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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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 &...
info_outline
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 ✅...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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_outlineIn 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
✅ How to build client-type profiles that give you feedback on your strategies
Episode Timestamps: Using AI to Elevate 1-on-1 Meetings
0:00 – Introduction: Reflection on how AI only works when you give it real human context, values, and goals.
1:26 – Mitch introduces the episode and guest, Kirk Wayman.
1:34 – Kirk talks about his early awareness of AI through science fiction and how those ideas have evolved into today's reality.
2:49 – A breakdown of the differences between large language models and AI agents, and how rapidly the technology is advancing.
4:11 – Kirk and Mitch discuss how soon personal robotic assistants like Tesla’s Optimus could become part of everyday life.
5:01 – Discussion about why humans often struggle to imagine and adopt new technology like AI.
6:36 – Kirk shares a story about developers in Silicon Valley who wrongly assumed AI wouldn’t affect their jobs.
8:32 – Kirk discusses how AI is even changing the field of coaching and why that realization shifted his perspective.
10:38 – Mitch and Kirk offer advice on how financial professionals can start experimenting with AI tools now.
12:30 – A look at how AI can be trained to research advisors before meetings, and how it saves time while improving effectiveness.
14:22 – Mitch shares a real example of how someone used AI to prepare for a meeting with his company - and how accurate and insightful the AI’s summary was.
15:46 – Emphasis that AI can’t build relationships or trust. That part still requires human discernment, presence, and care.
16:42 – Explanation of how uploading personal documents and preferences can help AI sound more authentic and aligned with your voice.
18:28 – Kirk explains how AI doesn’t just reflect your voice back—it teaches you how to refine and clarify your own communication.
20:01 – They walk through the process of building a master prompt with links and guidance so AI tools can quickly understand and act like your digital assistant.
23:20 – Reflection on how AI is the first software tool that helps train you, not the other way around.
24:08 – Tips on creating advisor archetypes as AI personas to help rehearse sales conversations, refine language, and overcome objections.
25:35 – Kirk shares a story about how a tech editor used AI trained on negative comments to sharpen his arguments before publishing.
26:31 – Discussion on whether AI will replace humans or instead liberate us to focus more on creativity, relationships, and impact.
28:13 – Encouragement for financial professionals to use AI to offload busywork and focus more on high-value advisor conversations.
29:20 – Final thoughts and preview of future episodes focused on hands-on AI tools and workflows.
Subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.
Learn more at thefinancialwholesalerpodcast.com.
Follow us: