Cracking the Code to Business Growth: Embracing Community and Connection w/ Lloyed Lobo, #252

Have you ever heard these common myths about building connections and creating a sense of purpose in sales? 

Myth #1: Networking is just about exchanging business cards. Myth #2: Purpose is a fluffy concept that doesn't impact bottom-line results. Myth #3: Building strong connections is only for extroverts. In this episode, our guest Lloyed Lobo will debunk these myths and share the truth about how these strategies can accelerate sales success.

Lloyed Lobo, the accidental entrepreneur turned Wall Street Journal bestselling author, has a unique journey that has always revolved around the power of community. Growing up in Kuwait to Indian parents who faced educational barriers, Lloyed experienced the importance of connection and unity firsthand. Spending summers in the slums of Mumbai, he witnessed how communal activities like pumping water and sharing meals brought people together. Later, during the Gulf War, Lloyed saw how a shared purpose could unite even in the face of adversity. These experiences shaped his belief that great leaders should cascade purpose, not just goals, and that when people are united by a common purpose, they can move mountains. Lloyed's entrepreneurial spirit was ignited by these experiences, as he learned that entrepreneurship is not just about making money, but about taking an idea and executing it with extreme risk and uncertainty. Building communities became Lloyed's DNA, and it played a vital role in the success of his company, where he realized the true power of connection and the impact it has on mental well-being. His journey is a testament to the transformative power of building connections and creating a sense of purpose.

When people are united by a common purpose, they can move mountains. - Lloyed Lobo

My special guest is Lloyed Lobo

Lloyed Lobo is a renowned author, known for his Wall Street Journal bestseller, "From Grassroots to Greatness." Alongside his writing achievements, Lloyed is also the co-founder of Boast.AI and Traction, showcasing his entrepreneurial expertise. With a unique background that includes being a refugee of the Gulf War, Lloyed brings a fresh perspective to the table. Growing up in a community-driven environment, he witnessed firsthand the power of unity and purpose in overcoming challenges. This experience has shaped his belief in the importance of cascading purpose as a leader and the ability of a strong community to achieve exceptional results. Lloyed's extensive knowledge in community-led growth makes him a sought-after guest for discussions on building connections and driving sales success. Prepare to gain valuable insights from his wealth of experience and expertise in this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast.

In this episode, you will be able to:

• Accelerate sales growth by harnessing the power of community.

• Empower sales leaders to effectively cascade purpose and drive sales success.

• Create strong connections and a sense of purpose within your sales team for increased motivation and collaboration.

• Tap into community-driven approaches to fuel business growth and sales results.

• Discover the key to understanding and targeting your ideal customer profile (ICP) for sales success.

The key moments in this episode are:
00:00:08 - Introduction
00:02:26 - Background and Formative Experiences
00:06:48 - Entrepreneurship and Risk
00:08:36 - From Grassroots to Greatness
00:09:49 - The Power of Community
00:13:17 - The Four Stages of Idea Growth: Audience, Community, Movement, Religion
00:15:22 - The Importance of Human-to-Human Connection
00:16:50 - The Power of Community in Marketing
00:18:30 - Examples of Successful Community Building
00:20:08 - The Journey into Community Building
00:27:21 - Finding the Right Audience
00:28:14 - Understanding the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
00:29:30 - Platforms and Communities
00:30:55 - The Power of In-Person Connections
00:33:38 - Community Building Advice
00:40:46 - The Power of Positive Companionship
00:41:08 - The Influence of Founders
00:41:30 - The Importance of Communication
00:42:12 - The Fourth C: Consistency
00:43:54 - Underdog Stories and Entrepreneurship

Timestamped summary of this episode:

00:00:08 - Introduction
Mario Martinez Jr. introduces the podcast and the guest, Lloyd Lobo. They discuss the importance of energy and connection in building a community.
00:02:26 - Background and Formative Experiences
Lloyd Lobo shares his background, growing up in the slums of Mumbai and experiencing the Gulf War as a refugee. He discusses how these experiences taught him the power of community and purpose.
00:06:48 - Entrepreneurship and Risk
Lloyd Lobo explains how his experiences as a refugee during the Gulf War shaped his entrepreneurial spirit. He believes that entrepreneurship is about taking an idea to execution and impact while dealing with extreme risk and uncertainty.
00:08:36 - From Grassroots to Greatness
Lloyd Lobo discusses his book, "From Grassroots to Greatness: 13 Rules to Build Iconic Brands with Community-Led Growth." He explains how building a community can drive growth and shares his experience with leveraging community to grow his own company, Boast.AI.
00:09:49 - The Power of Community
Lloyd Lobo shares how building a community of entrepreneurs helped his company, Boast.AI, acquire customers and grow. He emphasizes the importance of community in understanding customer pain points and building relationships.
00:13:17 - The Four Stages of Idea Growth: Audience, Community, Movement, Religion
Lloyed Lobo explains that every enduring global phenomenon follows the same four stages: audience, community, movement, and religion. Building a community is essential to avoid becoming a commodity and instead become a cult-like brand or religion.
00:15:22 - The Importance of Human-to-Human Connection
Lloyed emphasizes that technology may evolve, but human-to-human connection remains consistent. The most iconic brands and businesses are built on these connections. He shares that he wrote a book on this topic, highlighting its significance.
00:16:50 - The Power of Community in Marketing
Lloyed discusses how marketing has changed, with consumers becoming fed up with spam and clickbait. Building a community is crucial for businesses to own their relationships with consumers and avoid relying solely on algorithms and platforms.
00:18:30 - Examples of Successful Community Building
Lloyed provides examples of companies like Atlassian and Harley-Davidson that have successfully built communities. These communities have not only saved struggling brands but have also become iconic and influential in their respective industries.
00:20:08 - The Journey into Community Building
Lloyed shares his personal journey into community building, starting with cold calling and sales. He realized the importance of communication and connecting with like-minded individuals at entrepreneurial events, which led to the formation of his own community.
00:27:21 - Finding the Right Audience
Lloyed emphasizes the importance of loving and understanding your target audience. He shares his experience of building a startup audience and highlights the criteria to consider, such as sustainability, niche size, propensity to pay, and ease of access.
00:28:14 - Understanding the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
Lloyed explains the process of understanding the ICP by immersing oneself in their world. By identifying their pains, goals, aspirations, and obstacles, entrepreneurs can develop products that address their needs. He also emphasizes the importance of knowing the ICP's circle of influence.
00:29:30 - Platforms and Communities
Lloyed emphasizes the significance of knowing where your target audience frequents, whether it's LinkedIn, blogs, or magazines. He suggests creating an online audience through consistent content creation and bringing them together through offline meetups or online community channels.
00:30:55 - The Power of In-Person Connections
Lloyed highlights the power of building connections through in-person interactions. He explains that combining multiple senses strengthens relationships and trust. While online communities are valuable, meeting in person can foster deeper connections.
00:33:38 - Community Building Advice
Lloyed advises individuals to consider their DNA of giving before building a community. He emphasizes that community building is a marathon and requires time, consistency, and a genuine desire to help others. He also suggests being deliberate about the type of community to build.
00:40:46 - The Power of Positive Companionship
Surrounding yourself with positive and uplifting people during difficult times can make those times feel less challenging. Companionship plays a crucial role in shaping our experiences, and having great companions can make any journey, even a difficult one, memorable.
00:41:08 - The Influence of Founders
Working closely with founders has given Lloyd the courage to start his own startup. The people we surround ourselves with have a significant impact on our mindset and aspirations. Your community is your currency.
00:41:30 - The Importance of Communication
Communication is key to aligning people and building an audience. Without effective communication, you have an empty room. Mario is praised for his high energy communication skills.
00:42:12 - The Fourth C: Consistency
Consistency is crucial for success. Whether it's in community building, creation, or communication, consistent actions lead to significant outcomes over time. Overnight success is the result of compound interest on consistency.
00:43:54 - Underdog Stories and Entrepreneurship
Lloyd enjoys underdog story movies because they teach valuable lessons about entrepreneurship. It's not about how hard you hit, but how hard you keep pushing forward. From grassroots to greatness, the journey of an underdog is inspiring.

Accelerate sales growth

Accelerating sales growth relies heavily on building a strong community around your business. Lloyed Lobo emphasizes that this community-building prevents a business from becoming just another commodity. When achieved effectively, it results in creating a solid foundation that helps to accelerate sales growth and drives the success of a business.

Empower sales leaders

Lloyed’s story inspires and empowers sales leaders to focus on creating a sense of purpose and genuine engagement with their audience. He goes on to highlight the importance of consistency and communication in attaining this purpose. Empowered sales leaders equipped with these insights have the potential to transform their business performance and achieve higher levels of success.

Create strong connections

Creating strong human-to-human connections and fostering a robust community is at the heart of Lloyed’s message in this episode. He emphasizes that businesses need to own relationships beyond algorithms and platforms, enforcing the importance of a two-way interaction. By doing so, businesses can build stronger, long-lasting connections which eventually lead to sustainable growth and success.

The resources mentioned in this episode are:

• Check out FlyMSG.io, the free personal writing assistant and text expander application created by Vengreso, the company founded by Mario Martinez Jr.

• Tune in to the Modern Selling podcast hosted by Mario Martinez Jr. to hear from sales leaders, practitioners, and influencers and learn how to grow your sales numbers at scale.

• Get a copy of From Grassroots to Greatness, the Wall Street Journal bestseller written by Lloyed Lobo, co-founder of Boast.AI and Traction, to learn 13 rules for building iconic brands with community-led growth.

• Explore Boast.AI, the company co-founded by Lloyed Lobo, which offers solutions for automating R&D tax claims and innovation funding.

• Connect with Lloyed Lobo on social media to stay updated on his insights and experiences as an entrepreneur and community builder.

• Join the Traction community, created by Boast.AI, to connect with other entrepreneurs and access resources and support for building and growing your business.

• Reflect on the power of community and the impact it can have on your personal and professional life, as shared by Lloyed Lobo in the podcast episode.