2124 - How Genuine Connections Drive Business Growth with Impact and Legacy Collective's Kevin Thompson

0:05Hey there, thoughtful listener. Are you looking for introductions to partners, investors, influencers, influencers, influencers, and clients? Well, I've had private conversations with over 2 ,000 leaders asking them where their best business comes from. I've got a free video you can watch with no opt-in required where I'll share the exact steps necessary to be 100 % inbound in your industry over the next six to eight months with no spam, no ads, and no sales. What I teach has worked for me for over 15 years and has helped me create eight figures in revenue for my own companies. Just head to upmyinfluence.com and watch my free class on how to create endless high ticket sales appointments.

0:51Also, don't forget, the thoughtful entrepreneur is always looking for great guests. Go to upmyinfluence.com and click on podcast. I'd love to have you.

1:05With us right now, Kevin Thompson, who is the host of the Million Dollar Relationships podcast and founder of the Impact and Legacy Collective. Kevin, your website is maximum-response.com. Kevin Thompson, thank you for joining us. Josh, it's my honor, my pleasure. We're going to have a good time today. I think so. Well, Kevin, give me, you know, share with us your impact in the world and the work you do. Oh, man, Josh, I get to be this guy who facilitates these amazing relationships and strategic partnerships where millions of people's lives get impacted. And it is such an incredibly rewarding thing.

1:51And, yeah, I mean, in the Million Dollar Relationships podcast, we launched that. Gosh, amazing. that we're almost, we're shy of two months. It'll be three years since we launched that podcast. And that podcast is hands down the most rewarding and impactful thing I've done in my 29 years as an entrepreneur. And I just continue to attract these amazing entrepreneurs into my life and be of service to them by just helping them make the kind of real, meaningful connections, they're going to help them expand their business and make their bigger impact in the world. Yeah. Well, so when we think about everything, you know, and most folks that listen to this podcast are, you know, they're business professionals, a lot of founders, a lot of SMB founders, a lot of folks that have been around for a little bit of time.

2:44And I think most of us recognize the value of relationships, right? And we recognize that, I mean, it's my opinion that I don't think that there's a whole lot more valuable activity that a founder can be doing if they are a CEO of their company than building high-level relationships and trying to find new ways. In fact, I think we have a moral obligation, not only to our own audiences, to our own teams, to our own customers. We need to be out there forging new relationships. There's my point of view. I don't know if that's your view on that, but could you kind of maybe take that sentiment? And I'd love your spin on that.

3:26Well, and you're right, Josh, you know, focusing on right relationships is one of the most valuable things that we can do as an entrepreneur, as a founder, as a CEO, because it's those relationships that are just going to help us make a far bigger impact in the world through our business, through our philanthropic activities. And I don't think there's any more valuable thing that we can be doing than that. And now the caveat being, it is about these high level relationships. We've got to be very intentional about who we focus on as far as those relationships. We want to focus on you know, creating relationships with like-minded entrepreneurs who share our values and who they too want to use their gifts and abilities to make their biggest impact in the world.

4:22Yeah. Why, Kevin, if you were to give like a little mini TED talk here, the power of relationships, let me just give you the floor. Like what can happen if we really get serious about this? Oh, well, so I'll give you a recent example here. So I have a friend of mine that him and his wife, they have been in the political space for 18 years, helping people get elected to office. and they have helped over 100 people get elected to office in that 18 years. And they now are taking what they have figured out over those 18 years, and they're also helping entrepreneurs get their message in front of the right people because these people, they refer to these people as liberty spenders.

5:25They invest with people in the political space, but also in the business space where these companies align with their values. And so this individual, I found out some of this. Well, I didn't find out because they told me about it. I found out by listening to their podcast and this person that they were interviewing for their podcast talked about, hey, you know what? That totally blew me away when you guys sent out that email and you raised$2.4 million from a single email in 24 hours. And I'm like, what? And I reached out to Kurt and I sent him a message. I'm like, you know, Kurt, I was like, you guys never told me about this at all.

6:20And he's like, yeah, he's like, we don't, you know. And I'm like, you know what? This is the kind of thing that I look for. Because a lot of times these entrepreneurs, Josh, they're really world class at doing what they do. But they're a little bit humble when it comes to talking about themselves. and I will end up talking about them far more powerfully in most cases than they will talk about themselves. And through doing that, I get people wanting to talk with them. So just this last Friday, there was an event called Jetson Capital that went on in Vegas. It was mostly for family offices, high net worth people, and investors who are looking to place investment monies.

7:10And it's 80 % to 85 % is that audience. And then on the other side, it's about 15 % to 20 % participants who are looking to raise money. And so these guys were in the raise money place. And so I ended up getting them connected with the folks running that event. They went there on Friday and had an absolutely amazing experience there. And I'll tell you, for me, like being the guy who facilitates connections and relationships at that level, that's, now we're talking that that is, that's the kind of level where you can impact, make a real impact because of who we're serving. And at the same exact time, many entrepreneurs who are at that level, their circle of people that they can truly trust and confide in, it's very small.

8:12And for me, for years, for over, I mean, almost two decades, I've just focused on, you know, everybody in my life that I serve, all the entrepreneurs, all the founders, all the CEOs that I serve, my goal has been really simple, is I just want everybody that I bring into their life, I want it to further the relationship that they and I already have together. And if I feel for any even one fleeting second that that would not be the case, then I would never even entertain the idea of making that connection and stuff. And so through doing that, I've just become their conduit of trust that people now come to me and go, Kev, In fact, I just finished a conversation with a guy who was looking for a certain thing.

9:00And once he shared with me, I'm like, oh, I know three people who fit that bill. Let's go ahead and get you guys connected and stuff. It should be obvious, Kevin. But I'm also thinking about the leader who might be, let's say, they've got some growth goals. Right. And, and they know, at least I hope they know that at the end of the day, you know, it's going to take, you know, high level relationships in order to get those things going. Now, sometimes I think we can get a little sidetracked or distracted with, I need leads. Give me some leads, baby. You know, let's, let's go slam those DMs and send out those cold emails.

9:39Cause I need, you know, we got to get that, you know, get, get that set of against the steak knives and the Cadillac Eldorado for winning our sales trophy. You know, it's like there's that side of business and sales development. But I find that it's like if you know enough of the right people and you have enough of the high level relationships, like with my other company, Savings Angel, we had a few dozen incredibly, incredibly valuable relationships. And as a result, I never had to sell. I didn't have to sell once. I just go out and do good stuff, be a good steward, give. And then, you know, it was my partners who also had that same energy and, and we would just partner on stuff.

10:21I love, even in B2B, Kevin, I love the B2B2B deals, like those really behind the scenes. And, and, you know, there's this term that I really love, it's called a whisper network, right, where it's not showy, it's not flashy, but I find that most leaders, that's how they do business. It's like the saying, right? Oh, most business gets done on the golf course, right? Well, that's my experience. It's the VIP lounges, it's the mixers. It's where, again, it's these chance encounters or it's just the right people in the right room where there's no expectation of what this conversation needs to be. It's just two people trying to figure out how they can help each other.

11:07Yes, yeah. Yeah, and seeing the entrepreneurs at this level, they're not looking for networking opportunities per se. They're looking for real, meaningful relationships. That's what they're looking for. They're looking for real relationships with the right kind of people, like-minded people who share their values, that together, you know, that they can co-create and collaborate together for the purpose of figuring out how they can each bring their gifts, their abilities, their resources to the table and make a far bigger impact together than either one of them could possibly do on their own. That's what they're looking for.

11:50Kevin, how do you, like, how do people, how do you engage with folks and how do people engage with you? So, you know, I want to share your website and I want to encourage people to follow you on LinkedIn. Oh, you're on Facebook too. But your website, Maximum-Response, I just, you know, for this topic right here, you know, which I'm just such a huge fan of, I want to leave people with some next steps on what you'd recommend. Well, here's what people should do. Go check out the Million Dollar Relationships podcast. You can find it on Apple or what have you and stuff. Just look that up. you'll get a really good feel about it because we i think we've we've almost launched 300 episodes i'm not not josh you're way above me on that you've been doing it longer but i'll tell you what no yours are far better trust me i will tell you you check out that podcast and and you know you probably find a guest or two or maybe even more that you might recognize then and check that out And if it resonates with you, what we're doing there, what we're all about at the Million Dollar Relationships Podcast, if that just really resonates with you on a core level, then hit me up.

13:10I am active. I'm pretty doggone active on Facebook. Kevin, the connector on Facebook. I would love to have a conversation and talk about possibly doing an interview with you on the podcast if you think that would be valuable. I'd love to help get you a little bit of PR that way. But I'll tell you what really the podcast is all about. It is just such an amazing way to meet new entrepreneurs who are doing such big things in this world and who are making such a big impact. And that podcast regularly puts me in contact with people, gives me a way and a process for just getting to know them, finding out more about them and just meeting amazing entrepreneurs.

13:54entrepreneurs. And if there is, you know, like what you alluded to, Josh, this is just about having a conversation, getting to know each other. Neither of us coming from this place of like, we need to do this or we need to do business together. Let's just explore. Let's just get to know each other. And great things will organically come from that. You know, you're absolutely right. It's kind of like any relationship, right? It's like if you show up and you're forcing it. It's weird. It's awkward. It's kind of like, you know, it's like the dude who shows up at an event with a stack of business cards in his left hand and, or in his pocket, right.

14:32And he's just out there slapping business cards in someone's hand. It's like, that is, that is just such an amateur move. Leaders are patient. Leaders have wisdom. Leaders know what they want and need. And if the energy is right, you know, those are the biggest deals. And I have seen that my entire professional life. It's, you know, don't come in. And I should say, you know, if you're in sales too, look, I know you might be under pressure to close a deal or whatever. But if you are, it's going to hurt you. um it's it's really it's it's it's such a and i recognize it's a place of luxury when you know you're you you you have a little bit of emotional patience you can spend time with people but i find that when you do your your conversion rate's going to go up you're going to close you're going to close bigger deals and more importantly is you're not going to burn bridges ever you are going to create a friend and and sometimes when we we assume or we are audacious enough to think that we know what someone else needs, that's where we really might be missing the boat, because there could be something far more valuable on the other side of that if we just take our time to listen, lead with our heart, and lead in service.

15:50Absolutely. Absolutely. And I'll tell you what, when we are just sincere, like you just said, Josh, what happens is we end up giving people this gift that they so seldom get to receive, which is this feeling of being seen, heard, and understood. And when we just like kind of show up that way, and we give others that gift, you know, because people will always remember how we made them feel. And I'll tell you, that is such a powerful place to come from. And we just kind of open ourselves up to being this conduit of just really great things, whether that's, you know, helping facilitate relationships, whether it's helping bring business deals together and stuff, whatever that looks like, just being of service and help to others.

16:45And here's the other really cool thing about this. You know, when we are in genuine service of others, there is never any fear or any anxiety around doing that. And the more we show up that way, man, the better it feels. Yep. Yep. And if you have that energy, you will feel right at home in this activity and you can join leaders because, you know, I've said this before, you know, scarcity is the language of amateurs. Generosity is the language that leaders use to recognize one another. We can tell. Like, and, and you know, if like Kevin, you and I have had a couple of conversations now and you know, we're going to send business back and forth.

17:28Like we are going to help one another. I have access to people. You don't. I have access to ideas or resources. You don't. Similarly, you do. And, and I want to help you because I like you. You're a good guy. And similarly, I, you've been exceptionally generous with your time too. So we are doing big deals and we're not worried about selling. We're just worried about, you know, it was like, you know, like there's this music inside. And it's like, you know, when you know who you are, you're, you know, what your impact in the world should be, then it's just like get around the right people and empower each other.

18:04So that's right. Kevin Thompson. Again, your website, I want to share this is Maximum Dash Response. Your podcast is Million Dollar Relationships. relationships. So to our friend listening right now, just search in your podcast app and go ahead and subscribe right now. Reach out to Kevin, of course, if you know someone that might be a great podcast guest or if you think you might be a good fit for that as well. Kevin, what do they do if they'd like to have a conversation with you or they think that they might be a good fit for you in some way? If they think that they might be a good fit for the podcast to do an interview, you can reach out to me through the website there.

18:41There's a contact form there that'll come right to me and stuff, or just hit me up on Facebook, Kevin, the connector on Facebook, shoot me a message there. And, uh, and, uh, I'd love to get to know you, uh, find out a little bit more about you and what your magic is. And, and totally, yeah, if it makes sense, I'd be totally honored to do an interview with you for the million dollar relationships podcast. Kevin Thompson. Thank you so much for joining us. Uh, again, you're the host of million dollar relationships podcast and founder of the impact and legacy collective. Thanks, Kevin. Absolutely.

19:11You're my pleasure, Josh.

19:39Together, we are empowering one another as thoughtful leaders. And as I mentioned at the beginning of this program, if you're looking for introductions to partners, investors, influencers, and clients, I have had private conversations with over 2 ,000 leaders asking them where their best business comes from. I've got a free video that you can watch right now with no opt-in or email required where I'm going to share the exact steps necessary to be 100 % inbound in your industry over the next six to eight months with no spam, no ads, and no sales. What I teach has worked for me for more than 15 years and has helped me create eight figures in revenue for my own companies.

20:23Just head to upmyinfluence.com and watch my free class on how to create endless high-ticket sales appointments. Make sure to hit subscribe so that tomorrow morning, that's right, seven days a week, you are going to be inspired and motivated to succeed. I promise to bring positivity and inspiration to you for around 15 minutes every single day. Thanks for listening and thank you for being a part of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur Movement.