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Can I Borrow Your Car?
Can I Borrow Your Car? episodes
- Encore Presentation: Why Referrals Fail Without This One Thing
Some episodes are worth revisiting.
This conversation with process consultant Adi Klevit is one of them.
Most professionals think referrals are about relationships alone.
But the truth is:
Referrals often fail because of what happens after the handoff.
In this episode of Can I Borrow Your Car, Mike Garrison and Adi Klevit break down:
- Why processes and systems directly impact referrals
- The importance of clear communication and handoffs
- How execution shapes trust and reputation
- Why sales is only the beginning of the client experience
- How strong businesses create confidence through systems
If you want more referrals, stronger collaborations, and a business that consistently delivers…
This episode is as relevant today as ever.
🎧 Listen now on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube.
Learn more about Business Success Consulting Group: https://bizsuccesscg.com/
Connect with Adi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adiklevit/
Learn More About Can I Borrow Your Car: https://caniborrowyourcar.com
Subscribe to the Can I Borrow Your Car Substack: https://bit.ly/CanIBorrowYourCarSubstack
Connect with Mike on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikegarrisoncaniborrowyourcar/
Buy your copy of Can I Borrow Your Car: https://amzn.to/3ZeudQV
Email Mike: [email protected]
Call Mike: 540-314-5665
37 min - Design Your Life, Not Just Your Business
Most business owners are building for a future that isn’t guaranteed.
In this episode of Can I Borrow Your Car?, Mike Garrison breaks down a powerful shift:
👉 Stop delaying your life
👉 Start designing your business around what actually matters
From fly fishing in the middle of the week to building deeper client relationships, this episode is a reminder that:
- Your life is your greatest marketing asset
- Real connection beats surface-level networking
- And the best businesses are built around real humans, not just revenue
If you want more referrals, stronger relationships, and a business that actually supports your life… this one hits.
Learn More About Can I Borrow Your Car: https://caniborrowyourcar.com
Subscribe to the Can I Borrow Your Car Substack: https://bit.ly/CanIBorrowYourCarSubstack
Connect with Mike on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikegarrisoncaniborrowyourcar/
Buy your copy of Can I Borrow Your Car: https://amzn.to/3ZeudQV
Email Mike: [email protected]
Call Mike: 540-314-5665
11 min - Own It: Reputation, Referrals & Reality
This week’s episode of Can I Borrow Your Car? brings together a series of real, unfiltered conversations from Mike Garrison’s “Under the Hood Series.”
Inside this episode, Mike tackles a few things that matter more than most people want to admit:
- Why saying “I’m going to steal that” is the wrong mindset, and what to say instead
- The simplest (and most overlooked) way to generate referrals
- A hard truth about marketing: organic reach is disappearing
- Why word-of-mouth still works, but only if you’re intentional
- And a real-life reminder that business doesn’t happen separate from life… it happens inside it
This is a mix of strategy, perspective, and reality, because building a business isn’t just about growth… it’s about ownership, relationships, and showing up when things aren’t perfect.
Learn More About Can I Borrow Your Car: https://caniborrowyourcar.com
Subscribe to the Can I Borrow Your Car Substack: https://bit.ly/CanIBorrowYourCarSubstack
Connect with Mike on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikegarrisoncaniborrowyourcar/
Buy your copy of Can I Borrow Your Car: https://amzn.to/3ZeudQV
Email Mike: [email protected]
Call Mike: 540-314-5665
12 min - Networking vs. Collaboration (Why Most People Get It Wrong)
Most people think networking is the answer.
It’s not.
In this episode of Can I Borrow Your Car?, Mike sits down with Jim Ries—business development leader and master connector—to break down the difference between knowing more people and knowing people more.
Jim shares his journey from the family shoe business to becoming a key growth driver at a major law firm—and what he’s learned about trust, referrals, and building relationships that actually produce results.
You’ll learn:
- Why trust is the foundation of every great referral
- The difference between networking and true collaboration
- How to build a referral network that makes you look like a genius
- Why generosity and follow-through matter more than strategy
- The exact approach young professionals should take to build influence early
If you rely on relationships to grow your business, this one is required listening.
Connect with Jim: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimrieslegalbdguy/
Call Jim: 410-733-6133
Learn more about Offit Kurman: offitkurman.com
Learn More About Can I Borrow Your Car:
https://caniborrowyourcar.com
Subscribe to the Can I Borrow Your Car Substack:
https://bit.ly/CanIBorrowYourCarSubstack
Connect with Mike on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikegarrisoncaniborrowyourcar/
Buy your copy of Can I Borrow Your Car:
https://amzn.to/3ZeudQV
Email Mike: [email protected]
Call Mike: 540-314-5665
29 min - Referrals Fail Without This One Thing
Most professionals think referrals are about relationships.
They’re wrong.
In this episode of Can I Borrow Your Car, Mike sits down with process expert Adi Klevit to unpack the real reason referrals succeed—or fall apart.
Because it’s not just about getting the business…
It’s about what happens after the sale.
They break down:
- Why sales without delivery is a broken system
- The critical role of handoffs inside your business
- How poor processes quietly kill referrals
- Why collaboration needs structure—not just goodwill
- And how the best professionals build trust through execution
If you want more referrals, better clients, and stronger partnerships…
you don’t need more marketing.
You need better systems.
Learn more about Business Success Consulting Group: https://bizsuccesscg.com/
Connect with Adi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adiklevit/
Learn More About Can I Borrow Your Car: https://caniborrowyourcar.com
Subscribe to the Can I Borrow Your Car Substack: https://bit.ly/CanIBorrowYourCarSubstack
Connect with Mike on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikegarrisoncaniborrowyourcar/
Buy your copy of Can I Borrow Your Car: https://amzn.to/3ZeudQV
Email Mike: [email protected]
Call Mike: 540-314-5665
37 min - Stop Pretending You're Not in Sales
In this episode of Can I Borrow Your Car?, Mike dives into a hard truth many professional advisors avoid:
You are in sales whether you admit it or not.
Too many professionals hide from the sales process while expecting referrals, introductions, and new clients to magically appear. But successful firms understand that real growth comes from embracing sales as a disciplined, strategic process.
Mike breaks down:
- Why professionals must embrace sales to truly help clients succeed
- The danger of becoming a “relationship assassin” or “referral assassin”
- Why high-value business development requires multiple touchpoints and strategic sequencing
- How to demonstrate immediate and ongoing ROI for clients
- A powerful leadership question every business owner should ask:
- “Would I build this business again?”
If you're a financial advisor, consultant, or professional service firm leader who wants better referrals, better clients, and a stronger business model — this conversation is for you.
Because in real business:
Be real.
Be human.
Be authentic.
Learn More About Can I Borrow Your Car:
https://caniborrowyourcar.com
Subscribe to the Can I Borrow Your Car Substack:
https://bit.ly/CanIBorrowYourCarSubstack
Connect with Mike on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikegarrisoncaniborrowyourcar/
Buy your copy of Can I Borrow Your Car:
https://amzn.to/3ZeudQV
Email Mike: [email protected]
Call Mike: 540-314-5665
15 min - The Execution Age: Why Professional Services Must Reprice or Reinvent
We are no longer in the Information Age.
And if you’re in professional services, that should make you uncomfortable.
In this episode of Can I Borrow Your Car?, Mike unpacks what he believes is the biggest shift facing accounting, legal, consulting, coaching, and financial advisory firms:
We are entering the Execution Age.
AI isn’t the problem.
It’s the symptom.
The real challenge?
Repricing. Transparency. ROI. Alignment.
Mike dives into:
- Why information is now a commodity
- The danger of optimizing an outdated business model
- When it might make sense to “take chips off the table”
- Why referrals outperform branding for serious sales organizations
- How to think historically about technology disruption and pricing
- And what it means to build a business you’re actually at peace with
This isn’t doom and gloom.
It’s opportunity.
If you deliver real ROI, not just advice, the next decade could be your greatest growth window.
But only if you evolve.
Learn More About Can I Borrow Your Car: https://caniborrowyourcar.com
Subscribe to the Can I Borrow Your Car Substack: https://bit.ly/CanIBorrowYourCarSubstack
Connect with Mike on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikegarrisoncaniborrowyourcar/
Buy your copy of Can I Borrow Your Car: https://amzn.to/3ZeudQV
Email Mike: [email protected]
Call Mike: 540-314-5665
25 min - Nothing Happens Until You Sell Something with George Sandmann
What if the real reason advisors struggle… isn’t skill, it’s sales?
In this episode of Can I Borrow Your Car?, Mike sits down with George Sandmann, founder of Growth Drive, to unpack what truly separates elite professional advisors from everyone else.
George shares his bold strategic intent: helping $1 trillion of private businesses increase strategic capacity. But here’s the catch:
Nothing happens until you sell something.
They dive deep into:
- The difference between a qualified client and an ideal client
- Why most advisors sabotage deal velocity
- The hidden cost of saying yes to the wrong engagement
- Why AI will compress fees, but not value
- How to price for ROI (and stop charging like an employee)
- Why referrals fail, and how to fix them
- The three non-negotiables for doubling revenue in 24 months
If you’re an advisor, consultant, wealth manager, CPA, EOS implementer, or business strategist…
This one might make you uncomfortable.
Good.
Because growth isn’t transactional, it’s intentional.
Connect with George: [email protected] and growth-drive.com
Learn More About Can I Borrow Your Car: https://caniborrowyourcar.com
Subscribe to the Can I Borrow Your Car Substack:
https://bit.ly/CanIBorrowYourCarSubstack
Connect with Mike on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikegarrisoncaniborrowyourcar/
Buy your copy of Can I Borrow Your Car: https://amzn.to/3ZeudQV
Email Mike: [email protected]
Call Mike: 540-314-5665
1 hr 19 min - You’re Worth More Than 1%, If You Can Prove It
In this episode, Mike tackles one of the most uncomfortable topics in professional services: fees.
AI is changing buyer behavior.
Transparency is reshaping trust.
And fee compression is coming whether you like it or not.
If you’re an advisor, consultant, CPA, attorney, coach, or firm owner, this episode is a wake-up call.
Mike dives into:
- Why “1%” isn’t the real conversation
- How AI is already influencing your prospects
- Why information alone is becoming worthless
- The danger of sunk cost fallacy in your business model
- How to evolve without blowing up your current firm
- Why execution (not knowledge) is your moat
- The difference between networking and intentional referral strategy
If you believe you're worth more than 1%, this episode will challenge you to prove it — clearly, structurally, and repeatedly.
Because the future doesn’t belong to the informed.
It belongs to the executors.
Learn More About Can I Borrow Your Car:
https://caniborrowyourcar.com
Subscribe to the Can I Borrow Your Car Substack:
https://bit.ly/CanIBorrowYourCarSubstack
Connect with Mike on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikegarrisoncaniborrowyourcar/
Buy your copy of Can I Borrow Your Car:
https://amzn.to/3ZeudQV
Email Mike: [email protected]
Call Mike: 540-314-5665
23 min - Stop Hiding from Sales (And Start Preparing for What’s Next)
Last week I recorded a series of short videos that turned into something bigger.
This episode brings them together into one message:
You are in commercial sales.
AI is here.
And how you buy determines how you’ll be bought from.
If you’re a CEPA, attorney, CPA, consultant, financial advisor, or professional service firm selling to business owners, you are in commercial sales whether you like it or not.
And if you don’t embrace that? You’ll struggle.
In this episode we talk about:
- Why sales is the only essential function in a for-profit business
- Why marketing without sales results is meaningless
- The hidden hypocrisy in how professionals buy vs. how they expect to be bought from
- Why giving must precede getting in a real referral system
- How AI is disrupting accounting, legal, financial services and consulting
- Why the future belongs to those who are more human not more automated
Plus, I share a personal reflection on rebuilding locally in Southwest Virginia and why it’s never over if you’re willing to evolve.
This is part challenge.
Part warning.
Part opportunity.
If you’re in senior leadership at a professional firm, you probably have less time than you think.
Let’s go.
Learn More About Can I Borrow Your Car:
https://caniborrowyourcar.com
Subscribe to the Can I Borrow Your Car Substack:
https://bit.ly/CanIBorrowYourCarSubstack
Connect with Mike on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikegarrisoncaniborrowyourcar/
Buy your copy of Can I Borrow Your Car:
https://amzn.to/3ZeudQV
Email Mike: [email protected]
Call Mike: 540-314-5665
23 min
About Can I Borrow Your Car?
From the publisher's feed
The Can I Borrow Your Car Podcast is dedicated to transforming how financial advisors and client-focused professionals approach client acquisitions. Drawing on decades of expertise, best-selling books, and industry recognition, the podcast’s mission is to help listeners fill their sales funnel with more ideal clients than they require—by building a referral system rooted in generosity, respect, and genuine care for relationships.
Core Themes and Approach
Giving, Not Begging: The podcast champions a referral system based on purposeful giving, not asking or begging. Listeners will learn how to become someone trusted enough to be “loaned” the most important relationships in a client’s life.
Lowering Referral Risk: Each episode explores strategies for reducing both perceived and actual risk in the referral process, making it easier and more comfortable for clients and centers of influence to refer their valued contacts.
Farming, Not Hunting: Adopting a “farmer” mindset, the podcast emphasizes nurturing a diverse network, engaging key contacts early, and cultivating long-term relationships that naturally yield referrals over time.
Systematic Growth: Listeners are guided to set clear client acquisition targets, double their meeting goals based on closing rates, and create a waiting list of interested clients—ensuring a full pipeline and sustainable business growth.
Respect and Enterprise Value: The podcast highlights the importance of treating people with respect and care, which not only increases referrals but also enhances the enterprise value of an advisory practice.
Enjoyable Referral Process: Episodes focus on making the referral process enjoyable for all parties, so that giving and receiving referrals becomes a source of pride and satisfaction, not stress.
Who Should Listen
Financial advisors seeking to grow their practice and enterprise value through referrals
Professionals in client acquisition roles who want to make referrals their primary growth engine
Anyone who values building their business by loving people and giving on purpose within a proven system
Host Credentials
Best-selling author of multiple books on referrals, including Can I Borrow Your Car?
2024 Exit Planning Institute Member of the Year and online faculty member
Recognized expert in helping financial advisors grow their practices’ enterprise value through referrals and exit planning
Podcast Promise
Listeners will discover how to become the “obvious choice” in their market by building a referral-driven business that everyone loves participating in—clients, centers of influence, and advisors alike. The Can I Borrow Your Car Podcast is your guide to growing your business by loving people, giving first, and earning the right to be introduced to your ideal clients.