Grow Your Credit Repair Business with CHAS WILSON’S Networking Strategies!

Hey, credit heroes. I have a very special guest today. Networking expert Chaz Wilson is here. He's the founder of Master Networks and he's going to show you how you can grow your credit repair business bigger and faster by building relationships. So you better stick around. My name is Daniel Rosen and welcome to Credit Repair Business Secrets. Our most successful credit heroes, the ones who make a great living and change a ton of lives. They all have one thing in common. They all have built relationships with other businesses. Chaz Wilson is the founder and CEO of Master Networks, which has thousands of members all across America. He spent a decade consulting business leaders and entrepreneurs. He's passionate about helping small businesses succeed through the power of networking and relationships. He's also the author, author of the best selling book five plus one, the Entrepreneur's Formula for Success. And he's here today to show you how to grow your business and increase your revenue by building relationships. I know you're going to love this interview. You're going to get a lot of value out of it. So please welcome Chaz Wilson. Hey, Chaz. Welcome to the podcast.

Daniel. Honored to be with you. Thank you for the invite. I'm just, I'm so honored to be with all of you.

Well, I'm so honored you're here. I want to know everything, but let's start with what is Master Networks?

I was in the real estate industry for 10 years. I don't know if I've ever shared that with you, but I was in the real estate industry for 10 years back in 2008, 9, 10, when it got really hard, really tough. Credit was tight, loans were hard, all of that kind of stuff. And one of the things that I understood is I built that whole thing through relationships. I'd built it all through connections. I started to build a networking group, a networking organization to grow my real estate companies. And I'll just tell you, it happened so fast, so quickly that I had to make a decision. I had to make a decision if I was going to keep the real estate companies or if this was the new business that I was going to pursue. And I did, and I started that in 2011. And here we are, you know, over a decade later with thousands of members and Master Networks really quickly. It's a learning based organization. So at the core, we're an education company, but we organize through networking groups around the country. We're in 26 states now. We're actually, actually global. We have people in Australia and uk. It's super awesome, but we've got people all over and we come together to connect, to share and to prosper together.

And you have many chapters all over there, in all the major cities. And each chapter just has one of each kind of business, am I right?

Yeah, that's part of what we do. So we're kind of this hybrid. If you're familiar with other networking organizations, I'll just say that some people don't really like the word networking because it, like, has all this connotation of work and all this stuff.

Sure.

But really we're this community together. Right. We have these groups, these chapters around the country where, yes, there's one, say, credit repair person, one real estate person, one mortgage person. But then beyond that, we also have this online community that you can connect all over. So what's different about us is we have, yes, the local chapter, but then we're also this national and global organization as well. And so people are sharing education, ideas, tips and referrals all across the country as well.

Well, yeah, that's, that's key for our credit heroes. They. They need to build and maintain relationships with mortgage brokers, realtors, auto dealers, tax preparers, really any kind of business that's turning people away because of credit issues. And, and yes, we did actually see that you used to be in the real estate space. So did you interact with credit repair companies back then?

Yes, and still do. In fact, our top. This is what I think I shared this with you when we were talking a couple months back at an event that our top person in our whole organization as far as the. Has built the biggest network inside of our organization, has had the best success out of it is actually somebody that does credit repair. And I was like, oh my gosh. When you and I started talking, I thought, this is crazy. Like, I tell people that they're like, credit repair. Like, they don't know credit repair. Like, this is the thing they've done the best in our whole organization. And like, when I think about, I have five children, my significant other, I have multiple companies, my partners. Right. Everything in life has come through relationships. And if we know that to be true, we've always heard too that word of mouth is the greatest form of marketing and referrals. But most people don't have a specific systemized way that they go get word of mouth referrals if people are solely focused on ads and funnels and those things work. I get it. But let's say Facebook or Google shuts you down. Now what? And there's another component, Daniel, I think is really important that our people aren't talking about, and I just want to share this right out of the gate here, is that building a network insulates a business. Most people trying to build an isolation, you know, they're in their basement or they're at home and they're building behind a computer and we hide behind the computer that that's in isolation. And it can be lonely as a business owner doing that. But if you can get out and have a systemized way, which we teach to connect with others and build those relationships, man, you have insulated yourself against any market condition that could come at you or, or event like Facebook shutting down ads or. Or whatever it might be. You've insulated yourself when you were a realtor. Yeah.

If a credit repair business owner approached you and wanted to build a relationship with you, what would make that good? What would make it bad?

Oh, great question. And actually, you know, it's interesting when I think back to those years that I did that, there was one and that's the one I worked with because the he was. And the really reason why is because he was willing to sit down and build a with me. When you think about a real estate agent, I'm putting so much effort into getting that lead, getting that prospect and turning them into a customer. And so I have to trust that you're going to treat them well, you're going to take care of them. And that's only going to come through taking care of me and understanding my business and sitting down and building time. Time is a multiplier in this. And I think if I'm a credit repair person today, real estate agents are getting and mortgage people are getting literally bombarded with ads and do this thing and do that thing, sit down and say, let me show you a path and let me help you. What are other ways I could support you and help you? That to me is if I was starting credit repair right now, today, I would go out, I would sit down with real estate agents of mortgage people, show them what I could do, but more importantly, show them that I care about them and their business and that I could be an extension to their business.

And what's something they should avoid doing.

Don't get lost in the features and benefits of what you do. I had an insurance guy walk in my door today, which I never do. And within 30 seconds he said, hey, I looked you up really quick and there was a couple things he mentioned that he knew about me. And I was like, okay, he's got my attention. And the thing I thought is he took 30 seconds probably all he did, but he took 30 seconds prior to walking through my door. And that just stood out to me. Most people just knock on the door or come in and say, hey, I'm selling this. It's like, no, just come in and get to know the person. So don't come in with just a bunch of features and benefits. Again, it goes back to the relationship.

What are some of the best practices for credit repair business owners to build relationships with referral partners.

When I was in the real estate game, you know, everyone looks at I'm looking for a buyer, I'm looking for a seller. I actually went after hospital HR directors because they were ideal connectors. They were the people who didn't just send me one deal, they sent me ten deals a year, right? And if I could make their life easy and wonderful, they would just keep sending me deals. So I think it's going higher level. It's saying, if I'm in credit repair, who are the person again, real estate agents, mortgage professionals. Who are the people that could send me multiple deals? We call those your ideal connectors. What you're going to try to do, you're going to make a list of those people and then you're going to reach out to them. And we always talk about doing what we call face to face stacks. Take this as a note. Here's the thing that happens. Most people don't do this. This is easy to do, therefore it's easy not to do, but it's a stack. So here's what I would do if I'm credit repaired. Let's say I would go to the same place every week, somewhere nearby, and I would ask a realtor, let's say a mortgage professional. So let's just use those three solar. I love that one because that's hot right now, right? Okay, so here's what I would do. I would start with the mortgage professional. I would say, hey, can you meet me at 9 o'? Clock, I'd love to connect with you. And then I'll tell you what you do when you're there. Then maybe at 10 o' clock you have the real estate agent show up. And then at 11 o' clock you have the solar person show up, right? So in a three hour window, you've made three connections. But here's the beauty of this. When the mortgage person comes at nine and they're done and that real estate person shows up at 10, guess what you're going to do. Hey Daniel, I'd like you to meet my new friend Keenan, right And you made that connection. All of a sudden you're like the star, because you're now connect not just the connection you just made, but you're connecting other people. And then when the real estate agent leaves and the solar person shows up, you connect the two of them. So now you become this connector all around, everywhere you go. And so that's kind of the beauty of what we call a face to face stack. Now, if the distance is an issue, you can do that via Zoom, too. I do those across the world via Zoom, have a meeting with you, have someone come into my Zoom room. I connect them, say, hey, Daniel, see you later. Now I talk to Keenan, all that kind of stuff, right? So that's. That's one way you can do it. Second way you can do it, of course, is joining an organization like Master Networks, where we put everybody together for you. That's. That's a way you could do that as well. But here's what we teach. What I will share with, with all of you is something I called the Bond method. Okay, right now, somebody's listening to this, going, dude, I don't want to do this. Like, I've been to those lunches and I've been to those meetings, and I've been. Well, that's how this started. I got invited by a banker, and he kept calling and calling, saying, hey, can I take Chaz to lunch? And I kept. My assistant kept putting him off, and finally she's like, I have come up. I can't come up with any more excuses. Would you please take this guy to lunch? So we, we. He. I said, fine. He. He says, meet me at Chipotle. We go to Chipotle. I don't know what that has to do with the story, per se, but, like, we get there and I mean, man, you've been to these meetings before, right? Where you. As soon as you step in the. The place, he just started talking. Like, I could not get him to stop. And he started talking about cars. Now the interesting thing, I'm not a car guy. Like, so it didn't mean anything to me. We get our food, we sit down. Long story short, he's takes his hot sauce and. And he goes to put it on his burrito and it hits the table and it spills all over me. Oh. And I get up to leave. Yeah, I get up to get a napkin, and he's still talking. He didn't even know I left the table. And so we get up to. I'm like, how fast can I get out of here? How fast can I get out of here? And I get up to leave, and he says those magic words. He's like, hey, this was great. We should do this again sometime. And I'm like, not on your life, man. No way. And so I leave, frustrated, upset. And so you're listening to this, going, well then, Chaz, why would I go do what you just told me? Here's the reason. Because that meeting was the greatest lunch I ever had. Because it taught me something. It taught me that people don't know how to network. So here comes the bond method. Okay, this is what you're going to do. By the way, this method right here has allowed me to get into mastermind groups. It's allowed me to connect with some of the top business people in the world because of this strategy right here. Okay, so here it is. It's an acronym, really easy to remember. B is you build on a common interest. Oh, I know that's earth shattering. I'm telling you, it doesn't happen, Daniel. It doesn't happen. People get in the meeting, they start telling about themselves. No, build on a common interest. Like, if I. If I didn't know you and we hopped on here, I would find something which is really cool. You have an excellent background. Like, I'd be like, oh, those are cool. What's the robots about? You know? Or, oh, the Inc 5000. Like, tell me about that. Right? I would see something there. I would come up in common. I know you're headquartered in California. I grew up in California. I would just start talking about that, right? Build on something in common. It's a skill. Oh, occupation, Exploration. Meaning now that we've built a relationship of some commonality. Daniel, tell me about your business. Tell me how you got started. Tell me why you do credit repair. Because here's the thing that happens. Everyone knows they go to a networking. It's like a good old boys club. You can't. Everyone walks up, hey, Daniel, Credit repair. Oh, what do you do? No, stop. Timeout. That's amateur. Go back and build something in common. Then ask about what you do in work. Ask a ton of questions. N needs discovery. Hey, Daniel, what do you need right now? What's keeping you up at night? Who are you looking to connect with? How can I help you? Those kinds of questions, you'll be amazed at how people are like, wow, okay, I wasn't prepared for that question, but yeah, well, what, you know what makes you nervous? You know, what are your competitors doing? And then D is develop an opportunity. What most people look at networking about is they're like, I'm trying to develop the opportunity right out of the gate. No, chill, calm down. That comes later. If you build long lasting relationships over time, they will always either turn out to a develop an opportunity for you or for someone else. So that was a long. And maybe you want to unpack or ask any questions. But that's the bond method, right? That's what you do when you're in front of people and you're having a face to face meeting.

Yeah, that's awesome. It actually sounds really simple, but I can see the order because that opens people up and then they want to help you.

Yes.

Yeah, that's brilliant. Now once you've developed that relationship, well really, how do you build it from there and how do you maintain it?

Yeah. So let's say just for people watching, especially in the credit repair. So let's say we're having a conversation, right? And I'll just say I'm credit repair and you're a real estate agent and we're talking, right. And I'm asking you questions and I start asking you what are your needs? Like what are the things you're like. Well, it's really tough right now and XYZ and. Okay, great. Well, I don't know if you're aware and maybe this is where the develop opportunity comes in. I'm going to give you kind of the 101 and the 201, like the advanced level, beginner level. So beginner level would be. Well, Daniel, I don't know if you're aware, but as a credit repair specialist, you know, I could help. And here's, here's a potential way I could propose. I could help you solve that issue. And maybe what we should do is schedule another time because this was great. I'll tell you, most business, Daniel doesn't come in that first meeting. You're really building the relationship. And if you're, if you're a pro, you don't even try to do business that first time. I'm just telling you it's, it is so transactional this game right now that if you can be more relational than transactional, you'll win long term. But the advanced level is, here's what I can do for you. But you also mentioned ABCD is a problem. And let me introduce you. I want to, I'm going to connect you with my friend because he could solve that problem or she could solve that problem for you if you're open to it. Would you like me to make that introduction? So Much that I've done in business has come through someone else. I've referred to them and then I circle back and say, hey, did they help you? Did they connect you? Yes. Great. And now I'm sitting in front of them doing business because they appreciate the connection.

Amazing. How do you maintain those relationships and keep them alive?

So that's the million dollar question. It's not as hard as we think. Okay, so here's what I do. I, in my, my CRM, in my database, I have like a pipeline. Okay. I probably could have pulled that up, but it's a pipeline and it's called my tribe 25. These are my 25 people that I'm constantly working on. And those are the new ones I'm trying to connect with. And then once they become part of that, they go into what. For me, I just call it my 48 touch group, meaning I'm trying to touch once a week throughout the year.

Right.

Taking a few weeks off. That's why it's only 48. So 48 touch group. So my tribe 25, my top 25 group, these are the people I'm trying to connect with. And I keep a pipeline and I just say scheduled a face to face, had a bond meeting. What's the follow up action? If I feel like it's going to go somewhere, I drop them into my 48 touch. And all my 48 touches is every morning I come in and I'm going to go through that list and I just personally, I customize it. I don't automate all of it. Hey, Daniel, hope you're doing well. Thanks for the podcast interview. Hey, Keenan, hope things are going well. Just want to touch base, follow up on our conversation. And it's just a lot of that follow up. You'd be amazed at how many people are like, hey, it was good to hear from you again. I'm not spamming them, I'm not hitting them up for business. I'm always trying to add some value and it's, I hate to say this is like really a simple game and I know everyone's like waiting for the magic bullet. But think about relationships. They take work, they take time, but they're long lasting and they just drive business for forever.

Sure. And this is a skill that I think is lost with the Internet and with all of us hiding behind screens and apps and social media. This is really a skill that has always driven business and I think it's been forgotten.

Yeah, I mean it's so it's two things. It's A mindset and a skill set. Think about when you go to any kind of a chamber event or anything. We go to you. And I go to these mastermind events.

Sure.

I'm immediately wired for. Who can I connect them to? Like, I just start to go in and go, oh, Daniel, I heard you say this. You know what? I know somebody who does credit repair. I know somebody does health insurance. I know. Would you be open to an introduction? They're like, I don't even really know you, but sure, that'd be great. People are caught off guard when you're trying to add value to them. They're almost like, wait, what's the catch? What's in it for you? What are you trying to really do? And if you do that enough times, like, you know what they also do? They tell everyone about you. And look, credit repairs in industry. People already don't trust credit. Right. Like, they don't trust the creditors. So now you're coming in trying to be the heel hero, which you are. So imagine if you not just did it through credit, but you also connected them to other people. You'll get referrals coming to you left and right. Wow.

What about people who are shy? Like, the first couple times I went to networking events, I was afraid to talk to people. So what can introverts do when being a social butterfly goes against their nature?

I love this question, and I don't know if you remember this, but the first mastermind, you and I went together. Yeah. When we go into the second one, there was our friend Chris Demeshore stood up and said, chaz, I thought you didn't like me because you just, like, you're so quiet and stuff. When I tell you this, I know people think I'm lying. I've been doing this for 13 years. I'm an introvert by nature, and I own a networking organization. What I'm telling you is the Bond method can give you some confidence. Because what we teach in master networks is the skill. Every week we practice bond so that when you're with somebody, you really need to, like, nail it. You have the skill set down, and as an introvert, like, it's your safety net. Bond is like your safety net because you're like, what do I do? What do I say? So we teach people to come up with two or three introductory build on a common interest statements. And then it's like, the rest is natural. The rest will happen. It's just typically, people are afraid to start. And how do I actually talk to somebody? How do I Approach them. So we teach them that as part of the build on a common interest statement.

Awesome. And some people feel like networking feels disingenuous or salesy. How do you respond to that?

Well, a lot of it is. I'm not gonna lie. Like, a lot of it is. A lot of people are very disingenuous, and that's why it's so easy to stand out. I remember when I met Russell Brunson the first time, you know, marketing guru and I. There was a line of people. There was like three or four in front of me, and I could just. I could almost read his body language. Like, people, we're just like, hey, Russell. They go, you know, and they're. I walked up and I said, hey, Russell, it's nice to meet you. You don't know me, but we have a lot in common, actually. You have five kids. I have five kids, and I. You are a wrestler, and it's funny. I would really like your opinion, because one of my twins just started wrestling. He's like, wait, you have twins? I'm like, yeah. He's like, I have twins, too. And it was off and running, and the people behind me, I could feel the stairs, because they're like, dude, I want my turn. And he and I were just jamming about our kids, and then I realized. And kids in wrestling. And that's what was important to him. And we spent 15 minutes, and no one. And then the event started, and everyone. And I thought I was hogging all the time. And I thought, you guys, it's not hard. It's not hard, but we have to be wired that way. Not wired like, I'm looking for business. I'm looking for business. And now, you know, Russell's referred people to me as well. And so I leapfrogged every level of mastermind he has and got into the top level mastermind. Because of the connection that I made with him, I think is the only reason that is so awesome. It's just about doing the different. Like, be a little different that way.

Yeah, yeah, I hear you. What's been the most rewarding aspect of your journey so far?

Wow. What a powerful question. The surgeon general just put out a report. It's 85 pages. And he talked about the epidemic of loneliness and being a business owner, super lonely at times. You know, you've heard the phrase, it's lonely at the top, heavy as the head that wears a crown. All of those things I have received a handful of times over the last few years. Maybe not all the exact same Message, but messages similar to this. And I got one a couple years ago. A lady came up to me and she was crying, and she said, I've been running my business. Her husband had passed away. She was so overwhelmed that she was at a place where she considered taking her life. And she said her Master network's group was like her family and was there when she didn't know where else to turn. And I took that as one of the greatest honors that she felt vulnerable and safe enough with that group, that network that we had built, that it truly saved her life. That's not the only time I've heard that. So sometimes I even make the mistake in missing the game I'm playing. There's this great scene in the. In the movie about Ray Kroc.

The founder.

The founder, yes. Thank you. He's sitting there and he thinks he's talking about hamburgers. And the guy that's advising him says, ray, you're not in the burger business. You're in the real estate business. And the aha comes to him. And I think. We think we're all in the credit repair, real estate. We're in the people business, man.

Yeah.

And as soon as we understand we're in the people business, we approach it completely different. We start to care differently. We start to approach it differently. And when that switch happens, I believe, and I've seen in the multiple companies that I have, that we never hurt for people. They come out of places everywhere because we are people first in relationships first. So sorry, that was a long answer to your short question.

I love that. That was really, really great. And I'm going to switch gears real quick. I want to ask you a few rapid questions and just answer with the first thing that pops into your head. Okay.

Oh, boy. Okay, sounds good. Let's go.

What's your business superpower?

Oh, my superpower, I think, is being a visionary. I can see. I see things for people that they need to shape in their business. I see things for our company that before they need to happen. Yeah.

What's your business? Kryptonite. The thing that gives you the most trouble.

It's people. So I love people. And it's also our kryptonite. I trust very easily. And on occasion, that has hurt me because I think people have taken advantage of that. So I hear you.

What business ownership mean to you.

It's a blessing I do not take lightly that we have a freedom to get up every day and write our own. Like those of you that do credit repair, like you could be Digging ditches. Right. Like, it could. There's hard work and then there's also places where you don't have freedom. And I just really honor and respect and I'm grateful for the freedom I have to be an entrepreneur.

Me too. What's your definition of success?

My definition of success is lived daily by the fact that I have the freedom to choose to be like my kids and my wife for my life. And I know a lot of people say that and like, and it is for them as well, but like, for me, I can go to every one of my kids football games. I've coached them. My daughter's getting ready to go to college. I'm able to take her to college. I'm able. I can literally do anything and everything my kids need and want me to be at. And to me, that's. I believe the greatest success comes in the four walls of our home. And so I get to be a present father. And that's my success for me.

That's awesome. If you could go back in time and tell yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?

It's never as good as you think, and it's never as bad as you think. I mean, I've been at the depths. I had $27 in my bank account when I started this company. Nearly lost everything. I could have used you guys probably back then, where were you? I didn't know. And then I've had some really big highs that I thought, man, I'm on top of the world. And I got a little too in my head. If you're listening to this and business is struggling, that's temporary. Yeah, temporary.

It sure is. What's coming up next for you and Master Networks?

Well, we just launched our community, which community means we do have local chapters. But one of the things, talk about visionary to tie that all in. One of the things we were up against, Daniel, is we see people all over the world and all over the country who are lonely. They need connections. They feel lost. They don't know what to do next in their business. And we provide education on being great business owners. I wrote the book that you talked about here. Tens of thousands of copies. We've helped tons of entrepreneurs 10 20x their company, not just through the networking, but through the education. And we realized that we don't have chapters everywhere. We can't launch them fast enough. So what we did is we created a mobile platform that brought the whole community together worldwide. And it allows people to plug into our education and connect and do face to face on the app, do the bond method, do all of that and make connections. So we've literally built the connections for you. Just plug in and just for your group. This is what I do for my friends. You guys are amazing and I want to offer this. Since we talk so much about the community that I have, I want to give your people a seven day free trial to Master networks community. Okay, go to learn.masternetworks.net they'll get a free seven day trial. So learn.masternetworks. net Community, they'll get a free seven day trial and they can connect with people immediately using the bond method.

Awesome. And how can people get your book?

Great question. Thank you. Also, I'm going to do that for free for your people. So they just got to cover the shipping. So it'll be free5/one.com and they just go to free5/one.com, put in their information, cover the shipping and I'll send a book out to them.

A free book. That's amazing.

Yeah. Well, that's what I do for friends, you know, that's what we do.

Well, it's been awesome having you here. I want to thank you so much for your time. This was a lot of fun and I wish you continued success. And I'll end by saying, if you want to learn even more secrets about growing your business by relationships, check out my interview with Troy Hitt. And if you'd like to get certified in disputing and gain confidence and grow your very own credit repair business, check out Arkansas Credit Hero Challenge. Doors are closing soon, so sign up right now@creditherochallenge.com and keep changing lives.