The Numbers Are Where You Find the Magic with Frank Dillion

Welcome to this episode of the Million Dollar Mastermind. I'm Larry Weddell. And before we get started, if you want to know exactly how to win again and again, go to Wydell on winning.com webinar now to watch something I've put together for you. Now let's get going into this episode of Million Dollar Mastermind. All right. I am with Frank Dillon and Frank mentioned something that I want to dig into a little de time we talked, he was sharing some of the major insights he had learned as he built his career and grew in promotion level, title level, income while he was going to school and principles he used when he became got his business, his own business started. And one of the things that he went through very quickly that I wanted to, because nobody's better talking about this than Frank, and that is keeping up with the numbers and not just assuming your people are doing or working or doing the right things, but making sure, basically keeping them on a leash. Because when they're trainees, they can get into all kind of problems they don't know they're getting into. They can lose time, they can go the wrong direction. And if you know their numbers, it's a powerful tool for training, recognition, but also to make sure that your business is growing and they're going to make money and be successful. They're going to do the right things. But you have to be proactive in finding out what did you do. And if you're not doing the right things, that tells you what you need to talk about when you talk. So talk about charting the numbers, keeping up with the numbers, and how did you naturally do that? Did you learn to do that? Did you grow into that? And how has it been a central part of your success?

Larry, thank you for having me on your podcast. And again, I'm repeating myself because one of the things that I learned from you guys is that, number one, you need to keep your people focused on activities, which is basically a, you know, just don't prospecting and going all over and get to get them to become big leaders. You're going to have enough, enough activity for you to make 5, 6, $7,000 a month, you know, and that's what a district leader, division leader. But at the same time, you develop a system of being dynamic, a system that is active and everybody, you know, get to be busy. I think the worst thing that can happen right now for people is that they use the texting machine, the zoom, and keep motivating people. But that doesn't help, Larry, only to motivate people. The idea is to tell people, listen, you need to learn how to create activities.

100 out of 100 offices would have the leader saying those things. But they can't, they don't get it to happen. You know, they're like preaching, this is the standard preaching to the people. If you got a sales organization, and for those of you all that are not in, in sales management, the idea for getting the new recruits to get recruits is to help them get the core of their own business, their key people in place as quickly as possible. So while right early on, while they're going through the learning process, they can have some key leaders of their own going through the process. And, and that greatly accelerates the development of their career. So they're never really just a salesperson or a, or a lonely person, you know, they're, they've always got a little gang, you know, and gangs are stronger than individuals. And, you know, even if it's just one good person, if you got the buddy system going, one other good person can, you know, it gives them someone to compete against, drive against, you know, they don't want to miss a meeting because their friend's going to be there, you know, or. And so it just creates, you know, the peer pressure, all the good dynamics. But everybody knows that. But not everybody gets it done. But you took the time. You know, I remember going up there many years ago and sitting in on a Thursday morning meeting and you had your full timers in there and, and one by one by one you had them talk about where their numbers were. And then you took that and you wrote it up on the board. Yeah, there's, there's something about the leader not just hearing the numbers said, but the leader writing the numbers down. Because that takes, only might take a second. But when I was doing was amazing to me how that imprinted it in my brain, Frank, you know, the fact that I wrote down rather than just hear about it, you know, it's kind of like writing down directions when someone's giving you. Rather than they just, if they just tell it, you say, okay, I can remember that. Then you go and you get lost. But if you write it down somehow it, you know, it makes it more specific and it makes it last. But you did that. Did you do that right from the beginning? How did you learn that? Why did you always keep up with their activity, specifically what they did?

Well, you know, when you have a team that they want to win, they also create some ideas. They be creative and say, frank, you know, I think that we should keep the score of all the leaders here so we can move our teams and the scoreboard. The score was significant. And people, because they were seeing the numbers, and the numbers don't lie. Numbers don't lie. So when you get a number and then you ask them, you see where you at and what would you like to go? And they say, you know what? I think I need to move. Because during recognition, you know, the numbers are going to come out. You remember your newsletter, right? You remember your newsletter?

Yeah.

You know, the leaders were, you know, so, so pressured by that because they wanted to win. They wanted to show that they made money.

Yeah.

You know, so I think that was very helpful with the newsletter. And I used that. I used the newsletter, the scoreboard. Actually, at one point, Team A, you see you're not where you're supposed to be. What do you need to do, what kind of help you need? Go, let's go, let's go, let's practice, let's go back to the fundamentals. What do you need? And things like that. So we also run, you know, some contests for people to get like, you know, going to dinner. We used to have the, you know, the trip would. We invented the trip or the celebration at one weekend at the end of the month. And we brought the winners the dinner and the dancing. And, you know, Glenn William was one of those dancing stool, Latino, you know, Latin music. Yeah.

For people who don't know, that's the CEO.

That's right. So. So, Larry. So that's what really help us out to gain an environment of celebration. And I have fun, but also make sure that your team, you have your team to reach the top of where you. Because leaders to do that, take the team to the top, not to the bottom, to the top. And that gives you the excitement and the pride and the inspiration. Man, let's keep winning. And we kept the scoreboard going for so many years. The number one in the country, you.

Know, hey, listen, there's a lot of information online, but there aren't a lot of people who have actually done something. In my case, I've actually built a successful business, has accrued over $5 billion in assets under management, and has done well even during trying times. Now, if you want to know exactly how I've done this, go to Whiteellumwinning.com webinar Now, I've compressed a decade of learning into five short weeks. Just for those of you who want to give yourself an incredible advantage and are tired of waiting and watching others move up, well, it's so easy to lie to yourself, but it's hard, but you can't when you got the numbers up there, you know. And it's also the reason I stopped sending out those newsletters. It costs a fortune. It was a lot of trouble. 500 offices. We sent out, what, 10 to 25 or issues to every office. And the trouble was, Frank, most of the guys were so where, you know, most of the guys are not growing, blowing and growing, you know, only about 10% in any organization, you know, it's. It's not an 80. 20 is basically a 10 and 90, you know, 90 and 10. And most of the guys would just take them and throw them right in the trash. They didn't want their people to see how low they were. Now, if. If I had them and they were my office, I'd make. Make sure their people saw it. But I had so many throwing those things in the trash because they didn't want their people to see it. I said, you know, why, why bother? But what happens is when you don't take, you don't spotlight the numbers, you rob your team. Incredible power of the results from the positive people. You know, it's like people can complain and this and that the other. And talk them into why it's all right for them to be broke and the business is too hard. And then you have someone come along and just destroy them, you know, and, you know, get a big 5 or 10 or 15, $20,000 paycheck, and all of a sudden they shut up, you know, or somebody. Like, it's so hard to get an appointment. Well, this guy went out, he had 10 appointments yesterday.

Yeah, right.

Yeah. And he's only been in here a month, you know, like. And he didn't really. He, you know, he's from Ohio, you know, we're in New Jersey. He, he just made friends, you know, he just went out and made a bunch of friends and got appointment. He didn't have any one family get together he could go to and write everybody up. You know, he. He had to work for it. But, you know, you, you learn and you get good at those things if you do it a lot, you know. So the, what it does is take away the excuses. Plus it allows you as a leader to spend time with the people who earn it. You know, Art Williams said something that I violently disagreed with early on. Then I realized, oh, he's right. And that was spend time with people who deserve it rather than just the people who need it. And I said, well, that, that's terrible. You know, because what about the poor guy? He just needs some help. He needs some encouragement and this, that and the other. And you know, you should, you know, you should spend time with all of those guys. And then it dawned on me, wait a minute, I only have 24 hours in the day. Everybody needs help, they all need it, but I don't have that kind of time. So how am I, this amount of time I have to spend with my people, who am, am I going to spend time with this dud who never does anything? It's always got excuses when I've got this top producer or this key person who's, you know, a role model and doing great things and like 25% of our production, no, I'm going to spend my time with a star. You know, and if I'm smart people, people are equal, equal with opportunity. But not everybody's equal when they come in the door. And not everybody works equally as hard. And, you know, you've got to be smart enough as a leader to be spending your time with the people who are doing the, the numbers and doing the right things, because they're your basically your leverage, your gear, where you spend time with them and it powers the whole rest of your organization. You know, and there's this concept we talk about occasionally. You know, the, the 4%, you know, the 80, 20 rule, which is a proto principle. And then it's like the, the 20, the 80, 20 of the 20%, you know, what's the 20% of the 20, which is the 4%. That's why I like to focus on, like with your organization, who is the driver that when they do things, it ripples throughout the whole organization. See, you were that guy for our company for a long time because everybody had their eyes when the leadership came out coast to coast. What's Frank Dillon doing? And that's why you really brought us out from the 90s into the 2000s with energy mainly off of your example when you did what did that hundred thousand dollar bay shop when everybody said, well, that's an old era, that'll never be done again. And you just blasted that out. That's why I still say they should build a statue to you outside of the home office, you know, because, you know, it was just such a pivotal, pivotal moment in our company's history. And so when you look at your business as you go through changes, it's like, what. Where is the sweet spot that you can spend your energy, put your time, like if you run a contest, put it on the things that's going to give you multiple benefits, you know, because you can't run a contest for everything, and you can't recognize and pass out awards for every single thing. But what's the thing that you can recognize that'll drive all the other numbers? And you've been a master of that all along. And so that's why I wanted to get you to talk about measuring the numbers, keeping up with the numbers to drive growth. So, Frank, I'm not going to keep you any longer. Thanks so much. This has been great. You have a final word that you'd like to pass on to people that are learning how to win. They want to be entrepreneurs. They want a business of their own. They want to do something great. What kind of final word do you have for them?

Well, the final word that I have is that people have to make the decision. You have to make a decision. This is the decision to love, decision to divorce decision, decision to win, decision to build a house, decision for every kingdom. Business people think that because they are in Primerica, they are going to win unless you make a decision to do something special for yourself and your family. Then you start seeing the challenge and everything happen after that. You know, challenge yourself. You know, raise your standards. And make sure that after you do that, make sure that you understand that now everything that's going to happen is going to. You can see. That's awesome. A special time for you in your life. Thank you, Larry.

Absolutely fantastic. Thanks so much, Frank. It's been a lot of fun, man.

Thank you very much.

If you enjoyed what you've heard and are dead serious about finding out for yourself exactly how this works in the real world, I've taken the most valuable business lessons I've learned over 40 years and put them into something for you to watch. Go to whiteellawinning.com webinar now in order to move up as fast as possible, I'm Larry Widell, and I run the Million Dollar Mastermind. Go, go, go.