15: Josh Mueller - $4.5M worth of Cutco knives sold, one set at a time - Learn how this B2C expert makes it happen.

0:08 Scott Ingram: You're listening to the Sales Success Stories podcast, where we deconstruct world-class sales performers to provide insights and strategies to help you improve. To learn more, visit us at top1.fm. Here's your host, Scott Ingram.

0:25 Scott Ingram: Today on the Sales Success Stories podcast, I'm joined by Josh Mueller, who has been one of the top producers at Cutco Cutlery for the last last 8 years. Really excited about this conversation because here we are in the 15th episode, and this is the first time I'm talking with someone who isn't in B2B sales. I think this diversification is important because there's a lot we can learn from what others are doing in different industries and their different approaches. So thanks for inviting me to your office to talk with you today, Josh.

0:51 Josh Mueller: Yeah, thanks for having me, Scott. It's a pleasure.

0:54 Scott Ingram: So let's start like we always do with the 3 things that have allowed you to get to and stay at the top, and then we can take a step back and provide some more context about your history and a little bit more background on Cutco and things like that for those who aren't familiar?

1:08 Josh Mueller: Sure, yeah. Um, you know, so I love this question. It's, uh, such a good question. I'd say the 3 things that have really added the most value, or that I can credit my success to, have been one, just a focus and commitment to personal growth and development. Never seeing like a ceiling at the top or feeling like I've arrived, but always knowing that there's a there's another edge. Every time you come up over, you know, the next plateau, there's always more mountain that you can climb. And just being really committed to developing myself in communication, business skills, just learning and being hungry for learning. Like, I, I love to learn in a way where it feels like I'm drinking from a fire hose, you know, all of the time. The second thing I'd say is just a focus and commitment on building solid relationships and coming from the perspective of contribution, you know, just a willingness to share, willingness to help others. When I first got into business, I mean, I'd say I really had no business getting into business. I'd never really sold anything before. And, and so I had to learn from a lot of people. And there were a lot of mentors that I had that lifted me up along the way. And so when I started to see success, being willing to give that success, share that success in what I was doing with other people And that's just over the years. I never expected this, or, you know, it wasn't the… it's never been the reason I've been a contributor, but, um, I've just seen that pay dividends over the years as a result of just being willing to be open and share, um, what I'm doing. And then the other thing is just energy management, like being in a place where, um, you know, when you're an entrepreneur, when you're a professional salesperson, the reality is there's always more to do. There's always more clients. There's always more business out there. Um, I wear multiple hats in what I do right now. Um, because I sell Cutco, but I also run a company and, um, and we have a whole team in the office that works with us. Um, and, you know, I do consulting, coaching, there's multiple things. And so having to do that, I have to show up every day with just a super high level of energy. And I really believe that I owe it to myself to take care of my body, take care of my, my mental energy, my physical energy, and, and just my psychological energy. Um, you know, and, and The world, I believe, is being robbed of energy right now, you know. Um, and so I'm… I pay very close attention to making sure I show up every day with the highest level of energy so that I can do everything I need to do to serve at the highest level and be fully present with every customer, every client, every staff, you know, member that I'm working with, anybody that I'm impacting, influencing, or, or that's impacting or influencing me.

3:49 Scott Ingram: So awesome. And we will be talking in about a lot of this in a lot more depth. And I know, and I can tell that you are very organized and you manage your time really well, but I read a Harvard Business Review article a number of years ago that talked about managing your energy, not your time. I mean, if you had to choose between those two, I mean, do you think the energy piece is more important than the time management piece, or how do you feel about that?

4:15 Josh Mueller: You know, it's an awesome question. I think that it takes time to manage your energy. Right. So you have to also be great at managing time in order to be able to manage your energy. So I, I would almost say one's not more important than the other, but they're both equally as important as each other.

4:33 Scott Ingram: Yeah, that was a great quote. And you talked about the relationship piece. Let me, let me take a breath there. That's a perfect opportunity for me to thank our primary sponsor, which is Nudge.ai. And Nudge.ai is all about those relationships and helping people understand the strength of relationships they have with their prospects and their customers and maintain those. Over time and bring relevant insights to them. And you can sign up for free, get yourself a free account if you go to top1.fm/nudge. That's N-U-D-G-E. And trying to check, double-check my timing on this. We're actually going to have a bonus episode. I had a great, great conversation with their Chief Technology Officer, Steve Woods. Uh, and that is going to be coming up, I think, next week after we release this episode. So keep an eye out for that. A lot of great more stuff coming from Nudge, top1.fm/nudge. Forward slash nudge. Josh, how did all this start? How… what is your origin story? How did you originally get into sales?

5:31 Josh Mueller: Yeah, uh, you know, I mean, I was in college working, um, 60 hours a week in the restaurant industry and going to school full-time. I basically didn't have much of a life. I hung out with some friends late at night and didn't get a lot of sleep. And so, um, I had taken a summer to get away from all of that, and I moved a sailboat up the East Coast for a couple of months. And when I got back to go to school again in the fall to re-enroll in school, I was looking for a job. I was looking at the restaurant industry. I thought I wanted to get training to become a chef. I know you mentioned earlier that your wife is actually a trained chef. So that was a thing for me for a little while. And I realized that nobody was going to hire me just because I worked at Applebee's and Taco Bell. So to become a chef…

6:18 Scott Ingram: not culinary excellence.

6:20 Josh Mueller: Yeah, exactly. And so I had a friend who had sold Cutco for a summer, and I know what Cutco was. I, you know, in fact, my roommate had some Cutco knives in the drawer. He didn't even know they were Cutco. But, uh, I'd never noticed it before until I started selling them. But anyways, my friend, um, was… he knew I was looking for a job. He knew I was hard up for cash. And he just said, hey, you know, I can't guarantee a job, but I can get you an interview if you want to check this out. I did it for a summer and he'd had a lot of success with it. And I didn't really want to sell knives. But, uh, you know, he showed me a paycheck and it was a paycheck. He'd made a good amount of money in a week. Basically what I needed to make in a month, he had made in a week. And that just blew my mind. And so, you know, uh, money was my main motivator in the beginning. It's, it's not been a motivator for a very long time now, but, uh, in the beginning, that's what I needed. And I saw an opportunity to make money. And so I went for it and went in for an interview, got lucky, got hired. And, uh, the rest is, you know, history. So, yeah.

7:17 Scott Ingram: Well, and the history from there was… talk about the, the transition, because you didn't start out obviously as number one. So Talk about how you got to number 1 in the early stages.

7:28 Josh Mueller: Great question. Um, so, so I really had no experience. Luckily, Cutco has, I believe, world-class entry-level sales training for college students, people that are wanting to get into entrepreneurship. It's really what I love about it is that you're in business for yourself, but you're not in business by yourself because they have a corporate structure that's very supportive. They, they're really where I got the I got bit by the personal development bug because Cutco really fosters that kind of a culture. They encourage it. They, they host multiple training seminars every year for our salespeople. So, um, in the beginning I was, I was average. Some would probably say below average. So my closing ratios were low, my average orders were low, um, but I had a program and I was willing to follow that program because my trainer said, hey, if you do what we teach you, it will work. We've been doing it for 50+ years now. It's 67 years, 68 years they've been doing this. We've been doing this program for, you know, all these years, and if you follow the program, it will work. So I'm just the type of person, if you tell me what to do, I'll go do it. And, and so I did that, and I just worked really hard. I mean, um, I didn't know anybody where I was, and we had to start with our own network of family and friends. And then they taught us how to… I learned how to get referrals from there and, you know, build a referral network. And, um, and so But my network that I knew, my family, my friends, lived about 3 and a half hours away from where I was going to school. So I would go to school on all day Tuesday, all day Thursday. Wednesday was my homework day. Uh, Thursday night after I got out of my last class, I would go straight to the office. I would make phone calls for 2 and a half hours to set appointments for Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and I would drive 3 and a half hours home starting at about 9 o'clock. Uh, you know, phone calls would end at 9. Drive 3 and a half hours home, get home, grab some sleep, get up, do my appointments the next day. And I would do 5 to 8 appointments every day because in Cutco it's, it's business-to-consumer. It's, it's one-on-one presentations in the beginning. Um, and, uh, and so that's the way it worked. And I did that for months, um, until I had worked up through the commission scale to make enough commission and I'd worked my referral network enough to get closer and closer to school. So So eventually I ended up in a position where I was able to work, you know, 15-20 minutes from where I was going to school because I was getting referrals around that area. Um, and did that for months. And then I moved to… from… that was in Michigan where I went to school, where I grew up. And then I moved to Oklahoma after that. And in Oklahoma, it was like starting over from scratch. And so, um, luckily I knew, you know, how to connect with people. I mean, I, I'm actually very naturally introverted, and back then I was the guy that like I'd show up to class at the beginning of the semester and see all these new people and think, wow, I'm gonna have all these, you know, new friends and by the end of semester it's gonna be great. And I'd get to the end of semester and I had no new phone numbers, no new friends because I didn't have the confidence to introduce myself to people I didn't know. And, um, it was Cutco that taught me how to get comfortable with seeing and talking and striking up conversations with people that I didn't know. And, and so when I moved to Oklahoma, it was a lot easier to jumpstart that referral network and and just get things going again. And I've actually done that multiple times around the country now in different places that we've lived. And, um, and over the years we've built up what's now one of the largest distributorships in the history of the company. And, um, and we have a big customer base that we have systems and, you know, approaches that we… to serve those people. And they're very, very loyal clients now. We're very fortunate.

11:01 Scott Ingram: And has it been just sort of that over time gradual progression that, you know, you just invested enough time, enough years that you found yourself in that top 1% with kind of the 3rd largest distributorship in the company, or, or was there a point where something flipped and there was a, a big acceleration in, in your results and a move to the top?

11:23 Josh Mueller: Oh, that's a… yeah, um, absolutely. I'd say that the shift, it was more the shift. Um, so, you know, I was always that kind of… I was always the guy that would perform like… I was always in the top 100 every year Right.

11:36 Scott Ingram: Um, of how many again? Put this in context.

11:39 Josh Mueller: Well, um, with Cutco, it's difficult because it's a college recruiting program. So the majority of our people that work with us are like, they'll work with us for, say, a semester or 2, sort of as an internship, right? Um, to get some experience and they'll use that experience to move on to something else. Um, but then there's a crew of, of us now that are about 500 strong nationwide that are more of a professional focus. We, we're building a business, right? Building a book of business with client… a book of clients, right? And taking more of a long-term approach to it. And so, um, you know, out of then it was… or back then I was probably top 100 out of 200, you know? Um, so I was right… I've always been kind of right in the middle basically, right? And then in… I remember it was in… I was just the guy, like, I mean, I, I would perform at the top, so I was the number one guy in the office. Of say 20 or 30 sales reps in the office. And then, you know, I became the number one guy in the region, and that was back in, I'd say, 2004 or '05. And that's a 9-state region around the southwestern United States. And so, and, you know, I got a taste of what that was like. I got some influence. I got to speak at conferences. I got to teach people what I was doing to be successful. Um, and then I set my sights on number 1 in the nation, and that was in 2008 after I went to my first Tony Robbins conference. It was interesting because I used to always tell myself that, you know, I'm just kind of a mediocre guy. I'm not really a number 1 guy, you know, looking at the national standings and stuff like that. And, you know, people would have these huge reports or huge months or huge years, and I'd be like, you know, I'm, I'm good. I'm where I'm at, and I'm fine with that, and I'm just not… that's not me. Right. And I went to a Tony Robbins conference and that completely shifted my mindset, um, to where I was like, no, that, that can be me if I want it to be. And I decided I wanted it to be, so I went for it. And the next year, within 12 months, I finished number 1 in the company. I've done so multiple times since then.

13:41 Scott Ingram: Wow. Wow, what a great story. And, and put the, the rest of those results in, in perspective too, in terms of, you know, so you started number 1 the first time, it sounds like maybe 2009. Talk about some of that adventure since then and today, because I know you do more. It's not just Cutco in your world right now, right?

13:58 Josh Mueller: Yeah, so it's, it's been fun. I mean, it's, it's really been this cool experience of, um, you know, I remember, uh, there was someone like in Cutco, if you sell a couple hundred thousand dollars in a year, that's big, right? I mean, that you're, you're at the top of the… you're, you're in the top ranks in the company if you're doing $200,000 in knife sales every year. It's a lot of knives, right? We're selling $100 knives basically, right? So, um, And so what I did was, um, in 2009, I had set the goal that I was… nobody had ever done $300,000 in sales in a year on the residential B2C side of things. So we had a couple guys in the business who worked mainly B2B. Tony Carlston, he pioneered our realtor closing gift program where they sell, you know, where we consistently help realtors invest in closing gifts. There's a whole system and program that supports that. Realtors, lenders, stuff like that. And then John Ruhlin, famous for, you know, Giftology and the Ruhlin Group, he pioneered the, the business-to-business side of things where he works with big companies and, and sells gifts that way. And there's multiple people around there around that do that, but they were the only guys who'd ever sold $300,000, $400,000 in a year or more in knives. Nobody had ever done it residentially. And I was at a conference and Tony said, you know, you have to be B2B to make this happen. It's the only way to hit these levels. And I said, that's not… that doesn't have to be true. I see a path for how we do that. And so 2009 was… I was the first person in the company to do over $300,000 in residential sales. Um, and then 2 years later, I was the first person in the company to do over $400,000 in residential sales. And then, uh, 2 years after that, or the next year after that actually, I did over half a million dollars in residential sales. So, and since then we've had people do $600,000, $700,000. Uh, one guy in our B2B department did over a million dollars in sales in one year. So, um, Take me back to the question again.

15:48 Scott Ingram: What else? Talk about fast action and the other stuff you got going on.

15:51 Josh Mueller: So, so I consistently have my Cutco business to the point now where, you know, I've, I've got the book of clients that I want, and we're consistently doing $300,000 to $400,000 a year in repeat business just with our existing clients, plus another, you know, um, 20 to 40% of that in addition to that every year in new business from referrals and new clients at events that we do, you know, that we meet at events that we do and stuff like that. In 2009, my wife and I started a business called Vast Action where, um, because of the success that I was having, I was doing consulting work, I was doing coaching work, I was doing the Cutco side of things. And so what I realized very quickly was that I needed to build systems in place to support my ability to do the Cutco business so I could focus energy and time into other priority projects like building Vast Action. And, um, and so those systems are part of the reason that I've been able to, you know, travel a lot, save a lot, and just do well personally and in sales, but live a great lifestyle too and not break my back with the business. And so, um, so as a result, uh, I was having a lot of success with marketing my past customers, servicing, um, and just systemizing the business. And so we were getting a lot of people coming to us saying, hey, you're teaching us what you do, that's great, but I don't want to do all the work to do that, so can you just do it for me? And we said no for a really long time until we realized we were… we had a business opportunity there that we were just saying no to. And so, you know, my wife is amazing. She's my partner in life and business. And, uh, she was like, hey, let's, let's start a business where we can do the same thing for other people that we're doing for you. And, uh, and I said, okay, great, let's do it. And so Vast Action became a company where what we do is we serve entrepreneurs now by helping them master their sales processes through quality sales training. We help entrepreneurs also install systems so that they can leverage their time and scale their business and communicate effectively with their clients in a consistent way without it having to be something that takes up all of their time. But build lifelong loyalty, that's the goal with that. And then we also help people scale through team building. Um, through, you know, team building strategies that allow you to find the best people and keep those people engaged, keep them trained, like train them well, keep them engaged so that you can scale your business and live a great lifestyle while you're building it.

18:19 Scott Ingram: So, and talk about your results there too. So you're having, I mean, you're having a lot of success in your own business while you're still maintaining what is, I'm sure, top, again, top 1% at least.

18:32 Josh Mueller: Yeah, number 3 for the year right now so far. So Um, with the Cutco side of things. And I've only worked, you know, I mean, we're 3 months into the year right now and I've only worked… I think I was talking to somebody about it the other day… I've only worked 15 days this year so far and, um, already sold over $100,000 worth of Cutco for the year. So, um, and that… so while doing that, um, with the Vast Action side of things, we just had our first million dollar year and, um, and we just hired our first full-time… that, that's just mainly through referral sales and, and, uh, and just working our, our existing network. And we just hired our first full-time salesperson now to actually go out and network in the community and talk about what we're doing and, and start helping bring us new business, start pursuing new business, um, you know, outwardly. So, so we're excited about that. And, uh, and we've got a team of 10 in here now. We, uh, we do, you know, we help companies, um, market, like design their email marketing. We have a CRM program that we do as well, which basically I I decided to, you know, um, uh, contract a company to… or license a company to build a custom CRM for my Cutco business so that I could track my clients, communicate with my clients the way that I wanted, track follow-up for my clients. Basically just take multiple platforms that I was using to manage the whole database and manage all the follow-up and manage my time and my calendar and everything. And I just… I was using multiple platforms and having to move things around from place to place and So I just said, you know, this should all be in one place. So we licensed a company to build a custom CRM for us that allowed us to take our email communication, our text messaging communication, our, um, you know, our, uh, all of our customer data, all of our notes, you know, all of our order history, just everything we'd ever want to keep on customers data-wise and information-wise, and then our follow-up task and calendar system and put it all into one CRM. One platform.

20:27 Scott Ingram: So, and Josh, was that the innovation? Because it really sounds like the way that you kind of broke through, and maybe the previous mindset was this is a transactional business, it's one and done, we sell our set and we move on, and you really turned it into a relationship and repeat sales and things like that. I mean, was, was that the shift and building the systems around it?

20:48 Josh Mueller: Yeah, you know, I'd say that that's definitely a big one for sure. Yeah, I've always been of the service mindset. Like, my philosophy is that we should serve first, share what we're doing past that, and then sell. And so that's my grand strategy. Hey, if I'm, if I'm serving at the highest levels, if I'm consistently sharing myself with my clients, and I'm going to sell a lot as a result of that. And if I'm always working on my skills as a communicator and my skills as a salesperson, then I'm always going to be positioned so that, you know, people will be loyal, they'll pay attention, they'll feel connected, and then they'll want to buy stuff when I have stuff to offer. So, um, and so that's, that's been the focus. And yeah, it's been all about how do I set it up so that I can scale the business but at the same time live a great lifestyle. And that's where the systems came in, is I've learned that, you know, you can't delegate something unless you have a system in place to, to support it getting done. And so, um, and then, you know, having hundreds of clients and then thousands of clients, I realized very quickly that if I was trying to do everything myself things were going to be slipping through the cracks. And I spent years letting things skip through the cracks or slip through the cracks and not really even noticing that that was happening. I didn't acknowledge it. And so it was when I started to acknowledge that and realize we need a better system in place. That was a big shift. In fact, we built that system in 2009. So, um, and that was the year that I had my first breakthrough year. And I've always said that's one of the 5 things that really helped us break through. So, got it.

22:11 Scott Ingram: Well, so we talked about the 3 things in the beginning, but what were those 5 things? Just, just real quick. I mean, you threw it out there.

22:16 Josh Mueller: Yeah, absolutely. So I'd say that it was the CRM system and just getting online with that. Um, it was shifting my mindset, like going to the Tony Robbins conference and, and really just understanding that I could be number one if I wanted to be number one. Um, number 3 was really, uh, just, it was about honing my skills and, uh, and, and really just getting committed to, hey, if I'm going to be working, um, I'm going to, I need to position myself to make sure that when I'm working, I'm able to do my best. And, you know, it doesn't make sense to just show up and half-ass it, right? Um, it, it makes more sense if you're going to invest the time and energy in your calendar. Um, your time's your most valuable resource. If you're going to invest that time, um, you should do your best no matter what. And sometimes we got to swallow our own pride. Sometimes we think we're good, but we're not as good as… like, we think we're great and that we know everything. That's kind of what I was. I had kind of a pride issue. That was one of the things I had to really overcome. And, um, and so it wasn't until I said, hey, I'm good, but I'm not good enough yet. Like, I'm not as good as I could be, and I need to start learning from the other people that I see getting results that I want. Sometimes even outside of my business, you know, outside of the Cutco community, I need to start learning more and honing my skills so I can become better and better and better. And so that was number 3, right? Number 4 would be, um, number 4 really was just a… so it was the system, right? It was going to Tony Robbins. It was, um, it was getting committed to my own personal development and skill sets. Uh, the 4th thing really for me was just, uh, getting dedicated to working harder than I've ever worked before. So, um, just making a commitment. And then number 5 was just developing a high level of discipline. So, um, and being disciplined in everything that I felt was most important in terms of priority, like what it was going to take Um, you know, if, if it was planning, it, you know, basically I set up a goal and I said, hey, I want to break through $300K and be the first person in the business to do that. Well, nobody had ever done it before, so there was no roadmap for me to follow. So I had to sit down and make a plan for that. And I had to be disciplined, not just in making the plan, but paying attention to that plan throughout the year, checking in with myself, seeing how, like, what was my progress along the way? Um, and what, you know, was I off track or on track? And what could I do differently moving forward to, if I was off track, to get back on track? If I was on track, like, what was working really well and how do I reinforce those behaviors and continue to do those things?

24:51 Scott Ingram: Nice. So it took a little while to get to that point. If you were starting over today, knowing what you know now, right, you're back in college.

24:59 Josh Mueller: Sure. Yeah.

25:00 Scott Ingram: What would change? What would you do differently?

25:03 Josh Mueller: Yeah, that's a great question. So I think there's a few things that I would suggest, right? Number one would be I would have invested more time into leveraging technology, um, really to serve and communicate with my clients. Actually, for a really long time, I was the guy that always said, oh, I don't email my clients, um, you know, I don't call my clients to try to sell them stuff. And I don't know why, I just didn't want to. I guess I had this negative connotation attached to like, if you… like, you sold somebody something once, if they wanted to buy more stuff, they would call you, right? And it's so funny, they're just sitting there thinking about you like, Josh. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. That's, that's the pride, right? I should be the most important thing in their mind at that time, right? Or that's also just the… I obviously was not a great salesperson, right? So, um, that's my lack of sales experience getting into sales that, that was getting in my way there. So I had that limiting belief, right? And it was when I realized, like, I remember I just… I was in a big sales contest and one of my accountability partners was like, hey man, like, you got this goal, today's the last day, what are you gonna do? And I said, the only thing I could come up with in terms of like, I mean, I was… I had a goal of selling $45,000 or, uh, $40,000 in 14 days. And, um, I was $6,000 away from that going in the last day. And my first appointment was a no-show. My second appointment was a no-sale. I had a sale on my third appointment for like $1,500. And then I had a sale for like $30 on my last appointment. And, um, and then, uh, I still had 4 hours left in the day. So my friend was like, what are you gonna do? And I was ready to throw in the towel. He said, you can't do that because we were accountability partners and he was number 1 at the time. I was going for, you know, like we were both competing for number 1 in the… it was like a big national push week, all this stuff, right? We were going to a conference, everybody's gonna get recognized.

26:57 Scott Ingram: That's good competition though, right? Like where the number 1 guy is like, you can't let me beat you this easy, right?

27:02 Josh Mueller: Yeah, exactly, right? And so, um, so, and it totally was. I mean, it was huge accountability. And so I said, uh, well, I, you know, I, I got to start calling my customers and, and, you know, I got to call some people and see if they'll buy stuff, right? But I wasn't that guy. I wasn't. And so I sent an email out to my clients and said, hey, in this big contest, here's what's going on. I'm gonna, you know, do a sale for the next 5 hours. Let me know if you want to take advantage. And then I just started calling key clients. And it was funny how when I started doing that, people responded to the email really positively. And, um, when I called and talked to people, they were excited to hear from me. They were excited to talk to me. They were willing to help me out. And so that just speaks to the, the quality of the product and the service that we'd been offering over all the years up to that point. And, uh, and I realized that there was something there. I was like, okay, if I got this kind of response from an email, you know, and I've never sent an email before, what could I get if I started leveraging technology as an asset in my business? And, um, you know, this was before, I mean, Email marketing wasn't really a big thing. Online content marketing wasn't a thing. Automation, all this stuff wasn't really there. So it was like trying to figure that stuff out. And so we started studying online marketers a couple years later and we've adapted a lot of approaches that have really helped with that. So I would've leveraged that a lot sooner to get involved in that. I also would've spent less time looking for the grass is like less time in the grass is greener on the other side of the fence philosophy. I heard a quote one time that really stuck with me that, um, the grass is always greener where you water it. And so, you know, early on in my career, I was, I was approached by, you know, when you start having success, if you're listening to this, you probably have experienced this before, where when you're successful, other people, like you become desirable to other companies, other opportunities. You know, and so I was always being approached by different people and different opportunities, you know, the next big thing. And I, I gave into that for a little while. I always checked things out. I always kept things on the radar. I, I even invested in some things that never really panned out. And it wasn't until I realized that, hey, you know, the grass is greener where you water it. So I dug in my heels and I said, I'm just going to become the best that I can be at what I'm doing right now because I've already invested this time into it up to this point. I might as well make sure that I'm the best at that. And when I feel like I can't go any further, I can't get any better, that's when I'll… that's when I'll look at something else.

29:32 Scott Ingram: And, um, and 10 years later, you're not quite there yet, right?

29:34 Josh Mueller: Yeah, well, I've been doing this 16 years now almost, and it's like, you know, it's… it's like it… I'm still growing and still improving. And people say to me, you know, hey, you could be selling this or doing this, you could be making this or making that. And I say, yeah, but I've invested 16 years of my life in this. And so, you know, and I haven't… I still haven't accomplished everything I can accomplish in terms of my own personal growth, my contribution, the impact I can have. And so, um, so I'm not going anywhere, right? And, uh, and that commitment, it, it's so funny when you cut off all other options, that commitment becomes really like… you can just, you get the space and the time and the energy in your head to just, you know, go at it and do your best. And, uh, you know, because you're not looking at other opportunities or all… you're not one foot in, one foot out. Um, you just really get to perform at a different level in that. And I've found it helped me perform at a different level. And then I would have been more humble too. I think when I first started having success, I, uh, I let it go to my head. And, um, and, you know, it, it seems that the… like, I found that the older I get, the more I realize how much I don't know. And so, um, you know, there… I think there was a period of time where I didn't intend for this, but I just came across as a cocky, you know, butthole. And, um, what's funny is I knew inside that's not who I was, and, and my intentions weren't that, but my actions were reflecting that. And so, um, and so it wasn't until… and it was just because I had a lack of humility, right? I thought I knew everything. I thought I was right. I thought that my way was the only way. And, uh, and because I was taking that approach, I think I alienated some relationships. I think that I created a perception of myself that wasn't actually aligned with who I truly was. And, um, when I, you know, a good friend of mine brought that to my attention. And so, you know, I, I did the work to go back and correct those things. And, and it wasn't until I really, like, I would have just made sure that I got really clear on who I was, what my intentions were, and, and what I really wanted people to know about me, and then made sure that all of my actions, all my communication aligned with that. Sooner, you know, so I never had to go through that experience.

31:44 Scott Ingram: So yeah, from… so you talked about there's still more to accomplish, but of what you have accomplished to date, what are you most proud of?

31:52 Josh Mueller: Yeah, the thing that I'm most proud of is, uh, building a business that, that is really service-focused and, uh, and service-motivated. So I can honestly say that through the work that we've done to build Vast Action and, uh, and the work that we've done to build one of the best the biggest Cutco distributorships in the world, we are consistently and positively impacting people's lives in a value-added way. That's the thing that I'm most proud of. You know, our products, our services, everything is aligned with, um, with our values, which is to grow ourselves and contribute through contribution to others and then show gratitude. And so because we are aligned with those things That's the thing I'm most proud of. So, um, and then I'd also say developing the discipline to live really far below my means. Um, you know, I have a lot of… I know a lot of people who are constantly chasing the new shiny thing, or, you know, live in the big beautiful house, or, um, you know, drive the really nice cars, but they don't have anything to show for all their hard work at the end of the year. And so, um, And I decided a very long time ago, um, because of some financial mentors that I had, that, hey, I, I could drive a nicer car, but I don't. I could live in a bigger house, but I don't. Because what's most important to me is that I build a secure future for my wife, for our company, for my family. And, uh, and so, you know, we developed the discipline to delay gratification, live really far below our means. We still live a great lifestyle, don't get me wrong. Like, we travel. You know, we went to Hawaii for 2 weeks last year. We've been to Mexico on a cruise. And, you know, uh, we're heading to Asheville, North Carolina next, next week. And so we, we've done a lot. We do a lot. But, um, we just make sure that we don't increase our quality of life at the same rate that our income increases. We always increase our quality of life when our income increases, but it's always at a smaller rate than our income increases. And if you do that, you're always going to have extra left over. And we use that extra to put away for our future and invest in ultimately what we want to accomplish, which is just a lifestyle where we can do whatever we want, whenever we want, with whomever we want. So, and we're really proud of that.

34:12 Scott Ingram: Nice. What's been the biggest challenge through the, through the journey?

34:16 Josh Mueller: Yeah, um, it's a personal challenge. Is that cool if I share that?

34:21 Scott Ingram: Yeah, go for it.

34:22 Josh Mueller: Um, yeah, I'd say that, uh, you know, I was talking about just my lack of humility and letting success go to my head and things like that. And, and, um, I think that there was a time where… I mean, the biggest challenge really was my wife and I almost divorcing, right? And, um, it's funny because we were both having success in our business, and, um, I realized that in my personal relationship, the thing that was most important… I wasn't communicating very well. Neither one of us were, really. And so, um, I just ended up in a place where we felt like we were growing apart. And, um, you know, there were things that… needs that I felt weren't being met for me. She had needs she felt weren't being met for her. And it just led to us having a really hard conversation with each other where, um, you know, I said, I said to her like, hey, listen, if things don't change, then I'm not sure I can, I can do this, um, anymore. And it was funny because I don't know why, but I did that like one week before I was going on the road for 8 weeks. Genius.

35:27 Scott Ingram: Yeah, right? Well played.

35:29 Josh Mueller: Yeah, no, I'm… yeah, stupid on my part. But what was funny was that, so I was like, hey, let's have this conversation. And we had it. And then I'm hitting the road for 8 weeks. Have fun with that, right? And it was interesting because I'm the luckiest guy on the planet. I have the best wife in the world. People tell me all the time. And I tell myself all the time that that's true. And, um, and it is. And she, uh, is such an amazing human being that in her mind she was like, wow, uh, I… there's like… I didn't get married to just get divorced. Like, in her mind there was no option for that. And so she went to work on herself and, you know, on, on becoming the person that I needed her to be to… so that we could have the best relationship that we could possibly have.

36:16 Scott Ingram: That's pretty awesome.

36:17 Josh Mueller: Yeah, I know. I was like, I didn't know this was happening, by the way. And so I'm on the road for 8 weeks, you know, having record-breaking performances, outselling, you know, jamming with customers, having a good old time, and also checking out of my relationship the whole time. Um, to me, every day that went by, I was checking out further and further. And to her, every day that went by, she was checking back in further and further. So it was interesting because before the conversation, I felt like I was the most checked in and she was the most checked out. And then when I got home after 8 weeks, the opposite was true. We had switched roles, and it was a huge surprise for me. I learned very quickly that she was becoming the person I wanted her to be, and I was actually further and further away from that. And, um, for her… and we just… I remember we went home for the holidays, and just, you know, uh, it was… we were with family and friends, and we were in a moment where to us, we were talking about divorce, separation, and making arrangements for that kind of stuff. And, uh, and even though we were home with family and friends, that was just a really rough trip for us because we didn't let family and friends know that. So we got home, and I remember we were sitting in a Firestone in Austin, Texas. I was getting my tires changed, and we were talking about who was gonna move to an apartment, who was gonna stay in a house. And I remember saying to me, you know, hey, if Like, because I was checked out, she was checked in. And I remember saying to me like, hey, if this is what you really want, um, and it's what's truly going to make you happy, I'm totally cool doing it because that's all I care about is that you're happy. And then she said… she knows me really well, she knows my buttons… she said, but the thing I know about you, the thing that surprises me the most is I've never known you to be a person to give up on something once you set your mind to it. And that's one of the things I've always loved about you. And so, you know, I'm just surprised that you're willing to give up on our relationship like this. And it just, you know, stuck me in the heart. And like this moment of clarity came to me where I was like, holy crap, like if I walk away from this, am I ever going to find another woman that would be able to say that same thing to me? And, uh, that changed everything. It was like a paradigm shift for me, and I realized I need to check back in, do the work that's necessary to become the person she needs me to be, to be the best, uh, so that we can have the best relationship we could possibly have together. And so, um, so overcoming that challenge, the way that we broke through was we made a deal with each other that no matter what, um, no matter how difficult things got, we would we would always communicate and overcommunicate if we needed to, and that we would make a commitment to overcome any challenge no matter what, and that it didn't matter what came up, that we were like, we were ironclad, we trust each other 100%, and nothing could ever get in the way of us. And, um, that was back in '07, '08. And so, um, you know, the '07, '08, '09 years were like a real big shift for us in our personal relationship everywhere. Yeah, everywhere. Business, everything like that. And, uh, And we just, we got really committed to developing really great communication skills, and we started learning from other people, like looking to others that we respected for insights and advice. And I remember we read the book Five Love Languages, and that was a game shifter for us, by Gary Chapman. Um, and that one was, it was like such a simple way to look at and to, to, to view relationships, like such a simple lens to view relationships through. And, um, and that's been a huge thing for us. Uh, we also had invest… that, that was the year that we decided we're gonna invest in Tony Robbins. And we started, uh, attending personal development seminars outside of our own business and learning from other thought leaders. And we made a commitment to do it together. I think one of the best decisions we ever made was we decided to go to our first Tony Robbins conference together because I said to her, hey, this is something I'm interested in because we have friends that are doing it and, and they're seeing results. And, um, and, you know, I'm seeing big shifts in their lives, and I think it could make a difference for us. So I want to go, but I only want to go if you're willing to come with me. And again, it was that open communication where I didn't just say to her, like, I… before, you know, we went through that process of, of, uh, you know, before we were considering getting divorced and going through that process together, I would have just said, I'm gonna do this, and, you know, uh, and I don't care what you think, I'm just gonna do it. Right? And, um, and it wasn't, you know, afterwards I was like, hey, I want to do this. Like, I just wouldn't have communicated to her effectively why I wanted to do it, you know. I would have wanted her to come but probably would have assumed she didn't want to come and just wouldn't even have given her that shot. And it wasn't till, you know, after we went through that where I learned like, hey, I just need to be open and communicate about what I really want. I need to have the courage to always express myself to my wife the way that… the way that I want to express myself to my wife. And and, uh, and honor her and care about her and stuff like that. And so, you know, I remember having that conversation with her and she's like, that's a great idea. It's a lot of money, but let's, let's find a way to do it. And, uh, and so we went and did it and it was amazing, right? And we've done that so many times ever since. Every year we have a commitment where we go to some form of seminar together or, you know, some form of personal development we do together just so that we're working not just on ourselves. But going to that Tony Robbins conference, we went to Life Mastery, that changed a lot for us in our relationship, you know. And, and so we've just been really committed to not just developing our business and ourselves individually, but developing our relationship together. And that's been really powerful for us.

41:55 Scott Ingram: Well, and what I hear from all of that is it kind of… the, the key to all of that is it's being committed to the result. And, and that has been a big driver of the success, not just, not, not just in the business. You've been committed to your core values and a lot of the other things we've talked about, but you're also committed to the relationship and communicating some of these other things you're talking Absolutely.

42:14 Josh Mueller: Yeah. I mean, commitment to your goals, commitment to your process, commitment to your systems, commitment to your relationships, commitment to your values. Yeah, all of that stuff. Commitment and discipline, those are 2 things I think that are really important if you're going to be successful in anything.

42:28 Scott Ingram: Yeah, nice. So Josh, I've learned to preface this question and first ask, are… would you describe yourself as a morning person or are you more of a night owl?

42:36 Josh Mueller: Oh, good question. Um, I used to always be a night owl.

42:40 Scott Ingram: And then in the restaurant industry, that's sort of… yeah, the way that goes.

42:44 Josh Mueller: And even in, in Cutco, I mean, I was always better at night and always sucky in the morning. And, um, I've learned to become a morning person. Um, I've learned to really just honor what's true for me and, you know, to just become very clear on what's true for me and honor that. And so there's some times where I need to be a night owl, so I'll be a night owl. And there's some times where I need to be a morning person, and I'll be a morning person. But mostly nowadays I'm a morning person.

43:07 Scott Ingram: Yeah. So tell me about what, what is your morning routine then?

43:10 Josh Mueller: Yeah, great. Um, well, I think it starts the night before. Um, so, you know, deciding when I need to get up the next morning and just being committed to getting 7, 8 hours of sleep every night. So making sure that I'm in bed by the time that I need to be in bed so that I can get the rest that I need to get to have the energy that I need to have the next day. So that, that's number one thing, right? Um, and then also having some form of a wind-down routine the night before. Really helps me. I've found that if I go straight from work or technology or anything like that into bed, I get horrible sleep. I usually don't get the sleep I need to get. Um, you know, it's just not good for me, right? So just making sure that, like, I'm… I know what I need to wind down at nighttime, um, and it usually involves some form of food, it involves some form of relaxation and some form of unplugging, um, and then going to bed so I get a good night's sleep and sleeping in complete blackness. With no interruptions. I don't keep technology in my room, um, you know, most of the time. I'm not perfect at that, but, um, but, uh, and, and then also just looking at my day and, you know, when I look to see what time I need to get up the next day, I'm also looking at the rest of the day and really thinking about what makes tomorrow a great day for me. And just tuning in with that right before I go to bed has been really powerful. Then when I wake up the next morning, morning routine, which you're asking about, right? Um, it starts with just hopping out of bed, doing some breathing exercises, slamming some water. I drink over a gallon of water a day and have done that every day, 99% of the time for over 5 years now. Half my days now I'm over 2 gallons of water a day. So it starts with just slamming water because I need to hydrate myself after 8 hours of not drinking water. Doing some breathing exercises, green tea, visualizing, you know, the day. I usually lay in bed first thing and just visualize like, what am I grateful for? What makes today great? What makes this week great? What am I working on this month? What are my big projects? Just doing some visualization exercises. Um, and then the other thing is, uh, doing some form of like a relaxing stimulation activity. So I may, you know, just lay in bed and I'll go grab my phone and I'll just turn on a podcast. You know, I'll get up out of bed, slam my water, like do my breathing, slam my water, and then I'll go right back to bed and just get under the covers and, you know, do my visualization, get under the covers then, and, uh, and just put on a podcast so I'm learning something in the morning. Or, you know, just, just some… maybe, maybe I'll pop open a game and play game really quick where I'm challenging myself. I like Lumosity, you know, brain games and stuff. Um, and so I might do that first thing in the morning, just some form of… it's a stimulation activity, but for me it's a relaxing stimulation activity. Maybe it's reading a book or, you know, something like that. Um, gratitude is always a part, you know, like what am I really grateful for? Um, you know, I'm grateful for, you know, Amy and I have a pad of paper. I don't know, one of our friends sent us this. I don't even know where you get it, but it's like a waterproof notepad and pencil, and we keep it in the shower.

46:10 Scott Ingram: Oh, that's really interesting.

46:12 Josh Mueller: And so, uh, you know, I'll hop in the shower and write down some gratitude. You know, maybe I'll tell her something I'm grateful for about her, or, you know, she writes me little notes, I write her little notes. We're just showing each other love, you know, and showing each other gratitude and showing the world gratitude. So we'll just write that stuff down. Um, and then when I'm really on point, I do some form of stretching like yoga or, you know, just just doing something to stretch my body out. Um, I'm not the best at that though, so, uh, but that's the main morning routine, right? And, uh, I like to just give myself an hour or 2 in the morning where it's just me, it's just what I need, because I believe when you win the morning, you win the day.

46:48 Scott Ingram: So yeah, absolutely. Well, and, and anytime you talk about morning routines, I always think about… I think you already mentioned Hal Elrod. He's got a great book, The Miracle Morning. So it sounds like there's, there's definitely elements of that I hear.

46:58 Josh Mueller: Absolutely.

46:58 Scott Ingram: I've known your routine.

46:59 Josh Mueller: I've known Hal for years, and, and I love Hal. And, uh, if you don't know about about the Miracle Morning, you should check it out, just miraclemorningbook.com. And he's impacting millions of lives around the world right now. And yeah, and what I love about Hal's philosophy is that he teaches the Miracle Morning, which is a very specific process. And he teaches like, hey, use this, practice this, see what kind of an impact it makes on you, and then decide for yourself what your morning routine needs to be. And I really love that he owns that. It's not about doing it his way and that that's the only right way. He's just saying, hey, this is what it is for me. Me, and this is what's making a difference for a lot of people when they first get introduced to it. But once you're using it and it's working for you, like, if there's something you don't connect with or resonate with, you don't have to do it. Like, make your morning routine the way that you want it to be. And for him, it's like 4:30 in the morning every morning, and, you know, it's an hour and a half long process, uh, and, uh, or whatever, maybe it's changed. But, um, but, uh, you know, he's like, hey, if you don't want to get up at 4:30 in the morning, that's fine, don't worry about it. Like, get up at 8, you know, get up whenever it's best for you to get up. And then do… but just make sure that you start your day off right with a, with a morning routine that care of you first.

48:08 Scott Ingram: Yeah. What other… so we talked about the morning. Are there other habits and routines throughout the day that are really kind of core to your success?

48:15 Josh Mueller: Yeah, absolutely. The first thing that I like to do every day when I get to work is some form of strategy, just planning whether it's… most of my days are actually pre-planned, pre-scheduled because that's the way I have to operate with all the different things that I'm involved with. But maybe it's just strategizing what is the day today and what makes today the win. Sometimes I might have white space in my calendar first thing. Use it to strategize the rest of the week or the rest of the month. But there's always strategy involved in the day at some point. The other thing that, that's really been very helpful for me and central to my success would be just being mindful of my mindset and intentional about managing it. And managing it towards what I like to call the championship mindset. You know, champions think a certain way all of the time. Champions understand that like your thoughts are the number… like your self-talk, your thoughts, all that sort of stuff, that it's the number one most impactful thing on, on your results. And a lot of people think that success is 99% mechanics, 1% mindset, and I think it's actually the reverse. I remember listening to a CD series that I was, uh, um, that I was listening to one time, and, and the guy teaching on that shared that. He said success is actually 99% mindset and 1% mechanics. So you can get mechanics anywhere, but mindset, only you can really fix that. So, um, healthy eating, another big one. Uh, I use a mobile office, so, uh, just being… when I'm on the road, which I am a lot for speaking, for training events, for my Cutco business because my clients are all over the country, I end up on the road. And so I had to get really… like, one thing that I'm really good at is just having a mobile office so that, you know, I… like, being on the road doesn't become an excuse to not be great at my business. And then also mobile living too, making sure that my lifestyle I live at home with healthy eating and energy richness and stuff like that, that I can take that on the road with me. So I've gotten really disciplined and really good at living on the road in that way so that I can still be who I need to be even when I'm not at home. Capturing processes, just really defining what is the process in something step by step and honoring that. Turning it into a system and then falling in love with leveraging. I think as a salesperson, you know, we get… or even as an entrepreneur, we get so in love with what we're doing and it's like our baby, it becomes really hard to let go of. And that was me for years. Like, I always felt like, you know, uh, nobody can do it as good as me. And so, um, somebody said to me once, my good friend Tony said to me, he said, uh, if any… if somebody can do it 80% as good as me, that's good enough for now. So, uh, if that means I never have to do it again. And so, uh, so I was like, oh, that makes a lot of sense. And so I was… I realized, you know, I want to delegate. I want to get other people involved in helping because no great things can be accomplished alone. And so, you know, falling in love with leverage was something that made a difference for me, uh, years ago and now is like a daily discipline for me. You know, does this… is this something I need to be doing? Is that… is my time most like best invested doing this? And if not, what is the system? What is the process to getting it done? What is the system that would support that? And who is the person that would be best at doing that instead of me? And just falling in love with that. Phone management, that's a huge thing. Like phone, social media, technology. I find like watching customers, just seeing the world in general, I'm amazed how many times I go out to dinner and I've seen people sitting at the table and all anybody at the table is doing is sitting on their phones, not talking, not doing anything. Except hanging out on their phones. So, uh, one thing that made a huge shift for me years ago is I just… I said, you know what, I'm sick of my phone. Um, and so I turned the ringer off and it started vibrating every time that a text came in or an email came in. So I was like, well, I'm sick of that too. So I turned off the vibration and now my phone is off 99.9% of the time. The only time it's on is if I'm expecting an urgent phone call and I need… I'll flip the ringer on so I know when it comes in and then I flip it right back off afterwards. So I don't get any rings, bings, you know, beeps, will, you know, whistles, whizzes, whatever you want to call them. None of that crap comes through on my phone, and it allowed me to take control of my time back and take control of my life back. Made a huge difference. So now the, the flip side of that was I had to learn how to become disciplined with checking my phone and checking my, you know, texts and checking my voicemails and my emails and stuff like that. And so, um, how often do you do that? I do it a couple times throughout the day, but it's intentionally at time… it's at times that I plan throughout my day. Like, I block time in my schedule. And that's another big thing is using time blocking to manage my schedule. Um, this is what I'm working on. This is the block of time I'm going to dedicate to that. If it takes more time than that, I don't let it bleed into other, you know, things that are in the calendar. I'll, I'll schedule more time later for that project to get done or that thing to get worked on. And email, text messages, checking the phone… those are things that happen on a day-to-day basis unless I'm on vacation, unless I'm unplugged, then they happen whenever I want them to. But sometimes they may not happen for a few days or for a week at a time, you know, because I'm… my goal is to be fully present in every activity. And that's, that's what led to that, is I found that I couldn't really be fully present in things with customers, with whatever, when I had all these, you know, notifications popping off. So, and I remember the first app I downloaded, I remember it asked me like, hey, do you want to allow notifications for this? And I don't know why, but I just said no. And, uh, that was probably the best thing I've ever done in my life.

53:54 Scott Ingram: Default decision ever.

53:55 Josh Mueller: Yeah, exactly right. And I don't even know what caused it, but I, you know, now I have to teach people. Like, I have a lot of coaching clients that I teach them, like, hey, go back through all your notifications and turn them all off because that stuff is robbing you of your energy, your focus, and your ability to be your best that you can be and be fully present with people.

54:14 Scott Ingram: So you've obviously got a lot of structure, a lot of discipline. Is there a particular way that you structure your day or your week from that calendar perspective?

54:26 Josh Mueller: Great question. Um, it's always changing for me. So, but what I do is, um, I learned from a mentor, Brendon Burchard, that the best way to strategize is to, um, use… he calls it the, uh, the daily productivity sheet. So it's like a worksheet, right, that you can… I think you can download it on their website. And you download this worksheet and you fill it out. I don't necessarily fill out the worksheet every day anymore, but it's how I think about my days, how I plan my days. It's what are the 3 biggest projects I'm working on right now, and what are the things that are must-do to get done on those projects right now. And those, you know, you list those things out. Who are the people that I need to get in touch with today that I need to reach out to to help me move these projects forward? And who are the people I'm waiting to hear back from that I probably need to follow up with again? And then what are my priorities for the day? Like, what are the things, you know, in those projects, outside those projects, around those projects that just… those things got to get done no matter what? And all those things go on a list. And so Oh, he calls it the Daily Productivity Planner. That's what it is. And it's just about going through and doing those things, you know, working that stuff out. That's where that 15 minutes of strategy every day comes in, right? Figuring all that stuff out and then just following through on executing that stuff. And if there's time left at the end of the day, then cool, I'll do what else, you know, other things I need to do, check my email or, you know, work on other projects or whatever. So, um, that's a huge thing. Uh, time blocking is huge. Uh, focusing on the one thing I don't know if you're familiar with it or not, but this is super powerful, Scott. And it's like, it's a thing that I've, I, you know, I remember getting introduced to it, local guys here in Austin, Gary Keller, Jay Papasan, right? Um, and, uh, the book The One Thing, it just, it really got me thinking like, what is the one thing that will make the biggest difference today and make everything else easier, unnecessary, right? So I'm just always focusing in on like, what's the one most important thing I need to be working on today to move closer to what I'm trying to achieve this week, this month, this year. So focusing on the one thing, making sure I'm priority projects. And then another big thing is just leading with lifestyle. So I think that as an entrepreneur, as a salesperson, the reality is there's always more work to be done. And, and so, you know, there's always more leads to follow up with, more calls to be made, more you know, customer service issues that need to be dealt with. There's always, there's always more to be done. And one of the traps that we fall into as entrepreneurs, I've found, is that it's really easy to… like, when you make all of your decisions with a business-first mindset, you… like, we tend to fall into a trap where we say, like, oh, I'll go on vacation when I have time, or I'll start saving money when I have more money, right, when I'm making more. And, uh, you know, and there's so many other different ways you can paint that scenario or create a statement around that. But what we're doing is we're always putting the business first, and we're always sacrificing our lifestyle, uh, to the business, right? And the reality is, when you're an entrepreneur and, you know, a professional salesperson, and there's always more work to do than you have time to do it, um, it's really easy to fall into a trap where weeks, months, sometimes years have gone by and you haven't saved a penny, you haven't taken a vacation, you haven't given yourself the time off to rejuvenate that you, that you deserve. And as a result, we get burnt out, we get sick of our business, or our business becomes something that we start to be spiteful about. And so, uh, I saw that coming in my business at one point and said to myself, you know what, I can't do this. Like, there's some big rocks in my business that are always non-negotiable, got to go in the calendar. But immediately after that that, uh, the next step is I'm going to decide what I want my lifestyle to be first. You know, what do I… that question I'm always asking myself every quarter, every year, is what's the minimum standard I need to meet in order to feel fulfilled personally this week, this month, this year? And, um, and answer… asking and answering that question consistently over time, it allows me to put, you know, all of the stuff that's important to me personally. It's where, you know, I got the morning routine in my calendar and, and So just being committed to learning what that is for me, and it's always changing, and then scheduling that stuff first has then made my business really exciting because I designed the entire business plan now around supporting that schedule. So, and my lifestyle, my priority in my lifestyle, my passion in my lifestyle is what goes first. So, you know, a day off with my wife, you know, a weekend off to hang out with friends a vacation to go see my family that, you know, I only see once or twice a year, uh, you know, personal development seminars, those types of things. Those all go in the calendar first, and then the business plan goes in around that, um, you know, the sales plan, the, the customer service plan, just whatever I'm working on in terms of a project goes in next, uh, behind that. So it's always supporting the lifestyle. Now I can be fully present when I'm taking time off because I know the business is taken care of, and I can be fully present in the business because I know that the… I know that my personal life is taken care of as well.

59:42 Scott Ingram: Awesome. So obviously you have really invested a lot of time and energy into your own self-development. So I'm really curious about, you know, what does your information diet look like and when do you consume that?

59:55 Josh Mueller: Yeah. Uh, you know, I personally, I like live seminars the best. I learn, I get energized, and I tend to implement more from those than anything. Crazy thing is they're also the most expensive thing that you can invest in, right? So, um, for personal development, but that's just where I love… that's like my flow, right? Um, beyond that, uh, so I, I go to seminars. I have people that I follow. I follow Tony Robbins. I follow Brendon Burchard. I follow multiple thought leaders, you know, Hal Elrod, Jon Berghoff, Jon Vroman, um, all of those guys. And then there's podcasts. Um, I do believe you can overdo it though. So, uh, my podcasts are really simple. It's just a few simple ones. I love TED Radio Hour. From… and it's an NPR podcast, actually a number of NPR podcasts. So Planet Money, uh, TED Radio Hour. Uh, I listen to NPR Politics only because I don't like to engage with the news, but I like to hear what about the craziness that's going on in our political society right now. Um, I don't really have any opinions about it, but it's just something I like to listen to. Entertainment. Yeah, exactly. So, um, books, uh, I have, you know, some favorite books and, um, and I, you know, I don't read a lot, but I do like to read. So, um, Um, you know, once in a while I'll pick up a book and just learn from it. And then…

1:01:12 Scott Ingram: hang on, on this show you can't get away with saying I have some favorite books and not naming some books.

1:01:16 Josh Mueller: Okay, gotcha. So, um, so up here, uh, we're sitting in my office right now.

1:01:21 Scott Ingram: This is easy.

1:01:21 Josh Mueller: Some of my favorites. Yeah, so, um, the, the book I can tell you, like, there's probably 3 books I've read that have really made a massive difference. I've read them multiple times. Uh, How to Win Friends, Influence People by Dale Carnegie. If you're in sales, you have to read it. Um, I don't know why I did this, but I did it and I read it and it was… the first chapter was so good. I went back and I reread it right after reading it and underlined all the good stuff. I did that with every single chapter in that book and I've done it twice. And, uh, and I feel like part of the reason I, I, um, pride myself on being a great communicator is because of that book. It was the first book I ever read when I got into sales and it just changed my life. Um, another book by Matthew Kelly called The Rhythm of Life. This is where I learned the importance of really tuning in with your purpose and becoming the best, like getting on the path and getting committed to becoming the best version of yourself. I think actually a lot of people talk about being the best version of yourself now, but I think he really actually coined that term years ago when he wrote this book and it became a, you know, international bestseller. And I've read that 3 times. I can tell you every point in my life where I read that book and the difference that it made for me. And Raving Fans, another one. Um, just the importance of customer service and the difference that it can make. Um, I also remember John Ruhlin told me about this book called High Trust Selling by Todd Duncan, and a great, great book. And it's just, it really helps you think about the importance of owning responsibility for your business, how you want to run your business from a sales perspective, um, you know, how to think about customers. You know, he was the first person that introduced me to the philosophy of Um, sometimes the customer isn't always right and it's okay to fire clients that, uh, like the importance of knowing what your standards are and what your boundaries are and then honoring those standards and boundaries even when a customer is trying to push through them or disregard them or make you feel like, um, you should sacrifice your values, your boundaries, um, your standards just because they're a customer. So, and I've taught people like, hey, it's okay to fire a client. They're like literally 1 in 1,000 clients, but it's okay. Sometimes people's expectations don't match what you can provide and you shouldn't sacrifice your standards or, you know, sacrifice your values in order to just keep a customer because you can't keep everybody happy. Todd Duncan introduced me to that. It was a big concept for me. So.

1:03:56 Scott Ingram: Cool, I'll have to remember. I'll like snap a photo of the bookshelf. It's not overwhelming. It's a manageable chunk and we'll stick that in the show notes. So if you go to top1.fm/15, I'll have that picture in there.

1:04:09 Josh Mueller: Yeah, yeah, great. And there's multiples on that shelf too, so of some books.

1:04:13 Scott Ingram: Yeah, so you've got some to give away.

1:04:15 Josh Mueller: Give away, exactly. Yeah, that's what we do with them.

1:04:17 Scott Ingram: Just a quick interjection here at roughly the halfway point of my conversation with Josh Mueller. The number of insights and resources that Josh shared over the course of this conversation were pretty staggering, and accordingly, we've assembled the most comprehensive set of show notes to date. I highly recommend you go to top1.fm/15. That's the number 1 and the number 15. So top1.fm/15. It might be helpful to follow along with that. And there's also a full transcript available there as well, if you want to read through the details of everything that Josh shares. Also, when you're there, anywhere on top1.fm, you can subscribe to the newsletter, at which point you'll immediately receive an invite to the Sales Success Community. This is a free resource that I've been building thanks to our sponsor Influitive for the fans of this show. There are a bunch of bonus resources there, and Josh has been generous enough to include 2 incredibly valuable bonus audio lessons. Again, they're totally free. Just go to top1.fm, or if you're in the continental US, you can text TOP1 to 444999. Now back to my conversation with Josh Mueller. So I know that I'm always also curious about the different kind of tools and apps, and you said you kind of wish that you had adopted some technology things earlier. I know you're not getting notifications from any of them, but what are kind of those core apps for you, especially with kind of the mobile office setup and the other things that you've got going on?

1:05:41 Josh Mueller: Now, I anticipated this question was coming, so I made a list. So I'm just gonna give you the list. Is that okay?

1:05:46 Scott Ingram: Yeah, that works great.

1:05:47 Josh Mueller: All right, cool. So Vast Action CRM, that's my number one. That's actually the custom CRM that we built for our business that we now… other entrepreneurs use and hundreds of Cutco people across the country use as well. Um, but, uh, that's, that's number one. I live in that thing. I'm in my CRM day in and day out. And, you know, it's… I don't spend all my time in there, but it just makes a big difference for… I couldn't run my business or my life without it. Google Calendar, um, changed everything when I put my calendar online and got it off of paper. Um, my calculator, right? And my Pilot G2 pens. I've been using these things, got one right here. I have like 10 in my drawer right now, but I've been using… these have written up every single order I've ever written. For millions and millions of dollars in sales now. So, um, so yeah, that right there.

1:06:32 Scott Ingram: Not gonna change up a good thing.

1:06:34 Josh Mueller: Uh-uh, exactly. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? Uh, Google Drive, Dropbox, uh, Kajabi, which is our web platform where we host, you know, our training and, you know, things that we do.

1:06:44 Scott Ingram: Okay.

1:06:44 Josh Mueller: My iPhone, um, GroupMe. So this is a… it's a, it's a group texting app that I have. I'm part of multiple different GroupMe groups, and I couldn't influence and impact people the way that I do if I wasn't using this app. And so it's not Facebook, it's not, you know, normal social media, but it's, it's a way to get social through text messaging. And it's been really powerful.

1:07:09 Scott Ingram: What are some of those groups? Like, give me an example of how you would use GroupMe.

1:07:12 Josh Mueller: Yeah, so like key clients, you know, if we've got some cool… like, we have, you know, like a gold client group, for example. We'll put all of our clients in there, and then, you know, we'll get their permission, like, hey, you know, we've got a texting group where we all share hot news, success stories, you know, just announcements, things like that. Is it cool if we put you in that group? Do you want to be a part of it? And if they do, then we put them in that group and then we, we will just post, you know, whatever, like cool quotes, or I'll post, you know, hot news, sell things to celebrate. And, and it's cool because, you know, other people will post. We empower everybody in that group to… different clients and stuff… to post as well and share their successes. And it's a great place to grab testimonials. It's a great place to just interact with people and build relationships with people.

1:07:57 Scott Ingram: That's really interesting.

1:07:58 Josh Mueller: Yeah, it's cool. Uh, Lumosity, that's an app I use. I mentioned earlier Priceline and Airbnb. I couldn't live on the road without those 2 things. Same-day bookings on Priceline are like awesome, and now I think Airbnb is even better. So IMDb, my wife and I are movie junkies, so, um, you know, we're always like, who… where do we know that person from when we're watching a movie? And I thank God for IMDb, right?

1:08:22 Scott Ingram: Um, Amazon, that's just a sanity check, right?

1:08:24 Josh Mueller: Yeah, exactly right. Amazon, uh, TurboScan is a great… I, I have to scan a lot of documents and, you know, email them or, you know, whatever. It's a great, it's a great tool to use, especially if you have a team of assistants, um, that help you organize and process things. So TurboScan, it's like, I think it's like $2, and you literally can scan a 30-page document while you're on an airplane and in a minute have it emailed in an inbox where it needs to go. So a lot of contracts I sign that way. This is great. Uber, PayPal, YouTube, my notepad on my iPhone, just keeping notes on there is really powerful, and PowerPoint. Those are, those are the apps that can't… that, that like come to mind firsthand for me. Skype's a good one too, by the way. And And then GarageBand too. I record a lot of audios, and so I do that on GarageBand, and it's really easy to upload to Dropbox.

1:09:20 Scott Ingram: We've got GarageBand running right now.

1:09:22 Josh Mueller: Oh, we do? Awesome.

1:09:23 Scott Ingram: Great.

1:09:23 Josh Mueller: We're doing this through GarageBand. How about that? So cool.

1:09:27 Scott Ingram: And then what about… is there a particular sales philosophy that you subscribe to?

1:09:32 Josh Mueller: Absolutely. Yeah. You know, I've been… I've had the pleasure of learning from and watching some of the world's greatest salespeople work. Um, whether it's online marketers that I'm learning from at seminars or it's, uh, you know, Cutco people that I have the pleasure of working around. I really believe that Cutco has some of the best salespeople in the world. I mean, world-class performers. Um, and then, you know, just, just learning, reading books, you know, Jeffrey Gitomer and just all sorts of, you know, Zig Ziglar, all sorts of different people that teach and train in the sales environment. And, uh, and what I've learned is that there's things that they have in common. And so So, I've developed what I call the Sales Mastery Formula, which is a sales training that I do, whether it's through speaking or we're building an online training course for it right now. But it's just basically like, hey, we got to master our mindset first. We also have to master engaging clients in a way where, especially in today's world that's full of distraction, they're engaged in a way where they're intrigued and actually want to… like, they're very quickly intrigued and want to learn more from you, hear more from you, see what it is that you're doing, selling, whatever. Um, but, you know, you have to become master at engaging people in a respectful way where they want to spend more time with you. Then we've got to become masters at solving, like actually uncovering people's needs and finding out like what are their needs, what are their challenges, what are their struggles, and how can we help solve those problems for them. And really connecting people with that emotionally, logically, and in a way where they're getting excited about what it is that we're selling, what it is that we're showing, because we're coming from the perspective of understanding them and then helping them solve problems, which naturally then makes them want or desire our stuff. And then closing, you know, just understanding the process of closing and, and doing it in a way where it doesn't come across as pushy or pitchy like a lot of, you know, sales training or salespeople work, but doing it in a way where it stays totally personal. You know, it's funny because when you have a great mindset and you're really great at engaging people and really great at helping people uncover, you know, their needs and their challenges and providing solutions to them, where I think a lot of salespeople make mistakes is then they get into closing and it becomes this really like salesy, pitchy kind of thing, pushy kind of thing. And it's so easy to lose sales that way, right? And I mean, my closing ratios with clients are consistently in the high 90s. I think part of the reason is because my closing process is actually the most important process and it's the most personal process. And when I'm doing really, really great at keeping that connection throughout closing, you know, that's where I'm really winning. And to me, it's just about getting them to understand why things make sense and getting them to yes, you know, yes decisions.

1:12:14 Scott Ingram: Well, give us a taste. I mean, what does a typical close for you sound like?

1:12:18 Josh Mueller: Yeah, so for me, I mean, it would be So it's basically just understanding that, hey, you know, once you start asking me buying questions like, how do… how much is this? Or how does this come? Or how do I do more work with you? I know now you feel a need for my product. So I just have to make sure the offer that I am making to you makes sense for you. So it's helping someone understand, you know, like in Cutco, for example, it's… I'll just, you know, I'll ask… I'll just make sure that, hey, this offer that I'm going to make you, like this set of knives, for example, I'm going to say I would recommend this set of knives for you simply because of blank, blank, and blank. It's attached to what you've told me already, um, you know, because this will cover all the different bases with the cooking that you do at home. Um, and so once the offer makes sense, right, then I just have to, you know, go into price positioning, which is making sure that that price makes sense to you now too, that the price is a, is a logical thing, right? And so that's just about helping you understand, um, how my prices compared to the rest of the marketplace or compared to, you know, your what you think knives should cost or not, why my prices are like… the value is far greater than the price, why my price makes sense, right? And then after that, I just have to, you know, make timing make sense, right? Because one of the things that, that, uh, that I think is, is really important is sometimes sales cycles, I think, get stretched out a little longer than they need to be. And so, um, so, you know, a lot of sales can be made right now if a customer feels the need for something and they see a pro… a problem or a struggle that can be solved through what you're offering, then, you know, if you have the decision makers in the room, it shouldn't be too… it shouldn't take too long to get to the decision-making point. And so, um, there just has to be a little bit of urgency. So there just has to be some reason why right now makes sense or soon makes sense. If you're… I know in B2B it can be a little bit longer sales process, right? There might be 2 meetings instead of 5 meetings. Right? And so, you know, so it's just, you know, I provide for a customer why it makes sense for today to be the day that they decide to buy their knives versus kicking the can further down the road like they've been doing up to this point. And maybe it's a special I'm having, maybe it's a… maybe it's just, you know, the conversation we've had and the fact that, you know, we're all busy people and we're hard to get a hold of, whatever, right? But it's just creating some form of urgency and helping them understand why it makes sense. Sense for now. And then after that, I just have to get a… like, so we're walking through basically a process of helping different things make sense. The offer's got to make sense, the pricing's got to make sense, the timing's got to make sense. And now it's just about you, you know, as a customer, you just have to understand why it makes sense for you. So that's where I use confirmation questions like, hey, so based on what you're telling me, would you agree that this is something that you would see yourself using? You know, and if you say yes to that, then that's, that's great, right? If you say no or hesitate in that moment, I know that there's still something you're unsure about. I need to actually dig a little bit deeper with you to figure out what might still be holding you back, right? But if I've done a good job up to that point recommending for you, listening to you, recommending for you what's in your best interests, well then you're gonna say yes to that question, right? And then I just, you know, what about your budget? I mean, is that something you'd feel comfortable budgeting for today? And if you say yes to that, well then we're good to go. But if you hesitate or you're not sure, you say no to that, that's a signal to me that I can't keep pushing. I need to dig a little bit deeper, find out what's going on. Either the value's not there or there's just something in your budget that I need to know about. And ultimately, our jobs as salespeople is to create a space where people are comfortable talking about money. And if we can create that on a regular basis, then, you know, uh, then, you know, you can, you can take that information and find the best package, the best, you know, deal, whatever, for that client. Client. So to me, it's always about making sure that closing process is just about helping them make sense of, you know, uh, the offer, the pricing, the, the timing, and the, the need. Making sure that you agree this is something you would use, you agree this is something you could budget for. Um, and then after that, it's just high five, welcome to the family, let's rock and roll, you know, let's get this going. And if, if there's any hesitation in any of that, then it's just my signal to continue the conversation, start asking you know, more questions to discover what's going on and, and find out how, uh, how we can find a different option, a different offer, different pricing, different timing that does work best for you. So nice. Yeah, does that answer the question?

1:16:47 Scott Ingram: Yeah, that's, that's great. But I cut you off because that's not the end of your, your process.

1:16:51 Josh Mueller: Oh, that's right. So what is the end of my process? Oh, um, so, so yeah, Sales Mastery Formula. So that was closing, right? And then the, uh, the other to the last 2 steps. So it's like a 6-step formula, right? It's mastering the mindset, mastering engaging, mastering solving, mastering closing. Then it's about upserving, right? So once you've said yes and I have a sale, I believe that's where the sale just gets started. And there's only one other person who knows whether or not there's more money in the budget to spend. And there's only one other person who knows if, you know, whether or not there's extra value that can be added. And so from my perspective, I'm the person who knows all the value that can be added. You're the person who knows how much money is left, if any at all. So it's my job and responsibility to reengage you in the process and go through the process of upserving. A lot of people refer to it as upselling. I call it upserving because from my perspective, it's about serving the client through making sure that they're maximizing the value from every sales experience. So, and then, and there's a strategy to that. It's one of the things I feel like I'm best at in my business. And then also the famous let go. That's the last step in the Sales Mastery Formula. The philosophy that I subscribe to. And the famous let go is just all about like at the end of the sales experience when everything's all over, making sure that there's a certain communication that is had with the customer. There's a certain step-by-step, you know, you just go through certain things like you affirm their, their, you know, decision today to consider buying something or buy something, that you instruct them how to work with you moving forward and that you really, really recognize them for their time, so that they… for their time, their trust, just, you know, multiple things that… so that they walk away not thinking about the money they just spent, not thinking about whether or not they made the right decision, but they feel honored, they feel acknowledged, and they feel respected at a really high level. And they feel very clear on what the next steps are so that when they walk away, they're walking away thinking about like, wow, I just really… that was a… I have had customers that come up to me that I just met 5 minutes ago that 5 minutes, 10 minutes later are spending $10,000 with me, $20,000 with me sometimes. And, um, you know, B2C, by the way. And so, um, and what I love is that they become… they're also walking away very loyal and very excited about the investments that they just made. And I really believe it's because of the famous LECO that they do, that they walk away thinking about that. And that's just about teeing up what I believe is the, the most valuable asset you have in the business, which is your ability to follow up with, serve, serve and continue to sell to your clients over the course of the relationship that you have with them, over the course of what to me is a lifetime. For us, we're in this for life. And so it's like, you know, I tell my clients all the time, like, hey, we're here for you for years to come. So we want to be your go-to source, whether we're selling Cutco or we're selling Vast Action Services or whatever. It's a partnership for us. So, and, uh, and so we make sure our customers know that and that they're very clear on what that means moving forward, and then we just follow through on making sure that those things happen.

1:19:45 Scott Ingram: Awesome.

1:19:46 Josh Mueller: Yeah.

1:19:46 Scott Ingram: And stylistically, how would you describe your, your style in, in the way that you deliver that, or just in general?

1:19:53 Josh Mueller: Yeah, great, uh, great question. So, um, client-centric, right? Uh, very client-focused. What's in the best interest of the client? I don't care about me. I don't care if you spend $50 with me or you spend $50,000 with me. Whatever's in your best interests, that's what I'm here to figure out. And that's what I'm here to make sure that you're able to take advantage of. Laid back. I'm not a really like… I have high energy and I have connection and presence, but I'm not like the really in-your-face, like crazy, enthusiastic, wild salesperson. I'm also very direct. I just, I have no problem saying what needs to be said, asking what needs to be asked. And I don't like to beat around the bush. So, and I also, I think the biggest thing is question-oriented. So I like, I pride myself on quality questions and just using questions to learn about people, to guide conversations and influence conversations, and just make sure that I'm always clear on what you're thinking, feeling, and needing so that I can then navigate that conversation in a way that serves you. Yeah.

1:21:00 Scott Ingram: Nice. From a motivation perspective, how do you think about motivation? How do you motivate yourself? Like, what is that?

1:21:08 Josh Mueller: Yeah, great. Dude, I love this question, Scott, because it's one of those things where it's like, people ask a lot, like, how do you stay motivated, right? And it's funny because to me, motivation is just like a, it's almost like people feel like it's something that happens. Like, I used to always feel like motivation is something that happened to me. And what I realized is that it's actually something that Uh, that I'm responsible for, right? It's not an outside source. It's something that comes from within me. And so, um, I learned how to stay motivated, like perpetual motivation, um, which if you want to read a book, read a book by Dave Durand called Perpetual Motivation. That's a good one. But, um, my perpetual motivation came from really turning in, tuning into my whys. Um, why, like not just knowing what I wanted to accomplish, what achievements I wanted to have, you know, whatever, but actually why. Um, you know, Jon Vroman said to me years ago, he said, behind every great what, behind every great goal, is an even greater why. And so, um, when you get really clear on why you want to do something, it can become very, very motivating. So, and I believe it comes from 3 different places. And so if you can tune into, like, let's say you have a goal to make a certain amount of money in a year. Um, if you can tune into why that's important to you. Like, what is the external reward that you get from that? And you get really clear on it. You write that down. It could be just one big thing, you know. Um, I remember the first year I decided I want to save $100 grand in a year, and it wasn't just make $100 grand, it was save $100 grand. And I just asked myself, like, why is that important to me? What's the external reward? And I was like, well, $100,000 in the bank, right? That's kind of a big external reward, right? Um, so, and then what is the internal reward that comes comes from achieving that goal or whatever it is that you're trying to achieve. Um, you know, who do you become in the process? What, what happens to you internally? Uh, that's when you get tuned into that. It's really, you know, it's kind of a big deal. I remember the, the $100K goal for me. It was like, I want to save $100 grand because I want to prove to myself that I have the discipline to actually save that much money in a year. Um, I want to actually like feel the sense of pride that from that, right? And then the third thing, which I think is the most important thing, is if you can tie any goal to the impact that it will have, if you can get really tuned into why that's important to you from an impact standpoint, it becomes really powerful. And then you lock those in, you put those in a place where you see them all of the time and you remind yourself of them all the time, and go from there. So, you know, for me, my big whys for why we're running our business the way we're running it, why, you know, why I am so passionate about stuff is just, you know, it's all about the future I'm creating. It's about being the best version of myself, and it's about seeing other people around me succeed as a result of that. And I'm tuned into those things, and I make sure every decision that I make to do something or not do something, it's either because it's aligned with that, with those 3 things, or it's not aligned with that. And if it's not aligned, I don't do it. If it is aligned, then I consider it and a lot of times do it. And the main thing is really just allowing myself to use my business as that thing, as the thing that's supports me being able to live the personal life that I want to live. And, uh, and recognizing that it's through my business that I'm able to do all the other things that I, that I want to do personally outside of the business. So, and letting those 2 things coexist and intermingle, you know, that it's kind of like they all live together versus, you know, uh, you know, this is the stepchild and this is the, you know, sister and, you know, all that sort of stuff. It's not a good analogy, but whatever.

1:24:41 Scott Ingram: Right, right, right. So So Josh, let me ask this sort of in the perspective of just the world that you know best. So amongst Cutco sellers…

1:24:52 Josh Mueller: yeah, sure…

1:24:52 Scott Ingram: um, what is something that you believe that the average seller, uh, would think is crazy?

1:24:59 Josh Mueller: Sure. Yeah. Um, so, uh, I believe that there is no right or wrong, right? It's just what's best or worst, right? And I think when we try to qualify things right or wrong, it just… it really gets in the way of of what's most important, which is just what's the best thing to do, right? And, and usually you can find the best thing to do. And if you do, if, if you just decide to do that, then you're gonna win. Um, and, uh, and so I really believe in the law of attraction, which I know a lot of people think is crazy, but Napoleon Hill says, you know, uh, what the human mind can perceive and come to believe, it can achieve. And so if you can perceive it, uh, start there and then believe Actually build the belief. Like, work out… like, whatever your goal is, even if it's something you've never accomplished before, work it out. Like, break it down to the daily activity. And, and if you can do that, then you can come to believe it. And then it's just getting out there and doing what it takes, taking the action to achieve it, right? Earl Nightingale says we get what we think about most of the time. So, you know, I used to think about negative stuff all the time. Now I just make sure that I'm really controlling my mind in a way where I'm thinking about the things I want to attract into my life, you know. And, uh, and if you visualize and think about things over and over and over and over and over again, eventually they're going to show up because it's just the way the energy of the world works. So, um, also, uh, I read a book by Matthew Kelly called Off Balance, and, uh, I used to always strive for this work-life balance thing that, that, that is out there, but, uh, Matthew really lays out in this book all of the research that shows that the world's most successful people are also the world's least balanced people. So they're people who really engage in what they're doing at the time at the highest level, to the point where the whole rest of their life would be considered out of balance from the normal, like, traditional sense of, or perspective of balance. And what you'll find is they just fully engage in that activity to its fullest and then go to the next activity, go to the next project, or the next It's like when they're on vacation, they're on vacation and their business is, you know, off or whatever, or automated or systemized or whatever. And when they're in their business, they're in their business so that, you know, performing at the highest level so that… or giving its full attention so they can perform at the highest level. And then they can go home and be fully engaged and fully present with their family. Um, so, and it's okay to fire a client. I talked about that earlier, but it's just the idea of aligning with your values, being very, very clear on what your values are. And I find a lot of people, like new salespeople, think that they need to sell everything to everybody all the time. Boy, that's just a lot of pressure to put on ourselves, right? And, and so I've just, you know, I believe that you don't have to sell everything to everybody all the time. It's okay if a customer is a suspect and not a prospect, right? It's okay if, if you have a no-sale. It's okay if you you know, if somebody no-shows you for an appointment, it's like these things are okay and they happen to all of us, right? Um, and that the goal is not… like, my biggest thing is the goal is not to be perfect. So, um, I've learned that through my coaching business that we, a lot of us, put this pressure on ourselves to be perfect all the time. And, um, and that, you know, my goal is not to be perfect. Uh, Tony Robbins says that perfection is the lowest standard to which we can achieve. Or strive for. And, um, and I really believe in that.

1:28:25 Scott Ingram: And my goal is just not to mean that you need to be better than perfect, right?

1:28:28 Josh Mueller: Exactly right.

1:28:29 Scott Ingram: Don't take this the wrong way.

1:28:31 Josh Mueller: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, you know, I mean, it's good to strive for perfection, right? Because then you'll always be improving and becoming a better version of yourself. But to expect to achieve it is kind of crazy, actually. And so, um, so I just believe in progress. If I'm making progress, that's great. If I'm doing better today than I did yesterday at what I was doing yesterday, then I'm making progress and that's a win, right? And celebrating that. So having high standards, like, you know, I think about it like this. My bar for my standards is super high, but then my bar for celebration is super low. And so the goal is to celebrate as much as possible. So even those, a lot of salespeople that I work with, they believe like, you know, in Cutco we have this thing called the trimmer. It's like a $60 sale.

1:29:15 Scott Ingram: Sale.

1:29:16 Josh Mueller: And then we have this thing called the Ultimate that's like a $2,500 sale. And, um, you know, and a lot of people, they treat the trimmer differently than they treat the Ultimate in terms of how they view it, in terms of its value to them. And to me, I celebrate the trimmer as much as I celebrate the Ultimate. There's actually been times where I've celebrated the trimmer more than the Ultimate because it was that much more difficult to get that sale And so it was like a bigger reward to actually get that sale than it was to get the ultimate. That was just the easy one, right? And so, but in my mind, the reason that's important to me is because I want to give myself permission to celebrate every bit of progress. Every order counts, every client counts, every experience, you know, like that is a forward progress experience, it counts. And so, and then it becomes a lot more fun that way too. You know, because it's not like when I don't celebrate the trimmers, the trimmers aren't good enough. Even though they're making progress, they're not good enough. And if I'm consistently telling myself in any way, shape, or form something's not good enough, then I'm negatively reinforcing it. And so I want to be positively reinforcing any progress. And, um, and that's… that goes back to the initial point, which is my goal is make progress, not be perfect, right? So was it perfect? No, it wasn't perfect. Maybe I could have sold them more, but for them, it wasn't right for them. And so I'm going to celebrate what they did get, even though it may not be what most people would consider perfect. So because to me, it's progress that's worth celebrating.

1:30:46 Scott Ingram: Yeah. What, what about the flip side? Are there things that the average seller believes that you think is, is correspondingly crazy?

1:30:54 Josh Mueller: Yeah. Yeah. Uh, sales is a tactics game. Like success in sales is tactics. And I don't believe that. So, um, I think that, uh, you know, uh, a lot of people, especially people get into sales, they, they're getting into it reluctantly, um, because they believe that sales is like a… the salespeople are sleazy, or that it requires like a skill set that has a lot of negative connotations attached to it. I don't believe that at all. In fact, I believe that, you know, we are all salespeople. You know, if you're a parent…

1:31:27 Scott Ingram: you gave an amazing example of your wife being one hell of a salesperson.

1:31:30 Josh Mueller: Oh, she's awesome. Yeah, exactly right. She sold me on staying with her for the rest of my life, so that was a big one. Um, and she, she is one of the best salespeople I know. She gets me to take out the trash in the pouring rain sometimes, you know. So, uh, but you know, parents, like, you got to sell your kids on doing their homework, you know. And, um, somebody has to sell toilet paper to the store that you buy it from. Everything needs to be sold. And so I believe that salespeople are really the backbone of the world. Without us, nothing happens, right? And so, so it… and it doesn't have to be sleazy. It doesn't have to be, you know, pushy or pitchy. It doesn't have to be what, you know, people think of sales and what it was 30, 40, 50 years ago, right? And the things that we used to be able to get away with years ago when you were the only guy in town that, that had something that people needed don't work in today's world anymore. Sales today is all about, you know, making personal connections and taking care of people. And it's, it's about the relationship, and it's, it's not about the sale or the result. It's about service, and it's about sharing, and it's about, you know, yeah, selling, but that's like the byproduct of those other things, right? Um, and, uh, you know, one of my, one of my sales processes, I'm just reminding people like, hey, our goal is just to connect and consult people. Connect with and consult people on what's best for them, and then convert them into clients if it makes sense for them and makes sense for us, right? And it's okay to say to a customer that, sorry, but you're not a good fit, and let them go. And so, you know, and then the other big thing I think that I notice a lot of people believe that I don't is just, you know, I need the… I always need the newest, shiniest thing. So the newest, shiniest piece of technology, the newest, shiniest Uh, software, the newest, shiniest car, that, that's, that's what makes me look good as an entrepreneur or salesperson. So, and I, you know, my wife drives this… she's been driving the same car for 15 years, and she's one of the best salespeople I know. She gets amazing results because nobody's judging her by her car. They're judging her by her character. Um, I drive a Toyota Camry that has one hubcap left on it, and, you know, it's got dents and it's got 200,000 miles on it, and, you know, I sell a crapload of, you know, my products and services, and it's not because of the car that I'm driving or the suit that I'm wearing. I mean, most of my meetings I show up to in jeans and a button-up shirt or even a polo, because it's not about that stuff. It's about who you are and how you connect with your clients. And can they really tell that you're there to serve them and that you have their best interests in mind? And if so, you're gonna be great. Yeah, doesn't matter how you look or what you drive or anything like that. That.

1:34:09 Scott Ingram: Yeah, awesome. And we've talked about a lot of these, but I know you've got more in there just as far as the most important lessons that you've had to learn kind of through this journey. We talked about some that were part of the shift earlier, but what else has, has really created those stepping stones through your journey?

1:34:29 Josh Mueller: Yeah, I read a book by John Maxwell called Failing Forward years ago. Um, that's a concept that's… that was a lesson that was really powerful for me, um, just embracing failure. Um, and he also wrote a lot of books on leadership. And just, you know, um, I believe if you want to be a top performer, you have to learn how to lead. And because nothing great can be accomplished alone. And so, um, learn how to be a great leader, uh, just… and, and learned from John Maxwell that great… that true leadership is actually about being a servant to others. Um, and then the, you know, the importance of setting and honoring our boundaries, right? Um, just, just understanding like what you will and won't stand for, uh, what, what is important to you, what are your values, right? Most, most people I find… for years I never did this work, and I find most people don't, don't… I've never sat down and asked themselves like, what are my values? What is most important to me personally and professionally? And then what are the boundaries that you need to keep in order to honor those values? And, um, and then sticking to those boundaries, like having integrity with that, um, being a person of your word, like following through on what you say you're going to do in all things. Um, none of us are perfect at this, but the better, like the more you pay attention to it, the better you're going to get at it. And the more you the better you do at it, the more respect and credibility you're going to have in the world. And so I want to be a person who leaves a wake in life where people can look and go, that was a guy who always… we could always count on him to do what he said he was going to do. And, uh, and then the power of giving with no expectation of anything in return. I think a lot of people give because they like… they'll only give if they get something in return. And I've just learned that, hey, you know what, Um, it's way more powerful to give with no expectation. And, uh, and then Zig Ziglar says like, help enough people get what they want and you'll get everything you want. And I like to tag on to that and more, because in my experience what I've found is that you actually get way more in return in the long run. So, um, and just be willing to play the long game. So for me, it's, you know, I, I guess I've kind of mentioned this a little bit, but it's, it's all about the lifelong experience, you know. I want to develop lifelong loyalty with my clients, and if I want their lifelong loyalty, well then I've got to willing to play the lifelong game. And so just learning the power of like thinking further ahead and, you know, anticipating, you know, hey, what does this sacrifice now mean for our long-term relationship? If I give of this right now, you know, this podcast, for example, I don't… I didn't know you. Somebody recommended that you get in touch with me and you reached out. I'm so glad you did, Scott, because it's great to meet you and talk with you. And, and, you know, it's just… this is just servanthood. This is just sharing, right? And, and so it's like, I know that through this, someone's going to be impacted. And as long as that's happening, that's all that matters, right? Uh, and, um, and, you know, we're… there were people who were where I wanted to be a long time ago that shared openly and with no expectation of anything in return. And I am where I am today as a result of, you know, just stacks and stacks of those types of people. And so, um, you know, why would I not want to… why would I want to receive from others and not exchange that energy and give back too? You know, it just doesn't make sense. So learning that lesson was really powerful. And then the investing in coaching, just it makes sense to invest, right? If you know somebody who's getting results that you want and they have the ability to coach you through that, invest in those people. It's worth it. It may hurt at first, but it's always worth it in the long run if you're willing to do the work. And then the one thing concept, which you talked about earlier, that's been a huge one. And then also I'd say 3-level mentorship. Right? Just the idea of like have someone that's at your same level, that's like a peer, that you you you hold each other accountable, you you mentor each other, like you just bounce off of each other, right? And then you know have someone that is not at the level that you're at, that you can reach down and raise up to your level, and then make sure you've always got someone who's at a level that you want to get to, and make sure that you're you're creating the relationship with them. So that they can help reach down and pull you up to their level. And if you've got those 3 things in place at all times, you're going to be indestructible.

1:38:55 Scott Ingram: That's a really interesting concept. I'm curious, what does that look like for you right now, right? Do you proactively seek out those levels? Do you let the, the peer level and the lower level find you? What… how does that sort of manifest?

1:39:10 Josh Mueller: Yeah, it's a great question. Um, so I'm always seeking out the mentors that I want to work with, and, uh, Amy and I call it… this is something that we teach and train in our speaking… is find the master, follow the model, right? So, so when it comes to finding a mentor, it's about who's getting the results that I want already and then reaching out to those people, just having the courage to reach out to them. And you'd be surprised, like, you know, I know people who wanted to be a great bestselling author and they, you know, and I said, hey, you know, I said, or somebody said to them, them, hey, reach out to your favorite author and just write them a letter, see what happens. And they're like, oh gosh, they probably don't want to talk to me. They don't know who I am, la da da da da. But you'll be amazed at the number of authors that you send them a handwritten letter, they're going to get back to you. I can't guarantee that, but I would do that with my 20 favorite authors if I wanted to be a bestselling author and ask them, hey, can I learn from you? And it's one of the highest compliments is when somebody reaches out and asks if they can learn from you. So, you know, be willing, have the courage to reach out to people. I've done that for years. And, you know, John Ruhlin was one of my first mentors, and the guy's amazing. He's like all over TV and wrote an amazing book. And I mean, he's just an amazing human being. And I had to reach out to him over and over and over and over and over again until he finally said, man, this guy's serious. So he started giving me time, and now that's turned into a lifelong relationship where he was at my wedding and, you know, we… our families have traveled together and stuff like that. But having the courage to actually reach out and grab those mentors, that's on you. I'm always looking for people who… like right now, for example, I'm building a coaching business. And so I'm mentoring with one of the world's best coaches, highest paid coaches, most impactful coaches. And then I'm also, you know, I've had my eyes open for a really long time for somebody to mentor in that. And so I have a really good friend of mine who's doing awesome with his coaching business, but is kind of hitting a glass ceiling and ready to break through the next level. And so, you know, we're, we're setting up a mentoring relationship right now where we're going to be working together moving forward. And I can help raise him up to the level that he wants to be at with his coaching business, which is, you know, the level that I'm at right now. And then, you know, I've got other people who are coaches like me that, you know, I'm just always networking with and bouncing ideas off of that. They're kind of my accountability. We talk with each other about what we're doing. And I don't believe that, you know, a lot of people look for accountability elsewhere. Like, I need someone to hold me accountable. I don't buy into that philosophy. Ultimately, if you can't hold yourself accountable, nobody else is going to. So accountability really comes from within. But where, where it really hits is when you're willing to share with people what you're doing and why you're doing it, what your goals are, why those are important to you. Because then those people are the ones that are going to check in with you and ask about it, especially your peers that are doing the same things as you. So, you know, in my sales business, this has always been true. I'm always looking for the person who's getting better results than me. And I'm reaching out to those people, learning from those people, and implementing what they're teaching me. Find the master, follow their model. And then I'm, you know, always training people in our sales business, whether it's my team or it's other people in Cutco or other places that want to learn and master their sales. And then I'm always sharing with other salespeople what's going on and learn, you know, just, just, hey, here's what our goals are, here's what we're doing. You know, people are at my level. I'm just making sure I'm putting myself in places where those people are, whether it's conferences or seminars or on conference calls or whatever. Just making sure that I'm aware of where those things are and I'm inserting myself into those communities, right? Becoming a part of them. So yeah, does that answer your question?

1:42:43 Scott Ingram: Yeah, absolutely.

1:42:44 Josh Mueller: So seek out the people you want to mentor and seek out the people that you want to mentor with, right? And if people are coming to you asking for help and guidance, be willing to say yes to them. Now, your time is a valuable resource, so you have to be aware of how much time you have to dedicate that. So again, know those values, set the boundaries, and honor those boundaries. But, uh, but always be willing to help.

1:43:05 Scott Ingram: Yeah, so no shortage of advice, but let's, let's narrow that down a little bit. I'm interested into what would you suggest to somebody that's just getting started in their sales career? And you probably see that a lot just given elements of Cutco's model.

1:43:22 Josh Mueller: Yeah, um, so first commitment is have fun, you know, just make it fun. Like, honor the struggle and, and choose… make a conscious choice to bring joy to the process, right? And then, um, the other thing is I, I'm always telling the people that I, that I teach and train, um, you'll get out of this what you put into it. And that's one of my daily mantras. I mean, I'm gonna get out of this what I put into it. So if I half-ass it, I'm gonna get half-ass results. If I give it my absolute best and forget the rest, then I'm gonna get the absolute best.

1:43:54 Scott Ingram: Out of it.

1:43:55 Josh Mueller: And, and then the other big thing is just learn like you're drinking from a fire hose, right? So learn, learn, learn. Like, leverage all of the resources that you have available, and whether they're in your company or outside of your company, just learn as much as you possibly can. And then most importantly, don't just learn but implement, implement, implement, implement, right? And then keep practicing and don't give up. I really believe that patience pays, so we have to keep at it. It, right? Michael Jordan, he was the crappiest basketball player on the team and he got cut and told that he would never be great at basketball. And he didn't buy into that philosophy. He didn't buy it. He wanted to be great at basketball. And so, you know, he shot 100 free throws. He shot basketball every day until he made 100 free throws every single day for years on end. And that's how he became one of the world's… what I would argue and a lot of people would argue is one of the world's greatest basketball players of history, right? So, and, you know, just keep at it and be patient with yourself and give yourself permission to just make progress and not have to be perfect. And then no matter what, save a percentage of every paycheck and never touch it. I mean, that's just a… it's… you got to do it as your income grows. Like I mentioned earlier, don't increase your quality of life at the same pace that you're increasing your income. In sales, it's really easy to get extended beyond your means. Based on money that you don't have yet. So instead, like, stay within your means, treat yourself well, but spend less than you make, and, uh, and then you'll be making progress. So, and then of course, like I mentioned earlier, build your business around, uh, your personal life. So make the personal life the priority, figure out what your values are, figure out what your standards are personally and professionally, and then honor those and, uh, and build your business to support that. I think that, uh, that you'll do great. And, um, And then another big thing for me that I learned, just because I get to represent a best-in-class, like world-class product with world-class service with Cutco, is, um, is if it's not best in class, don't sell it. Plain and simple. Like, you know, it's really hard to sell cheap tchotchke stuff, and there's a lot of really great high-quality things out there that need to be sold. So, and we're doing the world a disservice by selling a whole bunch of cheap disposable stuff. We should be selling the world best in class. All of the time, and so if you want to be a best-in-class salesperson, it starts with a best-in-class product, a best-in-class service. And if it's not, if it's your own business, if you're an entrepreneur and you feel like your product or service is not best-in-class yet, well then you got to get back to work and and figure out what are the steps that need to be taken to make it best-in-class.

1:46:27 Scott Ingram: Yeah, awesome, awesome. We're making working on making this a world-class podcast.

1:46:31 Josh Mueller: That's right.

1:46:32 Scott Ingram: Thanks for being here.

1:46:32 Josh Mueller: You're doing a great job. I love it.

1:46:34 Scott Ingram: So how does that advice? How does that advice change if you're talking to somebody who's a little bit further into the career? They're not just starting out. They've got some chops, but they're not at the top, right? They have way more potential. What advice do you have for them?

1:46:50 Josh Mueller: Yeah. Are they struggling?

1:46:54 Scott Ingram: Do you want them to be?

1:46:55 Josh Mueller: They can be, right?

1:46:58 Scott Ingram: How much does that impact your answer?

1:47:01 Josh Mueller: Well, so here's what I'd say.

1:47:03 Scott Ingram: Let's say yes. Yeah. It… this is, this is hard. I'm struggling.

1:47:08 Josh Mueller: Yeah, well, first you got to ask yourself, like, do you want to make it to the top? Um, and what is the top for you, right? Um, I believe the top is different for everybody, and a lot of times we get stuck in comparing ourselves to other people around us. And, uh, my good friend Luke Mills says that comparison is the thief of all joy. And so, um, I learned a long time ago that the best thing for me to do to get to the next level, to actually… like, the secret to reaching the top was actually stopping comparing myself to everybody else and starting comparing myself to my best. You'll be amazed at what you've got inside of you when you really truly tune into your potential and just make the decision to commit to being your best. And the reality is we can never be like anybody else because we're all independent human beings. There's no human… there's no 2 humans on the planet that are exactly alike. So why try to be everybody else when you can just be your best? It takes a lot of pressure off. So just focus on that, number one. And then if you're on a plateau right now or you're struggling, get honest about why you're at that plateau. Like, get real with yourself about that. And, you know, what habits are in your way of making that progress? Figure out, like, what the next level is for you and why you want to achieve that next level. Really tune into those whys. Ways. Um, and find someone better than you who's getting the results that you want, and then have the courage to go out and get in touch with those people like we talked about. What are their habits? What's their mindset? What are they doing on a day-to-day basis? What are their actions? Um, and, uh, you know, find out like what you resonate with and align with that you learn from those people, and, and then align your actions with those new habits. Like, make the decision to become the better version of yourself that you know you need to become in order to achieve what it is that you want achieve. That's the way that you get off that plateau. Um, and, uh, then, you know, practice, practice, practice. A lot of times the reason that we're in the middle of the pack is because we've had some success and we've gotten complacent. And so, um, you know, when you recommit to something bigger and you're willing to humble yourself and realize that you still have room to grow, Um, that's where you can really start to get back on that progress wagon. That's where you can really start to get back on the breakthrough, you know, uh, wagon and start, you know, breaking through the next level. And achieving and sustaining that next level is, is really just about, uh, you know, making the decision to actually become real with why you're on that plateau or why you're struggling in the first place. So it starts with taking ownership over your results, good and bad. You know, a lot of us, we want to… I found for me at least that there were times where I wanted to give myself all the credit for the success, but then blame everybody else for all of the struggle. Right. And it wasn't until I really decided that, you know what, if I'm going to give myself the credit for the success, then I also have to give myself credit for the struggles. Like I have to take responsibility for both. Um, and, uh, and then what's great is when you get real about your struggles and your, and you take responsibility for that, that, it becomes really motivating to actually want to change it. So, um, and then, you know, just stay connected with those whys. Always stay connected with the whys. Um, and, uh, and I think that the most important thing, especially if you have a high level of experience and you're wanting to break through the next level, is stop chasing results, stop chasing money, uh, recognition, and start chasing things like contribution Um, impact and, uh, and growth. If you chase those things, everything else comes as a result of that. So awesome, awesome.

1:50:59 Scott Ingram: So I don't feel like I'm doing a good job if I don't turn you into a big fan of this show. So as, as I'm talking with others, uh, who are at the top of their game in other organizations… a little more B2C in the future, we'll keep looking, uh, for, for more folks like yourself, Josh… what would you want to learn from them? You know, how, how can I improve the, the questions that, that I'm asking?

1:51:20 Josh Mueller: Oh, I think you're asking great questions, Scott. So, um, and I love this question too because it, it's a great way to compile great questions, right? So, um, so, but, uh, you know, here's what I want to know. I mean, I want to know what are people's biggest struggles, um, what are their sales philosophies. So I'm always interested in hearing other people's perspectives, and I think those are great questions that you're already asking that I, you know, like, I want to hear those things. So, um, here's a question that I think is really, I would love to know the answer to, which is, you know, what, what support do other people wish that their company provided but isn't? And why do they feel that that's important? Um, I just think that, you know, it's like, what's missing out there? A lot of times we're stuck with trying to figure everything out, you know, on our own. And, and, uh, and I would love to know, like, what, what is missing from other people's perspectives, you know? And then what's their coolest sales story and how have they used that to help them get even better at selling? So, you know, that it's like, I want to know, I want to hear cool sales stories about people's best customers and how they got the deal. Um, you know, those types of things. It'd be, I, you know, I think we all learn best through stories. And, um, and so it's, it'd be cool to hear some really great sales stories and, and and, and figure out like what were the lessons they learned and how are they leveraging those lessons to, to help them do even better right now.

1:52:46 Scott Ingram: It would be cool. What, what is your favorite sales story? So that's, that's the evil trick is I get to turn all these around on you.

1:52:52 Josh Mueller: That's great. Um, so, well, I think one of my favorite sales stories, and if you're a Cutco person listening to this, uh, you've probably heard it before, and if you haven't, you're gonna… I really love this story. But I met a guy named Donnie, and Donnie runs a company that, uh, tests people's pee for drugs. And he's got the best sense of humor in, uh, kind of in the world. Yeah, yeah. If you're in the, the pee testing industry, I guess you have to, right? So, um, best senses of humor have always come from the people I've met, that the morticians I've met, and then the people I meet that, that travel around and, and do pee testing for truckers. So, but, uh, that's what Donnie does. So, and, uh, Donnie came up to me and he's one of those get-to-the-point kind of guys, you know. I'm standing at at a trade show. I've got a booth set up. I'm selling my, you know, stuff. And he's like, you know, I, I knew from somebody I'd met that Donnie was like a good prospect, right? And so when I finally got the chance to meet Donnie, I knew he was a good prospect. So I had the confidence to… when he was like, show me what you got, I showed him everything. How much is it? It's this much. I'm never gonna spend that much, right? And, uh, show me something else. So I showed him something else and he bought it. And I was like, wow, that was really easy, right? And I, uh, um, so I just, because it was so easy, had the confidence to show him more. I was like, well, hey, since you, you know, since you're getting that, let me go and show you this other thing. And, you know, we just went through this process of like him shooting me down, him asking questions, me asking questions, showing him more stuff. And, you know, I just kept selling him stuff, you know. I would sell him something else, and then, you know, I sold him something else that was like, you know, uh, a gift package and with, you know, company logos on it and stuff like that. And then he was like, all right, I'll take it. And I was like, gosh, that was really a lot easier than it normally is or that I thought it would be. So maybe I should try some more, you know? And I just kept convincing myself that this was easy, uh, than it… easier than it should be. And so I should keep showing him some stuff, right? Um, and eventually we get to the point where like, I think he added on 10 different things, right, that I showed him. Him and 10 different packages I showed him. And at the end, he was finally like, all right, that's it. I'm done. Don't show me anything else. Right. And so I'm like, all right, I'm counting it all up. And he's like, how much have I spent? And what was funny was that the amount that he had spent was exactly what I told him the whole package was when he first asked. And, uh, and he told me like, oh, I'm not spending that much, whatever. But, um, he was excited about it. You know, I remember telling him, I was like, huh, funny. It's like this much. And he goes, oh my gosh, like, how'd you do that, right? You're really good. And I was like, thanks. Um, I remember driving home that… like, at that time, it was the biggest sale I'd ever had in my career, right? And the guy standing next to me… because I never worked by myself when I'm at trade shows, I think it's a dumb thing to do… but, uh, the guy was standing next to me, his mouth was on the floor, and I was… my mouth was on the floor. And I remember driving home that night and thinking to myself, like, something special happened there, you know? You get that giddy feeling where, like, you had your best sales day and you had your best order ever, and you're like, oh, I was was amazing. I like to ask myself questions in those moments, like, okay, what caused that to happen? What'd I do right? What could I do better? You know, were there opportunities I missed? I like to just get inside and start to, you know, re… like, I reevaluate those situations and figure out what I can learn from that to, to keep moving forward. And that's where I discovered my training I call Mastery of Observing, right? And that's where I realized that what I was doing there was I used a specific step-by-step strategy which I don't think we have time to cover today, but, you know, it's like, you know, it's like an hour-long training. But, um, that was where I learned like there's a process to actually upserving, and when you do it right, most people will let you sell them more stuff once they've said yes. And it's just about understanding what the step-by-step is and having fun with that step-by-step and following it to a T. And ever since then, I have… I've developed a discipline to always offer every customer that says yes more stuff no matter what. And, uh, and it's helped me sell far more in the same amount of time than I ever would have if I didn't have this practice in place. So, um, and it was just about, you know, figuring out like, oh wow, I sold something big to somebody and I had the confidence to show them more stuff. And, you know, then when they said yes to more stuff, I had the confidence to keep showing them stuff and get to the point where they finally told me like, that's it, I'm done. And, you know, and I just saw it as my responsibility to show them all of the value they can take advantage of, um, and let them determine when they're done. Yeah, right. And as a result, like, um, we… I know there's people all over the country who are using that practice and, you know, and it's really impacting their business in a really positive way. So, and I get to do it too, you know, every day.

1:57:36 Scott Ingram: Love it. Great, great story. Reminds me, uh, you might want to check out a book. There's a great book called Go for No.

1:57:41 Josh Mueller: Yeah, yeah, I read that. Yep, yep. If you watch the DVD, I'm in that DVD.

1:57:45 Scott Ingram: Oh, check it out.

1:57:45 Josh Mueller: Yeah, yeah. So that's funny actually. Go for No. They're great people, right? Andrea…

1:57:50 Scott Ingram: I was gonna call her out and I can't remember her last name. It's driving me crazy.

1:57:54 Josh Mueller: Yep, Andrea and, uh, her husband is, uh, or her partner is, um, anyways, Brian.

1:58:01 Scott Ingram: We'll put it in the show notes.

1:58:02 Josh Mueller: There we go.

1:58:02 Scott Ingram: That's the beauty of fixing it after the fact. So top1.fm top1.fm/15, you can go and find it. We'll have that in there. I also threw my pen over near your bookcase so I remember to take the picture on my way out. Great. So what about… I guess we haven't talked about… we obviously talked about your very biggest struggle, but what's the biggest kind of day-to-day struggle that you deal with?

1:58:25 Josh Mueller: The biggest day-to-day struggle that I deal with. Yeah. The biggest day-to-day struggle that I deal with, I'd say, is just saying yes to too much. And a good friend of mine said protect… or actually, Gary, a good friend of mine repeated a Gary Keller quote to me once, and it's Gary Keller says protect a thou… protect every yes with a thousand nos. And so I have a tendency to overextend myself sometimes and take on too many projects all at once. So just, you know, my biggest daily challenge is just always tuning into what's the most important project and what do I need to say yes to? What do I need to say no to? What aligns with my values? What doesn't? So, you know, and then also I'd say just making sure that I'm being the best leader that I can possibly be for my people. I think that's a lifelong challenge for everybody, right? Um, you know, it's actually, to me, it's not necessarily a challenge as much as it is more of a, um, uh, I guess it's a challenge but in a really good way, that I'm challenged with the responsibility to, um, keep my people working and keep them employed. And, you know, I have a team and a staff that helps me run the business the way, you know, and sell all of our products and sell all of our services and support our clients, and I have a responsibility to keep that business going so that, uh, so that they can have jobs. And, um, you know, I have a responsibility to pay that payroll every week, and I have a responsibility to, to make sure that there's money in the bank so that we can operate our business confidently and, uh, and, you know, not have to lay people off and stuff like that. And so, um, so it's a really awesome challenge to have, and I'm really excited that, that I get to be a person who takes that on on a day-to-day basis and that I have great partners and success through our entire staff and my wife and everybody else that supports us and every client that we get to work with. So, and just, I think we all experience this challenge, which is just bringing new business in. So finding new customers and keeping up with those clients and building those relationships and keeping our products and services front and center with them and making sure that they understand the value that we bring and that we're partners in their success. And not just somebody that sells them something and then hits the road. So, um, just, you know, beating that drum and keeping that message out there, um, it's, you know, again, another positive challenge.

2:00:59 Scott Ingram: So yeah, absolutely. So one of the, the last questions I always like to ask is, is who the most successful salesperson you know personally is. You sent me a laundry list, and I'm going to challenge you to narrow that list down to one. So of, of those folks you And you can still read them off. I think there's some great shoutouts here. But pick your one and why.

2:01:20 Josh Mueller: My number one? Yeah. Jon Berghoff.

2:01:23 Scott Ingram: OK.

2:01:23 Josh Mueller: So because he's one of the most intelligent human beings I've ever met. And I've seen him take multiple organizations, multiple individuals, and through his salesmanship and his coaching and guidance, and his commitment to doing what's best for people, what's best for his clients, um, he's been able to accomplish some amazing things. Uh, he's just… he's very genuine, very… I mean, he's completely genuine, completely authentic, and, uh, one of the smartest people I know.

2:02:01 Scott Ingram: Awesome. Yeah, thanks for that.

2:02:02 Josh Mueller: Yeah, absolutely. So to summarize, I really want to share that list.

2:02:07 Scott Ingram: Go, go. Well, you know what I'm going to do? I mean, great people. So what I'll share, I'll share some of the behind the scenes here. And I've actually found, I know this is going to be one of my better podcasts because it's the level of preparation and kind of commitment that my guests put forward in this. So the last episode I just did with Kyle Gutzler, we did a longer preparatory conversation than we did for the actual interview. And I think that interview was absolutely fantastic, similar to this, because you took the time and really wrote out and gave some serious thought to each of these questions. What I'll do, if you're okay with it, I'll actually include this, uh, in, in the show notes as well. I think it'll be an easy way to kind of consolidate, uh, some of those things. So that list of folks, the, the rest of those individuals will be there. But I, I have a feeling you're probably going to want to maybe add a little bit more context to to the rest of these guys.

2:03:05 Josh Mueller: They're just great people in general. So if you can look up their names, they're just awesome. And I don't share because I have any skin in the game at all with any of these people. They're just people I respect and people I look up to. But I've mentioned multiples, but Hal Elrod, John Ruhlin, those are 2 of the best salespeople. Pete Vargas, he's a guy that is really making a difference in the world for speakers and people who use stages and platforms to serve their clients. Um, and, uh, they call him the Stage Whisperer, so he's really amazing. And then Brandon Brown, one of the best Cutco sales reps, uh, in today's world right now. He's been national champion 2 years in a row. He's broken 2 national Cutco sales records that, uh, you know, for annual sales that, uh, are really big, you know. So my records that I set after 67 years of track record, right?

2:03:53 Scott Ingram: Yeah, those aren't small records.

2:03:55 Josh Mueller: Exactly. So, um, so Brandon's awesome and he'd be a great person to talk to. So, uh, for sure.

2:04:01 Scott Ingram: Fantastic. And then the last question is just trying to wrap this all together. So we've had a very long, very wide-ranging conversation. There's a thousand tidbits in here. I'm sure this is the type of thing, just like Dale Carnegie, you can go back and listen again and do a lot of, of underlining and taking notes. But if you were to really boil this down into an actionable, tangible challenge that the listener can now put what you've talked about in action over the course of the next, you know, choose your interval, the next week, the next 2 weeks, the next month. Like, what, what can they do? What's that challenge?

2:04:35 Josh Mueller: Yeah, so, um, well, if it's specific to this interview, I would say what's the biggest golden nugget that you've taken away? You know, I know when I listen to a lot of stuff, there's a laundry list of things that I write down in my notes. Go back through the notes and pick the one thing, you know, um, pick one thing out, the biggest golden nugget. Ask yourself, what's the thing that will move the needle the most? For me right now based on what I know about me, my business, my, you know, where I'm at right now, my clients? What's going to move the needle the most for me? And then do that one thing. You know, I, I'm always asking myself, what's the one thing I know that I need to do every day to get the best results and make progress towards my goals? So, you know, ask yourself that question, write it down. How much time would it need every day to really do it right? And then commit. Make the commitment and have the discipline to do that one thing every day. And just do it for the next month and see what happens. I mean, you'll be amazed. I mean, first, when you get to work, it should be the first thing that you do every day. It should be the thing that gets… you know, when you're… when you first get to work, it is… that's when you have the highest level of energy. If you're doing your morning routine, if you're getting the rest the night before, if you're prepping yourself before you get the rest the night before with the wind-down routine, then you're going to show up to work with a super high level of energy. And so, the one most important thing should always be the very first thing that gets your time when you're at that highest level of energy, that highest level of focus. So, do that for 30 days and see what kind of a difference it makes. Make a commitment to do that thing for the next 90 days. You know, um, somebody shared with me recently, they said, hey, you know, I made a commitment. I said, you know, you have a calling assistant who sets all of your appointments now, and you haven't had to set an appointment, you know, for 2 years, um, yourself. And so like, what was the secret to that? And he said, you know what, I just realized that that was the one thing that was going to move the needle the most for me. And I sat down, I asked myself like, what is the activity that I need to do to make that possible. He's like, and I sat down and I did that activity every day for 90 days straight. And because I did it for 90 days, I was positioned financially, I was positioned in terms of my results so that I could justify the, you know, investing the time and energy into hiring the person I needed to hire, investing the time and energy and resources into training that person properly so that they could do a great job. And then now that, you know, that 90 days of discipline and commitment has been one of the most valuable investments I've made in my business. So, um, so yeah, that's, that's what I would say, you know. Pick your one thing, figure out what it's going to take to do it right, how much time it's going to take to do it right, and then commit and have the discipline to actually do it. And do it for 30 days, do it for 7 days, 30 days, 90 days, whatever. Just do it.

2:07:29 Scott Ingram: Awesome, awesome. Josh, this has been amazing. If the listener wanted to connect with you because they need a kick-ass new set of knives Sure, they need some great coaching services. How can they do that?

2:07:41 Josh Mueller: Yeah, great question. Um, thank you for asking. Uh, you can visit our website. Uh, I'm gonna give you 2. So one website is sharpjosh.com, S-H-A-R-P like sharp knife, josh.com. The other one is vastactioninc.com, and that's vast like canyon, and canyons are very vast, V-A-S-T, and then the word action, uh, inc, inc.com. You can contact us us in any way, shape, or form through either one of those websites and get everything you need on how to get a hold of us.

2:08:10 Scott Ingram: Josh, I think you've, you've been demonstrating your core values, uh, massively in, in the range of this conversation. So my own gratitude to you, and, and on behalf of everybody listening, thank you.

2:08:22 Josh Mueller: Thank you, Scott. It's a pleasure, man. I, uh, I appreciate you reaching out, man. It's awesome to get the opportunity to serve.

2:08:28 Scott Ingram: Are you still listening? Well then, hopefully we're in agreement that this was one incredible interview. Again, don't forget to go to top1.fm/15 to get all the notes and links to all the great resources that Josh shared and get on the mailing list so I can send you an invite to the Sales Success Community. If you're in the US, you can text TOP1 to 444999 to make that happen right now. And once you're in the community, you'll find 2 additional audio treats. One is Josh talking about reading and overcoming resistance, and the other is his own Conversations with Champions interview with Brandon Brown titled Six-Figure Sales Months and More. Thanks so much for listening, and I'll talk to you again soon.

2:09:09 Josh Mueller: Thanks for listening to the Sales Success Stories podcast. To be sure you never miss an episode and for an invitation to our Sales Success Community powered by Influitive, subscribe to our newsletter at top1.fm.