The Moment That Sent Ed Wallace Out on His Own

Ed Wallace: [00:00:00] I think there's three qualities that make up what we call relational capital: credibility, [00:00:05] integrity, and authenticity. And I feel like authenticity is the one that really grounds [00:00:10] us and makes, you know... Uh, I said it earlier, be yourself. Everybody else is taken, right? [00:00:15] We're, we're, we're just who we are, and, uh, that doesn't mean we can't get better. It doesn't ca- doesn't mean we [00:00:20] can't get a better swing speed or all those kind of things, but it's, it's Hugh's, [00:00:25] it's Hugh's swing. It's Ed's swing. Narrator: Most trade leaders are working harder than [00:00:30] ever and still stuck. There's a better way to compete, and it [00:00:35] starts with people. This is Blue Collar Smart, hosted by Hugh [00:00:40] Hornsby, 40-year trade executive, industry award-winner, and the only media [00:00:45] voice built for leadership on both sides of the trade. Every episode, [00:00:50] one truth, one action, one step forward. Welcome [00:00:55] to Blue Collar Smart. Hugh Hornsby: Hello there. This is Hugh Hornsby. I'm here [00:01:00] to tell you about a brand-new podcast called Blue Collar Smart. Built [00:01:05] different, underdog proven, and trades tested You know, last [00:01:10] week when I was at the grocery store, a friend of mine looked at me and he said, [00:01:15] "You've got a podcast. It's called Blue Collar Smart. What does that mean?" [00:01:20] And when I took a step back and I realized [00:01:25] that Blue Collar Smart is for the trades and it's for all, all those people that, [00:01:30] that are in the trades and do business with the trades, but Blue Collar Smart is really [00:01:35] a way of thinking. When I was at 10, I was [00:01:40] diagnosed with epilepsy and a learning disability. In the ninth grade, [00:01:45] they told me I needed to go to special needs. And what that really taught [00:01:50] me was to look at the world from a totally different set of eyeglasses. [00:01:55] And today, I've got one of my really good friends here, Ed Wallace. [00:02:00] Ed is an incredible friend, a incredible [00:02:05] mentor, and a incredible coach. When we first met, we met on LinkedIn, and we [00:02:10] ended up going to one of Ed's events. It was one of the best events I'd ever been to. But [00:02:15] one of the things that I found at that event was not what happened at the event, [00:02:20] but what happened after the event. We went out to dinner, [00:02:25] and it was like being, going out with a bunch of family that you just love.[00:02:30] So Ed, you've got a, you know, y- you are the who's who [00:02:35] of, of Fortune 500 companies. You've written five books. One [00:02:40] of them I'm, I have sitting here, Business Relationships That Last. Um, the [00:02:45] other one, Relationship Engine. And, uh, but, you know, you've [00:02:50] done a lot more than that, and I'm gonna let you introduce yourself. But before you do that, [00:02:55] I wanna say to the audience that this is a treat for me to [00:03:00] have a mentor, a friend, somebody that has been by my side as I was going through [00:03:05] difficult times, uh, and somebody that is a family [00:03:10] man that really looks out for his family. Ed, welcome to the podcast. [00:03:15] Ed Wallace: Well, thank you so much, Hugh, and, uh, I appreciate all those wonderful [00:03:20] things. The check will be in the mail shortly, uh, that you just said about me. I, um, [00:03:25] you know, I wanna talk about you first. Uh, you know, you run into certain people, and, uh, [00:03:30] I've run into I don't know. I've trained 40,000 people. I've met [00:03:35] 1,000 sales leaders, and every once in a while you run into somebody, and [00:03:40] that somebody comes from a place of abundance. And that's like, [00:03:45] he doesn't take the slice of pizza, he helps grows the, grow the pizza, and that's you, [00:03:50] Hornsby. Uh, so whenever I, I think of you, I think of abundance [00:03:55] because you've led your whole life that way. You've le- led your whole life with putting [00:04:00] others first, being a servant leader. So I'm the one that's honored to be on your podcast, [00:04:05] and I love the title "Blue Collar Smart." I love that title. So, uh, thank you for having me, [00:04:10] Hugh. Hugh Hornsby: And you know, the other thing-- First of all, thank you for that because I feel the [00:04:15] same way. I think you know that. Um, and we've gotta make sure that we talk about that [00:04:20] movie that you have at the end, because that's something that's pretty special. Why don't we hit that [00:04:25] real quick? Ed Wallace: Sure. Hugh Hornsby: Um, you've got a, you've got a movie coming up. Is that correct? [00:04:30] Ed Wallace: Uh, you have a movie called Frackville. Uh, and it's, uh, the [00:04:35] tagline is, uh, "A town bets on a down-and-out bookie to rescue its only hope for [00:04:40] the future, the high school basketball team." And it's a combination of Friday [00:04:45] Night Lights with gambling. That's the, the best way to put it. And, uh, we've got some very [00:04:50] interesting people starring in the movie. Uh, uh, Chazz Palminteri's gonna be in [00:04:55] the movie. I'm partners with his, uh, beautiful wife, Gianna, as part of the [00:05:00] movie, uh, with a production team. And, um, just a whole different thing. And I never intended to do a [00:05:05] movie, you. It just kinda happened. I ran into one of the old bookies from the, my town [00:05:10] that, which is actually called Frackville, so I know what blue-collar smart's all about. I grew up [00:05:15] around blue-collar smart, uh, in co- in a coal mining town. Uh, and, uh, [00:05:20] it just kind of this nice little side hustle that I've had. And, uh, we are close to [00:05:25] having it funded, and we wanna shoot it, uh, this fall or early in the spring, so you might [00:05:30] see it by this time next year. Hugh Hornsby: Well, you know, maybe I can come, come down [00:05:35] and be an extra- I thought ... in, uh, in one of, one of those scenes. That's, that's an [00:05:40] amazing story. And, and I think it's a, it's a great place to get started here [00:05:45] because, you know, you didn't get started, you know, you, you're, um, I think you [00:05:50] just went into Harvard Business Review and, and you, you do a lot of stuff [00:05:55] over at, uh, um, in, in the college that's, that's over [00:06:00] there. Um, Vander- Villanova. Yeah, Villanova. Villanova. I kept saying Vanderbilt. Ed Wallace: Getting that right, man. [00:06:05] Villanova. Go Hugh Hornsby: Cats. Gotta get it right. I know where, I know Villanova, but, but you're, you're on the [00:06:10] staff over there. You're doing a lot of really neat things. But you didn't start out that way. I [00:06:15] mean, obviously you started out in a blue-collar town. Mm-hmm. And, um, you [00:06:20] know, what was, your career started where and how? You know, can you tell us a [00:06:25] little bit about that and how you ended up being the relationship guy for an en- for an [00:06:30] entire, uh, industry? Ed Wallace: Well, I, I, [00:06:35] you know, grew up in a small coal mining town called Frackville. And, uh, you know, you [00:06:40] know, you left house-- your house on a Saturday morning in the summer, and your mom and dad didn't worry [00:06:45] about you. You took your bike, you went around, got home in time for dinner or you got in trouble, and, [00:06:50] uh, then you went out again, um, and played basketball till 9:00, 10:00 at night. It was a, a [00:06:55] great kind of, um... It wasn't great for the adults because they were [00:07:00] going through a tough time. The coal mines were closing, but as a kid, you didn't know any of that. You didn't feel any of [00:07:05] that. Uh, went to Villanova and, uh, wound up, uh, taking [00:07:10] accounting, and then I wound up becoming a CPA against all my better [00:07:15] judgment. Sorry, CPAs. And I always like to say I'm in recovery. So I've been [00:07:20] recovering from accounting since 1982. Um, and, uh, eventually met my [00:07:25] wife, we got married, um, and, uh, started having some, some [00:07:30] boys and, uh, had a great sales career. I, I, I transitioned from accounting [00:07:35] into sales, worked for the same company for about 19 years, became a VP. [00:07:40] And, um, you know, we have these pivotal moments in our lives, right? And, uh, [00:07:45] I always thought I could be doing something extra, something else. And, uh, but, you know, [00:07:50] you have a, a mortgage and young kids, and I always like to joke my wife was no [00:07:55] longer working outside the home, because we wanna make sure we get that one right, Hugh. [00:08:00] Uh, and, um, my younger son, uh, who's alive and well in the [00:08:05] office, and I know you know Grant really well. You've been, you've been coaching him and mentoring him. I [00:08:10] appreciate you for that. Uh, he fell off a skateboard when he was eight years old. I was at the [00:08:15] peak of my, my sales career as a, as a s- a sales leader. And, um, the whole [00:08:20] process of him taking a helicopter with my wife and getting to the children's hospital, and then my [00:08:25] older son and I getting there an hour later 'cause of traffic as we had to drive. And the moment [00:08:30] we got into the lobby of the children's hospital, a woman approaches us [00:08:35] and asks if I'm Ed Wallace. Now, think about that. Your kid just came in [00:08:40] on a helicopter with your wife, and now they send somebody to find you, right? That couldn't be [00:08:45] good. And I said, "What happened?" And she said, "Oh, I didn't mean to alarm you. Uh, he's doing great. [00:08:50] He's probably got a concussion. He'll probably stay the night. He's alert. Uh, your [00:08:55] wife survived the helicopter ride." And this is the line that got me. She said, uh, [00:09:00] "I came to bring you to where we bring our helicopters fa- our helicopter families." [00:09:05] So they had a word for it, Hugh. And i-i-it kinda was like this, [00:09:10] this little thing that had this big impact on me because they didn't have to [00:09:15] do that. And, and we would've found them and we would've found out of it, but they [00:09:20] literally, and I'm sure they're doing it for everybody, but, you know, like customers, they think they're your only customer. At that [00:09:25] moment, we were their only family in, in, in dire need. Uh, the words [00:09:30] worthy intent popped into my head. And, uh, you know, always putting the other person first, thinking about [00:09:35] others, all that great stuff, the golden rule. Um, and I thought, "Well, why can't [00:09:40] salespeople be perceived this way?" And I literally went to my CEO on Monday and [00:09:45] said, "I quit." And he said, "No, no, you're emotional. You- Let's [00:09:50] work through this." And, uh, it took about six months for him to agree that I [00:09:55] wasn't emotional, that I really felt there was a need in the world for salespeople to be able [00:10:00] to have their good intentions known early on in the process and not just they have [00:10:05] sales and that stereotype on their forehead. Uh, 'cause let's face it, when we were kids, when we were [00:10:10] born, do you think your mom looked into little Hugh's eyes and said, "Oh, my little [00:10:15] precious son, when you grow up, I want you to be a great salesman"? She never. Right? [00:10:20] She never said that. But so I, I, I, I, I thought there was a need in the marketplace [00:10:25] for business relationship development, business relationship training. We call it building [00:10:30] relational capital. And we just sell 'em. So I started a training company, wrote s- wrote the books [00:10:35] you referenced. Last Thursday was our 20th anniversary. So [00:10:40] there's the story. There's the story. Hugh Hornsby: Well, and, you know, there's a lot that goes behind that [00:10:45] story, right? And you, you and I have spent a fair amount of time together, and we've talked about some of the [00:10:50] challenges that you've gone through along the way. Ed Wallace: Oh, yeah. Hugh Hornsby: Um, but it's, it's, it's a great story. [00:10:55] And I, I just wanna say I've been interviewing founders [00:11:00] a lot recently and- Mm-hmm ... uh, people that build things. [00:11:05] And, you know, when you tell your story, it's a story that I [00:11:10] hear from a lot of startup companies- Narrator: Right ... Hugh Hornsby: you know, that's, that look at things from a [00:11:15] different perspective. Is, is-- Does that make sense to you? Oh, yeah. It's, [00:11:20] um, because obviously what you built, um, is pretty [00:11:25] simple, and we think w- that we all know about it, but it's not simple. [00:11:30] When, when you train these Fortune 500 companies, um, what, [00:11:35] what are you finding out there? And what, what is it that, uh, [00:11:40] that Ed, you know, as over the 20 years has started to, to really figure [00:11:45] out? Ed Wallace: Well, i- yeah, simple is a great word because when you're working with sales professionals, [00:11:50] they don't want complex algorithms. They want something they can leave a training [00:11:55] or a, a developmental period of time with and use immediately, and it not interfere with their [00:12:00] workflow, but complement their workflow. So when I was hiring Ed Wallaces to come and [00:12:05] train my sales teams at my previous job before I did this, I wanted, I wanted things [00:12:10] that were implementable. So one of my mantras always was, everything we do, we [00:12:15] can't make a customer implement it, but it should be implementable. So that was one of our [00:12:20] principles, and I think you may or may not remember, uh, the b- my, my, m- [00:12:25] I-- we, we learn, we learn in three ways, and our book, my books are divided into three ways. There's [00:12:30] stories, there's theory, and then there's practicality and process. [00:12:35] And you may recall... I'm sorry? Hugh Hornsby: Speak about those three ways because- Sure ... you know, those [00:12:40] are the-- they're out there. You know, Ed does a lot of research on the human [00:12:45] brain and, and how people work. Can you speak on those three ways? Ed Wallace: Sure, [00:12:50] sure. So everybody learns differently, and, um, and sometimes people can learn [00:12:55] from all three. Uh, but we start with stories, uh, anecdotes, [00:13:00] and, uh, you know, there's a whole trend in sales development now that you know about, Hugh, where [00:13:05] storytelling is really important. Uh, it doesn't mean you're telling a story about your [00:13:10] brother-in-law and his golf, you know, his golf trip. It's about a customer and [00:13:15] the journey that w- they went on, and then sometimes you get into personal stories and, and I [00:13:20] feature in "Business Relationships That Last," one of the books, a ta- a cab driver named [00:13:25] Max who at the time when I was transitioning into sales, showed up [00:13:30] at my house in a, in a London taxi here outside of Philadelphia. I live in the Philly suburbs. [00:13:35] And everything he did in this London taxi [00:13:40] was taking care of the needs of whoever his customer was, whether it was a s- a [00:13:45] salesman, a family, an executive, a grandparent. He was [00:13:50] able to tailor his interaction and his questions to that [00:13:55] audience. And, and that-- And, and we-- when we, we do this in training, we'll have people think about [00:14:00] what's your taxi cab ride like? Because this guy was competitor-proof, [00:14:05] and that's one of my favorite terms. He, he, he's, he's driving a commodity around, yet [00:14:10] we would schedule around his-- our, our schedules to get into his schedule. [00:14:15] So we start with stories, and there's several other stories that I talk about in there [00:14:20] about, you know, you're really, you're really not selling a commodity if people have to have it. You know, the [00:14:25] customer will make us think it's a commodity, and I ask the customer, "Do you need these, uh, valves?" [00:14:30] Yeah, well, then they're not a commodity. They're indispensable, right? So we, we kinda get [00:14:35] coached by our customers sometimes to think about things the way they want us to think [00:14:40] about them, but if they have to have it, it's indispensable, whether it's a taxi ride, [00:14:45] whether it's a valve, whether it's milk, right? Um, so we have the, the first, uh, [00:14:50] philosophy on learning is stories. The second one is, uh, [00:14:55] theoretical. So we talk about relational capital. Uh, you know, the cab driver [00:15:00] Max called it little things to turn fares to friends. I call that relational capital, people [00:15:05] and money. And that's made up of credibility, integrity, and authenticity, the three most [00:15:10] important qualities we need in anything in life, let alone if you're in sales. And [00:15:15] my favorite quality is credibility because, uh, most people think that's [00:15:20] doing what you say you're gonna do, being qualified. It's really, uh, the power to elicit [00:15:25] belief So when you and I first met, something clicked where I [00:15:30] believed in you, you believed in me, we wanted to meet again. Now when we meet again, now we can build trust, [00:15:35] 'cause you gotta do stuff together to build trust. And then finally, be yourself, everybody else is [00:15:40] taken. And, um, I learned through that cab driver process that he was actually a retired engineer [00:15:45] who was doing this kind of as his semi-retirement. So when you a- when you learn... A- and [00:15:50] I learned that by asking about him. And, and the other [00:15:55] major tool we talk about is relational GPS. [00:16:00] Everybody in the world in business should have goals, passions, and struggles. And if you can [00:16:05] locate those goals, passions, and struggles, there's a great chance you're gonna evolve the relationship. If you [00:16:10] evolve the relationship, 89% of the time the relationship carries the day according to the research. So, [00:16:15] so there's the, there's the middle piece. I ca- I call it act two. So act one is [00:16:20] stories, act two is, uh, you know, theory and tools, and then act [00:16:25] three is process. And, uh, we, we, uh, we, uh, innovated a [00:16:30] process called the relationship ladder, and the relationship ladder is how do you take [00:16:35] people from being an acquaintance to a peer to being an advisor with them? And there's only five [00:16:40] rungs on this ladder. It doesn't take a lot. Um, but each of those rungs, you gotta make [00:16:45] every interaction matter. Uh, and, like, the first three rungs are the, the daily grind of how [00:16:50] you're working with people, and the top two rungs of the five rungs are all about how you really keep this [00:16:55] re- like, like you and I are on the top rungs. Um, so that's, that's the way we... And, and [00:17:00] we, you know, we have all the usual things, assessments and all that stuff, but basically it's, it's [00:17:05] built on those three acts, as I call them, 'cause I'm in the movie business now, you know? Hugh Hornsby: Yeah. Yeah, [00:17:10] I love it. I love it. And, uh, I love the simplicity [00:17:15] of it all. Um- Yep you know, I think, what did you say on the second act [00:17:20] is like, um, you know, uh, everything else is taken. You [00:17:25] gotta be yourself. Philip, Ed Wallace: what- Authenticity, yep. Be yourself. Everybody else is taken. Hugh Hornsby: Yeah. And, and to me, [00:17:30] that's the value that you bring. Uh, you know, somebody that's sold what everybody else [00:17:35] considers a commodity their entire life with copper fittings and plumbing, and I, I [00:17:40] always said that the, the value that you bring is within you, and we don't sell commodities.[00:17:45] You know, I, I was reading in the book and, uh, a- I was fascinated. [00:17:50] So if I'm jumping around, you, you slow me down. But it was something- Sure ... about the, uh, the [00:17:55] Fab Five, and, uh, I think that was, that was, um, [00:18:00] that's a big part of this is... Can, can you explain that or [00:18:05] am I, am I putting you before we're supposed to be talking about that? Ed Wallace: No, no. [00:18:10] We can go in and out. Don't worry. Um- [00:18:15] So, so one of the things that, uh, m- you know, you, you know, there's-- In [00:18:20] helping things be s- learning processes be, you know, uh, immer- we can-- so we can [00:18:25] immerse, immerse ourselves and make them simple, we thought, well, okay, well, well, [00:18:30] relationships have to be tied to goals. So [00:18:35] most of the time, if let's pretend I'm a salesperson and I have an account, I'm [00:18:40] thinking about the account and not you, who's my decision-maker at the [00:18:45] account so much. So we thought about, well, why don't we connect [00:18:50] whatever you're trying to accomplish with that account to some real belly buttons at that account? [00:18:55] You know, not ABC Fabricators, but Hugh and Charlie and [00:19:00] Carly. And we talk about creating an action plan [00:19:05] for each of those people. In our learning process, we say, "Let's work on [00:19:10] five people." We call them your Fab Five. And if you can apply the process of action [00:19:15] planning to five, you can apply it to 55 or [00:19:20] 555. And we also encourage, when we're working with people, them to consider challenging relationships. [00:19:25] Not just like you and me, like if you were my customer, uh, where it'd be pretty [00:19:30] easy, but somebody who's really giving you a hard time, or somebody you can't get in the door with, or somebody [00:19:35] that bought once and they won't re-repurchase from you. Uh, so the concept I, [00:19:40] I thought about, you know, the Beatles were the Fab Four, uh, Michigan's [00:19:45] basketball team was the Fab Five, so I'm like, "I got five, I'm gonna call them the Fab Five." And, [00:19:50] uh, we work on these five, and then if, like I said, if you apply it to five, you can apply it to 55. Hugh Hornsby: [00:19:55] So what, what have you found? 'Cause you've trained how many people? [00:20:00] Ed Wallace: Over 40,000 now. Hugh Hornsby: And, and, um, [00:20:05] how, how have you found the training, uh, the success level that you've [00:20:10] had? Um, obviously some people are, are not gonna implement it, but the ones that do [00:20:15] implement it, what's the, what's the, uh, success that you find with that? [00:20:20] Ed Wallace: Well, it's interesting. Everybody measures success differently. Hugh Hornsby: Yeah. Ed Wallace: [00:20:25] Well, we just had a proposal out for a new customer, and of course, you know, we [00:20:30] provided them with four or five names 'cause they wanted to talk to some people. And y- the [00:20:35] customer, the prospect got back to me, he said, "Wow, everybody came at me from a different angle." I said, "Do you mind [00:20:40] sharing?" He goes, "Well, first of all, they're all raving fans," he said, "but beyond that, [00:20:45] from a business performance perspective." I said, "Well, I wouldn't give you somebody who wasn't a raving fan." Yeah. He [00:20:50] started laughing. Um, but, you know, um, just on that [00:20:55] point, um, I think what we've done is [00:21:00] we try to exhibit what we teach. So if we're the [00:21:05] relationship company, then we better be great at relationships, we better be great at [00:21:10] giving and taking, we better be great at doing all the things. So I had a [00:21:15] salesman once, and he says, "Let's go leverage all these relationships." I'm like, "We don't leverage people." [00:21:20] Uh, you know, so, so I, I think part of what, what's made us successful [00:21:25] is we model for them just in our own sales process [00:21:30] what they want their sales team to do. So they'll see how I walk [00:21:35] them through a proposal or how I walk them through discovery, like, "Can you teach us that?" I go, "That's what this [00:21:40] is all about." I said, "I didn't offend you through the whole process." He goes, "No, our relationship, in fact, got better." [00:21:45] Um, so from a measurement standpoint, I've heard things like, [00:21:50] "Our profitability increased significantly." I've heard one as simple as, [00:21:55] uh, from a VP of sales, "I'm getting asked better questions by my sales team for help." [00:22:00] So the, the basic stuff, they're not, they don't ha- they don't need help with that [00:22:05] anymore. Uh, I've heard, uh, you know, so it- it's things like real measurement, like, um, [00:22:10] we might take a group of 25 salespeople through a process. We'll measure [00:22:15] relationship strength in the beginning. We'll re-measure it at the end. We'll try to [00:22:20] correlate that with real performance, and generally, uh, performance goes up and the ra- and the, [00:22:25] and the measures go up. So it depends on what the customer's looking for. [00:22:30] Um, we try to accommodate everything. Um, a lot of times they're [00:22:35] looking for a new experience for their team, and they'll say, "If, if they leave with one [00:22:40] thing they can use, it's worth whatever we have to pay you, because we've been through [00:22:45] everything else and we've never seen anything like this before. So hopefully it'll be valuable for [00:22:50] us." So I hope that answered your question. I- I- Yeah, I- ... give metrics. Some companies actually give metrics [00:22:55] on how we performed, um, but it depends on what they're after. Hugh Hornsby: And, and I [00:23:00] was gonna say, what is the biggest challenge? Is it leadership that's, that's the [00:23:05] biggest challenge, or is it the challenge of people that are down below, you [00:23:10] know, implementing exactly or, or implementing ex- what, what you have [00:23:15] taught them? Ed Wallace: I think people-- I, I think the biggest challenge is, [00:23:20] uh, sales professionals tend to think transactionally. Hugh Hornsby: Yeah. Ed Wallace: And, [00:23:25] and instead of, uh, this is a long-term deal, uh, [00:23:30] I'm, you know, if, if I lose out on this RFP or, or if I lose out on this [00:23:35] first transaction, I'm, I'm, I'm gonna make sure they understand that I'm in this to have a long-term [00:23:40] relationship. Uh, but again, depends on the company. Public companies, sometimes they behave [00:23:45] transactionally. Yeah. Private companies, they could take a little more time. But I think, I, I think [00:23:50] complacency is the other thing where, you know, I'm way at the top of this [00:23:55] ladder with, uh, this customer that Ed Wallace talks about. They'll call me when they wanna order. Hugh Hornsby: [00:24:00] Yeah. Ed Wallace: When you've earned the right to ask for business when they, when you [00:24:05] take them to the top of our ladder process. Hugh Hornsby: And it, and it, and is, is it a [00:24:10] slower... I mean, it's a slower process than the, the transac- [00:24:15] transactional relationship. Uh, and d-do you find with [00:24:20] so-some of the leadership, since they are transactional, it's, that slow process is, [00:24:25] is, is hard for them to kind of figure out? Ed Wallace: You know, I, I-- it's interesting. [00:24:30] I, I, I've never seen sales leadership get in the way. Um- Nice ... which you would think would [00:24:35] happen. Uh, I, I feel like they're looking for [00:24:40] another voice because their voice is heard every day. Like, I know [00:24:45] you're very successful, you know, in your career as a, as a c- as a, a, [00:24:50] um, a leader coach, right? You had great sales career, great, uh, sales [00:24:55] leadership career, now a great hybrid career, podcast superstar, right? But [00:25:00] I think some salespeople are just relational rock stars, right? And they can go to the [00:25:05] top of the ladder in two meetings. Hugh Hornsby: Yeah. Ed Wallace: And then, then there's the bell curve, [00:25:10] and the bell curve is what we try to help with. Uh, and the bell curve o- of, of the [00:25:15] way a team breaks out with their skills is, you know, if we can move them a little bit, [00:25:20] that's bottom line. That's unexpected revenue. And if we can get them thinking, [00:25:25] "Okay, I'm here buil- I'm here to build relationships," they eventually will close sales. I [00:25:30] have to know how to close. I have to know c- I have to know all the sales skills, calls to action. How do I [00:25:35] negotiate relationally? How do I set up meetings relationally? How does [00:25:40] my taxi look like a London taxi amidst all these yellow cabs? [00:25:45] How do I create this competitor-proof experience for my customers, my [00:25:50] prospects? Hugh Hornsby: You know, I, I love that because, you know, my business philosophy [00:25:55] is, is, is a people-based business philosophy. And, you know, [00:26:00] I've, I've built that, you know, over years. And, um- Me ... then you run into [00:26:05] somebody like yourself that's figured it all out, and it's like, uh, "Wow, I wish I would've had that [00:26:10] training early on instead of failing as many times as I did." But I, I wanted to ask another [00:26:15] question, and it's really more about our industry, but it's about what's happing, happening, um, [00:26:20] not only in our industry, but in a lot of industries right now. People are [00:26:25] aging out. Ed Wallace: Yeah. Hugh Hornsby: And so if you take a look at the trades, and I [00:26:30] know your partner Nick is involved with a lot of PE-type companies. Ed Wallace: Mm-hmm. Hugh Hornsby: Uh, the [00:26:35] biggest challenge they have is that, you know, they're wrapping these companies up, the systems and everything [00:26:40] else, but, uh, a lot of what they miss is the relationship [00:26:45] part of it. Right. Do you, do you have, uh, any thoughts on that? [00:26:50] Because there's a lot of people that are gonna be watching this that, that- Mm-hmm ... are PE companies, and they're, [00:26:55] they're, um, they're doing a great job on the systems, but they haven't done a very good job of, [00:27:00] of, uh, creating the relationship downstream. Ed Wallace: All right. Well, first of all, the [00:27:05] fluency's walking out the door, right? Uh, a company gets acquired, [00:27:10] uh, some folks get bought out. Sometimes it's the principal owners. Well, guess who [00:27:15] started all the relationships? The principal owners, right? So you can only hold them to, hold their feet [00:27:20] to the fire so long. And, and I don't wanna take a shot at PE companies, [00:27:25] but the trend I see is the last thing they wanna do is invest [00:27:30] in professional development And that's the first thing they should be thinking [00:27:35] about besides the new systems. Because if it, it-- You can have all the processes you [00:27:40] want, uh, people have to be able to e-e-execute that process, and [00:27:45] part of that process is the relationships that are needed. So I, [00:27:50] I-- In one of my books, I talked about, you know, we were taught to think outside the box. [00:27:55] Uh, relationships are thinking between the boxes, right? So if you have a [00:28:00] flowchart, a sales process, those lines between the boxes are the relationships you have to [00:28:05] build. You can't go from one step to the next step in a sales process without having a strong [00:28:10] relationship to get to that next step. And I, I feel like, uh, acquirers, [00:28:15] and I'm not take- again, taking shots at PE. They, they have ratios and all things they have to do, but I [00:28:20] run into this mostly with PE-backed companies. They, they're a [00:28:25] little averse to investing. I mean, if you spend $1,000 [00:28:30] to get 10, would you do it? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But they're averse to doing that because, [00:28:35] hey, they just spent a lot of money buying the company. They're trying to integrate it. They're putting new systems in. [00:28:40] Uh, whereas, um, John Deere, one of my great customers, right? [00:28:45] Established forever, no problem investing in some skills that may [00:28:50] not pay off for two years with their sales team. So I think that, I think that's [00:28:55] part of the problem, and the other is we have a younger generation coming into the sales [00:29:00] force, and if you can get them to want to come into sales, and they don't have the skills [00:29:05] because their growth was, was challenged in high school and [00:29:10] college with pandemics and, uh, all of a sudden customers wanna do Zooms [00:29:15] and, and they, they don't really necessarily have the, the... They, they missed out on [00:29:20] socializing in college- Yeah ... or missed out on socializing in high school. So there's a lot of things going [00:29:25] against it. By the way, AI doesn't hurt, doesn't help either, uh, when you're trying to build a [00:29:30] relationship, and we, we just put a whole program together on how not to lose your [00:29:35] humanity while you use AI. So we've got a lot of stuff going on that the, the, [00:29:40] the acquirers of companies and the people in those companies who are trying to sell are facing right now. [00:29:45] Hugh Hornsby: Well, and I, and I love that you say you're not against PE because you're not. And [00:29:50] PE actually, uh, PE bought our company, and, uh, they bought it at a [00:29:55] time where, you know, we had hired a bunch of people, and the systems [00:30:00] weren't catching up with the rest of, rest of the company. So- Yeah ... the [00:30:05] systems are really important. I've got a, a chapter in the book called "Blue Collar Smart versus Systems [00:30:10] Smart"- And, um, you know, which is really relationships versus the [00:30:15] systems, but y- but you need both. And, um, you know, I love PE [00:30:20] for what PE's for, but I think there's an opportunity for those PE companies- Ed Wallace: Mm-hmm Hugh Hornsby: that [00:30:25] look at it differently and, um, hire somebody like yourself or [00:30:30] hire somebody to help put it all together, because I think there's a gap in the [00:30:35] industry. Um, and I'm, you know, I, I, I, I really feel like [00:30:40] what you do, you know, m- makes a huge difference. So there's somebody out there that [00:30:45] probably gonna wanna place that phone call and say, "Let's, let's talk about it," because [00:30:50] the biggest gap they have is losing their people. Ed Wallace: Right. Right. Hugh Hornsby: And [00:30:55] on another part- Mm-hmm ... uh, which is a little different, I know you deal with Fortune [00:31:00] 500 companies. Ed Wallace: Mm-hmm. Hugh Hornsby: But Max was a taxi driver. Ed Wallace: Mm-hmm. Hugh Hornsby: You know, I, I think [00:31:05] there was a story in your book about, you know, the golf, the golf range guy, [00:31:10] you know, pro. Mm-hmm. Um, and so when we're talking to companies that [00:31:15] are in the, the trades industry, maybe somebody that's going into the house on [00:31:20] home services, what's your suggestion to them? Because that, they're the [00:31:25] first... They're, they're not the first part, but they're the, they're the part that really gets to [00:31:30] see the client. Yep. And it's an opportunity to really set themself apart. Do you have any suggestions [00:31:35] on that? Ed Wallace: Yeah, I have a great story for you on that. Uh, and again, you and I did not rehearse this.[00:31:40] Um, so I talk about relational GPS and that, [00:31:45] that everybody in the world has business and personal goals, passions, causes, things [00:31:50] they care deeply about and their struggles. So, so we're getting our kitchen remodeled about 10 years [00:31:55] ago, and Laura's my wife, and you know that. And she, uh, is [00:32:00] entertaining... These different contractors are coming in, and they're making their pitch to her. [00:32:05] And, um, so, um- She winds up taking the guy [00:32:10] with the highest price. And I'm like: "Well, why?" [00:32:15] And she says: "Well, Louie," okay? "Louie [00:32:20] came in with his brother, who's the carpenter, and [00:32:25] he started asking me questions." "What do you mean?" "Well, he [00:32:30] asked what I like to cook, and where would be the [00:32:35] best location for my spices, and is it, is it a [00:32:40] difficulty if the oven's in, i- is dia-" He went into all these questions [00:32:45] that endeared her to him and her brother, that these are [00:32:50] the people that are gonna build my kitchen. And I think when you ta-- A- [00:32:55] and by the way, he's done three other jobs for us, okay? So, um, [00:33:00] he, Louie, was just naturally good [00:33:05] at being curious about people and asking them questions. And I think when we're [00:33:10] dealing with consumers, uh, I feel like people want to be able to be [00:33:15] heard versus, "I know what you need. Here, here's the paperwork." Uh, I think [00:33:20] salespeople tend to hear one response and go right to solution.[00:33:25] And I think, you know, we talk about active listening, so what I'm getting around to is [00:33:30] active listening, listening to understand, not to talk next. And we talk about [00:33:35] ask your question, like Louie did, and then ask at least three [00:33:40] more questions. So, like, my first question is: "Well, why do you want your spice rack [00:33:45] there?" So the first question's why. And then, uh: "Can you tell me more about th- [00:33:50] what you like to cook and, and how you like to move around the kitchen?" The third one is: "Is there anything [00:33:55] else you think I need to know before I design this part of your kitchen for you?" So I [00:34:00] think active listening is the biggest challenge. Um, I had a fella in the other day, [00:34:05] uh, for windows. "Need a c- I just need a couple more windows to finish all the windows [00:34:10] in my house," right? And, uh It was like the-- I, I wish I could [00:34:15] have filmed how poorly he held that interaction, and he had no idea who he was selling [00:34:20] to, right? Right? Like, I'm like, "Oh, this would've been a great YouTube video," right? [00:34:25] Um, but it Hugh Hornsby: was- It's like the first, the first guy read your book, and the sec-the second guy just kinda pulled up in a truck. [00:34:30] Ed Wallace: Yeah, and neither one read my book. The first guy just had the instincts. The second guy just, [00:34:35] you know, he was told to close the sale on the spot. And, uh, anyway, so I, I feel [00:34:40] like-- A-and again, i-if we can have the customer buying, [00:34:45] like we bought from Max the cab driver. He did not sell to us. And then if the, there's, [00:34:50] there's that switch that flips somehow with the decision-maker, the, the-- like in [00:34:55] this case, my wife, on I like this guy, I feel I can trust this guy. He's so [00:35:00] authentic. His brother's great. You know, his brother was the blue-collar smart guy, right? Hugh Hornsby: [00:35:05] Yeah. Ed Wallace: And, um, and, and so it was, it was a lot more money to, for these [00:35:10] guys. But they did an amazing job. Uh, and, um, [00:35:15] you know, so I, I feel like if we're doing what some of the folks who are gonna be listening to this, we gotta [00:35:20] ask questions, and maybe not even leave with a proposal. Like, [00:35:25] maybe you leave sometimes with, "Let me go think about this, Mrs. [00:35:30] Wallace. I'll come back to you tomorrow. Do you have some more time? I won't take long, and we'll walk through things. But [00:35:35] you told me a lot. I just really w-" That thoughtfulness comes through. So I, I [00:35:40] feel like, um, I, I don't know if that answered your question, but that's- No, I, it- ... the way I would handle that. Hugh Hornsby: I j- [00:35:45] It's, it's 100%, uh, answered my question, and I hope there's a lot of [00:35:50] people out there that kinda listen to this. Mm-hmm. Because I think that that's a, that's a [00:35:55] huge opportunity, and I wanted to get that in because, you know, you're the Fortune [00:36:00] 500 guy, but you're really not. I mean, what- Yeah ... what you do [00:36:05] is it works, it works for everybody. And it doesn't only work on business [00:36:10] relationships. It works on personal relationships. Ed Wallace: Um- I'll tell you a great story. [00:36:15] Yeah. You, you ready for a good story? Hugh Hornsby: Yeah. Ed Wallace: So- I [00:36:20] don't think I ever told you this story, but y- y... a lot of times when we ta- I gotta pull up a picture for you [00:36:25] while we're, while we're talking, right? 'Cause you gotta see the picture. So anyway, I'll, I'll put it up for everybody.[00:36:30] Anyway, um, so we're, um... I'm, I was away for a four-day business trip, [00:36:35] right? And, um, m- uh, you know, so Laurie makes dinner [00:36:40] Friday night. We usually go out Fridays, but she knew I was tired, and we're sitting at the breakfast [00:36:45] island, which that guy w- we built for us, right? And we have this new little dog, [00:36:50] okay? And, um, that's our new little dog, right? Hugh Hornsby: Oh, Ed Wallace: nice. [00:36:55] And, and he's like Toto, right? And his name is Biggie Smalls, okay? [00:37:00] Right? So I'm, I'm paying a lot of attention to Biggie and not to [00:37:05] Laurie, right? And, like, eventually she snaps her fingers and goes, "Hey, buddy." Now [00:37:10] we have another dog. I think she's talking to the other dog, but she's talking to... I go, "Oh, [00:37:15] you're talk..." Like De Niro. "You talking to me?" She said, "Yeah." She goes, "You [00:37:20] know, I hear you talking about listening and all this active listening stuff and [00:37:25] being in the moment." She goes, "You know, when are you gonna start practicing some of that stuff right [00:37:30] here?" Now, you-- I could've gone any one of three ways. I [00:37:35] could've simply just apologized, which was probably the most appropriate thing to do 'cause I was being really [00:37:40] rude. I could've gotten defensive and said, "I've been away for a week and I haven't seen the..." [00:37:45] That wouldn't have worked. But at that moment, after 40-some years of marriage, I thought I could take a [00:37:50] shot, and I said, "Honey, don't you always tell me not to bring my work home with [00:37:55] me?" Hugh Hornsby: I love that Ed Wallace: because- And she [00:38:00] goes, "You're gonna use that." I said, "As long as you're okay with it, [00:38:05] I'm gonna use it." I told-- I used it in a couple of keynotes. People were like, "That was..." They said, "That was gutsy, but that was pretty [00:38:10] funny." Hugh Hornsby: Let's go back to AI. Uh, we, a-as you [00:38:15] know, uh, uh, Ed Wallace and Hugh Hornsby came through the, [00:38:20] uh, the bag phones, uh, the fax, uh, the [00:38:25] cell phones and, you know, we, you know, and who knows where it's gonna go [00:38:30] in the next three years. But right now, one of the big things that we are running [00:38:35] into is AI, and it seems to be, uh, very confusing [00:38:40] for a lot of people and what that means. And I'm on a board, um, a, [00:38:45] a, an AI board, and it's, it's, um, something that when [00:38:50] it comes to sales, when it comes to relationships, when it comes to PE, [00:38:55] when it comes to founders, that they're all trying to figure out. Um, do you [00:39:00] have-- Te-tell me what you think about AI, especially, you know, you're all about the [00:39:05] relationship. Um, tell me, tell me what your thoughts are and some of the [00:39:10] conversations that you're running into and some of the Fortune 500 companies that, that you're talking with. [00:39:15] Ed Wallace: Well, yeah, Ed, it's interesting because I'm a big fan of AI, and, um, [00:39:20] I liken it to, uh, Jack Nicklaus. Jack Nicklaus is the [00:39:25] greatest golfer of all time. He won 18 major tournaments. He was second in [00:39:30] 19 major tournaments, so there's no question he's the greatest golfer of all time. [00:39:35] All deference to Tiger. I love Tiger too. Uh, but just on the record, Jack is the [00:39:40] greatest, and he used wooden golf clubs, right? He used wooden drivers, [00:39:45] wooden three woods, and, um, he set all these records with those wooden clubs. [00:39:50] Let's fast-forward 40 years. Uh, technology has changed, [00:39:55] and, uh, drivers, uh, golfers like Scottie Scheffler are using titanium or whatever this, [00:40:00] whatever they're made of today. They're not saying, "Well, to be as good as Jack [00:40:05] Nicklaus, I gotta go back and use old technology." They're using the g- the latest technology to [00:40:10] be as good as they can be, and I, I see AI that way. I see it as another, [00:40:15] like you mentioned fax machines. Um, I, I thought [00:40:20] fax machines, they were talking about them replacing salespeople. Everything's just gonna-- All we [00:40:25] can do is m- fax a page back and forth, and, and it didn't happen, and I think AI is the same [00:40:30] thing. It's the latest technology, and we've gotta find a way to use it in our sales [00:40:35] process, in our leadership process that Is effective, [00:40:40] saves us time, but does not allow us to lose our authenticity in the process. [00:40:45] So, uh, uh, we, we teach a module on this now, and, [00:40:50] uh, I wa- I wanted to, uh, uh, share a story that I, I talk about in that module, [00:40:55] right? And the story involves my wife, Laurie, and she has a Jeep [00:41:00] Wrangler. And one day she's driving through our town, and the Wrangler just [00:41:05] shuts down in the middle of an intersection. And there's a note that comes up, [00:41:10] uh, you know, on the dashboard, "Pull to safety and restart your engine." Well, if the [00:41:15] car shuts down, how are you gonna pull to safety? So AI, right? [00:41:20] So, uh, but she gets the car started again, takes it to our dealer. Uh, the service [00:41:25] person comes up and he says, "Hey, we'll plug it in, Mrs. Wallace. We'll have you out of here. I'm sure it's a [00:41:30] software patch," blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. She says to the service manager, who we know very well, [00:41:35] uh, "And please check the battery." And they plug it [00:41:40] in. She leaves. Car's r- the Jeep's running. Next day, same exact thing [00:41:45] happens. Takes it to the dealer. They're gonna plug it in. [00:41:50] They plug it in, and now it's a circuit or something, another kind of technical thing. She says, "Did [00:41:55] anybody look at the battery?" "No, the computer will tell us." And [00:42:00] takes it home. The third day, it doesn't start in our garage. And now [00:42:05] she's calling me here at work. Fortunately, I only live 15 minutes away. I had to run my Jeep [00:42:10] home so she could, you know, use something to go to work that day, and I worked from home. And, um [00:42:15] The AAA guy comes. First thing he says is, "Did anybody look at the [00:42:20] battery?" And sure enough, he opens up the, the [00:42:25] hood in our garage, and the battery's all corroded. [00:42:30] And I liken it-- So I said, "I need you to tow it in. I need drama." [00:42:35] Right? So he tows it in. The manager-- I follow it in. The manager says, "I'm so [00:42:40] sorry." I said-- He said, "Your wife asked us to check the battery, and we did it." I [00:42:45] said, "You know, Joe, sometimes the eye test is the most important thing." And that's what I like [00:42:50] in AI, too. Um, if we are, if we are communicating [00:42:55] in long paragraphs over emails, people know it's not us. [00:43:00] Hugh Hornsby: Yeah. Ed Wallace: Right? If, if, if we are allowing AI to write our [00:43:05] proposals and it doesn't sound like you, Hornsby, uh, that, you know, [00:43:10] uh, well, you really didn't put a personal touch on this. It sounds like AI wrote this. Now, I'll [00:43:15] use AI to rewrite proposals all the time, but then I take the time to go in and tailor those. I'll [00:43:20] use it to write emails. I take the time to go in and tailor those. I, I think that that's the key [00:43:25] thing. Let's use the, the latest driver, but let's make sure we're still who [00:43:30] we are and that the people who are receiving our message recognize [00:43:35] us in that process. So that's my AI story. Hugh Hornsby: Yeah, and, and that is [00:43:40] a great one. And, um, that, that's, that's a great one because it's so basic [00:43:45] and, and, uh- Ed Wallace: Did you check the battery, you? Hugh Hornsby: Yeah. I know. [00:43:50] And, and m-maybe, you know, who, who knows why they didn't check [00:43:55] the battery? Um- Ed Wallace: Because the computer didn't pick it up, right? Hugh Hornsby: Yeah. [00:44:00] It's, it's crazy. Ed Wallace: But when- Maybe the computer was not thinking about batteries. It was thinking about whatever computers think [00:44:05] about, and usually it's down- it's software patches. And, um... Oh, [00:44:10] by the way, they gave us a $500 battery for free and test drove the car for three [00:44:15] days. Hugh Hornsby: I love it. I love it. Well, it's a great story, [00:44:20] but w-what's even a better part of that story is that that was your, you know, that [00:44:25] was just not somebody that you popped in to go see. That was your everyday [00:44:30] person that you trust. And, uh, they, they took care of it because [00:44:35] they made a mistake. And so let's talk about that a little bit. Uh, one of the [00:44:40] things that I know about Ed Wallace, it's, it's called authenticity. You know, the, all the [00:44:45] success that you've had, you know, Harvard Review, uh, you know, [00:44:50] uh, Villanova, uh, the Fortune 500. Uh, but [00:44:55] when you and I have conversation, you're probably one of the most authentic people that I [00:45:00] know. It's one of the reasons that we've become so close. Um, I think- [00:45:05] With everything that's going on in today's world, you take a look at PE [00:45:10] jumping in and you take a l- and there's nothing wrong with PE. I love PE for the right reasons.[00:45:15] Uh, you take a look at a salesperson, um, you know, going [00:45:20] through taking a look at AI and, and looking at different things and, and [00:45:25] yeah, you know, uh, it's still that person holding the driver, so [00:45:30] to speak. Uh, can you speak to authenticity and how important that is to what [00:45:35] it is that, that the audience really needs to take a look at? Ed Wallace: Well, the [00:45:40] authentic part is the swing, right? So, [00:45:45] uh, that's the part that's authentic. It's like my swing is different than Tiger Woods' [00:45:50] swing certainly. Uh, and, and I think the swing is really where we maintain our [00:45:55] authenticity in that k- in that anecdote. And I f- I- authenticity is my favorite [00:46:00] quality. You know, be yourself, everybody else is taken. Um, and it, it's, [00:46:05] it's, it's so That's the word I wanna use, [00:46:10] freeing to just be yourself. What, y- you know, y- I'm not saying be informal [00:46:15] in a board meeting or things like that, but, um, you know, uh, yeah, [00:46:20] I talk about in, uh, in one of my books about intellectual honesty and, and you [00:46:25] know, when we don't know the answer, when we don't put on airs of who we really are not, [00:46:30] I think all of that comes through. And I feel like in sales, [00:46:35] um, you know, uh, seasoned decision-makers can spot inauthis- inauthis- [00:46:40] inauthenticity in a minute. I don't even think that's a word. Lack of [00:46:45] authenticity. Um, so I think it, I think it's the most important. I, I, I think there's three [00:46:50] qualities that make up what we call relational capital: credibility, integrity, and [00:46:55] authenticity. And I feel like authenticity is the one that really grounds us and makes, you know, [00:47:00] uh, like I said it earlier, be yourself. Everybody else is taken, right? We're, we're, we're, we're just [00:47:05] who we are. And, uh, that doesn't mean we can't get better. It doesn't ca- doesn't mean we can't [00:47:10] get a better swing speed or all those kind of things, but it's, it's Hugh's, it's Hugh's [00:47:15] swing. It's Ed's swing. Uh, it's not, uh, a robot's swing. It's not a professional [00:47:20] golfer's swing. Even though we're using AI, how do we maintain that authenticity in that [00:47:25] process? I was, I was away for a few days at the, at the Jersey Shore, and I did a [00:47:30] quick video on this. You probably didn't see it yet. I think I just put it out there. Um, and the [00:47:35] guys were repairing the boardwalk, right? And literally [00:47:40] carpenters on their hands and knees, every board has to be screwed in for miles. Think [00:47:45] about that. Uh, and, uh, you can use the AI maybe to [00:47:50] program the saw to size the boards, right? But until you have a robot that actually [00:47:55] goes up and down and vroom, vroom, vroom. And, uh, so I, I felt like that was a really [00:48:00] good example of, uh, you know, uh, authenticity in [00:48:05] action. These guys in the hot sun on their hands and knees, hand-screwing in every [00:48:10] boardwalk board for miles, for miles. I don't know if that's gonna change [00:48:15] Hugh Hornsby: And I, and I hope it doesn't. Some of it will, but it's, [00:48:20] it's, we still need people. You know, I always say the people, the people-based, [00:48:25] um, business movement that I've always believed in, it's, it's all [00:48:30] about people. But if we can give them access to making their jobs a little bit easier, [00:48:35] then that's where the AI comes in. You know, first of all, I wanna say [00:48:40] thank you. You know, you, you are the most authentic person that I know, and, [00:48:45] um, I really appreciate that friendship. But I want to, [00:48:50] uh, to ask you a question. You know, when I, when I was a kid, [00:48:55] um, you know, age of 10, I was, you know, diagnosed with [00:49:00] epilepsy, h- you know, big head injury. You know, ninth grade they tried to put me in special needs and, [00:49:05] but I had this mom that was incredible. She used to drop these, these underdog books and these [00:49:10] overachiever books on my bed and, uh, and I would come home and say, "Hey, you [00:49:15] know, they want me to go to special needs." And, and she would look at me and, and say, "All [00:49:20] right, honey, take 15 minutes for a pity party." And then she'd go grab a yellow pad [00:49:25] and a pen or a pencil and say, "Go up into your room and write down," and [00:49:30] say, "Okay, what are you gonna, you know, what are you gonna do about it?" And then I would come back down and I'd [00:49:35] tell her, and she'd say, uh, you know, "All right, Hughie, now what action are you gonna [00:49:40] take on it?" So, uh, I wanna ask you, um, we all have [00:49:45] yellow pad moments in our life. Um, what is a yellow pad moment [00:49:50] for Ed Wallace? Is there one that you can share with, with the, uh, [00:49:55] audience that you feel like is gonna really be helpful to them? [00:50:00] Ed Wallace: Uh, you know, first of all, um, it's interesting that you, you're [00:50:05] recalling how your mom helped you, right? And when we, we-- You know, you're [00:50:10] incredibly successful. Uh, you have a very, uh, great approach to life with [00:50:15] your faith and, and all the things you've overcome physically. And, um, [00:50:20] you know, you've met all kinds of great business leaders, but doesn't it always get back [00:50:25] to the people who are closest to us that we had th-that really made the biggest difference?[00:50:30] A parent, a teacher, a coach, right? Uh, I'll ask a group, [00:50:35] "Hey, write down the most influential person in your life." Nobody says the CEO, [00:50:40] right? No. Right? They'll say, "Oh, my sixth grade soccer coach," right? [00:50:45] Or, um, you know, "I was going through this tough time and the guidance counselor in high school," or [00:50:50] whatever. So, uh, it sounds like, you know, you had a wonderful mom and a great [00:50:55] early life to get through all that stuff, and that she wasn't gonna let you, uh, [00:51:00] um, you know, muddle in your room on, uh, on, on the challenges that you have [00:51:05] now overcome, I'm sure in large part thanks to her. Uh, so I just had to-- I, I [00:51:10] couldn't go on without mentioning that. Now, Yellow Pad. Um, so, um, [00:51:15] you know You know, you know about book writing [00:51:20] and everything and it, you know, and, uh, I was I'm always trying to come up with [00:51:25] ideas for, you know, how do people, like, learn stuff, but it's easy [00:51:30] to remember and like, uh, yeah. So you need these kinda these go-tos. [00:51:35] And I kept thinking about like, okay, what drives a relationship?[00:51:40] And I, I literally have... used to have, not anymore, I don't wanna do any more books, [00:51:45] a notepad next to my, my nightstand. And, um, [00:51:50] I, I, uh, I kept thinking people have things they're trying to accomplish. People have things they're [00:51:55] challenged with. People have things they care about. And I had these letters, goals, [00:52:00] care, challenges. I'm like, "GCC, [00:52:05] that doesn't work," right? Like, uh, you know. And I, and I just kept grinding on it, and [00:52:10] one night I wro- I wrote down GPS. And then I, I, I [00:52:15] wrote down the roadmap to relational success and went back to sleep. And then, [00:52:20] uh, uh, I think I was on the second book at that point, and I, I, I [00:52:25] started writing about relational GPS. If you can identify the business and personal [00:52:30] goals, the causes or passions, things people, people care deeply about and/or the [00:52:35] struggles, there's a great chance you're gonna advance the relationship, and 89% of the time, the [00:52:40] relationship carries the day when it comes to decision-making. So, um, that was [00:52:45] my yellow pad moment, and, uh, we use it every day. We use it every day, so it's [00:52:50] kinda lucky. And I kept- I, and, and it went... And then it became like goals, passions, and [00:52:55] challenges, and then all of a sudden the S popped in there. So yep, that's, uh, that's one [00:53:00] example. Hugh Hornsby: That's a, that's a great one because I, you know, I think we all [00:53:05] get lost sometimes because our GPS is taking us to places that [00:53:10] we haven't really planned c- to go. And, um, and having that [00:53:15] pad next to your bed, uh, and being able to write that down, and, [00:53:20] you know, as you know, I'm very faithful, and I know you are as well. So sometimes the answer's [00:53:25] there. It's just a matter of, uh, asking, and it shows up. Ed, I, I just [00:53:30] wanna say thank you for the friendship. Um, for those of you [00:53:35] that don't know Ed, you should get to know him. Uh, he's got, you know, he's got some [00:53:40] beautiful books out. He's got a great son, couple of sons and, and wife. But [00:53:45] the bottom line is he lives what, what he talks about. Um, Ed, [00:53:50] I just wanna say thanks for the friendship. Thanks for the message and the [00:53:55] wisdom that you've shared, you know, with our audience. I know you're g- you're gonna [00:54:00] make, uh, people out there a better place. If people need to get ahold of [00:54:05] you, Ed, what's the best way to go about it? Ed Wallace: Simple. Ed Wallace 007 on, [00:54:10] uh, on, uh, LinkedIn. Ed Wallace 007, like James Bond, on [00:54:15] LinkedIn. You'll find me out there, and, uh, send me an invite. We'll connect Um, our [00:54:20] website is achievenext.com. So you can go out to [00:54:25] achieve, the word achieve, the word next, like what are you looking to accomplish next.com, [00:54:30] uh, and you'll find out more information about us. So those are the two best ways. Thanks for, uh, thanks for [00:54:35] asking, Hugh. Hugh Hornsby: Thanks, Ed. Thanks for sharing. Thanks for the friendship. Thanks for sharing your [00:54:40] wisdom and just thanks for the, being a great friend and, and making this world a [00:54:45] better place. Narrator: Every great trade organization was built by [00:54:50] someone who chose people over price. Blue Collar Smart exists for that leader. [00:54:55] If you found value here, subscribe and share this with the operator who's ready for the next [00:55:00] level. Built different. Trades proven. Hugh Hornsby, [00:55:05] Voice of the [00:55:10] Trades