We’re honored to share this heartfelt testimonial from Philip Mwaniki, Founder & CEO of HYCBase, as he expresses his appreciation for SparxIT’s role in bringing his vision to life.
After months of close collaboration, we recently completed the first major milestone of the HYCBase platform — a revolutionary space for creators, marketers, and authentic video communication. Philip shares his gratitude for our team's dedication, professionalism, and commitment throughout the journey.
From ideation to execution, our partnership with HYCBase reflects SparxIT’s promise to turn bold ideas into successful digital products.
Thank you, Philip, for your kind words and trust in our team. We’re excited to continue supporting HYCBase’s journey toward global impact.
These are the services we provided HYCBase-
End-To-End Development: https://www.sparxitsolutions.com
Army Men 2 - Mission 4 - Airborne
We arrived at Maynard airport and it's under attack. We must clear the area of Tan soldiers and Tan armored units.
In Army Men and Army Men 3D, the commander of the Tan army, Plastro, invades Green territory. Sarge fights against the Tan forces, and at the end of the game, he discovers a strange portal that he enters, ending up in a gigantic kitchen.
Army Men 2 begins with a massive Tan force, including Plastro himself, chasing him through the portal. Major Mylar betrays Plastro, destroys the portal upon entry, and takes control of the Tan army and territories when Plastro is declared missing.
Army Men II is a real-time tactics (RTS) game, developed and published by The 3DO Company for Microsoft Windows and Game Boy Color.
The game differs from the first installment as it features battles in both the "real world" and the "plastic world." It was also the first to introduce the concept of portals between the real world and their world (the plastic world), a theme that was expanded in later games.
It is the sequel to both the original Army Men and Army Men 3D on PlayStation 1, which shared the same storyline as Army Men 1.
Follow us on our social media for more exclusive content:
- https://ArmyMen.com.ar
- https://facebook.com/armymenvideogames
- https://instagram.com/armymenchannel
- https://twitter.com/armymenchannel
- https://discord.com/invite/VfbqahDyUB
"The Army Men Videogames Channel" is a YouTube channel exclusively dedicated to the Army Men franchise and its thematic derivatives, run by some of the most loyal and knowledgeable fans in the world.
Some of our most important activities include the design of Army Men video games, unique modifications of existing games, and MODs for other games.
#ArmyMen #ArmyMen2 #ArmyMenII #ArmyMenII #Airborne #PlasticSoldiers #RealCombatPlasticMan
Ride Safe: Gear Up with the Best Riding Gears for Maximum Protection Online in India
The rush of the wind, the unrivaled excitement of the open road, and pure passion freedom on two wheels are all part of riding a motorcycle, But safety comes first regardless of how fast or far you ride. Proper gearing is the first step towards riding smart, confident and protected. And there's no better place to start than with the leading Indian online manufacturers for high end riding gear that combines comfort, flair and optimum protection.
Engineered for Protection – Designed for Riders
Your armor is your equipment. Every item, from gloves and boots to coats and helmets, is essential to your safety, In addition to being long-lasting the greatest riding equipment is designed to keep you comfortable during every ride by absorbing impacts, preventing abrasion, and providing weather protection.
Leading brands such as Shoei, Arai, and HJC make helmets with impact-absorbing liners, multi-density shells, and sophisticated ventilation, They provide you piece of mind at every turn by meeting or beyond international safety certifications.
Riding jackets and pants use materials like leather, Kevlar, and Cordura, reinforced with CE-approved armor at elbows, knees, shoulders and back. They protect without compromising mobility.
Motorcycle-specific gloves and boots provide comfort, grip, and durable protection to help you maintain control and prevent injuries.
Comfort and Style Come Together in More Ways Than One
With the best equipment, you can ride harder and longer without being slowed down by weariness or discomfort. Look for characteristics such as:
Breathable fabrics and mesh panels to keep you cool
Waterproof and windproof layers for India’s varied climates
Adjustable fits and stretch zones for unrestricted movement
You'll draw attention when you defend yourself, Whether you're riding the broad highway or the city streets, modern riding gear comes in bold aggressive designs and vivid colors that let your individuality shine.
Ready for Every Ride, Built for Indian Roads
Top riding gear is made to withstand everything India’s roads throw at you from potholes to dust, heat to monsoons. Heat-resistant fabrics, reinforced seams, and durable zippers make your gear reliable ride after ride.
No matter your style sport, touring, cruiser, or adventure there’s gear tailored to your needs and preferences. And it’s all available online, easy to buy, and fast to deliver.
Shop the Best Riding Gear Online at Bikegear.in
We provide you with genuine, high-quality riding gear from well-known brands that Indian motorcyclists trust at Bikegear.in. We handpick our assortment based on safety, style, and quality.
Real goods with guarantees from the manufacturer
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Have trouble selecting the appropriate equipment? Give us a call at +91 9610311313 for individualized advice.
EXTRA - Army Men RTS - Great Battles 2 (Great Battles)
Blind Pass
Difficulty: Difficult (Hard), obtaining the Gold Medal.
-------------
Army Men: RTS is a real-time strategy (RTS) game developed by Pandemic Studios and published by The 3DO Company for PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, and Nintendo GameCube. The game is based on the movie Apocalypse Now, where the good guys hunt down a crazy colonel, here Colonel Blintz. In this game Sarge, his heroes and the Green Army have to put an end to their enemy once and for all, the tyrannical Tan army, fighting in 15 campaign missions, 8 special operation missions and 8 great battles in this great goodbye to this series of video games. You are able to build Tanks, Helicopters, Halftracks, Jeeps, and an army with all kinds of foot troops: Mortar Soldiers, Bazookas, Grenadiers, Minesweepers, Paratroopers and Snipers to clear the field from afar. Accumulating an army that will overwhelm the opposition is the first thing, then the strategy is what will define the contests, beyond the available troops. These Plastic Soldiers battle on dirt roads, linoleum floors, carpets, couches, countertops, and bathrooms, making their way through flower pots, cardboard boxes, LEGO bricks, and model toy trains to collect plastic and electricity.
Follow us on our social media for more exclusive content:
- https://ArmyMen.com.ar
- https://facebook.com/armymenvideogames
- https://instagram.com/armymenchannel
- https://twitter.com/armymenchannel
- https://discord.com/invite/VfbqahDyUB
#ArmyMen #RTS #ArmyMenRTS #ArmyMenVideogame #Videogame #Videojuego #3DO #SargeHawk #Heroes #SargesHeroes #GreenArmy #TanArmy
Army Men 2 - Mission 3 - Tank Store
- In his reality, the plastic world, Sarge must now defend the tracks of an Armored Vehicle Supply Train for the Green Army, using the Tanks from the weapons factory.
- En su realidad, el mundo de plástico, el Sargento ahora debe defender las vías de un Tren de aprovisionamiento de vehículos acorazados para el ejército Verde, usando los mismos Tanques de la misma fábrica de armamento.
In Army Men and Army Men 3D, the commander of the Tan army, Plastro, invades the Green territory. Sarge fights against the Tan forces, and at the end of the game, he discovers a strange portal that he enters, ending up in a gigantic kitchen. Army Men 2 begins with a massive Tan force, including Plastro himself, chasing him through the portal. Major Mylar betrays Plastro, destroys the portal upon entry, and takes control of the Tan army and territories when Plastro is declared missing.
Army Men II is a real-time tactics (RTS) game developed and published by The 3DO Company for Microsoft Windows and Game Boy Color. The game differs from its predecessor in that it features battles in both the "real world" and the "plastic world." It was also the first to introduce the concept of portals between the real world and their world (the plastic world), a theme that was expanded in later games. It is the sequel to both the first Army Men and Army Men 3D on PlayStation 1, which shared the same storyline as Army Men 1.
Follow us on our social networks for more exclusive content:
- https://ArmyMen.com.ar
- https://facebook.com/armymenvideogames
- https://instagram.com/armymenchannel
- https://twitter.com/armymenchannel
- https://discord.com/invite/VfbqahDyUB
"The Army Men Videogames Channel" is a YouTube channel exclusively dedicated to the Army Men franchise and its thematic derivatives, run by some of the most loyal and knowledgeable fans in the world. Some of our most important activities include the design of Army Men video games, unique modifications of existing games, and MODs for other games.
#ArmyMen #ArmyMen2 #ArmyMenII #ArmyMenII
In Army Men and Army Men 3D, the commander of the Tan army, Plastro, invades the Green territory. Sarge fights against the Tan forces, and at the end of the game, he discovers a strange portal that he enters, ending up in a gigantic kitchen. Army Men 2 begins with a massive Tan force, including Plastro himself, chasing him through the portal. Major Mylar betrays Plastro, destroys the portal upon entry, and takes control of the Tan army and territories when Plastro is declared missing.
Army Men II is a real-time tactics (RTS) game developed and published by The 3DO Company for Microsoft Windows and Game Boy Color. The game differs from its predecessor in that it features battles in both the "real world" and the "plastic world." It was also the first to introduce the concept of portals between the real world and their world (the plastic world), a theme that was expanded in later games. It is the sequel to both the first Army Men and Army Men 3D on PlayStation 1, which shared the same storyline as Army Men 1.
Follow us on our social networks for more exclusive content:
- https://ArmyMen.com.ar
- https://facebook.com/armymenvideogames
- https://instagram.com/armymenchannel
- https://twitter.com/armymenchannel
- https://discord.com/invite/VfbqahDyUB
"The Army Men Videogames Channel" is a YouTube channel exclusively dedicated to the Army Men franchise and its thematic derivatives, run by some of the most loyal and knowledgeable fans in the world. Some of our most important activities include the design of Army Men video games, unique modifications of existing games, and MODs for other games.
#ArmyMen #ArmyMen2 #ArmyMenII #ArmyMenII
Shop the Best Akrapovič Full Systems for Ninja ZX-10R Online in India
There’s fast. Then there’s ferocious. If you ride a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, you already know what it means to push limits. But if you're looking to elevate that track-born beast into something truly race-ready, there’s only one name that delivers: Akrapovič. Precision-engineered in Europe, perfected in MotoGP and WorldSBK paddocks, and now available online in India—Akrapovič full systems are built for riders who crave nothing but peak performance.
This isn’t just an exhaust upgrade. This is a statement of power, style, and speed.
From Track to Street – Built for the ZX-10R
Akrapovič full systems aren’t just made for motorcycles—they’re made for motorcycles like the Ninja ZX-10R. Every curve, every weld, every ounce of titanium or carbon fiber is designed to unlock the very soul of your superbike.
Massive weight savings over stock systems
Horsepower & torque gains across the rev range
Sharper throttle response & optimized back pressure
When you bolt on an Akrapovič full system, you're not just freeing up horsepower—you're letting the ZX-10R breathe, roar, and perform the way it was meant to.
The Sound of Precision
Let’s be real: sound matters. The deep, aggressive roar of an Akrapovič system is unmistakable. It’s not just loud—it’s tuned to perfection. A symphony of combustion, crafted to ignite your senses and turn heads at every rev.
Signature Akrapovič tone
Track-inspired but street-legal variants available
Noise-compliant DB killer options
Whether you're cruising through the city or tearing up the track, that soundtrack follows you like thunder.
Race DNA. Street Smart.
The Akrapovič full system doesn’t just shine on the racetrack. It’s engineered for real-world riding, too.
Titanium construction for ultimate strength-to-weight ratio
Carbon fiber end caps that scream premium performance
Perfect fit for the ZX-10R chassis – no cutting or remapping needed (in most cases)
Plus, these systems are heat-resistant, corrosion-proof, and tuned for India’s demanding road and weather conditions.
Turn Your ZX-10R into a Weapon
When you ride a Ninja ZX-10R, you expect more—from your bike and yourself. So why settle for stock? Upgrade to an Akrapovič full system and experience:
Lightning-fast gear shifts
Sharper corner exits
A motorcycle that feels like a part of you
This is more than an exhaust. This is what separates the riders from the racers.
Available Now at Bikegear.in
At Bikegear.in, you can shop 100% authentic Akrapovič full systems for your ZX-10R online in India. We deliver fast, safe, and direct to your doorstep.
Insured shipping across India
Fitment advice from real riders
Call +91 9610311313 for expert help
Don’t hold back your ZX-10R. Let it scream. Let it fly.
Shop now at www.bikegear.in – Where power meets precision.
Burning pot poisoning was a often POLICE procedure used during so called MK Ultra HOW MY HEART ALMOST EXPLODED https://ausertimes.blogspot.com/2025/05/burning-pot-poisoning-was-often-police.html
Related to It is coming to an end with exactly as murderous British London(YOUR KING) beast stated AND exactly based on so called MK Ultra program - HEART FAILURE https://ausertimes.blogspot.com/2025/05/it-is-coming-to-end-with-exactly-as.html - I HAD NO CLUE ABOUT WHAT TOOK PLACE TILL I REALISED MOTHER COOKED WITH POT I WAS CLEANING AND POSSIBLY EVEN ADDED POISON TO ONE AS SHE PROMISED ME WILL DURING MK ULTRA. I STARTED TO FEEL MUCH BETTER SAME DAY OF WHICH AT THE END OF THE DAY I CONSUMED AGAINST BAR OF CHOCOLATE - NOT A TRACE OF HEART PROBLEMS OF ANY KIND....I FAILED TO MENTIONED THAT MY MOTHER PROMISED ME WILL SIP IN THE FOOD WHATEVER THEY PLAYED WITH DURING MK ULTRA TO REMIND ME OF FAILING HEART ISSUE. IT WAS MORE THAN CARDIO VASCULAR BURNOUT PROCEDURE BASED ON TRAUMA THROUGH SLEEP DEPRIVATION....MOTHER WILL EXPLAIN WHAT THEY WERE USING DURING MK UKTRA TO POISON HEART WITH - PSYCHIATRIST PETER KAPŠ LOVED MENTIONED PROCEDURE AND EVEN TUTORED MOTHER ON HOW TO IMPLEMENT ONE.
In Army Men and Army Men 3D, the commander of the Tan army, Plastro, invades the Green territory. Sarge fights against the Tan forces, and at the end of the game, he discovers a strange portal that he enters, ending up in a gigantic kitchen. Army Men 2 begins with a massive Tan force, including Plastro himself, chasing him through the portal. Major Mylar betrays Plastro, destroys the portal upon entry, and takes control of the Tan army and territories when Plastro is declared missing.
Army Men II is a real-time tactics (RTS) game developed and published by The 3DO Company for Microsoft Windows and Game Boy Color. The game differs from its predecessor in that it features battles in both the "real world" and the "plastic world." It was also the first to introduce the concept of portals between the real world and their world (the plastic world), a theme that was expanded in later games. It is the sequel to both the first Army Men and Army Men 3D on PlayStation 1, which shared the same storyline as Army Men 1.
Follow us on our social networks for more exclusive content:
- https://ArmyMen.com.ar
- https://facebook.com/armymenvideogames
- https://instagram.com/armymenchannel
- https://twitter.com/armymenchannel
- https://discord.com/invite/VfbqahDyUB
"The Army Men Videogames Channel" is a YouTube channel exclusively dedicated to the Army Men franchise and its thematic derivatives, run by some of the most loyal and knowledgeable fans in the world. Some of our most important activities include the design of Army Men video games, unique modifications of existing games, and MODs for other games.
#ArmyMen #ArmyMen2 #ArmyMenII #ArmyMenII
At Nitor Infotech, our product engineering services are designed to turn visionary ideas into scalable, future-ready software products. We specialize in end-to-end software product engineering services—from product conceptualization and design to development, testing, and deployment. Our agile methodologies and cross-functional teams ensure faster time-to-market, superior product quality, and seamless user experiences.
https://www.nitorinfotech.com/services/product-engineering/
In Army Men and Army Men 3D, the commander of the Tan army, Plastro, invades Green territory. Sarge fights against the Tan forces, and at the end of the game, he discovers a strange portal, which he enters, ending up in a gigantic kitchen. Army Men 2 begins with a massive Tan force, including Plastro himself, chasing him through the portal. Major Mylar betrays Plastro, destroys the portal upon entry, and takes control of the Tan army and territories when Plastro is presumed missing.
Army Men II is a real-time tactics (RTS) game developed and published by The 3DO Company for Microsoft Windows and Game Boy Color. The game differs from its predecessor by featuring battles in both the "real world" and the "plastic world." It was also the first to introduce the concept of portals between the real world and the plastic world, a theme that was further expanded in later games. It is the sequel to both the first Army Men game and Army Men 3D on PlayStation 1, which shared the same storyline as Army Men 1.
Follow us on our social media for more exclusive content:
- https://ArmyMen.com.ar
- https://facebook.com/armymenvideogames
- https://instagram.com/armymenchannel
- https://twitter.com/armymenchannel
- https://discord.com/invite/VfbqahDyUB
"The Army Men Videogames Channel" is a YouTube channel specialized exclusively in the Army Men franchise and its thematic spin-offs, run by some of the most loyal and knowledgeable fans in the world. Some of our most important activities include the design of Army Men video games, unique modifications of existing games, and MODs for other games.
#ArmyMen #ArmyMen2 #ArmyMenll #ArmyMenii #ArmyMenTwo
Street Triple 765RS with Titanium Full System – Power Meets Precision
Some bikes are just machines. But the Triumph Street Triple 765RS? It’s an emotion raw, refined, and razor-sharp. And when you pair it with a Titanium Full Exhaust System, you’re not just upgrading your ride you’re unleashing its true potential. This is where power meets precision, and performance becomes pure poetry on wheels.
The Street Triple 765RS with a titanium complete system provides you the edge you've been pursuing, whether you're tearing through twisties, screaming down a straight, or simply showing off on the next track day.
Unleash the Sound of Speed
Let’s be honest stock exhausts just don’t cut it when you’re riding something this aggressive. The moment you swap in a titanium full system from brands like SC-Project, Akrapovič, or Arrow, the transformation is unreal.
Deeper, throatier exhaust note that screams performance
Noticeable horsepower and torque gains across the rev range
Weight reduction that sharpens handling and agility
This isn’t just an aesthetic mod it’s a full-on performance upgrade that turns your 765RS into a beast with character.
Precision Engineering, Race DNA
The Street Triple 765RS is already packed with Moto2 DNA. But a titanium full system makes it feel even closer to the track.
Enhanced throttle response
Smoother power delivery
Optimized back pressure for better rideability
Whether you’re attacking corners or blasting through open highways, your bike becomes an extension of your instincts—nimble, responsive, and alive.
Built to Perform, Styled to Impress
It’s not just about how it rides it’s also about how it looks. Titanium exhausts don’t just sound better they age beautifully, developing a signature blue-gold patina over time. Lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and undeniably premium, this upgrade turns heads before the engine even starts.
Pair it with other performance parts—like rear sets, bar-end mirrors, or a tail tidy—and your 765RS becomes a rolling work of art with purpose.
Ready for the Track or the City
Whether you're racing on the weekends or navigating Indian city streets, this setup gives you the best of both worlds:
Compliant for spirited street use
Track-ready performance gains
Lightweight feel for better control in all riding conditions
And the best part? You can grab the top titanium exhaust systems for the Street Triple 765RS online in India, hassle-free.
Shop It Now at Bikegear.in
At Bikegear.in, we’ve got authentic titanium full systems for Triumph motorcycles, including the legendary 765RS. We deliver across India, fast and secure.
Need help choosing the perfect system? Call us at +91 9610311313
Order now at Bikegear.in
Threads of Enlightenment podcast. Host Ken Primus interviews expat CEO Richard Blank
Threads of Enlightenment: Unlocking Your Best Self, is your gateway to discovering life-changing principles of self-development and growth. We dive into inspiring stories of resilience, healing, and transformation. From overcoming devastating challenges like mental illness, substance abuse, and financial loss to learning how to embrace your inner power, this podcast celebrates the indomitable human spirit. Tune in to learn actionable steps for overcoming fear and achieving your desired outcome. Whether you're battling anxiety or looking for guidance on personal growth, Threads of Enlightenment is here to inspire your journey.
From Philly to Costa Rica: Watch how one man's bold move at 51 transformed his life and opened doors to unexpected dreams. Richard shares his inspiring journey of leaving Philadelphia behind to embrace a new chapter in Costa Rica, proving it's never too late to reinvent yourself.
After building a successful life, Richard now explores new passions including writing children's books, art, and music. His story shows how stepping out of your comfort zone can lead to extraordinary opportunities and personal growth.
Discover how this former Philadelphia native found purpose through giving back, creating a scholarship for language students, and embracing a simpler, more fulfilling lifestyle. Richard's journey reminds us that success isn't just about material wealth - it's about gratitude, continuous learning, and having the courage to follow your dreams, no matter your age.
Join us for an authentic conversation about second chances, finding happiness in unexpected places, and the wisdom that comes from embracing both life's challenges and opportunities. Perfect for anyone considering a major life change or seeking inspiration to pursue their dreams.
From leaving Philadelphia to building a thriving 150-person company in Costa Rica, this is the story of how taking a leap of faith led to creating something extraordinary. After working in call centers for 4 years, I saw an opportunity to build something different - a company focused on advanced communication, conflict management, and genuine human connection. Unlike massive corporate call centers, we've created an environment where employees aren't just numbers - they're part of a community where mentorship, growth, and second chances matter. With pinball machines, arcade games, and a culture that values personal development, we've proven that sometimes the best business decisions come from following an unconventional path. Join me as I share my 16-year journey of building a company that puts people first, the challenges of international business ownership, and why leaving my comfort zone in Philly was the best decision I ever made.
Richard's leap of faith led to a life-changing adventure. Hear how this man from Philadelphia found love, purpose, and success after moving to Costa Rica on a whim. Richard shares his journey of learning Spanish, embracing a new culture, and building a thriving business. Discover the power of stepping out of your comfort zone and following your dreams. Richard discuss overcoming fears, seizing opportunities, and finding fulfillment in unexpected places. Get inspired to take your own leap of faith and create the life you've always wanted.
Discover practical wisdom about cultural adaptation, language learning, and the courage it takes to chart your own path. Richard's story demonstrates how taking calculated risks and staying true to your passions can create a life more fulfilling than you ever imagined.
Whether you're dreaming of living abroad, learning a new language, or simply seeking inspiration to make a bold life change, this episode offers valuable insights and motivation. Richard's journey shows that with dedication, cultural sensitivity, and an open heart, you can create success anywhere in the world.
Takeaways
Time is valuable and should be respected
Compliments have the power to change someone's state
Embracing new experiences and taking risks can lead to personal growth
Learning a new language opens doors and allows for deeper connections
Following your passion can lead to a fulfilling and meaningful life. Becoming a disciple and practicing discipline in daily life is powerful and trains the mind.
Giving back to the community that has enriched your life is important.
Simplicity and gratitude are key to finding happiness and fulfillment.
Success is built on a million thank yous and the support of mentors and loved ones.
Embrace challenges and setbacks as part of the journey and learn from them.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
02:02 - Serving Mankind: Purpose and Impact
04:06 - Family Background and Influence
09:28 - School Experience: Lessons and Growth
17:16 - Genesis of Spanish: Origins and Development
22:05 - Falling in Love: Personal Journey
27:18 - Adapting to Costa Rican Culture and Lifestyle
32:47 - Becoming a Disciple: Spiritual Growth
35:30 - Richard's Business Journey: Starting Out
41:10 - Employee Departure: Values and Expectations
43:15 - Unique Qualities: What Sets Us Apart
47:40 - Richard’s Heartbeat: Core Values
48:40 - Life After Retirement: Richard’s Plans
52:45 - Outro
54:07 - End
Family Upbringing and Its Impact
And when you walk in the space of being present, you notice things. So Richard, one of the things that we do here at Threads of Enlightenment, and I told you we go back in that time machine, You have done much, and I can't wait to get into all of that as we move through your life. One of the things that we do is revisit our starting point, if you will, that starting point and location, and we call it the family. We have mom and dad strangers, and you are a stranger, and you are put into this pod, as they say. And mom and dad is about to deposit some data into you based on their culture, their perception, all of these different things, their programming, their And they're going to begin to put some data information into you so that they want to help you out, as they say, so you can be that good man and that young man on this planet. What was your family like?
Richard's High School Spanish Adventure
That's a wonderful question. And before I tell you about my Renaissance period, I have to compliment your smooth move. My man, I love that last story. Hey man, one of the best things I did. Looking great. Would you put on some of the car? I mean, that's my man. Making moves. That was one of my smooth movements. We all definitely did learn something. Kind of like Mike DeMone with Rat and Fast Times at Richmond. Hi, Ken just taught us. I love it. Anyway. So I'm back in Northeast Philly at my proud Abington High School. And all of my friends were going to be doctors and lawyers and engineers and architects. And they had a plan. I had no plan except sports and girls and goofing around. But my favorite class was Spanish. And I don't know about you, but sometimes you got to get the like wake up call. And I got the chills. I said, if I'm the only one. that could speak Spanish out of all my friends. A, I could speak to the girls over there, you know, because they speak Spanish. And B, I might be able to get a job or put se habla espanol on a business card, which gives me an angle. But it wasn't the cute pat on the head parlor trick. My parents thought it was fleeting or a passing moment. The difference was the dedicated practice. I was not the best student. All right, let's be real. But the one class that I did above and beyond was Spanish. It wasn't cramming. It wasn't copying notes. It wasn't study groups. No, man, I was doing the Mr. Miyagi Danielson kicking on the beach. Really, no joke. I was watching the movies, reading the books. And I said, this is good. And I can build on it. And it's flexible because it's everywhere. There's tons of Spanish speakers in Philly and in the world. And every time that I would do my 5%, 7%, one word, maybe a sentence.
Richard's Philosophy: Pay It Forward with Compliments
That's quite simple. On the top of my list is paying it forward with sincere compliments. I don't need to be at one place at one time, one time a year. I can do it all day long. Compliment someone's hair, how they make a sandwich for you with extra pickles. Or somebody takes their time to do something right. It's very easy to give them reinforcements It moves them forward. It moves me forward. It's free. And it sticks. Because that could be the one thing that person needed that day to start that engine. Or really just to get them over the end zone and have a touchdown. And so I look for the thing that's not common, that's unique. So I'm paying closer attention than most that just glance over others. And so it's most importantly for me to make someone feel better about themselves that day. At least one thing out of 10, I can find that's good about them.
And I don't know about you, but sometimes you got to get the like wake up call. And I got the chills. I said, if I'm the only one. that could speak Spanish out of all my friends. A, I could speak to the girls over there, you know, because they speak Spanish. And B, I might be able to get a job or put se habla espanol on a business card, which gives me an angle. But it wasn't the cute pat on the head parlor trick. My parents thought it was fleeting or a passing moment. The difference was the dedicated practice. I was not the best student. All right, let's be real. But the one class that I did above and beyond was Spanish. It wasn't cramming. It wasn't copying notes. It wasn't study groups. No, man, I was doing the Mr. Miyagi Danielson kicking on the beach. Really, no joke. I was watching the movies, reading the books. And I said, this is good. And I can build on it. And it's flexible because it's everywhere. There's tons of Spanish speakers in Philly and in the world. And every time that I would do my 5%, 7%, one word, maybe a sentence. The positive reinforcement that I got from a bilingual Spanish speaker, it was like a Mario coin. It wasn't a thousand, but it added up. They said, Richard, go, go, go, go. Here's a couple more words. Richard, let me balance your bike on the grammar here. Let me help you here. All I kept doing was expanding the base, expanding that base and growing. And so by the time I graduated, I had an intermediate level.
https://youtu.be/3a237rFKdlw
https://youtu.be/xxPBm_B-H-0
https://youtu.be/Mf648Pc9uNU
https://youtu.be/h8tRuPqNNDY
https://youtu.be/kh-S4pV3bws
Richard Blank hired bassist Garry Gary Beers of INXS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieGjN5H4xPQ
Ken Primus, Threads of Enlightenment podcast, Richard Blank, Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing Call Centre, BPO, Nearshore Contact Center, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership, Marketing, CX, Guest, Money, B2C education, BPO trainer,call centre, contact centre, contact center,trend, trending
Richard’s journey in the call center space is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose.
Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain. A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business. Giving back to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.
Costa Rica’s Call Center (CCC) is a state of the art BPO telemarketing outsource company located in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica. Our main focus has been, and will always be to personally train each and every Central America call center agent so that we may offer the highest quality of outbound and inbound telemarketing solutions and bilingual customer service to small and medium sized international companies, entrepreneurs as well as fortune 500 companies.
We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica. While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
#KenPrimus #ThreadsofEnlightenmentpodcast #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO #trend #trending #listennow #subscribe #podcastclip #podcastvideo #videopodcasting #podcastguest
Threads of Enlightenment podcast. Host Ken Primus interviews expat CEO Richard Blank
Threads of Enlightenment: Unlocking Your Best Self, is your gateway to discovering life-changing principles of self-development and growth. We dive into inspiring stories of resilience, healing, and transformation. From overcoming devastating challenges like mental illness, substance abuse, and financial loss to learning how to embrace your inner power, this podcast celebrates the indomitable human spirit. Tune in to learn actionable steps for overcoming fear and achieving your desired outcome. Whether you're battling anxiety or looking for guidance on personal growth, Threads of Enlightenment is here to inspire your journey.
From Philly to Costa Rica: Watch how one man's bold move at 51 transformed his life and opened doors to unexpected dreams. Richard shares his inspiring journey of leaving Philadelphia behind to embrace a new chapter in Costa Rica, proving it's never too late to reinvent yourself.
After building a successful life, Richard now explores new passions including writing children's books, art, and music. His story shows how stepping out of your comfort zone can lead to extraordinary opportunities and personal growth.
Discover how this former Philadelphia native found purpose through giving back, creating a scholarship for language students, and embracing a simpler, more fulfilling lifestyle. Richard's journey reminds us that success isn't just about material wealth - it's about gratitude, continuous learning, and having the courage to follow your dreams, no matter your age.
Join us for an authentic conversation about second chances, finding happiness in unexpected places, and the wisdom that comes from embracing both life's challenges and opportunities. Perfect for anyone considering a major life change or seeking inspiration to pursue their dreams.
From leaving Philadelphia to building a thriving 150-person company in Costa Rica, this is the story of how taking a leap of faith led to creating something extraordinary. After working in call centers for 4 years, I saw an opportunity to build something different - a company focused on advanced communication, conflict management, and genuine human connection. Unlike massive corporate call centers, we've created an environment where employees aren't just numbers - they're part of a community where mentorship, growth, and second chances matter. With pinball machines, arcade games, and a culture that values personal development, we've proven that sometimes the best business decisions come from following an unconventional path. Join me as I share my 16-year journey of building a company that puts people first, the challenges of international business ownership, and why leaving my comfort zone in Philly was the best decision I ever made.
Richard's leap of faith led to a life-changing adventure. Hear how this man from Philadelphia found love, purpose, and success after moving to Costa Rica on a whim. Richard shares his journey of learning Spanish, embracing a new culture, and building a thriving business. Discover the power of stepping out of your comfort zone and following your dreams. Richard discuss overcoming fears, seizing opportunities, and finding fulfillment in unexpected places. Get inspired to take your own leap of faith and create the life you've always wanted.
Discover practical wisdom about cultural adaptation, language learning, and the courage it takes to chart your own path. Richard's story demonstrates how taking calculated risks and staying true to your passions can create a life more fulfilling than you ever imagined.
Whether you're dreaming of living abroad, learning a new language, or simply seeking inspiration to make a bold life change, this episode offers valuable insights and motivation. Richard's journey shows that with dedication, cultural sensitivity, and an open heart, you can create success anywhere in the world.
Takeaways
Time is valuable and should be respected
Compliments have the power to change someone's state
Embracing new experiences and taking risks can lead to personal growth
Learning a new language opens doors and allows for deeper connections
Following your passion can lead to a fulfilling and meaningful life. Becoming a disciple and practicing discipline in daily life is powerful and trains the mind.
Giving back to the community that has enriched your life is important.
Simplicity and gratitude are key to finding happiness and fulfillment.
Success is built on a million thank yous and the support of mentors and loved ones.
Embrace challenges and setbacks as part of the journey and learn from them.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
02:02 - Serving Mankind: Purpose and Impact
04:06 - Family Background and Influence
09:28 - School Experience: Lessons and Growth
17:16 - Genesis of Spanish: Origins and Development
22:05 - Falling in Love: Personal Journey
27:18 - Adapting to Costa Rican Culture and Lifestyle
32:47 - Becoming a Disciple: Spiritual Growth
35:30 - Richard's Business Journey: Starting Out
41:10 - Employee Departure: Values and Expectations
43:15 - Unique Qualities: What Sets Us Apart
47:40 - Richard’s Heartbeat: Core Values
48:40 - Life After Retirement: Richard’s Plans
52:45 - Outro
54:07 - End
Family Upbringing and Its Impact
And when you walk in the space of being present, you notice things. So Richard, one of the things that we do here at Threads of Enlightenment, and I told you we go back in that time machine, You have done much, and I can't wait to get into all of that as we move through your life. One of the things that we do is revisit our starting point, if you will, that starting point and location, and we call it the family. We have mom and dad strangers, and you are a stranger, and you are put into this pod, as they say. And mom and dad is about to deposit some data into you based on their culture, their perception, all of these different things, their programming, their And they're going to begin to put some data information into you so that they want to help you out, as they say, so you can be that good man and that young man on this planet. What was your family like?
Richard's High School Spanish Adventure
That's a wonderful question. And before I tell you about my Renaissance period, I have to compliment your smooth move. My man, I love that last story. Hey man, one of the best things I did. Looking great. Would you put on some of the car? I mean, that's my man. Making moves. That was one of my smooth movements. We all definitely did learn something. Kind of like Mike DeMone with Rat and Fast Times at Richmond. Hi, Ken just taught us. I love it. Anyway. So I'm back in Northeast Philly at my proud Abington High School. And all of my friends were going to be doctors and lawyers and engineers and architects. And they had a plan. I had no plan except sports and girls and goofing around. But my favorite class was Spanish. And I don't know about you, but sometimes you got to get the like wake up call. And I got the chills. I said, if I'm the only one. that could speak Spanish out of all my friends. A, I could speak to the girls over there, you know, because they speak Spanish. And B, I might be able to get a job or put se habla espanol on a business card, which gives me an angle. But it wasn't the cute pat on the head parlor trick. My parents thought it was fleeting or a passing moment. The difference was the dedicated practice. I was not the best student. All right, let's be real. But the one class that I did above and beyond was Spanish. It wasn't cramming. It wasn't copying notes. It wasn't study groups. No, man, I was doing the Mr. Miyagi Danielson kicking on the beach. Really, no joke. I was watching the movies, reading the books. And I said, this is good. And I can build on it. And it's flexible because it's everywhere. There's tons of Spanish speakers in Philly and in the world. And every time that I would do my 5%, 7%, one word, maybe a sentence.
Richard's Philosophy: Pay It Forward with Compliments
That's quite simple. On the top of my list is paying it forward with sincere compliments. I don't need to be at one place at one time, one time a year. I can do it all day long. Compliment someone's hair, how they make a sandwich for you with extra pickles. Or somebody takes their time to do something right. It's very easy to give them reinforcements It moves them forward. It moves me forward. It's free. And it sticks. Because that could be the one thing that person needed that day to start that engine. Or really just to get them over the end zone and have a touchdown. And so I look for the thing that's not common, that's unique. So I'm paying closer attention than most that just glance over others. And so it's most importantly for me to make someone feel better about themselves that day. At least one thing out of 10, I can find that's good about them.
And I don't know about you, but sometimes you got to get the like wake up call. And I got the chills. I said, if I'm the only one. that could speak Spanish out of all my friends. A, I could speak to the girls over there, you know, because they speak Spanish. And B, I might be able to get a job or put se habla espanol on a business card, which gives me an angle. But it wasn't the cute pat on the head parlor trick. My parents thought it was fleeting or a passing moment. The difference was the dedicated practice. I was not the best student. All right, let's be real. But the one class that I did above and beyond was Spanish. It wasn't cramming. It wasn't copying notes. It wasn't study groups. No, man, I was doing the Mr. Miyagi Danielson kicking on the beach. Really, no joke. I was watching the movies, reading the books. And I said, this is good. And I can build on it. And it's flexible because it's everywhere. There's tons of Spanish speakers in Philly and in the world. And every time that I would do my 5%, 7%, one word, maybe a sentence. The positive reinforcement that I got from a bilingual Spanish speaker, it was like a Mario coin. It wasn't a thousand, but it added up. They said, Richard, go, go, go, go. Here's a couple more words. Richard, let me balance your bike on the grammar here. Let me help you here. All I kept doing was expanding the base, expanding that base and growing. And so by the time I graduated, I had an intermediate level.
https://youtu.be/3a237rFKdlw
https://youtu.be/xxPBm_B-H-0
https://youtu.be/Mf648Pc9uNU
https://youtu.be/h8tRuPqNNDY
https://youtu.be/kh-S4pV3bws
Richard Blank hired bassist Garry Gary Beers of INXS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieGjN5H4xPQ
Ken Primus, Threads of Enlightenment podcast, Richard Blank, Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing Call Centre, BPO, Nearshore Contact Center, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership, Marketing, CX, Guest, Money, B2C education, BPO trainer,call centre, contact centre, contact center,trend, trending
Richard’s journey in the call center space is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose.
Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain. A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business. Giving back to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.
Costa Rica’s Call Center (CCC) is a state of the art BPO telemarketing outsource company located in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica. Our main focus has been, and will always be to personally train each and every Central America call center agent so that we may offer the highest quality of outbound and inbound telemarketing solutions and bilingual customer service to small and medium sized international companies, entrepreneurs as well as fortune 500 companies.
We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica. While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
#KenPrimus #ThreadsofEnlightenmentpodcast #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO #trend #trending #listennow #subscribe #podcastclip #podcastvideo #videopodcasting #podcastguest
Threads of Enlightenment podcast. Host Ken Primus interviews expat CEO Richard Blank
Threads of Enlightenment: Unlocking Your Best Self, is your gateway to discovering life-changing principles of self-development and growth. We dive into inspiring stories of resilience, healing, and transformation. From overcoming devastating challenges like mental illness, substance abuse, and financial loss to learning how to embrace your inner power, this podcast celebrates the indomitable human spirit. Tune in to learn actionable steps for overcoming fear and achieving your desired outcome. Whether you're battling anxiety or looking for guidance on personal growth, Threads of Enlightenment is here to inspire your journey.
From Philly to Costa Rica: Watch how one man's bold move at 51 transformed his life and opened doors to unexpected dreams. Richard shares his inspiring journey of leaving Philadelphia behind to embrace a new chapter in Costa Rica, proving it's never too late to reinvent yourself.
After building a successful life, Richard now explores new passions including writing children's books, art, and music. His story shows how stepping out of your comfort zone can lead to extraordinary opportunities and personal growth.
Discover how this former Philadelphia native found purpose through giving back, creating a scholarship for language students, and embracing a simpler, more fulfilling lifestyle. Richard's journey reminds us that success isn't just about material wealth - it's about gratitude, continuous learning, and having the courage to follow your dreams, no matter your age.
Join us for an authentic conversation about second chances, finding happiness in unexpected places, and the wisdom that comes from embracing both life's challenges and opportunities. Perfect for anyone considering a major life change or seeking inspiration to pursue their dreams.
From leaving Philadelphia to building a thriving 150-person company in Costa Rica, this is the story of how taking a leap of faith led to creating something extraordinary. After working in call centers for 4 years, I saw an opportunity to build something different - a company focused on advanced communication, conflict management, and genuine human connection. Unlike massive corporate call centers, we've created an environment where employees aren't just numbers - they're part of a community where mentorship, growth, and second chances matter. With pinball machines, arcade games, and a culture that values personal development, we've proven that sometimes the best business decisions come from following an unconventional path. Join me as I share my 16-year journey of building a company that puts people first, the challenges of international business ownership, and why leaving my comfort zone in Philly was the best decision I ever made.
Richard's leap of faith led to a life-changing adventure. Hear how this man from Philadelphia found love, purpose, and success after moving to Costa Rica on a whim. Richard shares his journey of learning Spanish, embracing a new culture, and building a thriving business. Discover the power of stepping out of your comfort zone and following your dreams. Richard discuss overcoming fears, seizing opportunities, and finding fulfillment in unexpected places. Get inspired to take your own leap of faith and create the life you've always wanted.
Discover practical wisdom about cultural adaptation, language learning, and the courage it takes to chart your own path. Richard's story demonstrates how taking calculated risks and staying true to your passions can create a life more fulfilling than you ever imagined.
Whether you're dreaming of living abroad, learning a new language, or simply seeking inspiration to make a bold life change, this episode offers valuable insights and motivation. Richard's journey shows that with dedication, cultural sensitivity, and an open heart, you can create success anywhere in the world.
Takeaways
Time is valuable and should be respected
Compliments have the power to change someone's state
Embracing new experiences and taking risks can lead to personal growth
Learning a new language opens doors and allows for deeper connections
Following your passion can lead to a fulfilling and meaningful life. Becoming a disciple and practicing discipline in daily life is powerful and trains the mind.
Giving back to the community that has enriched your life is important.
Simplicity and gratitude are key to finding happiness and fulfillment.
Success is built on a million thank yous and the support of mentors and loved ones.
Embrace challenges and setbacks as part of the journey and learn from them.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
02:02 - Serving Mankind: Purpose and Impact
04:06 - Family Background and Influence
09:28 - School Experience: Lessons and Growth
17:16 - Genesis of Spanish: Origins and Development
22:05 - Falling in Love: Personal Journey
27:18 - Adapting to Costa Rican Culture and Lifestyle
32:47 - Becoming a Disciple: Spiritual Growth
35:30 - Richard's Business Journey: Starting Out
41:10 - Employee Departure: Values and Expectations
43:15 - Unique Qualities: What Sets Us Apart
47:40 - Richard’s Heartbeat: Core Values
48:40 - Life After Retirement: Richard’s Plans
52:45 - Outro
54:07 - End
Family Upbringing and Its Impact
And when you walk in the space of being present, you notice things. So Richard, one of the things that we do here at Threads of Enlightenment, and I told you we go back in that time machine, You have done much, and I can't wait to get into all of that as we move through your life. One of the things that we do is revisit our starting point, if you will, that starting point and location, and we call it the family. We have mom and dad strangers, and you are a stranger, and you are put into this pod, as they say. And mom and dad is about to deposit some data into you based on their culture, their perception, all of these different things, their programming, their And they're going to begin to put some data information into you so that they want to help you out, as they say, so you can be that good man and that young man on this planet. What was your family like?
Richard's High School Spanish Adventure
That's a wonderful question. And before I tell you about my Renaissance period, I have to compliment your smooth move. My man, I love that last story. Hey man, one of the best things I did. Looking great. Would you put on some of the car? I mean, that's my man. Making moves. That was one of my smooth movements. We all definitely did learn something. Kind of like Mike DeMone with Rat and Fast Times at Richmond. Hi, Ken just taught us. I love it. Anyway. So I'm back in Northeast Philly at my proud Abington High School. And all of my friends were going to be doctors and lawyers and engineers and architects. And they had a plan. I had no plan except sports and girls and goofing around. But my favorite class was Spanish. And I don't know about you, but sometimes you got to get the like wake up call. And I got the chills. I said, if I'm the only one. that could speak Spanish out of all my friends. A, I could speak to the girls over there, you know, because they speak Spanish. And B, I might be able to get a job or put se habla espanol on a business card, which gives me an angle. But it wasn't the cute pat on the head parlor trick. My parents thought it was fleeting or a passing moment. The difference was the dedicated practice. I was not the best student. All right, let's be real. But the one class that I did above and beyond was Spanish. It wasn't cramming. It wasn't copying notes. It wasn't study groups. No, man, I was doing the Mr. Miyagi Danielson kicking on the beach. Really, no joke. I was watching the movies, reading the books. And I said, this is good. And I can build on it. And it's flexible because it's everywhere. There's tons of Spanish speakers in Philly and in the world. And every time that I would do my 5%, 7%, one word, maybe a sentence.
Richard's Philosophy: Pay It Forward with Compliments
That's quite simple. On the top of my list is paying it forward with sincere compliments. I don't need to be at one place at one time, one time a year. I can do it all day long. Compliment someone's hair, how they make a sandwich for you with extra pickles. Or somebody takes their time to do something right. It's very easy to give them reinforcements It moves them forward. It moves me forward. It's free. And it sticks. Because that could be the one thing that person needed that day to start that engine. Or really just to get them over the end zone and have a touchdown. And so I look for the thing that's not common, that's unique. So I'm paying closer attention than most that just glance over others. And so it's most importantly for me to make someone feel better about themselves that day. At least one thing out of 10, I can find that's good about them.
And I don't know about you, but sometimes you got to get the like wake up call. And I got the chills. I said, if I'm the only one. that could speak Spanish out of all my friends. A, I could speak to the girls over there, you know, because they speak Spanish. And B, I might be able to get a job or put se habla espanol on a business card, which gives me an angle. But it wasn't the cute pat on the head parlor trick. My parents thought it was fleeting or a passing moment. The difference was the dedicated practice. I was not the best student. All right, let's be real. But the one class that I did above and beyond was Spanish. It wasn't cramming. It wasn't copying notes. It wasn't study groups. No, man, I was doing the Mr. Miyagi Danielson kicking on the beach. Really, no joke. I was watching the movies, reading the books. And I said, this is good. And I can build on it. And it's flexible because it's everywhere. There's tons of Spanish speakers in Philly and in the world. And every time that I would do my 5%, 7%, one word, maybe a sentence. The positive reinforcement that I got from a bilingual Spanish speaker, it was like a Mario coin. It wasn't a thousand, but it added up. They said, Richard, go, go, go, go. Here's a couple more words. Richard, let me balance your bike on the grammar here. Let me help you here. All I kept doing was expanding the base, expanding that base and growing. And so by the time I graduated, I had an intermediate level.
https://youtu.be/3a237rFKdlw
https://youtu.be/xxPBm_B-H-0
https://youtu.be/Mf648Pc9uNU
https://youtu.be/h8tRuPqNNDY
https://youtu.be/kh-S4pV3bws
Richard Blank hired bassist Garry Gary Beers of INXS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieGjN5H4xPQ
Ken Primus, Threads of Enlightenment podcast, Richard Blank, Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing Call Centre, BPO, Nearshore Contact Center, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership, Marketing, CX, Guest, Money, B2C education, BPO trainer,call centre, contact centre, contact center,trend, trending
Richard’s journey in the call center space is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose.
Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain. A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business. Giving back to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.
Costa Rica’s Call Center (CCC) is a state of the art BPO telemarketing outsource company located in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica. Our main focus has been, and will always be to personally train each and every Central America call center agent so that we may offer the highest quality of outbound and inbound telemarketing solutions and bilingual customer service to small and medium sized international companies, entrepreneurs as well as fortune 500 companies.
We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica. While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
#KenPrimus #ThreadsofEnlightenmentpodcast #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO #trend #trending #listennow #subscribe #podcastclip #podcastvideo #videopodcasting #podcastguest
Threads of Enlightenment podcast. Host Ken Primus interviews expat CEO Richard Blank
Threads of Enlightenment: Unlocking Your Best Self, is your gateway to discovering life-changing principles of self-development and growth. We dive into inspiring stories of resilience, healing, and transformation. From overcoming devastating challenges like mental illness, substance abuse, and financial loss to learning how to embrace your inner power, this podcast celebrates the indomitable human spirit. Tune in to learn actionable steps for overcoming fear and achieving your desired outcome. Whether you're battling anxiety or looking for guidance on personal growth, Threads of Enlightenment is here to inspire your journey.
From Philly to Costa Rica: Watch how one man's bold move at 51 transformed his life and opened doors to unexpected dreams. Richard shares his inspiring journey of leaving Philadelphia behind to embrace a new chapter in Costa Rica, proving it's never too late to reinvent yourself.
After building a successful life, Richard now explores new passions including writing children's books, art, and music. His story shows how stepping out of your comfort zone can lead to extraordinary opportunities and personal growth.
Discover how this former Philadelphia native found purpose through giving back, creating a scholarship for language students, and embracing a simpler, more fulfilling lifestyle. Richard's journey reminds us that success isn't just about material wealth - it's about gratitude, continuous learning, and having the courage to follow your dreams, no matter your age.
Join us for an authentic conversation about second chances, finding happiness in unexpected places, and the wisdom that comes from embracing both life's challenges and opportunities. Perfect for anyone considering a major life change or seeking inspiration to pursue their dreams.
From leaving Philadelphia to building a thriving 150-person company in Costa Rica, this is the story of how taking a leap of faith led to creating something extraordinary. After working in call centers for 4 years, I saw an opportunity to build something different - a company focused on advanced communication, conflict management, and genuine human connection. Unlike massive corporate call centers, we've created an environment where employees aren't just numbers - they're part of a community where mentorship, growth, and second chances matter. With pinball machines, arcade games, and a culture that values personal development, we've proven that sometimes the best business decisions come from following an unconventional path. Join me as I share my 16-year journey of building a company that puts people first, the challenges of international business ownership, and why leaving my comfort zone in Philly was the best decision I ever made.
Richard's leap of faith led to a life-changing adventure. Hear how this man from Philadelphia found love, purpose, and success after moving to Costa Rica on a whim. Richard shares his journey of learning Spanish, embracing a new culture, and building a thriving business. Discover the power of stepping out of your comfort zone and following your dreams. Richard discuss overcoming fears, seizing opportunities, and finding fulfillment in unexpected places. Get inspired to take your own leap of faith and create the life you've always wanted.
Discover practical wisdom about cultural adaptation, language learning, and the courage it takes to chart your own path. Richard's story demonstrates how taking calculated risks and staying true to your passions can create a life more fulfilling than you ever imagined.
Whether you're dreaming of living abroad, learning a new language, or simply seeking inspiration to make a bold life change, this episode offers valuable insights and motivation. Richard's journey shows that with dedication, cultural sensitivity, and an open heart, you can create success anywhere in the world.
Takeaways
Time is valuable and should be respected
Compliments have the power to change someone's state
Embracing new experiences and taking risks can lead to personal growth
Learning a new language opens doors and allows for deeper connections
Following your passion can lead to a fulfilling and meaningful life. Becoming a disciple and practicing discipline in daily life is powerful and trains the mind.
Giving back to the community that has enriched your life is important.
Simplicity and gratitude are key to finding happiness and fulfillment.
Success is built on a million thank yous and the support of mentors and loved ones.
Embrace challenges and setbacks as part of the journey and learn from them.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
02:02 - Serving Mankind: Purpose and Impact
04:06 - Family Background and Influence
09:28 - School Experience: Lessons and Growth
17:16 - Genesis of Spanish: Origins and Development
22:05 - Falling in Love: Personal Journey
27:18 - Adapting to Costa Rican Culture and Lifestyle
32:47 - Becoming a Disciple: Spiritual Growth
35:30 - Richard's Business Journey: Starting Out
41:10 - Employee Departure: Values and Expectations
43:15 - Unique Qualities: What Sets Us Apart
47:40 - Richard’s Heartbeat: Core Values
48:40 - Life After Retirement: Richard’s Plans
52:45 - Outro
54:07 - End
Family Upbringing and Its Impact
And when you walk in the space of being present, you notice things. So Richard, one of the things that we do here at Threads of Enlightenment, and I told you we go back in that time machine, You have done much, and I can't wait to get into all of that as we move through your life. One of the things that we do is revisit our starting point, if you will, that starting point and location, and we call it the family. We have mom and dad strangers, and you are a stranger, and you are put into this pod, as they say. And mom and dad is about to deposit some data into you based on their culture, their perception, all of these different things, their programming, their And they're going to begin to put some data information into you so that they want to help you out, as they say, so you can be that good man and that young man on this planet. What was your family like?
Richard's High School Spanish Adventure
That's a wonderful question. And before I tell you about my Renaissance period, I have to compliment your smooth move. My man, I love that last story. Hey man, one of the best things I did. Looking great. Would you put on some of the car? I mean, that's my man. Making moves. That was one of my smooth movements. We all definitely did learn something. Kind of like Mike DeMone with Rat and Fast Times at Richmond. Hi, Ken just taught us. I love it. Anyway. So I'm back in Northeast Philly at my proud Abington High School. And all of my friends were going to be doctors and lawyers and engineers and architects. And they had a plan. I had no plan except sports and girls and goofing around. But my favorite class was Spanish. And I don't know about you, but sometimes you got to get the like wake up call. And I got the chills. I said, if I'm the only one. that could speak Spanish out of all my friends. A, I could speak to the girls over there, you know, because they speak Spanish. And B, I might be able to get a job or put se habla espanol on a business card, which gives me an angle. But it wasn't the cute pat on the head parlor trick. My parents thought it was fleeting or a passing moment. The difference was the dedicated practice. I was not the best student. All right, let's be real. But the one class that I did above and beyond was Spanish. It wasn't cramming. It wasn't copying notes. It wasn't study groups. No, man, I was doing the Mr. Miyagi Danielson kicking on the beach. Really, no joke. I was watching the movies, reading the books. And I said, this is good. And I can build on it. And it's flexible because it's everywhere. There's tons of Spanish speakers in Philly and in the world. And every time that I would do my 5%, 7%, one word, maybe a sentence.
Richard's Philosophy: Pay It Forward with Compliments
That's quite simple. On the top of my list is paying it forward with sincere compliments. I don't need to be at one place at one time, one time a year. I can do it all day long. Compliment someone's hair, how they make a sandwich for you with extra pickles. Or somebody takes their time to do something right. It's very easy to give them reinforcements It moves them forward. It moves me forward. It's free. And it sticks. Because that could be the one thing that person needed that day to start that engine. Or really just to get them over the end zone and have a touchdown. And so I look for the thing that's not common, that's unique. So I'm paying closer attention than most that just glance over others. And so it's most importantly for me to make someone feel better about themselves that day. At least one thing out of 10, I can find that's good about them.
And I don't know about you, but sometimes you got to get the like wake up call. And I got the chills. I said, if I'm the only one. that could speak Spanish out of all my friends. A, I could speak to the girls over there, you know, because they speak Spanish. And B, I might be able to get a job or put se habla espanol on a business card, which gives me an angle. But it wasn't the cute pat on the head parlor trick. My parents thought it was fleeting or a passing moment. The difference was the dedicated practice. I was not the best student. All right, let's be real. But the one class that I did above and beyond was Spanish. It wasn't cramming. It wasn't copying notes. It wasn't study groups. No, man, I was doing the Mr. Miyagi Danielson kicking on the beach. Really, no joke. I was watching the movies, reading the books. And I said, this is good. And I can build on it. And it's flexible because it's everywhere. There's tons of Spanish speakers in Philly and in the world. And every time that I would do my 5%, 7%, one word, maybe a sentence. The positive reinforcement that I got from a bilingual Spanish speaker, it was like a Mario coin. It wasn't a thousand, but it added up. They said, Richard, go, go, go, go. Here's a couple more words. Richard, let me balance your bike on the grammar here. Let me help you here. All I kept doing was expanding the base, expanding that base and growing. And so by the time I graduated, I had an intermediate level.
https://youtu.be/3a237rFKdlw
https://youtu.be/xxPBm_B-H-0
https://youtu.be/Mf648Pc9uNU
https://youtu.be/h8tRuPqNNDY
https://youtu.be/kh-S4pV3bws
Richard Blank hired bassist Garry Gary Beers of INXS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieGjN5H4xPQ
Ken Primus, Threads of Enlightenment podcast, Richard Blank, Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing Call Centre, BPO, Nearshore Contact Center, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership, Marketing, CX, Guest, Money, B2C education, BPO trainer,call centre, contact centre, contact center,trend, trending
Richard’s journey in the call center space is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose.
Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain. A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business. Giving back to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.
Costa Rica’s Call Center (CCC) is a state of the art BPO telemarketing outsource company located in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica. Our main focus has been, and will always be to personally train each and every Central America call center agent so that we may offer the highest quality of outbound and inbound telemarketing solutions and bilingual customer service to small and medium sized international companies, entrepreneurs as well as fortune 500 companies.
We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica. While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
#KenPrimus #ThreadsofEnlightenmentpodcast #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO #trend #trending #listennow #subscribe #podcastclip #podcastvideo #videopodcasting #podcastguest
Army Men 2 - Training Camp (Bootcamp). Comments in Spanish.
In Army Men and Army Men 3D, the commander of the Tan army, Plastro, invades Green territory. Sarge fights against the Tan forces and, at the end of the game, discovers a strange portal, which he enters, ending up in a gigantic kitchen. The game Army Men 2 begins with a massive Tan force, including Plastro himself, chasing him through the portal. Major Mylar betrays Plastro, destroys the portal upon entering, and takes control of the army and Tan territories when Plastro is presumed missing.
Army Men II is a real-time tactics (RTS) game developed and published by The 3DO Company for Microsoft Windows and Game Boy Color. The game differs from the first installment in that it features battles in both the "Real World" and the "Plastic World." It was also the first to introduce the concept of portals between the Real World and their world (Plastic World), a theme that was expanded upon in later games. It is the sequel to both PC Army Men and Army Men 3D for PlayStation 1 (which had the same storyline as Army Men 1).
Follow us on our social networks for more exclusive content:
- https://ArmyMen.com.ar
- https://facebook.com/armymenvideogames
- https://instagram.com/armymenchannel
- https://twitter.com/armymenchannel
- https://discord.com/invite/VfbqahDyUB
"The Army Men Videogames Channel" is a YouTube channel exclusively specialized in the Army Men franchise and its thematic derivatives, run by some of the most loyal and knowledgeable fans in the world. Some of our most important activities are Army Men game design, unique modifications of existing games, and MODs for other games.
#ArmyMen #ArmyMen2 #ArmyMenII #ArmyMenTwo
The B2B Influence Podcast. The Importance of Relationship-Building in Telesales with Richard Blank
Are you a leader making waves in the B2B marketing space? The B2B Influence podcast is an exclusive platform designed to spotlight exceptional individuals driving innovation, growth, and transformation in industries that market to small and mid-sized businesses. This is your opportunity to share your story, showcase your achievements, and connect with a highly engaged audience of industry peers and decision-makers.
At The B2B Influence Podcast, we showcase the brilliance, values, and strategies of B2B industry leaders who are shaping the future. Our podcast spotlights trailblazers who are redefining how businesses market to small and mid-sized companies, setting new standards in innovation, transparency, and growth. Whether you’re a marketing executive, a data analytics expert, or a business leader with a vision, this is the podcast for you. Join us as we celebrate the achievements of industry pioneers and uncover actionable insights to fuel your success.
In this episode of The Marketing Vanguard: Leading Voices in B2B Innovation, Paula Chiocchi interviews the President, CEO, and Bilingual Telemarketing Trainer of Costa Rica's Call Center, Richard Blank. Richard explores the crucial role of call centers in the marketing-to-sales pipeline, emphasizing the importance of human connection and empathy in telemarketing.
Richard discusses balancing inbound and outbound calls, the significance of soft skills, and the operational challenges of converting leads. He advocates for quality interactions over quantity, effective follow-up, and maintaining realistic expectations. Richard underscores the enduring value of personal connections in customer service and telemarketing.
Paula Chiocchi, president and CEO of Outward Media, Inc. (OMI), is a marketing industry veteran whose mission is to help businesses realize their full potential by effectively reaching their target audiences and converting more prospects into customers.
Advice for Selecting a Call Center
What kind of advice would you give for people in searching for a call center, whether outbound or inbound? Good cop and bad cop. Let's go bad cop first. You got to make sure that they are a company that follows all legal laws. I follow all business and banking laws in the United States with my company that's out of Florida. They in turn hire my company in Costa Rica, which follows all the labor laws here. I'm not going to be a fall guy for anybody. I'm a guest here. I have to pay the Caja. I got to do the Aguinaldo. I got to pay everything. And it costs money to run a business overseas. There's benefits to it. But then again, I'm not here to hide away. Google me
Handling Difficult Calls with Empathy
And I've also learned that if you allow somebody to vent, remember the cartoons when steam would go out of someone's ears? I do. I have a profanity rule. If they curse at you, Paula, they get a warning. They do it a second time, you can hang up. But if they're venting and they're getting it out, I'll let you do it. And then I'm going to give you some Philly guilt. I'm going to go, hey, Paolo, you done yet? You want to curse some more? And you go, Richard, I'm so sorry. I go, may we begin again? And you say, yes, we may. And then look at that sort of foundation. Now you have a client for life. And that's how you're training your people. It's maturity. Yeah. You can't take it personal. And you think about it. You're speaking to someone's worst day. Something broke. For an example, we work with a law firm. So we do level one intake coordinators for wrongful termination and disability. So imagine that extended empathy when people are calling us after they've been fired. And so we can cradle these calls. And I think those specific soft skills are the things some people might be lacking today.
Introduction and Impact of Call Centers
Hi, this is Paula Kiyoki. I'm the CEO and founder of Outward Media. We go by OMI. And this is the Marketing Vanguard Leading Voices in B2B Innovation podcast. Today, we are fortunate to have Richard Blank. Richard is the president and bilingual, I want to get this right, bilingual telemarketing trainer at the Costa Rica Call Center. Welcome, Richard. So happy to be with you and your audience today. And I was just telling Richard that I'm jealous that I haven't been to Costa Rica. So Richard's an expert in all things telemarketing, telemarketing and call centers. And so we're going to ask him a few questions today and get his expertise. Richard, at what point in the marketing to sales pipeline do you see call centers having the greatest impact? And how do you define that sweet spot between MQL and SQL? Well, I believe that A.I., a computer can never replace empathy. They can't give you a hug. And so you will use it for gathering and to make things easier, bring it to the 10 yard line, so to speak. But you and I need to bring that ball into the end zone.
https://youtu.be/bzJze5vXiuM
https://youtu.be/yIF8TGySqIA
https://youtu.be/w8aGC09Yy-4
https://youtu.be/MZT8pkqrdDo
Richard Blank hired bassist Garry Gary Beers of INXS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieGjN5H4xPQ
The B2B Influence PodcastPaula Chiocchi, The Marketing Vanguard, Richard Blank, Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing Call Centre, BPO, Nearshore Contact Center, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership, Marketing, CX, Guest, Money, B2C education, BPO trainer,call centre, contact centre, contact center,trend, trending
As a B2B business leader and data innovator my work has led to dramatic increases in both revenue and digital marketing campaign ROI for hundreds of Fortune 2000 and midmarket firms. I’ve driven nearly $300 million in revenue for a single Fortune 500 client in one year.
My priority is to deliver more desirable business outcomes -- using accurate high-quality data to fuel success for Omni-channel digital marketing campaigns. OMI’s mission is to turn data into revenue and results. We use our database of more than 20+ million businesses and 145+ million B2BC contacts—which include email addresses and digital IDs backed by the industry’s first 95% email validity guarantee.
Since 1998, I’ve made a name for myself as an award-winning B2B marketing innovator – and the driving force behind the world’s largest SMB database.
The fast pace of business has been a constant in my career. That’s why it’s been important for me to create balance. My love of Asian art has influenced a Zen attitude that drives my approach to problem solving in both my business and my personal life. The philosophy I share with my team and business partners and clients is to speak up when something isn’t right so that, together, we can fix it.
As a military brat, I was exposed to many places, peoples and cultures. That stopped at 21 with the death of my father. Still in college, I helped my mother reengineer her life and learned self-reliance and responsibility that cannot be taught in a classroom.
Running a business is exhilarating but also filled with challenges. So, sharing my expertise and the lessons I’ve learned is important to me. I take every opportunity to mentor new entrepreneurs and those just getting started in their careers--to give them advice and encouragement and guide them on a path to success.
It’s also why I write: for our company blog, Forbes Advisory Circle, and other outlets. If you could ask me one thing, what would that be? Take a moment and message me.
Paula Chiocchi, CEO and founder of OMI, is an award-winning marketing industry veteran whose mission is to help businesses realize their full potential by effectively reaching their target audiences and converting more prospects into customers.
Under her direction, OMI provides Fortune 1000 firms and other clients fresh, accurate contact data to fuel outbound marketing initiatives and drive sales and profits. An expert and innovator in multi-channel marketing data, Paula has established OMI as a leader in comprehensive email campaign management services.
Along with her growing team, her goal is to assist clients in successfully navigating the complex email channel by offering hands-on guidance combined with the highest levels of email deliverability and marketing ROI. Paula began her career with Dun & Bradstreet and developed her skills by creating direct mail, online advertising and email campaigns for leading mortgage companies, financial institutions, telecom, software, online gaming sites, sweepstakes enterprises and e-commerce companies.
Our Story
If a business wants to grow, it needs to find new customers. Since our founding in 1998, OMI has been dedicated to empowering companies to do just that.
Connect with your ideal prospects using our high-quality B2B2C data.
Add accuracy, precision targeting, and scale to your modern digital marketing initiatives.
Our Data
Our master B2B database contains omni-channel marketing data including verified business email addresses with 95% validity, on average. Leveraging multiple data sources and proprietary matching and quality algorithms, we provide the freshest contact data in the industry to ensure you achieve optimal marketing results.
Under her direction, OMI provides Fortune 1000 firms and other clients fresh, accurate contact data to fuel outbound marketing initiatives and drive sales and profits. An expert and innovator in multi-channel marketing data, Paula has established OMI as a leader in comprehensive email campaign management services. Along with her growing team, her goal is to assist clients in successfully navigating the complex email channel by offering hands-on guidance combined with the highest levels of email deliverability and marketing ROI. Paula began her career with Dun & Bradstreet and developed her skills by creating direct mail, online advertising and email campaigns for leading mortgage companies, financial institutions, telecom, software, online gaming sites, sweepstakes enterprises and e-commerce companies.
Richard’s journey in the call center space is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose.
Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain. A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business. Giving back to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.
Costa Rica’s Call Center (CCC) is a state of the art BPO telemarketing outsource company located in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica. Our main focus has been, and will always be to personally train each and every Central America call center agent so that we may offer the highest quality of outbound and inbound telemarketing solutions and bilingual customer service to small and medium sized international companies, entrepreneurs as well as fortune 500 companies.
We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica. While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
#TheB2BInfluencePodcast #PaulaChiocchi #TheMarketingVanguard #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO #trend #trending #listennow #subscribe #podcastclip #podcastvideo #videopodcasting #podcastguest
The Value of Personal Touch in Customer Service
And so when we used to leave very detailed voice messages, And do really good tailor made emails. We almost not only matched a conversion ratio but sometimes exceeded it because more people prefer that non voice so we almost had to make that sort of adjustment and then went into other sort of phone call so That's the way that I see it. But it is a means to an end. And people like myself, I would rather call you than text. And if I'm calling a company, I'm going to press zero so I can speak with somebody. And so I do believe that there will be a market for my type of services. I think there is, right? Yeah. Look what Hollywood did. They all hate telemarketers. Do you hate us more than used car salesmen? Look what they've done to us. But think about customer service. I had an experience recently where I bought something and it didn't get delivered and then they wouldn't answer the emails. There was no chat. There was no phone number. And it was a less expensive price than another website, but I didn't get any service. So I canceled and I paid more at a different website because there was some service involved in it. Sometimes people want to talk to somebody, at least I do.
The B2B Influence Podcast. The Importance of Relationship-Building in Telesales with Richard Blank
Are you a leader making waves in the B2B marketing space? The B2B Influence podcast is an exclusive platform designed to spotlight exceptional individuals driving innovation, growth, and transformation in industries that market to small and mid-sized businesses. This is your opportunity to share your story, showcase your achievements, and connect with a highly engaged audience of industry peers and decision-makers.
At The B2B Influence Podcast, we showcase the brilliance, values, and strategies of B2B industry leaders who are shaping the future. Our podcast spotlights trailblazers who are redefining how businesses market to small and mid-sized companies, setting new standards in innovation, transparency, and growth. Whether you’re a marketing executive, a data analytics expert, or a business leader with a vision, this is the podcast for you. Join us as we celebrate the achievements of industry pioneers and uncover actionable insights to fuel your success.
In this episode of The Marketing Vanguard: Leading Voices in B2B Innovation, Paula Chiocchi interviews the President, CEO, and Bilingual Telemarketing Trainer of Costa Rica's Call Center, Richard Blank. Richard explores the crucial role of call centers in the marketing-to-sales pipeline, emphasizing the importance of human connection and empathy in telemarketing.
Richard discusses balancing inbound and outbound calls, the significance of soft skills, and the operational challenges of converting leads. He advocates for quality interactions over quantity, effective follow-up, and maintaining realistic expectations. Richard underscores the enduring value of personal connections in customer service and telemarketing.
Paula Chiocchi, president and CEO of Outward Media, Inc. (OMI), is a marketing industry veteran whose mission is to help businesses realize their full potential by effectively reaching their target audiences and converting more prospects into customers.
Advice for Selecting a Call Center
What kind of advice would you give for people in searching for a call center, whether outbound or inbound? Good cop and bad cop. Let's go bad cop first. You got to make sure that they are a company that follows all legal laws. I follow all business and banking laws in the United States with my company that's out of Florida. They in turn hire my company in Costa Rica, which follows all the labor laws here. I'm not going to be a fall guy for anybody. I'm a guest here. I have to pay the Caja. I got to do the Aguinaldo. I got to pay everything. And it costs money to run a business overseas. There's benefits to it. But then again, I'm not here to hide away. Google me
Handling Difficult Calls with Empathy
And I've also learned that if you allow somebody to vent, remember the cartoons when steam would go out of someone's ears? I do. I have a profanity rule. If they curse at you, Paula, they get a warning. They do it a second time, you can hang up. But if they're venting and they're getting it out, I'll let you do it. And then I'm going to give you some Philly guilt. I'm going to go, hey, Paolo, you done yet? You want to curse some more? And you go, Richard, I'm so sorry. I go, may we begin again? And you say, yes, we may. And then look at that sort of foundation. Now you have a client for life. And that's how you're training your people. It's maturity. Yeah. You can't take it personal. And you think about it. You're speaking to someone's worst day. Something broke. For an example, we work with a law firm. So we do level one intake coordinators for wrongful termination and disability. So imagine that extended empathy when people are calling us after they've been fired. And so we can cradle these calls. And I think those specific soft skills are the things some people might be lacking today.
Introduction and Impact of Call Centers
Hi, this is Paula Kiyoki. I'm the CEO and founder of Outward Media. We go by OMI. And this is the Marketing Vanguard Leading Voices in B2B Innovation podcast. Today, we are fortunate to have Richard Blank. Richard is the president and bilingual, I want to get this right, bilingual telemarketing trainer at the Costa Rica Call Center. Welcome, Richard. So happy to be with you and your audience today. And I was just telling Richard that I'm jealous that I haven't been to Costa Rica. So Richard's an expert in all things telemarketing, telemarketing and call centers. And so we're going to ask him a few questions today and get his expertise. Richard, at what point in the marketing to sales pipeline do you see call centers having the greatest impact? And how do you define that sweet spot between MQL and SQL? Well, I believe that A.I., a computer can never replace empathy. They can't give you a hug. And so you will use it for gathering and to make things easier, bring it to the 10 yard line, so to speak. But you and I need to bring that ball into the end zone.
https://youtu.be/bzJze5vXiuM
https://youtu.be/yIF8TGySqIA
https://youtu.be/w8aGC09Yy-4
https://youtu.be/MZT8pkqrdDo
Richard Blank hired bassist Garry Gary Beers of INXS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieGjN5H4xPQ
The B2B Influence PodcastPaula Chiocchi, The Marketing Vanguard, Richard Blank, Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing Call Centre, BPO, Nearshore Contact Center, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership, Marketing, CX, Guest, Money, B2C education, BPO trainer,call centre, contact centre, contact center,trend, trending
As a B2B business leader and data innovator my work has led to dramatic increases in both revenue and digital marketing campaign ROI for hundreds of Fortune 2000 and midmarket firms. I’ve driven nearly $300 million in revenue for a single Fortune 500 client in one year.
My priority is to deliver more desirable business outcomes -- using accurate high-quality data to fuel success for Omni-channel digital marketing campaigns. OMI’s mission is to turn data into revenue and results. We use our database of more than 20+ million businesses and 145+ million B2BC contacts—which include email addresses and digital IDs backed by the industry’s first 95% email validity guarantee.
Since 1998, I’ve made a name for myself as an award-winning B2B marketing innovator – and the driving force behind the world’s largest SMB database.
The fast pace of business has been a constant in my career. That’s why it’s been important for me to create balance. My love of Asian art has influenced a Zen attitude that drives my approach to problem solving in both my business and my personal life. The philosophy I share with my team and business partners and clients is to speak up when something isn’t right so that, together, we can fix it.
As a military brat, I was exposed to many places, peoples and cultures. That stopped at 21 with the death of my father. Still in college, I helped my mother reengineer her life and learned self-reliance and responsibility that cannot be taught in a classroom.
Running a business is exhilarating but also filled with challenges. So, sharing my expertise and the lessons I’ve learned is important to me. I take every opportunity to mentor new entrepreneurs and those just getting started in their careers--to give them advice and encouragement and guide them on a path to success.
It’s also why I write: for our company blog, Forbes Advisory Circle, and other outlets. If you could ask me one thing, what would that be? Take a moment and message me.
Paula Chiocchi, CEO and founder of OMI, is an award-winning marketing industry veteran whose mission is to help businesses realize their full potential by effectively reaching their target audiences and converting more prospects into customers.
Under her direction, OMI provides Fortune 1000 firms and other clients fresh, accurate contact data to fuel outbound marketing initiatives and drive sales and profits. An expert and innovator in multi-channel marketing data, Paula has established OMI as a leader in comprehensive email campaign management services.
Along with her growing team, her goal is to assist clients in successfully navigating the complex email channel by offering hands-on guidance combined with the highest levels of email deliverability and marketing ROI. Paula began her career with Dun & Bradstreet and developed her skills by creating direct mail, online advertising and email campaigns for leading mortgage companies, financial institutions, telecom, software, online gaming sites, sweepstakes enterprises and e-commerce companies.
Our Story
If a business wants to grow, it needs to find new customers. Since our founding in 1998, OMI has been dedicated to empowering companies to do just that.
Connect with your ideal prospects using our high-quality B2B2C data.
Add accuracy, precision targeting, and scale to your modern digital marketing initiatives.
Our Data
Our master B2B database contains omni-channel marketing data including verified business email addresses with 95% validity, on average. Leveraging multiple data sources and proprietary matching and quality algorithms, we provide the freshest contact data in the industry to ensure you achieve optimal marketing results.
Under her direction, OMI provides Fortune 1000 firms and other clients fresh, accurate contact data to fuel outbound marketing initiatives and drive sales and profits. An expert and innovator in multi-channel marketing data, Paula has established OMI as a leader in comprehensive email campaign management services. Along with her growing team, her goal is to assist clients in successfully navigating the complex email channel by offering hands-on guidance combined with the highest levels of email deliverability and marketing ROI. Paula began her career with Dun & Bradstreet and developed her skills by creating direct mail, online advertising and email campaigns for leading mortgage companies, financial institutions, telecom, software, online gaming sites, sweepstakes enterprises and e-commerce companies.
Richard’s journey in the call center space is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose.
Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain. A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business. Giving back to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.
Costa Rica’s Call Center (CCC) is a state of the art BPO telemarketing outsource company located in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica. Our main focus has been, and will always be to personally train each and every Central America call center agent so that we may offer the highest quality of outbound and inbound telemarketing solutions and bilingual customer service to small and medium sized international companies, entrepreneurs as well as fortune 500 companies.
We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica. While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
#TheB2BInfluencePodcast #PaulaChiocchi #TheMarketingVanguard #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO #trend #trending #listennow #subscribe #podcastclip #podcastvideo #videopodcasting #podcastguest
The Value of Personal Touch in Customer Service
And so when we used to leave very detailed voice messages, And do really good tailor made emails. We almost not only matched a conversion ratio but sometimes exceeded it because more people prefer that non voice so we almost had to make that sort of adjustment and then went into other sort of phone call so That's the way that I see it. But it is a means to an end. And people like myself, I would rather call you than text. And if I'm calling a company, I'm going to press zero so I can speak with somebody. And so I do believe that there will be a market for my type of services. I think there is, right? Yeah. Look what Hollywood did. They all hate telemarketers. Do you hate us more than used car salesmen? Look what they've done to us. But think about customer service. I had an experience recently where I bought something and it didn't get delivered and then they wouldn't answer the emails. There was no chat. There was no phone number. And it was a less expensive price than another website, but I didn't get any service. So I canceled and I paid more at a different website because there was some service involved in it. Sometimes people want to talk to somebody, at least I do.
The B2B Influence Podcast. The Importance of Relationship-Building in Telesales with Richard Blank
Are you a leader making waves in the B2B marketing space? The B2B Influence podcast is an exclusive platform designed to spotlight exceptional individuals driving innovation, growth, and transformation in industries that market to small and mid-sized businesses. This is your opportunity to share your story, showcase your achievements, and connect with a highly engaged audience of industry peers and decision-makers.
At The B2B Influence Podcast, we showcase the brilliance, values, and strategies of B2B industry leaders who are shaping the future. Our podcast spotlights trailblazers who are redefining how businesses market to small and mid-sized companies, setting new standards in innovation, transparency, and growth. Whether you’re a marketing executive, a data analytics expert, or a business leader with a vision, this is the podcast for you. Join us as we celebrate the achievements of industry pioneers and uncover actionable insights to fuel your success.
In this episode of The Marketing Vanguard: Leading Voices in B2B Innovation, Paula Chiocchi interviews the President, CEO, and Bilingual Telemarketing Trainer of Costa Rica's Call Center, Richard Blank. Richard explores the crucial role of call centers in the marketing-to-sales pipeline, emphasizing the importance of human connection and empathy in telemarketing.
Richard discusses balancing inbound and outbound calls, the significance of soft skills, and the operational challenges of converting leads. He advocates for quality interactions over quantity, effective follow-up, and maintaining realistic expectations. Richard underscores the enduring value of personal connections in customer service and telemarketing.
Paula Chiocchi, president and CEO of Outward Media, Inc. (OMI), is a marketing industry veteran whose mission is to help businesses realize their full potential by effectively reaching their target audiences and converting more prospects into customers.
Advice for Selecting a Call Center
What kind of advice would you give for people in searching for a call center, whether outbound or inbound? Good cop and bad cop. Let's go bad cop first. You got to make sure that they are a company that follows all legal laws. I follow all business and banking laws in the United States with my company that's out of Florida. They in turn hire my company in Costa Rica, which follows all the labor laws here. I'm not going to be a fall guy for anybody. I'm a guest here. I have to pay the Caja. I got to do the Aguinaldo. I got to pay everything. And it costs money to run a business overseas. There's benefits to it. But then again, I'm not here to hide away. Google me
Handling Difficult Calls with Empathy
And I've also learned that if you allow somebody to vent, remember the cartoons when steam would go out of someone's ears? I do. I have a profanity rule. If they curse at you, Paula, they get a warning. They do it a second time, you can hang up. But if they're venting and they're getting it out, I'll let you do it. And then I'm going to give you some Philly guilt. I'm going to go, hey, Paolo, you done yet? You want to curse some more? And you go, Richard, I'm so sorry. I go, may we begin again? And you say, yes, we may. And then look at that sort of foundation. Now you have a client for life. And that's how you're training your people. It's maturity. Yeah. You can't take it personal. And you think about it. You're speaking to someone's worst day. Something broke. For an example, we work with a law firm. So we do level one intake coordinators for wrongful termination and disability. So imagine that extended empathy when people are calling us after they've been fired. And so we can cradle these calls. And I think those specific soft skills are the things some people might be lacking today.
Introduction and Impact of Call Centers
Hi, this is Paula Kiyoki. I'm the CEO and founder of Outward Media. We go by OMI. And this is the Marketing Vanguard Leading Voices in B2B Innovation podcast. Today, we are fortunate to have Richard Blank. Richard is the president and bilingual, I want to get this right, bilingual telemarketing trainer at the Costa Rica Call Center. Welcome, Richard. So happy to be with you and your audience today. And I was just telling Richard that I'm jealous that I haven't been to Costa Rica. So Richard's an expert in all things telemarketing, telemarketing and call centers. And so we're going to ask him a few questions today and get his expertise. Richard, at what point in the marketing to sales pipeline do you see call centers having the greatest impact? And how do you define that sweet spot between MQL and SQL? Well, I believe that A.I., a computer can never replace empathy. They can't give you a hug. And so you will use it for gathering and to make things easier, bring it to the 10 yard line, so to speak. But you and I need to bring that ball into the end zone.
https://youtu.be/bzJze5vXiuM
https://youtu.be/yIF8TGySqIA
https://youtu.be/w8aGC09Yy-4
https://youtu.be/MZT8pkqrdDo
Richard Blank hired bassist Garry Gary Beers of INXS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieGjN5H4xPQ
The B2B Influence PodcastPaula Chiocchi, The Marketing Vanguard, Richard Blank, Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing Call Centre, BPO, Nearshore Contact Center, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership, Marketing, CX, Guest, Money, B2C education, BPO trainer,call centre, contact centre, contact center,trend, trending
As a B2B business leader and data innovator my work has led to dramatic increases in both revenue and digital marketing campaign ROI for hundreds of Fortune 2000 and midmarket firms. I’ve driven nearly $300 million in revenue for a single Fortune 500 client in one year.
My priority is to deliver more desirable business outcomes -- using accurate high-quality data to fuel success for Omni-channel digital marketing campaigns. OMI’s mission is to turn data into revenue and results. We use our database of more than 20+ million businesses and 145+ million B2BC contacts—which include email addresses and digital IDs backed by the industry’s first 95% email validity guarantee.
Since 1998, I’ve made a name for myself as an award-winning B2B marketing innovator – and the driving force behind the world’s largest SMB database.
The fast pace of business has been a constant in my career. That’s why it’s been important for me to create balance. My love of Asian art has influenced a Zen attitude that drives my approach to problem solving in both my business and my personal life. The philosophy I share with my team and business partners and clients is to speak up when something isn’t right so that, together, we can fix it.
As a military brat, I was exposed to many places, peoples and cultures. That stopped at 21 with the death of my father. Still in college, I helped my mother reengineer her life and learned self-reliance and responsibility that cannot be taught in a classroom.
Running a business is exhilarating but also filled with challenges. So, sharing my expertise and the lessons I’ve learned is important to me. I take every opportunity to mentor new entrepreneurs and those just getting started in their careers--to give them advice and encouragement and guide them on a path to success.
It’s also why I write: for our company blog, Forbes Advisory Circle, and other outlets. If you could ask me one thing, what would that be? Take a moment and message me.
Paula Chiocchi, CEO and founder of OMI, is an award-winning marketing industry veteran whose mission is to help businesses realize their full potential by effectively reaching their target audiences and converting more prospects into customers.
Under her direction, OMI provides Fortune 1000 firms and other clients fresh, accurate contact data to fuel outbound marketing initiatives and drive sales and profits. An expert and innovator in multi-channel marketing data, Paula has established OMI as a leader in comprehensive email campaign management services.
Along with her growing team, her goal is to assist clients in successfully navigating the complex email channel by offering hands-on guidance combined with the highest levels of email deliverability and marketing ROI. Paula began her career with Dun & Bradstreet and developed her skills by creating direct mail, online advertising and email campaigns for leading mortgage companies, financial institutions, telecom, software, online gaming sites, sweepstakes enterprises and e-commerce companies.
Our Story
If a business wants to grow, it needs to find new customers. Since our founding in 1998, OMI has been dedicated to empowering companies to do just that.
Connect with your ideal prospects using our high-quality B2B2C data.
Add accuracy, precision targeting, and scale to your modern digital marketing initiatives.
Our Data
Our master B2B database contains omni-channel marketing data including verified business email addresses with 95% validity, on average. Leveraging multiple data sources and proprietary matching and quality algorithms, we provide the freshest contact data in the industry to ensure you achieve optimal marketing results.
Under her direction, OMI provides Fortune 1000 firms and other clients fresh, accurate contact data to fuel outbound marketing initiatives and drive sales and profits. An expert and innovator in multi-channel marketing data, Paula has established OMI as a leader in comprehensive email campaign management services. Along with her growing team, her goal is to assist clients in successfully navigating the complex email channel by offering hands-on guidance combined with the highest levels of email deliverability and marketing ROI. Paula began her career with Dun & Bradstreet and developed her skills by creating direct mail, online advertising and email campaigns for leading mortgage companies, financial institutions, telecom, software, online gaming sites, sweepstakes enterprises and e-commerce companies.
Richard’s journey in the call center space is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose.
Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain. A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business. Giving back to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.
Costa Rica’s Call Center (CCC) is a state of the art BPO telemarketing outsource company located in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica. Our main focus has been, and will always be to personally train each and every Central America call center agent so that we may offer the highest quality of outbound and inbound telemarketing solutions and bilingual customer service to small and medium sized international companies, entrepreneurs as well as fortune 500 companies.
We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica. While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
#TheB2BInfluencePodcast #PaulaChiocchi #TheMarketingVanguard #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO #trend #trending #listennow #subscribe #podcastclip #podcastvideo #videopodcasting #podcastguest
The Value of Personal Touch in Customer Service
And so when we used to leave very detailed voice messages, And do really good tailor made emails. We almost not only matched a conversion ratio but sometimes exceeded it because more people prefer that non voice so we almost had to make that sort of adjustment and then went into other sort of phone call so That's the way that I see it. But it is a means to an end. And people like myself, I would rather call you than text. And if I'm calling a company, I'm going to press zero so I can speak with somebody. And so I do believe that there will be a market for my type of services. I think there is, right? Yeah. Look what Hollywood did. They all hate telemarketers. Do you hate us more than used car salesmen? Look what they've done to us. But think about customer service. I had an experience recently where I bought something and it didn't get delivered and then they wouldn't answer the emails. There was no chat. There was no phone number. And it was a less expensive price than another website, but I didn't get any service. So I canceled and I paid more at a different website because there was some service involved in it. Sometimes people want to talk to somebody, at least I do.
The B2B Influence Podcast. The Importance of Relationship-Building in Telesales with Richard Blank
Are you a leader making waves in the B2B marketing space? The B2B Influence podcast is an exclusive platform designed to spotlight exceptional individuals driving innovation, growth, and transformation in industries that market to small and mid-sized businesses. This is your opportunity to share your story, showcase your achievements, and connect with a highly engaged audience of industry peers and decision-makers.
At The B2B Influence Podcast, we showcase the brilliance, values, and strategies of B2B industry leaders who are shaping the future. Our podcast spotlights trailblazers who are redefining how businesses market to small and mid-sized companies, setting new standards in innovation, transparency, and growth. Whether you’re a marketing executive, a data analytics expert, or a business leader with a vision, this is the podcast for you. Join us as we celebrate the achievements of industry pioneers and uncover actionable insights to fuel your success.
In this episode of The Marketing Vanguard: Leading Voices in B2B Innovation, Paula Chiocchi interviews the President, CEO, and Bilingual Telemarketing Trainer of Costa Rica's Call Center, Richard Blank. Richard explores the crucial role of call centers in the marketing-to-sales pipeline, emphasizing the importance of human connection and empathy in telemarketing.
Richard discusses balancing inbound and outbound calls, the significance of soft skills, and the operational challenges of converting leads. He advocates for quality interactions over quantity, effective follow-up, and maintaining realistic expectations. Richard underscores the enduring value of personal connections in customer service and telemarketing.
Paula Chiocchi, president and CEO of Outward Media, Inc. (OMI), is a marketing industry veteran whose mission is to help businesses realize their full potential by effectively reaching their target audiences and converting more prospects into customers.
Advice for Selecting a Call Center
What kind of advice would you give for people in searching for a call center, whether outbound or inbound? Good cop and bad cop. Let's go bad cop first. You got to make sure that they are a company that follows all legal laws. I follow all business and banking laws in the United States with my company that's out of Florida. They in turn hire my company in Costa Rica, which follows all the labor laws here. I'm not going to be a fall guy for anybody. I'm a guest here. I have to pay the Caja. I got to do the Aguinaldo. I got to pay everything. And it costs money to run a business overseas. There's benefits to it. But then again, I'm not here to hide away. Google me
Handling Difficult Calls with Empathy
And I've also learned that if you allow somebody to vent, remember the cartoons when steam would go out of someone's ears? I do. I have a profanity rule. If they curse at you, Paula, they get a warning. They do it a second time, you can hang up. But if they're venting and they're getting it out, I'll let you do it. And then I'm going to give you some Philly guilt. I'm going to go, hey, Paolo, you done yet? You want to curse some more? And you go, Richard, I'm so sorry. I go, may we begin again? And you say, yes, we may. And then look at that sort of foundation. Now you have a client for life. And that's how you're training your people. It's maturity. Yeah. You can't take it personal. And you think about it. You're speaking to someone's worst day. Something broke. For an example, we work with a law firm. So we do level one intake coordinators for wrongful termination and disability. So imagine that extended empathy when people are calling us after they've been fired. And so we can cradle these calls. And I think those specific soft skills are the things some people might be lacking today.
Introduction and Impact of Call Centers
Hi, this is Paula Kiyoki. I'm the CEO and founder of Outward Media. We go by OMI. And this is the Marketing Vanguard Leading Voices in B2B Innovation podcast. Today, we are fortunate to have Richard Blank. Richard is the president and bilingual, I want to get this right, bilingual telemarketing trainer at the Costa Rica Call Center. Welcome, Richard. So happy to be with you and your audience today. And I was just telling Richard that I'm jealous that I haven't been to Costa Rica. So Richard's an expert in all things telemarketing, telemarketing and call centers. And so we're going to ask him a few questions today and get his expertise. Richard, at what point in the marketing to sales pipeline do you see call centers having the greatest impact? And how do you define that sweet spot between MQL and SQL? Well, I believe that A.I., a computer can never replace empathy. They can't give you a hug. And so you will use it for gathering and to make things easier, bring it to the 10 yard line, so to speak. But you and I need to bring that ball into the end zone.
https://youtu.be/bzJze5vXiuM
https://youtu.be/yIF8TGySqIA
https://youtu.be/w8aGC09Yy-4
https://youtu.be/MZT8pkqrdDo
Richard Blank hired bassist Garry Gary Beers of INXS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieGjN5H4xPQ
The B2B Influence PodcastPaula Chiocchi, The Marketing Vanguard, Richard Blank, Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing Call Centre, BPO, Nearshore Contact Center, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership, Marketing, CX, Guest, Money, B2C education, BPO trainer,call centre, contact centre, contact center,trend, trending
As a B2B business leader and data innovator my work has led to dramatic increases in both revenue and digital marketing campaign ROI for hundreds of Fortune 2000 and midmarket firms. I’ve driven nearly $300 million in revenue for a single Fortune 500 client in one year.
My priority is to deliver more desirable business outcomes -- using accurate high-quality data to fuel success for Omni-channel digital marketing campaigns. OMI’s mission is to turn data into revenue and results. We use our database of more than 20+ million businesses and 145+ million B2BC contacts—which include email addresses and digital IDs backed by the industry’s first 95% email validity guarantee.
Since 1998, I’ve made a name for myself as an award-winning B2B marketing innovator – and the driving force behind the world’s largest SMB database.
The fast pace of business has been a constant in my career. That’s why it’s been important for me to create balance. My love of Asian art has influenced a Zen attitude that drives my approach to problem solving in both my business and my personal life. The philosophy I share with my team and business partners and clients is to speak up when something isn’t right so that, together, we can fix it.
As a military brat, I was exposed to many places, peoples and cultures. That stopped at 21 with the death of my father. Still in college, I helped my mother reengineer her life and learned self-reliance and responsibility that cannot be taught in a classroom.
Running a business is exhilarating but also filled with challenges. So, sharing my expertise and the lessons I’ve learned is important to me. I take every opportunity to mentor new entrepreneurs and those just getting started in their careers--to give them advice and encouragement and guide them on a path to success.
It’s also why I write: for our company blog, Forbes Advisory Circle, and other outlets. If you could ask me one thing, what would that be? Take a moment and message me.
Paula Chiocchi, CEO and founder of OMI, is an award-winning marketing industry veteran whose mission is to help businesses realize their full potential by effectively reaching their target audiences and converting more prospects into customers.
Under her direction, OMI provides Fortune 1000 firms and other clients fresh, accurate contact data to fuel outbound marketing initiatives and drive sales and profits. An expert and innovator in multi-channel marketing data, Paula has established OMI as a leader in comprehensive email campaign management services.
Along with her growing team, her goal is to assist clients in successfully navigating the complex email channel by offering hands-on guidance combined with the highest levels of email deliverability and marketing ROI. Paula began her career with Dun & Bradstreet and developed her skills by creating direct mail, online advertising and email campaigns for leading mortgage companies, financial institutions, telecom, software, online gaming sites, sweepstakes enterprises and e-commerce companies.
Our Story
If a business wants to grow, it needs to find new customers. Since our founding in 1998, OMI has been dedicated to empowering companies to do just that.
Connect with your ideal prospects using our high-quality B2B2C data.
Add accuracy, precision targeting, and scale to your modern digital marketing initiatives.
Our Data
Our master B2B database contains omni-channel marketing data including verified business email addresses with 95% validity, on average. Leveraging multiple data sources and proprietary matching and quality algorithms, we provide the freshest contact data in the industry to ensure you achieve optimal marketing results.
Under her direction, OMI provides Fortune 1000 firms and other clients fresh, accurate contact data to fuel outbound marketing initiatives and drive sales and profits. An expert and innovator in multi-channel marketing data, Paula has established OMI as a leader in comprehensive email campaign management services. Along with her growing team, her goal is to assist clients in successfully navigating the complex email channel by offering hands-on guidance combined with the highest levels of email deliverability and marketing ROI. Paula began her career with Dun & Bradstreet and developed her skills by creating direct mail, online advertising and email campaigns for leading mortgage companies, financial institutions, telecom, software, online gaming sites, sweepstakes enterprises and e-commerce companies.
Richard’s journey in the call center space is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose.
Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain. A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business. Giving back to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.
Costa Rica’s Call Center (CCC) is a state of the art BPO telemarketing outsource company located in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica. Our main focus has been, and will always be to personally train each and every Central America call center agent so that we may offer the highest quality of outbound and inbound telemarketing solutions and bilingual customer service to small and medium sized international companies, entrepreneurs as well as fortune 500 companies.
We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica. While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
#TheB2BInfluencePodcast #PaulaChiocchi #TheMarketingVanguard #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO #trend #trending #listennow #subscribe #podcastclip #podcastvideo #videopodcasting #podcastguest
The Value of Personal Touch in Customer Service
And so when we used to leave very detailed voice messages, And do really good tailor made emails. We almost not only matched a conversion ratio but sometimes exceeded it because more people prefer that non voice so we almost had to make that sort of adjustment and then went into other sort of phone call so That's the way that I see it. But it is a means to an end. And people like myself, I would rather call you than text. And if I'm calling a company, I'm going to press zero so I can speak with somebody. And so I do believe that there will be a market for my type of services. I think there is, right? Yeah. Look what Hollywood did. They all hate telemarketers. Do you hate us more than used car salesmen? Look what they've done to us. But think about customer service. I had an experience recently where I bought something and it didn't get delivered and then they wouldn't answer the emails. There was no chat. There was no phone number. And it was a less expensive price than another website, but I didn't get any service. So I canceled and I paid more at a different website because there was some service involved in it. Sometimes people want to talk to somebody, at least I do.
The B2B Influence Podcast. The Importance of Relationship-Building in Telesales with Richard Blank
Are you a leader making waves in the B2B marketing space? The B2B Influence podcast is an exclusive platform designed to spotlight exceptional individuals driving innovation, growth, and transformation in industries that market to small and mid-sized businesses. This is your opportunity to share your story, showcase your achievements, and connect with a highly engaged audience of industry peers and decision-makers.
At The B2B Influence Podcast, we showcase the brilliance, values, and strategies of B2B industry leaders who are shaping the future. Our podcast spotlights trailblazers who are redefining how businesses market to small and mid-sized companies, setting new standards in innovation, transparency, and growth. Whether you’re a marketing executive, a data analytics expert, or a business leader with a vision, this is the podcast for you. Join us as we celebrate the achievements of industry pioneers and uncover actionable insights to fuel your success.
In this episode of The Marketing Vanguard: Leading Voices in B2B Innovation, Paula Chiocchi interviews the President, CEO, and Bilingual Telemarketing Trainer of Costa Rica's Call Center, Richard Blank. Richard explores the crucial role of call centers in the marketing-to-sales pipeline, emphasizing the importance of human connection and empathy in telemarketing.
Richard discusses balancing inbound and outbound calls, the significance of soft skills, and the operational challenges of converting leads. He advocates for quality interactions over quantity, effective follow-up, and maintaining realistic expectations. Richard underscores the enduring value of personal connections in customer service and telemarketing.
Paula Chiocchi, president and CEO of Outward Media, Inc. (OMI), is a marketing industry veteran whose mission is to help businesses realize their full potential by effectively reaching their target audiences and converting more prospects into customers.
Advice for Selecting a Call Center
What kind of advice would you give for people in searching for a call center, whether outbound or inbound? Good cop and bad cop. Let's go bad cop first. You got to make sure that they are a company that follows all legal laws. I follow all business and banking laws in the United States with my company that's out of Florida. They in turn hire my company in Costa Rica, which follows all the labor laws here. I'm not going to be a fall guy for anybody. I'm a guest here. I have to pay the Caja. I got to do the Aguinaldo. I got to pay everything. And it costs money to run a business overseas. There's benefits to it. But then again, I'm not here to hide away. Google me
Handling Difficult Calls with Empathy
And I've also learned that if you allow somebody to vent, remember the cartoons when steam would go out of someone's ears? I do. I have a profanity rule. If they curse at you, Paula, they get a warning. They do it a second time, you can hang up. But if they're venting and they're getting it out, I'll let you do it. And then I'm going to give you some Philly guilt. I'm going to go, hey, Paolo, you done yet? You want to curse some more? And you go, Richard, I'm so sorry. I go, may we begin again? And you say, yes, we may. And then look at that sort of foundation. Now you have a client for life. And that's how you're training your people. It's maturity. Yeah. You can't take it personal. And you think about it. You're speaking to someone's worst day. Something broke. For an example, we work with a law firm. So we do level one intake coordinators for wrongful termination and disability. So imagine that extended empathy when people are calling us after they've been fired. And so we can cradle these calls. And I think those specific soft skills are the things some people might be lacking today.
Introduction and Impact of Call Centers
Hi, this is Paula Kiyoki. I'm the CEO and founder of Outward Media. We go by OMI. And this is the Marketing Vanguard Leading Voices in B2B Innovation podcast. Today, we are fortunate to have Richard Blank. Richard is the president and bilingual, I want to get this right, bilingual telemarketing trainer at the Costa Rica Call Center. Welcome, Richard. So happy to be with you and your audience today. And I was just telling Richard that I'm jealous that I haven't been to Costa Rica. So Richard's an expert in all things telemarketing, telemarketing and call centers. And so we're going to ask him a few questions today and get his expertise. Richard, at what point in the marketing to sales pipeline do you see call centers having the greatest impact? And how do you define that sweet spot between MQL and SQL? Well, I believe that A.I., a computer can never replace empathy. They can't give you a hug. And so you will use it for gathering and to make things easier, bring it to the 10 yard line, so to speak. But you and I need to bring that ball into the end zone.
https://youtu.be/bzJze5vXiuM
https://youtu.be/yIF8TGySqIA
https://youtu.be/w8aGC09Yy-4
https://youtu.be/MZT8pkqrdDo
Richard Blank hired bassist Garry Gary Beers of INXS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieGjN5H4xPQ
The B2B Influence PodcastPaula Chiocchi, The Marketing Vanguard, Richard Blank, Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing Call Centre, BPO, Nearshore Contact Center, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership, Marketing, CX, Guest, Money, B2C education, BPO trainer,call centre, contact centre, contact center,trend, trending
As a B2B business leader and data innovator my work has led to dramatic increases in both revenue and digital marketing campaign ROI for hundreds of Fortune 2000 and midmarket firms. I’ve driven nearly $300 million in revenue for a single Fortune 500 client in one year.
My priority is to deliver more desirable business outcomes -- using accurate high-quality data to fuel success for Omni-channel digital marketing campaigns. OMI’s mission is to turn data into revenue and results. We use our database of more than 20+ million businesses and 145+ million B2BC contacts—which include email addresses and digital IDs backed by the industry’s first 95% email validity guarantee.
Since 1998, I’ve made a name for myself as an award-winning B2B marketing innovator – and the driving force behind the world’s largest SMB database.
The fast pace of business has been a constant in my career. That’s why it’s been important for me to create balance. My love of Asian art has influenced a Zen attitude that drives my approach to problem solving in both my business and my personal life. The philosophy I share with my team and business partners and clients is to speak up when something isn’t right so that, together, we can fix it.
As a military brat, I was exposed to many places, peoples and cultures. That stopped at 21 with the death of my father. Still in college, I helped my mother reengineer her life and learned self-reliance and responsibility that cannot be taught in a classroom.
Running a business is exhilarating but also filled with challenges. So, sharing my expertise and the lessons I’ve learned is important to me. I take every opportunity to mentor new entrepreneurs and those just getting started in their careers--to give them advice and encouragement and guide them on a path to success.
It’s also why I write: for our company blog, Forbes Advisory Circle, and other outlets. If you could ask me one thing, what would that be? Take a moment and message me.
Paula Chiocchi, CEO and founder of OMI, is an award-winning marketing industry veteran whose mission is to help businesses realize their full potential by effectively reaching their target audiences and converting more prospects into customers.
Under her direction, OMI provides Fortune 1000 firms and other clients fresh, accurate contact data to fuel outbound marketing initiatives and drive sales and profits. An expert and innovator in multi-channel marketing data, Paula has established OMI as a leader in comprehensive email campaign management services.
Along with her growing team, her goal is to assist clients in successfully navigating the complex email channel by offering hands-on guidance combined with the highest levels of email deliverability and marketing ROI. Paula began her career with Dun & Bradstreet and developed her skills by creating direct mail, online advertising and email campaigns for leading mortgage companies, financial institutions, telecom, software, online gaming sites, sweepstakes enterprises and e-commerce companies.
Our Story
If a business wants to grow, it needs to find new customers. Since our founding in 1998, OMI has been dedicated to empowering companies to do just that.
Connect with your ideal prospects using our high-quality B2B2C data.
Add accuracy, precision targeting, and scale to your modern digital marketing initiatives.
Our Data
Our master B2B database contains omni-channel marketing data including verified business email addresses with 95% validity, on average. Leveraging multiple data sources and proprietary matching and quality algorithms, we provide the freshest contact data in the industry to ensure you achieve optimal marketing results.
Under her direction, OMI provides Fortune 1000 firms and other clients fresh, accurate contact data to fuel outbound marketing initiatives and drive sales and profits. An expert and innovator in multi-channel marketing data, Paula has established OMI as a leader in comprehensive email campaign management services. Along with her growing team, her goal is to assist clients in successfully navigating the complex email channel by offering hands-on guidance combined with the highest levels of email deliverability and marketing ROI. Paula began her career with Dun & Bradstreet and developed her skills by creating direct mail, online advertising and email campaigns for leading mortgage companies, financial institutions, telecom, software, online gaming sites, sweepstakes enterprises and e-commerce companies.
Richard’s journey in the call center space is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose.
Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain. A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business. Giving back to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.
Costa Rica’s Call Center (CCC) is a state of the art BPO telemarketing outsource company located in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica. Our main focus has been, and will always be to personally train each and every Central America call center agent so that we may offer the highest quality of outbound and inbound telemarketing solutions and bilingual customer service to small and medium sized international companies, entrepreneurs as well as fortune 500 companies.
We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica. While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
#TheB2BInfluencePodcast #PaulaChiocchi #TheMarketingVanguard #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO #trend #trending #listennow #subscribe #podcastclip #podcastvideo #videopodcasting #podcastguest
The Value of Personal Touch in Customer Service
And so when we used to leave very detailed voice messages, And do really good tailor made emails. We almost not only matched a conversion ratio but sometimes exceeded it because more people prefer that non voice so we almost had to make that sort of adjustment and then went into other sort of phone call so That's the way that I see it. But it is a means to an end. And people like myself, I would rather call you than text. And if I'm calling a company, I'm going to press zero so I can speak with somebody. And so I do believe that there will be a market for my type of services. I think there is, right? Yeah. Look what Hollywood did. They all hate telemarketers. Do you hate us more than used car salesmen? Look what they've done to us. But think about customer service. I had an experience recently where I bought something and it didn't get delivered and then they wouldn't answer the emails. There was no chat. There was no phone number. And it was a less expensive price than another website, but I didn't get any service. So I canceled and I paid more at a different website because there was some service involved in it. Sometimes people want to talk to somebody, at least I do.
Buy Now Premium Riding Gear for Comfort online in India
Every turn, every kilometer, and every sudden brake demands gear that moves with you, breathes with you, and protects you without weighing you down. Whether you’re dodging potholes in Mumbai, gliding through the curves of the Western Ghats, or enduring Delhi’s heat, you need premium riding gear that delivers all-day comfort with zero compromises.
And now, you can buy the best riding gear online in India, delivered right to your doorstep only at Bikegear.in.
Why Comfort Is King on Indian Roads
Let’s be real India’s roads are unpredictable. One moment you’re on smooth tarmac, the next you’re wrestling with gravel, puddles, or traffic chaos. The last thing you want is gear that itches, pinches, or suffocates you.
That’s why premium riding gear is designed with the rider’s needs first:
Ventilated mesh jackets for hot summer rides
Thermal liners & rain gear for unpredictable weather
Ergonomic gloves and boots that reduce fatigue
Moisture-wicking base layers for all-day freshness
Whether you're a daily commuter or a weekend warrior, the right riding gear keeps you cool, dry, and fully focused on the road ahead.
Protection Without the Bulk
Comfort should never come at the cost of protection and with high-end brands, it doesn’t. Today’s riding gear is lightweight, breathable, and fully armored.
CE-rated impact zones
Abrasion-resistant outer shells
Adjustable fits that don’t restrict movement
We stock only trusted international and Indian brands from Rynox and Tarmac, to Alpinestars, Dainese, Revit, and Komine. These brands build gear that's lab-tested, track-proven, and trusted by riders across the globe.
Look Good. Ride Better.
Comfort also comes from confidence and when you look sharp, you feel sharp. Our gear doesn’t just function it makes a statement. Clean cuts, bold designs, and sleek finishes help you ride in style, whether you're parking at a cafe or fueling up in the middle of nowhere.
So don’t settle for outdated, uncomfortable gear. Upgrade to premium and feel the difference from the moment you gear up.
Delivered Across India. Backed by Experts.
At Bikegear.in, we’re not just sellers we’re riders. We know what works in real Indian riding conditions. That’s why we’ve curated the best riding jackets, gloves, pants, boots, and base layers that prioritize both comfort and protection.
Need help choosing the right fit or size? Call us at +91 9610311313 we’re here to help.
Fast shipping, 100% genuine gear, and nationwide delivery.
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When the gear fits right, the ride feels right.
Shop now at Bikegear.in and experience the freedom of premium comfort on every ride.
Local vs Premium Exhaust: Choose the Best Sound & Performance for Your Ride
The exhaust from your motorcycle is more than simply a pipe, let's face it. It's your machine's voice.
The correct exhaust system may significantly affect your vehicle's sound, performance, weight and overall feel whether you're speeding along open roads or cutting through urban traffic.
So, should you choose a premium brand or a local exhaust? Let's dissect it and assist you in selecting the option that will really make your engine run.
Local Exhausts: Budget-Friendly, But at What Cost?
Local exhaust systems might be tempting after all, they’re cheap, easy to find, and can be fitted quickly.
But here’s the truth: while they might give you a louder note, they often come with compromises.
Unreliable construction quality
Performance that is unpredictable
No testing, no R&D, and frequently no warranty
The backpressure and engine tune of your bike might be affected by numerous local exhausts, which can eventually result in poor fuel economy or severe engine damage. And when you’re riding a machine that deserves respect, cutting corners just doesn’t cut it.
Premium Exhausts: Performance Meets Precision
Let's now discuss high-end brands, such as Termignoni, Yoshimura, Arrow, SC-Project, and Akrapovic, to mention a few. These are engineering marvels that have been carefully designed, tested on racetracks, and constructed for real-world performance they are not merely accessories.
adjusted for torque curves and power improvements
Materials that are lightweight, such as carbon fiber and titanium
Although refined sounds harsh they are never annoying.
Durability, heat resistance and approved fitting
Dynamo-tested and compatible with ECUs for seamless operation
Whether you ride a Yamaha R15 or a Ducati Panigale, a premium exhaust system enhances throttle response, reduces weight, and gives your bike the signature roar it deserves.
Make the Right Choice for Your Machine
Ask yourself this would you wear knockoff riding gear at 150 km/h? Then why install an exhaust that can’t keep up?
A premium exhaust system is an investment in your bike’s health, your safety, and your riding experience. And when you install one, it’s not just about riding louder it’s about riding better.
Shop Premium Exhausts Online in India Only at Bikegear.in
We’ve got the best brands, fastest shipping, and expert advice to help you choose what’s right for your machine.
Call us at +91 9610311313 for fitment help or recommendations.
Ride smarter. Sound sharper. Choose performance that lasts.
Buy Now Sidi Rexx Boots for Race-Ready Comfort & Grip online in India
Presenting the Sidi Rexx Boots, made for riders who require unmatched grip, race-ready comfort, and track-level accuracy. These boots provide the performance your riding style demands, whether you're tearing through tight twisties on weekend rides or cutting corners at the track. What's the best part? Sidi Rexx Boots are currently available for purchase online in India at Bikegear.in your one stop shop for high-end riding equipment.
Built for Performance. Engineered for Control.
Sidi is no stranger to the racetrack. Worn by world class racers across MotoGP and WSBK, Sidi Rexx Boots are the product of years of Italian craftsmanship and race-tested design.
Every feature on the Rexx is meant to enhance your performance from the micro-adjustable closure system for a precise fit, to the pivoting support bracing that protects your ankle without sacrificing movement.
With replaceable toe sliders, shock-resistant heel cups, and ventilation ports to keep your feet cool under pressure, Sidi Rexx Boots are ready to perform just like your machine.
Grip That Won’t Quit
You need a boot that literally sticks if you're pushing yourself.
Even in damp or fast-paced situations, the Sidi Rexx Boots dual compound rubber soles offer incredible traction on footpegs. Your boots remain responsive and grounded whether you're shifting forcefully out of a turn or hard braking into one, giving you the confidence to ride faster and harder.
Race-Ready Comfort for Every Ride
These aren’t just boots they’re engineered armor for your feet.
The ergonomic design, lightweight feel, and ventilated microfiber construction ensure that you stay cool and comfortable, even during long rides or track sessions. Inside, the adjustable inner padding molds to your foot for a secure, fatigue-free fit perfect for both track use and high-performance road riding.
Ride Like a Pro. Shop Like One.
Buy now the Sidi Rexx Boots online in India at Bikegear.in. We offer 100% genuine gear, nationwide shipping, and a team of experts ready to help you pick the right fit and style.
Need sizing help or product advice? Call us at +91 9610311313 we’re riders too, and we’ve got your back.
Don’t just ride race. Step into the Sidi Rexx and feel the difference.
Your next-level ride starts here.
Looking for a light, elegant dessert that’s perfect for summer entertaining? Look no further than Pavlovas topped with Kir Royale sorbet and fresh kiwis—a refreshing, colorful treat that’s as delightful to look at as it is to eat.
Start by whipping egg whites to stiff peaks, gradually adding sugar, a touch of cornstarch, vinegar, and vanilla to create glossy meringue. Baked low and slow, these delicate shells develop a crisp exterior and a soft, marshmallowy center. For the sorbet, blend crème de cassis, Champagne, and lemon juice, then freeze until smooth and scoopable.
To assemble, nestle a scoop of Kir Royale sorbet atop each meringue, add slices of juicy kiwi, and garnish with mint leaves or edible flowers for an extra pop of summer flair. The result is a sophisticated blend of textures and flavors—crunchy, creamy, tangy, and sweet.
Inspired by Chef Scott Biffin’s innovative take on this timeless dessert, this Pavlova variation is sure to impress. Whether served at a dinner party or a lazy afternoon picnic, it’s the perfect way to end a summer meal on a high note. Try it today and make it your signature seasonal delight!
It's the classic "Capture the Flag" of the enemy and take it to your base to win, regardless of whether you kill your rival or not. In this case the map "Pier Pressure" where the map is divided into 2. The route at its ends has the opponent's flag at each end of this scenario. The player who discovers the key to breaking the balance, managing to steal the flag and escape, will win.
Multiplayer PVP Mission "Yarbrough Faire"
Capture the Flag Mode #3
Army Men: World War: Final Front
Army Men: World War – Final Front (titled Army Men: Lock 'n' Load in Europe) is a third-person shooter video game developed and published by The 3DO Company exclusively for the PlayStation (PS1). It is the third installment of the World War subseries, with a gameplay style very similar to that of previous 3D games. Again, many of the missions are modeled after World War II battles and some battles take place in mysterious regions, such as desert lands that resemble Egypt and jungles similar to those of South America. You can also control vehicles, such as motorcycles, tanks, tactical boats and submarines.
#ArmyMen #ArmyMenWorldWar #ArmyMenWorldWarFinalFront
"The Army Men Videogames Channel" is a YouTube channel specialized exclusively in the Army Men franchise and thematic derivatives of it, run by some of the most loyal and knowledgeable fans in the world.
Some of our most important activities are the design of Army Men video games, unique modifications of existing games and MODs for other games.
Follow us on our social networks for more exclusive content:
- https://ArmyMen.com.ar
- https://facebook.com/armymenvideogames
- https://instagram.com/armymenchannel
- https://twitter.com/armymenchannel
- https://discord.com/invite/VfbqahDyUB
The finale of Hypercharge Unboxed's campaign, where we face the supreme commander of the evil toys who want to destroy the Hypercores: Major Evil. The bulk of his army is based here...
Hypercharge: Unboxed is a classic-style third- and first-person shooter inspired by Toy Story, Small Soldiers, and Army Men. It focuses on wave-based shooting with defense-building mechanics. You must complete Sergeant Max Ammo's missions and prevent the HYPER-COREs from being destroyed.
--- Key Features:
- Single Player: Sometimes humans can get in the way. That's why we've designed intelligent Player Bots that will cover your six, collect resources, and help build defenses.
- Co-op & PvP: Fight off evil hordes of armed toys with up to four players in co-op mode or betray your tiny allies and face off in various classic competitive modes.
- Progression: Choose your preferred difficulty and earn medals, unlock unique action figures, and customize your head, skin, and weapon. If you really want to show off, create a prestigious title with the Name Generator.
- Big Guns: You may be small, but you pack a punch. Explode, melt, and even disintegrate any toy that gets in your way.
- Wave-Based Hybrid: Not a fan of Tower Defense? Don't worry, Hypercharge isn't a traditional TD game. It combines wave-based shooting with simple defense building. Collect special buildable cards and build turrets, traps, and walls.
"The Army Men Videogames Channel" is a Youtube channel specializing exclusively in the Army Men franchise and thematic spin-offs thereof, run by some of the most loyal and knowledgeable fans in the world.
Some of our most important activities are the design of Army Men video games, unique modifications of existing games, and MODs for other games.
Follow us on our social networks for more exclusive content:
- https://ArmyMen.com.ar
- https://facebook.com/armymenvideogames
- https://instagram.com/armymenchannel
- https://twitter.com/armymenchannel
- https://discord.com/invite/VfbqahDyUB
#Hypercharge #HyperchargeUnboxed #ArmyMen
The finale of Hypercharge Unboxed's campaign, where we face the supreme commander of the evil toys who want to destroy the Hypercores: Major Evil. The bulk of his army is based here...
Hypercharge: Unboxed is a classic-style third- and first-person shooter inspired by Toy Story, Small Soldiers, and Army Men. It focuses on wave-based shooting with defense-building mechanics. You must complete Sergeant Max Ammo's missions and prevent the HYPER-COREs from being destroyed.
--- Key Features:
- Single Player: Sometimes humans can get in the way. That's why we've designed intelligent Player Bots that will cover your six, collect resources, and help build defenses.
- Co-op & PvP: Fight off evil hordes of armed toys with up to four players in co-op mode or betray your tiny allies and face off in various classic competitive modes.
- Progression: Choose your preferred difficulty and earn medals, unlock unique action figures, and customize your head, skin, and weapon. If you really want to show off, create a prestigious title with the Name Generator.
- Big Guns: You may be small, but you pack a punch. Explode, melt, and even disintegrate any toy that gets in your way.
- Wave-Based Hybrid: Not a fan of Tower Defense? Don't worry, Hypercharge isn't a traditional TD game. It combines wave-based shooting with simple defense building. Collect special buildable cards and build turrets, traps, and walls.
"The Army Men Videogames Channel" is a Youtube channel specializing exclusively in the Army Men franchise and thematic spin-offs thereof, run by some of the most loyal and knowledgeable fans in the world.
Some of our most important activities are the design of Army Men video games, unique modifications of existing games, and MODs for other games.
Follow us on our social networks for more exclusive content:
- https://ArmyMen.com.ar
- https://facebook.com/armymenvideogames
- https://instagram.com/armymenchannel
- https://twitter.com/armymenchannel
- https://discord.com/invite/VfbqahDyUB
#Hypercharge #HyperchargeUnboxed #ArmyMen
Hey babe 💋 It’s your favorite camgirl here, letting you peek into my world a little deeper today! From my sweet morning routine to setting up for a sultry cam show, I’m giving you all the behind-the-scenes cuteness you crave. You’ll see me giggle, pose, tease… and maybe even blush just for you 🥰 Whether you’re here for the flirty fun or just love spending time with me, I promise you’ll feel extra close by the end of this vid. Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe if you want more sneak peeks into my daily naughty-but-nice life 💕🎀
Shop Now Motorcycle Gear for Safety & Comfort online in india
Riders, gear up—because safety and comfort are not optional. Whether you're commuting through the city, cruising on the open road, or taking on an epic adventure, the right gear makes all the difference. Shop the best motorcycle gear online in India at Bikegear.in, where we’ve got everything you need to ride safe and ride in comfort.
Safety You Can Trust
From CE-certified armor, impact-resistant gloves, and knee guards to top-grade helmets and full-body jackets we’ve got gear that protects every part of you. Whether you’re on a sportbike or a cruiser, safety is non-negotiable, and we’ve got the gear to back you up.
Comfort for Long Rides
Comfort isn’t just about looking good it’s about feeling good for every mile. Our gear is designed to keep you cool, dry, and comfortable, with breathable fabrics, moisture-wicking liners, and ergonomic fits. No more sweaty back or sore wrists just smooth, comfortable riding.
Top Gear. Top Performance.
Our equipment is designed for every situation, from high-end riding jackets and weatherproof gloves to advanced boots and waterproof layers. You'll feel your best whether you're riding in cold winds, battling the sun, or enduring the monsoon.
For Every Rider. Every Ride.
No matter your bike or your riding style, we’ve got the perfect gear for you from daily commuters to weekend warriors, touring legends, and off-road adventurers. It’s gear that adapts to you.
Ride safe. Ride comfortable. Ride confident.
Shop now for motorcycle gear that keeps you protected and comfortable delivered straight to your door.
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Need help picking the right gear? Call us at +91 9610311313 for expert advice.
Upgrade your ride. Protect your journey.
Shop now at Bikegear.in and get the gear that makes every ride safer and more comfortable.
Check Our Helmet Size Guide for the Perfect Fit
Riders, here’s the deal your helmet only works if it fits right. Too loose? It won’t protect you. Too tight? It’ll ruin your ride. That’s why we’ve created the ultimate Helmet Size Guide, so you can find your perfect fit and hit the road with confidence.
Safety Starts with Fit
Even the most high-end helmet can fail if it doesn’t sit snug. A proper fit means better impact protection, less wind noise, and zero distractions—exactly what you need whether you’re cruising city streets or blasting down highways.
Measure Up. Gear Up.
Our size guide breaks it down step by step how to measure your head, how to choose between sizes and even tips for different helmet shapes. No guesswork. No returns. Just the perfect fit, every time.
For Every Brand. Every Rider.
From Arai, HJC, Shoei, SMK, AGV, Airoh and more our helmet size guide covers all major brands, so you know exactly what size to pick for your riding style and head shape.
Ride Comfortable. Ride Safe.
The right fit means less fatigue on long rides, better focus, and max comfort—especially important on Indian roads where anything can happen in a split second.
Don’t just wear a helmet—make sure it fits like it was made for you.
Check out our Helmet Size Guide now at Bikegear.in and ride with protection that actually works.
Got questions about sizing? Call our gear experts at +91 9610311313
Shop smart. Ride safe. Fit right. Ride hard. 🏁
One guide. One fit. One solid ride.
Because your helmet should protect your ride—not mess it up.
Buy Now High-End Helmets for Rider Protection online in india
Riders, listen up—your helmet isn’t just gear, it’s your lifeline. Whether you’re ripping through city traffic or chasing the horizon on the highways, don’t even think about riding without high-end helmet protection. Now, you can buy top-tier helmets online in India right here at Bikegear.in!
Premium Protection. Period.
We’re talking DOT, ECE and SNELL-certified helmets designed to absorb impact, reduce drag, and keep your head protected in the worst-case scenario. These aren’t just safe they’re the gold standard in motorcycle headgear.
Style That Speaks Speed
Sleek profiles, aerodynamic shapes, and bold graphics our high-end helmets look just as sharp as they perform. Whether you’re rocking a sportbike, a cruiser, or an ADV machine, we’ve got iconic designs that turn heads and cut wind.
Engineered for the Indian Ride
Is it hot outside? No issue. Long drives? managed. Particularly for Indian conditions, our helmets advanced ventilation systems, anti fog visors and comfortable inside keep you cool, alert and prepared for the road.
Trusted Brands. Proven Performance.
Get helmets from the top brands in the globe, including Airoh, Arai, Shoei, and HJC. Pro racers, long-distance travelers, and serious riders who don't skimp on safety all wear these helmets.
100% Authentic. Delivered Across India.
Every helmet on Bikegear.in is original, certified and ready to ride. No knock offs. No shortcuts just pure protection and performance.
It’s more than a helmet it’s your ticket to ride hard, ride safe, and ride free.
So what are you waiting for? Buy your high-end helmet today at Bikegear.in and protect what matters most.
Got questions? Call us at +91 9610311313 for gear advice.
Nationwide delivery. Best prices. Rider-trusted.
Ride smart. Ride safe. Ride in style.
High-end helmets. No compromise. All power.
Mission 09: "Fistful of Plastic" (Livestream excerpt)
Army Men RTS - Multiplayer Cooperative Campaign
SAFE PASSAGE FOR THE LEGO! While pushing back the deranged Blintz's Tan troops, Green Army forces run into a group of LEGO civilians in the middle of the battlefield. With the help of the Violet Army, Sergeant Hawk and Bravo Company must secure the path so the LEGOs can escape safely...
Our strategy in this mission is to produce troops quickly and in the first wave of villagers follow them, always one step ahead, but not too from them. Take a good look at the path they travel and where the enemy appears, and then leave troops in different sectors of that route, so that they function as checkpoints and defense, but without neglecting the base either. It's hard at the beginning, but easy towards the end. Never let them out of your sight or stop following them with a contingent of troops...
Based on Wieshaq's work:
https://www.moddb.com/mods/wieshaq-mod/downloads
Army Men: RTS is a real-time strategy video game developed by Pandemic Studios and published by The 3DO Company for PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, and GameCube. In this game, Sarge, his heroes, and the Green Army are hungry to put an end to their enemy once and for all, the tyrannical Tan Army, fighting through 15 campaign missions, 8 special operation missions, 8 grand battles, and an infinity of battles. of multiplayer maps from the gaming community. The Greens hit dirt roads, linoleum floors, carpets, and weave their way through flower beds, scattered crate dumps, and toy train sets to collect plastic and electricity to build snipers that clear the battlefield from afar or amass a army of armored units and helicopters that will overwhelm the opposition. The game is based on the movie Apocalypse Now, where the good guys hunt down a crazy colonel, here Colonel Blintz.
#ArmyMenRTS #ArmyMen #RTS #Coop #MultiplayerCoop #MultiplayerCooperative
A Tank Pet that is treated as the 5th Party Member
-Leaving my own answer here
Apparently some PENALTIES will be incurred
・inapplicable to player's support buffs
・remove any Proration
・ASPD -51%
・CSPD -51%
・AMPR -51%
・NMPR -51%
・Dealing Damage -51% *this is the only removable
*Over 9.9k times fusion is the only way to remove it
so, Absorb HP will not decrease.
Weapon: Magic Device
Type: Magic Attack
Nature: Devoted
Stats: INT>VIT
Main Skill
・Rage Attack = aggro generator 1400MP equivalent per approx 1.3s
・First-Aid = After all, I'm the one who will protect you until the end.
・Stealth Attack = with a kNight, I can be quiet.
・MP Gain = can perform Rage 20 shots and increase NMPR to 108/3.4s
・Absorb HP = can survive while Dealing Damage
Gem case
・Attacker's Pet = Raises the damage dealt +30%
・Tanker's Pet = Lowers the damage received -30%
Suitable Owner
・normal proration MD supporter
・Chakra Dancer
My name is AggRRoCK means Aggro Rock or AggRo CheKer.
I was forced to take the Godel test, even though I didn't want to. I passed.
Welcome to Toram Online
Goodbye Toram Onlie
Dr. Laura Sicola presents Speaking to Influence Podcast. Soft speaking skills with Richard Blank.
In this episode, Dr. Laura Sicola interviews Richard Blank, the CEO of Costa Rica's Call Center, about the importance of communication skills and influence in the business world. They discuss the value of soft skills, such as foreign language proficiency, and the need to recognize and leverage one's unique talents. Richard challenges listeners to improve their voicemail messages and congruence between their audio and visual presence. They also talk about the importance of giving people a personalized outbound voicemail message and the impact it has on the impression they leave. He emphasizes the importance of trust, faith, and having a sense of humor in building relationships and achieving success.
Episode 215: Richard Blank - CEO Costa Rica Call Center
In this episode you will learn:
● Character during chaos is an important leadership trait.
● Promote individuals based on their strengths and redirect them to roles where they can excel.
● Express appreciation and acknowledge the contributions of team members.
● Take calculated risks and communicate with stakeholders about challenges and unique aspects of the business. Soft skills, including foreign language proficiency, are valuable and marketable skills in the business world.
● Recognize and leverage your unique talents and skills, and don't downplay their importance.
● Improve your voicemail message and ensure congruence between your audio and visual presence.
● Give a personalized outbound voicemail message to make a positive impression.
● Be the lone voice of dissent when necessary and advocate for others.
About Richard Blank: At 27 years old, Richard relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose. He has trained over 10 000 bilingual telemarketers over two decades. Richard has the largest collection of restored American Pinball machines and antique Jukeboxes in Central America making gamification a strong part of CCC culture. Richard Blank is the Chief Executive Officer for Costa Rica’s Call Center since 2008.
Do you want to be an effective communicator? This is where you'll find all sorts of resources with ideas, tips and strategies on how to master the art and science of leadership communication and influence, i.e. the ability to harness the power of the voice to master the 3s: Command the room, Connect with the audience and Close the deal in any context.
24-Hour Influence Challenge: Voicemail Edition
Now, you just took a challenge in moving down to Costa Rica 24 years ago. Let's levy a challenge to everybody else. This is an opportunity, Richard, to give a challenge for our 24-hour influence challenge of the day to challenge our audience to take one step that they can complete within 24 hours to have more influence. How would you like to challenge our listeners today? Yeah, Laura, I loved when we spoke about this before. I gave you like 20 ideas, and this is the one we chose the best. Nobody likes how they sound on their voicemail, now do they? When was the last time you changed your voicemail recording? What, 1989? And so I need for you to listen to yourself, and I want you to analyze your tone, your rate, your pitch, your duration, Maybe use a thesaurus and find some similes to power up certain vocabulary so it might become more diplomatic and strategic. And practice that over and over. Why? Because that's how you sound to people.
https://youtu.be/Xs4XRi6Ca3s
https://youtube.com/shorts/wSiTO-n9WBY
https://youtube.com/shorts/a34o4FLSPhU
https://youtu.be/h4eu6eiIoTw
Richard Blank hired bassist Garry Gary Beers of INXS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieGjN5H4xPQ
Dr. Laura Sicola, Speaking to Influence Podcast, Richard Blank, Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing Call Centre, BPO, Nearshore Contact Center, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership, Marketing, CX, Guest, Money, B2C education, BPO trainer,call centre, contact centre, contact center,trend, trending
Some of these videos are connected to blogs or other pages on my website, https://laurasicola.com, so take a look to learn more. If you want to stay on top of the latest news in speech an leadership, sign up there to get my weekly newsletter so you don't miss a beat!
Here's to increasing your confidence, presence and influence, as the leader that you are, and the leader you KNOW you can become!
LEADERSHIP IS AN IMAGE.
The way you communicate
is the foundation.
Executive communication coaching and training with Dr. Laura Sicola helps you build the confidence, presence, and influence you need to succeed.
It’s Time to Enhance Your Executive Presence
1Step into a world where your words command respect, your confidence inspires trust, and your leadership opens doors to new opportunities.
Dr. Laura Sicola
Are you equally confident and influential whether communicating with people in business development, finance, engineering, HR, clients, or the board of directors?
Are you as persuasive and compelling whether speaking on camera, presenting to 500 people at a conference, pitching to investors, or advising your employees in a 1:1?
I am a speaker, coach and leadership communication expert who helps people hone their Vocal Executive Presence (VEP) and communication skills to project a strong, positive leadership image, develop loyal, effective teams, and create their ideal workplace culture to reach their ultimate goals.
Your technical expertise only gets you so far; after that, your success is a direct result of how effectively you can COMMUNICATE that expertise to others who do NOT have your skills and knowledge.
I have worked with everyone from executives and aspiring execs at companies like IBM, Comcast and the US Department of Commerce, to executive directors at non-profits, groups of entrepreneurs and women's/diversity initiatives.
Do you or will you lead a large team or organization? Are you getting ready for a conference presentation? A TED talk? A press conference? Or do you need to facilitate team meetings and mediate staff conflict? You tell me who your audience is, and I show you how to get your message across to them efficiently and effectively, while bringing everyone to a collective "YES."
And if you're looking for a speaker for your next event - live or virtual - and need a topic that will resonate with EVERYONE delivered by an inspiring, engaging speaker, give me a call!
Dr. Laura Sicola has over 20 years of experience teaching leaders how to command the room, connect with the audience, and close the deal.
As a cognitive linguist and communication expert, Laura empowers leaders through communication coaching, group training sessions, worldwide speaking engagements, and her book “Speaking to Influence.”
Executive Coaching
Work with Laura one-on-one or in mastery cohort groups to refine your communication skills. These executive coaching sessions help you develop a communication strategy that elevates your executive presence, aligns with your personal brand and gets results.
Group Training
Transform your team's communication capabilities with Laura's outcome-oriented, customizable group training. Topics include Speaking to Influence, Breaking the Expert's Curse, Virtual Influence, Becoming a Go-To Thought Leader, and more.
Keynote Speaking
Elevate your conference or event with a speaker who has mastered the art and science of “infotainment.” Laura balances value-packed content with humor and an interactive style that keeps the audience engaged and gives them practical skills to immediately implement.
Speaking to Influence Book
Discover the secrets to powerful and persuasive communication. With real-life examples, worksheets, and exercises, this book gives you everything needed to transform your communication style, get out of your own way, and hear “yes” more often.
Speaking to Influence Podcast
Join Laura as she interviews world-class business and industry leaders who reveal the importance of communication as an essential leadership skill on their own career journey and the (sometimes hard) lessons they learned along the way.
Online Programs and Training
Laura hosts a constantly evolving set of online courses and live group trainings on topics to help you discover your leadership voice, become a go-to thought leader, and optimize your in-person or virtual presence and engagement skills.
Want to establish your brand as a go-to thought leader?
Get Laura’s insights in this free resource that shares eight key strategies to boost your brand and elevate your thought leadership. Click the link below and begin your journey to becoming a respected and influential leader who everyone actually WANTS to hear speak!
Ultimately, Laura's mission is to guide leaders in mastering the 3 Cs of executive presence: Command the room, Connect with the audience, and Close the deal.
As a cognitive linguist and executive communication coach, Laura understands how professional interactions impact respect, trust, and buy-in, whether it’s a company meeting, a virtual conference call, a presentation to the board, or a high-stakes pitch to investors.
Using a personalized and practical approach, Laura teaches leaders how to project confidence, authority, and authenticity so they can be themselves, while still getting through to anyone.
Linguist
Laura’s background in cognitive linguistics is the cornerstone of her unique coaching approach to solving this universal challenge. She earned her Ph.D. in educational linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania and taught there from 2001-2013. Laura has a deep understanding of the science of how people learn, how speech is processed in the brain, and what creates the gap between “what you think you said,” “what they think they heard,” and most importantly, how to close that gap to get results.
Coach
As an executive communication coach, Laura works with C-suite executives, VPs, directors, business owners, and aspiring executives who want to expand their powers of influence, inspire trust, and hear “yes” more often. In one-on-one or group sessions and master classes, she teaches leaders how to identify and express their personal brands so they can communicate with clarity, confidence, and authenticity, in front of any audience.
Author
Laura is the author of Speaking to Influence: Mastering Your Leadership Voice. This insightful book draws on her extensive expertise in cognitive linguistics, education and executive coaching to provide everyone with practical tools for effective communication in personal and professional interactions alike. In the words of one Amazon reviewer, “Dr. Laura Sicola gives down-to-earth, usable advice for anyone who wants to speak with authority.” She has also published many other peer-reviewed articles and books based on her research, intended for academic audiences.
Speaker
Laura is a renowned speaker, delivering keynotes and presentations at conferences and corporate events worldwide. Her TEDxPENN talk ‘Want to Sound like a Leader? Start by Saying Your Name Right‘ has been viewed over 6.8 million times. She has spoken at hundreds of events sharing insights and practical strategies for effective leadership communication. She also loves to moderate panels and emcee events for corporate and non-profit organizations.
Connect With Laura
Ready to sharpen your communication skills and expand your influence? Reach out to Dr. Laura Sicola to learn more about personalized coaching, group training, speaking engagements, and more.
Richard’s journey in the call center space is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose.
Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain. A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business. Giving back to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.
Costa Rica’s Call Center (CCC) is a state of the art BPO telemarketing outsource company located in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica. Our main focus has been, and will always be to personally train each and every Central America call center agent so that we may offer the highest quality of outbound and inbound telemarketing solutions and bilingual customer service to small and medium sized international companies, entrepreneurs as well as fortune 500 companies.
We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica. While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
#DrLauraSicola #SpeakingtoInfluencePodcast #SpeakersAreLeadersMotivationPodcast #HarrySardinas #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO #trend #trending #listennow #subscribe #podcastclip #podcastvideo #videopodcasting #podcastguest
Pushed My Car in a Suit: A Hilarious Client Story
yes yes all right finally tell me about a time when you had to laugh at yourself ah i love this story so i had a client in town right phil and i'm driving him to dinner and it's the rainy season and unfortunately my car ran out of gas right by the um la sabana park and I couldn't believe it. So the guy looks at me, he goes, listen, the gas station is just a block away. And he goes, I'll push it if you will. I go, are you serious? He goes, yeah, why not? And so I took my jacket off. I'm still in my suit. Got the, you know, the best on. It's a good bonding moment there. Pushed it down the street. People are honking, laughing at me. A guy on purpose would curve a little, so it splashed me.
Handling Leadership Challenges During COVID
Yes, of course, Laura. It was during COVID when all of a sudden the government said, you got to send everybody home. And so what do you do? IT needed to prepare the lifeboats. The agents mentally needed to prepare for the isolation. And my supervisors and I needed to create certain mediums to keep that communication going and that lifeline going. And so I saw some people run for the hills. I saw freshmen step up to the plate.
The Gary Technique: Trust and Perseverance
Tell me about a time when you went to bat for someone else. Who did you speak to on their behalf? Why and how? I totally remember this story when we spoke about it, Laura. I had an agent called Gary and we called the Gary technique. This guy was usually the ramper upper where I'd put him on a brand new campaign to lead the charge, show some metrics and things will look good. Once again, the lone voice with the client convincing them that this is the guy. So after a certain day or two, when the client was losing its patience or Gary wasn't, you know, hitting the home runs yet, he said, Hey, I want you to remove him and try somebody else. And I said, you haven't really given him enough time. He goes, no, I just don't have a good vibe. I go, okay. Let's give it until the end of the day. And then I'll put him on another campaign. Next thing you know, Gary ripped three appointments. And so the client calls about it goes, why? I didn't know that. Let's keep, I go, well, listen, Billy, I did speak to the other client. He's being moved, but I just got to let you know in the future, have faith in me, trust my opinion. This is my wheelhouse. I know what I'm doing. And you know, just once the people get loosey goosey and they feel comfy on the phone, then you start hitting them. And so, um, I've fallen on swords for people because I've known what they've done. And I've also made mistakes as well. Sometimes Gary was not the good fit on a certain campaign and it just wasn't the right guy. Guy can't bat a thousand. Sure. Sure. And so I'm willing to take that hit too. But the beauty of it is at the end of the day, regardless of the outcome, the fact that you might have faith in somebody else besides yourself.
Dr. Laura Sicola presents Speaking to Influence Podcast. Soft speaking skills with Richard Blank.
In this episode, Dr. Laura Sicola interviews Richard Blank, the CEO of Costa Rica's Call Center, about the importance of communication skills and influence in the business world. They discuss the value of soft skills, such as foreign language proficiency, and the need to recognize and leverage one's unique talents. Richard challenges listeners to improve their voicemail messages and congruence between their audio and visual presence. They also talk about the importance of giving people a personalized outbound voicemail message and the impact it has on the impression they leave. He emphasizes the importance of trust, faith, and having a sense of humor in building relationships and achieving success.
Episode 215: Richard Blank - CEO Costa Rica Call Center
In this episode you will learn:
● Character during chaos is an important leadership trait.
● Promote individuals based on their strengths and redirect them to roles where they can excel.
● Express appreciation and acknowledge the contributions of team members.
● Take calculated risks and communicate with stakeholders about challenges and unique aspects of the business. Soft skills, including foreign language proficiency, are valuable and marketable skills in the business world.
● Recognize and leverage your unique talents and skills, and don't downplay their importance.
● Improve your voicemail message and ensure congruence between your audio and visual presence.
● Give a personalized outbound voicemail message to make a positive impression.
● Be the lone voice of dissent when necessary and advocate for others.
About Richard Blank: At 27 years old, Richard relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose. He has trained over 10 000 bilingual telemarketers over two decades. Richard has the largest collection of restored American Pinball machines and antique Jukeboxes in Central America making gamification a strong part of CCC culture. Richard Blank is the Chief Executive Officer for Costa Rica’s Call Center since 2008.
Do you want to be an effective communicator? This is where you'll find all sorts of resources with ideas, tips and strategies on how to master the art and science of leadership communication and influence, i.e. the ability to harness the power of the voice to master the 3s: Command the room, Connect with the audience and Close the deal in any context.
24-Hour Influence Challenge: Voicemail Edition
Now, you just took a challenge in moving down to Costa Rica 24 years ago. Let's levy a challenge to everybody else. This is an opportunity, Richard, to give a challenge for our 24-hour influence challenge of the day to challenge our audience to take one step that they can complete within 24 hours to have more influence. How would you like to challenge our listeners today? Yeah, Laura, I loved when we spoke about this before. I gave you like 20 ideas, and this is the one we chose the best. Nobody likes how they sound on their voicemail, now do they? When was the last time you changed your voicemail recording? What, 1989? And so I need for you to listen to yourself, and I want you to analyze your tone, your rate, your pitch, your duration, Maybe use a thesaurus and find some similes to power up certain vocabulary so it might become more diplomatic and strategic. And practice that over and over. Why? Because that's how you sound to people.
https://youtu.be/Xs4XRi6Ca3s
https://youtube.com/shorts/wSiTO-n9WBY
https://youtube.com/shorts/a34o4FLSPhU
https://youtu.be/h4eu6eiIoTw
Richard Blank hired bassist Garry Gary Beers of INXS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieGjN5H4xPQ
Dr. Laura Sicola, Speaking to Influence Podcast, Richard Blank, Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing Call Centre, BPO, Nearshore Contact Center, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership, Marketing, CX, Guest, Money, B2C education, BPO trainer,call centre, contact centre, contact center,trend, trending
Some of these videos are connected to blogs or other pages on my website, https://laurasicola.com, so take a look to learn more. If you want to stay on top of the latest news in speech an leadership, sign up there to get my weekly newsletter so you don't miss a beat!
Here's to increasing your confidence, presence and influence, as the leader that you are, and the leader you KNOW you can become!
LEADERSHIP IS AN IMAGE.
The way you communicate
is the foundation.
Executive communication coaching and training with Dr. Laura Sicola helps you build the confidence, presence, and influence you need to succeed.
It’s Time to Enhance Your Executive Presence
1Step into a world where your words command respect, your confidence inspires trust, and your leadership opens doors to new opportunities.
Dr. Laura Sicola
Are you equally confident and influential whether communicating with people in business development, finance, engineering, HR, clients, or the board of directors?
Are you as persuasive and compelling whether speaking on camera, presenting to 500 people at a conference, pitching to investors, or advising your employees in a 1:1?
I am a speaker, coach and leadership communication expert who helps people hone their Vocal Executive Presence (VEP) and communication skills to project a strong, positive leadership image, develop loyal, effective teams, and create their ideal workplace culture to reach their ultimate goals.
Your technical expertise only gets you so far; after that, your success is a direct result of how effectively you can COMMUNICATE that expertise to others who do NOT have your skills and knowledge.
I have worked with everyone from executives and aspiring execs at companies like IBM, Comcast and the US Department of Commerce, to executive directors at non-profits, groups of entrepreneurs and women's/diversity initiatives.
Do you or will you lead a large team or organization? Are you getting ready for a conference presentation? A TED talk? A press conference? Or do you need to facilitate team meetings and mediate staff conflict? You tell me who your audience is, and I show you how to get your message across to them efficiently and effectively, while bringing everyone to a collective "YES."
And if you're looking for a speaker for your next event - live or virtual - and need a topic that will resonate with EVERYONE delivered by an inspiring, engaging speaker, give me a call!
Dr. Laura Sicola has over 20 years of experience teaching leaders how to command the room, connect with the audience, and close the deal.
As a cognitive linguist and communication expert, Laura empowers leaders through communication coaching, group training sessions, worldwide speaking engagements, and her book “Speaking to Influence.”
Executive Coaching
Work with Laura one-on-one or in mastery cohort groups to refine your communication skills. These executive coaching sessions help you develop a communication strategy that elevates your executive presence, aligns with your personal brand and gets results.
Group Training
Transform your team's communication capabilities with Laura's outcome-oriented, customizable group training. Topics include Speaking to Influence, Breaking the Expert's Curse, Virtual Influence, Becoming a Go-To Thought Leader, and more.
Keynote Speaking
Elevate your conference or event with a speaker who has mastered the art and science of “infotainment.” Laura balances value-packed content with humor and an interactive style that keeps the audience engaged and gives them practical skills to immediately implement.
Speaking to Influence Book
Discover the secrets to powerful and persuasive communication. With real-life examples, worksheets, and exercises, this book gives you everything needed to transform your communication style, get out of your own way, and hear “yes” more often.
Speaking to Influence Podcast
Join Laura as she interviews world-class business and industry leaders who reveal the importance of communication as an essential leadership skill on their own career journey and the (sometimes hard) lessons they learned along the way.
Online Programs and Training
Laura hosts a constantly evolving set of online courses and live group trainings on topics to help you discover your leadership voice, become a go-to thought leader, and optimize your in-person or virtual presence and engagement skills.
Want to establish your brand as a go-to thought leader?
Get Laura’s insights in this free resource that shares eight key strategies to boost your brand and elevate your thought leadership. Click the link below and begin your journey to becoming a respected and influential leader who everyone actually WANTS to hear speak!
Ultimately, Laura's mission is to guide leaders in mastering the 3 Cs of executive presence: Command the room, Connect with the audience, and Close the deal.
As a cognitive linguist and executive communication coach, Laura understands how professional interactions impact respect, trust, and buy-in, whether it’s a company meeting, a virtual conference call, a presentation to the board, or a high-stakes pitch to investors.
Using a personalized and practical approach, Laura teaches leaders how to project confidence, authority, and authenticity so they can be themselves, while still getting through to anyone.
Linguist
Laura’s background in cognitive linguistics is the cornerstone of her unique coaching approach to solving this universal challenge. She earned her Ph.D. in educational linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania and taught there from 2001-2013. Laura has a deep understanding of the science of how people learn, how speech is processed in the brain, and what creates the gap between “what you think you said,” “what they think they heard,” and most importantly, how to close that gap to get results.
Coach
As an executive communication coach, Laura works with C-suite executives, VPs, directors, business owners, and aspiring executives who want to expand their powers of influence, inspire trust, and hear “yes” more often. In one-on-one or group sessions and master classes, she teaches leaders how to identify and express their personal brands so they can communicate with clarity, confidence, and authenticity, in front of any audience.
Author
Laura is the author of Speaking to Influence: Mastering Your Leadership Voice. This insightful book draws on her extensive expertise in cognitive linguistics, education and executive coaching to provide everyone with practical tools for effective communication in personal and professional interactions alike. In the words of one Amazon reviewer, “Dr. Laura Sicola gives down-to-earth, usable advice for anyone who wants to speak with authority.” She has also published many other peer-reviewed articles and books based on her research, intended for academic audiences.
Speaker
Laura is a renowned speaker, delivering keynotes and presentations at conferences and corporate events worldwide. Her TEDxPENN talk ‘Want to Sound like a Leader? Start by Saying Your Name Right‘ has been viewed over 6.8 million times. She has spoken at hundreds of events sharing insights and practical strategies for effective leadership communication. She also loves to moderate panels and emcee events for corporate and non-profit organizations.
Connect With Laura
Ready to sharpen your communication skills and expand your influence? Reach out to Dr. Laura Sicola to learn more about personalized coaching, group training, speaking engagements, and more.
Richard’s journey in the call center space is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose.
Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain. A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business. Giving back to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.
Costa Rica’s Call Center (CCC) is a state of the art BPO telemarketing outsource company located in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica. Our main focus has been, and will always be to personally train each and every Central America call center agent so that we may offer the highest quality of outbound and inbound telemarketing solutions and bilingual customer service to small and medium sized international companies, entrepreneurs as well as fortune 500 companies.
We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica. While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
#DrLauraSicola #SpeakingtoInfluencePodcast #SpeakersAreLeadersMotivationPodcast #HarrySardinas #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO #trend #trending #listennow #subscribe #podcastclip #podcastvideo #videopodcasting #podcastguest
Pushed My Car in a Suit: A Hilarious Client Story
yes yes all right finally tell me about a time when you had to laugh at yourself ah i love this story so i had a client in town right phil and i'm driving him to dinner and it's the rainy season and unfortunately my car ran out of gas right by the um la sabana park and I couldn't believe it. So the guy looks at me, he goes, listen, the gas station is just a block away. And he goes, I'll push it if you will. I go, are you serious? He goes, yeah, why not? And so I took my jacket off. I'm still in my suit. Got the, you know, the best on. It's a good bonding moment there. Pushed it down the street. People are honking, laughing at me. A guy on purpose would curve a little, so it splashed me.
Handling Leadership Challenges During COVID
Yes, of course, Laura. It was during COVID when all of a sudden the government said, you got to send everybody home. And so what do you do? IT needed to prepare the lifeboats. The agents mentally needed to prepare for the isolation. And my supervisors and I needed to create certain mediums to keep that communication going and that lifeline going. And so I saw some people run for the hills. I saw freshmen step up to the plate.
The Gary Technique: Trust and Perseverance
Tell me about a time when you went to bat for someone else. Who did you speak to on their behalf? Why and how? I totally remember this story when we spoke about it, Laura. I had an agent called Gary and we called the Gary technique. This guy was usually the ramper upper where I'd put him on a brand new campaign to lead the charge, show some metrics and things will look good. Once again, the lone voice with the client convincing them that this is the guy. So after a certain day or two, when the client was losing its patience or Gary wasn't, you know, hitting the home runs yet, he said, Hey, I want you to remove him and try somebody else. And I said, you haven't really given him enough time. He goes, no, I just don't have a good vibe. I go, okay. Let's give it until the end of the day. And then I'll put him on another campaign. Next thing you know, Gary ripped three appointments. And so the client calls about it goes, why? I didn't know that. Let's keep, I go, well, listen, Billy, I did speak to the other client. He's being moved, but I just got to let you know in the future, have faith in me, trust my opinion. This is my wheelhouse. I know what I'm doing. And you know, just once the people get loosey goosey and they feel comfy on the phone, then you start hitting them. And so, um, I've fallen on swords for people because I've known what they've done. And I've also made mistakes as well. Sometimes Gary was not the good fit on a certain campaign and it just wasn't the right guy. Guy can't bat a thousand. Sure. Sure. And so I'm willing to take that hit too. But the beauty of it is at the end of the day, regardless of the outcome, the fact that you might have faith in somebody else besides yourself.
Dr. Laura Sicola presents Speaking to Influence Podcast. Soft speaking skills with Richard Blank.
In this episode, Dr. Laura Sicola interviews Richard Blank, the CEO of Costa Rica's Call Center, about the importance of communication skills and influence in the business world. They discuss the value of soft skills, such as foreign language proficiency, and the need to recognize and leverage one's unique talents. Richard challenges listeners to improve their voicemail messages and congruence between their audio and visual presence. They also talk about the importance of giving people a personalized outbound voicemail message and the impact it has on the impression they leave. He emphasizes the importance of trust, faith, and having a sense of humor in building relationships and achieving success.
Episode 215: Richard Blank - CEO Costa Rica Call Center
In this episode you will learn:
● Character during chaos is an important leadership trait.
● Promote individuals based on their strengths and redirect them to roles where they can excel.
● Express appreciation and acknowledge the contributions of team members.
● Take calculated risks and communicate with stakeholders about challenges and unique aspects of the business. Soft skills, including foreign language proficiency, are valuable and marketable skills in the business world.
● Recognize and leverage your unique talents and skills, and don't downplay their importance.
● Improve your voicemail message and ensure congruence between your audio and visual presence.
● Give a personalized outbound voicemail message to make a positive impression.
● Be the lone voice of dissent when necessary and advocate for others.
About Richard Blank: At 27 years old, Richard relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose. He has trained over 10 000 bilingual telemarketers over two decades. Richard has the largest collection of restored American Pinball machines and antique Jukeboxes in Central America making gamification a strong part of CCC culture. Richard Blank is the Chief Executive Officer for Costa Rica’s Call Center since 2008.
Do you want to be an effective communicator? This is where you'll find all sorts of resources with ideas, tips and strategies on how to master the art and science of leadership communication and influence, i.e. the ability to harness the power of the voice to master the 3s: Command the room, Connect with the audience and Close the deal in any context.
24-Hour Influence Challenge: Voicemail Edition
Now, you just took a challenge in moving down to Costa Rica 24 years ago. Let's levy a challenge to everybody else. This is an opportunity, Richard, to give a challenge for our 24-hour influence challenge of the day to challenge our audience to take one step that they can complete within 24 hours to have more influence. How would you like to challenge our listeners today? Yeah, Laura, I loved when we spoke about this before. I gave you like 20 ideas, and this is the one we chose the best. Nobody likes how they sound on their voicemail, now do they? When was the last time you changed your voicemail recording? What, 1989? And so I need for you to listen to yourself, and I want you to analyze your tone, your rate, your pitch, your duration, Maybe use a thesaurus and find some similes to power up certain vocabulary so it might become more diplomatic and strategic. And practice that over and over. Why? Because that's how you sound to people.
https://youtu.be/Xs4XRi6Ca3s
https://youtube.com/shorts/wSiTO-n9WBY
https://youtube.com/shorts/a34o4FLSPhU
https://youtu.be/h4eu6eiIoTw
Richard Blank hired bassist Garry Gary Beers of INXS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieGjN5H4xPQ
Dr. Laura Sicola, Speaking to Influence Podcast, Richard Blank, Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing Call Centre, BPO, Nearshore Contact Center, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership, Marketing, CX, Guest, Money, B2C education, BPO trainer,call centre, contact centre, contact center,trend, trending
Some of these videos are connected to blogs or other pages on my website, https://laurasicola.com, so take a look to learn more. If you want to stay on top of the latest news in speech an leadership, sign up there to get my weekly newsletter so you don't miss a beat!
Here's to increasing your confidence, presence and influence, as the leader that you are, and the leader you KNOW you can become!
LEADERSHIP IS AN IMAGE.
The way you communicate
is the foundation.
Executive communication coaching and training with Dr. Laura Sicola helps you build the confidence, presence, and influence you need to succeed.
It’s Time to Enhance Your Executive Presence
1Step into a world where your words command respect, your confidence inspires trust, and your leadership opens doors to new opportunities.
Dr. Laura Sicola
Are you equally confident and influential whether communicating with people in business development, finance, engineering, HR, clients, or the board of directors?
Are you as persuasive and compelling whether speaking on camera, presenting to 500 people at a conference, pitching to investors, or advising your employees in a 1:1?
I am a speaker, coach and leadership communication expert who helps people hone their Vocal Executive Presence (VEP) and communication skills to project a strong, positive leadership image, develop loyal, effective teams, and create their ideal workplace culture to reach their ultimate goals.
Your technical expertise only gets you so far; after that, your success is a direct result of how effectively you can COMMUNICATE that expertise to others who do NOT have your skills and knowledge.
I have worked with everyone from executives and aspiring execs at companies like IBM, Comcast and the US Department of Commerce, to executive directors at non-profits, groups of entrepreneurs and women's/diversity initiatives.
Do you or will you lead a large team or organization? Are you getting ready for a conference presentation? A TED talk? A press conference? Or do you need to facilitate team meetings and mediate staff conflict? You tell me who your audience is, and I show you how to get your message across to them efficiently and effectively, while bringing everyone to a collective "YES."
And if you're looking for a speaker for your next event - live or virtual - and need a topic that will resonate with EVERYONE delivered by an inspiring, engaging speaker, give me a call!
Dr. Laura Sicola has over 20 years of experience teaching leaders how to command the room, connect with the audience, and close the deal.
As a cognitive linguist and communication expert, Laura empowers leaders through communication coaching, group training sessions, worldwide speaking engagements, and her book “Speaking to Influence.”
Executive Coaching
Work with Laura one-on-one or in mastery cohort groups to refine your communication skills. These executive coaching sessions help you develop a communication strategy that elevates your executive presence, aligns with your personal brand and gets results.
Group Training
Transform your team's communication capabilities with Laura's outcome-oriented, customizable group training. Topics include Speaking to Influence, Breaking the Expert's Curse, Virtual Influence, Becoming a Go-To Thought Leader, and more.
Keynote Speaking
Elevate your conference or event with a speaker who has mastered the art and science of “infotainment.” Laura balances value-packed content with humor and an interactive style that keeps the audience engaged and gives them practical skills to immediately implement.
Speaking to Influence Book
Discover the secrets to powerful and persuasive communication. With real-life examples, worksheets, and exercises, this book gives you everything needed to transform your communication style, get out of your own way, and hear “yes” more often.
Speaking to Influence Podcast
Join Laura as she interviews world-class business and industry leaders who reveal the importance of communication as an essential leadership skill on their own career journey and the (sometimes hard) lessons they learned along the way.
Online Programs and Training
Laura hosts a constantly evolving set of online courses and live group trainings on topics to help you discover your leadership voice, become a go-to thought leader, and optimize your in-person or virtual presence and engagement skills.
Want to establish your brand as a go-to thought leader?
Get Laura’s insights in this free resource that shares eight key strategies to boost your brand and elevate your thought leadership. Click the link below and begin your journey to becoming a respected and influential leader who everyone actually WANTS to hear speak!
Ultimately, Laura's mission is to guide leaders in mastering the 3 Cs of executive presence: Command the room, Connect with the audience, and Close the deal.
As a cognitive linguist and executive communication coach, Laura understands how professional interactions impact respect, trust, and buy-in, whether it’s a company meeting, a virtual conference call, a presentation to the board, or a high-stakes pitch to investors.
Using a personalized and practical approach, Laura teaches leaders how to project confidence, authority, and authenticity so they can be themselves, while still getting through to anyone.
Linguist
Laura’s background in cognitive linguistics is the cornerstone of her unique coaching approach to solving this universal challenge. She earned her Ph.D. in educational linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania and taught there from 2001-2013. Laura has a deep understanding of the science of how people learn, how speech is processed in the brain, and what creates the gap between “what you think you said,” “what they think they heard,” and most importantly, how to close that gap to get results.
Coach
As an executive communication coach, Laura works with C-suite executives, VPs, directors, business owners, and aspiring executives who want to expand their powers of influence, inspire trust, and hear “yes” more often. In one-on-one or group sessions and master classes, she teaches leaders how to identify and express their personal brands so they can communicate with clarity, confidence, and authenticity, in front of any audience.
Author
Laura is the author of Speaking to Influence: Mastering Your Leadership Voice. This insightful book draws on her extensive expertise in cognitive linguistics, education and executive coaching to provide everyone with practical tools for effective communication in personal and professional interactions alike. In the words of one Amazon reviewer, “Dr. Laura Sicola gives down-to-earth, usable advice for anyone who wants to speak with authority.” She has also published many other peer-reviewed articles and books based on her research, intended for academic audiences.
Speaker
Laura is a renowned speaker, delivering keynotes and presentations at conferences and corporate events worldwide. Her TEDxPENN talk ‘Want to Sound like a Leader? Start by Saying Your Name Right‘ has been viewed over 6.8 million times. She has spoken at hundreds of events sharing insights and practical strategies for effective leadership communication. She also loves to moderate panels and emcee events for corporate and non-profit organizations.
Connect With Laura
Ready to sharpen your communication skills and expand your influence? Reach out to Dr. Laura Sicola to learn more about personalized coaching, group training, speaking engagements, and more.
Richard’s journey in the call center space is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose.
Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain. A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business. Giving back to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.
Costa Rica’s Call Center (CCC) is a state of the art BPO telemarketing outsource company located in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica. Our main focus has been, and will always be to personally train each and every Central America call center agent so that we may offer the highest quality of outbound and inbound telemarketing solutions and bilingual customer service to small and medium sized international companies, entrepreneurs as well as fortune 500 companies.
We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica. While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
#DrLauraSicola #SpeakingtoInfluencePodcast #SpeakersAreLeadersMotivationPodcast #HarrySardinas #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO #trend #trending #listennow #subscribe #podcastclip #podcastvideo #videopodcasting #podcastguest
Pushed My Car in a Suit: A Hilarious Client Story
yes yes all right finally tell me about a time when you had to laugh at yourself ah i love this story so i had a client in town right phil and i'm driving him to dinner and it's the rainy season and unfortunately my car ran out of gas right by the um la sabana park and I couldn't believe it. So the guy looks at me, he goes, listen, the gas station is just a block away. And he goes, I'll push it if you will. I go, are you serious? He goes, yeah, why not? And so I took my jacket off. I'm still in my suit. Got the, you know, the best on. It's a good bonding moment there. Pushed it down the street. People are honking, laughing at me. A guy on purpose would curve a little, so it splashed me.
Handling Leadership Challenges During COVID
Yes, of course, Laura. It was during COVID when all of a sudden the government said, you got to send everybody home. And so what do you do? IT needed to prepare the lifeboats. The agents mentally needed to prepare for the isolation. And my supervisors and I needed to create certain mediums to keep that communication going and that lifeline going. And so I saw some people run for the hills. I saw freshmen step up to the plate.
The Gary Technique: Trust and Perseverance
Tell me about a time when you went to bat for someone else. Who did you speak to on their behalf? Why and how? I totally remember this story when we spoke about it, Laura. I had an agent called Gary and we called the Gary technique. This guy was usually the ramper upper where I'd put him on a brand new campaign to lead the charge, show some metrics and things will look good. Once again, the lone voice with the client convincing them that this is the guy. So after a certain day or two, when the client was losing its patience or Gary wasn't, you know, hitting the home runs yet, he said, Hey, I want you to remove him and try somebody else. And I said, you haven't really given him enough time. He goes, no, I just don't have a good vibe. I go, okay. Let's give it until the end of the day. And then I'll put him on another campaign. Next thing you know, Gary ripped three appointments. And so the client calls about it goes, why? I didn't know that. Let's keep, I go, well, listen, Billy, I did speak to the other client. He's being moved, but I just got to let you know in the future, have faith in me, trust my opinion. This is my wheelhouse. I know what I'm doing. And you know, just once the people get loosey goosey and they feel comfy on the phone, then you start hitting them. And so, um, I've fallen on swords for people because I've known what they've done. And I've also made mistakes as well. Sometimes Gary was not the good fit on a certain campaign and it just wasn't the right guy. Guy can't bat a thousand. Sure. Sure. And so I'm willing to take that hit too. But the beauty of it is at the end of the day, regardless of the outcome, the fact that you might have faith in somebody else besides yourself.
Dr. Laura Sicola presents Speaking to Influence Podcast. Soft speaking skills with Richard Blank.
In this episode, Dr. Laura Sicola interviews Richard Blank, the CEO of Costa Rica's Call Center, about the importance of communication skills and influence in the business world. They discuss the value of soft skills, such as foreign language proficiency, and the need to recognize and leverage one's unique talents. Richard challenges listeners to improve their voicemail messages and congruence between their audio and visual presence. They also talk about the importance of giving people a personalized outbound voicemail message and the impact it has on the impression they leave. He emphasizes the importance of trust, faith, and having a sense of humor in building relationships and achieving success.
Episode 215: Richard Blank - CEO Costa Rica Call Center
In this episode you will learn:
● Character during chaos is an important leadership trait.
● Promote individuals based on their strengths and redirect them to roles where they can excel.
● Express appreciation and acknowledge the contributions of team members.
● Take calculated risks and communicate with stakeholders about challenges and unique aspects of the business. Soft skills, including foreign language proficiency, are valuable and marketable skills in the business world.
● Recognize and leverage your unique talents and skills, and don't downplay their importance.
● Improve your voicemail message and ensure congruence between your audio and visual presence.
● Give a personalized outbound voicemail message to make a positive impression.
● Be the lone voice of dissent when necessary and advocate for others.
About Richard Blank: At 27 years old, Richard relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose. He has trained over 10 000 bilingual telemarketers over two decades. Richard has the largest collection of restored American Pinball machines and antique Jukeboxes in Central America making gamification a strong part of CCC culture. Richard Blank is the Chief Executive Officer for Costa Rica’s Call Center since 2008.
Do you want to be an effective communicator? This is where you'll find all sorts of resources with ideas, tips and strategies on how to master the art and science of leadership communication and influence, i.e. the ability to harness the power of the voice to master the 3s: Command the room, Connect with the audience and Close the deal in any context.
24-Hour Influence Challenge: Voicemail Edition
Now, you just took a challenge in moving down to Costa Rica 24 years ago. Let's levy a challenge to everybody else. This is an opportunity, Richard, to give a challenge for our 24-hour influence challenge of the day to challenge our audience to take one step that they can complete within 24 hours to have more influence. How would you like to challenge our listeners today? Yeah, Laura, I loved when we spoke about this before. I gave you like 20 ideas, and this is the one we chose the best. Nobody likes how they sound on their voicemail, now do they? When was the last time you changed your voicemail recording? What, 1989? And so I need for you to listen to yourself, and I want you to analyze your tone, your rate, your pitch, your duration, Maybe use a thesaurus and find some similes to power up certain vocabulary so it might become more diplomatic and strategic. And practice that over and over. Why? Because that's how you sound to people.
https://youtu.be/Xs4XRi6Ca3s
https://youtube.com/shorts/wSiTO-n9WBY
https://youtube.com/shorts/a34o4FLSPhU
https://youtu.be/h4eu6eiIoTw
Richard Blank hired bassist Garry Gary Beers of INXS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieGjN5H4xPQ
Dr. Laura Sicola, Speaking to Influence Podcast, Richard Blank, Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing Call Centre, BPO, Nearshore Contact Center, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership, Marketing, CX, Guest, Money, B2C education, BPO trainer,call centre, contact centre, contact center,trend, trending
Some of these videos are connected to blogs or other pages on my website, https://laurasicola.com, so take a look to learn more. If you want to stay on top of the latest news in speech an leadership, sign up there to get my weekly newsletter so you don't miss a beat!
Here's to increasing your confidence, presence and influence, as the leader that you are, and the leader you KNOW you can become!
LEADERSHIP IS AN IMAGE.
The way you communicate
is the foundation.
Executive communication coaching and training with Dr. Laura Sicola helps you build the confidence, presence, and influence you need to succeed.
It’s Time to Enhance Your Executive Presence
1Step into a world where your words command respect, your confidence inspires trust, and your leadership opens doors to new opportunities.
Dr. Laura Sicola
Are you equally confident and influential whether communicating with people in business development, finance, engineering, HR, clients, or the board of directors?
Are you as persuasive and compelling whether speaking on camera, presenting to 500 people at a conference, pitching to investors, or advising your employees in a 1:1?
I am a speaker, coach and leadership communication expert who helps people hone their Vocal Executive Presence (VEP) and communication skills to project a strong, positive leadership image, develop loyal, effective teams, and create their ideal workplace culture to reach their ultimate goals.
Your technical expertise only gets you so far; after that, your success is a direct result of how effectively you can COMMUNICATE that expertise to others who do NOT have your skills and knowledge.
I have worked with everyone from executives and aspiring execs at companies like IBM, Comcast and the US Department of Commerce, to executive directors at non-profits, groups of entrepreneurs and women's/diversity initiatives.
Do you or will you lead a large team or organization? Are you getting ready for a conference presentation? A TED talk? A press conference? Or do you need to facilitate team meetings and mediate staff conflict? You tell me who your audience is, and I show you how to get your message across to them efficiently and effectively, while bringing everyone to a collective "YES."
And if you're looking for a speaker for your next event - live or virtual - and need a topic that will resonate with EVERYONE delivered by an inspiring, engaging speaker, give me a call!
Dr. Laura Sicola has over 20 years of experience teaching leaders how to command the room, connect with the audience, and close the deal.
As a cognitive linguist and communication expert, Laura empowers leaders through communication coaching, group training sessions, worldwide speaking engagements, and her book “Speaking to Influence.”
Executive Coaching
Work with Laura one-on-one or in mastery cohort groups to refine your communication skills. These executive coaching sessions help you develop a communication strategy that elevates your executive presence, aligns with your personal brand and gets results.
Group Training
Transform your team's communication capabilities with Laura's outcome-oriented, customizable group training. Topics include Speaking to Influence, Breaking the Expert's Curse, Virtual Influence, Becoming a Go-To Thought Leader, and more.
Keynote Speaking
Elevate your conference or event with a speaker who has mastered the art and science of “infotainment.” Laura balances value-packed content with humor and an interactive style that keeps the audience engaged and gives them practical skills to immediately implement.
Speaking to Influence Book
Discover the secrets to powerful and persuasive communication. With real-life examples, worksheets, and exercises, this book gives you everything needed to transform your communication style, get out of your own way, and hear “yes” more often.
Speaking to Influence Podcast
Join Laura as she interviews world-class business and industry leaders who reveal the importance of communication as an essential leadership skill on their own career journey and the (sometimes hard) lessons they learned along the way.
Online Programs and Training
Laura hosts a constantly evolving set of online courses and live group trainings on topics to help you discover your leadership voice, become a go-to thought leader, and optimize your in-person or virtual presence and engagement skills.
Want to establish your brand as a go-to thought leader?
Get Laura’s insights in this free resource that shares eight key strategies to boost your brand and elevate your thought leadership. Click the link below and begin your journey to becoming a respected and influential leader who everyone actually WANTS to hear speak!
Ultimately, Laura's mission is to guide leaders in mastering the 3 Cs of executive presence: Command the room, Connect with the audience, and Close the deal.
As a cognitive linguist and executive communication coach, Laura understands how professional interactions impact respect, trust, and buy-in, whether it’s a company meeting, a virtual conference call, a presentation to the board, or a high-stakes pitch to investors.
Using a personalized and practical approach, Laura teaches leaders how to project confidence, authority, and authenticity so they can be themselves, while still getting through to anyone.
Linguist
Laura’s background in cognitive linguistics is the cornerstone of her unique coaching approach to solving this universal challenge. She earned her Ph.D. in educational linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania and taught there from 2001-2013. Laura has a deep understanding of the science of how people learn, how speech is processed in the brain, and what creates the gap between “what you think you said,” “what they think they heard,” and most importantly, how to close that gap to get results.
Coach
As an executive communication coach, Laura works with C-suite executives, VPs, directors, business owners, and aspiring executives who want to expand their powers of influence, inspire trust, and hear “yes” more often. In one-on-one or group sessions and master classes, she teaches leaders how to identify and express their personal brands so they can communicate with clarity, confidence, and authenticity, in front of any audience.
Author
Laura is the author of Speaking to Influence: Mastering Your Leadership Voice. This insightful book draws on her extensive expertise in cognitive linguistics, education and executive coaching to provide everyone with practical tools for effective communication in personal and professional interactions alike. In the words of one Amazon reviewer, “Dr. Laura Sicola gives down-to-earth, usable advice for anyone who wants to speak with authority.” She has also published many other peer-reviewed articles and books based on her research, intended for academic audiences.
Speaker
Laura is a renowned speaker, delivering keynotes and presentations at conferences and corporate events worldwide. Her TEDxPENN talk ‘Want to Sound like a Leader? Start by Saying Your Name Right‘ has been viewed over 6.8 million times. She has spoken at hundreds of events sharing insights and practical strategies for effective leadership communication. She also loves to moderate panels and emcee events for corporate and non-profit organizations.
Connect With Laura
Ready to sharpen your communication skills and expand your influence? Reach out to Dr. Laura Sicola to learn more about personalized coaching, group training, speaking engagements, and more.
Richard’s journey in the call center space is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose.
Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain. A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business. Giving back to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.
Costa Rica’s Call Center (CCC) is a state of the art BPO telemarketing outsource company located in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica. Our main focus has been, and will always be to personally train each and every Central America call center agent so that we may offer the highest quality of outbound and inbound telemarketing solutions and bilingual customer service to small and medium sized international companies, entrepreneurs as well as fortune 500 companies.
We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica. While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
#DrLauraSicola #SpeakingtoInfluencePodcast #SpeakersAreLeadersMotivationPodcast #HarrySardinas #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO #trend #trending #listennow #subscribe #podcastclip #podcastvideo #videopodcasting #podcastguest
Pushed My Car in a Suit: A Hilarious Client Story
yes yes all right finally tell me about a time when you had to laugh at yourself ah i love this story so i had a client in town right phil and i'm driving him to dinner and it's the rainy season and unfortunately my car ran out of gas right by the um la sabana park and I couldn't believe it. So the guy looks at me, he goes, listen, the gas station is just a block away. And he goes, I'll push it if you will. I go, are you serious? He goes, yeah, why not? And so I took my jacket off. I'm still in my suit. Got the, you know, the best on. It's a good bonding moment there. Pushed it down the street. People are honking, laughing at me. A guy on purpose would curve a little, so it splashed me.
Handling Leadership Challenges During COVID
Yes, of course, Laura. It was during COVID when all of a sudden the government said, you got to send everybody home. And so what do you do? IT needed to prepare the lifeboats. The agents mentally needed to prepare for the isolation. And my supervisors and I needed to create certain mediums to keep that communication going and that lifeline going. And so I saw some people run for the hills. I saw freshmen step up to the plate.
The Gary Technique: Trust and Perseverance
Tell me about a time when you went to bat for someone else. Who did you speak to on their behalf? Why and how? I totally remember this story when we spoke about it, Laura. I had an agent called Gary and we called the Gary technique. This guy was usually the ramper upper where I'd put him on a brand new campaign to lead the charge, show some metrics and things will look good. Once again, the lone voice with the client convincing them that this is the guy. So after a certain day or two, when the client was losing its patience or Gary wasn't, you know, hitting the home runs yet, he said, Hey, I want you to remove him and try somebody else. And I said, you haven't really given him enough time. He goes, no, I just don't have a good vibe. I go, okay. Let's give it until the end of the day. And then I'll put him on another campaign. Next thing you know, Gary ripped three appointments. And so the client calls about it goes, why? I didn't know that. Let's keep, I go, well, listen, Billy, I did speak to the other client. He's being moved, but I just got to let you know in the future, have faith in me, trust my opinion. This is my wheelhouse. I know what I'm doing. And you know, just once the people get loosey goosey and they feel comfy on the phone, then you start hitting them. And so, um, I've fallen on swords for people because I've known what they've done. And I've also made mistakes as well. Sometimes Gary was not the good fit on a certain campaign and it just wasn't the right guy. Guy can't bat a thousand. Sure. Sure. And so I'm willing to take that hit too. But the beauty of it is at the end of the day, regardless of the outcome, the fact that you might have faith in somebody else besides yourself.
Dr. Laura Sicola presents Speaking to Influence Podcast. Soft speaking skills with Richard Blank.
In this episode, Dr. Laura Sicola interviews Richard Blank, the CEO of Costa Rica's Call Center, about the importance of communication skills and influence in the business world. They discuss the value of soft skills, such as foreign language proficiency, and the need to recognize and leverage one's unique talents. Richard challenges listeners to improve their voicemail messages and congruence between their audio and visual presence. They also talk about the importance of giving people a personalized outbound voicemail message and the impact it has on the impression they leave. He emphasizes the importance of trust, faith, and having a sense of humor in building relationships and achieving success.
Episode 215: Richard Blank - CEO Costa Rica Call Center
In this episode you will learn:
● Character during chaos is an important leadership trait.
● Promote individuals based on their strengths and redirect them to roles where they can excel.
● Express appreciation and acknowledge the contributions of team members.
● Take calculated risks and communicate with stakeholders about challenges and unique aspects of the business. Soft skills, including foreign language proficiency, are valuable and marketable skills in the business world.
● Recognize and leverage your unique talents and skills, and don't downplay their importance.
● Improve your voicemail message and ensure congruence between your audio and visual presence.
● Give a personalized outbound voicemail message to make a positive impression.
● Be the lone voice of dissent when necessary and advocate for others.
About Richard Blank: At 27 years old, Richard relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose. He has trained over 10 000 bilingual telemarketers over two decades. Richard has the largest collection of restored American Pinball machines and antique Jukeboxes in Central America making gamification a strong part of CCC culture. Richard Blank is the Chief Executive Officer for Costa Rica’s Call Center since 2008.
Do you want to be an effective communicator? This is where you'll find all sorts of resources with ideas, tips and strategies on how to master the art and science of leadership communication and influence, i.e. the ability to harness the power of the voice to master the 3s: Command the room, Connect with the audience and Close the deal in any context.
24-Hour Influence Challenge: Voicemail Edition
Now, you just took a challenge in moving down to Costa Rica 24 years ago. Let's levy a challenge to everybody else. This is an opportunity, Richard, to give a challenge for our 24-hour influence challenge of the day to challenge our audience to take one step that they can complete within 24 hours to have more influence. How would you like to challenge our listeners today? Yeah, Laura, I loved when we spoke about this before. I gave you like 20 ideas, and this is the one we chose the best. Nobody likes how they sound on their voicemail, now do they? When was the last time you changed your voicemail recording? What, 1989? And so I need for you to listen to yourself, and I want you to analyze your tone, your rate, your pitch, your duration, Maybe use a thesaurus and find some similes to power up certain vocabulary so it might become more diplomatic and strategic. And practice that over and over. Why? Because that's how you sound to people.
https://youtu.be/Xs4XRi6Ca3s
https://youtube.com/shorts/wSiTO-n9WBY
https://youtube.com/shorts/a34o4FLSPhU
https://youtu.be/h4eu6eiIoTw
Richard Blank hired bassist Garry Gary Beers of INXS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieGjN5H4xPQ
Dr. Laura Sicola, Speaking to Influence Podcast, Richard Blank, Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing Call Centre, BPO, Nearshore Contact Center, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership, Marketing, CX, Guest, Money, B2C education, BPO trainer,call centre, contact centre, contact center,trend, trending
Some of these videos are connected to blogs or other pages on my website, https://laurasicola.com, so take a look to learn more. If you want to stay on top of the latest news in speech an leadership, sign up there to get my weekly newsletter so you don't miss a beat!
Here's to increasing your confidence, presence and influence, as the leader that you are, and the leader you KNOW you can become!
LEADERSHIP IS AN IMAGE.
The way you communicate
is the foundation.
Executive communication coaching and training with Dr. Laura Sicola helps you build the confidence, presence, and influence you need to succeed.
It’s Time to Enhance Your Executive Presence
1Step into a world where your words command respect, your confidence inspires trust, and your leadership opens doors to new opportunities.
Dr. Laura Sicola
Are you equally confident and influential whether communicating with people in business development, finance, engineering, HR, clients, or the board of directors?
Are you as persuasive and compelling whether speaking on camera, presenting to 500 people at a conference, pitching to investors, or advising your employees in a 1:1?
I am a speaker, coach and leadership communication expert who helps people hone their Vocal Executive Presence (VEP) and communication skills to project a strong, positive leadership image, develop loyal, effective teams, and create their ideal workplace culture to reach their ultimate goals.
Your technical expertise only gets you so far; after that, your success is a direct result of how effectively you can COMMUNICATE that expertise to others who do NOT have your skills and knowledge.
I have worked with everyone from executives and aspiring execs at companies like IBM, Comcast and the US Department of Commerce, to executive directors at non-profits, groups of entrepreneurs and women's/diversity initiatives.
Do you or will you lead a large team or organization? Are you getting ready for a conference presentation? A TED talk? A press conference? Or do you need to facilitate team meetings and mediate staff conflict? You tell me who your audience is, and I show you how to get your message across to them efficiently and effectively, while bringing everyone to a collective "YES."
And if you're looking for a speaker for your next event - live or virtual - and need a topic that will resonate with EVERYONE delivered by an inspiring, engaging speaker, give me a call!
Dr. Laura Sicola has over 20 years of experience teaching leaders how to command the room, connect with the audience, and close the deal.
As a cognitive linguist and communication expert, Laura empowers leaders through communication coaching, group training sessions, worldwide speaking engagements, and her book “Speaking to Influence.”
Executive Coaching
Work with Laura one-on-one or in mastery cohort groups to refine your communication skills. These executive coaching sessions help you develop a communication strategy that elevates your executive presence, aligns with your personal brand and gets results.
Group Training
Transform your team's communication capabilities with Laura's outcome-oriented, customizable group training. Topics include Speaking to Influence, Breaking the Expert's Curse, Virtual Influence, Becoming a Go-To Thought Leader, and more.
Keynote Speaking
Elevate your conference or event with a speaker who has mastered the art and science of “infotainment.” Laura balances value-packed content with humor and an interactive style that keeps the audience engaged and gives them practical skills to immediately implement.
Speaking to Influence Book
Discover the secrets to powerful and persuasive communication. With real-life examples, worksheets, and exercises, this book gives you everything needed to transform your communication style, get out of your own way, and hear “yes” more often.
Speaking to Influence Podcast
Join Laura as she interviews world-class business and industry leaders who reveal the importance of communication as an essential leadership skill on their own career journey and the (sometimes hard) lessons they learned along the way.
Online Programs and Training
Laura hosts a constantly evolving set of online courses and live group trainings on topics to help you discover your leadership voice, become a go-to thought leader, and optimize your in-person or virtual presence and engagement skills.
Want to establish your brand as a go-to thought leader?
Get Laura’s insights in this free resource that shares eight key strategies to boost your brand and elevate your thought leadership. Click the link below and begin your journey to becoming a respected and influential leader who everyone actually WANTS to hear speak!
Ultimately, Laura's mission is to guide leaders in mastering the 3 Cs of executive presence: Command the room, Connect with the audience, and Close the deal.
As a cognitive linguist and executive communication coach, Laura understands how professional interactions impact respect, trust, and buy-in, whether it’s a company meeting, a virtual conference call, a presentation to the board, or a high-stakes pitch to investors.
Using a personalized and practical approach, Laura teaches leaders how to project confidence, authority, and authenticity so they can be themselves, while still getting through to anyone.
Linguist
Laura’s background in cognitive linguistics is the cornerstone of her unique coaching approach to solving this universal challenge. She earned her Ph.D. in educational linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania and taught there from 2001-2013. Laura has a deep understanding of the science of how people learn, how speech is processed in the brain, and what creates the gap between “what you think you said,” “what they think they heard,” and most importantly, how to close that gap to get results.
Coach
As an executive communication coach, Laura works with C-suite executives, VPs, directors, business owners, and aspiring executives who want to expand their powers of influence, inspire trust, and hear “yes” more often. In one-on-one or group sessions and master classes, she teaches leaders how to identify and express their personal brands so they can communicate with clarity, confidence, and authenticity, in front of any audience.
Author
Laura is the author of Speaking to Influence: Mastering Your Leadership Voice. This insightful book draws on her extensive expertise in cognitive linguistics, education and executive coaching to provide everyone with practical tools for effective communication in personal and professional interactions alike. In the words of one Amazon reviewer, “Dr. Laura Sicola gives down-to-earth, usable advice for anyone who wants to speak with authority.” She has also published many other peer-reviewed articles and books based on her research, intended for academic audiences.
Speaker
Laura is a renowned speaker, delivering keynotes and presentations at conferences and corporate events worldwide. Her TEDxPENN talk ‘Want to Sound like a Leader? Start by Saying Your Name Right‘ has been viewed over 6.8 million times. She has spoken at hundreds of events sharing insights and practical strategies for effective leadership communication. She also loves to moderate panels and emcee events for corporate and non-profit organizations.
Connect With Laura
Ready to sharpen your communication skills and expand your influence? Reach out to Dr. Laura Sicola to learn more about personalized coaching, group training, speaking engagements, and more.
Richard’s journey in the call center space is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose.
Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain. A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business. Giving back to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.
Costa Rica’s Call Center (CCC) is a state of the art BPO telemarketing outsource company located in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica. Our main focus has been, and will always be to personally train each and every Central America call center agent so that we may offer the highest quality of outbound and inbound telemarketing solutions and bilingual customer service to small and medium sized international companies, entrepreneurs as well as fortune 500 companies.
We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica. While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
#DrLauraSicola #SpeakingtoInfluencePodcast #SpeakersAreLeadersMotivationPodcast #HarrySardinas #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO #trend #trending #listennow #subscribe #podcastclip #podcastvideo #videopodcasting #podcastguest
Pushed My Car in a Suit: A Hilarious Client Story
yes yes all right finally tell me about a time when you had to laugh at yourself ah i love this story so i had a client in town right phil and i'm driving him to dinner and it's the rainy season and unfortunately my car ran out of gas right by the um la sabana park and I couldn't believe it. So the guy looks at me, he goes, listen, the gas station is just a block away. And he goes, I'll push it if you will. I go, are you serious? He goes, yeah, why not? And so I took my jacket off. I'm still in my suit. Got the, you know, the best on. It's a good bonding moment there. Pushed it down the street. People are honking, laughing at me. A guy on purpose would curve a little, so it splashed me.
Handling Leadership Challenges During COVID
Yes, of course, Laura. It was during COVID when all of a sudden the government said, you got to send everybody home. And so what do you do? IT needed to prepare the lifeboats. The agents mentally needed to prepare for the isolation. And my supervisors and I needed to create certain mediums to keep that communication going and that lifeline going. And so I saw some people run for the hills. I saw freshmen step up to the plate.
The Gary Technique: Trust and Perseverance
Tell me about a time when you went to bat for someone else. Who did you speak to on their behalf? Why and how? I totally remember this story when we spoke about it, Laura. I had an agent called Gary and we called the Gary technique. This guy was usually the ramper upper where I'd put him on a brand new campaign to lead the charge, show some metrics and things will look good. Once again, the lone voice with the client convincing them that this is the guy. So after a certain day or two, when the client was losing its patience or Gary wasn't, you know, hitting the home runs yet, he said, Hey, I want you to remove him and try somebody else. And I said, you haven't really given him enough time. He goes, no, I just don't have a good vibe. I go, okay. Let's give it until the end of the day. And then I'll put him on another campaign. Next thing you know, Gary ripped three appointments. And so the client calls about it goes, why? I didn't know that. Let's keep, I go, well, listen, Billy, I did speak to the other client. He's being moved, but I just got to let you know in the future, have faith in me, trust my opinion. This is my wheelhouse. I know what I'm doing. And you know, just once the people get loosey goosey and they feel comfy on the phone, then you start hitting them. And so, um, I've fallen on swords for people because I've known what they've done. And I've also made mistakes as well. Sometimes Gary was not the good fit on a certain campaign and it just wasn't the right guy. Guy can't bat a thousand. Sure. Sure. And so I'm willing to take that hit too. But the beauty of it is at the end of the day, regardless of the outcome, the fact that you might have faith in somebody else besides yourself.
Dr. Laura Sicola presents Speaking to Influence Podcast. Soft speaking skills with Richard Blank.
In this episode, Dr. Laura Sicola interviews Richard Blank, the CEO of Costa Rica's Call Center, about the importance of communication skills and influence in the business world. They discuss the value of soft skills, such as foreign language proficiency, and the need to recognize and leverage one's unique talents. Richard challenges listeners to improve their voicemail messages and congruence between their audio and visual presence. They also talk about the importance of giving people a personalized outbound voicemail message and the impact it has on the impression they leave. He emphasizes the importance of trust, faith, and having a sense of humor in building relationships and achieving success.
Episode 215: Richard Blank - CEO Costa Rica Call Center
In this episode you will learn:
● Character during chaos is an important leadership trait.
● Promote individuals based on their strengths and redirect them to roles where they can excel.
● Express appreciation and acknowledge the contributions of team members.
● Take calculated risks and communicate with stakeholders about challenges and unique aspects of the business. Soft skills, including foreign language proficiency, are valuable and marketable skills in the business world.
● Recognize and leverage your unique talents and skills, and don't downplay their importance.
● Improve your voicemail message and ensure congruence between your audio and visual presence.
● Give a personalized outbound voicemail message to make a positive impression.
● Be the lone voice of dissent when necessary and advocate for others.
About Richard Blank: At 27 years old, Richard relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose. He has trained over 10 000 bilingual telemarketers over two decades. Richard has the largest collection of restored American Pinball machines and antique Jukeboxes in Central America making gamification a strong part of CCC culture. Richard Blank is the Chief Executive Officer for Costa Rica’s Call Center since 2008.
Do you want to be an effective communicator? This is where you'll find all sorts of resources with ideas, tips and strategies on how to master the art and science of leadership communication and influence, i.e. the ability to harness the power of the voice to master the 3s: Command the room, Connect with the audience and Close the deal in any context.
24-Hour Influence Challenge: Voicemail Edition
Now, you just took a challenge in moving down to Costa Rica 24 years ago. Let's levy a challenge to everybody else. This is an opportunity, Richard, to give a challenge for our 24-hour influence challenge of the day to challenge our audience to take one step that they can complete within 24 hours to have more influence. How would you like to challenge our listeners today? Yeah, Laura, I loved when we spoke about this before. I gave you like 20 ideas, and this is the one we chose the best. Nobody likes how they sound on their voicemail, now do they? When was the last time you changed your voicemail recording? What, 1989? And so I need for you to listen to yourself, and I want you to analyze your tone, your rate, your pitch, your duration, Maybe use a thesaurus and find some similes to power up certain vocabulary so it might become more diplomatic and strategic. And practice that over and over. Why? Because that's how you sound to people.
https://youtu.be/Xs4XRi6Ca3s
https://youtube.com/shorts/wSiTO-n9WBY
https://youtube.com/shorts/a34o4FLSPhU
https://youtu.be/h4eu6eiIoTw
Richard Blank hired bassist Garry Gary Beers of INXS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieGjN5H4xPQ
Dr. Laura Sicola, Speaking to Influence Podcast, Richard Blank, Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing Call Centre, BPO, Nearshore Contact Center, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership, Marketing, CX, Guest, Money, B2C education, BPO trainer,call centre, contact centre, contact center,trend, trending
Some of these videos are connected to blogs or other pages on my website, https://laurasicola.com, so take a look to learn more. If you want to stay on top of the latest news in speech an leadership, sign up there to get my weekly newsletter so you don't miss a beat!
Here's to increasing your confidence, presence and influence, as the leader that you are, and the leader you KNOW you can become!
LEADERSHIP IS AN IMAGE.
The way you communicate
is the foundation.
Executive communication coaching and training with Dr. Laura Sicola helps you build the confidence, presence, and influence you need to succeed.
It’s Time to Enhance Your Executive Presence
1Step into a world where your words command respect, your confidence inspires trust, and your leadership opens doors to new opportunities.
Dr. Laura Sicola
Are you equally confident and influential whether communicating with people in business development, finance, engineering, HR, clients, or the board of directors?
Are you as persuasive and compelling whether speaking on camera, presenting to 500 people at a conference, pitching to investors, or advising your employees in a 1:1?
I am a speaker, coach and leadership communication expert who helps people hone their Vocal Executive Presence (VEP) and communication skills to project a strong, positive leadership image, develop loyal, effective teams, and create their ideal workplace culture to reach their ultimate goals.
Your technical expertise only gets you so far; after that, your success is a direct result of how effectively you can COMMUNICATE that expertise to others who do NOT have your skills and knowledge.
I have worked with everyone from executives and aspiring execs at companies like IBM, Comcast and the US Department of Commerce, to executive directors at non-profits, groups of entrepreneurs and women's/diversity initiatives.
Do you or will you lead a large team or organization? Are you getting ready for a conference presentation? A TED talk? A press conference? Or do you need to facilitate team meetings and mediate staff conflict? You tell me who your audience is, and I show you how to get your message across to them efficiently and effectively, while bringing everyone to a collective "YES."
And if you're looking for a speaker for your next event - live or virtual - and need a topic that will resonate with EVERYONE delivered by an inspiring, engaging speaker, give me a call!
Dr. Laura Sicola has over 20 years of experience teaching leaders how to command the room, connect with the audience, and close the deal.
As a cognitive linguist and communication expert, Laura empowers leaders through communication coaching, group training sessions, worldwide speaking engagements, and her book “Speaking to Influence.”
Executive Coaching
Work with Laura one-on-one or in mastery cohort groups to refine your communication skills. These executive coaching sessions help you develop a communication strategy that elevates your executive presence, aligns with your personal brand and gets results.
Group Training
Transform your team's communication capabilities with Laura's outcome-oriented, customizable group training. Topics include Speaking to Influence, Breaking the Expert's Curse, Virtual Influence, Becoming a Go-To Thought Leader, and more.
Keynote Speaking
Elevate your conference or event with a speaker who has mastered the art and science of “infotainment.” Laura balances value-packed content with humor and an interactive style that keeps the audience engaged and gives them practical skills to immediately implement.
Speaking to Influence Book
Discover the secrets to powerful and persuasive communication. With real-life examples, worksheets, and exercises, this book gives you everything needed to transform your communication style, get out of your own way, and hear “yes” more often.
Speaking to Influence Podcast
Join Laura as she interviews world-class business and industry leaders who reveal the importance of communication as an essential leadership skill on their own career journey and the (sometimes hard) lessons they learned along the way.
Online Programs and Training
Laura hosts a constantly evolving set of online courses and live group trainings on topics to help you discover your leadership voice, become a go-to thought leader, and optimize your in-person or virtual presence and engagement skills.
Want to establish your brand as a go-to thought leader?
Get Laura’s insights in this free resource that shares eight key strategies to boost your brand and elevate your thought leadership. Click the link below and begin your journey to becoming a respected and influential leader who everyone actually WANTS to hear speak!
Ultimately, Laura's mission is to guide leaders in mastering the 3 Cs of executive presence: Command the room, Connect with the audience, and Close the deal.
As a cognitive linguist and executive communication coach, Laura understands how professional interactions impact respect, trust, and buy-in, whether it’s a company meeting, a virtual conference call, a presentation to the board, or a high-stakes pitch to investors.
Using a personalized and practical approach, Laura teaches leaders how to project confidence, authority, and authenticity so they can be themselves, while still getting through to anyone.
Linguist
Laura’s background in cognitive linguistics is the cornerstone of her unique coaching approach to solving this universal challenge. She earned her Ph.D. in educational linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania and taught there from 2001-2013. Laura has a deep understanding of the science of how people learn, how speech is processed in the brain, and what creates the gap between “what you think you said,” “what they think they heard,” and most importantly, how to close that gap to get results.
Coach
As an executive communication coach, Laura works with C-suite executives, VPs, directors, business owners, and aspiring executives who want to expand their powers of influence, inspire trust, and hear “yes” more often. In one-on-one or group sessions and master classes, she teaches leaders how to identify and express their personal brands so they can communicate with clarity, confidence, and authenticity, in front of any audience.
Author
Laura is the author of Speaking to Influence: Mastering Your Leadership Voice. This insightful book draws on her extensive expertise in cognitive linguistics, education and executive coaching to provide everyone with practical tools for effective communication in personal and professional interactions alike. In the words of one Amazon reviewer, “Dr. Laura Sicola gives down-to-earth, usable advice for anyone who wants to speak with authority.” She has also published many other peer-reviewed articles and books based on her research, intended for academic audiences.
Speaker
Laura is a renowned speaker, delivering keynotes and presentations at conferences and corporate events worldwide. Her TEDxPENN talk ‘Want to Sound like a Leader? Start by Saying Your Name Right‘ has been viewed over 6.8 million times. She has spoken at hundreds of events sharing insights and practical strategies for effective leadership communication. She also loves to moderate panels and emcee events for corporate and non-profit organizations.
Connect With Laura
Ready to sharpen your communication skills and expand your influence? Reach out to Dr. Laura Sicola to learn more about personalized coaching, group training, speaking engagements, and more.
Richard’s journey in the call center space is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose.
Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain. A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business. Giving back to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.
Costa Rica’s Call Center (CCC) is a state of the art BPO telemarketing outsource company located in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica. Our main focus has been, and will always be to personally train each and every Central America call center agent so that we may offer the highest quality of outbound and inbound telemarketing solutions and bilingual customer service to small and medium sized international companies, entrepreneurs as well as fortune 500 companies.
We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica. While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
#DrLauraSicola #SpeakingtoInfluencePodcast #SpeakersAreLeadersMotivationPodcast #HarrySardinas #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO #trend #trending #listennow #subscribe #podcastclip #podcastvideo #videopodcasting #podcastguest
Pushed My Car in a Suit: A Hilarious Client Story
yes yes all right finally tell me about a time when you had to laugh at yourself ah i love this story so i had a client in town right phil and i'm driving him to dinner and it's the rainy season and unfortunately my car ran out of gas right by the um la sabana park and I couldn't believe it. So the guy looks at me, he goes, listen, the gas station is just a block away. And he goes, I'll push it if you will. I go, are you serious? He goes, yeah, why not? And so I took my jacket off. I'm still in my suit. Got the, you know, the best on. It's a good bonding moment there. Pushed it down the street. People are honking, laughing at me. A guy on purpose would curve a little, so it splashed me.
Handling Leadership Challenges During COVID
Yes, of course, Laura. It was during COVID when all of a sudden the government said, you got to send everybody home. And so what do you do? IT needed to prepare the lifeboats. The agents mentally needed to prepare for the isolation. And my supervisors and I needed to create certain mediums to keep that communication going and that lifeline going. And so I saw some people run for the hills. I saw freshmen step up to the plate.
The Gary Technique: Trust and Perseverance
Tell me about a time when you went to bat for someone else. Who did you speak to on their behalf? Why and how? I totally remember this story when we spoke about it, Laura. I had an agent called Gary and we called the Gary technique. This guy was usually the ramper upper where I'd put him on a brand new campaign to lead the charge, show some metrics and things will look good. Once again, the lone voice with the client convincing them that this is the guy. So after a certain day or two, when the client was losing its patience or Gary wasn't, you know, hitting the home runs yet, he said, Hey, I want you to remove him and try somebody else. And I said, you haven't really given him enough time. He goes, no, I just don't have a good vibe. I go, okay. Let's give it until the end of the day. And then I'll put him on another campaign. Next thing you know, Gary ripped three appointments. And so the client calls about it goes, why? I didn't know that. Let's keep, I go, well, listen, Billy, I did speak to the other client. He's being moved, but I just got to let you know in the future, have faith in me, trust my opinion. This is my wheelhouse. I know what I'm doing. And you know, just once the people get loosey goosey and they feel comfy on the phone, then you start hitting them. And so, um, I've fallen on swords for people because I've known what they've done. And I've also made mistakes as well. Sometimes Gary was not the good fit on a certain campaign and it just wasn't the right guy. Guy can't bat a thousand. Sure. Sure. And so I'm willing to take that hit too. But the beauty of it is at the end of the day, regardless of the outcome, the fact that you might have faith in somebody else besides yourself.
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Meet up with 5th Hard Plastic brigade, and help them take the bridges. After the bridges are secured, proceed across and destroy the Tan cannon indicated on your strategic map.
Notes:
- Keep an eye out for abandoned vehicles.
- Try to save as many Green lives as possible; you will end up needing them.
- Stay crear of stray cannon shells.
World War has been declared! The Green and Tan nations have broken off peace talks. There is no choice but to prepare for battle. Only after storming the enemy homeland's shores, traversing thick jungles and securing war-ravaged cities, does final victory await us. Dive back into the trenches! It's real combat. Plastic men. #ArmyMen #ArmyMenWorldWar #PlasticSoldiers
Follow us on our social media and website for more exclusive content:
- https://www.ArmyMen.com.ar
- https://facebook.com/armymenvideogames
- https://instagram.com/armymenchannel
- https://twitter.com/armymenchannel
- https://discord.com/invite/VfbqahDyUB
"The Army Men Videogames Channel" is a YouTube channel specialized exclusively in the Army Men franchise and thematic derivatives, run by some of the most loyal and knowledgeable fans around the world.
Some of our most important activities are the design of Army Men video games, unique modifications of existing games, and MODs for other games.
Meet up with 5th Hard Plastic brigade, and help them take the bridges. After the bridges are secured, proceed across and destroy the Tan cannon indicated on your strategic map.
Notes:
- Keep an eye out for abandoned vehicles.
- Try to save as many Green lives as possible; you will end up needing them.
- Stay crear of stray cannon shells.
World War has been declared! The Green and Tan nations have broken off peace talks. There is no choice but to prepare for battle. Only after storming the enemy homeland's shores, traversing thick jungles and securing war-ravaged cities, does final victory await us. Dive back into the trenches! It's real combat. Plastic men. #ArmyMen #ArmyMenWorldWar #PlasticSoldiers
Follow us on our social media and website for more exclusive content:
- https://www.ArmyMen.com.ar
- https://facebook.com/armymenvideogames
- https://instagram.com/armymenchannel
- https://twitter.com/armymenchannel
- https://discord.com/invite/VfbqahDyUB
"The Army Men Videogames Channel" is a YouTube channel specialized exclusively in the Army Men franchise and thematic derivatives, run by some of the most loyal and knowledgeable fans around the world.
Some of our most important activities are the design of Army Men video games, unique modifications of existing games, and MODs for other games.