Episode 41: Let's Talk Personalities, With Guest Michelle Levell, Business Consultant

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We're Erika Radis and Marie Lifschultz, a San Antonio area realtor and lender, but most importantly, we're working moms.

The goal of this podcast is to provide support and a sense of community to San Antonio area working moms like us. So join us in trying to find a balance between career, family, and everything in between. Welcome to this week's episode of the Working Moms of San Antonio podcast. We're here with our guest Michelle Lavelle, and she is a business consultant, and I'm going to turn it over to her and she can talk about her work.

Hi, thank you, Erika.

Sure.

So as she said, I'm a business consultant and I focus on providing specialized training in soft skills development, specifically communication around personalities. So a lot of times, like, when people have trouble within their business closing sales, it's probably because they're speaking the wrong language to that person. And so we really work on first finding out what is your personality, and then how do you communicate with all of the other personalities. And so I am a certified trainer with the— it's called the BANK Methodology with Codebreaker Global, which was founded by Sherry Tree. She's a wonderful, wonderful person, and I've had the opportunity to meet with her in person several times, and she really has been like a really great mentor. But the BANK Methodology is personality-based, people-focused, and profit-driven. So I would say when I was first introduced to it. I was introduced by a friend of mine that had gotten into it, and she was like, this is, this is like right up your alley. This is something that you would love to do, Michelle. It's like teaching people and helping people. And I come from like a background where I'm military family, I'm a veteran, and I was in a nonprofit organization geared towards mentoring and helping military families through the military life. And I did that for about 17 or 18 years. And so just being a big part of that community and like helping people, that was— I found that that was my passion. It made me happy to help people. And my husband retired, so it was time for me to kind of move on from that. And I was looking for something else that I could do to, to jump into to volunteer. And my husband was like, you did so much work for that nonprofit. You were on the board of directors. You did all this stuff and you did it for free. Why can't you do that stuff and make money? Money. And I was like, oh gee, that's a new concept. Like, who doesn't want to make money, right? So when my friend, you know, brought this opportunity to me, it was an opportunity to do both the things that I love. Well, not that I love money, but yes, you know, people want to make money.

We need it. Yeah.

So it was, it was just an opportunity to kind of bring both of those things together.. And I had been, I've been in sales, I don't know, 26 years or so, just inside sales, outside sales, direct sales. I did insurance, which is also sales, right? So I've been in a lot of different types of things and learned, you know, bits and pieces from each of those experiences. And I had a lot of bad experiences and just like, why can't I connect with people? Why am I not getting the sale? Why are my metrics not as great as that other person's metrics when we're, you know, doing the same thing? And am I not getting the same message? Am I not saying the same words? Like, why am I not getting this? And so when I learned about this B.A.N.K. methodology and found out, oh, well, what Sherri calls it is biology, not psychology, why people buy, number one, and like how to connect with that other personality. Too. So once I started learning about that, it was like, oh, why didn't I know about this like forever ago?

Yeah.

So that makes sense. Yeah. So that's kind of how I got into it and yeah. So, but yeah, we just help people making those connections and it's not just business related, it's also you take it to your family. Like this is like across the board when you learn to communicate with people and make like a really connection. That's just across the board. So I mean, you got to sell to your kids too, right? So you're like, you got to sell them on doing their chores. Why do they have to do their chores? Why do they have to do their makeup? Why do they need to eat their vegetables? So, you know, it's still something that you have to do at home as well. So that's what we, that's what we kind of specialize in. So we actually have several different programs for, you know, different types of people, but Code Breaker just started a nonprofit organization for children. It's Make Kids Matter, and they're actually bringing this same methodology into the education system.

And so we're really excited about that. Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, I mean, so each kid learns differently, you know, just because you have someone, none of them learn the same. We don't, and we don't communicate the same. And it's hard because sometimes it takes you a lifetime to figure out how to communicate with someone. Like, why doesn't this person— and you have a conflict, or you always— yeah, like, I'm saying, I'm I know I'm speaking English. Why do they not get it?

Exactly. And it's funny, like when I first did it, you know, I cracked— we call it cracking the code. So I cracked my code, figured out what I was, and then I did it for my kids. And me and two of my children and my husband are complete opposites. And so I'm like what they call a blueprint. And a blueprint likes structure. Stability, structure, systems, planning, processes, predictability, responsibility, duty, rules, credentials, titles, and traditions. That sounds like you, Erika.

Yeah, yeah. You know, I've had the opportunity to— well, I did— Michelle cracked my code, and then I also sat in on one of the workshops that they were doing, and it was so interesting just to see. They have like a setup where somebody talks from each one of the types of personalities, and that I found so, so interesting. Mine, I think I'm the group— what is it? The knowledge one first, and then—

yeah. So the knowledge, the knowledge values were, um, learning, intelligence, logic, self-mastery, technology, research and development, science, universal truths, expertise, competence, accuracy, and the big picture. And so I think that was your first, like, so that it's 4 codes and you put them in order. So that Knowledge was your first, and then the first one I read to you, Blueprint, was your, your second.

Yeah.

And then your next one was Action. Action is freedom, flexibility, spontaneity, action, opportunity, excitement, attention, stimulation, competition, winning, fun, and image. And then your very last one, not that you're not this, is called nurturing. And nurturing is all about relationships, authenticity, personal growth, significance, teamwork, involvement, community, charity, ethics, harmony, morality, and contribution. And so we just, we take these values on, you know, we have these little 4 cards, we take these values and we put them in order from most like us to least like us. And so for Erika Radis, it was It was knowledge, blueprint, action, nurture. But you're all 4 codes, so it's not like, oh, nurture's last, so I'm not that.

You are that. We had to have a very serious conversation about that where I was like, Michelle, am I a horrible person? Because I don't— I guess I'm not nurturing at all. I was like, but I care about people. I care. And she was like, no, no, no, that's not what it means.

Yeah. So it just, it just means that, you know, the order of your values, those are those are the, the places that you live, like, on your everyday. But you can slip into any of those codes based on a situ— you know, situational, um, circumstance. So for instance, like, my code is— I have it tattooed in hearts on my wrist. I have Blueprint, Nurture, Knowledge, Action. And so I'm very organized in my job. I was the virtual assist— or I am a virtual assistant in addition to this. So I do that and I organize people. I'm the planner on my team, I just— I'm partnering up with someone that's very action, which is my opposite. And she is a wonderful person. She just— she's like, let's do it, let's go, let's— you know, I, I already started working on this. And then I have to like reel her back in and go, but what's the plan?

Wait a second.

And she's like, oh yeah, sorry. And then, you know, and you know, then we go from there. And then if I'm too planning, you know, she has to let me go, go, okay, we need to stop this conversation because I'm ready to just move on to the next thing. So we kind of reel both of— I mean, she pushes me to action to like do, and I pull her back to plan. And so we work really well together. And you need people like that. Like when you build a team, you need somebody from all four of those codes because you need that nurture to greet people with, like with working moms, just, just at an event, right? Say we're having an event. You want your nurture to greet people as they come in. You want your blueprint to have planned plan it and know how many people are coming, how many chairs do you need, how many tables do you need, what time is the event, what food are we going to bring. You also want your action person out there greeting people because they're the ones that are getting people excited. You want your action person to introduce your speaker or to be your speaker because they're going to energize people. And then you want your knowledge person to also be bringing things to the table along with the planning. Like maybe they're the ones that, you know, bring— or maybe they're your speaker, they're the one that's providing that knowledge or that training and stuff like that. So there's like a place for everybody, but Having like all 4 on a team really rounds you out, and it also makes sure that you're reaching all of those different personalities for your event.

So that's so smart. I should have called you last night. I was so frustrated. I have a miscommunication problem at work, like where I felt I was so frustrated with a text message that I'm like, why do they keep questioning me? Why do they keep asking this? I don't understand. And I'm speaking to my husband who's like, what's the big deal? You don't understand. I couldn't get anyone. I feel like I know I'm speaking English and I know I'm not trying to argue, but I feel like my point isn't getting across and I'm struggling with them understanding. And when you have that at work, I tend to bring it home and that's not fair. Right. And I'm like, I need to figure out how to communicate because I think in my place of work, we have those 4 different personalities here, and I'm like, I'm not, I'm not meshing with one because I'm so different. That was actually, as you were talking, I was like, oh, I should have brought up the email because I did the code thingy that one time. And I'm like, I can't remember mine.

Yeah. So, so I'll just give you, I'll give you an example. This is like a home thing for me. So my husband is opposite. He's an Action and I'm a Blueprint. And so I, I don't like risk. I want things planned out. I want to know what actions don't do that because they fly by the seat of their pants. So I would ask my husband something. I'm like, hey, what's going on with this? Or how, you know, what are we doing? Or whatever. And he would give me like very brief answers that were not enough for me. And so I would like question him like for detail, like I need more details. So I'm asking questions, right? And I'm doing it from a perspective of I'm a blueprint and I'm curious. I'm coming from curious. I just need information so I can have the full picture and I can understand. And my husband was like, why are you interrogating me?

Yeah.

Why do you question everything that I do? Why do you question every decision that I make? And I'm like, I'm just trying to understand, you know what I'm saying? And he's just like, you're such a bitch, you know? So like, why, why do you always like, do you think that I'm not capable? And I'm like, you're so capable. I just wanna know what's going on. And he was like, why can't you understand?

When you ask those questions, sometimes, because I, well, as we just discussed, I need to know a lot of, I need to know a lot of the information or I'm going to get anxious and it's going to be a whole thing. And so, but when you ask somebody who isn't like that, they do feel like you're asking because they, they think you think that they're going to fuck it up. And that's not true.

They can't do it.

I just need it for my own wellbeing. But that's, I guess that's the way it comes off. Cause I get that same response all the time too. It's like, are you checking up on me? It's like, no. Yeah.

Well, and the other The other thing about a Blueprint personality, which is myself, is that because we want the plan and we want things to go well and we get anxious when things are not going within our plan, we tend to take control and take over and, um, or we want it done our way. And I had to learn the hard way, like, as long as it gets done and the end result is the same, I have to like step back and like put my blinders on and be like, they're going to get it done. It'll be right. And it doesn't matter how they get it done as long as they get it done. And I have to let go of that control. And that was really hard for me to learn. But once I learned about this methodology and learned that that's what those people need and that they need to feel confident and trusted and, you know, be given the ability to do what they do, how they want to do it. Things have just been less stressful for me, actually. Yeah, because I, I'm like, okay, it's not personal, it's personality. I got it. And so with my husband even, I'm like, hey dude, I'm coming from curious. I just need to know a little bit more detail so that I can wrap my head around it. Why are we doing it this way?

Yeah.

And he was like, oh yeah, I can explain that. And then if I have more questions, his defenses are down. When before I was like, why are we doing it that way? And some of it was my tone of voice.

Sure. Yeah.

Right. And yeah, I get that too.

Yeah.

Because we get tired of asking the same questions over and over. Like, you know that I need this information. Why don't you just give it to me?

Right.

Well, no, he's not supposed to read my mind and he doesn't need to remember all of that.

Yeah. No, totally. Some of it is tone. I mean, you know, like, and my boss likes to say that the owner of our brokerage there, she likes to say 1 in 5 people is just not going to like you. Like, they're just not going to like you. And it's like, okay, but now that makes me think maybe it's to do with some of this that you're talking about. It's the way we're coming across. It's not that they don't like you. It's the way that I'm coming across doesn't vibe with the way that they need to receive the information. And so maybe everyone can like us if we do it differently.

Well, and that's the thing. That's the thing. So what we would do, like, in your situation, right? So you get a new client on board, and we have these really cool— I mean, we can do this digitally, but we have these— the listeners can't see these, but I'm holding up these 4 cards. So you have these 4-color cards, and you meet with your client, and you're like, hey, great, I'm Erika. Before we get started, I just want to make sure, you know, that I, you know, that I understand you, and I want to make this process go smoothly and, you know, make this easier for both of us, save us both some time. So take a look at the information on these cards, read the values, sort them in order from most like you to least like you. And that, again, that's going to help me understand you better, get to know you better, serve you better, and it's going to save us some time. So then you have them do it and then you're like, okay, now I know how to talk to this knowledge person. They want all the details, right? They need, and you can't sell a knowledge person. A knowledge person has to sell themselves. It's, it's like one of the biggest things about knowledge people because they will they'll get the information from you, then they do their own research, and then they make a decision. Whereas like if you had a blueprint, then you might want to go into how, you know, this house is in a, in a stable neighborhood and, you know, talk about the risk factors like no crime and great schools and the things that they, you know, that's important to a blueprint. Actions might want to know, Yeah, we have a community pool and we have events every month. The HOA is like really active and, you know, party by the pool. They have margaritas and stuff like that. And then with the nurture, you're like, oh, it's such a great community and they have family game nights, you know, stuff like that. And so you kind of have an idea of like, what is it like? How are you going to get them into this neighborhood? How are you going to get them into this house? What's important to that person? And so that's how you're changing it. And I know, I know your boss says 1 in 5, but like typically it's— I mean, if there's 4 personalities, it's actually what, 1 in 4? Like you close 25% of your sales. And Marie, because you were talking about, oh, it's because you feel like you're speaking another language. You are. I mean, if I, if I was speaking Spanish to someone that doesn't speak Spanish, And they were like, okay, I'm not going to sell them on anything because I have no idea what I said. But, you know, say I'm speaking English, I, you know, all the English people are okay, great. And I learned Spanish and then I've got Spanish people. So now I got 50% of the people that I'm talking to. Then I'm like, okay, there's a French person. Okay, then I learned French. Then I've got 30% of it, or I'm sorry, 75% of it. So just each code raises the possibility of those sales by, you know, another 100%. So that's why we, we talk about with Code Breaker that you have the opportunity to increase your sales by 300% by using this methodology.

Well, because typically people like you, you'll be able to communicate with, and it's the other 3 dynamic or personalities that you might have trouble with. It just depends on it.

Yeah, because you're just— you're— you walk out there and you're talking your own code because you're like, oh, what's important to me? I should tell them about that. Yeah, but getting to know your customer and finding out what is important to them, what their values are, then you can pivot and speak to that. And so that's what we do. And there's tons of, you know, personality stuff out there, but the one thing that they have in common is that it's all about you. This is the one— this is the, you know, this methodology is the one where it's not about you, it's about your customer.

Yeah.

So this just takes it to a whole nother level. And we have, we have so many tools and classes and all kinds of stuff that we utilize. We have our own AI now that I know, like, a lot of people are getting into that ChatGPT stuff to help with their marketing and their posts and stuff like that. Well, we have one, Codebreaker, has one that integrates the personality stuff into it. And so you can say, hey, help me create a marketing to sell blah, blah, blah product to someone that is high nurturing. Or really take that, take that same post and change it for someone that's high action. Wow. And so then it generates it. And then you obviously with ChatGPT, you know, you don't just copy and paste. You've got to take whatever it gives you and tweak it and make it into your own voice. But it's a starting off point that saves you some time. Yeah.

And yeah, it's just a tool. It is.

It's just a tool. And the other thing our AI does is you can, we've got a, a thing where you, you copy and paste info, you know, some, like a message from your client and you can decode how they're speaking to you. So maybe you don't have them to break their code. You can crack their code by just putting their email or their text message or whatever through our program and it'll tell you how they're speaking to you. So then you can speak back to them in that code. And so our AI has this reply option. So then you type in what your response is going to be and it'll tell you, yeah, you did it, great job, or no, you need to take a look at these values and change it up a little bit. And it actually helps with that. And so there's just like one of the many tools that we have.

For people that are really amazing. I can't get over that.

I really like my eyebrows, like, are like, like, well, I mean, what, what, what a gift to have in order to, for people to understand you and you can communicate effectively, you know, like for them to feel like you are valuing them, you value their, their wants, their likes or dislikes, what they find important and be able to do that on a regular basis. It's truly a gift, like, just to be able to do that because it is difficult. I mean, just in relationships in general. Right. People understand like, hey, she's not in a bad mood. She's just focused. Like, I get the whole, why aren't you smiling? Because I'm concentrating. Like, I'm, I'm listening to what you're saying. Like, I'm, I think I'm a knowledge person. Like, I'm very analytical when it comes to stuff. So it's not that I'm not trying to be friendly. I'm just, I'm actively listening to what you're saying.

Right. Well, you know, and knowledge people, you have to give them a moment to process what you've said to them. If they say, that's interesting, that's a clue that they're a knowledge person. Interesting. Or that, let me think on that. Or if they, you've gotta allow them to have that silence to process and then they'll respond. But like that, each code just has a different way of processing, you know, and just learning that we have, we have what's called a Code Breaker Summit actually coming up. We have one in, um, April, June, and August of this year. And the— it's a 3-day class. The first day is the fundamentals of sales. The second day is fundamentals of relationships. And the third day is my favorite day. It's called speed coding, and it's the ability to sit and have like a 3-minute conversation with someone and ask them some questions, observe what they're wearing, observe— like if we're on Zoom, observe their office, their background or whatever, and then guess their code based on the conversation that you had. And that one is so much fun. It's super interactive. I mean, the whole class is fun, but that, that's my favorite day. And when I first took it, I failed miserably.

I was gonna ask if like now you can get it every time.

Like, no, I can't get it every time. I still need the help of, you know, the person just to, you know, the best way to find out somebody's code is just to ask them, what are your values? You know, like What's important to you? I mean, that's the best way. But if you have to speed code somebody, you know, there's ways to do it and we teach it. And, but yeah, the first time that I went through, I was like, oh, I failed, but I had so much fun failing and I learned so much. I mean, you learn from failing.

Yeah. But I think I, in my line of work, I have to do that. Like I have to figure out this when someone's looking for a home, the financing part, there's several things that are. Important and some things are not. So I typically ask them like, hey, what's, what is, is it, are you payment driven? Are you rate driven? Is it out of your pocket cost? What, where can I focus the most? You might not get all of the wants, but you might get 2 of them or 3 of them, you know, whatever the case is. So I tend to focus on that and that's how I base how I present things to them.

Yes. And, and that's the, that's the right thing to do because all of those questions that you're asking are also personality-based answers when you get that back. Because you're going to see, oh, this kind of person typically, you know, is interested in this. Or, you know, like I said, blueprint— they don't like risk. So the least amount of risk possible, you're going to clue in, oh, they're, they're, they're blueprinting right now. And just because their primary blueprint doesn't mean that they're always in it, because we also have what's called a stress code. Like when you go into stress, that you go into this. Yeah, your third code. And so then when that presents your, your you're like, if I'm in stress, whether it's good stress or bad stress, it throws me off when I'm in that other code. And so I always want to get back to my primary code so I can feel comfortable. And so when I'm working with other people within our business that recognize that I'm not in my blueprint mode, they're like, what's wrong, Michelle? Are you okay? I'm like, yes, I just need all the details and I just need a hug or, you know, whatever.

Oh, that's so funny. I think we talked about mine, and my stress code is action. Like, if I can't know all the information, then I just want to get it over with. So, like, whatever it is we're going to do, let's just get through it right now so that I can get done and just, you know, like you said, almost get back to a state of mind where I'm allowed to have all the information again and feel way better.

You know?

Yeah. But like I said, it could be good stress too, because there's things like you're nervous because, you know, this event is coming up, but you're excited about it. So it's good stress and it could still slip you into a different code. And so we have to not just recognize what everyone's first code is. We, we need to know all of them and to recognize when people have swapped into a different code. Because like with my kids, I'm just going to talk relationships and family for right now. But my, my youngest son is an action, which is the opposite of me. He made fun of me because once he figured that out, he made fun of me. He was like, that's why you did chore charts, Mom, and that's why I didn't follow them because I'm action and you're blueprint. And I was like, oh yeah, okay. But when he's not being in action, when he is being high nurture, I know something is wrong with him. And then I gotta, instead of treating him with the action and like, hey, high five, how's it going? As in when he gets into nurture, he needs hugs. He needs me to put my hand on his hand and go, it's gonna be okay. And yeah, what can we do to help and make his problems a we problem, our problem? Not his problem. But when he's in action and he has a problem and he's not quite in that stress code, he's like, I got it, Mom, I got it. But, you know, when he splits into nurture, he, he's about, Mom, we got a problem. Oh, we do?

What?

What's our problem? You know? And so he's figured out how to talk to me and how to clue me in that he's in his stress. Same thing with my other kids. Like when my daughter is in her nurture, I know like, oh goodness, what's going on? You know, so she's— things are bad when she gets into her nurture. And when I say nurture, like, I'm talking dark side of the nurture, like, I'm needy and I'm crying a lot, or I'm emotional and stuff like that, um, and I need everyone to come to me and lift me up, is kind of where she's at. And so And we have to be, we have to be mindful of that. But because she's an action, she wants to, she's competitive and she wants to be recognized for everything. She wants all the accolades and all the awards. So when she was talking about, she just got her associate's degree and she wants to have a big party because she wants to be the center of attention. And I'm like, girl, that's like graduating from middle school because you're moving on to be like a nurse practitioner. So you're like You're going to have a lot of— yeah, you've got more degrees to earn before we have that big fiesta. If it was like that was all you were doing, then yeah, let's have a— you graduated college. You have not graduated college. You just got a certificate along the way is basically what that is. But no, she's like, I worked hard. This is a milestone. I'm having a big party. And I'm like, okay. And at first I had the conversation. I really hurt her feelings. I was like, that's like graduating from middle school. Why would we do that? You know, I didn't understand. But now that, you know, once I figured out, you know, oh, she's, she's action. She wants to be recognized. She wants the accolades. She wants to be the center of attention. That's why she wants the freaking party.

Yeah.

She wants a reason to have a party. So, so we're gonna have a party.

There you go. Yeah. So I mean, well, talking to your kids sometimes can be so challenging. So it sounds like just to even know this stuff, I mean, it almost helps you to understand like when those red flags are going up before they're even— before it gets to like, yeah, stage here. Like we kind of see it happening here. Yeah.

Yeah, definitely. That would be great to know with a client too, because if you know your client's code, right? And like both of your jobs are like highly stressful for your clients, right?

Like, yeah, because it's so much money that they're spending.

It's a lot of money. So if you see that they're in their stress code, then that might like tell you, I need to take a step back and maybe ask some more questions about what's going on in their brain right now. Like, what else can I give them? What else can I answer for them? Like, where are we at? But then, like, when you're like closing the deal and you see that they're in their, their primary code, you know, you're doing something right. You know, they're excited about this and things are going well. So that's going to clue you in. To where they're at in their brain and stuff in the process.

Yeah, because in our job, and Maria, you can relate to this, in our jobs, we don't always know if we're doing a good job because, like you said, it's high stress. There's a lot of cooks in the kitchen. It's not just us. There's lenders, there's title, there's inspectors, there's mortgage people, there's everybody. And so we don't always know. Sometimes your client will come at you out of left field and they're all mad about whatever, and it really has nothing to do with you, but you're kind of just there and you're the one that takes the, the brunt of it. And so it would kind of be at some point rewarding to know like, hey, they seem happy about— like, they seem to be really in this type of personality. I guess it's going well. Like, maybe they like me today, you know, and that kind of thing.

Well, and you can also help your clients by knowing, like, once you've— once you've figured out what their code is and like, say it's somebody that's a Knowledge, um, what you can do to help them with those other people that they have to interact with, you could go, hey, you know what, you should ask these questions, or you should, you know, you should check out this checklist or something if they're like a blueprint or whatever. Like, you could offer them just that little bit of extra, you know, advice or tips or whatever on, you know, working with those other people. And they're going to love you for that, and they're going to come back to you for that, you know, because you're helping them with something else that's stressing them out. And No, I mean, you know what's going on with those other companies. I mean, it's not that it's your job or anything, but you probably know some questions to ask them.

Oh, sure.

Yeah.

And, you know, like, if they're not connecting with someone over there, it's because they're not asking. They don't know what questions they should be asking and they're not asking the right questions. And the other person can't read their mind. And so you can connect that dot for them.

Yeah, I think we kind of do that now. I mean, I unfortunately, I don't get to see a lot of people in person, I'm a text, I'm an email, I'm a phone call a lot of times. Sometimes Zoom, it would be great. So it's very, very, very rare that people will come into the office and actually have a conversation these days. So I've learned to talk with people and we have a client right now that someone was advising us, well, just do this with them. I'm like, that will not work. I can't tell you why, but that will never work with this particular person. I have worked with this person multiple times. And I don't do the things the way this particular client does it, but this is how she does it and this is the way it's going to be.

Like, and it's not, like I said, it's not personal, it's personality. And so we just have to adapt to our clients so that we can serve them better. And that's what it comes down to, you know, it's serving your clients the best way that you can.

And you want them to have a pleasant experience with you, whether it might not be the way you communicate on a regular basis or things that you might worry about, but this is them and, and the ideal way that I want them to feel good about whatever they're purchasing. This is— I want them to, at the end of the— end of our transaction, that they're like, hey, this was really good, I like this. I want them to do that, you know?

Yeah, and they'll tell other people about you, you know, if, if they have that great experience with you. So you, you definitely want to make that connection. And that's, I mean, that's what we're all about, whether it's, you know, the family relationships or the professional relationships, even on your team, like the people that you work with in your office, you know, that sort of stuff. That's super important too, because we all have that one person at work or two people at work, whatever, that we're just like, we butt heads with them or we just don't get them. And we're like, why? Why would you say that? Why would you do that? And you just can't figure it out. And then you're like, oh, now I know. And then sometimes it's about motivating others. We say that's sales too, but like influencing others to get a result that you want. Once you've learned their personality, you know how to guide them into that direction because you know what to give them in order for them to be successful in that. And, and that's what I really want for everybody is just to be successful in, you know, whatever it is that they're trying to achieve.

And yeah.

Communication is the biggest thing. You can't do anything without proper communication.

Yeah, no, I agree. Most definitely.

I mean, it sounds like a lot of us, we know the value that we add to our businesses. I know the value I add as a real estate agent. I know the value that I add for working moms. I mean, I know those things, but if I can't relay that to other people, it doesn't matter how much value I add because no one's going to understand why working with me is going to benefit them. And so that's— I mean, that's a huge part of it. And it sounds like this kind of thing helps, you know, relay that message.

Yeah, for sure. And we just— we have so much fun. It's such a great community that I'm involved in that we have all these different personalities that I, I would never ever imagine that I would be partnering with an Action because Action people— while my husband is in Action and so are my kids, Working with actions would typically just drive me nuts because they're my opposite. And I'm just like, God, like, sit down. Yeah, be quiet. You know, like, we've got to plan this out. You can't just fly by the seat of your pants. You know, we've got to have a plan here. And they would just drive me nuts. But I'm partnering with an action, and I love her, and I love working with her because she's pushing me in directions that I needed to be pushed because I'm such a planner. I would get— there was times I'd get stuck in planning mode and I would never get into that revenue building mode. Like, you know, you have all these actions that you have to do for your business. And so I plan, plan, plan, plan, plan. And then the end of the day would come and I go, yeah, I'm done. I did all the planning. And then the next day I'd plan, plan, plan, and I would never do the revenue activities. Right. Income-producing activities. Oh shoot, I was supposed to follow up with someone, you know? And, and so she's all out. Let's talk to people. Let's do this. Let's, let's hold a conference. Let's get in front of people. And so she pushes me outside that comfort zone and puts me in front of people. And, you know, I get out there and I'm talking to people.

I think in general it takes a lot. I think it takes a lot for people to sit back and realize these are my strengths. Yeah, these are things that I'm good at. These are things that I'm not good at. And I have to appreciate these types of things in other people and they help make me better. I learned that very young. I had someone that told me like, hey, surround you. Don't be the smartest one in the room. Like, always surround yourself around people who know more, who do more, who do things that you don't do because they'll make you better. And I've always taken that to heart. And I realize like, these are my strengths and there's things that I'm not good at. Michelle, how would you advise someone, like saying, like, if you know, like, these are things in my personality that I need, I need XYZ, whatever that is, right? And to share that, let's say, with people you're working with, like, hey, for me to feel appreciated, heard, understood, or whatever, I need this from you. Like, how would you have that conversation? Does that make sense?

Well, first of all, I'd be cracking everybody's codes in your office and talking to them about bank and, you know, what it could do for them and get everybody on the same page. Because I think once you, once you've done that and people are aware that there are other personalities besides their own, then it's easier to have that conversation. Now, if you can't have that conversation, if you at least have an idea of what that other person's code is, then you, you just communicate what your needs are, but you have to communicate to them in their code. So if I'm, like I said, when I'm like my action person, whether it's my husband or my partner, I'll, I'll have to say, hey, hey, hey, I just need us to slow down for a minute. I need to wrap my head around some things. I just, this is what I need. Do you think that we could hold off on this? And then you give a date, like, I need, you know, I need 24 hours and you give them a date, you know? I gotta wrap my head around this. It, it's whatever your needs are. You've got to set those expectations, but do it in a way that you're communicating it in their code. So even if I was, you know, talking to a nurturer, I'd be like, I really love that we're doing this. I'm just not quite there yet. You know, do you mind if I just take a little bit of time? You soften your voice, you know?

Yeah.

And you appreciate on them, oh, I know that you've put so much work into this and I really appreciate you and this is really great. I just need a little bit extra time to kind of wrap my head around it. Do you think you could give me 24 hours? You know, so just whatever, you know, whatever it is, the biggest thing is if you, if you could get everybody on the same page on, you know, there's 4 different personalities and how do we communicate with each other and With, with us, when I first started, I was like, oh, I'm the one that always has to bend. I always have to accommodate all of the other personalities because they don't know me. And at first it bothered me, but now as I'm communicating with them, I educate them. I'm like, oh, I see that you're an action person, so you must like really like da da da da da. And they're like, oh yeah, I do. I'm like, oh, I'm like your complete opposite. This is what I like. And they're like, oh really? And so now they're aware and they try. And so there's people that will to accommodate me. And I'm like, I know I'm a blueprint, I'm a planner. And they're like, oh, I should send you my calendar. Yes, yes, you should. Yes. So that's, you know, it's, it's just setting those expectations. And don't be afraid to be yourself, you know, and don't be afraid to let people know what it is that you need. But sometimes when you just kind of explain the background, like, I value these things, or I wanna save us some time. Like actions, they wanna save time. Blueprints wanna save time. That's where they, they are the same. I wanna save us some time, so I'm just gonna plan this out and then, you know, go from there. But I would just, you just, if you could know what they are, that's the biggest thing. That's the first step. And then if you could let them know. What you are and what your needs are. We have personality reports and I'm willing to give those to you guys for free if you want to crack your code with me. You guys can reach out to me and I'll, I'll send you a link. We can do it digitally because, Marie, I know you don't have people coming into your office, but you could, you could have somebody crack their code.

Yeah.

Email. And then you get this really cool report. So what happens is once person cracks their code, they get a report all about them. Everybody likes to read about their own personality. But our subscription holders, like myself, we get a sales report on that person that cracked their code. So we know how to sell to them, which is really cool because it tells us a little, it gives us like tips and tricks, not tricks, but tips and triggers. That's what I was trying to say. Triggers and tripwires. Triggers are like good things in this instance, and tripwires are bad things, but it tells us like, sales tips, how to sell to that personality. And this, this report that you get just has like a whole bunch of really great information in it. And so we actually have a subscription that comes with the ability to crack other people's codes. It's got the AI that I was talking about. It has a Chrome extension that will decode stuff on the website and on LinkedIn profiles. Which was really cool.

Yeah.

Oh, that's interesting.

Yes. The whole ChatGPT AI type, type stuff is in there. And then we also have this really great program once a month. It's called Bank Box Live, and we have all of these different situations like networking, it's love secrets, you know, direct sales secrets for people in direct sales, all kinds of different things. And once a month, our founder, Sherri Tree, actually does a presentation for that Big Box Live. And then you, if you're a subscriber, you get that for— you get to review that video if you couldn't watch it live, and you get to see the, the handout that goes along with it for 30 days. And then we also have another program that has like e-learning and stuff like that. It's called the Bank Vault, and it's got tons of like sales videos and personality stuff. So we're not just personality-based, we also talk behind the scenes about sales and sales velocity and all kinds of stuff. I know, Erika, you were in on one of our masterclasses where we talked about some of that. And yeah, so we have, we have so many like tools available to you guys, but the, the subscription that I was talking about, we have a trial going on right now. It's a $1 trial for 14 days. So you can get in and check out, check it out, see if you like it. And if you want to keep it, it's $99 a month. But I would suggest getting in, get, I mean, 14 days for $1. And then on top of that, if you can actually get a digital copy of the Why They Buy book by Sherry Tree, which has got like our whole methodology written out in here. It's super cool. So you have an opportunity to read more about that as well. And that's a, that's a free book. Just, you just gotta crack your code with me.

Yeah, there you go.

Well, that's great.

Well, can you let our listeners know how they can reach out to you for those services?

Yeah. So the best way to reach out to me is via email, or I'll just give my email info@mymichelleleavelle.com. And my name is spelled M-I-C-H-E-L-L-E, last name L-E-V as in Victor, E-L-L. And if you'll reach out to me, we'll set a meeting and we've got different programs. So I would rather get you in the right program than just like some random program. We've got so many different things out there, whether you're interested in just family relationships, if you're an educator and you're interested in connecting with other educators and your students. We also have one that's for like direct sales or MLM, and then we have one for sales professionals and corporate leaders, small business owners, um, people in finance, this sort of stuff as well. So I've, I've got a space for everybody. I just wanna make sure that we put you in the right space. So I'd rather have that one-on-one conversation with you and, um, get you going.

Perfect. That makes sense.

That's great. Well, this was so interesting. I mean, like I said, when I did, when I did that masterclass, I was sitting there and I'm just like listening to everybody. The personality stuff is so fascinating to me. And so the fact that we can pair it sort of with making a little bit more money and selling a little bit more and that kind of thing, I mean, that seems beneficial.

Yeah, for sure. Like, it's, it's the increasing your income, your influence, your impact. That's what we're about. So yeah, whatever it is, whatever your goal is.

Yeah. And you're, and you're, and your client walks away feeling heard and appreciated and understood.

Yes.

You know, like they, their, their, their goals and whatever they wanted to do was met because we were, we, we could show that we understood them.

Absolutely. Absolutely. And, you know, and I've got some free masterclasses I would love to invite people to. So if you just wanna little, get a little bit more information, a little taste of this, just reach out to me and we'll get you in the right program.

Perfect. And we'll put your email in the show notes as well so that way people can click. And I will just tell you, thank you so much for being on today. And also, yeah, and I will also thank our listeners for tuning into this week's episode of the Working Moms of San Antonio podcast. And we will catch you guys next week.

See you guys next week.

Thanks so much for tuning in to the Working Moms of San Antonio podcast. Be sure to follow us on social media at our respective Instagram accounts or join our Working Moms of San Antonio Facebook group. Those links can be found in our episode description. If you have an episode topic suggestion or question, please email us at office@radisagent.com.

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