Episode 3
with Simone Douglas
Show Notes
Transcript
Show Notes
In this episode of Confident Networker, Simone sits down with Tom Hendrick from Adelaide Speaking Training.
Tom is a member of the BNI Elite and holds the position of public speaking and coaching.
If you’d like to attend a Chapter meeting and meet Tom, you can book your spot here: https://bnian.com.au/chapter/bni-elite/
You can also connect with Tom via his social channels on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aspeakingtraining/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-hendrick-77968a9a/?originalSubdomain=au
Transcript
Simone Douglas 0:04 Okay, now I'm allowed to talk which is even more exciting. So on today's episode of the confident networker, I am joined by the fabulous Tom Hendrick from Adelaide speaker training. Tom, thank you for coming along . My pleasure. So maybe let's just start off with tell us a little bit about your business and what it's all about. Tom Hendrick 0:24 I'm very excited. Adelaide speaking trainers has bred Adelaide speaking training as a brand new business. I started on the 21st of May, this year significant to me because the day that I stopped being a lawyer was the first time that happened for about six years. Wow. So it's a bit of a change. Simone Douglas 0:41 So why why the leap of faith we're in a global pandemic, we've got lock downs, and being a lawyer seems reasonably safe. So what what was the impetus for you to back yourself and go out into business on your own, Tom Hendrick 0:59 Adelaide speaking training is something I've wanted to start since I was 15 years old, when I was 15. I did a one hour stand up going on for my whole school and wanted to be a professional speaker. And but I thought that was a bit of a tricky, maybe slightly dangerous, risky sort of thing to do as a profession. So I did the next most logical thing and became a tax lawyer. I was a tax lawyer at the ATO for a few years. And I was at private for a few years. And when I was in private, I started, I joined BNI because I didn't want to just do the work but wanted to find a way I can bring it in and be a partner and I swore on a stack of Bibles this time last year that I want to be a tech spotter that fan Yeah. Then I also started running some pilot, like public speaking training sessions for a group of friends. And they said, hey, it's really good. And you're pretty good at this. Yeah. And I went really, and I crunched the numbers and realise that it could be a business. This business I wanted to do since I was 15 years old, which I didn't think was real or safe, was actually legit. Yeah, it was a real thing. And so I've been I'm particularly thankful for the business literacy that I've received the opportunity to do these pilot sessions, you know, just for a group of friends and some other people in their friends and family. At some amazing feedback. I've seen other people succeed in business, and it gave me the courage to talk myself out of being safe and sensible as a taxpayer. So as always saying stupid, professional Simone Douglas 2:15 So how long have you been a BNI? Member? For then? Obviously, you've just started the new business. But how long have you been in BNI? Tom Hendrick 2:23 August 2018. So about three years, as most of that obviously, as a lawyer, yeah. And now gladly, say, three months or so now as a speaker. Simone Douglas 2:33 Yeah, nice. So, for our listeners, Tom is a member of BNI elite, they happen to be the number one chapter in the region currently, and I meet on Thursday mornings at the lovely hour of 7am, it's breakfast networking. Why is networking important to your business, Tom Hendrick 2:51 because networking is basically essential to my business, and it's brand new. And it wouldn't be where it is without testimonials at retail outs, and then inquiries that come in, and then being able to turn those into, you know, for me services, so one on one sessions or group training services, and networking, as opposed to just spontaneous net socialising. You know, that just happens every now and again, is the real difference for me. So being able to rock up at 7am. And the you know, that that seven, eight attracts a lot of ambitious, you know, people who try to make time in their day for things like that, being in a room full of those people, telling them what I do and how they can help me likewise, finding ways to help them and getting a whole room full of reciprocity, and inspiration and connections and working on projects together from time to time, is what helps me fill the seats of workshops. Simone Douglas 3:49 So your business is three months old, you can't have achieved that many of your goals already. Can you what are some of the goals that you have, or you know, whether it's life goals, or personal goals in the last three months that BNI has helped you tick off your bucket list, Tom Hendrick 4:04 something you tick off lots of things off my bucket list, he helped me feel the first three workshops that I've been running, and not entirely just with BNI members, but with being owners and their contacts. And then what it's also done is it's filled out my waiting list for the next three workshops that I'll be running in September. So now I've don't have to worry about where I'm going to find those people. They're already either knock on the door. That's a huge success. It's also the biggest successes, it's given me there was absolutely the courage to make the decision to leave a very safe sensible job, a very chaotic time of you know, a world life and, and have the confidence to know that I could step out and make it work. Yeah, you know, my own, but it wouldn't doesn't feel like you're on your own. Simone Douglas 4:50 No, and that's that's why I love BNI is that and I think you know, you touched on it. It's really because it's structured networking. It's a process in a system and I'm a bit systems orientated. So there's rules and I like rules. But the other thing that I love about is, like you said, motivated people are the people that get out of bed at seven o'clock in the morning to go to a structured networking event. You know, they're driven to be successful, they're invested in each other's success, and they really fires me up for the rest of the week. Like there's nothing better. Who has been the most surprising person in terms of helping you in your chapter in the last three years. So it doesn't necessarily have to be with the current business. But what's your favourite moment where you just went? Well, you know, that person really put themselves out for me or they really gave me a great piece of advice. Tom Hendrick 5:46 Surprising. That's a good word. So like unexpected out of the woodwork, like serendipitous. Other fun things in my mental thesaurus? Yeah. Someone want to give a shout out to yeah names Kritische , stellar home styling, she's home stager. Yes, homes looking really good with furnishings before this sold by real estate agents on the open market. And you would have thought styling and communication photos was fairly separate industries, pretty is one example has been really extremely helpful for my business. I realised sitting down with her that she had a lot of things to communicate in her business, not only just online, like in words, and videos, and things like that, as well. But on a more regular basis, she was quoting for jobs. And she was also pitching to real estate agents for their spring catalogues and things like that. And she asked me to help her with some presentations and with some also ongoing speaking training. So things like when you're closing a deal with somebody and negotiating how much it's gonna cost to sell their house, especially when you know in the back your mind that you can get them $80,000 More if it's styled, in only cost you X many, you saw that? Well now, the prices as long as as much as you willing to trust us kind of thing. And what would happen in and this happens to lots of people, and I want you to create this particular situation in much detail. But it was good that she could I could help her in the sense that I could tell her methods like if you're, if you're uncomfortable with conflict, and that's the reason why you're allowing lower price or accepting lower prices, then you need to identify that and then have a method to not flinch. So sort of jumping, jumping in, let them come in first, let them set out their logical train of thought. And then once that's open and expose, you can make them realise that the amount of money that they think they need to spend is not enough. They're making a small effort for a big return. And that's how big returns are right? And likewise helping with pitching things. And I found that by being able to help her, she's been able to help me a lot in my business because that was a testimonial from her that's rippled outwards to other people. And it was also working with someone like that I realised that's the thing that I could provide as a service. So lots of different industries, whether you're like a badge maker, or someone who you know, who, or produces other sort of services, offerings, web designers, graphic designers, it's a similar pitch. It's like, if you give us you trust us, we can get you a big return. But it's how do you communicate in such a way that the trust is there to commit some payment towards these creative people. Simone Douglas 8:25 When when it comes to the clients that you work with? What is it that lights you up? What what is that moment when you're working with them that you just go - This is why I do what I do. Can you give us an example of that Tom Hendrick 8:38 two definite indicators. Yeah, before when, like, which made me so happy. The first one is after we've done like a one on one session, later on, usually that day, they've put it into practice in something like the coding conversation, or a team meeting or presentation they've given. And sometimes the conference, phone call that I get involves tears on the other side. And it's like, and then they might send me a message and a little screenshot of an email they've received and might be like, dear person, of all the people that we shopped around for you were the most online most expensive, but the most trustworthy, and we believe in your process and the most, and that's why you want to go with you. So they value themselves, they will value the person for the money. They want the big return. And they're committed to that because they understood and they felt empowered at a fire, you know, like to make that sort of decision. So I love that phone call where it's like, I did this. And then I was almost about to do this, but I did that instead. Yeah. And so that kept me on track. Simone Douglas 9:41 I love that. I think too. It's one of the things that becomes really important is being authentically yourself and discovering what that is. How often do you have clients that come into your workshops that are trying to be someone other than who they are and you help them figure it out? Like, is that part of the journey? Or do they just come in last in general? Tom Hendrick 10:07 Absolutely. And that was the second thing I was gonna mention about what drop when it's when the penny drops in. And so they've been like I've I've often they've often before they come to me, they've dabbled in a little public speaking, training themselves, looked up YouTube videos, I've tried, I need to be more like this person. Yeah, and that, but they haven't quite demystified the thing about that speaker that makes that work for that person that wasn't working for us. And then a lot of my structure is more like, I'm trying to get people to when they speak, to not get lost. So making sure that the way they speak is very visual for other people. And when they understood and the image is in the other person's head, and you progress to the actions and the more detail there, instead of finishing on the final takeaway like this, some people would consider the summary answer. And when they follow a method like that their own style naturally comes out. Yeah, but it's just done in such a structure that is designed to help the listener not get lost along the way, the heads are nodding the whole way through. And that's the way that it's organised rather than starting in one way, and then going backwards, like starting with the speaker, what the speaker knows, first, trying to start with what the listener knows, first, letting the speaker's style come through and not affect that, yeah, Simone Douglas 11:17 cool. What is the best piece of business advice you've ever been given? Tom Hendrick 11:22 This piece of business advice I've ever received? It was came from BNI, as well. And I've heard it from so many people, it's hard to identify. Yeah, it's one person. But it was certainly not to sell to the room. I've and as a speaker, it's now become a keystone of thing, a message that I tell other people is that there's your audience, then there's your audience's audience. So far, bigger audience. And if I can explain something to you, you understand it. But it's more important that you can explain it back to me, and you really understand it and you've tackled it. And if it's the way that you've spoken is in such a way, it can be undelivered to other people, and you want to tell that story to other people. That's when all of a sudden the calls out of the blue start coming in, brand really takes off and sort of shrinks. And so I use that as not only a public speaking technique to look through the audience to the audience's audience, how do I make this thing worth rippling out? But also think about it from a business sense as well? Like, I'm not trying to just get quick wins with people in this room? Whether it's like the networking occasion, I mean, or is the BNI meeting this? Like, how can I make such an impression or an understanding of this person, that it refers to another better conversation with this person, and another decision maker in their business or their friend who might be able to find that extra work or project for me to work on? Simone Douglas 12:44 That makes sense. If I could introduce you to anybody that could help you take your business to the very next level, who's the one person that you would love an introduction or referral to to have a cup of coffee with? Tom Hendrick 13:00 one person, one specific person? Well, a lot of people have said to me over and over again, that they wish they learnt public speaking stuff at school. And it's like a teachable skill that we unfortunately never like work in schools. I would love to be introduced to school principals. There's one person in particular, I went to Emmanuel College, Sam's, Kevin Richardson. And through him is also associations of schools were like Catholic schools, independent Independent Schools sort of thing. So to talk to individual principals, but also to talk through them to get to their more higher body organisations, and try to get a one to many interaction in that sort of circle would be something I'd really love to do to help make it public speaking in schools, something that's easy, fun, and adds to their leadership and learning experience. Simone Douglas 13:56 That makes sense. Schools as well. Yeah. So for the listeners out there, if any of you happen to be part of the Independent Schools Association, which should be like a union for independent schools, I'm sure Tom would be happy to have coffee to talk about some of the professional development he could run when you guys get together. Tom, thank you very much for joining me today. Tom Hendrick 14:15 It's been absolute pleasure. Simone Douglas 14:17 For me too. thanks very much. Transcribed by https://otter.ai