Stephan Escalante first met Matthew back in 2006 when he was struggling to make sales in real estate. Thanks to Matthew’s work, he became a conscious contributor to the world and closed many more deals. Fast forward to 2019, and Stephan has found himself operating from a context of survival in managing his 3 companies. This inspirational case study shows how Stephan joining Matthew’s mastermind a second time led to unpredictable financial breakthroughs in his business.
Meet Ignite Mastermind Member Stephan Escalante:
- Native to California (Los Angeles) thriving business owner;
- Specializes in Real Estate Investing;
- Other passions: Music, DJing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu;
- Unique Feature: in his 45, Stephan already has 2 grandchildren.
Q: You’ve been with Matthew since 2006, Stephan. How did you guys connect?
A: I met Matthew back when he was working for the Mike Ferry Organization as a coach. At that time he was teaching NLP. He eventually branched out on his own, partnered up with Thach Nguyen, and he had a mastermind at the time called “Mental Journey To Millions”. I joined in 2006, and that was my first real investment into coaching for my own self development.
I was a newbie to the real estate industry, having been in it for 1.5 years at that point. I was a loan officer doing 1-2 deals a month at the time, and my sales approach was out of whack. There was a lot of resistance and fighting with prospects to get them to buy, and that had a negative effect on my ability to close.
What changed my approach to sales completely was reading his book “Creating Sales Velocity” and changing from a forceful salesperson to a conscious salesperson. Instead of having an agenda, I would intentionally be of service and make a contribution to the other person. I focused on how I could serve the other person and bring value to them.
This was my first quantum leap I made with Matthew. When you’re forceful, you are dialing nonstop and calling other people. You treat them as prospects. You use memorized scripts in a selfish manner because all you care about is what you can get out of the other person. It’s just tactics.
“Your opinion is the source of your suffering, not how other people behave. What you say about it causes you to suffer. Other people are just doing what they are doing. Your resistance causes your suffering, not the circumstances.” – Matthew Ferry
Think of it like banging your head persistently against the wall, hoping the next tap will break the wall. It’s no way to do sales, at least not if you want to survive in this industry. Goal-setting was no different, as it was a very stressful activity that never brought me any real sense of joy. With conscious sales, you bring value and you act as if you are of service. You no longer need to make 100 calls in the hopes of getting results. Being a conscious salesperson allows you to achieve the SAME results with just 5 calls, and it’s magical when it happens.
Q: So what happened between that time period and when you joined the revamped mastermind again in 2019?
A: After the market crash in 2008, I wasn’t in any type of coaching for four more years. I was working for an asset management company, managing real-estate owned (REO) properties for the bank. It was still real estate, but more on the corporate side, and that gave me the skills I needed to buy and sell houses today.
Last year, I owned 3 franchises and I was out of the REO side of things. However, I had come to a point where I was operating from a survival state of mind in trying to manage all of these companies. This realization was only possible through consuming Matthew’s newest content and learning more about how The Drunk Monkey can ruin our lives. I was initially hesitant on buying more coaching and getting involved with a new mastermind from the same person for a second time, but my wife said I should be involved and gave me the kickstart I needed to make the investment.
Q: So what was it like attending your very first mastermind retreat? What did you feel as you were going home?
A: You leave with all of these possibilities humming within your mind. Being around like-minded individuals leaves you thinking it’s possible to do extraordinary things for your life, your business and your family. You automatically level-up, and you carry some of the inspiration with you to your home.
“A quiet mind is influential because it has transcended fear and resistance. When you transcend the survival mind and you connect with your infinite nature, you naturally experience love, appreciation and respect for all things and all people”. – Matthew Ferry
Thanks to the tools and strategies you are equipped with, you get to keep the “high” you got from the retreat. It’s bound to go down after a while, and it’s very hard to duplicate and keep that feeling for so long. Fortunately, the weekly coaching calls leave me feeling reinvigorated and ready to take on life’s challenges.
Q: It may be too early to say, but what effect did Matthew’s “new and improved” mastermind have on your life thus far?
A: If I had to pick one area of my life to focus on, it would be my business. I’ve seen some major quantum leaps, thanks to all of the very powerful people in the mastermind who have graciously agreed to mentor me.
I was part of the largest deal I’ve ever done in my life (87 units), and it was worth $7.5 million when it was closed on. All because of the mentorship I received. My income in the first three months of 2020 is already HALF of the total income I made in 2019. A major reason why I was able to do this was because of how Matthew changed my perspective on the relationship between making money and doing what you love.
I remember sharing how frustrated I was with one of my businesses, and this is what he had to say to me: “Just so I understand, if you want to do a business that you hate just so you can make money, how does that make any sense?”. He was so right about my situation that it hit me like a brick. Rather than create unnecessary stories, stress, anxiety, and inner dialogue doing things I don’t like, I can instead just do the things I love that are already making me money.
Q: Does this quantum leap in your business make it easier for you to deal with your family?
A: It definitely does. I remember dealing with a huge conflict involving my young 22-year-old son’s heroin addiction. There were a lot of heartbreaking moments and several obstacles which got in the way of dealing with such a sensitive issue. But I remember back to what Matthew told us, which is “Things are always going our way, even when they’re not”. With this new context in mind, I am in a better position to help myself and my son get through the addiction, even if he accidentally overdoses.
Q: Sounds like you’ve just written up a strong recommendation for the Ignite Mastermind!
A: It most certainly is. I will say this: It may seem wacky and weird and crazy at first, but stick with it. Let Matthew’s messages continually sink in, and you will notice the shift in your consciousness. It’s a life-changing experience, that much I can tell you!
Author
Matthew Ferry