Special_Guest_Expert_Eric_Lofholm: Video automatically transcribed by Sonix

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Brain Kelly:
So here's the big question. How are entrepreneurs like us who have been hustling and struggling to make it to success, who seem to make it one step forward only to fall two steps back? Who are dedicated? And driven. How do we finally break through and win? That is the question. This podcast will give you the. My name is Brian Kelly. This is the mind body. Hello everyone and welcome, welcome, welcome to the Mind Body Business Show. I am over the moon excited tonight because of our guest expert who is going to be joining us here in just a few minutes. It is none other than Eric Lapham. He is an amazing young man who is very accomplished. He's an incredibly successful coach, business person, and a downright great person, and I cannot wait to share him with you. And, uh, yeah, he's he's actually waiting to come on. He's scratching at his monitor saying, Brian, let me in. I'm ready. Let's go. And just a minute, Eric. We'll get there in just a minute. Um, real quick. This is the mind body business show. It is a show that I had created with you in mind. And you, I mean, a business owner, the the entrepreneur who's trying to get to that next level, who is seeking further greatness in their lives and in their businesses. Wherever you happen to be today, you could be just starting out. You could already have achieved a great amount of success. Looking for even more to take it. Another step to serve more people. This show is then for you because it is about what I call the three pillars of success. And I learned these three pillars by. For about ten years or so, I was on a quest and I studied only successful people. What made these very successful people tick? What did they do differently? Like I always say, did they run and jump and land into their pants or shorts or trousers, or dress with both feet at the same time, instead of just one leg at a time, like I did, like a normal human? What was it about these individuals?

Brain Kelly:
What did they do differently that made them more successful than perhaps yours truly? And these three things kept bubbling up to the top. Through my studies, I studied with a mentor of mine for years. I studied by reading books by authors, some of those whom I have met personally, and others who may not even have been alive when I first read their book. And so many in between and just so many people across the board. What made people successful? These three pillars kept bubbling up. They were the very namesake of this show. Mind really stands for mindset. And to a person, these successful individuals had developed a very powerful, very positive. And the most important ingredient was very flexible mindset. And then body. Body literally means that they took care of themselves. And some still do take care of themselves, both physically and nutritionally, through exercise and through eating and drinking healthy and then business. One of my favorites because they're all my favorites. Business is so multifaceted. These individuals had to a person as well, mastered the various skill sets that are necessary to build a successful and scaling, ever scaling business skill sets like marketing, sales team building, leadership, systematizing. I could go on for quite some time being the astute watcher slash listener that you are, and I know you are. You can already say, well, Brian, my gosh, to master any one skill can take a very long time. And to that I would say you're absolutely right. So the cool thing, the really great thing is if you were to just focus on one, not just one at a time, but one, if you focused on one skill set and worked toward mastering that one skill set, the others you can leverage from that one into all the others. And that is the skill set of leadership. You go down the path and learn leadership and really learn at a high level. You will start to be able to bring in those that have the other skill sets that you have yet to master, or you may never master just due to the fact of how long it takes to master any one thing. And that's the good news.

Brain Kelly:
So that's the beautiful thing with business. It is key to leverage all the time, leverage other people's time, money, uh, skills, experiences along with your own, of course. And you do it with integrity all the way through. And that is it. That is the mind body business show in a nutshell. And to a person. Another great quality I ran into while studying all these incredible individuals was that they all were also very avid readers of books. And with that, I would like to segue to a little quick segment I affectionately call bookmarks.

Announcer:
Bookmarks. Born to read. Bookmarks. Ready. Steady. Read. Bookmarks brought to you by Reach your Peak Library.com.

Brain Kelly:
Don't worry. Eric is coming on right after this quick segment. Reach your peak Library.com. Now, a real quick word of advice for everyone watching, even if you're listening on audio podcasts only. And if you are next time, you probably would love to come over to be here with us. Live so you can engage, interact, ask questions, and qualify to enter to win a five night stay at a five star luxury resort, compliments of Reach Your Peak. That's for those of you who are watching live, you get to enter that. I'll announce that at the end of the show, so stick on to the end for that. You do not want to miss that. That is an amazing, amazing prize for those of you watching and listening, all of you, one piece of advice I'd like to give you, you are going to be getting resources. You're going to be getting web addresses, websites. You're going to be getting books, uh, recommendations. You're going to be getting a ton of value and resources here. And I know, being a human myself, you'll have that urge to go off and start typing it in and researching it while you're watching or listening. My advice to you would be, please do not do that. Rather than do that, keep your focus of your eyes and your ears on Eric as he's talking. This man has a wealth of information, and I would hate for any one small detail to slip by you because you are not focused on him and what he was saying. So rather than do that, what do you do then, Brian? Well, rather than do that, you take out that you remember these things, a pen or a pencil and write it down. So reach your peak Library.com you can practice right now, write that down and then visit these resources after the show is over. Because I would just hate for you to miss possibly the one golden nugget that could change your life forever, because maybe your focus was taken away elsewhere. I like to say the magic happens in the room, so keep your gaze, your focus on Eric when he comes on right after this quick introduction. Reach Your Peak Library is a website that I had built with you in mind.

Brain Kelly:
Again, because I personally was not an avid reader until about, well, what is it now? Uh, let's see, 12, 12 years ago, or maybe more than that. 1250 yeah. 12 I'm, uh, at the age of 47. So, uh, now you can do the math. You know how old I am, and that's great. And this is it. What I did was I started adding books to this site because I didn't start reading until about 12 years ago, and I realized, my gosh, they do have a profound effect and impact on my life. And as I read them, the ones that had profound impact on me, either in my business life or my personal life, or perhaps both, which was usually more often the case then I had them added to this site. This is not here for me to make money. It is here for you to have a resource. So if you see a book that jumps off the page, uh, and any one of these, go get them wherever you get your books. If it's Amazon, if it's a Barnes and Noble, a brick and mortar. This this is not for sales. This is for you to have a resource to go to, because you can now go to a site and know that at least one other successful entrepreneur has vetted every book you see on this page. That is the reason this is here. It's about efficiency, not wasting our time. And again, at the same time, I can't guarantee it's going to have a profound impact on you as it did to me, but the odds should be a little bit greater, I would think. All right. And that is the whole reason for that. Now, the moment you've all been waiting for, ladies and gentlemen, it is time to bring on the one, the only, Eric Lapham. Here we go.

Announcer:
It's time for the guest expert. Spotlight. Savvy. Skillful. Professional. Adept. Trained. Big league. Qualified.

Brain Kelly:
And there he is, ladies and gentlemen. Yes, it is the one. It is the only Eric Latham who. I am so excited. Eric, thank you so much for coming on. This is going to be a lot of fun.

Eric Lofholm:
Brian. I'm excited to be here. Thank you for the invite, man.

Brain Kelly:
This is I I'm telling you, uh, ladies and gentlemen, we had a nice chat. Um, before we started this, I had not until just then ever, like, one on one talked to this man, Eric Latham. Not once. And it doesn't take long for me to assess a person anymore. And I got to tell you, my assessment of him is pretty high and lofty and good, because this guy loves to help people. He has got a big heart. And that is what makes entrepreneurs, in my humble opinion, the most successful. The more the more that we serve, the more success comes your way. Uh, I think it's just a beautiful design that we were all put on this earth to do that, to help each other. So thank you for being who you are, Eric. A man of integrity, a man who changes lives. You're helping a very dear friend of mine, and I've already seen the changes. So I know you're legit already off the bat. So I'm going to start with saying that for everyone who may not have heard your name, which, if they haven't, they're probably living under a rock somewhere. But that's okay. That's okay. They've heard of you. Now, if they hadn't, uh, I have I've seen your name all over the place all the time. And that that tells me. And it should tell everyone else out there that he is very astute at marketing, at business and success. And so that's why we have people like Eric on this show for you, so that Brian can stop blabbing finally, and ask Eric some questions. What would that be like? That's going to come in just a moment. So, Eric, I'm going to introduce you formally and officially, uh, the way you deserve to be. And it's going to be short. And then we're going to dive in. Does that sound cool?

Eric Lofholm:
That sounds great.

Brain Kelly:
All right. Eric Latham has been teaching people how to make more sales since 1999. No way. You're not old enough. No. Okay. He is president and CEO of Eric Latham International Incorporated, an organization he founded to professionally train people on the art and science of selling. Ooh. He has taught his proven sales system to thousands of professionals around the world and has written. Oh my goodness, ladies and gentlemen, 15 books, 15 one five on sales and success. Eric lives in Rockland, California with his wife and children. Ladies and gentlemen, the amazing Eric Latham is now officially gracing the screen here on the Mind Body Business Show. Thanks again Eric, I am so happy to have you. You have no idea.

Eric Lofholm:
I'm excited to be here. Brian, I appreciate the opportunity to share with your listeners and, you know, inspire and encourage them with some information to help them.

Brain Kelly:
And see there it is right there. That's that's the essence of Eric Latham. And that's these are the kind of people that seem to gravitate to the show. And I'm so blessed that I get to interview amazing individuals such as yourself, Eric. So I do not treat this lightly. I am I am over the moon. Uh, I probably could have paid you several thousand dollars just to appear, uh, because it's worth it's worth more than that. Anyway, let's move in. Let's jump in. Let's get to the good stuff. The source I love, uh, opening questions with, you know, the mind body business show has those three pillars. Mind is, in my, my opinion, the pillar or the mean, uh, what do you call it? Foundation, if you will, of all success or lack thereof. Without a proper mindset, it doesn't matter what you know, how you do it. Uh, the mechanics of strategies and all that. If your mindset is not right, it's going to be quite a struggle. I know this just from being on this earth now for a while. And with you, I'm curious, you know, being an entrepreneur, Eric, as I'm sure you're aware, when you get up every morning, you know, the day's just going to go perfectly. You're not going to encounter one single issue, and you can just sit on that hammock out in your beachfront property and sipping that umbrella drink and just keep raking in the cash. And we all know it doesn't happen that way at all. It happens just the opposite, where we get up and there's going to be challenges, setbacks, uh, all kinds of things that come at us. That is why we are entrepreneurs. We are problem solvers just like you. So for you, Eric, knowing all these things are coming at you every day, that they're going to be all these things that you need to solve what is going on in your big, beautiful brain as you wake up and you're assessing your day coming ahead, what is keeping you motivated? What's keeping you driven? Knowing that you have all these things coming to try to knock you backward? What is that for you?

Eric Lofholm:
You know, my life is is very much purpose driven and it is all about serving people. And, um, I started my company in 1999, 25 years ago to help people make sales all over the world. And so I'm going to do that until my last breath. Um, I don't have any vision to go play golf and retire. I just I just love helping people. And so, uh, it's gratitude of being able to do what I love doing and, and help people. And, yeah, stuff comes at me just like it does all of us. And I have my share of life's challenges. Um, but I do have a Napoleon Hill in Think and Grow Rich. I think it was that book he's talking about, a burning desire. You know, I have a burning desire, and I. I have a standard for myself on a scale of 1 to 10, that I played a seven, eight, 9 or 10 every day, bar none, no questions asked. I don't have any three days. I don't have any five days. Um, and I bring it every day. And so, uh, that's that's how I approach it.

Brain Kelly:
Yeah. And you, you have had a profound impact on a very dear friend of mine, and I'm not going to name his name. I don't want to embarrass him. Uh, here. I don't think he would be embarrassed, though. We both know who we're talking about. And, uh, the thing is, though, I love that, you know, we had this chat, Eric, and he told me all about you, like, just raved about you, and he loves working with you. And and it came to me at that moment, I realized, oh, that explains it. Because I have noticed a shift in him, a positive one. At about the same time he started working with you, because we talk quite often. And so you know that that goes even farther to let everyone here know that Eric is the real deal. You know, he is here to to help. Now, you have to be willing to put in the work. I'm sure you've had some of those, Eric, that come on and they're just waiting for that handout. Let me, you know, you know, make this work for me, Eric. Like, well no, you have to put in the work. You just you got to listen to me and do what I tell you. Uh, and this is one individual that is not afraid of work. And, uh, and, Eric, you have masterfully, um, done something for him in a very great way. I don't know the details. And we'll get into maybe a little bit of that, uh, because I think so many people could benefit from your talents that you are given and that you have nurtured and you have made, uh, you know, expanded and really magnified. So I can't wait for that. We'll definitely, um, let people know how to get a hold of you, where to connect with you and, and reach out to you and maybe get your help as well, because so many could use it. One of the things that really stood out to me was how you talked about how you get to help people just now, and then when we talk just before the show, how you get to help people like our friend knowing because of who our friend is, that that will also translate into multiple thousands of people being helped by your own actions.

Brain Kelly:
You didn't say that. I'm saying it by your actions, Eric. You are having that kind of impact because you helped one person. And I'm saying that on purpose so everybody can realize and recognize, yes, it's possible to have a massive impact, one person at a time. So please own that, because I didn't for a long time. Eric. I mean, we talked about relationship building. How important is it to spend that time? Eric, I'm asking you to, uh, to nurture a relationship versus build that list of 10,000 people and blast emails with sales on them. What is your philosophy behind, uh, personal relationships and how they impact your business and your life?

Eric Lofholm:
Yeah, well, being strategic with relationships and investing time, um, it definitely can make your life go, um, accelerate your goals. And I'll just share with you a quick story about, uh, you said he was a guest on your show, um, Les Brown. And so I developed a friendship with les. And one thing that les did for me was he walked me into the, um, get Motivated seminars, the national seminars tour that Tony Robbins has been on and Zig Ziglar when he was alive, and Colin Powell and, um, les vouch for me to Brian Forte, who was in charge of the speakers for that circuit and said, you need to have Eric Latham, um, on the get motivated circuit. And, uh, Brian agreed. And that's how I got on there and had less not like, walked me in there. It might have happened, but it wouldn't have happened as quickly if it did. And then the flip side of that, um, les is most recent book I had him on, uh, doing a kind of like what we're doing here to my audience, and we sold a thousand books in a day to support Les's book launch. And so, um, when we can do things through people with the help of people, um, it can take us to places that we wouldn't be able to get on our own. And so I invest in relationships, and I have one relationship that I'm working on right now with the CEO of a software company called keep. His name is Clay mask, and Clay is a client of mine, and Clay has over 100,000 users of his software. And Clay is never promoted me to those 100,000 users. But there may be a day in the future where I've added so much value to clay that instead of me asking him, Will you promote me? He'll come to me and go, Eric, you know what I want to do you a solid, I want to promote you. And so that might be years down the road, but I can think like that and we all can. But my brain strategically will look at I'll play the long game. And that's really served me well. And I'll just say one last brief thing. My mentor, Doctor Moyne, 1994, I met him. He's still my coach. So, you know, a lot of times people will coach with somebody for a few months. For a year I've been coaching with them for whatever that is, 27 years, whatever the math is 30 years. And, uh, so, um, relationships are really important.

Brain Kelly:
I totally concur on everything, especially the long play part of it where I've met. And I'm sure you have too. So many that are in it for the quick kill that they just want to, you know, make their money and run, so to speak. Uh, not necessarily the run part, but to get in it quick. But to do that, you have to sacrifice a lot of things, sometimes, often integrity, to get there quicker. And yeah, that was a thing. It took me decades to learn this the hard way. But the relationships are the key. Like Eric, what, what whatever you used to use 20 years ago, say, in marketing that was successful. So yeah, you've been in business 25 in your current business. That's so five years into it. Whatever was working then, is that the same exact marketing unless it was relationship building. Is that working today, would you say?

Eric Lofholm:
Yeah. Well, so much of it now is is social media right. And social media didn't even exist. And so our online presence I think is is far more important now than it was back then. And it's also in a way, it's easier for people to have an online presence because back in, you know, 20 plus years ago, most people did not have a digital footprint. You Google them, there's nothing there. And now you can Google my kids, you can find my kids on the internet. So, um, we all have a digital footprint because pretty much everybody's on social media. And so, you know, like this show that you have, anybody could go create a show if they wanted to and publish it on social media. And so, uh, it's definitely a different world, um, in large part because of the smartphone.

Brain Kelly:
Yeah. And it makes people more accessible. And I think it helps us to develop those relationships a lot faster than the old days, because now we know how to connect with people, where to find them, uh, basically type in their name and sheesh.

Eric Lofholm:
Well, I got to Rick Barry, underhand free throw superstar Rick Barry, NBA Hall of Famer I, I cold prospected him with a Facebook message. He had never heard of me. We weren't friends. And he replied back and said, Eric, here's my cell phone call me on Tuesday. And, uh, we put a deal together. And, um, prior to social media, like, how would you ever even get to a guy like that unless you knew him, right? Or knew somebody who knew him? I just reached out to him directly, and, uh, it's unprecedented access that we now have.

Brain Kelly:
It is, isn't it? And isn't it a beautiful world from that viewpoint? It is phenomenal. Uh, and yeah, we get to we get to actually interact with people that we can learn from. And also the thing I don't I want people to, you know, I do it myself is we sell ourselves a little short. We kind of hit on that a little bit before we started the show. Eric. And that is look, you have every one of you have skills that that individual who you hold on this high pedestal don't have. You have skills they don't have. You can help them as much as you're seeking their help of you. And so always give yourself credit for your skill sets, your talents. Uh, I'm very good at, uh, technical stuff, automation. And I just take it for granted a lot. And I think everybody knows how to do it. And then I'm finding out nobody knows that that deep. I'm like, oh, wow, I could actually help people with this. And so really look inward and find out what your skill set is and know that you are unique, like like Eric. And I feel like I'm channeling you right now because that's your coaching, uh, style. It sounds like. And, um. Yeah. Uh, just wanted to. I don't know why I went down that rabbit hole, but definitely, uh, everyone, please recognize you have talents and skills in that. They're humans. Eric is a human being. I found out today. You know, I've seen his name everywhere. I thought he was this, you know, super. He is. He's a super, you know, super star guy up here. He's also right here level with all of us. He is a human being. He has the same everything that we do. You know, he has the same challenges that we do every day. He has a family. My God, I know what those challenges are with kids. So, uh, he's a human being. That's a good news, because that means you can actually reach out and talk to him, have an actual conversation with them, take it to the next level, offer to help him in return as well.

Brain Kelly:
Uh. So beautiful. Gosh, I went off on a major rant there. That was pretty good though. Um, so I would imagine that in your business you have developed a team around you. You have maybe employees, Vas, uh, people working with you, I always say with instead of for. I love that. Um. When you are building this team, now that you've been in this business or in business for 25 solid years, I'm sure you've figured out how important it is to hire the right person. And for you, what is that for you? What is the right person when you're looking to bring on a new team member? Is it do they have a skill set that you're looking for? Is it do they have a mindset that you're looking for? Is it do they have the opening to to learning new things in their mindset? What is it for you that you found the sweet spot that says, every time I get one and I'm looking for this, I get success? What is that for you?

Eric Lofholm:
Well, I'll share with you the last person that I hired. Um, his name is John, and he does inside sales for my company. And at the time I hired him, I was doing, um, all the inside sales myself. And I went to a seminar, and the his name was Verle Workman was the speaker, and he told the story and he was basically saying the importance of a team. And I was like, I'm doing all the inside sales myself. I need to hire a sales person. And so I ended up, John came into my life and, uh, we were on a call that was not a recruiting call. And I found out that he has expertise in inside sales, and he was looking for an opportunity. And so specifically what I, what I look for with John was, um, one somebody who's talented with, with selling and then wanting to do inside sales. But the main thing was he was willing to plant his flag with me, and it didn't mean he signed a long terme contract, but I was like, look, I'm looking for somebody that would like to have, you know, maybe even a ten year run with me and with my company. And we had several interviews and I was I was hiring, in part a mindset, a mindset of, hey, if if I'm making the money that I think I can make with you, Eric, and things are working out and I'm being treated, you know, in a good way that my intention is to be with you long terme. And so if he had told me, yeah, I'm just looking for something for the next 24 months, I. I wouldn't have hired him because I just wouldn't have. And so my, um, longest person who's been with me was my office manager, and her name is Vicki, and she's been with me for 15 years. Wow. And so I, I got lucky with her because it's not like I was some great, you know, hire, you know, it just was like. For whatever reason, she resonated with me and I resonated with her. I didn't know it at the time that I, you know, brought her on board in the first place. But we've had a wonderful run together. We really enjoy working together, and my management style works with her personality. And so it's been really, um, so much of what I've been able to do is, is because of her, her great work.

Brain Kelly:
Yeah. And you find, uh, that developing a kind of culture is important in your business for your employee base to be a part of, and, you know, in what way? What way does that help?

Eric Lofholm:
Yeah. You know, I've had really an evolving culture, um, as an entrepreneur, uh, I used to lead from an emotional place, and, um, I've grown and matured. And so fortunately, now my team does not have to go through emotional ups and downs with me as the leader. I've I've gotten to a more of a, a steady, you know, place where if you interviewed my staff, they would say that they know what to expect. And, you know, they don't show up for meetings and like, they see a version of me they're not expecting kind of a thing. And so, um, it's taken me, you know, I've been at this for 25 years. And so I've really matured as a leader and realizing the importance, um, especially for employees, that things are, you know, stable, calm, steady. You know, I think those are are good ways for me to lead, uh, lead my team.

Brain Kelly:
Yeah. I really am in track and alignment with you on all of that because, uh, I love you say, team a lot, and that's how I treat my mine as well is we are a team. It's not, you know, there is somebody at the helm. There is somebody that makes ultimate decisions. That does happen, has to be there. But when we're working together, uh, day to day, it's like I have one of my teammates is asking another one for help on something. I know that that person's already busy. I'll jump in and do it. I mean, it doesn't matter to me. It's like we're all in this together. And if this company succeeds, we all succeed. And so I look at it as a team and hand off, um, when I hand off tasks, I try to give them as much leverage to do it their way as possible, because they're looking at it through a different lens, and it's always better. I've found it's always better when it's coming from a lens outside of the owner's lens. Right? Yeah, it always seems to be better. Have you ever had this happen, Eric? So you talk to somebody, they have a business and you have like 30. I mean, a bunch of ideas to help them build and take their business to the next level. Then you go back to your business and you're asking the same question of yourself, and you freeze. You don't even know how to help yourself. Has that ever happened to you?

Eric Lofholm:
You know, I don't I don't know that that's happened, but I've certainly have had ideas that I thought were great ideas that my comfort zone held me back. Uh, you know, we were talking about, um, in the the interview before the show today, and in my first book, it took me ten years to get my first book published, and it probably could have published in two years, but I was dealing with a lot of, um, imposter syndrome and fear and anxiety and unworthiness, and that's why it took me so long to get it to the finish line. So I've definitely gotten stuck from my own mindset. And, uh, you know, it's something that I, you know, continue to work on to this day. Um, I've got some changes coming up for the new year, um, expanding my comfort zones. And, you know, with the revenue I'm looking to go after. And I had a recent increase in prices, which requires, you know, loving myself to deserve to raise my prices, you know, and so, um, I've, you know, growth has been a big part of, of my, uh, entrepreneurial journey.

Brain Kelly:
I love that and growth. Do you think that coming out of your comfort zone is one of the biggest parts of doing that, of allowing you to grow?

Eric Lofholm:
Well, I think what happens for people is they think about, well, I want to grow my business and maybe do like what we're doing right now. Be on video if any of you are watching this on video. And so but then they go, I don't like how I look on video. And so a statement I don't like how I look on video, that person's going to produce very few videos, if any. And so um, we have these, these ideas about ourself that stand in the way of us taking action. For example, I'm a sales trainer and a lot of people come to me and they go, I want to make more sales, but I'm uncomfortable asking for the order. And so if you're coming from the position of I'm uncomfortable asking for the order, and if asking for the order is out of the comfort zone, that's going to be a very significant hurdle and we can all resonate with that. Well, we all have things like that. Maybe you're comfortable asking for the order you're comfortable on video, but it's something else. You know, for me, until recently it was, you know, I was very stuck at a certain price point and I needed to raise my prices. But in order to raise my prices, I had to love myself enough to deserve to feel I felt deserving to raise my prices. And so, um, that's all part of the entrepreneurial journey.

Brain Kelly:
Oh, totally. And I love it because you are like following the footsteps of your own coaching. Love myself enough, right? To embrace myself, to be okay with and really be okay deep down with, um, doing this change in price. So I love that. And this is a sign, ladies and gentlemen, of a true integrity based individual who doesn't just, um, talk the talk, but also walks the walk and literally implies what he's teaching others daily in his own business and his own mindset. So, uh, yeah, I knew, I knew, I mean, I hadn't met you yet, but I knew there was something special about you. And then after talking to you before we started the show, like, okay, this this guy, I like him. This is going to be good. Um, and I want a lot of people to know who you are that have not yet, um, seen you. Heard you, uh, listen to you. You have a lot to offer, and this is a perfect time. I would like to, if you're okay with it, is. Let's go talk about your business directly, and I'll pull up your website as we do that. And what I'd like to know for for everyone else, not not just for me, because I do want to know for myself as well. And that is what are, you know, who is your target market? Are they, you know, entrepreneurs who are right now solopreneurs trying to break through and become a, you know, start with a team? Or are they people are just starting out, don't know what they want to do? Are they seasoned entrepreneurs who are already, uh, very, uh, maybe they're companies. Uh, what is that for you? And then what are the services that you provide to them? And then finally, I know there's a three part question here is, uh, if you have a success story or two you'd like to showcase all we'd love to hear that as well. So I'm going to pull up your website, if that's cool. Uh, and let you take it away.

Eric Lofholm:
Yeah. My my market is really simple. Uh, it's anybody who wants to make more sales, and that can be an individual. It could be, uh, somebody who's been in sales for 20 years. It could be a company. So, you know, you run a company, you have a sales team, you want to make more sales. You're my target market. If you're an individual and you want to make more sales, then you're my target market. And the way I do it is by teaching sales systems. And I was trained by my mentor, Doctor Donald Moin. And prior to meeting Doctor Moin in 1994, I was the bottom producer. I got professionally trained and within 60 days I became the top producer.

Brain Kelly:
Wow.

Eric Lofholm:
Part of my natural gifting is teaching. So I started teaching my coworkers. Not for a fee, but just out of the love of teaching. Hey, here's what Doctor Boyne taught me. Try this. And many of them saw increases in their sales results. I then went to work for motivational superstar Tony Robbins, and I was employed by Tony in a trainer role for three years. And then in 1999, I started my current company, Eric Affum International. We're a global sales training organization, and my mission is to help people make more sales. So if you want to make more sales, I've been selling for 30 years. I've been teaching full time for 25 of those 30 years. I still sell to this day, and what I sell is my sales training. And so I just teach very practical, proven ideas that can help you make more sales immediately.

Brain Kelly:
That's. That sounds, uh, where do I sign? I love it, and then. Okay. Fantastic. Thank you for that. Um. And, you know, I love it's such a simple concept, but it's not simple to execute. But it's easy to say what you do. I help people want to make sales. More sales to make more sales. Wow. Everybody knows what that means. It very succinct and to the point. So I wonder if I wonder if Eric knows a thing or two about marketing and messaging. Uh, because that was beautiful. It was so simple and so to the point and, uh, and brilliant. And so if you have a success story or two you'd like to share with maybe a past client, a current client, whatever the case.

Eric Lofholm:
Yeah, I'll tell you a really wild story that happened recently. Um, a client of mine who's in financial services and we coached, I don't know, maybe four years ago. And, um, one of the ways that I'll prospect sometimes it's looking for booking an appointment, but sometimes it's a nurture touch. It's just checking in on somebody or acknowledging somebody because they put on social media that their kid got straight A's on their report card. So send a Facebook message. Hey, congrats. Your son got straight A's. It's something like that, right? So I do this nurture touch with Mike. There's just two word text checking in and we hadn't talked in a while. And seven days passed before he responded. And one of the things that I live and one of the things that I teach, is when you prospect focus on, in my case, my activity, not how the other person responds. Where fear of prospecting comes in is when I'm focused on how this other person going to respond, they're probably going to say no. And then I talk myself out of doing the prospecting. So I prospect Mike checking in, acknowledged myself for doing the reach out and not focus on the fact that he didn't respond back. It's like you ghosted me as a way to describe it. So anyway, a week passes and he messages me back and he goes, yeah, things aren't going well. I haven't made a sale in five months. And I wasn't aware of this. I was just doing a nurture touch. I'm like, well, if you haven't made a sale in five months, let's hop on a call. And I offered him the call not to get him as a client. I offered him as a call because that was the right thing to do. When your previous client says he hasn't made a sale in five months. Nothing wrong if I was trying to get him as a client. But that's not what I was trying to do. I was just serving him. So we get on the call and I'm like, what's going on? And he's like, well, I'm in a slump. I haven't made a sale in five months.

Eric Lofholm:
And he's communicating with me, and it's the position that he's coming from, and we're always coming from a position. And one way of describing this is who we're being, okay, we're always being, and being is another way of saying coming from a position. So in sales, he's coming from a position of I'm in a slump. I don't know if I'm going to make a sale again, the economy. And so I said, listen, Mike, how much did you do in revenue last year? Not income but revenue. He goes 20 million. I go, okay, you didn't forget how to sell. So on your next sales presentation, I want you to be the $20 million guy because that's who you are. This is what we were talking about before the show started, about what do you see when you look in the mirror? Mhm. He was looking in the mirror seeing I'm in a slump. So he was being I'm in a slump and that's what was showing up in reality. So. He calls me or texts me is the text, I think a week later and he goes, um, Eric, I just made $1 million sale. This is my first million dollar sale in 12 months. Got on the phone with him. I go, what just happened? He goes, I just made a sale. What happened? He was coming from a position of being the $20 million guy. He then rehired me. So now he started coaching again. And so we come to the coaching call and he goes, um, I'm not the $20 million guy anymore. I go, okay, who are you? He goes, I'm the $30 million guy. Okay. So now he's coming from that position a couple weeks past. He does a $2 million sale, his biggest sale in history. True story. I mean, it sounds like I'm making it up. I'm not making it up. Um, a couple weeks past, he comes, the next coaching call, he goes, I'm not the $30 million guy anymore. I go, who are you? He goes, I'm a $50 million guy. I'm like, wow, okay. And then a couple more weeks passed and then, um, I said, um, you know who?

Eric Lofholm:
He said, I'm not the $50 million guy anymore. He goes, I'm the $100 million guy now. Wow. And so then I think they call it an FMO. Um, basically in insurance and financial services, you have a company that you write the business through. And so as he was growing from a shifting his thinking, it made sense for him to go to a new, um, FMO, um, because he went to one that was designed to help people do a hundred million. In his mind, he didn't think his current one. Right. So anyway, he switches and then we get on this coaching call and he said, it takes a little bit of time for the licenses to transfer over. So I can't sell annuities and life insurance right now. And I go, well, can you sell anything? And he goes, yeah, I can sell this other financial products, whatever it was. And uh, so I go, okay, focus on that. He was ready to shut it down for the for the year. I go, no, just focus on that. So then he comes, the next call, he goes, I had a $400,000 sale since we spoke last, so. This is going to make him millions of dollars over time. It's going to allow him to employ more people because he's not going to do 100 million himself. It's going to be done by him with a team, and it's going to completely shift his life. And he came to me in a slump. But what he didn't realize Brian was he was being I'm in a slump, right. And this is why what you see when you look in the mirror matters. Because most people, when they look in the mirror, they don't see extraordinary. They don't see amazing because our culture teaches us that that would be bragging. So who I am, among other things, is I'm the world's greatest husband. And it's not as a comparison. I'm not comparing myself to all the other husbands on the planet. It's a position that I come from with my wife. And so I treat her amazing because that's what the world's greatest husband would do. But see, we all could do that.

Eric Lofholm:
And so one of the ways that I help people is I help them learn how to step into the highest expression of themselves. And when my client, Mike, he was down here in a lower frequency, wasn't being this high expression. Well, we all can choose that. It's a state of being. And I've learned what I'm saying right now. I didn't come up with this on my own. I've studied masters for the last 30 plus years, and they've taught me I've invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to learn the stuff that I know. It's not some random thing that I like. Know this stuff I've spent since 1988. I've been studying the mind. And so when I'm what comes out of me is years and years and years of working on this. And the position that we're coming from is a critical piece to what results show up in reality.

Brain Kelly:
There were so many golden nuggets in there. I'm getting writer's cramp myself. I mean, I'm not kidding. I told everybody I would recommend they write notes. I'm doing the same. And gosh. Uh, you know, it's all about the position they're coming from. I mean, this is this is gold, and it's about mindset and what you're thinking, and you use the terms vibration in there as well. And yeah, it's like who you it's like a dog sensing fear. You're if you're full of fear, the dog will know. And they come after you and you don't, you don't get much success with that dog. Uh, same kind of thing with this. If you're showing up as I'm not, uh, you know, I'm in a slump, like you said. That's interesting. Uh, and the other things you said of where this individual is succeeding, and I always say, so you can go out and crush it and succeed so you can serve more people. Well. A lot of times the thought process is, well, I'm serving more clients or I'm serving more. People need my help. In addition to that, you just touched on, you're also hiring more people. You're employing people, which is more serving. You're helping others to have a livelihood. So I took a special note on that one. Um, yeah. And then what are you investing? So I was starting to write a note about investing that you have invested in yourself mightily, uh, with with not just with words, but with your with your pocket, with your wallet. And that's and you have God. There's so much here, Eric. You're awesome and coaching. You know, you've had that coach since 1993, 94. Uh, and this is something I always tell people is like, look, if you don't have somebody helping you find somebody and if you have to pay them, that's probably better because you have skin in the game, you're more apt to actually show up and, and put in the work that you are being coached to put in so that you have better odds of success. And yeah, so that's one of the things as a guy, uh, you know, it's harder for us.

Brain Kelly:
It has been anyway to ask for help because of this ego thing that's hanging over, uh, women have egos too. I'm not trying to, uh, single anyone out, but the ego gets in the way. And once I learn to get rid of the ego. Oh, my God, things started happening. Like I could not believe because I started asking for help. I was okay with help. And when you're okay for asking for help, you're okay giving help more than you ever were before. So like, my goodness, Eric Masterclass Lapham. That's going to be your your nickname masterclass. Uh, in in like what? Geez. Oh my god 40. It's been 45 minutes. How is that possible? I really gotta watch the time because I know you have something to go to, so I want to make sure I honor that. Oh my gosh, so many wonderful things I could pull from marketing if you were to if you were to pull one. This is my favorite, one of my favorite questions of all time, if you were to today, right now, if you were to call out one strategy and only one that is the number one, go to best marketing strategy for you and your company right now. Today, not ten years ago, not ten years in the future, but right now. What would you say that is? Whether it be referral, marketing, mouth, uh, word of mouth, um, email marketing, whatever it happens to be for you. What is it for you?

Eric Lofholm:
Yeah, the strategy is it has been around for the 25 years of my business, and it was just as powerful back then as it is today. And I call it, um, the POI strategy. And POI is an acronym that stands for Person of Influence. Mm. So in traditional sales, what we're taught is give me a lead and then I'll go deliver a presentation. They buy or they don't buy. Well, this is different. Instead of. Of delivering a sales presentation. They buyer. They don't buy. You're selling somebody on getting access to their network. So Clay mask, who I think I talked about earlier with keep, he has 100,000 users or more. I don't know the exact number. And these are all people that have a need for to buy a CRM. Right. So. There's a huge amount of those 100,000 that are my target market. So if I could influence Clayte to refer me, endorse me, promote me to those 100,000 people, I could have, you know, an entire year's worth of business off of one marketing campaign that he did for me as an example. So this is what Starbucks did with Barnes and Noble. They said, put a Starbucks in the corner of your Barnes and Noble off in the corner where nobody ever goes. And they did this joint venture. Well, why did Starbucks do that? Because they were piggybacking on the customer of Barnes and Noble, and they did it with target. They did it with Marriott Hotel and etc., etc., etc. and so. Um, if you just ask your brain the question, who has a network with my target market inside of that network? And then you influence the person of influence to refer you, promote you, endorse you to that network. So I have a database and I have a following, and I've got all this books and social media and etc. but you can take it all away. And I could be very successful very quickly by finding a network to tap into and having my sales training promoted to that network. So that would be a strategy. I'll just give you one quick example. I got a heating and air guy out of Nebraska. I taught him the strategy and he goes, Home Depot has my customer. So he goes this true story. He goes to Home Depot. He goes, hey, who do you refer out when somebody buys a heating and air unit? Who do you refer the install to? He goes, well, we got a list of people that we recommend. And he goes, well, how do you get on the list? So, well, you just have to submit an application and we'll let you know. So he submits the application. They approve him year one quarter of $1 million in business from Home Depot.

Brain Kelly:
Oh, man. Yeah.

Eric Lofholm:
So he took the strategy and he applied it. So think about who has your target market and uh, and do it. And that's a that's a powerful, powerful strategy.

Brain Kelly:
I love it I love it and it's unique. It's something I haven't heard in some time. It's not brand new but I haven't heard that as, uh. As the go to marketing strategy, which it just makes sense. You're you're putting far less effort into getting exposure to a lot of more people, and they're targeted in this way. The way you're doing it is they are targeted. They're in your niche. They're what you're looking for. What is you know, who has a network that have people that are looking for what I offer as a as a service, and that's as genius. Okay. I'm looking at the time I got you got me nervous because I know you got to roll right at the end of this. So, um, because I always run over a little bit, I won't today. So, uh, one of the things I love to end, we're not there yet, but one of the things I love to end every show with Eric is a single question that came about as a result of, I've been doing this show now for a little over five years, which is hard to believe. It's pretty awesome. And, um, I've asked this question back in the beginning. On occasion, it just would be one that popped up. And then I started recognizing and realizing the answers to these questions. I'm like, wow, this is actually got some punch to it. It's a really cool question. Not because of the question, but because of the answers that were coming back. And I thought, you know, I'm going to just make this like the closing question every show from now on. And that's what I've been doing. And so you're aware ahead of time, I'll say this publicly and out loud. Um, I'm going to take those answers, have them transcribed and put into a collaborative book by the title of the very question I'm going to be asking you. And so I will reach out for your permission when that time is right. I got to publish my own book first and get that done. Uh, I don't have to, but I'm going to do that first. Uh, so I just wanted to kind of let you know, lead you in and let you know that's coming, uh, this this profound, incredibly powerful question.

Brain Kelly:
And just so I don't forget, uh, I'm going to now, uh, put up how you can win that five night stay at a five star luxury resort. So I don't rush it at the end when I'm trying to get back to Eric for this incredible question, because it's a doozy and you do not want to miss it. I mean, number one, you don't want to miss this prize. You want to put in put your hat in the ring for this prize because it's amazing. A five night stay. It's not. So this is not where you go to a resort. They take you to the basement. They put you in a chair, strap you down water, drip, torture you and sell you a timeshare. It is not that I kid you not. It is an awesome, actual, bona fide vacation stay. So I'm going to put it up on the screen and instead of going there now you know what to do. You're going to write this URL down right when the show is over. Then head over to it and enter to win. We'll still be monitoring after the show is over, so don't worry about that. So I'm going to put it on the screen. We're going to go there right now. What you want to write down is this web address. It's report I'm forward slash vacation R.I.P. which is short for my company. Reach your peak repi m forward slash vacation. Just make sure it's all lowercase, and then you will get right into the form where you can enter to win. And I can't wait to see who that winner is going to be. We'll announce it sometime after the show has concluded, and after we've given some time for everybody to enter to win. So can't wait to see who those individuals or that individual is going to be. Uh, it's going to be a lot of fun, so be sure to have that written down and be ready. And, uh, yeah, that last question, Eric, before we get to that, um. you know, as an entrepreneur, we we are we are like sharks in a frenzy feeding on ideas. There are so many ideas that we're running through.

Brain Kelly:
And so I'm curious for you, like I'm sure you've had and you said it earlier on the show that you came, you had some ideas you thought were good, that potentially didn't work out. How do you discern now that you know what you know now and what you've learned over time? How do you discern and know when to knock one idea off of your plate and focus on another one? What is it that has to happen to that one, which was an awesome idea to begin with, and you kind of get an emotional attachment to it. Then you finally say, I probably should let it go. What are the criteria for you that says it's time to let that one go?

Eric Lofholm:
Well, I think as far as, um, just a practical idea for all the listeners. Um, that's why I have a coach. So Doctor Moin and I, we meet once a month, and I can talk to him about anything that I want, whether it's personal or professional. And I will regularly share with him what my plans are. And I want to run it by him, you know, get his thoughts. You know, what does what does he think about the quality of the idea? I have other advisors that I reach out to as well. And then I do have my own discernment. You know, I like that word, um, discernment. And I'll get I'll get a gut, you know, feel on certain things. And, um, sometimes I'll know, hey, this is going to be, um, a successful, successful idea. Like, um, I do thinking or rich training occasionally. And so whenever I do that, there's like a big spike because people love that book and they love Napoleon Hill and he's not around anymore. So, um, I got an intuitive hit like, oh, that's going to be successful than it was. And then now it's been successful. I just keep doing it. You know, a couple times a year I'll run that campaign. So I think it's when I was younger, um, as I've coached with Doctor Moyne, it hasn't been steady like every month since 94. We coach for a while, take a break, coach. And there was times when I was taking a break and not getting advice that I really would have benefited. And, um, I, my company imploded back in 2003 and I, I took, I had door number one or door number two, and I took door number two and, and uh, shortly thereafter, my company imploded off of that decision. And so, um, it is very important that we're, we're making the best decisions that we can, and we have the best information in order to make those decisions.

Brain Kelly:
That's that's great. And yeah, each each situation is going to be unique for every individual out there watching and listening. And so uh, you just hit on it again. To me the key is from day one all the way to where you are now, even though it wasn't solid, is to have somebody in your corner have a coach, uh, have somebody who has your best interest in mind, somebody who hopefully has more success than you do, or at least in the beginning. Um, who knows, maybe Eric, you've surpassed your own mentor in that regard. Uh, the cool my mentor is could literally be my son by age. He's 18 years my junior. That did not play in my decision to say, I want to learn from this guy at all. Um, you know, just amazing young man. And I love him to this day. And we still talk and, uh, yeah, it was just, you know, it's whatever works for you, right? I mean, finding the right coach is also a big deal, and you might go through a few, but. What would your advice real quick be on? That is if you're looking for someone to be your mentor, maybe someone like Eric Laflamme. Um, and you are making that decision, are there certain things that that you're looking out for? Eric, when you look to choose a coach, I know you chose one back a while ago, and maybe your, uh, your parameters have changed since then. For the next coach or whomever advisor you bring on, do you have a particular set of values or parameters you're looking for in a person?

Eric Lofholm:
Well, I'll tell you one thing that I think is, um, is really one of the, one of the keys and it's, it's a coach who will see your potential and I call it hold space for your greatness. You know, some personalities they'll like beat you up. They'll tell you you're worthless like a Bobby Knight basketball coach. Many of you know the name Bobby Knight. You know, he would berate you. And some coaches are the are that way. Um, Doctor Moon held a belief for me that I would become great in sales, and I didn't used to believe that. Um, I worked more recently with Steve Hardison. He's known as the ultimate coach, and he's one of the most expensive coaches in the world. I coached with him for ten hours. $45,000 for ten hours. Okay. And he does say things to me like, Eric, you lead like Lincoln. In other words, Abraham Lincoln, right? Like when your coach is telling you, you lead like Abraham Lincoln. Like the first time he ever told me that my my brain was like, wait, what? What are you talking about? Right. It was it was so, in my mind, so outrageous. But when you settle into accepting of that idea and you realize Abraham Lincoln was a human being just like everybody else, and so it is not out of the realm of possibility for anybody to be a leader like Abraham Lincoln. Now, somebody listening to this might be like, what are you talking about? You're comparing yourself to Abraham Lincoln. Why not? Why not if if you're going to go out and powerfully lead and study the books and be the best leader on the that you can, why not strive to be that good? You know. And so my other company is a personal development company. And our mission with that company, the vision is to reach all of humanity with the AI, the core idea from that company. It's like, why not go to reach all of humanity, but see, most people, they don't have a mindset that allows them to think that big. So to your your original question, it has to do with you have a coach that can believe in you.

Eric Lofholm:
And I love holding space for my clients because I was talking to a client recently, and he doesn't view himself as successful as he could be. He's in his 30s. He owns over 20 real estate properties. It's like you are a stud. You're a stud of studs. But when he looks in the mirror, he doesn't see that yet. And I'm going to help them see that because that is what's there. It's obvious. I mean, look, you're 32 years old. You own 20 plus real estate properties, you're married with kids, you have a totally successful life. But that's not what he sees when he looks in the mirror. And that's a lot of people. So I love just seeing what's there. I'm not making it up. I'm my coach. Saw in me you lead like Lincoln. That's what he saw and he spoke it. And then that helps me see it. And so when we start coming from that place, that position of extraordinary greatness, I told the woman this morning, when my early calls today, I'm like, you could be on Oprah. I'm like, you're that good? You could you whatever that soul program is like, you could be on Oprah's show, you know, because you're that good. Her name is Elizabeth. I'm like Elizabeth, you're that good. And I was seeing her greatness. And most people, they just. That's not how they think, right?

Brain Kelly:
That's a that's amazing. It's positive reinforcement, but it's done with believability. Not just to do it, to make somebody feel good. Yeah.

Eric Lofholm:
It's not. Yeah. It's seeing what's there.

Brain Kelly:
Yeah. That's freaking awesome. Oh, man. So, uh, we're getting at the end here, and I wanted to get you had a gift real quick. And then that final question, my gosh, I'm going to do what I can to get this in there. Uh, but you had a gift that I almost forgot to tell people. Everyone go get this. And what is it? It is Eric's book. It's called The System, the proven three step formula. Anyone can learn to get more leads, book more appointments, and make more sales. And if you have anything else you'd like to say about the book, as I blabber on about it, Eric, um, I'm putting up the URL on the screen.

Eric Lofholm:
Uh. It's a goofy URL, their website, but if you just email me Eric at Eric home. Com first name and full name. Com say you want the free gift on the show the book I'll get it to you or that that URL. I apologize for being goofy, but if you if you go there, uh, you can get the the it's a PDF of the book or you can email me Eric at Eric Affum.

Brain Kelly:
Com cool. And it's Eric home is Eric with a c love home is lauf home. This is for our listening guests dot l pages all together.com/the hyphen system hyphen pdf or dash if you prefer Eric home pages.com/the-system-pdf is the website or go to Eric at Eric lapham.com. Email him there real quick. We're going to finish this up strong Eric I hope you can hang on for just another minute or two to get this thing because this is this is a this is amazing I cannot wait. So I told you about this amazing question. There are two things about it that are important. That number one is there's no such thing as a wrong answer. It doesn't exist. Uh, in fact, the exact opposite is the case. The only correct answer is yours, because the answer is and will be unique to you. And whether it takes you a microsecond or it takes several seconds to come up with the answer, that is also perfect. And there's so much synergy with the way you coach and how this is working out. This is pretty awesome. And so with that, are you ready?

Eric Lofholm:
I'm ready.

Brain Kelly:
Of course he is. He's Eric all right Eric Lapham how do you. Define. Success.

Eric Lofholm:
Success to me is living life on my terms. And for me, that looks like, um, faith, family, fitness, finances and my focus in business is on helping people make more sales. And so being able to do that on a on a daily basis and make a difference in the world is, um, that's what success is to me.

Brain Kelly:
And and you know, I've asked that question of many people. And to date, no two people yet have answered it the same way. That is what makes it so profound, so powerful. And I love how you said faith, family, fitness and at the end was finances. So I'm guessing that that was in order of importance to you, uh, which that tells a lot about a person, in my humble opinion. And that one tells a lot of great things about you, Eric, and you are a great man. I appreciate you for coming on to this show. I appreciate you for hanging on a little bit longer than you were supposed to, but I'm going to let everybody go, including Eric the man, the myth, the legend himself. Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the amazing Eric Lapham, I am your host, Brian Kelly of the Mind Body Business Show. Until next time, please go out and do two things. Number one, go out and crush it in your business so you can serve more people, both clients, and be able to hire more people in your business. And secondly, above all, please everyone. Be blessed. That is it for us. Take care everyone. We'll see you again next time.

Eric Lofholm:
Bye bye.

Brain Kelly:
Thank you for tuning in to the Mind Body Business Show podcast at Scott. www.The mind body business show. My name is.

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