I Almost Quit Before My Biggest Breakthrough

Early Sales Struggles [00:00:00]

• Cardone reflects on his past self, describing himself as scared and terrified before building resilience.
• He began buying real estate at 28 after consulting small, medium, and large businesses.
• At 31, he aggressively pursued real estate while consulting retail businesses in a pre-internet era.

  "Like people see who I am today, but you don't see who I was then. Scared, terrified, but I built a gristle."

Old School Sales Tactics [00:03:00]

• Cardone describes the physical nature of business interactions before the internet, requiring in-person meetings.
• He details using a "Thomas Guide" book for navigation and making cold calls to businesses.
• He would randomly select cities like Salt Lake City or Fort Lauderdale for his sales trips.

  "I remember driving, uh, going to Salt Lake city and I don't know where I'm at. First time I'd ever been to Salt Lake city. I'm calling on these businesses and I have a, I have a book about this stick called Thomas guide."

The Cold Call Grind [00:05:00]

• Cardone explains his method of making numerous cold calls on Thursdays and Fridays before traveling.
• He would promise a 100% sales increase by noon on the day of his presentation.
• Even rejections fueled his determination, with some people telling him to "F off."

  "Hey, Tim, my name's Grant Cardone. I have this phenomenal breakthrough technology for, uh, for increasing your sales and your revenue."

The Fort Lauderdale Fiasco [00:10:00]

• Cardone recounts a trip to Fort Lauderdale at age 29 where he lost money.
• He sold only 27 tickets at $300 each, making $5,400, but his expenses, including a $2,400 cell phone bill, totaled $8,000.
• Despite the financial loss and near quitting, he viewed it as a learning experience.

  "That deal in Fort Lauderdale only sold 27 tickets at 300 bucks. So I made 5,400 bucks, 5,100. I remember this 30, 33 years ago, even the income."

A Divine Message [00:13:00]

• After the Fort Lauderdale failure, Cardone prayed for guidance in a restaurant.
• Driving away, he saw a car with a Salt Lake City license plate, interpreting it as a sign.
• He decided to go to Salt Lake City, which led to his "big breakthrough seminar."

  "And I'm literally asking God, what, what, what, what should I do, dude? What should I do? Should I quit? This isn't working out."

Social Media Strategy [00:17:00]

• Cardone contrasts his early struggles with the instant audience potential of platforms like TikTok.
• He stresses the importance of getting attention, building an audience, and consistency.
• He advises showing up three times a day to differentiate oneself and build trust.

  "The best way to be different. If you want to immediately differentiate yourself from the rest of the crew, show up three times a day. Consistency."