← The Level Up Podcast w/ Paul Alex
The Level Up Podcast w/ Paul Alex
Making Money in Digital Sales: How Lamees Attia and Yuki Huang Built Their Remote Careers
00:36:38
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- [00:00]
Paul Alex
Welcome to the Level up podcast. I'm your host, Paul Alex. I went from being a cop to an eight figure entrepreneur that helps average people like you and me make money every single day. I created this podcast to help you get motivated and to crush your goals. Let's win together. Remember, I have your six. Get ready to level up right now. Hey, guys. This is the Level up podcast and I'm Paul Alex. I have another special guest. I actually have two special guests, and guess what? They are brand new to sales. They have a little bit over a year, but they're already crushing it, guys. And they're going to show you exactly how you can make that Internet money. That's what it's about in 2024. Everybody's trying to make that digital remote, digital nomad lifestyle money, guys. And I'll bring you guests to show you exactly how to do it. I want to introduce you guys to two special guests, Yuki and Lance. And these two special guests, they actually do a very special role, which is called a sales development role, sdr. And usually you will hear that in tech sales, but this is in digital marketing. But they're going to show you exactly how they were able to transition into this role and exactly what you guys can do after this podcast on how to do the exact same thing that they are doing. Guys, how are you guys doing today?
- [01:20]
Lamees Attia
I'm doing well.
- [01:20]
Yuki Huang
How are you doing? Awesome. How are you?
- [01:23]
Paul Alex
Phenomenal. Phenomenal. I'm doing great. You know, it's. It's Saturday night in Miami.
- [01:27]
Yuki Huang
Yeah.
- [01:28]
Paul Alex
About to get into some stuff after this. No, I'm just, I'm just kidding, guys. About to go to steak with the wife and, and a couple friends and call it a day. You know, that's what happens when you hit 36. So with that being said, guys, all right, let me. Let's start with you.
- [01:42]
Yuki Huang
Okay.
- [01:42]
Paul Alex
Background. What were you doing before you were an sdr? Yeah. What got you into the SDR role? And. Yeah, take away.
- [01:50]
Yuki Huang
All right.
- [01:50]
Lamees Attia
Yeah. So I graduated college in 2021, and while right after, like graduating college, I remember being very stressed out because I actually had no idea what I wanted to do. I just got a degree, but I didn't know what to do with it.
- [02:04]
Paul Alex
What was your degree in?
- [02:05]
Lamees Attia
Advertising and public relations.
- [02:06]
Paul Alex
What? Okay. All right, that's cool.
- [02:09]
Yuki Huang
Yeah.
- [02:09]
Lamees Attia
When I got my degree, all I knew is that I liked communications, but I think advertising and PR just sounded better, so that's why I ended up doing that. But with COVID after I graduated, everything started to shift online So I ended up doing a few small roles of just social media management with, like, small companies and people starting up. And then one day I saw an advertisement for like, sdr and like, you get to talk to people and, like, help them out. And I thought that that would be really cool. So I ended up looking into it.
- [02:36]
Paul Alex
That's badass. So, like, I always hear all the time guys like, social media manager, social media, you know, media buyer, like, what exactly were you doing for customers or for companies as a social media manager?
- [02:50]
Lamees Attia
Yeah. So it would start, I would look at their company's social media profiles and give them feedback based off of what they're doing, what I think they could be doing more to get better engagement. And then I would take total responsibility over making their content calendar, creating their content captions, posting on their behalf, and all of that.
- [03:08]
Paul Alex
That sounds badass.
- [03:09]
Lamees Attia
Yeah, I really liked it.
- [03:10]
Paul Alex
That's pretty cool. I love that. So, all right. Love the background. So what got you in transitioning to sdr? Like, you saw the job posting. Is it as simple as just interviewing and then just telling them, like, hey, I like, I have some background in social media and like, I've done this. Like, what qualifications do you need to be at SDR right now?
- [03:31]
Lamees Attia
Oh, definitely. So I actually ended up finding an ad where they would train you to become an sdr. So even though I felt like I knew advertising and social media and all of that stuff, I still felt like I needed a bit more training on how to actually connect with people and, like, help them.
- [03:45]
Paul Alex
Yeah.
- [03:46]
Lamees Attia
So I ended up taking a course I invested in myself. I watched a lot of trainings, and over time I was able to build up the skill.
- [03:53]
Paul Alex
No, I love that. I love that. I'm. I'm a big believer in like self education.
- [03:56]
Yuki Huang
Yeah.
- [03:57]
Paul Alex
And at the end of the day, depending on what your degree is in, I have a high respect for anybody that has a college degree, whether four year six or PhD.
- [04:07]
Lamees Attia
Yeah.
- [04:07]
Paul Alex
But it takes a lot of discipline for sure. Right. I know the digital marketing game is quite different now than when I started back in 2020. Yeah, I know. During COVID it changed everybody's life. As your story started in 2021.
- [04:20]
Yuki Huang
Yeah.
- [04:21]
Paul Alex
And explain to the listeners and the viewers. Okay. Specifically what your job role is, like sdr.
- [04:31]
Lamees Attia
Yeah. So when someone is looking to learn more about a company, we're usually the first people that they talk to. So we help them get initial information on how the company works, what they need, help them decide if it's a good fit. So we're really the first people. We're like, I just saw this company and I want to learn more. You're talking to us first, and then we help you, like, work through the. Work through the process.
- [04:54]
Paul Alex
Nice, nice. So essentially you guys are like consultants.
- [04:58]
Lamees Attia
Yeah.
- [04:58]
Paul Alex
Okay. Love it. So you're providing their information and then are you getting them to buy? Like, how does that work? How does the process work?
- [05:06]
Lamees Attia
Yeah. So if it makes sense, I like to think of it as we're guides. So we're really guiding people along the process so we get them the initial information, see if it makes sense for them to learn more and move forward. If so, we help them get set up with an expert that would help them. If not, I mean, at least now they know they learn more about the company they like. It's not a good fit. Like, we were able to like, come to that conclusion with them.
- [05:32]
Paul Alex
I love that. I love that. And then what would you say is the good and the bad about this job?
- [05:41]
Lamees Attia
Okay, There's a lot of good and there's some bad. So I'll start with the bad. I think it is definitely it's a lot of work. It is a lot of work to be an sdr. A lot of effort goes into it, and it is a skill that you have to build up over time. But I think the good is what really motivates me to like, work an SDR is I like to look at it as I'm helping people make life changing decisions that can transform their life and the life of the people around them.
- [06:10]
Paul Alex
I love it.
- [06:11]
Lamees Attia
So when I look at it like that, and even though it's hard work, I'm able to gamify it. It makes it all worth it.
- [06:17]
Paul Alex
Okay, so it's more of like the fulfillment and the passion.
- [06:20]
Lamees Attia
Yeah, exactly. Yeah. That was one of my biggest problems when deciding what I wanted to do is I didn't know what made me feel passionate. But like, finding out that I can help people this way, it just lights a fire in you. And I feel like when you're passionate about what you do, you're able to do it so much better as opposed to something that you don't really care about.
- [06:38]
Paul Alex
I love that. I love that. And you actually already answered one of my questions. I was always going to ask you guys and Yuki and we'll get back to that a little bit, but Yuki. All right, spotlight on you. All right, Yuki, so what's your background? Okay, first question. Background. What was that pivotal time that got you to get to become an SDR and Then let's. Let's start with those.
- [07:03]
Yuki Huang
All right. So similar actually to lamees. I graduated college around Covid time, 2021. And so at that time, I had gotten a degree in environmental studies and psychology, so double majored. And I really wanted to do either one of the two. Wasn't super sure exactly which one, but, you know, environmental. I was like, oh, maybe I want to, you know, do, like, environmental consulting, something like that. You know, I was very passionate about the environment, things like that. I still am, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to make it my career right now. And, like, I come from an Asian family.
- [07:35]
Paul Alex
Yeah.
- [07:36]
Yuki Huang
And so the career that we choose is very important. So it's like dentist, lawyer, things like that. Right. And so for me, it was like, oh, shoot. Like, this is not really these sort of what people typically expect of, like, especially coming from an Asian family of like, environmental studies. Like, what are you gonna do with that? So I was like, you know, I kind of went to college a little bit naive of like, yeah. You know, I just. I like the environment. Like, let me just, you know, just major in it. Right. And then I got to the point where I was graduating and I was like, okay, now what am I gonna do?
- [08:06]
Paul Alex
It was like the oh moment.
- [08:07]
Yuki Huang
Yes. Which I think happens so often more than people think.
- [08:11]
Paul Alex
I could see that.
- [08:12]
Yuki Huang
It's just like, you go to college, you pick something and you're like, yeah, that, that sounds cool. Like, I want to learn about it. But just because you want to learn about something does not mean that you should start a whole entire career in this. And that's something that you don't really figure out until you're like, I mean, even when I was graduating college, I was like, dang, am I. What am I doing with this? Right, right. In psychology, too. I'm like, am I going to be a therapist? Like, I don't know.
- [08:35]
Paul Alex
Did you have, like, a game plan, like, while you were in college and you had that oh moment? Were you like, all right, like, forget it. Like, I got this degree. I'm going to make it happen no matter what. Like, what was your thought process?
- [08:46]
Yuki Huang
Yeah, I think Covid really changed everything around too.
- [08:49]
Paul Alex
Okay.
- [08:50]
Yuki Huang
It's like I came in thinking, okay, I'm gonna, you know, get like a, you know, entry level position doing environmental consulting or something. But I knew I had to go get a master's eventually to be able to continue on with it. I was like, dang, that's another. Like, that's even more money. I have to Pour into education, which is, you know, valuable, but at the same time it's like, do I want to do that for something that I'm not sure is going to be my career? So I was like, okay, let me like look at something else. And so I had seen like, basically, I don't know if you've ever heard of or it's like, what do you call it? Like packaged consumer, like frozen goods. It's a company that worked for, but they do like vegetarian frozen foods. And they had like a social media marketing intern position. And I was like graduating college, I was like, sure, why not? Let me just go ahead and apply for it on LinkedIn, like, you know, the easy, easy apply feature, whatnot. And so I did it and then somehow I ended up there and I was like, okay, I guess I'm gonna try being an intern for like social media marketing for a little bit. And so then eventually I worked there for about three months doing an internship. And then from there they promoted me to like coordinator, social media coordinator. So with that, what it really meant was just like similar to lamese, like content creation. I was filling tiktoks. I was like the face of their tick tock and you know, filming like food content.
- [10:14]
Paul Alex
Yeah.
- [10:15]
Yuki Huang
And it's actually really fun. Like really got to be creative with it.
- [10:17]
Paul Alex
Yeah.
- [10:18]
Yuki Huang
And then from there on I just got the itch. I was just kind of like, I want to do something else.
- [10:22]
Paul Alex
Right.
- [10:23]
Yuki Huang
You know? And unfortunately though, like, I was in my car and I just come out of the dentist office. Okay. Suddenly the HR had booked a meeting with me. I came in the car, I was like sitting there and I was just like, geez, like, why are, why are they booking a meeting with me so like early on in the morning and it's in the middle of just like a typical Friday, right. Sitting in the car and they, they hop on zoom, and they're just like, hey, you know, this, this lady I've never seen before from hr. And I was like, who are you? And she's like, oh, you know, I'm whatever from hr. And you know, fortunately we just, we. I forgot what she said, honestly, but she was just like, we don't have a, a need for your position anymore. And I was like, dang right? I was like, like, shoot, what am I gonna do now? I rolled out, rolled up my windows and I just started crying because I was like, I had no idea. Like, I had never. That was my first job and I got laid off for my first job. And so I was just like, what am I gonna do now? And so from there, I just, like, took, like, about a month off. And from there, my previous boss from that company had referred me to a different company, and she had, like, been sending jobs my way. And so this is really, like, the importance of network, really. Because now I think about it, every single job I've gotten has come from my network.
- [11:41]
Paul Alex
From a connection.
- [11:42]
Yuki Huang
Exactly.
- [11:42]
Paul Alex
Yeah.
- [11:42]
Yuki Huang
Never. Just like, well, except for the, you know, initial, like, social media intern, everything else came from somebody that I knew. So she sent it over to me. It was a luxury wine marketing company up in. Or not marketing company. Sorry, Luxury wine company up in Napa. And they were looking for another social media coordinator. So I was like, perfect. Like, I've got some experience in this. So I went ahead and did that for about a year. And then year comes, I start feeling the itch again. Just, like, I really want to travel. Like, I really want to travel. And, you know, I'm in my early 20s. Like, I want to be able to go out and just, like, see different cultures, all of that. I grew up moving around a lot, and so I just felt the itch of, like, I gotta go somewhere. Like, I gotta go somewhere. But I don't want to take PTO because I get, like, two weeks of it, and then what. What am I going to do after that? Right? So from there, I was just like. You know, I was telling my partner at the time, I was just like, I really just. I just want to quit. I just want to quit. And he was like, what are you going to do? And I was like, I don't know. Like, I don't know. What am I going to do? And thankfully, like, he's. He is in the space, and obviously, you know, he works with you as well. And so I was just like. I was just like. He brought up the idea of appointment setting, and I was like, no. Like, I don't want to. You know, I don't want to talk to. Like, that's. That's such a weird concept to me. I was like.
- [13:06]
Paul Alex
But before you continue, Yuki.
- [13:08]
Yuki Huang
Yeah. Yeah.
- [13:08]
Paul Alex
Okay, guys. So just for clarity purposes, appointment setting is equivalent to sales or sdr. Okay. Sales development rep is just. We use appointment setting more as a jargon term in digital marketing. Okay, so appointment setting, essentially, what are you doing as an appointment center?
- [13:28]
Yuki Huang
Yeah, so as an appointment setter, really? Like, you're. You're basically managing the inbox of your business owner every single day and essentially just guiding them. Like Lummi said, you're kind of priming them to an idea. There's some, there's an interest there. Right. There's a spark. And I like. The way I like to see it is there's a spark and you're the one there to really like sort of ignite that fire even more. You want to get them excited. Not in the mindset of like necessarily like to, to, you know, buy over DMs or anything like that, but just be able to be excited enough to where they want to know more information.
- [14:02]
Paul Alex
Yeah.
- [14:02]
Yuki Huang
And qualify them. Right. So yeah, at first when I, when I heard about it, I was just like, such a weird concept. I was like, what? How do people do this for a living?
- [14:13]
Paul Alex
Like, first time you ever heard it, you're just like, dude, I'm not used to this.
- [14:16]
Yuki Huang
Yeah.
- [14:16]
Paul Alex
Probably thinking like my parents are going to think it's a joke. Yeah, yeah, that's how I felt exactly.
- [14:22]
Yuki Huang
Yeah, you kind of, I was like, is this customer service? Like rep? Like when I'm you know, like typing on Amazon or something and you know, I was like, yeah, this is a piece of cake. Like, that's easy. Like I'll just, I can message people.
- [14:34]
Paul Alex
Send emojis.
- [14:35]
Yuki Huang
Yeah, send emojis. Like, you know, be like, hey, how are you doing? Things like that. Right. And then I had a, I had an awakening of like, dad, that's not what it is at all. So yeah, it was definitely an eye opening experience for sure.
- [14:48]
Paul Alex
So now that you guys know, I would consider you guys veterans in the game of appointment settings, slash SDRs. And you guys have been able to actually now live a remote lifestyle. You guys are able to travel, you guys are from the laptop. Like you guys are here down in Miami for a sales conference. It's I think every young person's dream to have a job like that. Right. That's able to cover your bills, you're able to travel and you work remote. What more can you want right now, in your 20s, right. Make sure to check out my YouTube channel, officialpaulx.com for more motivational episodes. So with that perspective, who would you say SDR's lifestyle or a remote lifestyle like this is meant for? Is it meant for a more proactive person or is it meant for a person that likes to take shortcuts? Or what would you say? This is a great question. Are the top three characteristics that makes a good appointment setter? And I'll start with you, Yuki. Oh, you guys can go back and forth.
- [15:52]
Yuki Huang
This is a great question. Because when I was interviewing lameeth, this is exactly what I was looking for. Right. So for me, it's, well, hunger. Right. So when you're talking about being proactive, that's a big aspect of it. It's just, you know, there are things that you can't teach, and I feel like hunger is one of them because it's like either they got it or they don't. And the more that you try to maybe coach someone to be hungry, it's like if they don't really want it, it's just not going to be there. You can try to foster as much as you can, but at the end of the day, it's their decision. So hunger, I would say consistency, because every day it's the same repetitive things. It may not be the most glamorous thing, but it's repetitive. And if you really get good at it and it's processes, things like that, then you can really succeed. Hunger, consistency. And I'm blanking out on my last one right now, so I'll pass over to you.
- [16:46]
Lamees Attia
No, I think one that's very important is, like, empathy. Like, you really need to care about people in order to do this, because all this is like helping people. So if you don't really care about anyone, I can see how it can get. Like, over time, you might not end up liking it as much. So caring for people is definitely very important and so is initiative. Like, you really have to be willing to do whatever it takes in order to succeed. Like, go the extra mile, like maybe like work on a weekend just because someone needs help and this is the only day they're free. Like, you need to be able to do those things.
- [17:19]
Paul Alex
Yeah, no, those are three. I would consider three top characteristics where it takes to actually do anything in digital marketing, because as you guys know, the boring work is essentially what runs this entire business. I think what people get, the perception, especially online, on social media, is everybody wants to live that laptop lifestyle.
- [17:38]
Yuki Huang
Yeah.
- [17:38]
Paul Alex
But nobody really wants to do the work, like spend 15 hours a day behind a laptop sending messages to people, following up with them, booking appointments, you know, calling them, following up. And it's a process. It truly is. So let me ask you guys the vision for the future. All right, we'll start with Lumiste. What are you looking for? The future? Like, where do you see yourself in the next six months? Like, do you want to eventually become a consultant where you actually talk to people and you're actually on the other end, where instead of setting the appointments, you are now closing deals for companies, or are you looking for more management or do you want to do a startup? Like, what's your vision for yourself?
- [18:22]
Lamees Attia
Yeah, definitely. So I'm looking to in the next six months, definitely become a closer or like, become a consultant. Because I really like talking to people. Like, above all else, like, at the root of everything is I love talking to people and I love helping people. And doing it online as setting is still really, really great now, but over time, I want to continue to develop the skill and like, if I can talk to people face to face and like, really, like, see their faces, I'm helping them. I think that would be amazing. At the same time, I also want to start like, leveraging like the money I'm making in order to make investments and really just set myself up for the future.
- [19:02]
Paul Alex
Yeah, that's awesome. No, that's, that's. That's good to hear. I think with becoming a consultant and actually talking to people and getting into the real deep roots of sales. Right. Talking that face to face, I call it the game. But when you get in the game, I think empathy, I think care for people is huge. Right. Because people can really read people. And I think this entire business that we do, especially with digital marketing now, a lot of marketing, a lot of companies out there, they're really resonating with the whole personal brand. They're getting their CEOs to show their face and talk, and there's a lot of people out there that don't want to do that. But I think it's a big advantage nowadays. It's huge. Right. So, Yuki, same question. What is the vision for you? Where do you see yourself in the next six months? What do you want to do? Are you. Do you want to continue to be in the sdr? Do you want to get into management? Like, what. Where do you see the longevity of this?
- [20:00]
Yuki Huang
Yeah, 100. So I think it's a little bit mix of both. It's like, you know, I. I kind of got to dabble a little bit in the management side.
- [20:07]
Paul Alex
Yeah.
- [20:07]
Yuki Huang
For a little bit. And for me, I really love that. And it's kind of like sales to your sales team.
- [20:13]
Paul Alex
Yeah.
- [20:14]
Yuki Huang
You're like trying to sell your team on the idea of like, hey, if you, you know, work on the weekend, you get a few extra closed deals. Like, isn't that something that would benefit you? Even though. No, you know, it's like some people maybe don't want to work on the weekend. It's like, well, if you're kind of like almost having like leading team meetings, it's almost like having a Not necessarily like a closing call. Like, it's kind of like similar where you're trying to influence, you know, and you're trying to. You're trying to frame things in a way that's in the best interest of the person that you're talking to, even if they may not know it. Right. Because you see a larger the picture of, like, hey, this is. If you work a few extra hours on a Sunday. Yeah. That's. That's like another few, like, three close deals. Right. And so. Or, you know, another. Another extra close deal. Something like that.
- [20:58]
Paul Alex
Yeah.
- [20:58]
Yuki Huang
And so I really love the management side of it. I think, for me as well, right now is just like leading by example.
- [21:04]
Paul Alex
Yeah.
- [21:05]
Yuki Huang
Is just really being able to. I have a platform right now where I feel like I'm really able to just take this to the next level.
- [21:11]
Paul Alex
Yeah.
- [21:12]
Yuki Huang
And that's what I want to prove to myself.
- [21:14]
Paul Alex
Good.
- [21:14]
Yuki Huang
Yeah.
- [21:15]
Paul Alex
So milestones, I think, is huge. And I think you guys are, like, dead on with target of having your guys. Milestones. And then you guys had a vision of what each one of you guys want to do, which is awesome. Right. Because without this, there's no direction. And if you don't have any direction, then you're lost. You got to really ask yourself, what are you doing here? Right.
- [21:34]
Yuki Huang
Yeah.
- [21:34]
Paul Alex
So here's a great question I have for you guys. What are three tips you would give to someone listening or watching this right now? They just graduated from college. They probably had their own oh. Moment. And they're like, damn, like, what am I going to do with this degree? Right. I got to get a master's. I got to get a PhD. I want to drop another 200k, so I gotta make this money. But I also want to travel. Right. Cool. What would you tell them? Three actionable steps that they can do today to start learning on how to become an sdr. And I'll start with lamees, and you guys can split the questions. Split the three.
- [22:17]
Lamees Attia
Okay. The first thing I would do is definitely start researching more about the position. Like, watching videos like this or like, listening to things like this is very helpful. But seeing the way that maybe SDRs live their life and getting more of an insight on how that is, you can really be able to tell if this is something that's going to work for you or not. Do you have one?
- [22:38]
Yuki Huang
Yeah. I think for me, it's just like, if you see someone that's in a position that you want to be in.
- [22:43]
Paul Alex
Yeah.
- [22:44]
Yuki Huang
Reach out to them. Right. Same way, like, people invest in Mentorships, people invest in setter programs, things like that. Yeah, it's like there's a reason for it. I mean, that's what I did too. That's what we both went actually to the same certifications. And it's just like, you know, it teaches you a certain process and a certain framework. May not be the same at every single company in terms of how you speak to people, but you have the framework and to be able to then take it from there. Right. And so I think for me it's mainly just like, if you see something that you want to do, if it's str, then look for somebody in that field to really be able to mentor you.
- [23:21]
Paul Alex
Yeah, yeah, no, that's. That's huge. How much would you say was taking that program, that setter program, or the program that showed you basically the foundations of doing this? How much impact did that give you guys to actually like get your foot through the door and be like, all right, this is cool, I could do this. How much confidence did it give you?
- [23:41]
Lamees Attia
Honestly, it was everything.
- [23:43]
Yuki Huang
That's cool.
- [23:43]
Lamees Attia
Yeah, that's awesome.
- [23:44]
Paul Alex
Because I see the same thing about my first course, my first program, and you know, I have. This could be an hour long podcasts, and I can talk shit about all the people that say that courses are scams. Yeah, well, I mean, if you think courses are scams, then why isn't school scams? Right. It's just even though I have the most respect for people to have four degrees, I have two year degree, but at the end of the day it's just like I believe you can make. You can make a course work for you.
- [24:14]
Lamees Attia
Exactly.
- [24:14]
Paul Alex
It just really depends on how much effort and belief you have in it.
- [24:18]
Yuki Huang
Yeah.
- [24:19]
Paul Alex
So no, I definitely resonate with that.
- [24:21]
Lamees Attia
Yeah, I completely agree. And especially when I first invested in this, this was the first time I really invested in anything, like, outside of, like college.
- [24:29]
Paul Alex
Would you mind if I asked you how much you invested?
- [24:32]
Lamees Attia
Yeah, it was $6,000.
- [24:34]
Paul Alex
$6,000. And did you tell anybody when you invested that money?
- [24:37]
Lamees Attia
Yeah. So it was actually really crazy because when I invested that money, I was actually in Egypt because my family moved to Egypt after Covid. So after I graduated, I just went and I was doing my social media thing. But when I told people, some people said it was a scam, but most people were like, are you crazy? You could have put a down payment on a house.
- [24:57]
Paul Alex
Whoa. Like you need.
- [25:00]
Lamees Attia
Yeah, I kind of put a down.
- [25:01]
Yuki Huang
Payment on the military.
- [25:04]
Paul Alex
I ain't gonna get you that much.
- [25:05]
Yuki Huang
Of A house get you that far.
- [25:06]
Lamees Attia
But in Egypt, they were like, you could have bought a house. So they really thought it was crazy. And they were like, why would you do that? So a lot of people were very unsure.
- [25:15]
Paul Alex
Yeah.
- [25:15]
Lamees Attia
But the way I saw it is, going through that program, I was able to meet so many people. I have the confidence now to walk up to any company and say, I have the skill and I'm certified.
- [25:25]
Paul Alex
Yeah.
- [25:25]
Lamees Attia
And all the opportunities I've gotten since working in that, like, since taking that program have been because I took the program. So the way I saw it is people were like, are you crazy? You could have bought a house. But instead, I was able to invest the money, build a skill, and now I can buy a lot of houses.
- [25:41]
Paul Alex
Yeah. No facts. No, you could. And that's awesome. How about you, Yuki?
- [25:46]
Yuki Huang
Yeah, we actually. Yeah. Went through the same program.
- [25:48]
Paul Alex
And Is that how you guys met?
- [25:50]
Yuki Huang
Yeah. Yeah.
- [25:51]
Paul Alex
Oh, that's pretty cool.
- [25:51]
Yuki Huang
I think we were around the same time actually, too. Yeah. But for me, it was. I. I didn't tell anybody. I just, like, after work, I'd be like, all right, write my after fashion.
- [26:02]
Paul Alex
Sorry to cut you off your key. But you did tell no one. You just kept his secret. You're like, unless this works, I ain't telling no one.
- [26:09]
Yuki Huang
Yeah. Why would I tell anyone? Because then that's what people tell me. It's just like, I don't need the outside noise. Okay. Right. And so I knew that. Well, actually, I took the course solely just so that I could work with you.
- [26:23]
Paul Alex
Yeah.
- [26:24]
Yuki Huang
And so I was just like, okay, well, if I.
- [26:26]
Paul Alex
Which it worked out.
- [26:27]
Yuki Huang
Yeah, exactly. Here I am. But the thing is, it was like. It was more so, for me, less about. I think I went into it with this mindset of, like, yeah, you know, point, like, sdr. It's just sending emojis. Like, yeah, I'll take this course. But, yeah, it's really just for the certification.
- [26:43]
Paul Alex
Right.
- [26:43]
Yuki Huang
It was really just that I had the validation. The validation to be able to go to, you know, business owner like yourself and be like, hey, I was certified. And, you know, basically, hopefully stand out. Right. And so when I went through the course, spend the money on it, like, it was probably the easiest closing call for that closer. Because I was just like. I was asking questions about, okay, how many. How many hours should I be putting in? He's like, oh, let's not get to that yet. I was like, no, no, no, I'm buying this, but just tell me now. And he was like, oh, yeah, that's the second call. And I'm like, no, just tell me now. And so I basically, you know, put in $6,000 and didn't tell anybody. I just put a schedule of like, okay, after 5:00 every day after work until 8:00, this is the time I'm devoting to getting through the course. I was determined to, like, get through it as the fastest person to get through the course.
- [27:35]
Paul Alex
Yeah.
- [27:35]
Yuki Huang
Because I was just like, I just want to get this over with. Right.
- [27:38]
Paul Alex
Yeah.
- [27:38]
Yuki Huang
And so, yeah, I did the course. It was really. I think for me, it was more about the network to be able to, you know, like, meet people, like, and just other business owners as well. The frameworks as well. I think a lot of the things I learned at that course were about the frameworks, but I would say, like, 80% of it, I learned just from being an actual, you know, being at the company and just learning from experience.
- [28:03]
Paul Alex
So the actual experience that you got working at one of the companies is actually going through the reps.
- [28:10]
Yuki Huang
Exactly.
- [28:11]
Paul Alex
Would you recommend somebody that's watching this right now to invest in a course? Because we're not trying to sell a course here, guys.
- [28:17]
Yuki Huang
Just.
- [28:18]
Paul Alex
Just flat out, no.
- [28:19]
Yuki Huang
It ain't one of those podcasts around.
- [28:21]
Paul Alex
And be like, hey, buy my shit. No, no, no. We're trying to buy value. This is what the level up is about.
- [28:27]
Yuki Huang
Here's my food.
- [28:28]
Paul Alex
Okay. I got other businesses where it generates cash flow. But with that being said, like, for people that are listening and watching this right now, guys, I mean, would you guys do it again? Would you guys invest $6,000? Like, was it worth it? Or do you think just going and working for somebody and getting the reps is the way to go?
- [28:47]
Lamees Attia
I think that investing was the best decision I made because there are so many things that I learned from the program. And then even beyond that, they had coaches where I was able to ask them questions because I didn't know anything about the space. Starting out, I was able to meet Yuki. Like, if I didn't invest, I probably wouldn't even be here right now. So, like, that really helped. And I had another point with that. If you were to just start by yourself, like, SDR is something that seems really easy, but it's actually, like, a lot of moving parts that get into it. So I think one of the reasons I was able to do so well with every company that I've started with is because I invested in building up that skill before starting. If I didn't when I first got started, it would Definitely feel like I was getting thrown out to the wolves, and I don't think it would go so well.
- [29:33]
Paul Alex
Okay. Okay. How about you, Yuki?
- [29:35]
Yuki Huang
Yeah, I think I would say any course, at least in my experience, any course that you purchase, invest in it. What you make the most. Like, what you make out of it, basically. Right. For me, I'll be honest, I did not really show up to the trainings. I showed up to some of them.
- [29:54]
Paul Alex
Yeah.
- [29:54]
Yuki Huang
Some of them I did not. And I was just really in on the role plays. And I was just. Because we had to do, like role play situations. And then that for me really was like, where I found the most value. So for somebody else and maybe for the least, it was like the trainings. Right. And so it just depends on what you want to make, like, out of the course. Yeah, it's the network, whatever it is. So to me, I think that investing in a course is a great option. It's not necessary, but it will take you there just like fast track. Because from a hiring perspective too, when there's. When. When you see someone has gone through, like, taking the initiative to take course, invest in something.
- [30:33]
Paul Alex
Yeah.
- [30:33]
Yuki Huang
You see the mindset behind it, regardless of, you know, their skill set or whatnot. But you know, you know that their skill sets to a certain degree because of the course, but also more so their mindset. It's like, hey, you're willing to invest six grand into a course to learn a skill. Exactly. I know you're serious about this.
- [30:52]
Paul Alex
Yeah.
- [30:52]
Yuki Huang
Right.
- [30:53]
Paul Alex
And good thing you brought that up because now that I'm thinking back, you know, I'm putting my detective pad on. And I remember at that time, the COO of the company was just like, hey, so there is a person by the name of Yuki who just invested into this appointment center, slash SDR program, and she wants to come work for us. Like, for only us. And I was like, really? And she invested into a program to learn a skill. Oh, yeah, let's interview her. And that was like the end without me hesitating to go ahead and be like, nah, like, I'm good. Because we get hundreds of dms. I mean, as you guys know, you guys are in the dms. Yeah. And we're just. So you guys see the amount of SDRs and appointment setters and people that are just looking for a job, right. To work with us. And I think it's a big, big, big needle mover for anyone to invest in themselves, because it just shows how much skin in the game you have, and then it shows perspective it shows business owners out there that you're trying to work for, that you're serious. Just.
- [31:55]
Yuki Huang
Exactly.
- [31:56]
Paul Alex
All right, guys. Well, I love this interview. I wish we could keep going, but Emilio's like, bro, we're about to run out of batteries. All right, guys.
- [32:06]
Yuki Huang
All right.
- [32:06]
Paul Alex
Where can they find you guys if they want to go ahead and pick your brain about becoming an sdr, Because I'm pretty sure people are going to get a lot of value out of this. Going to be like, what? They cracked me out of college and they're able to work a remote lifestyle and, like, live the life that I want to live. Oh, yeah, they. They are, guys. All right. Yes. Don't be jealous. All right, so let's start with lamees. What can define you?
- [32:27]
Lamees Attia
Definitely. So ever since starting, I've been traveling nonstop, and I've been documenting all of that on my Instagram. So you can take a look at what the journey has looked like for me on instagram @lamesex. Attia. So it's L A M E E S X a T T I A on Instagram. You can check out my stuff, send me a message, and I'll be happy to help.
- [32:53]
Paul Alex
Love that. Love that, Yuki.
- [32:55]
Yuki Huang
You can find me on Facebook, yukihuang H U a n G or on Instagram, MTF Yuki Huang. Same, same thing.
- [33:06]
Paul Alex
Love that. Love that. All right, and, guys, this is the final, final saying of the show. One thing. Motivation. Straight heat. This is going to be a good reel. But for everybody that wants to level up, they're currently in college, and they're like, what the hell about to do? And they listen to this podcast, and they're just like, oh, hell yeah, I know what I want to do now. So one thing you want to tell them.
- [33:32]
Lamees Attia
I think what really made a big difference for me is when I was stuck and just getting out of college and I had no idea what to do, I took a piece of paper and I wrote down, like, what do I want out of life? And I wrote about it for, like, 10 minutes, just, what do I want out of life? And then on another page, I wrote down the prompt of what do I really want? And then I wrote that down. And then what I put on the second page, I took a look at it, and I realized, like, the current trajectory that I was on wasn't going to get me there, so I needed to make a pivot. And I think that if you do this exercise, even if you don't know what you want to do or if you do, it's Going to give you so much motivation to get started and get moving or realign if you need to.
- [34:17]
Paul Alex
Fire, fire. Love that. Yuki, how about yourself?
- [34:20]
Yuki Huang
If you're looking to be in sdr, what I would really start with first is your mindset. And that's with really anything, right? But mindset is really going to take you as far as really as far as you want. Because for me, when I first started as an sdr, I wasn't in the right mindset quite yet because I wasn't around the right people to really motivate me to be able to think differently. You know, I was coming from a corporate setting. Nine to five, clock out and you're done for the day. Nobody messaged me, nobody emailed me things like that, right? And if you're wanting a certain lifestyle for yourself that is not like 99% of other people, you're going to have to work unlike 99% of other people. So start with your mindset. Be around people who think the same way that you do so that you can all level up together. Otherwise you can't be, you know, in a setting full of people who are nine to fivers. Well, not. Nothing wrong with being a nine to fiver, let me just say that first. But it's all about mindset of how much you're willing to put in, right? So I would start there because that's really the seed of it all.
- [35:28]
Paul Alex
Facts, facts. And this is why it's called the level of podcast guys. As you guys see, Yuki lamees. They went from being in college not knowing what they wanted to do, trialed a couple of jobs and they were like, dude, this is not working. Let me go ahead and pivot to the online world. And now they're able to live a digital remote lifestyle. So if you guys want to do the same, make sure to follow them on Instagram and on Facebook and make sure to tune in for more episodes like this Saturday special. Guys. Thanks to Emilio. With that being said, guys, this is Paul Alex with the Love all podcast. We will catch you next time. Make sure to share this with a friend, family member, someone that you care about. And make sure to leave a five star review on Spotify and Apple podcasts and subscribe to our YouTube. Check you guys later. Thanks for listening up to the Level podcast. If you enjoyed today's episode, make sure to share with a family friend and everyone you know who's ready to level up. Leave a five star review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you tune in. It really helps spreading the word. And don't forget to check out officialpaulalex.com for more episodes and resources to kickstart your journey. Let's level up together.