Dennis Collins:
Hi, everybody. Welcome to another episode of Connect and Convert, the Sales Accelerator Podcast, where small business owners come to find out those behind-the-scenes secrets to growing their business faster than ever. Hey, Leah, Leah Bumphrey, my partner in crime.

Leah Bumphrey:
Hey, Dennis. How you doing? Good to see you again.

Dennis Collins:
I just enjoyed a lovely vacation as we’re recording this in your country, in Canada. I want to come back, Leah. I miss it.

Leah Bumphrey:
I’ve been looking at what the locals had to say, and you’re welcome to come back. They’re pretty happy to have you and your American dollars up here.

Dennis Collins:
They didn’t even put me in jail or anything, so I came back unscathed and very happy. So I’m all fresh off of vacation. This is our first recording after vacation, and boy, is this going to be something special for our viewers and listeners. Yes. Because today we have a guest, and it’s not just any guest.

Now if you’re a frequent flyer here on our podcast, you’ve seen this gentleman, and you’ve heard him many times before because he usually pops in and has a brilliant piece of information to add to our podcast. His name is Producer Paul.

Paul Boomer:
Howdy.

Dennis Collins:
There he is.

Paul Boomer. Paul is not only our producer, he is our business partner, and most important of all, he is our friend. And we are delighted to have him as our guest today because, as you all know, who are frequent listeners and viewers, we are sponsored by wizardacademy.org.

And there’s something very special going on at wizardacademy.org that doesn’t seem to fit. It’s there, it’s working, but a lot of people say, what? What is that all about? Well, it just so happens Mr. Paul Boomer is a whiskey sommelier.

Not a wine sommelier, a whiskey sommelier. And he got that designation from none other than the Wizard Academy. So he’s here today. He’s going to tell us some stories. You know we love storytelling, don’t we, Leah, on this podcast?

Leah Bumphrey:
Absolutely.

Dennis Collins:
We love storytelling. I think we’re going to have a masterclass today from none other than producer Paul. Paul Boomer, take it away.

Paul Boomer:
Howdy. So I do ask that you be a little gentle with me because I am doing multiple things, switching cameras and doing audio, while also doing the storytelling and such. So please forgive me if I do and click the wrong buttons.

Leah Bumphrey:
You have set the bar so high, we have huge expectations, Paul.

Dennis Collins:
I mean, you’re the most capable person I know, so I’m not worried one bit.

Paul Boomer:
Well, going along that capability, which I appreciate, that is very generous of you to say, is the fact that, yes, I am in need of a whiskey sommelier, and I have this beautiful medallion.

Leah Bumphrey:
Now, is that like the gold medal from the Olympics?

Paul Boomer:
You know, it’s probably heavier than that because it is solid brass. And you know, every time we talk about whiskey and we deal with this and such, we must, as a whiskey sommelier, put it around our neck.

And I’m going to stand up and yeah. So here we go. Now this thing is heavy.

Dennis Collins:
That’s impressive.

Paul Boomer:
Yeah. And you really can’t see me. There we go. Kind of, you know, walk around like a hunchback. There are, in whiskey marketing school at the Wizard Academy, there are five levels of training. And it’s done in such a way that you go through, like school, like Whiskey 101, you know, 201, 301, 401, and 501. And each one, they talk about how to, obviously the basics about whiskey, you know, how do you make whiskey?

What are all the labels? What do they actually mean? They talk about, how do we actually make it and how do we create the menu and such? And then they talk about, what about pairing with foods and chocolates and candies and all this stuff?

And then at the very end, on level five, it is, you are basically running a distillery by yourself. And they’re showing you and teaching you all the things that are involved with whiskey making. Now, the thing that a lot of people don’t know, don’t realize, and now I have the sun in my eye. Sorry about that. Not a really good producer there.

Leah Bumphrey:
Hey, you know what? I think that that’s kind of the divine light on the subject.

Dennis Collins:
I was going to say, that’s a sign, Paul.

Paul Boomer:
Yeah, I don’t know about that. That’s just an annoyance. Anyway, it’s not just about whiskey. It’s not just about, hey, how do you make whiskey? What are the things about whiskey? And it’s more about storytelling. It’s about how do you market, go figure, how do you market your services or the whiskey that you’re making, selling, or as a sommelier, which is simply a person who shepherds somebody into another realm.

My job as a sommelier is to simply say, hey, Leah, now I know you’re a, you’re a hardcore whiskey drinker. I mean, you have the whole mug there.

Leah Bumphrey:
I have the look.

Dennis Collins:
You don’t want to disclose that here, do we?

Paul Boomer:
I can go in so many different directions with that. I’m not going to. But it’s asking questions. It’s, hey, Leah, what do you, what do you like to, what do you like to eat? Let me help you find your, your favorite whiskey, which by the way, there is no best whiskey in the world.

It’s the whiskey that you like to drink the way you like to drink it. That’s the best whiskey.

Leah Bumphrey:
I like that. I like that.

Paul Boomer:
You know, it’s not about, well, I’m going to be a snob and I’m going to tell you, no, it’s not that. Let me shepherd you into the world of whiskey because it’s amazing when you really think about it.

Dennis Collins:
I like the word you just used, shepherding. That’s very interesting.

Paul Boomer:
Yeah. It’s a powerful thing. And I recall actually when I graduated from whiskey one, I’m only a level one whiskey sommelier. Like I said, there’s five levels.

So, you know, I had the pleasure. This is actually my father’s medallion. You see my dad… brilliant man. He retired from from his job and my family and I were going, okay, what do we get this man who has basically everything? I mean, if he wanted it, he would build, he wouldn’t buy it, he would build it.

And, so what do we get this guy? And I said, well, you know, he likes, he loves wine and, well, you know, let’s just try this whiskey thing. He’s had some and he’s enjoyed it. And so he and I took the class together.

Dennis Collins:
Oh, that’s great.

Paul Boomer:
And I, you know, you go into the whiskey marketing school typically as somebody who is in the field already, who is a bartender or an owner of a store or whatever, just to learn. Okay, how do I do this?

I just went there for fun as did my father. And so I have his, because unfortunately depression got ahold of him and he’s no longer with us. So I carry this around with me – I don’t actually carry it because it’s heavy, but I have it in my office just as kind of a reminder of the fun that we had over those days.

Dennis Collins:
What a great story. That’s, that’s a great story in itself.

Paul Boomer:
Thank you. And it allows me to recall some things of my past and such. But the thing that I recall the most is when I was asked, okay, Boomer Junior, well, I’m not junior, but you know, boomer.

It’s the fact that, okay, it’s your turn to come up and tell a story. I’m like, okay, well this is part of the gig, right? You have to tell stories. And so I went up there and I said 78 and 72. And let me ask you this – I’m actually going to talk to my good friend Dennis here because he and I’ve had this conversation a little bit and you know what it’s like to drive in an ice storm, right?

Dennis Collins:
I vaguely remember that.

Leah Bumphrey:
I recall you going up North to Leah’s neck of the woods once.

Dennis Collins:
I’ve been up there many times in the winter, yes.

Paul Boomer:
And you complaining about home and how driving and trying to break in an ice storm, right? You know what I’m talking about?

Dennis Collins:
Breaks don’t work on the ice. I found out.

Paul Boomer:
No, they don’t. And in my past life, I was the promotions and event marketing director of a cluster of radio groups here in mid Missouri. And we were giving away a 1978 white Corvette.

Dennis Collins:
Mmmmm Cool.

Leah Bumphrey:
And I was actually talking to my daughter the other day because she’s not quite of the driving age, but she’s getting there. So I’m kind of starting to prep her and such. And I told her I hit 122 miles an hour on this exact road.

And I kind of explained a little bit…Yeah, I was in a Corvette, it was this exact Corvette. Nobody else knows that now, except for now the whole world. And there’s a statute of limitations, right?

Dennis Collins:
You’re well beyond that.

Paul Boomer:
Good. And so it was the day we were giving it away- this Corvette. Again, it’s not mine. It’s not the radio stations. It’s a winner who has been begging and, you know, desiring this Corvette when having it on display for the past six weeks, I think. And it was time to bring it to The Blue Note, which is a concert, an indoor theater. They have concerts there.

They have mostly concerts. And actually Daniel Whittington, who is the chancellor of wizard Academy and also the gentleman who designed the whiskey marketing school, he’s actually played in The Blue Note. So when I said the blue note, he knew exactly what I was talking about. His former life as a musician.

And so that night it was time to drive this Corvette to The Blue Note. And the stage is about 60 feet long by maybe 30 feet deep. And in the back, there is a doorway to get items in. Well, two hours before the event started, this Corvette had to be there. Well, an hour before that, it started to snow. And then it’s went back and forth between snow and sleet, snow and sleet.

Now a Corvette is a real rear wheel drive.

Leah Bumphrey:
Which is fun. I’m just gonna say.

Paul Boomer:
I agree. I have a Jeep and well, the fun we have with that too. But driving on ice in a Corvette has its challenges.

Well, I actually get it to the location. I’m in charge of this thing, get to the location. And then I pull in the back of the blue note and look around and go, okay, so those are the doors I have to get this thing through. What were the numbers I said a few moments ago?

Dennis Collins:
72 and 78.

Paul Boomer:
Right. Well, this door was 78 inches wide. And the vet is 72 inches wide. Do the math.

Dennis Collins:
Even my stupid math brain can figure that one out.

Leah Bumphrey:
That’s not a lot of clearance, Clarence.

Paul Boomer:
Don’t call me Clarence. And so thankfully, I have no idea how, but I got that sucker in there while sliding around. No dent, no touching anything. Plus, by the way, they have about eight feet into the door, there is a fly system, which is a bank of weights and an immovable object with sharp edges. So if you bump into that thing, it’s going to dent the Vet. It will make a mark.

So I do like an eight point turn to finally get this thing in there because I backed it in and then it went,

Dennis Collins:
Oh my God.

Paul Boomer:
And we gave the sucker away. Finally, it was done. No damage done. The driver, the winner came up. He was all excited. And of course, he asked me, can you get it out? Nope.

Dennis Collins:
You’re on your own, my friend!

Paul Boomer:
It’s all yours. It’s all yours. I’m done. That’s when it went, see ya!

But later on, the owner of The Blue Note comes down, actually from his office, which is way up in the bleachers or not bleachers, but the upper section, whatever.

And he said, mother **er, you deserve a whiskey. I’ve never had whiskey before, ever.

Dennis Collins:
Really?

Paul Boomer:
No. I never had. And I was just of the age. And so he poured me what I consider the most wonderful tasting whiskey. And it is still one of my favorites. And it is also one of my father’s favorites. There’s no coincidence in terms of me telling a story or shepherding him into it. He just really, really likes it. So I don’t know. But it is an amazing whiskey that is made in Scotland. I’m a Scotch kind of guy.

Whiskey is from Japan, from the U.S., from Canada, from India, of course, from Scotland, all over the world. Everybody makes whiskey. But this specific one is from Scotland. And it’s an Islay, which is known for their smokiness. What some people would say is iodine. Tastes like iodine. That’s what some people say. But what’s amazing about this stuff is it is the Laddie, Bruichladdich, the classic Laddie.

Leah Bumphrey:
Classic Laddie.

Paul Boomer:
I just call it the Laddie.

Dennis Collins:
How do you say it again?

Paul Boomer:
Classic Laddie.

Paul Boomer
Yeah. Now, this stuff is not… And I’m pouring it in here. Let me hit the little button here.

So this stuff…

Paul Boomer:

Look at this.

Dennis Collins:
Is there a certain way to pour it?

Paul Boomer:
No.

Leah Bumphrey:
That’s pretty.

Paul Boomer:
*big sniff* Oh, man. Okay. You guys just talk. I’m just going to sit here and relax and enjoy you guys talking because you guys are hilarious.

Dennis Collins:
Well, I guess we’re done now.

Paul Boomer:
Yeah. We’re done. So, see you later. We can talk about something else, I guess. Yeah. Your video is going to be rather interesting from here on out. Sorry about that.

Dennis Collins:
So just to confirm your story, that’s the liquor, that’s the whiskey, I should say, the whiskey that you were given as a reward for getting that Corvette in that space.

Paul Boomer:
Yes.

Dennis Collins:
And that’s very impressive. To this day, that has remained a favorite.

Paul Boomer:
Yes.

Dennis Collins:
Not only because of the Corvette, but ties to your dad and all kinds of cool ties.

Paul Boomer:
Yes. And here’s the thing, is one of the things… Now, this is not the Laddie. I’ll talk about this here in just a moment. So there’s a remarkable thing about our brains and comes to storytelling.

Dennis Collins:
Yes.

Paul Boomer:
So I want you both to close your eyes for just a moment and think about Christmas time. And Leah, tell me what smells, what aromas come up for you?

Leah Bumphrey:
Oh, Christmas, it’s cloves and cinnamon. And we always have a real tree, meaning you can just smell that pine. And there’s a crackle. We don’t have a fireplace, but we crackle a certain kind of a candle that has a wooden wick. So there’s that. And then there’s a smell associated with opening the front door and the coldness rushing in. And I know coldness doesn’t have a smell, but it does.

Dennis Collins:
In Canada it does.

Paul Boomer:
It does, Leah. You’re absolutely right. Actually, it does. You’re taught that in marketing school, that sounds, colors, shapes, they all have a taste. They all have a smell. We may not be able to explain it, but it does exist. Now, Dennis, what came to your mind?

Dennis Collins:
I can’t say, no.

No, I’m teasing. I’m just trying to be a jerk. Gotta stay with my character. What smells come to my mind? Hot chocolate. My mother used to make that for us on Christmas morning. I also, the cinnamon, I have that strong cinnamon sense. Leah, you brought that up. I love cinnamon. So, I had a hot chocolate with cinnamon and the tree. You’re right about that tree. You know, there wasn’t even such a thing back in my early childhood as fake trees. I don’t think those even existed. Everybody had a real tree and they smelled great.

I had that smell. The smell of some of the gifts, you know, the gifts are all laid around the tree and as they open, you know, they’re new, you know, the smell of something new you ever smell, something new just smells differently than like a new car or not that I ever got a car for Christmas, but.

Leah Bumphrey:
There’s the plastic and the… yeah.

Dennis Collins:
Maybe it’s the plastic. I don’t know.

Leah Bumphrey:
I agree. I love that smell.

Dennis Collins:
I don’t know what it is, but there is a distinct, just like you say, there’s a smell to the cold. There’s a smell to those packages and the unwrapping of packages. And those are some of the main ones.

Paul Boomer:
So, as a storyteller, what you need to remember is the fact that our brains are designed in such a way where our sense of smell, the process of, well, the area that processes smell is the closest sense of the five senses closest to the amygdala. And because of that, we tie as human beings, we tie smells to memories much faster than any other sense that we have.

Dennis Collins:
Interesting.

Paul Boomer:
So, if I’m able to bring out and talk and share smells with you, I’m better able to understand, ah, I have the whiskey for you, or ah, let me take you in this direction of storytelling or whatever it may be, because I can tie it back to your memory.

Because again, it’s an immediate reminder of years past. So, remembering that by itself, that is something that you learn in whiskey school, is how the brain works and how smells work. Because let me tell you, what I have with this, it has a distinctive smell. In fact, you were talking about it and you’re talking about the cinnamon. This specific one has a lot of cinnamon in it, at least to me. Now, I do have a question.

How much do you think this bottle’s worth? Just this little bit.

Dennis Collins:
Just a moment. How many ounces in there?

Paul Boomer:
This actually, I really don’t know, because… Well, we split this up because we shared it, but… Okay, you know what? You can assume it’s a standard 750 milliliter.

Dennis Collins:
In Canadian dollars or U.S. dollars?

Paul Boomer:
U.S. dollars.

Leah Bumphrey:
Always U.S. dollars. I’m going to take a guess. Whiskey’s always a little bit expensive, but it doesn’t look like an expensive bottle. It doesn’t strike me. I’m thinking it’s under 40 bucks.

Paul Boomer:
I’m just sipping here, going…

Leah Bumphrey:
Now, Canadian whiskey is always more expensive. So American, yeah, under 25.

Dennis Collins:
Under 20 bucks?

Leah Bumphrey:
Yeah

Dennis Collins:
I don’t know. I’m not sure how he’s trying to set us up here, Leah.

Leah Bumphrey:
We’re being set up. I know we are. But I’m not able to figure it out.

Dennis Collins:
I’ll play along. That bottle is worth $150.

Leah Bumphrey:
If you’re closest without going over, you get the bottle. That’s the caveat here.

Paul Boomer:
I got to think about that one. So this is the Balvini Thun 1500 batch number 5. It’s from a region called Speyside. It’s a Scottish. It’s a Scotch.

Leah Bumphrey:
This is getting more expensive every word he speaks, Dennis.

Paul Boomer:
It has alcohol, 52.6%. Not this bottle, but the bottle it came in is a $422.41 bottle.

However, the reason why I asked and played that game a little bit is you’re not getting a full effect because it’s this way and such. But a lot of people assume that, as Leah kind of did, you know, oh, well, it’s just a cheap bottle, you know, whatever. So it’s got to be cheap, right? And the bottle actually came in, it doesn’t look like this, but it’s a little bit more souped up, but it’s not Wow.

The point is the experience you have with anything is determined by the world around you.

Dennis Collins:
Of course. Yeah.

Paul Boomer:
See, now, if I poured that same, in fact, I’m going to do it. I’m going to here, I’m going to switch. We’re kind of getting a lesson here.  And please forgive me for the length of this.

Dennis Collins:
This is just awesome stuff.

Paul Boomer:
So if I, if I pour this.

Dennis Collins:
Is that the one you just showed us?

Paul Boomer:
This is the one I just showed you.

This is Speyside. Balvini. Now, if I pour that into here, let me show you this. And hopefully this will actually, you know, do its thing. There we go.

Leah Bumphrey:
There it is. It’s pretty nice class.

Dennis Collins:
Yeah, it is.

Paul Boomer:
Right. Isn’t it? Now, if I ask that same question, how much do you think this is? That same whiskey- What would you have said?

Dennis Collins:
50 bucks a shot.

Paul Boomer:
Well, that’s actually about right.

Dennis Collins:
I don’t know. That’s hard to say.

Paul Boomer:
The way you share things and the settings that you provide make all the difference.

I can make a $20 bottle of whiskey sound and taste like a $300 bottle of whiskey and vice versa just by what glass I put it in, the stories I tell, the smells around me, everything. We are very poor at understanding all these things. All this input coming into our brains and tying value to them.

That comes to, that’s a whole other topic that we could have. But when it comes to storytelling, the experience that you provide makes all the difference.

Dennis Collins:
You know, Paul, can I reflect for one second on this? Because I do have some knowledge about wine. I’m no sommelier, but I drink wine and I like wine. But there was a study out years ago, Riedel. Do you know who I’m talking about? The Riedel glasses. Leah, you know what those are?

They’re very expensive glasses designed for wine. And they actually have a story out there. I don’t know if it’s still out there, but they used to go to wine tastings and they would have a whole array of glasses.

They might have 20 glasses for this wine tasting. And depending on the wine they were tasting, they would use a different glass. And the story was that the tongue has receptors and that the glass, the design of the glass, makes sure that the particular wine you’re drinking gets to the place on the tongue that gets the most flavor from that wine. That was their story.

But let me tell you the reality. And this makes Paul’s point. Scientists did research with blind taste test using Riedel glasses and regular glasses, same wines. Guess what? They couldn’t tell the difference. People could not spot the difference in taste using the more expensive glass, as opposed to a cheap dollar glass from the dollar store or something. That it’s all about the story. If you believe the story that Riedel tells that this particular glass is for Cabernet Sauvignon only, and this glass is for Chardonnay only.

If you believe that, it works. When people believe that it works, but in a blind test, it’s all the same wine and it tastes the same coming from Riedel or from others. Does that support your story?

Paul Boomer:
It does. And there are various different kinds of glasses for whiskey and such. I mean, you have the Glencairn, which I don’t know if you can see. Oh, there you go. The Glencairn, which is shaped… *sound cuts out*

So we’re still recording, unbelievably. And you know, when you’re recording live, things like that happen. And I’m going to kind of change just a moment. The conversation is part of also the whiskey marketing school and telling stories is how to adapt to when things go awry.

Leah Bumphrey:
Yes.

Paul Boomer:
Just like that. When, you know, your computer says, I don’t want you to talk anymore. It’s telling me to be quiet. Anyway, so I’m going to just end here. But just tell you the amazing…There’s two sides to the story, three sides actually.

One is, remember, the setting that you tell a story in and how you share it makes all the difference. Makes all the difference. Number two, the whiskey marketing school. If you even just have a basic interest in whiskey, take the course. It is fun. You drink over 21 different kinds of whiskey in a two-day period.

No, you do not get sloshed. You’re not going home. No, but you learn a great deal of about whiskey and the different kinds of American scotch, Irish, all those things. It’s just it’s an amazing time and you and you gain new friends. The third thing is whiskey marketing school is a part of the Wizard Academy.

Now, as you know, of course, the Wizard Academy is about communication, is about business. It’s a it’s a it’s a 21st century camp for adults. It’s a fun place to be for many, many reasons. One arm of it is the whiskey marketing school. Take the course, have some fun, and then you get to learn a little bit more about the good the good things of whiskey of whiskey and the academy.

Now, there’s one more thing I need to end with. Dennis, I recall a conversation that you and I had.

Dennis Collins:
Oh, I’m in trouble now.

Paul Boomer:
Oh, no, you’re not in trouble.

Leah Bumphrey:
You are not in trouble, Dennis.

Dennis Collins:
OK. Will you defend me?

Leah Bumphrey:
Yes.

*Paul Boomer holds up bottle to camera*

Dennis Collins:
Oh, there you go!

Leah Bumphrey:
That’s a nice one.

Dennis Collins:
We have had discussions about that.

Paul Boomer:
Yes. Johnny Walker Blue. This is unfortunately not the the ghost, which I wish was, but I’m not going to complain about that. This was my father’s bottle.

Dennis Collins:
Oh, he liked blue as well.

Paul Boomer:
He liked blue as well. I’m pouring a little bit.

Dennis Collins:
He was a good man, but now my image goes way up.

Paul Boomer:
Yes, yes. So this is blue on behalf of you, Leah, and my father.

Dennis Collins:
I wish I had some.

Paul Boomer:
So, Dennis, Leah, how are you going to bring us home?

Dennis Collins:
Wow. Well, I’d like Leah to close out, but I’ll make some comments here before she does. I hope our listeners, our viewers heard what Paul Boomer just did here for this whole podcast. He did nothing but tell stories, OK? He told us about a Corvette, which was cool in itself.

That was a cool story. But he showed us how the Corvette incident led to him drinking his first whiskey. And to this day, he maintains his love for that same whiskey. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a story. That is a story. He told us about trying to guess the value of different bottles and how the story makes the difference.

It’s not the actual glass you drink it from or the bottle that it’s in. It’s the story behind that, which he shared with us. So, Boomer, a brilliant job of explaining, by demonstration, the value of storytelling. We talk about it all the time on this podcast, as you know. You not only talked about it, you showed us. Thank you for being our guest. Miss Leah.

Leah Bumphrey:
Well, you know, win the hearts and the mind will follow, we know that to be true. You win the hearts, the mind will follow. And storytelling is the way to do that. For small businesses, these are the people that we talk to. It is about why should they come.

And it’s not features and benefits. It’s about the heart. So, I don’t know about you, Dennis, but sometime today, I’m going to be wanting to have a little smell of whiskey, a little taste of it, because it’s going to be in our heads. It’s going to be in the back of our heads. And more than that, I’m going to want to go and go to the whiskey school. And that’s because of Paul telling stories.

Dennis Collins:
Yeah, indeed. I have been toying with the idea, Leah, and I think Boomer may have sold it. What do you think?

Leah Bumphrey:
Well, yeah, if I had any doubts, he brought it home.

Dennis Collins:
Well, again, many, many, many thanks, Paul, not only for being our producer par excellence, but for your wisdom, your wit, but most of all, your knowledge of storytelling. I hope our viewers, our listeners, really got the full impact of what you did today, a masterclass in telling a story.

That’s going to wrap it up. Leah and I are heading to the bar at this point. We will partake of some of these lovely beverages, I’m sure, at some time today. It’s celebration time. So, thanks, Paul, for igniting that fire. Thank you, Leah, for being my partner in this crime.

We will be back soon, next week, as a matter of fact, on the next episode of Connect and Convert. See you then.

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