Do you speak to your audience, or at them? And by that I mean, do your customers really hear you?

In a recent interview I did with Grant Cardone, it occured to me that one of the reasons he’s so successful is that he frames his communications in a way that his audience can relate to. He connects with people.

And I believe that if you consider your customers’ experiences and problems when you craft your messaging, that’s when they’ll consume your content and say, “This person gets me. This is the product I’ve been looking for.”

In this interview, Grant and I discuss why business is all about communication, why young people should consider alternatives to higher education, and more.

To check it out, watch the video or read the full conversation below.

Read Ezra’s Full Conversation with Grant Cardone

(This conversation has been edited for clarity.)

G: Most of the people you’re talking to, where do you see them missing?

E: Most people are missing what you have: content, a good offer, and a way to talk about that offer.

One of the things you’ve figured out is how to talk to your community in a way that they can hear you.

See, a lot of people think, “I said something, that means I communicated it.” But your communication fell flat. They didn’t hear it. They’ve got to hear it. That’s when you’ve said something.

And when you (Grant) say stuff, people hear it. And that’s the difference.

G: Because I say it enough times?

E: Maybe it’s because you repeat it, or maybe you’ve found a way to frame your communication so people can hear it…

Which I think is what most people are missing when it comes to their offers. They’re talking at people, not talking to people. They’re just saying a bunch of stuff.

G: See, this is why I got this guy. He’s here because I want it. This is a way for me to get the data. This is a way for me to connect.

That’s why I do this conference. Jared comes to me and says, “Who do you want?” And I say, “This is what we need to learn in our business. Get me the best people.” Ezra comes in, and now I get access.

E: I think that’s good. You’re in a position of power. You’re running the show, and it’d be very easy for you to say, “I know everything. I don’t need any support.” But you’re smart enough to say, “I‘m a student. I want to learn the game. I want to know what Russell’s doing. I want to know what Jared’s doing.” You’re paying attention to what’s going on, and that’s one of the reasons why you’re so successful.

What I was saying before is putting yourself in your customers’ shoes. What is their life experience? What problems are they facing?

Not just talking to them like, “I’m trying to sell you something. You need this solution.” No. He or she who can explain the problem the best sells the most. Because then people identify with the experience they’re having and they’re like, “That person gets me. That persons know where I’m at. I’m going with them.”

G: The thing that kills me is when I watch the vitamin guy who sells a million dollars a month — or a million dollars a week — and I’m like… These are garbage products.

E: Totally. But here’s what it is: The person who makes the best promise wins. People with crappy products win in the market all the time because they made a better promise than the next person. Now, the product’s job is to deliver on the promise you made.

G: Yeah, or you won’t stay in business.

E: Right, you can make a great promise and deliver a crappy product and then you’re gone, so the product has to live up to that promise. But it’s your job to make a good promise, and the way you make a good promise is to understand who you’re communicating with. I think it all comes down to communication.

G: What would you tell somebody else about coming to 10x LIVE?

E: Here’s what I’d say: You get what you want from people who have it. You want to learn how to sell? You want to know how to close deals? You know who knows how to do that? Grant Cardone. You know who else knows how to do that? Grant Cardone’s community.

Find someone who knows what you want, and learn it from them. This has gotten confused with higher education, the hustle of higher education. Look, back in the day, if you wanted to learn blacksmithing, you went and found a blacksmith.

G: Talk about a promise: higher education.

E: Oh my god. Such a hustle. I think. No offense to anyone who disagrees, but man.

G: You’re telling me 4 years in an average college where there’s nobody famous there — there’s nobody connected there — 4 years that I go into debt — that’s higher education than what we did here?

E: This is higher education. The name is all wrong.

G: But it’s a good promise.

E: It’s a great promise. Here’s what happened: The authority figures in these kids’ lives have been conditioned to believe you must go to college. That was their generation. They were going to get a 401K and a pension. We don’t have that luxury. But when the authority figure in your life tells you this is what you need to do from the time you’re a kid — it’s in there. It’s hard to shake it out. Now kids are starting to figure it out.

Fortunately, I was a terrible student. I never made it to college. High school was rough. In the traditional education system, I was thought of as a dumb kid. A mess up. Never gonna make it.

So I didn’t go to college. No one would let me in. I ended up starting an ecommerce business. 4 years later all my buddies came out of school $100,000 in debt and I had a 6-figure business. So I got lucky. It wasn’t deliberate that I didn’t go to college. No one was accepting me.

Kids today have a choice thanks to the digital medium. The internet wasn’t really around when I graduated. I would’ve gone to college in ’04, so at that time, people didn’t have Grant Cardone U right there on their iPhone.

G: I appreciate you being here.

E: Thank you.

G: Give this man a big hand, huh!