Q&A with Frank:

How did you become an authority on the Science of Social Dynamics?

It all started back in late 2002 - early 2003 when I was at the top of the sales game and realized that I could benefit myself and others more by teaching the secrets that made me a star performer rather than simply continuing on in the sales profession. I decided to put my lead-generation techniques on paper and sell them as a package, and sure enough the product took off and led to my best-selling books. However, I knew that giving salespeople a list of lead-generation tactics wasn't enough; leads are worthless if salespeople can't close them quickly and easily.

In talking with salespeople who were reading my books I identified the same patterns over and over: those salespeople were getting plenty of hot leads using my systems but were approaching those prospects from a position of weakness. And in the real world, no matter how hot the leads are, if you give up your power and approach those people from a position of inferiority and supplication, they simply won't trust you with their business. At that point I began teaching others my knowledge of the science of social dynamics and enabling them to use it for success.

You mention the blanket term "success"; is the information you teach applicable to sales, or to other areas as well?

The science of social dynamics is most definitely applicable in all areas of business as well as life in general. In fact, this knowledge and understanding has improved my personal life and relationships just as much as it has improved my business life, and I hear the same feedback from others.

The big problem in the world today - business and personal - is that people are caught in an endless chase. They chase the things they want. They chase the people they want. They chase the money, the jobs, the marriages they want ... and as I'm known to say, "Those who are chased never want to be caught." What I do is show people not only how to stop chasing, but how to destroy the invisible barriers that make us chase in the first place.

Why did you decide to leave the sales profession and follow the path you've chosen instead?

It comes down to how I was spending my time in sales: as a top performer, any and every other salesperson I knew was always picking my brains, and I genuinely enjoy helping others so I spent time with them to help them improve. It was then that I realized just how valuable my knowledge really was, and even though I was excelling in sales, the prospect of becoming an author, a speaker, a teacher to others was a lot more attractive than continuing in the sales profession.

As I mentioned earlier, I sold my lead-generation strategies as an online package, and it sold so well and so suddenly - it really was an overnight sensation - that publishers began calling soon after and, as they say, the rest is history!

Frank, why the focus on social dynamics when you're so well-known for your bestselling sales books?

The answer is simple: leverage. By teaching the science of social dynamics, and by interpreting problems through that science, I can help far more people and organizations than I ever could just by teaching sales techniques.

Don't get me wrong - I love sales, I love talking about it, I love teaching it! But there's always a bigger picture, and the bigger picture for me was the realization that I was already teaching advanced social dynamics and power principles to salespeople. When I started a private coaching group, I was surprised to see that most of the members were not employed salespeople but instead were executives, entrepreneurs, business owners. Their feedback was that the information I've been teaching is far too valuable to restrict to salespeople and that so many more could stand to benefit from it. With that in mind I began to shift my focus away from teaching salespeople and toward coaching, consulting, and speaking to organizations and executives who could apply my knowledge on much higher levels.

You talk about power a lot ... what do you mean by power?

I'm glad you asked, because that word power is misinterpreted so frequently. When I talk about power, I'm not talking about the use of power to intimidate and control, or to bully, or otherwise misuse power as a "means to an end." In fact, one of the first things I want people to know is that the old concept of power, that of authority-based influence, is long gone. The problem today, however, is that pandering and approval-seeking have come to replace authority-based influence. And that's just as bad, if not worse. Nobody likes authority-based influence and being bossed around, but pandering and begging and chasing are no better.

As an example, imagine any negotiation. It can be a sales appointment, it can be world leaders sitting at the bargaining table, it can be as basic as asking someone on a date. But the bottom line is that many interactions in life - and almost all in business - are negotiations, and in every negotiation, one side wants something and the other side can say "yes" or "no" and that's the side that has the power.

I show people how to show up to every situation, every negotiation, with the power, and how to keep that power through to the very end to come to a mutually beneficial conclusion for everyone involved.

What exactly do you do for people and organizations?

I show people how to get, keep, and use personal power with mutual respect to get anything, anywhere. I work with organizations to interpret their businesses and their challenges through the science of social dynamics and to help them redefine who they are with a focus on effectively implementing and influencing through personal power. I show others how to stand up, show up, and use their power to maximize performance, address leadership issues, and attract the results they want, rather than chasing those results like a dog chasing its tail.

To sum it up, I use the science of social dynamics to unleash unstoppable people and organizations!

There's more to life than business. What hobbies or other interests do you have?

I don't believe in being a workaholic or working 24/7. In fact the entire purpose of my first sales training product was to show salespeople how to get more results while working less hours! So a healthy balance between work and play is a big part of my life.

I recently moved to Southern California, so exploring all that's new to me has been a big part of life lately, as well as lots and lots of working out thanks to living next-door to the area's top personal trainer! I'm also an avid shooter and I enjoy the shooting sports immensely and am a regular at my local range. And, when time allows, I'm a Food Network junkie and love trying new things in the kitchen. My other half is extremely creative - she paints, she sews, she even built our entertainment center, and she has one of the funniest cats - so there's always something fun going on around here.

Speaking of entertainment, I try to avoid watching a lot of television but I'm hooked on House M.D. In the literary world, my favorite novelist is Ayn Rand - Atlas Shrugged tops my list of favorites. Musically, I'm a huge Rush fan ... I love their music immensely, and their many Rand-inspired lyrics help too!