available? And she was like, which car? He said, the Technica. She said, well, we haven't even posted it. How did you see it? He's like, I just saw it online. And she was like, yeah, it's available. It's here. He's like, well, I'm driving in from Houston. I want to look at it. And so she's like, okay, come on in. And. But the guy comes in, awesome guys. Younger, probably 24 years old, and he. I don't know if you. I don't want to say he was a Korean guy, but I think he might have been. And just a super cool dude came in with his wife, dressed head to toe in designer clothes. They looked like they were definitely coming for money. And I was with some other people at the time. And the guy walked in, and he's like, hey, Alex. And I'm like, it caught me off guard as I'm like, a lot of people do that. They come in and like, hey, Alex, what's up? And they're kind of like you. They watch the videos, and they kind of feel like they have a relationship with you. And he comes up and he, like, hugs me, and I'm like, what's up, man? He's like, dude, I sent you a message about this car. And it was like, last night at midnight, and he said it was available. And I was like, oh, yeah? Yeah. And he said, I called into the front desk, and she said, it's still available. He said, I want to buy the car. And I was like, okay, what do you want to do? And then he pulled out this big bag, and he's like, I got the Money right here. And I was like, oh, shoot. Okay. I was like, yeah, let's do it. He's like, so what do we do? And I was like, man, I don't think we take cash. I said, I don't have a vault to put this money in. So he's like, oh, man. He's like, I really want the car. So I'm like, okay, number one, let's make sure you like the car first. Because I said, you just saw the video last night. I don't even know if you're going to like the car. I said, get in the car. Turn it on. Start it up. And he turns it on. And I actually posted the video. You can see it. And he was just like, going hysterical when I turned on that engine. And he was like, oh, my God. And he was like, I want it right now so bad. And I called my gm Cause he was just gone. I don't know if he was on vacation or what, but he was like, what do you mean? He showed up with a big bag of cash. I'm like, yeah, he's got the cash in a backpack, and he wants to buy the car right now. And he's like, dang it, how do we do this? And because all the banks were closed at that time, normally we would have just. If it was a weekday, we would drive to a bank, he would give them the money. They would give us a cashier check, or they would do something. They would put it direct. We would take it essentially directly to our bank.
[68:49]
B
Sure.
[68:49]
A
But we couldn't do that. So the guy just drove in from Houston. He's ready to go, and we're like, crap, so what do we do? So I asked him, like, hey, why don't you just finance the car? And then just. We'll pay it off on Monday. And then he's like, man, actually, I can't finance because I'm closing on a house, and if I finance this car, it's going to blow up my whole deal. And I'm like, oh, yeah, do not do that. I said, I don't want to blow up your house. And I said, is there any way that maybe you can just go back to Houston today and then on Monday, you'll just deposit that money into our account or our bank, and I'll just ship you the car for free. And he was like, yeah, but I really wanted to take it today. So I'm like, dealing with this whole thing, and I'm like, crap, what do I do? Because I have these other people who are trying to buy a car and they're kind of sitting around watching me deal with it. But at the same time, I'm trying to respect this guy's time because he drove in from Houston, didn't really give me any notice. He's, I guess I didn't respond to him in time because he definitely sent me more messages in the morning. But that's the problem of not checking your DMs every day. Is like, there's money sitting in that bank right there. And he was like, man, I told you on the dm, I'm so sorry. I should have tried to call you. But we ended up making a deal later on that next week. But that was just one of the first times I'd ever seen that much cash before. Enough cash to buy a Lamborghini on the spot. Another really funny one was this one. I, nobody really knows the story, but I don't know, did you see that deal I did with that crazy Chario? It was like a multi million dollar white car. It was a convertible top.
[70:27]
B
So I don't know if I saw that one. I, I, I love your delivery videos. Like, I'm, I, I literally like dream that that's me. So I'm with you, but I don't know if I saw that one.
[70:35]
A
Yeah, there's this car that came in, it's called the, that people might call it the Centenario. There's only of this one, I think there might be like 20 in the world of the roadster. It's a multimillion dollar car, but there's a dealership in Florida who had been trying to sell that car for, I don't know, six months. And then the owner got just, he was on, it was on consignment with that dealership in Florida. And he thought that they were going to sell the car, but they couldn't sell it. They couldn't get any bites on it. So he calls our, our whole organization because he knows somebody there. And he said, hey, can you guys put this on consignment here locally where he lives, to see if y' all can sell it? And they kind of mentioned it to me. They're like, hey, this is car. They couldn't sell it in Florida. And I was like, how the heck am I gonna sell it? I was like, if they couldn't sell it, I said, there's only a few people in the world who can probably buy that car. How am I gonna sell it? They're like, I don't know, just post a video And I was like, okay. So they say, okay, the car is on its way. It's going to be here in this day. So I get this phone call from the driver. He's like, dude, I'm like five minutes away with the centenario. And I'm like, oh, my gosh. So I get my receptionist, I say, okay, get this camera. And we're going to film the whole car getting off the truck. And it's just going to be cool because we got to post this immediately because this is like a. Almost a $3 million car. I was nervous about this because they were like, dude, we have to sell. This is a big client for us. We got to do whatever we can to sell this. So he gave me this number, and I don't even want to talk about it online because it's just a ton of money. Let's say it's a little under 3 million. And the car gets here. I see the truck pull up and I'm like, oh, my God. This is like the most expensive car that I've ever been around. And I'm about to try to sell this thing and the gate starts coming down and I start getting goosebumps. I'm like, oh, my gosh. Like, I've sold a million dollar car, but I've never sold almost a $3 million car. So this is a potentially a big goal. It's potentially a big sell for me. And I'm just kind of. A lot is kind of going through my mind and I'm like, you only have a certain amount of time to make this video. What do you do? Because right now the time is ripe. The car is about to get off the truck, and the guy literally just gets in that car, turns on the engine, and I'm like, oh, crap. And then he's like, hey, can you come guide me out? Like, can you come help me move it out? I'm like, dude, I'm not gonna do that. I need to make a video. I need to film this thing. I was. I went and grabbed other two guys like, dude, help this guy figure out how to get the car out. Because he's like, I don't have any eyes back there. I don't want to scratch this three million dollar car. So it's kind of chaotic because we're just. I want to capture the moment, but at the same time, I don't want him to scratch this car. And he's freaking out because he's like, this is like his first day on the job because we. I guess our Company had just hired this driver to go pick this car up. So he's like, really panicking. He's like, dude, he's like, why don't you back it up? And I'm like, dude, I'm not backing up the car. I want to film you backing it up. And I want to try to, like, tell the story here. And so he gets in, he starts backing it up. You can go look at. Watch the story, and you'll see the driver, he's kind of got like, I think a ponytail, and he starts pulling it back up. And so I'm like, okay. I tell my receptionist, I'm like, okay, grab the camera and. And just follow me. I'm going to essentially walk out and say, we just got a 1 of 40 in the world, and it's about to be right here outside. Can you guess what it is? And I kind of blow out the door, I walk out, and then she kind of follows me. And the gate is already open, and he's backing up the car, and I'm like, this is the Lamborghini Centenario. And he just slowly starts backing that thing up. And I'm just starting to talk about the car, what it is, how special it is. And I'm just trying to build the. I'm like, edifying this car as much as I can because, number one, it's the coolest thing I've ever seen. And it was just a huge deal at the moment. So he pulls out the car. He essentially gets it all the way down. And I start walking around. My camera guy's following me, and I'm just talking about the car, trying to sell it in a way, but it's not, like, pushy, but also just trying to show all the angles. And then I finally, like, end the video. I post it, like, within 30 minutes. And then I get a call, like, in three hours. And this guy is like, hey, I want that car. I was like. I was like, okay, how do you want to buy? And he's like, I want to buy for this much money out the door. And I was like, dude, I can't do that price. He's like, why not? I was like, no, that's going to be like a hundred thousand dollars off because tax auto license, I can't make that deal work. I'm so sorry. He said, okay, what about. He raises the price 100 grand over my asking price. And I'm like, okay. And he says, but, Montana? I'm like, okay. So you went. You raised yourself 100 grand to cover for what I thought was going to be the taxes, but in the city of or the state of Montana where he was registering and I guess where he lives, he's not going to have to pay tax on that car. So he raised himself 100g. So I'm like, oh, crap. Like, boss is going to be excited about this. But then I'm like, wait, is this real? So I'm like, okay, well, who are you? And he's like, man, I've been following your social media for X amount of time, and I have this car, this car, this car. I'm like, okay, this guy sounds pretty legit. So I'm like, normally I don't just take cars off the market unless I have a massive deposit or this or that. And there was already kind of closing time, so there's nothing really I could do. And he said, do not sell that car. I want the car. He said, on Monday, let's do the deal. So this was Saturday. And I'm like, let me call the boss, see if I can essentially take it off the market till Monday. And I call the boss. He's like, dude, he's like, we can't pull that car off unless this guy is super serious. What if someone else calls and they want to buy the car? I'm like, you're right. So the guy said, just get an agreement, see if he can sign some type of docusign. And I think I ended up sending him some offer and this and that. And then that night ends. So then Sunday morning, I'm calling the guy and he's like, oh, wait, wait. Back to. I didn't even tell you about the other deal. So I had a second guy call in same night, and he's like, dude, I want the car. Another follower on my Instagram. And I'm like, dude, man, the car is kind of sold. He's like, what the heck? Why didn't you call me? I told you, I like cars like that. I only buy stuff like that. And I'm like, dude, I'm like, crap. Because I kind of knew who this guy was, but I didn't know the first guy who called in the other guy. I know, he is totally about it. He's got every supercar in the book. He could pay cash for the car, make it work. And I'm like, crap. I'm like, dude, I feel so bad because I should have called this guy first, number one, right away. But I accepted this other guy's deal. I said, hold the phone. I said, let me talk to the first guy, and see how serious he is. So the guy's like, please, please get me that car. The second guy. And then he's a big guy out of California. He's a lawyer. And so the first guy. Now I'm trying to, like, figure out, is this real? Because I don't want to screw this other guy off. And then he's like, you know what? Screw you. You should have sold me the car. I'm gonna go try to find another one, because I'm like, dude, we have $3 million almost on the line here, so I've got to make a really important decision right now. So I called the. The first guy back. He wasn't answering. Wasn't answering. I was answering all night on Saturday. And then Sunday rolls around. He calls me. He's like, dude. He's like, what would you do if somebody offered you that same centenario but not for almost 3 million? This one's gonna be 2 million. And it's a coupe. It's not a roadster. It doesn't have a top or it has a top, and it's full black, full carbon, whatever. And I'm like, what? I was like, what are you talking about? He's like, so and so found out that I was about to buy your car. And then they called their buddy, who's also selling a car, and his is, like, way lower than yours almost. It's about $2 million. And I was like, you know what? I'm thinking about my second customer. In my head, I'm like, you know what? Sounds like you're not fully sold here. So I was like, here's what I would do. I said, just go think about it. You don't have to commit to my car right now. Just take some time and just figure out what you want to do. Because I said, that other car sounds like a really great deal. I said, man, if I were you, I might buy that other car, because I'm trying to push him off of my car to get the other guy on the car. And he's like, you know what? I appreciate that. I respect that. I might just buy the other car. So I get excited, and I start calling the other guy after I just told this guy, hey, dude, off the car. Go. And I start trying to call my other guy, and he's not answering. And he's not answering all of Sunday. I'm like, dude. I was like, did I just blow it? Did I just blow a $3 million deal telling a buyer who I had in my hand? He was Like, I'll buy your car if he told me to buy it, or I'll buy this other one. So I kind of shoot him off. Hey, buy the other one, because I want to sell the car to this guy from California who I knew. And he just wasn't answering. Wasn't answering. So then my GMs like, hey, dude, what's going on with the first guy? Dude, he's gone. He's like, what do you mean he's gone? I'm like, dude, I couldn't even tell him the whole story, but I was like, he's out. He's like, what happened? He said, another way lower expense, like, car, about a million dollars, almost less than ours popped in. And he had the option to buy this or buy that, and he was really leaning towards that. So I said, hey, dude, take your time. Just do your thing. But I said, hey, don't worry. I got a backup guy. He's over here. And he's like, what's he doing? I was like, oh, he's not answering right now. He's like, well, crap. How do you know you have a deal? So I'm like, I'm stressed out here. I'm like, dude, you're right. So then finally, the guy calls me Monday morning, and he's like, sorry, I was in this state doing this. I was in Vegas, whatever, having fun. I left my phone back. I didn't want to have it on me and lose it. So he was like. I was like, you still want the car? He's like, dude, I want the car. He's like, I'm serious. And I'm like, oh, cool, this is legit. So then he's like, I'll wire you, like, half a million now, and then the other money, I'll wire it later. And then we start kind of going down this path of buying the car. But then the money situation turns into, like, a couple weeks of, like, moving money around. And then we're like, crap. He was like, dude, it's going to take a little bit longer because that is a lot of money. I've got to sell this or sell this, remove that from this bank account. And he's like, should I finance it? Should I lease it? And I'm like, dude, I thought we were paying cash. And he's like, man, I might want to lease it. I might want to pay cash. So we ended up going down all these different avenues. He ultimately bought the car, but he had to move a lot of money around over, like, a period of whatever, a couple of Weeks and ended up buying the car at the price, solidified the deal. But, man, I almost lost that deal. And it was like the scariest moment of my life because we had already bought the car off of the owner who was consigning it with us. So now the car was like one of the most expensive cars in the country at the time that we didn't own. The other guy, the guy who brought the car to us, was consigning it with us until I told my GM like, hey, dude, I got a buyer. He's about to wire half a million dollars. We're good to go. And then the original guy who was selling the car to us did indeed sell us the car. We paid him out. So now he's off the chain, he's running on the wind. I mean, he just made a lot of money on that car. And now we're stuck with the car and we're trying to get this deal done and bought. But as the money is getting moved around, we are playing floor plan interest on this car every single day because that's how dealerships work. And every day like they're asking us, hey, what's going on? What's going on? What's going on? I'm like, oh, dude, we're moving money around this and that. So it kind of, as he was moving money around the dealership and the ownership of our store was kind of panicking because they're like, dude, what if this guy just walks away from this deal because someone else offers him a car? And then now we're stuck with this car that we don't know if we're going to be able to sell this thing. So I'm like, dude, you're right. So now I'm calling the guy every day and obviously he's so busy because he's, he's a big time guy and sometimes he couldn't even answer the phone because he is in, he's in the courtroom battling cases. And I would be like, my owner or whatever would call and be like, hey, what's going on? Like, dude, he's not answering. What do you mean he's not answering? Dude, he's not answering. I'm thinking maybe he's walking away from the deal, but truth is, he was just busy working because that's what he's doing. So that's probably one of the craziest stories in the car business that I've ever dealt with is just getting that deal over the hump, which, I mean, the car essentially sold in the first Day, two days. But it took time to get like the final like cashed in, signed all the docs, done. And that was like a very stressful part, but probably one of the coolest cells ever because the guy is super cool, the car was super cool, and I'll remember that story for the rest of my life.
[83:47]
B
That's so good, dude. That's awesome. I love that.
[83:50]
A
It was a freaky story, man.
[83:52]
B
No, it's, it's when you're like trying to sell, sell anything. It's my wife and I like, dude, if we sell a 50 thing or 50, $50,000 thing, we still like do a little like family happy dance, you know, like we're making sales, you know, like we're, we're excited. And so I, I, I can't say I've had, you know, $6 million worth of commitments on the other end of the phone, but that's, that's a pretty, that's a pretty wild story.
[84:17]
A
It was keeping me up and I did. I have gray hair in my beard now, I think from that one cell. And it was just like every day I'm like, crap. Cause you, in sales, you always think it's not a deal until like in my situation, I see tail lights either on a truck or leaving with a person 100%. Since it wasn't fully solidified, I couldn't sleep because now everyone's like, high five me. Congrats, dude, on selling the car. Congrats. And like in my head I'm smiling, but internally I'm like losing my like, dude, it's not done yet. I'm like, crap.
[84:47]
B
No, I, I, I, I, we said the same thing. Sometimes in sales they say like when you, when you make a sale and you're leaving like the client, you have to like do like two turns, you know, two turns out the drive and then you get the high five and like, dude, we got it, we crushed it. But like, until then, dude, it's Cool Hand Luke. You know, like, you can't, you can't play like, you know, all excited, you know, like, oh, this happens every day, you know, so, so I know that exact feeling that you're talking about. You're like, let's not count our chickens before they hatch.
[85:17]
A
Yeah. Because in cells and number of situations we, Especially when I'm younger and more novice than my sales journey, I had counted my chickens before they hatch. Like you think someone's buying a car on Saturday and then come Monday so and so happened at the house and they can't buy the 200, $300,000 Porsche anymore or the Lamborghini off of one weekend of just a conversation with the wife or whatever. After they committed, they signed paperwork. They said, hey, I'm going to wire all the money on Monday. And then Monday comes around after you just went and partied all weekend, spent all the money before you even got paid. And they're like, dude, hey, so, you know, the deal over the week, man, I don't think I'm going to be able to do it. We. I forgot. We're. We're building a house right now. And so, and so said we can't technically finance or spend any cash right now until this is done. And I'm like, well, like, we have a couple days or a couple weeks. Ah, now we're like four months out. I'm like, oh, dude.
[86:19]
B
Oh.
[86:20]
A
At that point, I'm not going to be an a hole. And like, say, dude, you got to buy this car. I'm like, you got to respect them and say, you know what, I get it. I say, I really, I appreciate you spending the time trying to make that commitment with me, but obviously I don't want you to lose that deal with the house, so just move forward with it. But internally, I'm like, oh, they always come around. They come back. As long as you're, like, gentle on the way out. Because sometimes, you know, like, there's no way this is going to go through. So there's no amount of pressure that's going to make the deal done or happen. So you just be gentle with them because if you're easy enough on them, they will come back. And they always do it. Just sometimes it takes a few months.
[86:58]
B
Especially at that level, you know, when you're moving big ticket items like that, I would imagine you have to be like you said, so salvage that relationship and, you know, think long term. Right? But my, my way, the not. Not my proudest moment. But along the way, man, when I would lose a sale or, or miss mess up on something, bad day, bad day to be drywall around me, you know, Like, I would just punch a hole in the wall. And my wife, she's like, what's up, dude? I'm like, this is bull crap, you know? And as we started, like, moving into nicer apartments and then built our nicer home, I'm like, yeah, I can't. I can't punch the walls here. Like, that would not work out very well. You know, like, these walls would cost me thousands of dollars to fix. Back in our halfway housing, you know, we were just bondo stuck on that called, you know, but, but I'm like, what do you mean you went with somebody else? Or what do you mean you found a, a guy that does it a little bit cheaper, you know, in our background. So folks, if, if, if you've lost a sale, Alex has lost a sale, I've lost the sale. We've all been there. It's fun hearing these stories because there's so many parallel paths.
[88:09]
C
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[88:57]
A
The first few times I would, it would just take over me. I would ruin my whole weekend or my whole week and your next cell or your next cell or whatever after that. It will be affected if you're showing any type of emotion because sometimes you lose a cell in the morning and you've got two or three potential cells the rest of the day. But if you're like, if it's riding on you and it's sitting on your face and people can feel it, then it's gonna affect your next cells going forward. So I learned like, dude, try to internalize it, hold it in as much as you can. Which probably isn't the best thing because it could cause a lot of stress. But at the end of the day, I would just try to be like, you know what? I'm still alive, I'm still healthy, I still got money coming in, there's going to be more money coming in. And I would try to look at the bigger picture. I'm mostly a positive guy, so I probably can't name one day where I really lost my mind. I would just be more depressed and mad at myself, but I would always try to be positive about it because at the end of the day, I still think that there's a God up there watching me and kind of watching how I'm reacting to this. So I'm like, you know what? I'm going to Just try to smile about it, laugh about it, move forward as best as I can so that it doesn't affect my next sales going forward. And sometimes I had this one deal where this lady came in and she didn't look like she was like the richest person in the city, obviously, she looked like a normal country lady. Came in with this kid and they were just all hopped up, real excited, hey, what's going on? She had two kids with her and she was like, I just came into a lot of money and I just want to buy some Lamborghinis. And I was like, okay, cool, cool, cool. What are you thinking? I was like, here's, here's this, here's this, here's this. Oh, man, I love that car right there. What is that red one? I'm like, oh, this is this car? And she was like, man, I love that car. Her boy was probably 15 or 16 or 17 years old. She's like, do you like that one? He's like, I like that one, Mom. She's like, can you sit in it? And I was like, yeah, yeah, let me go get the key. So I go open the car, she sits in it, turn it on. And he's revving it. 16 year old kid revving a Lambo in the showroom. And everyone's looking at me like, what's this guy doing? And these people, obviously, they don't look super rich. They're like, dude, what are you doing, like, with this kid in the car? And she's like, we'll take it. And I was like, okay. I was like, all right, all right. She's like, what about for me? Because I want a car. And then she was like, what about that car? The purple one over there? I was like, that's a Revelto. That's an incredible car. Thousand horsepower, zero to 60 in this. She's like, how much is it? I was like, that car is like 715,000. She's like, oh, that's not bad at all. I thought it was a million dollars. And I was like, no, no, it's not a million. It's only 700. Can I sit in that one? I was like, yeah. So I'm all jazzed up. Go grab the keys, turn on the car. And she was just like revving the engine. Oh, I love this car. Take a picture of me. And I do a video. And she's like, I'm definitely buying this one. So I'm like, all right, Cha ching, two cells. And then she was like, what about you? And then she had another boy with him. And she was like, you know what? She's like, what do you want? He's like, I don't know. I really like this car over here. And it was like an Aventador, a yellow one. She's like, well, how much is that car as? That one's like 500,000. She's like, that's not a million. I'm like, no, no, no. This was only 500 grand. She's like, man, I really like that one, too. Can we turn that one on? And we turned it on. Revving the car also. And now the GMs, like, stepping out, like, dude, why are you turning on all these cars for these people? And they're all revving the hell out of them like they've never revved a car before. And they're. I'm like, dude, I got a sell over here, a big one. I'm like, dude, don't worry. Just go back in your office. I got this. I'm going to sell all these cars, like the whole showroom. So she's like, okay, we're taking the yellow one, too. She's like, you know what? We need a family suv, because I got a mom, and she's kind of sick, and I got to take her to and from hospitals and this and that. So I'm like, you know what? This urus is perfect. And she sits in it, and I show her a couple. She's like, you have any other colors? Showed her some other colors. She's like, you know what? I think we're going to take this red one right here. I was like, oh, perfect. So I'm like, all right, I've got, like, four cells down. So we go walking around the back to the next showroom. She sees another one. She's like, oh, man, I really like that one. I kind of want to just have an extra car in case a family member comes by and they want to drive one with us and we can all go on a rally. I was like, man, that's a great idea. She's like, how about you do this? She said, draw the paperwork for all five of them and give me wiring instructions right now and make me a deal on each and individual one of them. So I go into my office for about 30 minutes, and I'm crossing, cranking all this out. I'm. I'm on a super high right now and getting them all ready. I'm penciling them all up, and I get them all ready. I pull them in the office. I'm like, okay. Here's this car price. Here's this car price. Is this car price. And she's like, okay, perfect. What's my total out the door that I can just wire you cash. I was like, okay, it's going to be this number right here. Just wire it right here. And I was already closing time, so the banks had already closed. She's like on the phone, and the banker's not answered. My banker's not answering. My banker's not answering. She's like, okay. She's like, give me till Monday and I'm going to figure this out because I want all five. She's like, can you get them all tinted too before Monday? And I'm like, you know what? I'll start working on the tinting. I'll start scheduling it. She's like, I don't want any of them driven. I want them trailered to the tent shop and to my house. I was like, where do you live? She gave me the address. And I was like, okay, let's rock and roll Monday. And all weekend, I'm celebrating. I'm like high fiving, having fun. Biggest sales record in my life in one day, just over a weekend. And I'm just like, man, I just sold millions of dollars worth of cars. I should make X amount. So in my head, I'm kind of counting my chickens. Monday rolls around, she's not answering, not answering, not answering, not answering. Tuesday rolls around, not answering, not answering, not answering. Dude, what's going on? I'm really like, I called the tent guy. He's expecting five cars on a truck, and I'm not going to take them until I have, like, some kind of phone call. Wednesday rolls around, no answers all day long. And my jam's like, dude, I don't think that's a real sell. I'm like, dude, no, no, it's legit. She just want a lot of money. And in my head, I don't want it to be fake. So I'm like. She calls me Thursday. She's like, dude, I'm so sorry. Something happened with mom. We've been in the hospital. Also, my banker said it's tough to move that much money around. She's like, just give me another couple of days. I'm trying to pull it out of our trust. And I'm like, okay, good. Cell's still on. So we keep waiting. Friday comes around, no answer. No answer on Saturday. Monday rolls around again. I call her, call her, call her. No answer till about midday. She calls me back. Hey, Alex. So sorry. Been Busy with mom, this and that. She's kind of in the hospital again. But the banker's telling me that he doesn't really want me to spend all this money on five cars. And I was like, well, okay, well, what can he buy? 4, 3? She's like, man, I don't know. She's like, give me a little time because this is my money and I do what I want with my money. So I was like, she's like, I'm going to buy five cars. You know what? Screw him. This is not his money. It's mine. So now I'm back on my high. I'm like, okay, good. She's. She's in it. So then Monday rolls around, no answer. She doesn't answer for a whole week straight again. And I never hear from her again. No, dude, never heard from her again. Six months go by, her and her son and a friend of hers and another son, they roll into the dealership and I see him and I'm like, I'm dealing with another car. Like, dude, where y' all been? I was like, she's like, y' all have all my five cars. And I'm like, dude, I sold all of them. And she's like, well, what do you got right now? She's like, we're ready to buy this weekend. And I'm like, ah. I was like, am I gonna do this again? Yeah. So I'm like. I was like, you know what? I was like, what do you want? She's like, I want that Bentley in this car and this car. And oh, that car looks just like the purple. She's like, get me sales or work orders. I'm do it this time. I have control on my money. I'm going to make it happen. So again, being the dumb guy that I am, I go and write up five car sales and give her the papers. She's with some friend. And she's like, I'm going to buy my friend a car too. She's like, which one do you want? And so here comes the six car work. Six work orders again. And my gym's like, dude, are we doing this again? And she's like, I want to put those all on hold. She's like, put hold signs. Put sold signs on them. So I'm like, okay, so I just go put sold signs on all the cars, and there's other customers in the showroom. Like, they were like, well, I was looking at that car and I'm like, I'm sorry, she's buying it and then she leaves and as soon as she leaves, I just go take all the sold signs off because I'm like, dude, this is not real. The customers are like, what was that? I was like, she does this. I don't know if she's showing off or trying to, whatever, But I was like, it's not real. And never heard from her again. Still to this day.
[97:43]
B
That's the stuff that would drive me. Ludicrous, brother. Like, that would drive me like, we're doing quotes with our sites, and, you know, I'm like, I just send the quote. I don't even care. Like, we, like. Like, just give them the, you know what number. And sometimes you get it, sometimes you don't. You know, some people just like messing with us in sales, you know, and they're just like. They know that we're hungry for it and we're aggressive. And some of us, like you said, we're maybe still dumb, you know, Myself, you know, along the way, I'm like, yeah, no, it's a shoe in, dude. And a friend who appears like, oh, that one's not gonna buy. But I'm just. I'm green, you know, I'm still a sucker, you know, for a sale, so I'll make the effort.
[98:23]
A
You know, the funny thing is, I'd say at least once a month, somebody comes in and does that. They'll. They'll come in, they'll look at a car, we'll drive it, we'll negotiate on price, and they'll say, you know, I'm ready to go. I'm going to wire all the money on Monday. It always happens on a Saturday, and they're with their girlfriend or whatever it is. And then Monday rolls around, no answer all week, no answer, no answer, no. Never hear from them again. And I was just like, why do people do that? Like, they come in, they waste your time, they get you all jazzed up. I'm paying full cash. They negotiate with you. You spend like a couple hours with them.
[98:57]
B
Oh, sure.
[98:58]
A
Never hear from them again. I just started to kind of. I just said, you know what? It's. Maybe it's good practice for me. So I just laugh about it. I don't take every deal serious until those lights are on the road. So, yeah, in the past, when I was younger, I would get all jazzed up, like, oh, I got another cell. I got another cell. And I would count it. But I'm like, you know what? I don't count it until I'm paid. And I don't try to get emotional about it until I'm paid. Once I'm paid, I'll high five everybody. I'm like, ah, cool. And then I just keep moving to the next cell. But it's pretty funny how people do that in this business, especially on this level of car. They come in and they, they essentially talk you up. Like they're this big person and, and they're just the, the fakest thing in the world. It's not even a real deal.
[99:43]
B
That's crazy. I'm sure I was going to ask about that. I'm sure you get some, some of the craziest, you know, like folks, backgrounds. Like, you know, one guy you wouldn't know, he's a billionaire, and the next guy looks like or tells you, you know, how, how awesome he is. And he's worth about $80, you know.
[99:58]
A
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's. It's normally the people who are telling you how awesome they are, the ones that like, don't end up ever doing business. It's the guys who don't ever say anything about, like, their personal stuff. You just can kind of feel the vibe where they're the ones who pay cash. They wire the money because there are some deals that get agreed on Saturday and then they wire money on Monday. It still happens all the time. But then there's like the fake ones out there that they, they tell you, they build this whole story about them. And I'm like, you know what? You're building too much of a story. So I can kind of suspect it now. I did. You've already sold me way too much on who you are and why you're going to buy that. I don't really feel like this is real anymore. I don't change my approach. I'm not rude to him. I still continue on with 10 out of 10 service.
[100:42]
B
Sure.
[100:43]
A
But I don't get as emotional about it. I don't count the cell in my head. I just say, you know, we're just here practicing. We're having fun. Maybe they're a mystery shopper, but I look at it like that.
[100:53]
B
Yeah. And that's the approach you got to have. You got to. Even if you, like you said, you mail it in because you just didn't make that sale that, that morning. You can't go into your next sales appointment saying it's not like you're going to buy either anyway, you know, like, that's, that's a horrible approach, you know? So, yeah, you got, you gotta. It's. It's easier to say, tougher to do Right. For, for all of us. No, no, no. Different. Especially if you have a, you know, a rougher customer situation or somebody's mad or upset or you got to fix something. Like that's real. So we've all, we've all experienced that. So this is, this is a good brother. Do you, by the way, like, last question I have for you amongst 100 I could ask you, but do you, do you have a dream car that you're looking for? Like how, like, you know, to go full circle on this whole conversation. You're selling them all day, but you want.
[101:46]
A
The cool thing about working in Lamborghini is they always let you have these, these cars to drive and these demos. So I've been able to, in my situation, drive every car I've ever dreamed of. And it's pretty cool being able to do that and not have to pay for it like up front. So I'll tell you the reality of the situation is I'm not as hungry to get that car as I once was because I've experienced all of them over and over again, night after night, weekend after weekend. And for me, it's sad in a way that I don't have like that same desire that I did when I was like, not selling these cars. Because when you're not selling them, all you can think about is the car. And then you finally get the car, you drive the car, you be around the car, your wife gets in the car, you'll go to dinner, do this and that, and it just, it starts to become such a normal thing for you that I kind of lost that drive to go and get like that super crazy dream car because I'm just in them every single day. Like on the weekends. People are like, hey, let's go this car show or this car show. I'm like, dude, I just kind of want to go hang out and chill with my wife and my dog and not do anything. And they're like, oh, you don't want to go look at cars? I'm like, man, I'm looking at cars all week and I'm selling them and I'm in them and like, this is my whole life. So it becomes like one of those things where I guess you're around it so much that it's just not as desirable. Like, man, I used to have these. This was probably before I ever even sold these high end cars. And I was probably selling Hondas. I would have these. Have you ever heard of a lucid dream? I would have, I would have these lucid dreams. Because I was desired to drive these cars so much or I would be in the dream and I'd control it. And every time I was in control of the dream, the first thing I'm doing is I'm like going over to the Lambo store and I would walk into this dealership in the dream and there was no one in there. And I would go and grab keys off the wall and go start like the events door and then I would just drive it right out of the parking lot and I would just go drive the car in the dream forever. And that would, that was, that dream happened over and over and over almost every single night. I was having these lucid dreams of driving these Lamborghinis. And then a few years later, now I'm like in them and I'm driving them and I'm having fun. And it's like, it's kind of a full circle thing for me where I used to dream about driving them and now I am driving them every day. And my, my dreams essentially have come true in a way that I don't even have to own the car because I like, I get to pick any car I want and I'll be like, I'll drive the Revelto one day or the Tamara or the Huracan or the Aventador or the svj. And it's just such a normal thing for me. I think I'll still end up buying like my ultimate dream car is probably still going to be maybe like an Aventador Roadster. It's such a hardcore car. It's not as refined as like the new Revoltos. I think my ultimate dream car will be a Revolto, but man, that's like 800,000 bucks. So that I'm definitely, well, far from that right now. Way far out. I think the Aventador is a little bit closer. It's probably in like the 400k range for the one I want. So that, that would probably be. If I'm going to get my dream car, it's going to be that car because it's just the car I've always dreamed about. So I think at the end of the day it's going to be an Aventador Roadster. Maybe an S. If I can get an S, that'd be.
[105:16]
B
I love it. I had to ask because, you know, it's funny you say that that's a whole nother probably podcast for a whole other time, but I've asked a couple of my friends of mine that are exceedingly wealthy. I've just Able to befriend the last couple of years. And, you know, it's funny, like, the. The whole goal, your whole life is to, like, get the stuff. And then eventually, once you can get the stuff, or even when you get the stuff, like, nobody cares about the stuff.
[105:41]
A
Yeah.
[105:42]
B
And then you realize, like you said earlier and at the top of the hour, like, the. The pursuit of that goal and, like, who you were becoming along the way and the people you were helping is, like, that much more rewarding than the stupid stuff or the car.
[105:58]
A
True.
[105:59]
B
And. And. And it's funny. I've, like, experienced that a little bit on a smaller level. Like, I have a couple of watches that I procured along the way. I definitely had a materialistic phase of my life a couple years ago and spent some money. Rightfully so.
[106:14]
A
Yeah.
[106:15]
B
And I'll tell you what, like, dude, a couple years later, like, I don't even. I don't even wear them. I haven't worn some of them in years, which sounds absurd. Absurd to, you know, me of 10 or 20 years ago, which. That's all I thought. And in fact, I remember, like, being able to afford a certain watch, same one that you have on. And I told my wife, I'm like, I don't even want it anymore. She goes, we're in Chicago at the store, at the boutique. And she goes, that's. She's like, you, like, younger. You, like, like, sold out to get this thing. Like, you owe it to a younger you to. To get. To get that thing. Like, don't. Like, that's what you. That's why you work so hard.
[106:54]
A
Yeah.
[106:55]
B
And I was like. I was like, you're right. Like I said. But I'd rather, you know, she's like, just buy it. She was like, you've done it. You deserve it. Like, this is what you've been working hard for. And so I did, ironically enough, like, reluctantly, if that makes any sense.
[107:10]
A
Yeah. Makes so much sense.
[107:12]
B
Yeah. And it's like, the same thing. Like, I've asked some of my friends. I'm like, what about this car? What about that car? What about the jet? Like, nah. And I'm like, what do you mean, math? You know, I'm like, that's the goal. And they're like, nah. And in a weird way, I can relate. In a weird way, I'm still. All right, well, I'm still here for the car, you know, so. So I don't know. It's a fun, weird dynamic with all that, man.
[107:37]
A
It is, man. And I don't want to, like, boo everybody's dreams like that with my own story, because I'm just in a situation. I'm lucky enough to, like, drive these dream cars every single day, and it's just become so normal for me that they're like, dude, what are you putting away for right now? What's your next big car? And I'm like, dude, I get to drive these dream cars every day, and I'm not, like, completely seeking them out like I was anymore. When you're. When you're on the journey to that stupid, crazy car, that goal, you start changing as a person little by little along the way. And then your perspective changes and different things become important to you more. So, like now your wife and your kids are probably the most important thing ever in your life, more than you ever would have dreamed of. Twenty years ago, you would have never thought, like, you cared more for these people than, like, that cool car. But now, like, the only thing you can think about is you want to take care of your wife and your kids and put an incredible house over their head and build an amazing business. And little by little, little by little, as we get older, I think we start to realize how important relationships and people are. And that's why the older you get, the more respectful you become to others, because you just realize that we're all human beings here and we're all emotionally charged, and the more people you help, the more gratifying it is, and you start to realize, you know what? Like, maybe this is just all about the people. And that's when you really make the big switch in your business. When a business goes from good to great is when it switches from just taking care of business to taking care of people. And I think us as humans will only get better at that. If we go into business for ourselves and we start helping other people, it really becomes who you are. And, like, at the end of the day, when you're sitting there on your deathbed, the last thing you're going to want is, like, all your possessions in the room. The only thing that's going to matter is the people who care and the people who you love. And that's just. That's what it's all about, man. At the end of the day, I know there's a lot of people who are probably going to watch this video who do have the hopes and dreams and aspirations of having the house and the car and all these things, but I'll tell you, one day, you're going to come to the realization that the most Important thing in your life are your relationships.
[109:56]
B
Yeah, yeah. No, dude, I couldn't, I couldn't say it any better. And what a, what a powerful way to end a fun conversation and show like this. I'm with you 100. And I, and I. And I've realized that along the way and I, and I'm still realizing that every single day, you know, and that's the fun part about maturing through this whole process of, as I've come to find it, you know, through entrepreneurship, but for a lot of us along the way, just growing up in life, as I call it. So that's awesome.
[110:24]
A
But you know what? At the same time, I don't want to poo poo any dreams because I'll tell you this, we only really have one life to live and that's it. The days are going by faster and faster as you get older. So if you haven't gotten that dream car yet or you haven't gotten that dream house or that dream watch, I would say go get it. And go get it as soon as you can. Because the sooner you'll get it, the happier you'll be at the time. And then you'll realize right away, like, man, I hit this goal and you're always looking for the next best thing. So I would still say hit those goals, get those products, enjoy yourself. Because one day you are going to be in an age where the money is not coming in like it used to and you're going to be just too old to sit into that low car. So I'd say if you have the money and the resources and the time to do it, do it. Because one day we're going to move on to this next life and we're going to wish we did more stuff. You're going to wish you went on more vacations. You're going to, you're going to wish you bought more supercars. So, like, there's this nice balance where you talk to me. And I'm always going to try to hit the core of like, why are you doing this? It's because that one time you did have that dream of owning that supercar. So I'd say if you don't have the ability to drive supercars every single day like me, then you got to go get one. Because the second you go get one, it's going to change your whole perspective. Because now every day that you get up that supercars in the garage and you can go drive it anytime you want, and when you do drive it, it makes you feel good. And you go to those cars and coffee and you feel good and you talk to people, and it opens up relationships and it opens up doors to places you'd never even dream of by getting that supercar. So if you can work into getting that car, it's going to take time, it's going to take resources. You're going to have to work your off to get it. And in doing that, in chasing that goal, you're going to get so much more in wealth and relationships and connections and all this stuff, because you had that one goal in mind. So I would say don't take your eye off the ball. If you want that supercar or that dream car, go get it. Make it happen. Because you never know how many days you got left. What if I told you right now you only had three summers left? You know, your whole life would change if you figured out, you know, what. What if you only had three summers and three Christmases left and three spring breaks left? Or what if you only had 10 summers left? Wouldn't every summer be way more important than it is now? Because a lot of us, we're living every day in our lives and life happens. So we envision ourselves getting into our 80s and our 90s, or maybe some of us lucky to be 100, but we don't really know if those years are going to come. So I think we've got to take every day and enjoy it as much as we can and enjoy the people around us, but at the same time, be a little risky. Go out and buy that crazy car as soon as you can, because the longer we wait and the more you push off your dream, the less fun it's going to be when you finally get there. Because I've got guys who are 70, 80 years old who do come and finally buy that Lamborghini, and they sit in the car and they cry because they feel like they should have did this 20 or 30 years ago. And now life is around the corner, it's about to end soon. And they're just sitting there crying, and they're with their wife and they're all crying because they're like, dude, we had the money to do this years ago, but life got so busy and I pushed off my goals and my dreams to the very end. And now I only have a few years left to enjoy it. Or they have cancer now and they're literally six months away from death and they're finally buying their car and they're like, dude, say if you can tell any young person to get their car when they're younger, do it, because they say, if I can go back, some of the people I've talked to said they would give everything that they have up to be 30 years again, 40 years old again, 50 years old again. Some of these guys who are 70 years old would give everything just to get 10 years back. So time is so precious and it's so valuable. That's the biggest thing I've learned from all my customers is time is such a valuable commodity that you don't want to disrespect it and you want to enjoy it every single day. So just be advantageous. Get crazy. Go get that supercar. Go get the dream house. And sometimes you're going to fall on your face. But that's just life, man. That's the way that this whole thing works. As we get older, we're going to experience stuff and we. We're going to learn from our experience, we're going to learn from our failures, and you're only going to get better. And then one day you're going to write a book about it. Because the guy who writes a book when he's 70 or 80 years old, he has so much life experience that you can read about in a week. And somebody's going to read your book one day, and it's going to take him one week to read it. But there's so much information in those books. So that's why books are so powerful, because it took somebody a lifetime to get that knowledge and a lifetime of experience and that you can learn sometimes in one night if you read it fast enough.
[115:21]
B
So good, dude. So good. So on that note, here's my credit card. No, I'm just kidding. But. And it's going to happen sooner than later. And, you know, listen, every one of you guys listening in, the job's not done yet. I'm definitely going to make sure that dream and goal comes to be. I've told my guys, my guys know, I'm excited to get that and let them, you know, take it out and have some fun with it and share. Share that dream and that goal. And obviously, if I'm doing that, my guys are, you know, eating good, too, you know, at that point. And that's. That's the goal. Like, a rising tide raises all boats, you know. So, folks, I, I hope you enjoy the show that I, I, you know, honestly, I only really asked Alex for like a half an hour. I'm like, hey, I don't want to be a bother, you know, I know you're selling Centenarios, you know, for crazy commission. But I, you know, if you could take some time for little low loss on the podcast, we would appreciate it. And here we are probably almost two hours deep, which is absolutely crazy.
[116:18]
A
So, man, I really. I respect the time that you guys have given us and the time you've given me. I'm glad I finally got to do this because I get requests all the time to do stuff like this, and I'm always so busy in my life and I'm working and I'm moving and I'm hustling that I forget to slow down sometimes and just, like, recollect and talk about it and explain it and go over it, because this is so important, to be able to, like, capture this moment and look back in time. Because then 10 or 15 years from now, we're going to look back on this video or this podcast or whatever, and we're going to say, man, remember when we were at that point and we were dreaming about these cars and we're dreaming about one day, and then you're going to look back and you are going to have three Lamborghinis in the garage and your wife's going to have one, too, and you're like, dude, I wish I can go back and start all over from the time that I didn't have any of these cars. It's. You're gonna just wish so right now and the spot you're at and the journey to the top. Enjoy it, because you won't get this. This chance ever again.
[117:22]
B
Dude, I love it. I love it. So good. So good. I. In Funny Story, like, I know just pitching and catching with you here on the show today, you and I can go for another two hours. So it's for sure.
[117:33]
D
This is.
[117:34]
B
This is a good conversation, brother. Well, let me. Let me do this. I. I just want to sincerely say, like, dude, I feel like I made a new friend today. Like, this is awesome. I definitely have my guy, you know, quote unquote, like, I'm ready to rock and roll, so just give me a little bit of time. Got to get my ducks in a row, but you can count this one on the board in another, you know, year or two or whatever it's going to be. I got you.
[117:55]
A
But there's no. There's no rush to get the car. Yeah, you get it on your own time because everybody's on their own timeline.
[118:02]
B
Amen. Amen. Well, it's. It's. Look, if you guys have ever seen my Instagram stories where I pan my Dream board. To the, to the left of my desk, I've got the Temario, you know, in the, the red. I think everybody sent you photos of it, speced it out a little bit and, and I think that's just like every red blooded male out there who's not going on, you know, your Ford or Chevy, building out your dream truck. Know every night who's not going to Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche every night and building out those specs. Bleed my eyes out on estimates and quotes and invoices for the business and I'm like, dude, I gotta veg out for 20 minutes. Let's go, let's go build a Lamborghini tonight. Yeah, I, I've done that for 20 years and, and I'm sure as soon as I scoop up my dream car, whenever that might be, I'll b my eyes out like, like everybody else because it's just, it's such a fun, like you said, culmination of 20, 25 years, whatever it is for, for, for that story of, of just putting in the work, you know, so. It's good, man, it's good.
[119:02]
A
I agree, man. It, the longer it takes you to get there, the sweeter it's going to be because when you finally do hit that goal, man, you're going to be so overcome with emotions and you can't control it because it's just like some of these athletes, you see him finally win their first championship and are crying live on TV and they can't control it. Even if they try to be as manly as they can, they're just balling out because they know that all the blood, sweat and tears it took to get there, it all hits them at once. They're like, dude, this is what it was all about.
[119:30]
B
Amen. Amen. I love it. I love it. You're gonna be all fired up, dude. And it's getting late, so this is fun. Well, if, if folks want to follow along, if, if they need to place their orders out there. Just kidding, but sort of, where can people find you? I know you're all over social media, obviously, but what's your handle so people can give you a follow?
[119:50]
A
So just go on. All my social media handles are Lamborghini Alex. And you'll find me right there. Just type in Lamborghini Alex. It's Lamborghini underscore Alex. It should come up if you just type in Lamborghini Alex. But find me there. My cell phone if you want to reach out. It's 210-726-115, 3. And send me a text, call me, whatever I normally answer. Even if it's 2 or 3am, my customers know that as soon as you're in with me, I'm always going to be a servant for you. Especially while I'm here serving or selling cars. And even if you're just my friend, if you call me at 3am, my wife knows this, I will pick up and I will come pick you up from jail. I say it lightly, but it's true. I tell my customers, they don't realize this when they're buying the car, but at the very end, after they finally signed on the dotted line, I'm like, listen. I said, we're in relationship for life now. I said, whether you buy more cars for me, I don't care. I want to always be there for you. So if you're ever stuck on the side of the road and it's 3am or 4am you're coming home from a family trip, just call me. Because I want to, I want to make sure we get you taken care of. I've got the access and the resources to get you picked up. Or sometimes if you're close enough, I'll come pick you up myself. Because when you're getting into these relationships, they got to know that you're there for them. So I always want to be there for whoever it is who's got my phone number. So if you're just going through a tough time and you just need someone to call or someone to talk to, just call me. Even if you're never going to buy a car for me, I like to connect on a one to one, like a human level. And if I can be there for you, if you're in a bad spot or you just need some type of, some push or some type of motivation, just call me. I really just enjoy people first and foremost. I mean, I would do the job for free because I love cars, but I just love people more than anything.
[121:42]
B
That's awesome. Awesome. Thank you so much, brother. Super cool, very grateful and thankful and thanks for rounding us out on this thousandth episode show. I will probably do a sappy follow up for 1001 with my wife and talk about the journey a little bit along the way. You know, we've done a Monday, Wednesday, Friday show pretty much every week for, gosh, almost six years or whatever it is now. But I want to do something just wildly, totally different. And again, I love getting other great folks on the show with wild stories, crazy backgrounds and. But you know what? Like still Painting that dream, you know, that's. I'm a big. The dream's got to motivate you to get off of it and go on and get it. And I think you did a fantastic job. Way more than I even bargained for today. So great job today, Sharon, brother.
[122:30]
A
No, man. I appreciate the time, guys. And just keep dreaming. Never stop. Because I think the moment you stop dreaming, that's the moment you stop living. And that's when. When everything just goes south. So if you can keep that dream alive, if your dream is bigger than the obstacles in front of you, then nothing will get in front of you. The way I look at it is picture a path and then you picture like a little a brick wall. If that dream is this big and that brick wall is this big, you still have your eye on the dream. You'll just keep pushing right through it. So never stop dreaming. That if I can just convey one message to anybody, never stop dreaming. Chase the dream and get the dream and make it happen. Whatever it takes to get it done, just get it done.
[123:12]
B
Amen. Amen. Awesome. All right, gang, well, that's. We'll butt it up right here tonight. Appreciate all you guys listening in and thank you guys also so much for the support listening to a thousand shows on the Fullerton Unfiltered podcast. So thank you again, guys for all of your support along the way as well. And hopefully you enjoyed not only today's conversation, but the other 999 episodes that we've done today. So. All right, over now, gang. We appreciate you have a great night and look forward to catching up with all you guys here on the next one.
[123:43]
D
Thanks for taking the time to listen to the Fullerton Unfiltered Podcast with Bryan Fullerton. We hope you enjoyed this production. If so, please consider leaving us a five star review for the show. While the techniques and ideas presented here are designed to help you grow a more successful and profitable business, no one can guarantee these results for you. We want to emphasize that entrepreneurship is not easy and the ideas presented here are just the opinions of Brian Fullerton and his respective guests. No one can guarantee success for you. That being said, we hope the idea presented here help you and motivate you to go on out there and crush it with your own business.
[124:17]
C
Fullerton Unfiltered Podcast.
[124:19]
D
Thanks for listening and we hope to see you on the next episode.
[124:23]
C
This has been a Brian Fullerton and Mr. Producer Production.

1000. 🎉 Episode 1000 Special! 🎉

1000. 🎉 Episode 1000 Special! 🎉

Fullerton Unfiltered Podcast – Episode 1000 🎉 Special Guest: “Lamborghini Alex” (Alex Herrera)

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Alex’s Origin Story: From Startups to Supercars

2. Sales Evolution: Matching Sales Styles to Sophisticated Clients

3. Mistakes in Sales & How to Avoid Them

4. Adapting to Modern Customers & Sales Channels

5. From ‘Imposter Syndrome’ to High-Ticket Confidence

6. Sales Mastery: You Build It Over Decades

7. Car Dreams, Emotional Motives & What Luxury Means

8. Wild Stories from the Showroom

9. On Materialism, Maturity, and What Really Matters

10. Parting Wisdom: Dream Bold, Don’t Delay

Memorable Quotes & Moments

Notable Timestamps for Key Segments

Follow & Connect

Key Takeaways

Closing Wisdom

Fullerton Unfiltered Podcast – Episode 1000 🎉 Special Guest: “Lamborghini Alex” (Alex Herrera)

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Alex’s Origin Story: From Startups to Supercars

2. Sales Evolution: Matching Sales Styles to Sophisticated Clients

3. Mistakes in Sales & How to Avoid Them

4. Adapting to Modern Customers & Sales Channels

5. From ‘Imposter Syndrome’ to High-Ticket Confidence

6. Sales Mastery: You Build It Over Decades

7. Car Dreams, Emotional Motives & What Luxury Means

8. Wild Stories from the Showroom

9. On Materialism, Maturity, and What Really Matters

10. Parting Wisdom: Dream Bold, Don’t Delay

Memorable Quotes & Moments

Notable Timestamps for Key Segments

Follow & Connect

Key Takeaways

Closing Wisdom