6 Gems to Closing the Sale
The Financial Wholesaler Podcast
In Episode 7, Mitch Santala is joined by Darren Cde Baca with to unpack the mindset and skillset behind truly effective sales conversations. From mastering the art of storytelling to understanding how people process information, Darren lays out six specific gems every wholesaler can use to build trust, add value, and secure the next meeting. You’ll learn how to: ✅ Use education as a tool to obligate future conversations ✅ Adapt your language to match how your advisor thinks - visually, vocally, or emotionally ✅ Show up with storyboards that make your value unforgettable ✅ Do...
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Maximizing Your Brand Through Personal Storytelling
The Financial Wholesaler Podcast
In Episode 6, Mitch Santala is joined by Kirk Wayman to explore why personal brand, not product, has become the true differentiator in financial wholesaling. As products and performance continue to converge, the conversation shifts to identity, value creation, and how the way you show up in the room ultimately determines whether you are trusted, remembered, and invited back. Through real-world stories, metaphors, and deep reflection, Kirk unpacks how wholesalers and advisors can move beyond generic messaging and build a brand rooted in who they truly are. You’ll discover: ✅ How to get...
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Being Memorable With Your Difference
The Financial Wholesaler Podcast
In Episode 5, Mitch Santala is joined by Darren CdeBaca of DCB Strategies to unpack a key success factor: most wholesalers don’t fail because of their product… they fail because they’re instantly forgettable once they walk out the door. Darren breaks down how top wholesalers cultivate a different presence in the room with small, intentional, human habits that move you out of the crowded middle and make your meetings actually matter. You’ll discover: ✅ How small habits—like genuine interest and note-taking—move you out of the forgettable middle. ✅ Why top wholesalers stand out...
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Lessons from 37 Years of Wholesaling & The Five F's
The Financial Wholesaler Podcast
Success starts with what sustains you. In this episode, sits down with , a seasoned wholesaler who just wrapped up an extraordinary 37-year career. Through every high and low, five simple values kept him grounded: Fitness, Family, Faith, Fellowship, and Finances. You’ll discover: The values that guided Mark through decades of wholesaling How to build a career with depth, not just duration What it means to lead with value in every season of life This episode is a masterclass in endurance, identity, and living with intention. Episode Timestamps: Lessons from 37 Years of Wholesaling &...
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Using AI to Elevate 1-on-1 Meetings
The Financial Wholesaler Podcast
In this episode, Mitch sits down with Kirk Wayman, founder of IKON Coaching, to unpack how artificial intelligence can enhance the human side of your meetings. This isn’t about replacing your role—it’s about amplifying it. Together, they explore how AI can help you walk into every advisor meeting more prepared, more personal, and more present—so that the time you spend in the room truly moves the relationship forward. You’ll discover: ✅ How to use AI to prep for more personal, high-value meetings ✅ How to train your AI using a “Master Prompt” that thinks like you do ✅...
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5 Mindset and Habit-Set Tools
The Financial Wholesaler Podcast
Every great advisor meeting starts with more than preparation—it starts with perspective. In this month’s episode, ESA CEO Mitch Santala is joined by Darren Cde Baca of DCB Strategies to share five transformative mindset and habit-set tools every financial wholesaler needs. Drawing from decades of coaching and leadership experience, Darren offers practical ways to align your thoughts and actions with your professional goals—so you can lead meetings that create lasting value. You’ll discover: ✅ Why your mindset determines the ceiling of your growth ✅ Five daily habits to bring...
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Branding With Purpose
The Financial Wholesaler Podcast
Every quality meeting begins with more than a pitch—it begins with purpose. In our first episode, ESA CEO Mitch Santala sits down with 37-year wholesaling veteran Mark Warren to explore how building a personal brand—by design, not default—can transform your advisor meetings from transactional to meaningful. You’ll discover: Why your personal brand matters more than your product How branding shapes the trust behind every meeting The habits that fueled Mark’s long, successful career If you're ready to move beyond the script and start showing up with purpose, this conversation will...
info_outlineEvery quality meeting begins with more than a pitch—it begins with purpose.
In our first episode, ESA CEO Mitch Santala sits down with 37-year wholesaling veteran Mark Warren to explore how building a personal brand—by design, not default—can transform your advisor meetings from transactional to meaningful.
You’ll discover:
- Why your personal brand matters more than your product
- How branding shapes the trust behind every meeting
- The habits that fueled Mark’s long, successful career
If you're ready to move beyond the script and start showing up with purpose, this conversation will help you lead meetings that advisors remember.
🔖 Episode Timestamps: Branding with Purpose
0:00 – Introduction: Mitch welcomes Mark Warren and introduces the idea of building your brand on purpose, not by default
1:04 – Why the classic 4 Ps of marketing aren’t enough in financial wholesaling
2:00 – Do you have a brand by design or by default?
3:16 – What is “Shelf of the Mind” theory and why does it matter for wholesalers?
5:04 – Why products alone won’t differentiate you anymore
6:28 – Creating compression through branding: moving from product defense to relational value
7:00 – The 3 traits of great brands: Easy to acquire, Perform, Reassure
9:01 – What “easy to acquire” means in wholesaling and how to achieve it
11:00 – How to script niche-based client acquisition conversations
13:20 – “You're one of my best clients”: a bridge statement that builds loyalty
15:15 – Helping advisors work their niches through strategic questions
16:22 – Performance: Stop comparing yourself to the S&P 500
17:25 – Defining a personal index of success for clients
18:52 – Helping advisors connect performance to real-life goals
19:55 – Reassurance: Why many clients don’t know the value their advisor provides
22:45 – Social credibility, trust-building, and the “honor bar” effect
25:28 – What Trident and Dollar Shave Club can teach wholesalers about branding
29:02 – The wrap-up: practical questions to ask in your next advisor meeting
30:35 – Becoming the referral mechanism through brand differentiation
31:13 – Mark’s personal contact info and Power 4 Ministries
31:58 – Closing: Visit esasolutions.com for appointment setting services
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Learn more at thefinancialwholesalerpodcast.com.
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