Israel LoBue – Founded in FoCo Podcast
Israel LoBue, Chief Sales Officer at Next Level Advisors shares his best advice for success in sales: detach yourself from the outcome.
You can check out Israel’s panel at Founded in FoCo here: https://sched.co/1GKlE
And learn more about Israel’s business here: https://nextleveladvisorsinc.com
The Founded in FoCo Podcast is hosted by Nick Armstrong, Lead Organizer of Founded in FoCo and Geek-in-Chief of WTF Marketing. Hear more great interviews with founders in and around Fort Collins at: https://foundedinfoco.com
Transcript
*automated with minimal editing, may contain errors or typos
Israel LoBue 0:00
And to really kind of just detach yourself from the outcome really is the best way to approach sales. Because if you’re making it about yourself, you’re gonna get in trouble. It’s really all about the person that you’re trying to serve, and giving the best advice so that they can make the best educated decision to move forward. And if they move forward with you, or they don’t move forward with you, that’s okay. As long as they’re able to come to some sort of decision that’s helped to better their life.
Nick Armstrong 0:25
It’s Nick Armstrong, and this is the FoundedinFoCo.com podcast each episode, we get to talk with a local entrepreneur about the things that are inspiring them the things they are working on, and what they want you to know. So today, I’m here with Israel LoBue, and he is from next level advisors, Israel, tell us about your business.
Israel LoBue 0:42
Yeah, thank you so much, Nick, for the opportunity and for the ability to be on the podcast. Grateful for this time together. Really next level of advisors is an idea and a concept that was birthed not for myself at from a good friend of mine, Brandon Starkey. He was an advisor for over 20 years or so. And he sold his practice, but he realized that there was still an area of need, that he could serve the financial advisory community, community, financial wealth advisors, and really just in the areas that were lacking, whether it’s marketing, it’s seminars, it’s radio, there’s a plethora of different areas that the industry just really didn’t know much about. And so they learned from just grit and grind and made a made a ton of mistakes. And through that process, they got better. And they basically cracked the code. So he has partnered with basically, myself, I’m the CSO of the company. And so I’ve come on board to partner on the sales side of things. But really, it’s a group of mentors that are all seven figure advisors, that are dedicating a portion of their time to really Mote mentor, coach and advise these financial advisors that really want to take their business to the next level, hence the name next level advisors. That’s kind of in summary, kind of what it is.
Nick Armstrong 1:56
So it’s not for an end user, somebody who’s looking for financial advice. It’s for the financial advisors who are advising their clients and want to level up their game.
Israel LoBue 2:06
The business owners. Yeah, it’s b2b. Yep.
Nick Armstrong 2:09
So what is what are some of the challenges that come along with that? I mean, it’s obviously there’s a ton of marketing advice out there for all sorts of different stuff from financial aspects. But tell me about what what did the day to day look like? What is the challenge that goes into this, into this into this market?
Israel LoBue 2:26
Yeah, I mean, again, I was brought on, I’m not a financial adviser myself. So I’ll just say that being that they’re from just knowing my friend, and basically what he’s created, there’s this, it’s really where there’s a gap or where there’s, I guess, a hole in the bucket, if you will, as far as where financial advisors and their businesses are struggling, is they just don’t really have the marketing figured out. It’s been just old, archaic ways of doing marketing. They partner with wholesalers, or other different companies that just have products and services. And so these financial advisors, then take these products that go and sell them, and they get a certain override from them or whatever. But they don’t really actually have taken the time and the energy to, to understand marketing to understand what is the messaging to really bring, you know, qualified leads, or people in front of them that they can really serve. And so that’s basically what’s been happening for so long. And nobody’s really been able to crack the code except him and these other advisors that he’s partnered with, that have their expertise and, and different veins, if you will, as far as the industry. Like we have a mentor. That’s really good at women’s marketing, women seminar. Specifically, her name is Armand Becker. And then we have Mickey O’Neill, who’s really good at Radio, he’s really mastered how to, you know, have a presence on radio. So Brandon, who’s starting next level advisors, he’s really mastered marketing, you know, what’s the messaging? What’s the ad copy, all those are things that are really relevant to, you know, finding your niche customer to be able to attract them to help them and serve them. So hopefully, that makes sense.
Nick Armstrong 4:04
It does and bring a network of advisers in is some strategy that we’ve seen applicable in different industries as well. What is it that what is it that sets next level advisors apart? I mean, you’ve you’ve mentioned that phrase that they’ve cracked the code. What’s the secret sauce? What’s the thing that makes next level advisors and advisory group that works out better than some other peer to peer mentoring service?
Israel LoBue 4:29
Yeah, great. It’s because of the plethora of different mentors that have expertise in different fields. So we’re really well versed in all different areas, depending on what is needed for that specific business with that financial advisor to grow their practice, but also being that it’s a group of people that have already made the mistakes. So investing into the mentorship, the coaching, the systems, you’re paying for their mistakes, so you don’t have to make them yourself. Right, that’s really the value of mentorship. You know, you can hear Tony Robbins or any one that’s really successfully made it right Darren Hardy, those people that are just like they have a surrounding, right. It’s the people that they surround themselves with, that have made them who they are today, the Jim Roans, that Zig Ziglar is like they are in a mentorship group. So they have that continuous learning and growing, and they don’t want to repeat the same mistakes. They don’t want to recreate the wheel. It’s like, if I want to be where somebody else is that that’s already successful, and then I’ll just should follow what they’re doing. That’s really the secret sauce, if you will, yeah, Thomas
Nick Armstrong 5:31
Edison said that it’s a criminal waste of time to not use the experience of others to bring yourself forward.
Israel LoBue 5:38
Thomas Edison is a perfect example. Right? It’s like, why would I go and figure out how to create the light bulb, I just go to the store and buy it, because he’s already learned 10,000 Plus ways that did it wrong, you know, where he failed?
Nick Armstrong 5:50
Exactly. So tell us about your panel at Founded in FoCo.
Israel LoBue 5:55
Okay, yeah, so it’s basically sales and systematic processes, really kind of the title, if you will, but it’s really just breaks down the sales process, I’ve been in sales for, gosh, 15 years or so, give or take a year, and there’s a certain specific process a way that you should go about it in order to be successful. It’s like with anything. And really sales is a skill that if you want to get better at, you have to continue to continuously learn and grow and, and you’re going to be no better than the system that you have in place. So if your system is is failed or flawed, then you’re probably not going to be able to make the impact you want to make. So it really just kind of outlines, I don’t have it in front of me. It is pretty quite a quite a bit in there. But basically, I just have an acronym acronym for sales habits. And so S is for a certain definition, and and it just go down the line.
Nick Armstrong 6:49
So you’ve been in sales for a long time sales is a high burnout industry. And folks tend to cycle through really quickly. What is it that’s kept you in in the game? And what’s kept you successful?
Israel LoBue 7:00
Yeah, really good question. I think it’s kind of like, when I’m, when I’m posed with a puzzle, I don’t just give it a couple of shots. And I give up and put it to the side and say, Okay, well, I can’t forget that puzzle. So it’s almost kind of like a puzzle that is continued to grow on me, I think it’s probably similar to maybe the work ethic that I put into working out, it’s like, I just had a goal in mind that this is the body I want to achieve in the health I want to feel. And I’m going to continuously do it. And consistency over time is going to, you know, warrant this debt transformation similar with sales. I’ve had my ups and downs. And I’ve had some times where I’m just like, why am I doing this, but at the end of the day, it’s like, I really have looked more and more into the massive advantages of it. And really, first and foremost, it’s to serve and help people really, that’s why businesses exist, right? Someone has a problem. And hopefully, you’re, you know, you can understand them well enough to provide them with the solution that’s going to help them that’s going to better your life, their life. And if you help enough people get what they want, you’re going to be taken care of that comes from Zig Ziglar. So I think just, and you can kind of write your own ticket. That’s what I think I love about it, too, is really a business does not even can’t even thrive or even make it if they don’t have somebody on the ground selling it. Just the simple truth.
Nick Armstrong 8:19
Marketing and Sales tend to go really hand in hand and you can’t really have one without the other. As you said, there’s there’s a limiter for success. So what what have you seen be successful for businesses of different sizes? Right now you’re working for a mid level firm. Now talk to us about your experience in like small business, for freelancers, or for larger businesses even.
Israel LoBue 8:42
Yeah, I would say just to kind of give you the history as far as my background, so I used to own operate, and I sold a fitness company. So that was more of a business to consumer. Somebody wanted to transform their life, they saw us as a, as a solution to help them do that they would come in, it was a fitness bootcamp. And we offer different solutions to help them do that. That was a little bit more of an easy kind of face to face sale, than evolved than I evolved to more of on the phone on Zoom. And it was b2b, digital marketing from the past. And it was a great experience that taught me a lot. It’s definitely a different type of dynamic. And you have to really, the processes is more dynamic in that nature as far as really seeking to understand and really figure out what are their pain and problems that you’re trying to accomplish and does your solution. help solve that. And to really kind of just detach yourself from the outcome really is the best way to approach sales. Because if you’re making it about yourself, you’re gonna get in trouble. It’s really all about the person that you’re trying to serve, and giving the best advice so that they can make the best educated decision to move forward and if they move forward with you or they don’t move forward with you, that’s okay. As long as they’re able to come to some sort of decision that’s helped better their life. That’s kind of my philosophy. I didn’t have that early on. I was kind of a selfish when early on in sales, but I evolved and matured as I heard, more mentor I speak into my life like Zig Ziglar and Jim Rohn. And some of the, you know, the ones that live on today that their legacy because I had to make a shift in order to really be successful at sales.
Nick Armstrong 10:11
Is that ability to sell well something that anybody can do, is it something that you can just sort of pick up as a skill and if you isn’t a muscle that you can develop?
Israel LoBue 10:20
I truly believe in that philosophy that yes, it is a skill. And if you want it bad enough, you’ll develop it so that you can hone it in and actually be really good at it. I’ve seen people that straight out of college or whatever it had no sales experience, and some of the top salespeople, because I think it just comes down to your mindset. And if you have the mindset and the determination to want to be good at anything. Now, granted, if I wanted to be really good at basketball and be the top NBA player, well, that’s just kind of a far reaching goal. That’s just, I’m not genetically made for it. That’s just out of my that’s not gonna happen, right. But when it comes to sales, it’s really it’s kind of an even playing field, it is a skill that you can develop. And if you want to be good at it, you just continue to learn and grow and, and master it.
Nick Armstrong 11:07
You’ve had a lot of different careers in sales in particular, what is the what is your home life look like? What is the Do you have a support structure around you? Like? How does that because sales is up and down? Sometimes what is what does that support structure look like for you?
Israel LoBue 11:22
Yeah, that’s definitely really important, is really having the support behind you, and having a good reason why you’re doing what you’re doing, because you can be beat up one day and have these highest of highs and lowest of lows, and I’ve had those. So I think really have any clear head as far as my you know, I’m married to my wife for almost 15 years, we have two beautiful girls. They’re 11, and seven. And that really does keep me grounded. Also, I’ll just say, you know, my faith in the Lord that really keeps me grounded and really keeps a good head on my shoulders just to really be able to come from a place of service that I’m here to help these people. The best way that I know how and that I’m trained to do. So
Nick Armstrong 12:05
what would you say is the most important advice for somebody just getting into sales or just starting up their own business and wanting to take on that sales role or having to take on that sales role for themselves?
Israel LoBue 12:16
Yeah, it’s may be cliche, but I would say just start, get your feet wet, get beat up a couple times, you know, have some bad calls, learn from it, listen to those recordings. See what you did good. And, you know, take note of it, what did I do? Well, what did I not do well, and then really find yourself a really good mentor or a coach that can help you with the aspects of where you’ve gone wrong. And I would encourage if this is one thing to look out for, and a mentor or a coach, but find somebody that’s really going to one they proven it themselves, so they can practice what they preach. If you’re getting advice from somebody that isn’t successful, then you’re gonna go down. It’s kind of the light blind leading the blind, but something that I learned too, because I’ve kind of gone into the leadership, coaching and mentorship role as well. And I’ve had a team that I’ve coached is focused on one thing and prove that and then move on to the next if you just say, Hey, you got five or 10 things you need to work on, just blast them with that they’re not going to be successful. Anything’s too overwhelming.
Nick Armstrong 13:11
Founded in FoCo is a great place to get connected with current salespeople. Are there any but beyond you, is there anybody in Fort Collins that you would recommend people connect to in terms of that mentorship?
Israel LoBue 13:23
I mean, we have a lot of great mentors and coaches, if you’re a financial advisor. I mean, just to you know, that in regards to that, we do have a gentleman by the name of Paul Spurlock, he helps with selling and virtual selling and stuff like that. But as far as the ones I can name off the top my head, I don’t really have anybody that comes to mind. I know there’s quite a few, I just, I don’t know, if I want to kind of reduce it down to here’s a couple, when I know there’s, there’s there’s an abundance, if you really search for it, and you want it and you want to grow. But you know, I think just the biggest thing in selling to is, you really got to believe wholeheartedly that your solution actually helps people. If you don’t have that conviction, and you’re just trying to sell sell snake oil or something to make a buck, you’re not going to be successful, and it’s going to bite you in the butt later. So just really partner and align yourself with a business that has a great product or solution that truly does serve people and help them and make their life better.
Nick Armstrong 14:17
Awesome. Where can we learn more about you and your business? Yeah, so
Israel LoBue 14:21
You can go to nextleveladvisorsinc.com. There’s tons of stuff there for free, engage with it. Look at different mentors that we partner with some of the people that I mentioned here, and I hope it really serves you well.
Nick Armstrong 14:39
Thanks so much for joining us today, Israel. And for more great business advice from your fellow entrepreneurs in Fort Collins. Visit FoundedinFoCo.com And keep listening to the podcast for more great actionable advice. Hey, thanks for listening. I’m Nick Armstrong, and this is a FoundedinFoCo.com podcast. For more great interviews like this one. Join us at FoundedinFoCo.com dot com
Transcribed by https://otter.ai