James Muir is the founder and CEO of Best Practice International and the bestselling author of the #1 book on closing sales – The Perfect Close. James is a 30-year veteran of sales having served in every role – from individual contributor to executive VP. His mission – to make the complex simple. James has extensive background in healthcare where he has sold-to and spoken for the largest names in technology and healthcare including HCA, Tenet, Catholic Healthcare, Banner, Dell, IBM and others.   James is passionate, enthusiastic and fun. He likes to have fun while he works. Not only is James a lifelong student of sales, but he’s also an accomplished guitarist, organic chemistry fan and fitness buff.  WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE: <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Mistakes salespeople make in the virtual selling </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">How to correct misconceptions about sales</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">What the “ Ideal Advance” is and why you need it</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">What is the “Perfect Close”  for the virtual world</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">The noble art  of storytelling and selling</li> </ul>     SHOW NOTES [00:28] Introduction  [03:24] Business success stories that inspire him [03:32] “The story of Edwin C. Barnes” [06:30] How James juggles through his roles [07:33] How he got drafted into sales [10:14] Mistakes salespeople make in the virtual selling [13:20] The Sales Call objective [13:53] How do you close business in a virtual world? [14:38] The best closing approach according to scientific research [15:16] The “ Ideal” advance [24:12] How does storytelling come to play is his sales technique [25:01] Misconceptions about sales [28:35] “Selling is an act of service” [30:30] Challenges facing today’s sales leaders [31:30] Contact info and book details   You can connect with James and get his book via his <a href= "https://puremuir.com/">website</a>

Storytelling for Sales Podcast

e021- CLOSING IN A VIRTUAL WORLD | Ed Bilat with James Muir, bestselling author, Vice President Sales at Essential Hub and CEO of Best Practice International

It’s another unique episode of the Storytelling for Sales Podcast. In this episode, we have combined some of the best answers and advice to questions on ‘becoming obsessed with your dream customers,’ ‘why storytelling is becoming the #1 sales skill to master,’ and ‘how to go from nowhere to a $20 billion powerhouse. This episode features Bruce Linton, Maddie Pimentel and Russell Brunson.   Bruce Linton is an entrepreneur who has been at the head of 16 different companies and presently occupies the position of Executive Chairman at Vireo Health International, Inc, Co-Chairman of Martello Technologies Group, Inc., and co-founder of online rental marketplace Ruckify.   Maddie Pimentel has been in the Learning & Development field for the past 19 years. She is the Training and Development Manager for North America in SnapAV. Maddie’s role is to enable the sales teams to quickly ramp, begin generating revenue and stay up to date on products, solutions and process updates as well as industry trends. With the purchase of Control4, a publicly-traded company, a few months ago, Maddie is now responsible for sales enablement for the global sales teams.   And finally Russell Brunson! Over the past 15 years, Russell has built a following of over a million entrepreneurs, sold hundreds of thousands of copies of his books, popularized the concept of sales funnels, and co-founded a software company called ClickFunnels that helps tens of thousands of entrepreneurs quickly get their message out to the marketplace.Together with his partner Todd Dickerson, Russell launched their sales funnel software in October 2014, and the company grew to $100,000,000 in the first three years.    WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE: <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Why salespeople should never mention their competition</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">The role of Storytelling in human to human connection</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">The 3 Core Markets /Desires which will stay evergreen </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">The Value of the Public Policy Changes</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Latest trends in the sales training industry</li> </ul>     SHOW NOTES [00:22] Introduction to this episode [00:45] Guests’ introduction [03:23] Business success stories that inspire our guests [03:33] “Elon Musk story” [04:14] “Maddie Fathers story” [06:16] How they all got into sales  [07:48] How ClickFunnels was launched [09:53] Skills salespeople must have [12:46] Online Traffic Secrets [13:36] Why Relationship Selling is oversold [17:00] Is it difficult to train salespeople? [18:57] Favorite Sales failures [21:55] How online advertising has evolved [24:39] How do you pick your industries? [26:46] How to understand your customers [29:52] The role of public policy changes [30:29] Stories that excite your customers [32:34] How do you find your dream customers? [35:04] Mistakes sales leaders make [36:46] Search-based traffic [37:17] The art of storytelling   You can listen to the individual episodes here: Bruce Linton, <a href= "https://storytellingsales.com/e014-from-nowhere-to-a-20-billion-powerhouse-ed-bilat-with-bruce-linton-founder-of-canopy-growth-corp-canadas-largest-marijuana-producer/"> “From Nowhere to a $20 Billion Powerhouse.”</a> Maddie Pimentel, <a href= "https://storytellingsales.com/e015-why-storytelling-is-becoming-the-1-sales-skill-to-master-ed-bilat-with-maddie-pimentel-national-sales-training-manager-snapav/"> “Why Storytelling is Becoming the #1 Sales Skill to Master”</a> Russell Brunson, <a href= "https://storytellingsales.com/e016-becoming-obsessed-with-your-dream-customers-ed-bilat-with-russell-brunson-author-serial-entrepreneur-and-the-founder-of-clickfunnels/"> “Becoming Obsessed With Your Dream Customers”</a>

e020- STORYTELLING, SELLING ONLINE AND BECOMING A PROLIFIC ENTREPRENEUR| Ed Bilat with Bruce Linton, Maddie Pimentel And Russell Brunson

In this special episode, we pulled nuggets and discussions from three of our previous episodes with Christy Soukhamneut, Gregg Jorritsma and Eli Fathi    Christy Soukhamneut is a 20+ year veteran of the mortgage industry who is dedicated to turning possibility into reality.  A gifted strategic thinker, she knows that you must cut through the clutter, clearly articulate the vision, and then rally support at the street level.  Christy accomplishes this by helping loan officers build their unique selling propositions around their individual strengths and then holds them accountable for achieving their dreams. Everything she does is evaluated against these three bars: Will it make your life easier?  Will it help you & your team be more productive? Will it help you grow your business?   Gregg Jorritsma has been in leadership roles with some of the most well-known companies in the industry including Citrix, BlackBerry, Bell Mobility, Siebel and Delrina. A passionate advocate for “informed selling” and sales professionalism, Gregg credits his success to having been mentored and coached by some great people that took the time to help him on his journey.  Gregg, his wife of 29 years and two sons live in Burlington, Ontario, Canada   Eli Fathi is CEO at MindBridge Ai, developer of the world’s first auditing tool based upon artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies – Ai Auditor – to uncover errors in financial data. Eli has been a technology entrepreneur for over 30 years, having founded or co-founded many successful technology companies. Eli was recognized as the 2018 AI Leader of the Year by the Digital Finance Institute and is a prolific speaker, including talks at the AICPA, Startup Canada Day on the Hill, and TEDx. Eli also gives back to the community by mentoring future business leaders and sitting on the boards of various non-profit organizations.   WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE: <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Top mistakes salespeople make all the time </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">The rise and meaning of AI salesperson</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Why there is no such thing as ‘natural’ salesperson</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">How to help salespeople see something within themselves that is just below the surface</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">What to do to get people to take you seriously</li> </ul>     SHOW NOTES [00:24] Introduction to this episode [02:22] Welcome Milan [01:55] Business success stories that inspire them [02:08] The story of Febreze [03:39] Resilience in the face of adversity - Her grandmother’s story [04:48] Jim Estill [07:58] How they got into sales [11:04] Their favourite sales failure [13:34] Mistakes salespeople make and how to avoid them [15:06] The mortgage industry [16:09] Why there is no such thing as ‘natural’ salesperson [16:38] Be wary of multinational companies [17:38] Sales and rejections [18:03] Artificial intelligence [19:05] Stories that excite their customers [21:09] AI as a threat to salespeople [22:36] Challenges facing today’s sales leaders  [26:30] The art of storytelling   You can listen to the episode with; Christy Soukhamneut, <a href= "https://storytellingsales.com/e003-logic-and-data-can-only-take-you-so-far-story-is-where-we-really-connect-ed-bilat-with-christy-soukhamneut-svp-national-sales-performance-at-certainty-home-loans/"> “Logic and data can only take you so far, Story is where we really connect,”</a>  Gregg Jorritsma, <a href= "https://storytellingsales.com/e009-dont-outsell-your-competitors-out-question-them-ed-bilat-with-gregg-jorritsma-senior-director-of-sales-and-marketing-onramp-solutions/"> “Don’t Outsell Your Competitors, Out Question Them,”</a>  Eli Fathi, <a href= "https://storytellingsales.com/e013-why-ai-wont-replace-top-salespeople-ed-bilat-with-eli-fathi-ceo-of-mindbridge-2018-ai-leader-of-year/"> “Why AI won’t Replace (Top) Salespeople.”</a>

e019- ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, SELLING AND THE MORTGAGE INDUSTRY| Ed Bilat with Christy Soukhamneut, Gregg Jorritsma and Eli Fathi - Excerpts

Who is Milan Topolovec? Why does he consider himself as a quarterback? How does he build a relationship with his clients and offer more services than he promises? What does your business network mean to you and how do you build one?    In this episode, Milan shares his story on launching into the financial industry and how the services he offers are centred on his relationship with his clients. We have discussed why sales reps need people skills, the intrinsic power of networking, prospecting and much more.   Milan is the President and CEO of TK Financial Group and Inner Orbis. He graduated from the University of Ottawa after which he was drafted to play for Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He eventually chose a career path in the financial services industry where he is focused on building expertise to exclusively serve business owners and professionals focused on estate planning, business planning and insurance planning.   WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE: <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">How to create the right environment for your clients</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Knowing when to stop and how to set  your priorities</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">How to maintain the right attitude while prospecting </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Why you need the people skills</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">How to become more than just another sales rep</li> </ul> SHOW NOTES [00:24] Introduction to this episode [02:22] Welcome Milan [03:10] Business success stories that inspire him [04:50] How he got started in the financial industry [05:32] Type of clients he loves to serve [06:10] Switching from his football career [07:00] Challenges he faced starting out in sales [08:09] Favorite sales failure [10:05] Knowing when to stop [12:36] Positioning himself as a quarterback [14:10] Why you need people skills [15:10] How to become more than just a sales guy [15:38] His book “ Beyond the Tipping Point” [15:58] The power of networking [17:17] Covid-19 and relationships [19:01] Introducing prospective clients [19:30] Stories that excite his customers [22:03] Offer more than your service demands [22:10] Challenges facing today’s business leaders [23:10] Create the right atmosphere for your clients [23:40] Contact info and book details   You can connect with Milan on <a href= "https://www.linkedin.com/in/milan-topolovec-tep-clu-chs-rcis-ba-4373/?originalSubdomain=ca"> LinkedIn</a>, <a href= "https://twitter.com/topolovecm">Twitter</a>, <a href= "https://www.instagram.com/mtopolovec/">Instagram</a>.   Get a copy of Milan’s book, Beyond the Tipping Point, on <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Tipping-Point-Milan-Topolovec/dp/1329892011"> Amazon</a>.   You can keep up with happenings on TK Financial Group on their <a href= "https://www.tkfg.ca/">website</a>, <a href= "https://www.linkedin.com/company/tk-financial-group/">LinkedIn</a>, <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Insurance-Broker/TK-Financial-Group-512702008816080/"> Facebook</a>.   You can find out more Inner Orbis on their <a href= "https://www.innerorbis.ca/">website</a>, <a href= "https://www.linkedin.com/company/innerorbis/">LinkedIn</a>.

e018-THE POWER OF NETWORKING | Ed Bilat with Milan Topolovec, President & CEO of TK Financial Group and Inner Orbis

Have you been trying to figure out how to navigate selling during this pandemic or you’re struggling with keeping your teams motivated? In this episode, I discussed with Steve how selling has evolved since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and how to pivot, maintain a good relationship with your clients, and sell better.    Steve is the founder and CEO of Badger Maps. After receiving his MBA from Stanford, Steve was Google Enterprise’s Top Sales Executive in 2009. In 2012, Steve founded Badger Maps, a software company that helps Field Sales People optimize their routes and schedules to save time and be on time so they can sell more. Steve is also the host of the Outside Sales Talk podcast where he interviews industry experts on their sales tips.  WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE: <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">How to shift strategy during crisis</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">New ways to empower your team members</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">The right ways to prospect</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">How to maintain a good relationship with your clients</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">The strategic importance of training and coaching in this moment of time</li> </ul>   SHOW NOTES [00:11] Welcome to this Episode [00:58] Shopify success story [02:38] Welcome Steve Benson [03:13] Updates on Sales, technology, and leadership [04:10] Adapting to the new sales culture [05:09] Building Relationships [05:28] Selling on Zoom vs Face-to-Face [05:38] Communicating in the new normal [06:13] Prospecting challenges [07:18] Adjusting your sales message [07:31] The importance of staying empathetic [10:00]The rise of food delivery and health care organizations [11:01] Challenges facing today's sales leaders [12:18] Re-sizing the sales teams [13:00] Hire now [13:26] The importance of training and coaching aspect [16:04] Leading remotely [19:01] The art of storytelling for Steve [19:57] Steve's Contact info   You can connect with Steve on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/">LinkedIn</a>, <a href= "https://twitter.com/search-home?lang=en">Twitter</a> and  <a href= "https://www.instagram.com/?hl=en">Instagram</a>. You can keep up with happenings on Badger Maps on their <a href= "https://www.badgermapping.com/">website</a>, <a href= "https://www.linkedin.com/">LinkedIn</a>, <a href= "https://www.instagram.com/?hl=en">Instagram</a> and <a href= "https://twitter.com/search-home?lang=en">Twitter</a>

e017- SELLING IN UNCERTAIN TIMES: THE SECRETS AND STRATEGIES | Ed Bilat with Steve Benson, founder and CEO of Badger Maps

Over the past 15 years, Russell has built a following of over a million entrepreneurs, sold hundreds of thousands of copies of his books, popularized the concept of sales funnels, and co-founded a software company called ClickFunnels that helps tens of thousands of entrepreneurs quickly get their message out to the marketplace. Together with his partner Todd Dickerson, Russell launched their sales funnel software in October 2014, and the company grew to $100,000,000 in the first three years.  ClickFunnels is now the fastest-growing non-venture backed software company in the world. Russell is here to talk about his new book- Traffic Secrets. What I love about this book is how Russell breaks down traffic so that ANYONE can understand how to build a list of raving fans and buyers using very simple and REPEATABLE strategies.  WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE: <ul> <li>Who are your Dream Customers?</li> <li> Where are they congregating?</li> <li> The 3 Core Markets /Desires</li> <li> Away from Pain/Toward Pleasure</li> <li> The Searcher and the Scroller</li> </ul> SHOW NOTES [00:24] Introduction [01:30] New book: Traffic Secrets [03:10] Welcome Russell [07:54] Attracting customers [09:37] Co-founding a software company [10:02] Publishing his first book [11:34] Writing his second book [13:36] Avengers Infinity War story [14:43] Google Ads challenge  [17:15] Email marketing strategy [17:17] Paid ads strategy [20:29] Using funnels [20:41] Strategy behind getting traffic [25:07] Science behind the Direct response marketing [26:20] Identifying your dream customers [27:14] Driving traffic into your funnels [27:28] Growth hacks and techniques [30:06] Getting potential customers to identify with you [32:01] Who is your dream customer? [32:59] Ideal Customer avatar [33:50] Customer-centered company [34:17] Becoming obsessed with your dream customer [38:07] Health, wealth and relationship circles [45:52] How to Create a desire for your product or services [48:24] The pros and cons of interruption ads [49:26] Outro Russell is giving special access to our podcast listeners to order his book  <a title="Traffic Secrets Book" href= "https://trafficsecrets.com/traffic-secrets?affiliate_id=2349107&cf_affiliate_id=2349107&aff_sub=&aff_sub2=&nopopup=false&noautoplay=false&cookiepreview=false"> "Traffic Secrets" .</a> The book is free. All you gotta do is take care of the shipping.

e016- BECOMING OBSESSED WITH YOUR DREAM CUSTOMERS | Ed Bilat with Russell Brunson , author, serial entrepreneur and the founder of ClickFunnels

Maddie Pimentel has been in the Learning & Development field for the past 19 years. She joined SnapAV last year as the Training and Development Manager for North America. Maddie’s role is to enable the sales teams to quickly ramp, begin generating revenue and stay up to date on products, solutions and process updates as well as industry trends. With the purchase of Control4, a publicly-traded company, a few months ago, Maddie is now responsible for sales enablement for the global sales teams. Prior to this, she was with NCR Corporation, AT&T, Hearst Media Services and Carrera Commerce in various roles, including Global Sales Enablement, National Training Manager, Inside and Outside Sales Manager as well as Corporate Marketing Manager. Maddie is fluent in Spanish and earned a BA in Communications from Georgia State University. She has also worked as a reporter and interpreter with several media outlets in the Atlanta market. Maddie was born in Havana, Cuba and moved to Atlanta with her family when she was two months old. Her interests include writing, reading, traveling, and photography. If you want your sales team to deliver results, discover the secrets of sales coaching and learn about the hottest trends in the sales training industry, take 20 minutes to learn from this incredibly successful business leader.  WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE: <ul> <li>The role of storytelling in human to human connection</li> <li>Top 3 critical skills for salespeople</li> <li>Is it difficult to train salespeople?</li> <li>The value of building companywide Storytelling Library</li> <li>Latest trends in the sales training industry</li> </ul> SHOW NOTES [00:22] Introduction [01:42] Welcome Maddie [02:00] Business stories that inspire Maddie [02:51] How her father got started [03:13] Winning business of the year award [05:52] Maddie’s portfolio [06:02] How she got into sales [06:53] Critical skills for salespeople [07:08] Relationship building [07:22] Listening [07:33] Customer’s needs assessment [09:34] Is it difficult to train salespeople? [10:49] Net promoter score [11:16] Maddie’s process of training salespeople [11:40] Current trends in sales training [11:56] Mobile and gamification [14:56] The on-boarding program at Snap AV  [17:05] Type of stories that excite customers [19:00] The meaning of Story library [20:20] Challenges facing today’s sales leaders [20:34] Keeping up with the technology [22:00] The Art of storytelling [22:53] Contact info  You can reach Maddie at  <a href="mailto:Maddie.pimentel@yahoo.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maddie.pimentel@yahoo.com</a>  <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/maddiepimentel" target= "_blank" rel= "noopener">www.linkedin.com/in/maddiepimentel</a>

e015- Why Storytelling Is Becoming The #1 Sales Skill To Master | Ed Bilat with Maddie Pimentel , National Sales Training Manager, SnapAV

Bruce Linton is an entrepreneur who has been at the head of 16 different companies and presently occupies the position of Executive Chairman at Vireo Health International, Inc, Co-Chairman of Martello Technologies Group, Inc., and co-founder of online rental marketplace Ruckify. During this candid interview, Bruce talks about his successes and his sales failures, helping us appreciate the Growth Mindset, Storytelling and the true meaning of Entrepreneurship. He also talks about how and where he has managed to find extraordinary opportunities and what to look for.  If you want your sales and business to grow, take 20 minutes to learn from this incredibly successful business leader.    WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE: <ul class="ul1"> <li class="li1">Why Relationship Selling is oversold  </li> <li>How Bruce picks his ventures  </li> <li>Why salespeople should never mention their competition</li> <li>The Value of the public policy changes</li> <li>How to pitch investors using Storytelling techniques</li> </ul>   SHOW NOTES [00:21] Intro [01:45] Welcome  [02:11] Business stories that inspire Bruce [03:10] Early years: Carlton University Student Association [03:18] Canopy Growth Corporation [03:34] How he became a serial entrepreneur [04:46] Get fired for your own ideas   [06:00] You are selling all the time [06:52] Common Mistakes salespeople make [07:00] Why Relationship selling is oversold [08:36] Do's and Dont's of sales pitching [09:10] Why you should never slam your competition [10:09] How Bruce picks industries to invest [11:14] The role of Public policy changes [12:45] Stories that excite Bruce's investors [13:09] Advice for using storytelling techniques [14:38] Challenges facing today’s sales leaders [15:50] The Art of Storytelling [17:28] Contact info

e014- From nowhere to a $20 Billion Powerhouse| Ed Bilat with Bruce Linton, founder of Canopy Growth Corp., Canada's largest marijuana producer

Eli Fathi is CEO at MindBridge Ai, developer of the world’s first auditing tool based upon artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies – Ai Auditor – to uncover errors in financial data. Eli has been a technology entrepreneur for over 30 years, having founded or co-founded many successful technology companies. Eli was recognized as the 2018 AI Leader of the Year by the Digital Finance Institute and is a prolific speaker, including talks at the AICPA, Startup Canada Day on the Hill, and TEDx. Eli also gives back to the community by mentoring future business leaders and sitting on the boards of various non-profit organizations.   WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE: <ul class="ul1"> <li class="li1">The rise and the meaning of AI revolution </li> <li>How Eli built his companies from scratch and what you should expect to sacrifice in order to succeed</li> <li>Top mistakes salespeople make all the time</li> <li>The role of Human to Human Connection</li> </ul>   SHOW NOTES   [00:31] Introduction [01:42] Welcome Eli [02:06] Business stories that inspire Eli [02:20] The story of Febreze [04:10] Customer success and assessment [05:00] Market research [07:17] Becoming a Serial entrepreneur [07:30] Building Fluid corporation [08:18] How Eli got into sales [09:30] Challenges he faced earlier on [11:05] Mistakes most salespeople make [12:38] Good relationship with customers? [13:25] Eli's favorite sales failure [15:35] The rise of Artificial intelligence [16:00] AI as a threat to salespeople [18:32] The role of Human to Human connection [19:42] Competition in AI development [22:04] Meaning of Leadership [23:10] Failure rate of new companies [24:20] His mantras [25:47] Challenges facing today’s sales leaders [27:25] Contact info

e013- " Why AI Won't Replace (Top) Salespeople? "| Ed Bilat with Eli Fathi, CEO of MindBridge- 2018 AI Leader of Year

e012- "Transform your sales process from analog to digital"| Ed Bilat with Jamie Shanks, Best Selling Author - SPEAR Selling

e011- "Why You Should Give Before You Get "| Ed Bilat with David Sorger, President at Smooth Commerce

e010- "I never lose. I either win or I learn."| Ed Bilat with Harsh Sabikhi, Country Manager, GitHub

e009- "Don't Outsell your competitors, Out Question them!"| Ed Bilat with Gregg Jorritsma, Senior Director of Sales and Marketing, OnRamp Solutions

e007- "How AI and Video Will Change Sales| Ed Bilat and Sahir Pandhare with Bill Ball, Director of Learning and Development at DISYS

e008- "The Art of Storytelling is the Art of Communicating"| Ed Bilat with Steve Benson, CEO of Badger Maps

"Storytelling for Sales" is a podcast dedicated to igniting your sales performance and growing your business. Every week we will interview Sales and Leadership experts in their field who are doing incredible work. Each guest will share practical advice for making sales more human through the art and science of Storytelling. Upcoming episodes will feature guests discussing topics such as Sales, Storytelling Techniques, Negotiation, Sales Training, Sales Leadership, Go to Market Strategies, Objection Handling Tips and more. Sponsored by storytellingsales.com and Hosted by Top Ranked Storytelling Sales Master Ed Bilat.

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Storytelling for Sales Podcast

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