My friends! I am THRILLED for this week’s episode on Joyfully Empowered with the only & only Louis Melendez founder of Have Better Conversations and Freeflo!
“Hold yourself accountable, not to the outcome, but to trying in the first place.” – Louis Melendez
I just sat down with my longtime friend—and sales powerhouse—Louis Melendez on the Joyfully Empowered podcast, and the man DELIVERED.
Think: millions in ad sales at Yelp, millions more raised for charity, and a side-hustle that turns boardrooms into rap studios 🎤
Below are the three nuggets that lit me right up.
Read them, try them, and then pop over to the full episode for a full break down of:
Louis’ proven confident communication framework that works with any scenario
How he started a side-hustle of team-building creating their own songs into a full blown business (Shout out to Freeflo.nyc!)
His early days at Yelp selling millions of dollars in digital ads (and the famous Yelp hall of fame)
Why he thinks I’m the OG hustler
How he landed a partnership with Serhant Brokerage
And so many more laughs and gems in the full episodes
Ready to dive in? Listen to episode on Apple or Spotify
For the video version? Go to YouTube or here on Substack :)
Check out these nuggets I got from our conversation as a little something, something before you dive in to the full episode!
1️⃣ The One-Sentence Litmus (aka “Pitch Less, Land More”)
“If you can’t say it in one sentence, you don’t understand it deeply enough to inspire action.” – Louis
Why it matters
Our scroll-happy brains skim first, care second.
Clarity is the ultimate energetic flex—and Google agrees “One-sentence pitch” searches are exploding because short is sticky.
Your joy-practice when drafting a pitch, proposal or negotiating your next raise:
Draft your ask (raise, boundary, client fee, etc)
Delete every filler word
Read it out loud. Does it flow, feel good & it’s concise? It’s time to hit send!
2️⃣ Silence Sells: Let Your Prospect Talk 70 %
“The most aggressive sales move is silence.” – Louis
Energetically, holding space tells the other person, I see you.
Neuromarketing backs it up: buyers talk themselves into “YES” when they own the room.
Tips to try it on your next call:
Open with an open-ended question
Take notes on THEIR wording.
Mirror those exact words when you recap. This is key when building trust
3️⃣ The Energetics of “No”: Excitement · Impact · Energy
Louis runs THREE companies! His filter?
Do this Filter Inner Check-In Question (Self-Score (1-10) when making a decision:
Excitement: Does this spark excitement in my gut?
Impact: Will it move the revenue / mission needle?
Energy: Do I realistically have the bandwidth?
Anything averaging under 7 gets a loving “Not now.”
⚡️Ready for the full episode?
🎧 Listen here → Joyfully Empowered on Apple | Spotify | YouTube
🔥 Connect with Louis!
Have Better Conversations: Communication & Confidence Coaching
FreeFlo: Unlike other team-building activities, you'll take home something special: a professionally mixed and mastered track to relive and share your musical adventure.
Let’s raise the collective communication vibe—one clear, on purpose sentence at a time.
Until next time, follow your joy—always & in all ways
xx
Stéphanie
💌 Resources and Links:
Connect with host and certified coach Stephanie Virchaux
Check out Stephanie’s Self-Paced Courses including The JOY Method here
Inquire about 1:1 work including coaching with Stephanie here
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