CEO telesales teacher Richard Blank The UnNoticed Entrepreneur podcast with host Jim James.

1. Downloadedfrom:justpaste.it/TheUnNoticedEntrepreneur TheUnNoticedEntrepreneurpodcastwithhostJim James.SilksuitsandspatsCEORichardBlank Heemphasisesthevalueofcommunicationandhowlearninganew languageandculturecanhelpbusinessesadaptandthrive.Despitetheir unfavorablereputationinpopularculture,healsodiscussesthe advantagesofcontactcenters. Thisshow is forbusiness owners who wantto overcome thefrustration of being overlooked. Fellowentrepreneurssharestrategies,tools,andcasestudiesthattheyusetogetthe recognitiontheydeserve.Interviewsarepublishedaspodcastsandvodcastsandtranscribed. Thearticlesarepublishedacrossnumeroussocialchannels,andthebest arecuratedinto booksavailableonAmazonandotheronlinestores.

2. RichardBlank,theguestontoday'sUnnoticedEntrepreneurpodcast,offershisadviceon howtocreate aprofitablecall centerandmaximise clientengagement. Attheageof27,RicharddepartedPhiladelphiaforCostaRicaandestablishedafantasticcall centerwith 115+ positions.Hediscussesthechallengesthatforeignstartupsexperienceas wellas how companies can gain recognition abroad.

3. Heemphasises thevalue ofcommunication andhow learninga new languageand culturecan helpbusinessesadaptandthrive.Despitetheirunfavorablereputationinpopularculture,he alsodiscussestheadvantagesofcontactcenters.

4. Acallcentercan bethesuccesscenter ofabusiness withtherighttechnological advantages andframework.Inordertokeepclientsandsettledisputes, Richardemphasisesthevalueof keepinginterpersonalcommunicationwhilesharinghisteachingtechniquesfor better communication.

5. OnthisUnnoticedEntrepreneurepisode,learnmoreaboutthevalueofcommunicationand how tomaximiseengagementforcompany successwithhostsJimJamesand RichardBlank.

6. TheUnNoticed Entrepreneur podcast issponsored by Prowly, theall-in-one software for leveragingPRactivities.Boostthemedia relationsgameforyourbusiness- getmore coverage while saving time and money on everyday tasks Ifyoucouldask500entrepreneursaquestionabouthowtheygotnoticed, Wouldyouhaveone?

7. That'sright. Youcanask aquestion andwecan giveyou asummaryof thethoughts ofall ofmyguests on thattopic,directquotes,andlinkstowheretheygavecomment. The Host:JimA.James JimJames Ijumpedoutofa planeattheageof 17andhaven'tlookedback, ordown,eversince. Thatstunttaughtmethepowerofpublicitytogenerateprofits. I'vebeenanentrepreneurforprettymuchmyentireworkinglife. For25 yearsI startedand builtcompanies inAsia. Now I am back in the UK, and am building abusiness which gives entrepreneurs the informationandthetoolstoget noticed. FromthepodcastI havepublished3 books.Theseareunder theCapstoneImprint, adivision of Wiley(NYSE: WILY). I'velistedallassetshere onLinktree. My fullstory isonmy personalwebsite. The books areonAmazonand insome stores. Myguests come on the mic from aroundthe world, and the same is true ofour listeners, as we'venowbeenheardin139Totalcountriesandover3384 cities

8. AccordingtoListennotes,theshow isinthetop 2.5%worldwideandhasa listenerscore33. Theshow ranks#3 in theUK in theEntrepreneur category. WhatisListen Score?Listen Score(LS)is ametric thatshows theestimatedpopularity ofthis podcastcompared toother rss-basedpublic podcastsin theworld on ascale from0 to100. Thehigher,themore popular. Calculatedfrom1stand3rdpartydata.Updated monthly. Whatis Global Rank?This podcastis one of the top 2.5%most popular shows out of 2,855,347podcasts globally, rankedbyListenScore(theestimatedpopularity score).

9. Theshow isstill relativelynew but isexperiencing steadygrowth by consistentlypublishing two showsperweek. Whycharm andgood looksisn't enough tohelp youstandout; WithRichard Blank

10. RichardBlank ofCosta Rica’sCall Centershares communicationtechniques andtips on gettingnoticed Attheageof27,RichardBlankleftnortheastPhiladelphiaandwenttoCostaRica.Hehas sincegottenanamazingbusinessinthecallcentreindustrycalledCostaRica’sCallCenter.In thenew episode ofThe UnNoticed Entrepreneur, he talked about his business,communication,howpeoplecanoptimisetheirengagementwithothers,andhowentrepreneurscangetnoticednotjustintheirhometownbutinanewcountry.

11. From Phillyto CostaRica Whenitcomes tothespecial challengeshe facedwhensetting uphis business,he,first and foremost,neededtolearnthelanguage.It’sagreatwaytoshowrespect;itkeepsanopen mindand shows structure,discipline, and cognitiveskills. For him,anybody who speaksa secondlanguagebearsaremark ofhighereducation. Secondly,he’sa guestinCosta Ricaand hasbeenone forthelast 23years. Itwasimportant forhimtounderstandthetraditionsandtheculturebecausewhateverhappenedin Philadelphiareallydidn'thavethatsortofimportance there. Byhavingtheiressenceandlearningnewthings,hewasabletoincorporatehislifethere.He marriedthegirlofherdreams.Fifteen yearsago,hestartedhiscompany,and itlatergrewto 150seats.Now,he’slivingthedream. Hebelievesthatentrepreneursshouldn’tbehardonthemselves.Patienceisavirtue,and thereissomethingcalledmomentum. HestartedSpanishwhenhegraduatedhighschoolinAbington, Philly, andcontinuedstudying itinArizona. It’san example ofhim buildingon momentum.There waspositive reinforcement. Hehadthefidelitytocontinue.

12. Puttinganysortofpressures,opinions,orcareerexpectationsaside,headmittedhewasa littleselfish.Gettingpasthisparents’guiltanddecidingtoliveapoet'slife,hethrewhishatin theringanddecidedtogoforit. TheCall Centre Industry in Costa Rica Hollywoodhas glamorised call centresand telemarketers with filmssuch as “Wolf ofWall Street,”“Boiler Room,”“Glengarry GlenRoss” and“The PrimeGig.” However,therealityisthattheydon’tsellstocks.Theydon’tdocasinos,books, pharmacies,orsweepstakes.Butthere arealot ofamazingpeopleout therewhocan earnalivingmaking andreceivingphone calls.

13. CostaRicais avery strictCatholic country,and theagents areextremely selectiveand delicateinthecampaignstheydecidetogivetheirtimeandefforts.Currently, theyhave Amazon,HP,Intel,andOracle.Butit’snotjusttheinfrastructurethat’sthere.It’salsothe labourforce. Thecountryhasa95%literacyrateandgoodneutralEnglishlevels.Beingclose totheUnited Statesgavethemthatadvantage.Theproxemicsandexpatriatesthattheyhavetheremakeit feellike it's almost likethe US, too.Asmany people speak English, itwas very easy for him. Butunlesspeopleunderstandmakingand receivingphonecalls,theymay haveexpectations thatareway outof whack.Telemarketers can’tjustput magicdust onphone callsandbring them100clients.Thereis structureanddiscipline. AtCostaRica’sCallCenter,theydohavesometechnicaladvantages.Theyhavea backup generator.TheyhaveredundancyregardingtheInternet.Theyhaveimmediateinformation technology(IT)support,agreatserverroom,turnkeystations,andheadsetswithnoise- cancellingcapabilities.Thebestthingthathehasisthathehassynergy.

14. Hisbuildingcanhouse 300people(Though afterCOVID,hehad toletmost peoplegoand onlyhaveafractionofpeopleonsite.It’sahybridsetup,orpeopleworkfromhome). Butbackwhentheofficewaspacked,he’dwalk thoseroadsandlistentothesebilingual agentsengagedonthephone—convertingcalls,gettingpositiveescalations, maximisingtheirEnglishwithathesaurus,usingcertainstrategicanddiplomaticwordslike“guide assistant”and“lendahand,”askingforclarifications,fallingonswordsinsteadof excusing somebodyonthephone,alwayskeepingthetonepositive,andgivingawonderfulexperience. He’sseen people whoare self-reliant, self-confident, andexceptionally marketable. Hegravitatedtowardsthat.Helovesthe“artist”speech.

15. Thoughmostpeopletodaypreferchatsandemails,hebelievesthatthe bestwaytoretaina client,getanupselland areferral,ordoan exitinterview(incasesomeone fumbledthe football),istospeakwithsomebodyandtrytomaintainthatinterpersonalcommunicationand possiblyresolveany sortofconflict managementthatthe agentmayhave withclients orwith himself.

16. Richardbelievesintheconceptof“samemessage,differentdelivery.”Hestudied Basil Rathbone,whowasundoubtedlyoneofthegreatestspeakers.Hecarefullylookedupcertain wordsand rewound them,especially his performances withNigel Bruce on theOldTime RadioShow,whichreallyexpandedhisreach. Healso gravitated towards Jeremy Brett, who was also an amazingspeaker.Alot of Richard’s colourfulspeechcomesfrom hisattention-grabbingway,where hereallycaptivatedaudiences.HisotherinfluencesareRemingtonSteeleandTempleton Peck. SomeCommunicationTechniques

17. Inovertwodecadesofdoingovertensofthousands ofphonecallsandanalysingthose, Richardfoundastructurethatgavehimthebestreturnintermsoftheirperformance.Andit’s somethingthatcanbe doneoverand overagainor insections. Whensomeone prospectingis making aphone call,the first thingto dois use anonymityto theiradvantage.Butthisshouldn’tbedoneforthewholecallsinceit’s shady.Theymustonly getthefirstthree seconds. CitinghowRichard wouldreach outto thispodcastas anexample, heshared thatthebest thing todo during that time is to do a company name spike and ask how the company is doing. “Hi,how’sTheUnNoticedEntrepreneurpodcastdoingtoday?”Then,waitforthepersonon theotherend—inthisexample,Alecs—torespond:“We’redoinggreat today.What’syour name?”

18. ThisiswhereherecommendsdoingtheBufferBoomerangtechnique,wherethecallermust namedrop,buffertheirtone,andeaseitout:“Hey,Alecs!That’sanexcellentquestion.”Then, todemonstrateactivelisteningandreturnittothepositiveside,thecallermust say,“Hi,my nameisRichardBlank.” It’sallaboutcapturingthenegativetones,repeatingthequestion,andsettingitback positive. Thishappensin allsorts ofcalls untilthe toneis readjusted. Afterthatexchange,Richardwouldsay,“Iwould lovetospeaktoJimJames,”towhichAlecs wouldrespond,“Alright,I’lltransferyou.”Richardwouldsaynext,“Youknowwhat,beforewe go,Alecs,I justwantto letyou knowthat you’reincredibleand I’mgoing toletJim know.”The nextthinghe’llknow,he’llgettopassthepitchfrommy assistant.

19. Oncehespeakstome, he’dtellthethingaboutAlecs.AndwhenI’dget tothepartwhereIask,“Whoareyou,”he’llrepeattheBufferBoomerangtechnique.HeandIwillkeepdoingthat untilthetoneevensout anduntilwehavea conversation. Now,thisiswherethephoneticmicroexpressionreadingcomesin.

20. UsingtheMirror Imagetechnique, anyonemaking thecall mustthink abouthow fastor loud theother person is speaking.They must do this in30-second to two-minute intervals. It’sall aboutpurelygoingonsound(notaboutthetoneorsemantics).Ifthere’saspikeoradip,they mustinterjectaconfirmationquestion,rebuttalquestion,orsomethingthat’stransitionalto confirm something. Iftheykeepdoingthatforfiveminutes,noonewillbeinthe samequadrantofthegraphevery time. Ifsomeone’stalkingloud(forinstance,an8inthegraph)andistalkingfast(alsoabout8), they’dbein Quadrant1.The goalisto seeconsistency. Whensomeoneisonthephone,three sensesareremoved:taste,touch,andsmell. But,the hearingexpands.Thatpersoncanusetheirimagination,adjectives,anddescriptions.These areways tocapture callsand putcolour intheir language— becausethey’re moreof a paintingthana print. Agentscan keep others’attention bybeing engaged and showing activelistening.Apart from doing the spike-and-dip thing, anotherimportant sign is the answeringspeed. Subconsciously,people can control tone, rate,and pitch.They cancurse, scream, or interrupt. However,theycan’tanswerspeedconsistently.

21. However,whenagentsbecomelucidafterthreeyearsofpractice,itbecomesahabit;theycan useittotheiradvantage.Theycanfire,butmustnotburnthosethey'reconversingwith.They canaskthemforclarificationquestionsbecausethey’rebeingfacetiousoroverextending themselves. Then,there’salsotheMeTootechnique.

22. Ifsomeonehearsadoginthebackground,thatpersoncaninadvertentlyand passively aggressivelylettheotherpersonknowthat theylovedogs.Forinstance,they canaskabout thedog’sname,breed,andage.It’sbasicallyaboutanchoringwiththeother person.

23. Basedon his experience, inmost cases, that’s whena client comes backand asks his name againforclarification.Andthisshowshowtheyreallyconnectedinthebodyofthe conversation,notintheintroductionand conclusion. WhatTheyDo atCosta Rica’sCall Center AtCostaRica’sCallCenter,agentsmustkeepinmindthatthey’reinaconversationandmust sharemultiplepointswithpeopleastheyoffermultiplethings,suchasappointment setting, leadgeneration,andcustomersupport.However,theymustgivealittlebitoftimein between eachonetogaugeapositiveornegativereaction. Visualiseitlikeit’sanequaliser.Whentheygetapositivereaction,theymuststopthatvertical lineandaskopen-endedquestions. Throughoutthecall,agentsmustconstantlyremindandrakequestions.Forexample, “Remember,wespokeaboutA,B,andC.Arethereanyfinalquestionsthatyoumayhave?”If theotherpersonasks totellmoreabout Conemoretime, theagentcouldrespond, “Of course,Ican. I’msoglad youbrought that.” Theyalso make custom-made meeting minutes and send themto the people they called.Goingbacktothe exampleofhimreaching outtothispodcast, theminutesforthat willinclude Alecs’participationand themomentum fromthebeginning. Whenhe callsthe companyback, andAlecspicksup andasks,“Isthis RichardBlank?”he wouldsay,“Ofcourse itis.”Then, Alecscouldsay,“Thank yousomuch forwhatyou saidaboutme. I’vebeenhere foryearsand noone’seversaidthis.Oh,bytheway,Jim’sbirthday’snextweekandyoubettermentionhis anniversary.His direction extension is214. Call him onThursdays before he plays golf.”When thathappens,Richard wouldthankher andshowhis appreciation. Thisexampleshowsconsistency andauthenticityatany stageofthat conversation.

24. Healsoemphasisesnamedropsandpersonalpronouns(e.g.,“your,”“our”)tokeep people’s attention.Hebelievesinpausingbeforenamesandnumbersandusingthoseintransitional sentencesandtie-downs. Ifpeoplecanpractiseallthis,they’llhavebeautifulconversationswithothers.Ifthey’dhaveto apologisefortheirtone,theycancallthefollowingdayandapologiseforitandasktorestart again.Thesearethesortofrelationshipsthatbuildthebestfoundationsinbusiness—having nosurprisesandbeingforthrightwith people. Chaoscausescharacter.Butifentrepreneurscanrespectprospects,theiragents,themselves, andtheirbusinessesduringthetoughtimes,thenwhenit’sthegoodtimes,itjustaces. OnGetting Noticed Ifentrepreneurswanttowearspatshoes,haveneonlights,marquees,anartdecobuilding,or collect pinball machines —like the caseof Richard andhis call centrebusiness — whynot? Heknew heneeded tobe the redumbrella amongall theblack ones. Heneeded tostand out insomeway,andhecan’tjustdoitwithcharmsandgoodlooks.Heneededtoshowsome sortofauthenticityandrealtaste.

25. Ifhetriesto dosomethingthatis inmode,it willbepassetomorrow. Heknowswhohe is.And ifhecandoitwiththeimagesthathe’sgivingout, hewill. Entrepreneursalsodon’tneedtogooutthereandthrowmoneyaround.Thereareextremely conservative ways. Infact,Richardstartedhisbusinessoutofhishouse.Hegothisfirstaccountandrenteda turnkeystationatanexpandedinternetcafe.Hedidthatfortwoyearsuntilherentedspaceto buildout150seats.Ithadtobethereforsixyearstobuildenoughcapitalandbeableto build ahot field 300-seat centre.As his old-school grandmother tells him, “If you can’t do itin cash, youdon’tbuyit.”Andsohehadtowaitpatientlytohavethecapitaltoensurejobstabilityand paythosebenefits. Richard’scallcentrebusinessisonabuildingfirstbuiltin1958calledSuperLaQuadra.For thetimehe’s there,he’ll preservethewalls becausepeople livethere.And peopleare happy there.Thebuildinghasbeenabandonedformanyyears,andithasgonethroughsomany things.Heconsidersitagiftthatthebuildingispassingthatenergyalongtohimandallowing itselfto bein his useand be hisenvironment. RichardBlank,theguestontoday'sUnnoticedEntrepreneurpodcast,offershisadviceonhow to create a profitablecall center andmaximise client engagement.Atthe age of27, Richard departedPhiladelphiaforCostaRicaandestablishedafantasticcallcenterwith115+ positions.Hediscussesthechallengesthatforeignstartupsexperienceaswellashow companiescangainrecognitionabroad. Heemphasises thevalue ofcommunication andhow learninga new languageand culturecan helpbusinessesadaptandthrive.Despitetheirunfavorablereputationinpopularculture,he alsodiscussestheadvantagesofcontactcenters. Acallcentercan bethesuccesscenter ofabusiness withtherighttechnological advantages andframework.Inordertokeepclientsandsettledisputes, Richardemphasisesthevalueof keepinginterpersonalcommunicationwhilesharinghisteachingtechniquesfor better communication. OnthisUnnoticedEntrepreneurepisode,learnmoreaboutthevalueofcommunicationand how tomaximiseengagementforcompany successwithhostsJimJamesand RichardBlank. RichardBlank,theguestontoday'sUnnoticedEntrepreneurpodcast,offershisadviceonhow to create a profitablecall center andmaximise client engagement.Atthe age of27, Richard departedPhiladelphiaforCostaRicaandestablishedafantasticcallcenterwith115+ positions.Hediscussesthechallengesthatforeignstartupsexperienceaswellashow companiescangainrecognitionabroad. Heemphasises thevalue ofcommunication andhow learninga new languageand culturecan helpbusinessesadaptandthrive.Despitetheirunfavorablereputationinpopularculture,he alsodiscussestheadvantagesofcontactcenters.

26. Acallcentercan bethesuccesscenter ofabusiness withtherighttechnological advantages andframework.Inordertokeepclientsandsettledisputes, Richardemphasisesthevalueof keepinginterpersonalcommunicationwhilesharinghisteachingtechniquesfor better communication. OnthisUnnoticedEntrepreneurepisode,learnmoreaboutthevalueofcommunicationand how tomaximiseengagementforcompany successwithhostsJimJamesand RichardBlank. FreeMarketingTipsForTheUnNoticedEntrepreneur Ifyou're an unnoticed entrepreneur, thisshow is for you. Youwillhearhonest,hard-workingentrepreneursexplainhowtheybuildtheirbusinesseswith low-costmarketing strategies. Inless than 25minutes, my guestsand I discussthe best waysto generate salesin the most cost-effectiveways possible; theseare ideas that youcan use inyour business today. Theseare not celebrityCEOs but people likeme and you. Conversationsarebasedon myexperienceof buildingcompanieson 3continentsover 25 years. Richard’svisionquestjourneyisfilledwithtwistsandturns.At27yearsold,herelocatedto CostaRica to train employees for oneof the larger call centers inSan Jose. With a mix of motivationalpublicspeakingstylebackedbytactfulandappropriaterhetoric,Richardshared hisknowledgeandtrainedover10000bilingualtelemarketersovertwodecades. RichardBlankhasthelargestcollectionofrestoredAmerican Pinballmachinesandantique RockolaJukeboxes inCentralAmerica makinggamification a strongpart ofCCC culture.RichardBlankistheChiefExecutiveOfficerforCostaRica’sCallCentersince2008. Mr.RichardBlankholdsabachelorsdegreeinCommunicationandSpanishfromthe UniversityofArizonaandacertificateoflanguageproficiencyfromtheUniversityofSevilla, Spain. AKeynotespeakerforPhiladelphia'sAbingtonHighSchool68thNationalHonorsSociety induction ceremony.Inaddition,enteredintothe2023HallofFameforBusinessalongside otherfamousalumni.PayingitforwardtoAbingtonSenior HighSchoolisveryimportanttoMr. Blank.Assuch,he endowsascholarship eachyearfor studentsthat planonmajoring ina worldlanguageattheuniversitylevel. CostaRica’s CallCenter (CCC)is a stateof theart BPOtelemarketing outsource company locatedin thecapital cityof San Jose,Costa Rica.Our main focushas been,and will always beto personallytrain eachand everyCentralAmericacall center agentso thatwe mayoffer thehighestqualityofoutboundandinboundtelemarketingsolutionsandbilingual customer serviceto smalland mediumsized internationalcompanies, entrepreneursas well asfortune 500companies. https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/ TheUnNoticed Entrepreneur podcast, Jim James, Richard Blank, Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing,TelemarketingCallCentre,BPO,NearshoreContactCenter,Sales,

27. Entrepreneur, B2B,Business,Podcast,Gamification,Leadership,Marketing,CX, Guest, Money,B2Ceducation,BPOtrainer, #JimJames#TheUnNoticedEntrepreneurpodcast#RichardBlank#CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing#Telemarketing #BPO#Sales#Entrepreneur#B2B#Business #Podcast #Gamification#CEO#learnpodcasting#podcastepisode#podcastguest#podcasting #podcastinterview#podcastplaylist#podcasts#podcastskills#podcastshow Host Jim James onThe UnNoticed Entrepreneur podcast. Silk suits and spats CEORichard Blank