SPEAKER_01 0:00

I had a strategy once where I decided to order a cake from a local grocery store and they printed a QR code on it. And the QR code was to my pitch in a video of me thanking them and saying the only thing sweeter than this cake is the deal I'm about to give you. Check it out. Here are the details.

SPEAKER_00 0:22

All right, everybody. Welcome to another episode of Connections That Matter, where we tell the stories from Northern Colorado's best networkers about the business and networking tips that they have that have led to their success. Today I have someone who is an expert at making viral content. We have Todd Schreyer from the Schreier group. Todd, welcome. Hey, thanks for having me. Awesome. Well, you have uh multiple different businesses. Todd talk. You have uh I've seen you on a stage in a Bucky's beaver costume. So there's there's a lot going on uh with what you do, but share a little bit about some of the magic behind the Schreier group. It's all about the Bucky's onesie and the bliss.

SPEAKER_01 1:00

No, so Schreier Group is something my wife and I, uh husband, wife, teen owner operate. And the real magic it is, is that we figure out how to be married, live together, and work together. So that's the real magic of the whole operation. Now, what we do inside Schreier Group, um, that's where it kind of gets a little overwhelming for the outside looking in, is my wife is a HR executive with the highest Sherm certifications that you can get, uh, lectures on HR. She's an HR nerd. When it comes to the compliance, having it down, there you go. Uh, you know, when it comes down to what I do, strategic business consulting, rev generation, uh, throughout my career, I've had some interesting contracts and interesting things. And, you know, I kind of added it up one day. Like, what can I, when I was writing my book, it's like, what kind of accolades can I claim that are not complete crap? And I have like over $1.6 billion in sales under my belt that I'm personally responsible for. So RevGen, grassroots consulting. So my book is about grassroots marketing, and which is really ironic because the next leg of it is is AI automation and and having your presence online. And then, you know, also media. Media is really important. I mean, there's differences is this a is it a moment or is it a memory? And what are you doing to make it stand out? Unpack that a little bit more between creating a moment versus creating a memory. Sure. So we're sitting in the studio here, right, and shooting your podcast. And I'm guessing before this that you had different clothes on, you had to change to do other episodes, and you do so many of these, it becomes ritualistic and repetitious. Now, if something were to happen, if like a penguin wearing a sobrero kicked down the door and started singing and dancing, that's an episode a day you're going to remember. So, out of all the episodes you shot, they kind of run together. Oh, yeah, I think I remember that. It's really not top of mind. So taking something that's ritualistic that you can kind of overlook and doesn't stand out and making a memory out of it. So we help businesses and people turn moments into memories.

SPEAKER_00 3:03

How often should you go for the moments? Because if everything's a moment, does it get distracting or well?

SPEAKER_01 3:17

So you got to pick and choose it wisely. So I've been to several of your networking events, and as you notice, I wallflower those a bit. And because I tend to come in a room and I can naturally take charge of the room and have that voice that carries over, and then how to connect with my audience. And it's something I learned diagnosis without prognosis is malpractice. I like to understand my environment before I engage strategically. So it really counts when it matters. And there's some techniques I've done in sales over the years that I think I created memories for people that they'll never forget. An example let's say that you really want to connect with an executive at a Fortune 100 company or somewhere really big, it's a multi-million dollar contract, it's gonna change your life, it's gonna change your business's life. So, what do you do? Do you just send a cold LinkedIn pitch slap request? No, you don't because those are terrible. And if you do those, you're bad and you should feel bad. What else do you do? Do you do a cold email? Okay. How about a phone call? There's and you gotta understand there's gatekeepers and decision makers. When if the the things that you want to win at, the things that you want to achieve, there's barriers in place. You know, you can't just walk into Madison Square Garden, there's security. But there is someone there who can decide for you to walk into Madison Square Garden. So I had a strategy once where I decided to order a cake from a local grocery store and they printed a QR code on it. And the QR code was to my pitch in a video of me thanking them and saying, the only thing sweeter than this cake is the deal I'm about to give you. Check it out. Here are the details. And every time it's scanned, I got a record of who scanned it and watched it. And that's something that made me stand out. So again, sending a cold resume, a cold email, a cold call, or hey, I'll I like this too. And all the rah-rah gurus on stage, it's it's it's so oversaturated. So I just, what can we do to be different? How can we really pop? So I hope you like cake, Andrew.

SPEAKER_00 5:25

Well, it it's it's just to go that you talk about the grassroots grabbing someone's attention. What do you think most business owners get wrong about trying to grab attention? Let's see.

SPEAKER_01 5:38

A lot of business owners that I've encountered, they have blinders on. And I'll give you an example. Let's say you're a doctor, you you decide out of high school, I'm gonna try really hard on my SATs, you get into good college, you do your undergrad program, go into post-grad, go into med school. And then they're like, you know what? I had my I did my residency, I work at a hospital now, but I want to do my own practice. I'm not doubting that they haven't mastered their craft. But what I am saying is just because you can doesn't mean you should. A lot of business owners I talk to are really passionate about what they do. Maybe they're like an incredible cook or a carpenter or a roofer or they love real estate. And they've always bought their own real estate, but now they want to be a real tour, and there's a difference. So when it comes for business owners really taking the time to resonate and stand out with their message, it's very simple. My entire practice revolves around only two questions, and I'm gonna give you the secrets here today. Number one, what problem are you solving? Think about it. What problem are you in the business that you want to do solving? For instance, when we lived in Kentucky, we lived in a super small town, and there were so many pizza places, like we don't need more. Like it's ridiculous. So if your dream's like, well, I want to open a pizza place, but I'm different, you're not. You're not, most people don't realize maybe you're just not special. It's did you take the time to diagnose? Do you understand your market? Do you understand potential grab that you have? And and just really going for it and really understanding, like, may just because I can open my own pizza place or do this thing, doesn't mean I should. I think they missed the mark by not understanding their audience. I've done a lot of of campaigns and research for people saying, you'll understand, Todd. My audience, when it comes to remodeling my house as an example, are men ages 42 to 65. And so after running their campaign and gathering data, I'm like, actually, it's women 34 to 57 who want to engage with you. They're the ones making the first phone call. So I think a lot of people have preconceived notions that they know everything about their business, but they don't understand they have blinders on. And there's a whole world outside of their thought process. So, what problem do you solve? What was the second one? Oh, well, since you asked, what question are you answering? So it kind of goes in line with the problem that you're solving. But if there's like if you're, let's say you're already in your field and there's a there's something going on, or hey, I wish there's like this gap of information or data or execution that we need. And and so how do we fill that gap? So oftentimes the what problem are you solving gets you engaged into the industry or the line that you want to be in. And the question that you're answering is something strategically I reckon people do quarterly. It's understanding what's changed. Opening your doors nine to five Monday through Friday and hoping and seeing what happens to who comes through is just not going to cut it. It just doesn't work. Like your business has to have intention. So again, what problem are you solving and what question are you answering?

SPEAKER_00 8:49

And if you do it in a way that truly grabs attention, it sounds like you push people outside of their comfort zone, right? Like if I'm if I'm doing something and I'm uh blending in and doing what everybody else is, there's safety in that, but I'm not getting noticed. Uh if I'm sending a QR code on a cake, there's a level of risk there. I'm I'm putting, I'm standing out, but it could be for good or for bad. What advice do you have somebody who dares to be different?

SPEAKER_01 9:15

Let me ask you the question. You said there's a risk there. What's the risk? Not getting the business?

SPEAKER_00 9:21

Yeah, sure.

SPEAKER_01 9:22

Okay, right. Yeah. Andrew, I got news for you. You already don't have it. Yeah. You already, it's already a no. And so what people don't realize is when they're engaging and trying to close something, the answer is already no until it's a yes. Genuinely. Do me a favor, put your hand up. What are you doing right now?

SPEAKER_00 9:41

Uh giving you an awkward high five or pushing.

SPEAKER_01 9:44

So what you just saw on camera, he put his hand up and I push, and your natural instinct was to push back. Push back, yeah. Naturally. I didn't tell you, I didn't cue you. Before I walked in here, we didn't talk about that. We didn't practice our dance moves uh before this. No, no, we just held hands for two hours before. No, but you have to understand when you're talking to someone about doing networking or doing business, their natural instinct, what's embedded in them is no, is to resist. And even you, I come on your podcast and you're naturally defensive and resistant because you have that pushback. So it's really about making sure you understand the intention behind what you're trying to ask and how to get the message through. And I was uh, since you mentioned, I was a keynoting at Oregon Business Conference in February of this year in 2026. One of the most memorable things that stood out to me is a college intern in between breaks and sessions came up to me and was like, I want to try to get internship this summer. I applied for 60 internships, haven't heard anything. I said, Okay, tell me about your process. Well, I got a list of them for my college and I emailed them all my resume with a cover letter that ChatGPT wrote me. Okay. So how many of them have you called? How many of them have you gone and shaken their hand and say, My name is Todd or my name is Blank? I just want you to put a name to a face, and I have three incredible ideas I think that are really going to change the way things are done around here, and I would love to be part of that solution. Can I share them with you sometime? How many times have you done that? Like zero. Why not? Well, the professor professors did not do. I said, Your professor's an idiot because they're giving you this advice behind a podium, behind tenure, behind the job security, and you're 19, 20 years old, right trying to go out in the world. And I said, What's your reservation? What's stopping you? And I finally got my first honest answer today, which was I'm afraid of rejection. So I said, Again, sweetie, they've already rejected you. Like a non-answer is a no. You know. So my response was you if you don't ask for it, you're not gonna get it. And I said, You think rejection's hard? That gives you anxiety. You know what's hard? Try dating before the internet. Try like going into a bar or a club and having to walk down and say, Hey, my name is Todd. How's it going? What's your name? Oh, my name is this. Hey, can I buy a drink? You married? I have a boyfriend. Okay, hey, listen, you guys sound great. Have a good night and walk two stools down. Yeah, take the instant rejection. Your skin gets thickened and do it again. That's tough. That takes some stones. Like picking up the phone or saying, Hey, I'd like to meet you. I'm interested. You say you need this position filled. I want to fill that position, but let me tell you why I'm the best to do this. And people just don't take the extra steps because they say they have anxiety or they're afraid of something. You're afraid of the no, you've already been told no until you're told yes.

SPEAKER_00 12:50

What about uh what do you do to grab the trust of your clients? So if you're they're coming to you, say, hey Todd, I'm I'm not getting seen. I need to have this access, and you're like, hey, I have this, you know, awesome idea. There's that moment where they either trust you to move forward or not. And so I'm I'm curious of that skill set that you have that grabs your clients' trust so that they're open to more out-of-the-box grassroots marketing opportunities. The question is, what do I do?

SPEAKER_01 13:17

The answer is my best. No, so what I end up doing is through my process, a lot of times I believe in the mentality of you have to make a deposit before you make a withdrawal. For instance, uh, if I were to fly across the country to a small town rural America, walk into a local credit union I've never heard of, and say, Hey, can I can I get 10 grand real quick, please? I gotta go meet Andrew. He's gonna say we're gonna have a crazy night out. And for 10 grand, I'd better be crazy. But and they say, Who are you? And no, because I'm new to them. The same thing goes with the businesses. Like my process is I make a deposit before I make a withdrawal. So it could be, hey, I I wanted to take the time to see if I understand your business and I wanted to show I'm interested. So I've done a little bit of homework here. And here's my findings, and it's all for free. But if you are interested, I love to share with you on how I feel I understand the problems you're going through and how I can be the part of the process of solving it. And here's the good news is that engaging with me is going to be substantially more affordable and a hard, like a way better ROI than just letting things stay put. So, how about this? Why don't we meet, have a conversation, put leave your wallet in the car, put your cash in the safe, the first one's on me. I just want to learn about you. I just want to have a conversation, two humans having an actual conversation, who to thunk, right? And and that's my process because I am naturally skeptical and a cynic when it comes to like people trying to pitch me and trying to close me. And I I really want to put myself in the shoes of the person I'm talking to. And one of the things we do at Schreier Group is we don't ever, I'm not gonna put a proposal in front of you if I genuinely don't believe I'm going to leave you better than how I found you. I'd rather not have the money, I'd rather not have the client. If I know it's gonna fail, I just we won't engage. And we're really, really firm on that principle.

SPEAKER_00 15:16

So let's go back to uh working with your family and and uh I was able to tour your podcast studio. You have an awesome studio right there in Johnstown, but you've been a lot of places, Todd. Like you've been to the West Coast, the East Coast, now you're uh settling in northern Colorado. Um, what what's different and what's the same about northern Colorado versus the other places?

SPEAKER_01 15:39

Man, Andrew, from the East Coast to the West Coast, from the pineapple to the Beck Apple, I've been around, buddy. When it comes to Northern Colorado, I spent a lot of years in Montana. My son was born in Montana. I'm from Florida originally, did Kentucky, did Oregon, back and forth. And Northern Colorado, it just feels like home. I like, I mean, just because I'm from Tampa originally, um, nothing against Tampa. It's just I'm a big guy and it's hot. Like I don't want to sweat. It's really humid there. So, you know, I love the mountains. Johnstowns, it's a it's a safe, great community. And I feel like it's it's great for my wife and son, it's great for my family, and it's a good dynamic. And also we have Buckeys. And home is where the beaver is, man.

SPEAKER_00 16:23

Well, uh what's taking the rage right now is there's a Bucini. Uh, and that's uh my my wife and daughter are all about getting the the Bucky's bathing suit and stuff like that. But it's interesting, their marketing. Like people, it's it's a gas station or thing, but people are proudly wearing Bucky's gear, whether it's a new t-shirt that comes out or the whole beaver uniform or uh the different things that they've done. Um, what lessons do you have you learned from Bucky's that I think more people could take advantage of?

SPEAKER_01 16:54

I'm glad you asked that because if you take a look at my YouTube channel and the the talk that I did, the Oregon Business Conference, which you should definitely check it out if you haven't. Um, I wore a Bucky's onesie on stage and did a 45-minute keynote. And at no point did anybody ask me why I was wearing a Bucky's onesie. No one asked. And I gave a lecture later in a private breakout session that says, What's a brand? What is a brand? Is it is it letters, is it colors? And it's none of those things to me. A brand is us saying something, knowing what we're talking about and how it makes you feel. So for instance, yesterday I was driving my son around. We passed a Chick-fil-A, the Lord's chicken, and my son loves Chick-fil-A, and he's like, Hey, there, oh Chick-fil-A, and all of a sudden he perked up. And I was like, it's what day is it? He's like, Dad, it's Sunday. So though, like Bucky's, though, when you walk into a Bucky's, it's the most American thing I can I can describe for people visiting, like for World Cup or whatever, like go to a Bucky's. It's overwhelming. It's not just a gas station. It is it is they happen to have a hundred plus pumps, but it's an experience. And it's why they have that swag. So it's interesting. Bucky's doesn't have a marketing budget. They don't they don't do ads, they don't do commercials, they don't do boosted social media posts. They're just good. They just say, hey, we're gonna give you a great experience. And word travels because people talk. So I would use their branding experience and and their their entire, you know, the name, the likeliness, the big old beaver, the bik Bucky Kenies or Beaver Kenies, whatever. That is just a testament of what it's like if you do something right and you stay the course. And that's a brand.

SPEAKER_00 18:49

Yeah, and I'm just like the raving fans that they have. And uh as a small business owner, like a lot of people aspire to create raving fans for their business. Um going back to your two things, the problem you solve and and uh the solutions, how how would you advise a business owner to create those fans of your business?

SPEAKER_01 19:11

So one of the questions I ask clients quite often is do you want to be right or do you want to be rich? Pick one because I've talked to people, it's like you don't understand, Todd. I make the best blank. It could be I could be the best roofer or fencer, or I make the best pizza, or I'm the best realtor because I have really good customer service. What a stupid answer, Andrew. Like, no one expects you to pick up the phone and be cussed out unless you like go to Dick's Last Resort, right? Right. Like, what what makes a business like really understand that aha moment, that magic? The honest answer is most don't and never will. Most businesses fail. Most of them fail. And I know that's not the rah-rah fluff you want to hear, but that's the stone cold truth. And what I think people realize is that how I define a successful business, I don't care if you have 20 million views on a video. You know, it doesn't matter. I I rather have you have a thousand people see it with high intent than 20 million see it and don't care. And so I think when people talk about virality, it's more vanity than anything. And how do they really make that connection goes back to the very first principle.

SPEAKER_00 20:35

What problem are you solving? Yeah, I mean, uh, that really rings true. I remember going to Nashville and going into the bars and like being in awe just of how talented the person that's playing in front of three dozen people. Uh and the and like if you base it on talent, is there a big reason why they are not as famous as the headlining country music starts? Well, it's right break, the right connection, the right message, but being good is not enough to make it.

SPEAKER_01 21:06

So the thing about like since you brought up music example is there's a really popular top 100 charts, right? I mean, everyone has them. It used to be a billboard, now it's Spotify, whatever. The thing about those charts is people get on the charts and they go down. No one stays there forever. So if I had to guess, I would say that at some point the industry and the people had a void that needed filled. So why did Lou Pearlman years ago create, you know, the Backstreet Boys or NSYNC or whatever? It's because it's like, hey, we we have this gap, we have this audience that they need something on the stage, so let's give them what they want. So there's a lot of data, and that data feeds the machine. Then again, they understood the question that was being asked and they provided the answer. So, you know, getting into the position where you're You're getting the you know, your hero story. It's like, here's why we exist, and here's who we're looking for. Like, the truth is is persistence wears down resistance. And some people think you're gonna go up to bat and you get a home run every single time in your first time. No, the most successful people that you're ever gonna meet are the ones who have failed the most. And clip that. Let's go.

SPEAKER_00 22:25

That one in a clip. Well, Todd, if uh business owners watching this and they're like, Man, I want to I wanna stand out. I wanna some of the things that he's saying is really ringing true. How how can people book a consultation or learn more about you or the Schreier Group? You shine a big S in the sky.

SPEAKER_01 22:41

No. So Schreier Group.com, which I'm sure you're gonna link right below my finger right here. Yeah, uh Shreger Group.com is the easy way. And then also to like what I did, and it costs 60 bucks. I went to numberbarn.com and I bought a vanity number. My number's 970-970 Todd. That's 970-970-8633. And so call, text, send a meme, I don't care. But um, you know, if we can, if we genuinely can go ahead and assess someone and really help them. I mean, if it's through taking a look at your money coming in and out and creating automations to stop the bleeding, if it's hey, you know what? I'm I'm ready for the next level and I want to be interesting, and I really want to cut through the noise of everyone else and rise to the top, that's what we do is is we find out what problem needs to be solved. We create a plan, we're a done with you agency. So we go ahead and go alongside you, and we're in the foxholes in the trenches with you, and we're gonna kill it. We're gonna conquer the damn world.

SPEAKER_00 23:43

Right on, Todd. Well, thanks so much for coming on the show. Uh, there's so many good little one-liners that we can clip out of there, some some good stuff. But uh it's been awesome getting to know you and watching you make those deposits in my community where you've shown up and you've given just overwhelming uh positive resources for the people and your stand uh to make everyone better and more interesting too, which I which I love.

SPEAKER_01 24:07

So the thing about giving though, man, is I didn't give with expectations. I put a I mean, you probably see I put a little bit of work and research into when I go and and really try to knock these things out of the park. And I think like having the mentality of like, I'll just keep doing it because I really believe it's the right thing to do, that makes me sleep at night. And if someone can really recognize that maybe I'm not just coming off strong, but maybe that's who I really am, that's where we have the biggest wins with. I mean, I've been I've been doing this dance for this is my 25th year, and I have a lot of international relationships that are great for it. And yeah, I would just I already do a lot of work internationally, and I just want to, I really want to serve Northern Colorado. It's where my son's growing up. We have a mortgage here, we love it here, and we just want to leave this community better than how we found it. And thank you so much for having me on your show today.

SPEAKER_00 25:00

Yeah, well, we're glad you're here in northern Colorado. And if you want to come network with Todd or uh uh find out part of his magic, book a consultation. But Todd, again, thanks for coming on the show, and we'll see you around Northern Colorado. Thanks, buddy. Thanks for having me. Hey all, thanks for watching. I love networking and building relationships with other Northern Colorado business leaders. So if you want to come meet some of these podcast guests, meet me or meet some other amazing entrepreneurs in Northern Colorado, I would love to have you attend one of our next events. Uh go in the podcast description. There's a way so that you can see our upcoming schedule. And maybe you could be a future podcast guest as well. Thanks.