Christine Schlonski [0:02]
Hey Gorgeous. This is episode number 309 with a wonderful Paul Higgins.

Paul Higgins [0:08]
Hello, this is Paul Higgins and you’re listening to Heart Sells! Podcast with Christine Schlonski. Please enjoy.

Christine Schlonski [0:17]
And I’m Christine Schlonski, the host of Heart Sells! Podcast, where I talk with inspirational heart-centered entrepreneurs and business leaders about how they have built a wildly successful business and in many cases had to overcome their challenges in selling their products and services. Past guests include Bob Berg, John Lee Dumas, Anthony Iannarino, Susie Carter, Kate Erickson, just to name a few. This episode is brought to you by Heart Sells Academy, where we support heart-centered ambitious entrepreneurs, to redefine sales so they can grow their business and impact by creating the lifestyle of their dreams. So if selling just does not feel good to you, and therefore it holds you back and creating a wildly successful business and lifestyle you love. Email us at info@christineschlonski.com and let’s talk about how we can support you, your impact, and business growth. Go to christineschlonski.com to learn more.

Christine Schlonski [1:22]
So let’s dive in today’s episode was the amazing Paul Higgins, Paul is a high-performance business mentor podcaster and author who helps service-based business owners struggling to strike a balance between life and work, adapt a hands-off management approach, and improve profits to fund their lifestyles. To aid other service based business owners like himself, who have come to the conclusion that having a business so reliant on themselves, is just not going to work. Paul developed a mentoring program Build Live Give, that helps such business owners take control and implement an end to end sales and operating system that they can easily generate profits. I’m so super pumped Paul is here today sharing his knowledge and wisdom with us. So let’s dive right into this episode. Well, I am so excited to have you on the show today. Paul, welcome.

Paul Higgins [2:27]
Thanks, Christine. Brilliant to be here.

Christine Schlonski [2:29]
Yes. And you know, I love how well, how do we say that how you came back, how you had a big comeback in your life, we were not going to spoil it, because we talk a bit about it. And it’s so important to find that focus to find that drive or that why for entrepreneurs, it’s not just about how to survive as a company. But sometimes in rare cases, it could be how you survive as a person. So can you give us a little bit of background? What makes you do what you do right now?

Paul Higgins [3:09]
Look, I’ve always been interested in helping other people, you know, whether it was my mom and all her family, we’re very big in our local community. And they’ll always be taking leadership roles and helping the community. So that was definitely something that I had in my environment as a child, but I think it was just also natural to me. So as always captain of my sports teams, etc. And as I went into corporate, I just loved helping people. And in particular, I was fortunate to work for a great company with very high performance. So I got the best of both worlds I got to really become high performing myself, which I’ll tell you why later, that, you know, I really made that choice. But also I got to help a lot of people and that sort of just continues today. So you know, my why is helping service-based business owners, to Build Live and Give as per my brand. And that’s what I’m truly passionate about.

Christine Schlonski [4:07]
Yeah, awesome. But I get that piece, it’s like coming from your childhood. I love the attitude of giving. But something happened with you and your health that put you on a totally new path. And there’s also this give moment in it because one of your friends came to your aid so to speak and saved your life basically. So tell us that story because I think it’s very inspiring and motivating for people. Sometimes we feel like we are in a slum and we can’t get out and things are not getting better. And then hearing a story like yours is so inspiring because you know for me, it was like oh goodness like I’m, I’m good. I’m healthy. I’m happy. I’ve nothing to complain about. But refocusing and getting clear on what you desire to do. With your life in your life is such a big aspect of also how you decide, how you want to treat your business, and what levels of success in influence you would like to have. So yeah, take us a little bit back on that story.

Paul Higgins [5:16]
Yes. So we had a bit of a family secret that my mom’s father passed away when he was 41. And mom had a massive heart attack at around a similar age, she was about 44. And then went back through the history and effectively as always on the death certificate that they had a heart attack, but it was actually kidney, so chronic kidney disease, which is 50-50 at birth, that caused the heart to stop. So, you know, mom was the first one where they really investigated it. And then they said, okay, you’ve got to get tested. So I remember when I was 18, I went in to get the test results. And I walked out, and mom and I looked at each other, and I’ve just never seen so much sadness. I just looked at her and she knew I didn’t even have to say anything. And I think, you know, right up until the moment she passed, she always felt guilty about passing the condition on and I’ve got a 50 50 for my kids to do the same. And hopefully, you know, the outcomes are much better because now I can have better outcomes than the moms. But yeah, it was one of those moments where what do you do as a young 18-year-old? Do you take the advice and do everything that doctors say or do you live life and be balanced? And I chose, I chose that combination. But I chose to be really high performing. I chose to do everything that the best, that I possibly could and take control of my situation. So rather than looking at it as a hidden, excuse me a hindrance I looked at it as a gift. And I can. I’ve got to live my life differently from other people, but let’s do everything you can with it.

Christine Schlonski [6:56]
Yeah, I love the idea of living life to the fullest. And oftentimes people do have wake up calls or moments later in life. Right? I remember that my body didn’t like to go to work anymore and I could feel it more and more each day. You know, luckily, I found ways to shift. But when you get really clear on what’s important to you, you make different choices. And life becomes precious. And we don’t take it for granted anymore. We really think about it. What’s like the legacy we want to leave? What’s the impact we would like to have, right, who do we want to serve and support? And usually, we do come up with business ideas to do exactly that. And then we get in hustle mode, right? We try to figure things out, we might get frustrated and stuck. And we forget about that big vision and about the priorities we started with. What could you tell people from everything you have lived through to become such a high-performance coach and mentor doing what you do? What would be the number one advice they could get from you in case they feel stuck right now and they don’t see that bright future and vision?

Paul Higgins [8:20]
Yeah, so I suppose I deign to even think of your health and to think of the end. I suppose. It’s not something you really want to do and I don’t. But you know, it’s that classic. Stephen Covey, in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, talked about stimulus and response. And I was actually, I hadn’t read the book then. But when I did read it back in 93. So this was 88 when I was diagnosed, I thought, well, that’s exactly what I’m doing. You know, so yes, you’ve got an everyone’s heard of Victor Franklin. Frankel or Franklin. Yeah, yeah, Franco, and you know, his situation, I’d also read that book. So I thought, you know, just got to do what you’ve got to do. But I think that’s the thing, you’ve always got a choice. So you know, for me in 2011, my specialist said, because I was working for Coca Cola traveling the world as a director, very intense role, am especially said, look, it’s pretty simple, like keep doing what you’re doing, you probably won’t see your grandkids.

Paul Higgins [9:23]
And if you change your path, you will and it was like okay, well, fair enough. Once again, I’ll take, take it on board and I’ll proactively do it. So then I set up a, I set up my business to basically run from a hospital bed and yes, you know, through a lot of luck, to be honest with who I got a kidney transplant from, but it ended up playing really well in 2008. I had, it’s called a nephrectomy, but it’s a removal of a kidney. The kidney is about the size of a soccer ball. So weighed about four kilos. I had 2 of them, so eight kilos. And I was down to 65 kilos because, you know, I’d 6% kidney function. So I was in a pretty bad way. But I wanted to hold on because you know, roughly 20 years out of a kidney transplant, you get 10 out of dialysis. So if I couldn’t get the right transplant in here, it’s about a six-year waiting list normally. So I thought, well, I’ll run it, you run your body as long as you can. So think of your worst hangover, your, you haven’t slept for three days. That’s how I felt every day. And in that, you just knew that well look, if you can just, you know, focus on the positives keep. Don’t feel sorry for yourself. And for me, you said before working and helping others was the gift that I was given. So that I actually didn’t think poor me. And the more basically, the worst I got, the more I wanted to help others to take my mind off it.

Christine Schlonski [10:54]
Yeah, that’s, that’s so powerful. And that’s also like, it’s a pretty radical shift now. But going through a sales conversation where people are afraid of sales conversations, taking their mind off of them, and really focusing on the other person how they can serve. It doesn’t allow them to go through the ups and downs in their own thinking, it really only allows them to move forward in that conversation and to really serve that person. So do you remember I mean, you had that entrepreneurial blood? Probably for a long time. But do you member what the very first thing was that you ever sold in your life?

Paul Higgins [11:37]
Look, I think the very first thing I sold was Coca Cola yoyos. So my father worked at Coca-Cola. And look, I wasn’t meant to work there. But that’s what you know, I worked there for 18 years. But yeah, I remember. We had the world champion, yoyo player, come to our town and stayed at our house and introduced me as Mexican Aegis with Tabasco sauce. I’ll never forget that experience. And he basically stood up on stage at the school and said, you know, I’ve been staying with Paul, one of my best friends, he’s going to get up on stage. Now, a year before this, I was the kid that had an eyepatch for 12 months, right. So let’s say I wasn’t the most popular kid in the world. And all of a sudden, overnight, was stardom, and dad used to let us go to the warehouse. And there were lots of yoyos lying around so yeah, I forget when they were in the shops, but I was like 75% cheaper or something. And it started selling yoyos and made a fantastic profit at a very young age. I think I would have been at that 8, 10 somebody like that? I don’t know.

Christine Schlonski [12:47]
Okay, I mean, what a cool story. So how did it feel when you had the first transaction? Yoyo for money? How did it feel receiving that knowing you had made a profit as well?

Paul Higgins [12:59]
Well, looking back in those days, all I was thinking was the least to be honest, if I could go on and buy some lollies at the shop. That was the key thing. But you know, what’s selling something that? You know, yes, the product wasn’t great. And we’ve all learned that this life’s gone on, but they actually Yoyo, in the experience and seeing you know, kids enjoy it. Yeah, I suppose that was fun as well, you know?

Christine Schlonski [13:20]
Yeah.

Paul Higgins [13:22]
Yeah. But then it led on to swap cards. And then that led on to other things. So I was always dabbling in something all through my primary school and in secondary school. So yeah, always, always creative and always looking at how to have fun with business.

Christine Schlonski [13:41]
Yeah, that’s so cool. I just love that when you know, all these stories of what people sold for the very first time, how they create how creative they’ve become, and, you know, for some selling something, and then their parents getting upset, for example, that creates a whole different story about sales. Now for someone just, you know, realizing, well, that’s pretty cool. What else could I be trading or selling? And really getting into this entrepreneurial mind? So I just love that story. So when we look at, you know, your, your path, would you say you are a natural salesperson?

Paul Higgins [14:22]
Yes. Yeah. Look, it’s something that I’ve always, always done. So, you know, I started working for Coca Cola when I was about 16. But remember that, you know, I really started working when I was 3. So my dad was a sales manager. And I was always with dad on weekends. You know? So I was brought up in that and dad wasn’t very, dad had polio as a child and really had missed most of these problems in school. And mom used to teach him to write sales letters and teach me my homework sitting next to each other. So, you know, once again, I just had a wonderful experience of that dad’s very natural. And he’s brilliant, everybody loves dad. So it was a great relationship salesperson, which was perfect for the time. So yeah, I definitely owe that to him. And then, you know, we got trained exceptionally well, even as a part-time worker for Coca Cola at 16. You know you got trained very well. And then it just continued for that year. So look, I love, no sales help. And I know, we’re sort of very politically correct on everything these days. But you know, I love to help people. And if I can see the gap that they’ve got, I can see where they want to achieve. And if I can help them, yeah, you won’t be able to stop me.

Christine Schlonski [15:41]
Yeah. Awesome. So where you’re always that confident in sales then or did you have challenges with rejection?

Paul Higgins [15:50]
No, look, I’ve always been confident in my ability when it comes to sales. Yeah, and I look like I’ve always enjoyed it. I love meeting people. I love talking to people. So I’m one of those people that walk in a crowd, I might not be the loudest person, but I’m probably the person that collects more information than anyone else in the room. So, you know, I’ve always been incredibly curious. I had a dad, it was a bit of a strange, I won’t go into a long story, but my dad, his father had a twin that lived with my grandma. So there’s three of them, right. But he was always an outsider in the house and wasn’t allowed in the house is sort of it was very sad, in a way didn’t know it at the time. But he was brilliant, is a brilliantly educated man. And just made me so curious. So I think hours spent as a young boy on a farm talking to him, just always. And that, you know, that’s why I love podcasts. And that’s why I love being on podcasts like yours, Christine. It’s just something I love to do.

Christine Schlonski [16:54]
Yeah, yeah, I know. You’re very curious. When we met first, you asked me questions that nobody else had asked me before. I’m like, huh, interesting. And it’s so wonderful because it showed me you can go so much deeper in those conversations by sharing more, or focusing more on the personal questions because that’s actually how you learn more. And I just love that. So maybe for the listeners, if you’re listening right now, what are you asking your clients? How deep do you allow that relationship? I know that when I started out in business, not in my own business, but in learning how to sell, I never, ever shared something personal. Because I was asking for high ticket. And I thought, well, if I share personal stuff, that’s not the place that’s not professional, that’s, you know, I have to be like, serious. And I have to get my pitch through. And I have to close the client because that was expected. And so learning how you actually can handle the relationship, how you can be yourself how you can have fun, and the conversation was something that didn’t come natural, because I had the belief system of how I had to be as the good or perfect salesperson so that someone would actually say yes, to what I had to offer.

Paul Higgins [18:18]
And I think that the thing that really helped me was the Coca Cola company, and all their training was, you know, it was, you know, as an American company, it was very American. And what I mean by that it was, you know, get the results. So it was very results-focused. And that’s why I was high performing because you always had to do better than next year and all. But I think the benefit of having all of that training, but growing up in Australia is that Australians don’t like that style, they don’t like being hit between the eyes with a sell. So I think it was a really good combination if you’ve got all the skills, but then you adapted it for your local market. And I think that’s what’s helped me quite well with, you know, now my clients all over the world where you do have subtleties. Like for example, you know, if you work in Scandinavia, you know, it’s very, very difficult to get personal information out of them. And I think it’s sort of tada from the top. So from the lack of sort of working down of Finland working down there, it gets easier in the UK to Germany, but it’s still, still a little bit harder. Whereas here in Australia, it’s quite common. That’s how you start. So I think, yes, you’ve got to get the information. But you’ve also got to understand the cultural overlaying in how you get that information.

Christine Schlonski [19:35]
Yeah, speaking about culture overlaying. So what would you say to someone who would love to sell something to Australians? How do they need to tweak their approach when they come while you’re like every country in Europe has a different tear approach like Italians sell differently than Germans?

Paul Higgins [19:53]
Yes.

Christine Schlonski [19:54]
Americans sell differently and Canadians probably more like Americans. But what would be like a piece of advice you could share or like, do it and definitely don’t do this one.

Paul Higgins [20:07]
Yeah, look, I think Australians that don’t like bias, okay, so that I don’t like to be sold at, as I said before, or they, they, you know, they want to be a matter of fact, in a way, like, just tell me what you’re going to achieve. And also in a way, we’re actually quite conservative in buying so we’ve got a tendency to say no before, yes, whereas especially in the field that I mean, like mentoring and development in the US, it’s very much a part of their culture. You know, that’s where all of the main people I said, Franklin Covey, before Stephen Covey, all of those have come out of the US. So it’s more well known here. But here, like even having a coach or a mentor, it still feels a little bit strange here in Australia. So I think, you know, definitely get to the point, but also have social proof. Because they want to know that this is worth it and that it’s worked for someone else like them. Whereas I find in America, it’s a little bit more you build the relationship, you show them the outcome and how you’re going to get there. And they’re a bit like, Okay, well, I’m willing to give you a try. And if it doesn’t work out, then that’s okay. Whereas Australia, a little bit more conservative by nature.

Christine Schlonski [21:18]
Yeah, okay. Yeah, it’s interesting. For a long time, I felt like all the coaching, that’s not something that’s known in Germany.

Paul Higgins [21:26]
Right.

Christine Schlonski [21:26]
And I remember when I was an exchange student, so many people talked publicly like about their therapist, and thinking like, what’s wrong, like, you know, from a German point of view that needs, that means that you need to be fixed. And that’s not a good thing, right. So like getting used to that culture, and that they actually embody getting support was something I had to wrap my head around. And, you know, it’s coming more and more. So when you say, well, I have a coach in Germany, depending on where you see it, and what you know, with people, depending on who you talk to, that is something, okay, now, something normal doesn’t need me. It doesn’t mean you need to be fixed. It means you are looking for shortcuts, you are looking for the experience somebody else has already made and you show you how it works. So you don’t need to go for trial and error.

Paul Higgins [22:27]
To be honest, that’s why I focus a lot on North America, because I know it’s because I don’t have to educate as much they already see the value of a mentor. It’s just whether you’re the right mentor for them. So I find it a lot easier to help people.

Christine Schlonski [22:41]
Yeah, yeah, that’s, yeah, that’s true. I have a lot of clients in the US and Canada as well. And I feel like the German market is waking up, it feels it feels pretty good. Let’s see what the future brings.

Paul Higgins [22:54]
Yes.

Christine Schlonski [22:55]
So I’m really looking forward to our next episode, I would love to go deeper and actually high performance. How can you do that in your business, right? Because I know for sure that not every minute I sit in front of the PC is a minute that I should be sitting in front of the PC. So is there any parting advice you would love to leave our listeners with for this episode?

Paul Higgins [23:21]
Look, I think it’s that stimulus-response. So if I think that’s the big thing, even with sales, if you’ve got a fear of sales, or you’re carrying a lot of baggage with sales, you’ve got the opportunity to reframe that. Okay, so you make that choice to reframe it. So I think that is one of the key points. And the other, which we’ve talked quite a bit about is, you know, building that personal relationship, you know, people buy on emotion and rationalize in fact, after so I think you’ve got to build those connections.

Christine Schlonski [23:54]
Yeah. Awesome. And you also brought us an amazing gift. Do you want to fill us in?

Paul Higgins [24:03]
Yes, so I’ve got an assessment. And what it is, is I’ve got a four-pillar framework that I use to help mentor the people I mentor, and in that it’s got 29 components, but in the quiz, it’s 15 questions you can do in about three minutes. And it just really sees if your business is as fit for high growth as you think you are. And often what I call it is, you know, you running a profit machine or a sweatbox and you can get that and buildlivegive.com/assessment.

Christine Schlonski [24:45]
Yeah, I will definitely put the link in the show notes so people can get access to it and I highly recommend it because it will probably be eye-opening where you think you are or maybe you would know maybe you are even at a better level than you think you are, which could be a nice outcome as well. But getting that clarity, because only from that place of clarity, you can take the right actions, and you have a good starting point. So thank you so much for bringing that to us. And yeah, thanks, Paul. And I’m looking forward to our next conversation.

Paul Higgins [25:20]
Excellent. Thanks for having me on today, Christine.

Christine Schlonski [25:22]
Well, I hope you love this episode, as much as I did. I just enjoy talking to Paul so much. And I love the message he’s bringing to the world and the past he has taken, hop on over to christineschlonski.com , find the podcast tab with the show notes, the transcript, and also has all the links to Paul. He’s just one click away, make sure you get his wonderful free gift. And you’re signing up for The Heart-Centered Lead Generation Summit Experience, which is a summit all-around lead generation where you can get amazing advice from over 40 entrepreneurs to fill your pipeline with highly qualified, amazing potential clients and never have to wonder again, where’s your next client going to come from? I’m looking forward for you to tune in into the next episode number 310. The Four Pillars To Build A Thriving Business where Paul is giving away more of his content and amazing golden nuggets. Thank you so much for having been here. Have an amazing day wherever you are in this beautiful world. And I’m saying bye for now.