Tom Antion joins Pete Mohr on this episode of the Simplifying Entrepreneurship Podcast.
Tom has never had a job. He's an Internet Multimillionaire "guy next door" and founder of the only licensed, dedicated Internet marketing school in the country. He's the subject of a Hollywood Documentary "The American Entrepreneur" premiering Spring 2022. Tom also owned a practical joke company, nightclub, and various other businesses with lots of unique stories.
Here are a few things we chat about:
Some of the tools Tom used to handle up to 150,000 subscribers and 65,000 customers without pulling his hair out?
Why should you avoid combining systems from different companies whenever possible
If you’re ready to transform your entrepreneurial frustrations into freedoms by cutting through the chaos and using frameworks that help you run an even better business and enjoy an even better life, simply Book a Freedom Call with Pete
Take the free assessment on the top right-hand side of my website and we’ll set up a time to chat!
I would really appreciate your support in helping me reach more leaders in business by rating and reviewing my show. Simply click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with up to five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!
Are you looking to make some changes in your business and your life in 2024? Head over to speaktopete.com and book a chat with me to see if we're the right fit!
To Book a no charge Freedom Call with Pete, to see if you’re a good fit for his business coaching head over to http://speaktopete.com to find a time that works for you!
Tom Antion joins Pete Mohr on this episode of the Simplifying Entrepreneurship Podcast.
Tom has never had a job. He's an Internet Multimillionaire "guy next door" and founder of the only licensed, dedicated Internet marketing school in the country. He's the subject of a Hollywood Documentary "The American Entrepreneur" premiering Spring 2022. Tom also owned a practical joke company, nightclub, and various other businesses with lots of unique stories.
Here are a few things we chat about:
Some of the tools Tom used to handle up to 150,000 subscribers and 65,000 customers without pulling his hair out?
Why should you avoid combining systems from different companies whenever possible
If you’re ready to transform your entrepreneurial frustrations into freedoms by cutting through the chaos and using frameworks that help you run an even better business and enjoy an even better life, simply Book a Freedom Call with Pete
Take the free assessment on the top right-hand side of my website and we’ll set up a time to chat!
I would really appreciate your support in helping me reach more leaders in business by rating and reviewing my show. Simply click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with up to five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!
Are you looking to make some changes in your business and your life in 2024? Head over to speaktopete.com and book a chat with me to see if we're the right fit!
To Book a no charge Freedom Call with Pete, to see if you’re a good fit for his business coaching head over to http://speaktopete.com to find a time that works for you!
If you put a bunch of guys like me that have been around a long time and ask them what are the some of the most powerful tools ever invented for online marketing, sequential autoresponder would be up at the top of the list. Right? As I'm talking to you, I have almost 500 sequences of autoresponders. Taking care of customers, when they buy something following up up selling automatically, and giving them customer service. In fact, I used them to get out of trouble with the Canadians. Because before 911, I'd send a big 11 pound box of tapes and stuff to Canada and then we get right through as soon as 911 hit. Then they started holding it up in customs and then all you wonderfully nice Canadians were cussing me out in English, because they thought I stole their money, put in the autoresponder as soon as they bought it, hey, because of the security concerns. It may be caught in your customs for a couple of weeks, but they always get through, don't worry about it. Here's some extra tips and call me if you want some consultation. And
Pete Mohr:
are you making every decision in your business? Maybe feeling a little overworked and overwhelmed? Do you ever wish you had someone to go over the big decisions and entrepreneurial choices you had to make? Well, maybe this sounds familiar. Your partner at home doesn't want to hear about business anymore. And your friends don't know what the heck you're talking about. And maybe your team at work well, even though you have an open door policy, they're not always as open as you'd like them to be. Well, there's good news. I have room for two more one on one coaching clients next quarter. And, you know, here's how it works. We'll get together on Zoom either every week or every second week to discuss the strategies and frameworks that will clarify your thinking and advance your business and entrepreneurial life. It's all about the five P's, your promise your product, your process, your people and your profit. Once they're better aligned, you'll enjoy a better life and business. Remember, you own your business and it shouldn't own you. It's time to reduce the frustrations and increase the freedoms. So if this sounds interesting, go to simplifying entrepreneurship.com forward slash Call to book a freedom call with me and we'll see if we're right fit. Hey, it's Pete and welcome to another edition of the simplifying entrepreneurship podcast always here to help you cut through the chaos of running a business and transforming your frustrations into freedoms. And today I had the opportunity to speak with Tom Antion. And Tom's a fun guy, we had some chuckles and laughs and I had the opportunity of being on his podcast to which was a lot of fun. Tom is an old time internet marketing guy, one of the guys that got things rolling back in the 90s. He's been doing it a long time. And he's got a great business called Great Internet Marketing Training. And he has written all sorts of books. Really interesting conversations here today with Tom, we're gonna get into a couple of ideas around what are some of the tools that you use to handle up to 150,000 subscribers and 65,000 customers without pulling your hair out? Like I said, Tom has been at this for a while. And another one we chatted about was the idea around why Tom avoids combining different systems from different companies whenever possible. And you know, I think it was just a great conversation. We'll dig right into it with Tom and yeah. Hey, Tom, it's a pleasure to have you here on the simplifying entrepreneurship podcast today.
Tom Antion:
I am so happy to be here and I'm in the sun and you're not that's
Pete Mohr:
so true. It's like we've had some warmer weather here in the Toronto area the last few days. It's melted a lot. But as we were just hopping on, I was saying, yeah, it's snowing like crazy out there today. I just got came in from shoveling before we hopped on the call,
Tom Antion:
you're gonna have my share, buddy.
Pete Mohr:
Well, I'm excited to chat some business here today and excited to learn some stuff from you. And I'm sure our entrepreneurs and other business owners here that are listening today are as well. And, you know, let's dig right into it. Tom. One of the things that we were going to chat about today were some of the tools that you use to handle up to 150,000 subscribers and 65,000 customers without pulling your hair out. And as anybody who's watching this can see, I've already pulled mine out. So I probably need these things that I'm going to talk about. Yeah, man. Let's dig into that a little bit. There's nothing
Tom Antion:
earth shattering here. These are all simple, inexpensive or free things that some of them right on your computer already. So one of the things that gets me as people pay a lot of money to talk to me and then I'm sitting there 20 minutes later they can't find the password to get into show me what they wanted to show them. Yeah, this is not accepted. It's not acceptable to have it on a file on your computer that somebody is going to grab and hack. So we use RoboForm. There's another one that one password. So those are tools that we use all the time. So I can hit one button, it'll go to whatever website I want login for me with one click. So
Pete Mohr:
I use Dashlane, which is another one that Dashlane is, and we've used Dashlane with our teams for years. And it's just having one of these automations is just such a game changer.
Tom Antion:
Exactly, it just see that my whole thing is people, there's only so much psychic energy in a day. And I don't want you fighting with your computer and looking and wasting time, I want you to spend in the time creating products and services and handling prospects and customers and all the stuff that brings the money for sure. Now the next thing is you are literally crazy if you don't use this, okay, and it is called short keys. Now, this is for the PC for the Mac, there's something called keyboard Maestro. And we actually estimated it a few years ago that it has saved me approximately seven and a half million keystrokes. Oh, my God saved me carpal tunnel syndrome. All right. And all it is is a macro program. What it is is a couple keystrokes, and I could type in war and peace if I wanted to. So my rule of thumb is if I get the question, and I've been teaching online digital stuff for 25 years now been selling for 28 on online, I'm going to get the same questions over and over again. Yep. So if I get the same question more than once I make the answer into a short key. And that way I can lightning fast handle response to people and inquiries from prospects. And they think God, this guy is all over it. Well, you know, this stuff was there. And even if you had to go find it and cut and paste it and find remember where you put it, you know, it's just a time waster. So seven and a half million keystrokes allowed me to literally, Pete ethically steal customers from people that are too slow to get back because I'm busy taking care of customers, I love it. You should make your employees use it to why should you pay extra to have them make typos and, and waste time like that. So that's one. Another one is speak pipe, SPE aka P IP. This is a voicemail for your website. So people can go to my website, click a button, talk into their computer, it sends me an email, it lets me know that somebody just left me a message. I can click it leaving them a voice message back right through the website. Yeah, love it. The short keys is like $30 when I bought it, it was $20 One time Yeah. And I was saved all that trouble. So SpeakPipe is nothing. Now another one that's right on your computer. If you use a decent email program, you have what's called a signature file. Yeah, that's usually people just use it to put in their name and address and website and all that. Well, if you have unlimited signature files, you can I have like 400 of them on Outlook. And they have a lot of the same answers that are on the short keys. And so I can just go insert signature, pick the one I want, boom, hit it in there. And then I can customize it if I want to hit Send done. All right, I took care of that person.
Pete Mohr:
And I use Google and I am like you we have just a ton of different signatures and you know put in power signatures and all your pieces and your call to actions and all these different things big user of those for sure.
Tom Antion:
If you put a bunch of guys like me, they've been around a long time and ask him what are the some of the most powerful tools ever invented for online marketing? The sequential autoresponder would be up at the top of the list. Right as I'm talking to you, I have almost 500 sequences of autoresponders taking care of customers when they buy something following up upselling automatically after the sale, and giving them customer service. In fact, I used them to get out of trouble with new Canadians. Because before 911 I'd send a big 11 pound box of tapes and stuff to Canada and then we get right through as soon as 911 hit. Then they started holding it up in customs and then all you wonderfully nice Canadians were cussing me out in English, because they thought I stole their money, because it got held up for a couple of weeks. So I put in the autoresponder as soon as they bought it, hey, because of the security concerns. It may be caught in your customs for a couple of weeks, but they always get through don't worry about it. Here's some extra tips and call me if you want some consultation in the meantime, another thing I have four monitors in my office, if you just go to two monitors, it will change your entire life. Absolutely, because you're not going up and down with browser windows all the time. So that's another one. Google Alerts. One of my students is the expert on active shooters. Unfortunately, there's loads of them around. And so I told him you put on that active shooter stuff in a Google Alert. As soon as something happens in the news, he gets an email. And then he calls all the media in that city, and offers himself as an expert in the first month, he did like 90 interviews incredible because of Google Alerts. So there's just some of the stuff. I'm going to give them an ebook later, if you want. Way more a lot of cell phone automation and all that
Pete Mohr:
stuff. Cool. That's awesome. Yep, we'll share that and put it in the show notes as well, Tom. This episode of the simplifying entrepreneurship podcast is brought to you by shoe topia.ca. I've owned Eutopia now for over 12 years, and we're always looking to ensure our clients look great and feel fantastic. Like when you look in the mirror, and you say, Ooh, I look pretty good. And when you close your eyes, and you say, Ah, those feel fantastic. That's when you know, you've found the perfect pair. Whether you come for a visit in person or visit us online@utopia.ca Our goal is always to make you feel like family and provide an experience you'll remember, our clients are at the very heart of shoe topia visit us@utopia.ca. Currently, we're only shipping to Canadian addresses. One of the other things that we are going to chat a little bit about today was Why do you avoid combining systems from different companies whenever possible? I mean, we've just talked about, and I use a lot of the systems that you're talking about to within mine, because I talk a lot about process and different systems and automations as well. Why is it that you are always suggesting are often suggesting around this idea of combining systems can be difficult?
Tom Antion:
You know, a lot of the things I just mentioned are lower utility. Yeah, that you use them, use them use them. Your whole business is not predicated on Yeah, but when I see I started in 1994, when the commercial internet started, and we had a shopping cart. And if it took the order correctly, we'd have a big office part. Yeah. All right, because it was the Wild West. And then I decided right about that time Affiliate Software was coming of age, Amazon kinda was a big push behind that. So I paid well, first of all, the shopping cart was 2000 bucks barely would work. The affiliate module with another company was 1100 bucks. This is in the mid 90s. Okay, when it never worked, each of the geeks on both sides would blame the other ones. So it's limited that you can get an integrated system. And I'm not in favor of always having all your eggs in one basket. Because if that goes down, you're disappear off the face of the earth. Yeah. But for stuff like that, that's really intricate, that has to work together. Try not to build the 10 different things because all the geeks are going to get their egos up. I don't know if you're a geek or not, but I'm not, they're going to blame each other, and then you're going to be left holding the bag. So that's why I use what I call double edge technology. I don't jump on any kind of bandwagon I didn't get on Facebook to there was a billion users. Because I remember MySpace, which was the end all be all and it's off the face of the earth. So I sit back a little bit, let him get all the bugs out of it. We don't update our WordPress sites until the couple iterations, because it's all full of bugs, and then they get rid of them. And then I swoop in and make the money.
Pete Mohr:
We've personally lived that time, you know, having having, you know, each of the companies bantering back and forth, we own some retail stores and the same sort of thing. You know, the website company was was saying it was the point of sale problem and the point of sale problem saying it's a website problem. And they're both saying that it's your system issues and your hardware issues and all these other things. And everybody's past the blame right past the blame. Exactly. So yeah, definitely have have lived those frustrations.
Tom Antion:
It cracks me up when I go see a point of sale, because it's abbreviated POS, right. Yeah. Which also stands for a piece of
Pete Mohr:
Yeah. Yeah. And, and, for me, we've just gone through transition since COVID. Actually, when we were one of our closures in COVID, we just amalgamated those so that it would be easier so that our point of sale system is actually our web store system to and it's all hosted online so that everything's done that way. And boy has it simplified our lives really in just so many ways.
Tom Antion:
If you don't do that, especially you know, some people that are starting out will say all I'm going to do MailChimp and then they're going to get a shopping cart over here. Now you got two databases, and you're going to send out duplicates all day long because neither one can D dupe across to the other platform. But it's best if possible to get it all together in one place, that you can segment the list in that one place, but not if they're on different companies.
Pete Mohr:
One of the things we want to chat about was you have this outrageous way to recruit workers And, you know, we're a lot of chatter out there about the great resignation. And one of the things that I deal with a lot of my coaching clients is that whole people portion right of their business, and it's in, it's a big frustration. So why don't you give us a little guidance around that and your thoughts? Well,
Tom Antion:
you know, what I was thinking about, I think you Canadians are too nice for this method. Because well hit is. You got to have the stomach for this. Now, everybody that I hire is came off of Craigslist. Okay. That's the first thing. Why? Because it's the only place that would accept these really rotten ads that I write. The first tip is, is you can't really age discriminate. I don't want the 55 year old MBA, they can't even turn this computer on Yeah, to come and apply to work here because I want the young people that are tech savvy, because I'm I'm so far over the hill, I can't remember going up. So so. So I the the headline of the ad says paid internship. Yeah, that's gold right there, folks. No older person that's not tech savvy is ever going to apply for an internship, right? I get all the young tech savvy people, then I suck them in by saying all the great things they'll learn from this internationally known guy and all this stuff. But then when I get to the bottom, I say, You know what, if you're a worthless slug, and you don't care about the quality of your work, if I don't throw you out of here in five minutes, the good people that work here will Yeah. And it scares off
Pete Mohr:
all the losers. Yeah, exactly.
Tom Antion:
I only get some of the people been here. 1012 years. They all show him I'm good. Good worker. Yeah, they've been here forever. So that's my, off the wall. But guess what monster calm is not going to take that.
Pete Mohr:
Well, you know what you're creating it upfront as to what they can expect. Right? And exactly, and then it happens. So what's wrong with that? I mean, I love this idea of attracting or repelling and it's okay to repel the wrong people.
Tom Antion:
Well, what's wrong with it? Is it's too harsh for the sensibilities of today. Yeah, I
Pete Mohr:
know. Yeah. But it's worked for you. Right? It worked for me. Cool. Working. Yeah. Awesome. Well, you mentioned a little bit about your ebook, and why don't you tell everybody how they can get ahold of you, Tom, and also where they can get this great ebook.
Tom Antion:
Yeah, so my podcast is called screw the commute based on the fact I've never had a job nice been in my own business. 45 years formerly, this book is all the things I rattled off in the beginning of this it goes into depth on how to do it, what to do where to go. And way more than that, and you can pick up a copy of screw the commute comm slash automate free, so it's my automation ebook, but it's the free version. So screw the commute.com/automate free, you need to get ahold of me Great Internet Marketing Training calm or just Tom at screw the commute calm.
Pete Mohr:
Love it. Love it. Thanks so much for spending some time with me, Tom, and I'm looking forward to spending some time with you on your podcast in the near future to wait right on?
Tom Antion:
Yeah, it's gonna be soon have
Pete Mohr:
a good one. Well, you should have some things on your to do list. Now. Thanks for spending some time with Tom and I here today and think about how you can apply some of the things I mean, if we're talking about the automations I mean, I use a lot of these automations to love them, really. I don't use short keys. But it's one of those ones that if you're always on sort of responding in particular on the internet, through messenger and through your variety of different chat forums, that you're always answering those questions, I think that would be a really good one. SpeakPipe is one that I'm going to look into. I think that was really cool. We talked a little bit about signature files as well on Google or on Outlook and how to arrange those something that I certainly love to do. But lots of great chat around different concepts with Tom here today. So think about which ones you can put into action after all you lead your business and it shouldn't be leading you. Always remember that clarity creates confidence and confidence ignites momentum. And I think through this, you should be able to develop a lot more confidence and a lot more time to be looking at things that are really clarifying your way forth. If you set up some of these automations set up some of these things that are going to make your job easier. If you like the podcast please share it with your friends and subscribe to the simplifying entrepreneurship YouTube channel as well. I'd love your feedback in the comment section of YouTube and will personally respond to each one you can really help me out by subscribing to the podcast on Spotify or Apple and rating and reviewing this episode on Apple by leaving us up to a five star review connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook. The links are in the show notes. And lastly, you can check out the website at more coach that's mo HR dot c o ACH. And until next time, make it a great day.
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