The Good Listening To Show: Stories of Distinction & Genius

Revolutionizing Sales and Human Connection: Social Selling Expert, Author & Influencer Timothy 'Tim' (Should have played Quidditch for England!) Hughes

• Chris Grimes - Facilitator. Coach. Motivational Comedian

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What if you could revolutionize your sales tactics and make your LinkedIn profile as captivating as a magical Quidditch match? Join us for an illuminating conversation with social selling expert Timothy Tim Hughes, author of "Social Selling: Techniques to Influence Buyers and Changemakers." Tim shares his whimsical yet effective strategies for making business profiles stand out, the importance of authentic social engagement, and how injecting humanity into business interactions can create meaningful connections. We also explore the mutual connections that have shaped our journey, from the Influence Radio Network to the inspirational Donna Koundé.

Tim opens up about his personal stories and the significant life events that have shaped his career and philosophy. Discover how the song “London Calling” by The Clash inspired his move to London, and learn about his forays into the IT industry, which began with a critical interview at STC (now Fujitsu). You'll hear about his love for cycling and running, and how these activities provide him with both physical and metaphorical movement that fuels his success. This episode also examines the outdated nature of traditional marketing techniques, the shift in communication preferences, and the timeless value of Tim's cherished vinyl record collection.

In the closing chapters, we uncover the profound impact that acts of kindness can have, inspired by Tim's late father’s legacy of unsung heroism. From co-founding DLA Ignite to his mission of leveraging social media for positive change, Tim's journey is a testament to the power of helping others and staying true to one’s purpose. We also highlight the unique format of the Good Listening To Show and Tim's heartfelt praise for the meaningful conversations it fosters. Tune in for an episode filled with insights, personal anecdotes, and heartfelt stories that will inspire and motivate you to rethink the way you approach social selling and human connection.

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'.  If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

Thanks for listening! 

Speaker 2

Welcome to another episode of the Good Listening To Show your life and times with me, chris Grimes, the storytelling show that features the Clearing, where all good questions come to get asked and all good stories come to be told, and where all my guests have two things in common they're all creative individuals and all with an interesting story to tell. There are some lovely storytelling metaphors a clearing a tree, a juicy storytelling exercise called 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, some alchemy, some gold, a cheeky bit of Shakespeare and a cake. So it's all to play for. So, yes, welcome to the Good Listening To Show your life and times with me. Chris Grimes, are you sitting comfortably? Then we shall begin. And there we have it. As usual, I've done an effortless count of four to get us in, so I don't have to edit this later. Excellent. So, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to a wonderful red letter day here in the Good Listening 2 show, clearing.

Speaker 2

This is Stories of Distinction and Genius and this is a special Brand Strand Founder Story episode. And also you could be straddling two horses, timothy, tim Hughes, because you could also be doing a Good Books series, strand 2, because your book, which is incredibly popular, is Social Selling. Because your book, which is incredibly popular, is Social Selling Techniques to Influence Buyers and Changemakers. And in fact, well done. You've already got it on your shelves and in the background. So welcome to the Good Listening To Show. This is Timothy Tim Hughes. Whenever I think of saying your name, I often riff to myself Tim, timothy, tim, timothy, tim, tim. So not that you remind me of Dick Van Dyke, but here you are. Anyway, welcome to the show, timothy Tim Hughes.

Speaker 1

Hello Chris, it's nice to be here. You can just call me Tim, you know.

Speaker 2

I can. But what I loved in your profile. It says you are there very much as Timothy Tim Hughes talking about DLA Ign dla ignite. But it says very enigmatically and in fact you've guided me and influenced me because you're all about influencing to change my own linkedin profile recently you say you should have played quidditch for england. Yes, so just to unpack that. For us that's brilliantly hooky from the point of view of tell us more, but just just explain, get on the open road of why quidditch for england um, well, the um on linkedin, your summary title, is the most visible thing about you on the internet.

Speaker 1

So if someone googles you, they'll find your name, your photo from linkedin and they'll find the summary title. And your job is for someone not to go. God, that person looks desperately dull and boring. For that person goes that looks interesting. I'll find out more information and I'll click through and I'll read their linkedin profile, haha hence her sort of hook to try and get us in.

Speaker 2

And in fact, yes to you, because I I have long trailblazed with when I'm training and facilitating. There's something that I do which pertains to I am spacus, which is about self-advocacy. I've now changed it to try and see if that works. Also on X and I know you're multi-platform because you're all about social selling, which I know we're going to get into but on X I found it very amusing that you said my views are my mum's, which again is very enigmatic.

Speaker 1

Yeah, well, there's lots of people in in corporate world and I think in um. Even when I worked in corporate, the idea was that you had to put on your social media platforms that, um, the views were not of your employer, which is just ridiculous, because if you work for somebody, surely you're professional enough to post something that is not controversial, and if you work for somebody, then in a way you're representing that company. So because of that I thought it was all ridiculous. I just thought I'd put something like views of my mums.

Speaker 2

Absolutely, and it's very relatable because it's about returning the humanity rather than the sort of corporate dryness that we know. And in fact this is one of the reasons I'm doing this show to help business leaders tell a less dull, less transactional, warmer and more authentic story. We were introduced to each other through the lovely Donna Koundé and in fact and I hope I pronounced that correctly Do you know that it's different? Hope I pronounced that correctly. Do you know that it's different? I think that's right, isn't it? It's right. Yes, thank you. We are both co-presenters on the influence radio network that she's very curated us in, so we have that in common. And she recommended that we get in touch with each other and your vibe attract your tribe. I was immediately drawn to the cut of your jib. But back to you now to get you into the journey in the process of what I'm going to curate you through. You know that horrible, clunky networking question um, what do you do? What's your favorite way of answering or avoiding that question? What do you say? What? What does tim do?

Speaker 1

we usually tell people that we can create pipeline for people at scale, um, and we do that using social media, um, and then that usually gets people to. At that point people ask questions because everybody needs pipeline, yeah, um. And the thing is, is that with social selling, is it people? A lot of people think that that's about you know, you're on linkedin and someone sends you a connection, a question, and it immediately pitches to you that's not social selling, that's spam, um and um. And so there's a there, a question, and it immediately pitches to you that's not social selling, that's spam. And so we have to kind of differentiate ourselves from the people that are sending spam on social media and ourselves that have got a proper methodology in the process.

Speaker 2

Love that. And it's not social selling, it's spam. I love that. And it's selling at scale. I heard selling at Scouts then, but it's good listening to and I misheard that. And it's selling at scale. I heard. I heard selling at Scouts then, but that was, it's good listening to and I misheard that.

Speaker 1

Yes, I wouldn't. I wouldn't necessarily Cubs, maybe not Scouts.

Speaker 2

And at the beginning I mentioned a red letter day. Over the weekend, I noticed that you have reached a bit of a red letter day for your own profile. You've got thirty five thousand connections now on LinkedIn. As as I, have 35 000 followers on linkedin, yes, ah, which is even better than connections, just to be pedantic, isn't it? Because people?

Speaker 1

yes, because you can only actually have 30 000 on linkedin. Yes, the maximum you can have.

Speaker 2

So I've got 35 000 followers so, as of as of today, you've maxed out basically uh, I haven't actually, but because I've got more followers than connections. Yes, love that Also. You had another red letter day in that you've been accredited with being one of the world's best influencers. Can you tell us a bit more about that too? That was one of your LinkedIn posts recently.

Speaker 1

Yes, it was yeah. So there's an organization called Thinkers360. So there's an organization called Thinkers360, and I'm the fifth most influential person in sales in the world, according to them. Boom, don't ask me who the four people above me are, but I'm the fifth.

Speaker 2

Let's find out who numbers one to four are. And I've got a bell If we get into any rabbit holes, cashier number three, please, if you know you're number five, you'll cash in number five. So the most. That's sorry, just to go back to that. That's a really good accolade, fantastic and congrats yeah yeah, I, I, I think so, yes, okay.

Finding Happiness Through Movement

Speaker 2

So let's get you on the open road. Um, you can go where you like, when you like, how you like, as deep as you like into the following construct. So the good listening to show is where I invite movers, makers, shakers, mavericks, influencers go you at number five and also personal heroes into a clearing or serious happy place of my guests choosing. And that's the center point from which the rest of the story scape unfolds. There's going to be a clearing a tree, a lovely juicy storytelling exercise called five, four, three, two, one. There's going to be some alchemy, some gold, a couple of random squirrels, a cheeky bit of shakespeare, a golden baton and a cake. So it's all to play for. So let's get you on the open road first of all. Then, timothy hughes I'm sorry, did you prefer timothy or tim?

Speaker 1

it's usually it's my mother is the only person that calls me timothy and your mum's obviously controlled your Zoom account because you're there as Timothy. Yeah, she sets everything up for me. She's my telephone.

Speaker 2

Hence why my views of my mum's. I love that. That's very appealing and appeals to my sense of humour. So let's get you on the open road. So, Tim Hughes, where is what is a clearing? You know, where is your serious happy place?

Speaker 1

Where do you go to get tuttifree, inspirational and able to think, uh well, there's, there's kind of two places, um, because I can't be in the same place. So, so where? When I'm on my bike, my, my mountain bike, it's probably the time that I'm the most. I would be the most happiest.

Speaker 1

That's so relatable I say I'm 12 again, um, and if I'm not on my bike, it's when I I started running four years ago and and even though I don't like running, actually it's a great place to think um and um. So, um, I, I, I, I would say that running is also in it. So it's everything to do with movement. Really, I found that it's when my body is moving that I'm probably the happiest.

Speaker 2

I love the momentum and the forward thrust in that Very relatably I too, resonate with that. I often say my bike is my freedom when I'm riffing on LinkedIn as well, actually but also that influencing strategy in life. We know that the difference in life between what you want and what you get is what you do, so it's the sort of proactivity and movement towards. So I love the fact you're. You're. Running and cycling are similar in that it's forward motion. But which which would you like to choose?

Speaker 1

I'm going to arrive with a tree shortly okay, well, I'm it's, it's the, it's the um it's on my bike is when I'm always the happiest lovely.

Speaker 2

So, if I may, I'm going to pull alongside you now, rather comically, on my own bike with a tree, and I'm going to shake your tree now to see which storytelling apples fall out. This is the. We've had five minutes to have thought about four things that have shaped you, three things that inspire you, two things that never fail to grab your attention, and that's borrowed from the film up. That's where the oh squirrels are going to come in. You know what never fail to grab your attention, irrespective of anything else that's going on for you. And then the one is a quirky or unusual fact about you, tim hughes. We couldn't possibly know about you until you tell us it's not a memory test, so we'll curate you through it gently. So over to you to interpret as I. I pull alongside on my bike with a tree to shake your tree to see which storytelling apples fall out.

Speaker 1

Over to you well, I, um, in terms of the four things that shape me, um, I, I decided, you know, you know it's like you think of something and go no, actually, let's be a little bit more, let's be a little bit more deeper. Brilliant, um, and and so, um, probably the number one thing that shaped me was moving to london, and I always wanted to move to london because of the song london's calling by the clash. That that, to me, was like a um, uh, it was. It was a call to call to action, a call to arms, um, and a lot of the things that I did, a lot of the things you know, my maturity as an individual, um, the things that I like to do, a lot of that is driven by actually being in in the city. I'm, I am really a city person.

Speaker 1

Um, the second thing is very early on I got into the IT industry and that's pretty much shaped everything that I've done in my life in terms of my career. It gave me an opportunity to do a whole bunch of really excellent training. So the leadership training I did when I was at Oracle I use every day today and that really enabled me to do what I wanted to do. I was very lucky in a way. The IT industry was in a place where it needed to basically bring in a whole load of people and I was kind of standing there and they said come on board, because I'm a Thatcher's child, which you are probably as well, and when I left school or when I left university, there wasn't any jobs. Well, there was only one. I had one interview and if I didn't get that interview, then there wasn't. Well, there wasn't going to be anything. Um, luckily I got that interview, um, and that then pulled me into um, into the it industry so that was oracle interview one one chance.

Speaker 1

No, no, that was no way back. I actually worked for a company called stc, standard telephone and cables, which ultimately owned a, the only um uk computer company at the time. It's now fujitsu, who we don't talk about much because of the post office thing. Um, oh, yes. So I I worked for icl. So I went to stc then and went to work for icl, um international computers limited, which was the only uk computer company, and that again gave me a whole load of training.

Speaker 1

You know you, you got pulled into that and immediately they gave you a training course how to give a presentation, which, of course, in nowadays, being able to talk and actually present and have some sort of structure, is something. It's something that you need all the time and I just haven't got that to that point. It also at icl. It was in, it was icl when I I there were these people turning up with these really smart suits on and they had these really great, lovely cars and in those days mobile phones weren't well, nobody had a mobile phone except for these people and they had these big brick phones and I said to someone I said what are those? What do they do? They said they're in sales. What do they do? They said they're in sales. So I thought, quite, quite fancy, having a nice uh company sporty company car and, uh, and you look really smart in a subotan having one of those mobile phones. I think I'm going to try and get into sales, um, and so all of that, all of the things that that that kind of have come out out of it, came about by um, uh, by being in that, seeing those things being in the it industry, ending up in sales, um and um, and therefore the.

Speaker 1

The next thing that um shaped me was really writing my first book back in 2015. Um, and I was still working in in corporates, um, and it that kind of set me on a path that I was going to need to leave, because there was a certain amount of jealousy. Um, and there was a, you know, he sat at his desk and he wrote a book that clearly he hasn't been um, hasn't been doing any work. The fact I did it at the weekend didn't really matter. It was more about the jealousy because, you know, perception is reality, isn't it? And what was the book that you first? So, so, so the first book is my first social selling book, which is the one with the white cover and that came out in 2016. And a lot of that was actually coming across.

Speaker 1

That was what I did was that I decided that I didn't want to be in corporate anymore. I wanted to do something else, but I wasn't sure what it was and I kind of looked at being a tech influencer and stuff like that, and that kind of didn't. You know, I went to the Google Glass if anyone remember those launch and stink, things like that because I was going to be a tech influencer. And then what happened was that I decided to write and this is a piece of advice for people if you, if you're unhappy about where you are, don't write your LinkedIn profile about what you're doing. Write your LinkedIn profile about what you want to be.

Speaker 1

Ah, yes, and and it's a kind of a bit Tony Robbins in terms of you know, if you have an affirmation about what you want and you read it every day, it kind of comes to you and I've written my linkedin profile about what I wanted to do. Um and um, matt reynolds, who's my co-author on my on my first book, sort of came, came across and said came across the internet and said it's, why don't we sit down, let's have a coffee. And then I said why don't we write a book? And he said oh yeah, I know some people at coke and page and all of a sudden I've got a book deal and the whole thing just like gelled together really so it's a collaboration as well.

Speaker 2

It was the one plus one equals three of meeting your co-author, and together you sort of made something that was different to your own initial ideas yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1

so so the the you know matt was the person that had written books before. He was the person that had written books before. He was the person that had relationships at Coke and Page. So all of a sudden we had a book. It was within weeks we had a book deal, so all of these things sort of fell into place.

Speaker 1

But the book changed my life. It isn't so much as that. Well, first and foremost, writing a book is an amazing business card because you can go into a meeting and put the book down and say this is me, this is who I am, and it means that you have an opinion or something. And the other thing about having a book is that it differentiates you from everybody else out there.

Speaker 1

But the thing internally for me, there was two things that I wanted about the book. One was that my dad was dying from dementia and I wanted to better get a position where I actually show him and then say I wrote that your son, who didn't really do much with his life, has actually written a book and we think that we kind of, before the dementia really set in, we actually have. I have a photo with him, with him in my book, and we do think that we, kind of before the dementia really set in, we actually have I have a photo with him with him and my book, and we do think that maybe he actually worked out that I've actually written a book and that was what I wanted to do in terms of getting the book written.

Speaker 2

There's something really rich and profound there about how you know part of the nature of being a man is that you seek validation from your dad.

Speaker 1

From your dad, yes, yes, part of the nature of being a man is that you seek validation from your dad, and from your dad, yes, yeah, yes, um, and and the other thing about it was it writing it was that I then saw myself as a creative yeah up until that point I didn't see myself as a creative person.

Speaker 1

You know I was. I was basically um ridiculed at school in art class when they were telling people who could do art at exam level and they said, yeah, tim hughes, yeah, don't bother, and and and and. I was, and that scene plays out in my mind at um every time. So I saw someone on linkedin recently say oh yeah, we're doing um drawing as part of my, as part of our team meeting. I just sit there and and scream in, in, in, in.

Speaker 2

How scared I am because I'm back in the class in miss now's classroom oh, so you didn't get over it by then, thinking well, look now what I've done.

Embracing Innovation in AI and Travel

Speaker 1

No, no well well, you know, you know, you know always things in the past. Yes, you know, you, you, you do, you, you do kind of get over it. But I can position myself back in in miss now's classroom being ridiculed about the the you know so, anyway. So that, so, so at that point it saw me as a, I saw myself as a creative yeah, which I hadn't done until. I hadn't done until that point, um. And the fourth thing is about a number of those things coming together which is my.

Speaker 1

My main passion, outside of of work is travel.

Speaker 1

I love going to different places and I love seeing different places, seeing different people, seeing different perspectives, um, and I was able to do that travel through work.

Speaker 1

So I had five years where I actually had a Europe, middle East and Africa role where I traveled across, you know, across all kinds of you know, into eastern europe. I went to to moscow, uh, went to the middle east, um, and I've also done that from from holiday perspective. I've been to a lot of companies in the far countries, in the far east and in south america, um, and that really that, that that travel through work and play, is again something that I, um, that I love, yeah, um and um. I think it's something that that you know we should all do, because what we find out is that we're all human, yes, and our horizons are broadened because of yes, and, and so we don't. You know, what we have quite often, certainly within most countries, is this very fixated there's this good and there's this bad, and actually what you find out is everybody is pretty good, yes yes and again, full circle.

Speaker 2

The idea of reintroducing and remembering to remember to be human in all of this is what's so important.

Speaker 1

Yes, remembering, to remember to be human in all of this is what's so important. Yes, and you know, our, our belief is that, even though ai is becoming a dominant force, ultimately what we want as humans is we want human connection. Yeah, we're social. We're social animals and have been since, you know, since we were set up. You know we're always forming committees and, um, you know, since we were set up, you know we're always forming committees and you know, getting together as in groups, that's what we like, yes, I mean, and nothing will take that away from us. So our humanity and being human is still really important, even though we're living in a in a world that is being driven more and more by IT and artificial intelligence.

Speaker 2

And to that end, I'm still holding strong with. It's not chat gpt, it's me and I'm human. So that's the whole point. Yes, even though it will be an incredible tool to further humanity, it's also one that could be playing well I mean.

Speaker 1

What we're seeing is that we're able to do things that we wouldn't have necessarily been able to do without it. So I'll give you an example um for um. So we run a number of podcasts similar to this. So, um, what we did was that we took, uh, the podcast and we put it into some ai, which then generated a, um, a summary, so you can get that standard on on zoom now. Um, and what we then did was that we took that summary and we we put it into chat, gpt and we said, um, write us a, um, a sarcastic in a form of a sarcastic newsreader, no more than 10 minutes, um, and for three months, basically, one of my team did a thing where he did the news where we took months. Basically, one of my team did a thing where he did the news where we took the podcast, that we did it and the newsreader did it in a sarcastic, sarcastic voice. But of course, we. That's something that we couldn't have done.

Speaker 2

Well, we could have sat down and written it as a way of being irreverent to your own content, in other words, being yeah, yeah it's.

Speaker 1

It's. It's something that we could have sat down and written, but what we did, we didn't. And what chat GPT does is allows you to be to have innovation over and above what you would normally do, you know. Ok, so Zoom, whatever allows you to create a summary of the of, of what you're going to be talking about, great, ok, but what could we do with that? Yes, clever, yes, and what can we? What content could we create that that is going to to use that and and and and alex, who did it? He was right in saying I'm going to do it for three months and and I'm going to create some um tiktok videos for three months and then that's it. Um, we're going to stop because the joke isn't funny anymore. And and that, and he did that and that, and he was and and that was the right thing to do, even though he said oh yeah, come on, get the funny newsreader out.

Speaker 2

No, no, it's, it's, it's finished yes, all good things come to an end and it's really profound when you time it right before. In the film world it's called when it jumps the shark, when a story jumps the shark, do you remember that? And story, yes, the happy day story, yes, when fonz was suddenly running over some sharks. That's when happy days jumped the shark, absolutely anyway. So did you find that it generated much more interest, this idea of doing a sarcastic newsletter of your own, podcasting?

Speaker 1

um, I think it. I think it did, it was more quite, quite often I, I think that we've generated a culture of experimentation internally and a culture of let's do something and if it fails it doesn't matter.

Speaker 2

Yes.

Speaker 1

And I'm very pleased that the team kind of happy to do that, and so we're constantly trying to push the boundaries and the barriers. I mean, I always tell people that the two competitors that we had when we set up eight years ago are no longer in business because we are innovated them and and therefore that innovation and staying ahead. You know we have to embrace AI, but we also there is a clear message to say that you know, in sales, ai isn't going to take over it will. It will add something to, to selling, because there's things that we can do. I gave an example then of how we can create content. Yes, but you know this idea that what I'm going to do is I'm going to have an AI and Chris Grimes is going to have an AI and I'm going to sell something to Chris Grimes' AI I mean, it's certainly not going to happen in my lifetime. Yes, and I think most people will say, well, I don't want that.

Speaker 1

Now there are things coming down the track. You know, for example, I have a significant birthday next year and we're going to Easter Island and I did a whole of that building how we're going to do that and choosing the holiday using ChatGPT. I didn't go to a website. Wow. So this idea, this construct that weT I didn't go to a website Wow. So this idea, this construct that we've had that we need to have a website and have had that for the last 20 years is going to die. 20% of people now this figure has just come out from Statistica are now using AI rather than using search, and that's in less than two years.

Speaker 2

Crikey, yes Wow.

Speaker 1

So what we're seeing is that, you know, there's this idea that the way we're going to generate business is that we're going to put stuff out there. Chris is going to go on to Google, he's going to search, google is going to come to that stuff that we've put and is going to go. That looks like a really good thing. Let's go to the website and then we somehow have a conversation with Chris. That's over.

Speaker 1

So that was called Inbound, and Inbound was set up by a company called HubSpot 12 years ago. And if you're doing that, you need an exit plan, because that's not going to happen anymore, because there's no reason to go to a website, and people are already saying that what's going to happen is that we're going to have an app. We're not going to search the internet anymore. We may do, because it kind of like it's kind of kind of fun and it'll become a bit like cassettes and vinyl records and stuff like that, which is there's a nostalgic feeling to it. But what we're going to have is that we're going to have ai agents on our phones, or whatever the phones become, and they'll do all the searching for us.

Speaker 2

So there's no need then to have a website so, with this example, did you not even know you were going to Easter Island for your significant birthday until chat GPT told you you were no, no, I knew, I didn't know, I just went to.

Speaker 1

I went to chat GPT and said um, I have a significant birthday, I want to go to easter island. Can you build me, construct me a two-week holiday? And then it came back and one of the classic things on easter island is that you go horse riding. My partner is allergic to horses, so I had them put in and don't do any horse riding because my partner's and so it said you're going to go mountain biking. So you know you. The great thing about chat gpt is you have a conversation with it and you go backwards and forwards in terms of saying what you want and your clearing.

Speaker 2

Being on a mountain bike as well, that's perfect and your clearing is going to be easy.

Speaker 1

It is absolutely. It's a circle. We come back to the beginning. It's like I planned it boom.

Speaker 2

What a brilliant way to end the first part of the construct. Four things that have shaped you now, three things that inspire you. You're beginning to resonate with that, anyway, because obviously adventing um ai and and you know, pioneering, being on the cutting edge, is what's also inspiring you.

Revolutionizing Sales Through Social Media

Speaker 1

But anyway, let me just ask you that three well, that's interesting because the the thing that I've put down is that the thing, one of the thing that inspires me is the fact that I'm an outsider. I am not part of the um set, the sales influencers that have been around for 20 years, um, in fact, they dislike me because of what I stand for, because I stand for the new. I stand for what is new rather than you know the. You know the. You know, don't forget, um cold calling was. I did cold calling back in the 1980s. So anybody who's who's basically advocating cold calling and we're recording this in 2024. They're advocating 1980 technology, email marketing is a 1990 technology, and again. So if you're talking about we're going to send spam emails, um, to people, then that's 1990.

Speaker 1

So we have all these people that are basically saying I live in a world of mobile phones and and and um, chat, gpt, and what we're going to do to sell you something is we're going to go back 40 years to 1980, and we're going to do it like that. It's like come on, surely you, you know, I totally understand that. If you know, I grew up in the 1980s, I called. I can understand that people want to hold on to that. Yes, but to to, you know, to teach it, to teach it to people. Now. I mean, you know, there was some um research that came out that people under the age of 35 don't answer their phone if you call them. Yes, and it's like, so you're going to teach people under the age of 35, who don't make call, don't make any phone calls, who don't accept phone calls, to go out on, go out there and call people up. I mean, no wonder they can't get anybody, because everyone's saying this is a waste of time and it it is.

Speaker 1

But the thing is is that what inspires me is that what we're doing is that we're doing something which is cutting edge, and for that we are outsiders, we're outliers and we're not mainstream, we're not part of the vested interest to keep things as they were in 1980 and 1990. And that and I don't know, and my father was a again was a bit of a rebel um and um, whereas he found the, the rebellion, difficult because, um, he found change really difficult. I don't, I think it's because of my having grown up in the it industry, where change was, was, was constant, that actually we're always looking for, or my company is always looking for, the next thing that we can talk about, to say this is how things are going to change so, coming back to the band thing, it's london calling the clash as opposed to status quo, which is not keeping the status quo status quo yeah whatever you want, good and good.

Speaker 1

Yeah, rocking all over the world, which is as if you read my notes, actually, chris. So the next thing that inspires me is music and I collect vinyl records and in the room next door to me, I have about 2, collect vinyl records and I, in the room next door to me, I have about 2000 vinyl records and my partner says to me she says it's a good job that we've got concrete floors and it was just something that I you know, ever since you know, I was 10 or 11, you know, when I started collecting them and it's something that I've, I've carried on doing and, interestingly, they suddenly just come back in fashion. Yes, um, so um, and I listen to music every night. Um and um, I've. I've. Actually one of the things when my father died back in 2022, his will, um was that I would inherit all of the musical items that he had. So behind me is one of um, his reel-to-reel table callers. My father was a um, a sound engineer at the BBC.

Speaker 2

I can just see the spools sticking up a bit like Mickey Mouse behind you.

Speaker 1

So if people are listening on radio, you won't be able to hear it, but behind me there's a uh, a reel-to-reel tape recorder.

Speaker 2

That's one of the reel-to-reel tape recorders the other one is is the akai, by any chance? That's a brand I remember, with the spool that's reel-to-reel, is it an akai?

Speaker 1

it's. It's not it's a.

Speaker 2

It's a tech, tech t-e-a. Sorry, I went all geeky on myself and you there, it's a semi-professional.

Speaker 1

If you want to talk tech recorders. The other one is in a museum in Scotland, which is a BTR2, which is the ones that it's not what the Beatles used, but it's the ones that were in Abbey Road when the Beatles first recorded their the first few albums. That's how old it is and it's when I say it weighs a ton, it weighs a ton. And for those also that can see, but those that can't see what I'm doing, also behind me there's a 1913 HMV Grand Monarch 78 record player, uh, with a wooden uh horn, which is which is very rare which was my great-grandfather's wow which is my great-grandfather was one of those people that always bought the latest gadgets, um, he always had to have the like the latest in today's thing.

Speaker 1

He would have had the latest iphone ever, you know. But so he got. He got rid of the edison um uh thing that played the, the coat, the the cylinders, yes, um, and he bought this, which was the state that would have been state of the art, um, uh 78, and it plays. It's perfect. I've had, uh. There's a program on the tv called um repair shop, yes, and on it there's a guy called tim weeks who's the um gramophone man. Um, and he's actually serviced it and I've been to his house and we've played he's, we've played records on it and stuff so that reminds me of the, his master's voice, alton, with the dog barking, the dog nipper.

Speaker 1

Yeah, so his master's voice, the dog nipper, was that. So, just so you know, to provide a little bit of humour, you know the saying put a sock in it. Yes, with that there's no volume control on it. So the only way that you can, that you can only way, that you can, um, uh, do the volume is actually by the size of the needle. You either have a thick. If you're gonna have a thick needle, it's louder and and the idea is, because there's no volume control on it, people put a sock in it and that's how they were able to to to change that. So that's how, where the saying put a sock in it and that's how they were able to to to change that. So that's how whether the saying put a sock in it comes from put a sock in it, would you?

Speaker 2

timothy hughes, I love that. That's fantastic. Thank you for that great influences keep going. Yeah, the third thing that inspires me is the fact that we're changing. I do, yeah, yes um and um.

Speaker 1

That is you know I. I have people that at the beginning of the training and coaching that we do, they'll sit there with their arms folded and they'll go you can't teach me anything, but by the end of it they're usually hugging us saying this is amazing. I didn't know that I could do this, and it's changed exactly everything that I do.

Speaker 2

And it's all about social selling and the dynamic of it.

Speaker 1

So one of the things that we do is it's not just about using how to use social media in a way to sell, it's also about understanding the psychology of people, because none of us like being sold to, but nobody tells you that in sales. So the first thing that all sales people do everybody does to sell is basically try and sell to you, and actually what that does is that in every human it puts up a fight or flight yeah um, and so we go out.

Speaker 1

So we, what we think that social selling is, is going out onto social media and selling and everybody hates it, and then they go. I'm social selling. It doesn't work. No, what you're doing is that you're selling to people.

Speaker 2

You're spamming them again. Yeah.

Speaker 1

Yeah, and you, in effect, you're spamming. So if you go to people and say you know I'm the best, you know what all of us want to do is to sell our stuff, because it pays our mortgage and it puts food on the table, etc. And what you have to understand is that we're not. That's that. What we don't want is for you to come to me and try and sell my stuff. What we actually want is a conversation, and that's fundamentally, fundamentally different. So we're providing people with the key skills of understanding how to have a, a profile that people will actually go, that looks interesting, that describes it, looks interesting. Uh, I've got this problem. I'm going to go and talk to him because I think he can solve it.

Speaker 1

So we've got clients that are doing multi-million dollar deals online um or through online, because people are going. I think that that person can help me and they walk towards them. That's transformational. Yes, you know how to connect to people so you actually can get. You don't pitch to them. You get a conversation. You know, because conversations create sales. And how do you create content that will actually people see you, that builds trust, that people sees you as the expert that you are and ultimately gets um.

Speaker 2

Uh, the conversations that you want and how does that play out for you with with people that do experience? Uh, dla Ignite, this is a hybrid new world order. I'm assuming you're doing some stuff online, but you're doing some stuff in person as well, are you?

Speaker 1

yes, so what? What we do is that we after, because of covid, we moved a lot of it online. Yeah, we can do it face to face, but most of it we now do online. Yeah, um, but what we do is that we do, um, we've built a whole bunch of, we've built a methodology, a process that that people work through, and so there's there's online, there's online training, which we do in cohorts of 10. And what we do with that is that one of our friends is in the Institute of Coaching or something.

Speaker 1

So, for example, whenever you do something online, within 10 minutes, you need to do an exercise. So this isn't where we just basically go PowerPoint slide, powerpoint slide, powerpoint slide. It's interaction, which is, you know, so, the first on the first session within 10 minutes. What we do is we go right, you're going to do your summary title. Yeah, you've got 10 minutes to think of what your summary title is. It's the most visible thing about the internet. Go away and think about it.

Speaker 1

And then what happens is that there is social training, which is chris comes to to it and says well, I've said this, you go, yeah, I never thought about that, because we always get someone coming along saying it's digital transformation, you go. So at the weekend, do you think about digital transformation? They go no, of course I don't. Yes, if I come to you on LinkedIn and say I'm passionate about digital transformation, you know what's going to happen. The next thing you're going to do is pitch to me. You're going to try and sell me something. Yes, which is what you want. You will get a chance to pitch, and that's what we teach people First and foremost. If you have a conversation with somebody, at some point, someone's going to say so what do you do, chris?

Speaker 2

Yeah.

Speaker 1

At that point you've got that ability to pitch. But if you're going in there and basically trying to pitch from from, it doesn't work. People will push you away. So so that that's my changing people's lives. So the better is also one of the things that inspires me.

Speaker 2

You're also inveterately helpful, if I may say as as well. I'm not just blowing a happy for the sake of blowing happy smoke at you. The number of times we've had conversations you've been, you've invariably helped me, even this morning. You've done an eight kilometer run this morning. Then you look very fresh-faced as you help me a half-past eight, trying to sort of tame the beast of restream, which I still haven't done.

Speaker 1

But anyway, it's, it's, it's. So. One of my I, I, um, after, after my father died in 22, at the funeral, it it was. There was an. It was an eye opener for me, which was that, um, I knew that he'd help people, but I haven't realized how much he'd help people, and so, you know, I so, when, when I went up to people and shook hands and people would basically go hold my hand and say, if it wasn't for your dad, I wouldn't be where I am today, it was like, and it was a bit like the mafia, with all these people coming up to me, saying, if it wasn't for your dad, and like, and I and I walked out of the funeral. I'm thinking, well, one of the words was hell, I didn't know this because he, he wasn't, he didn't go, he didn't come home and say, oh yeah, I'd help so-and-so. Today he would just do it and he would do it, and he was.

Speaker 1

You know, for example, I did the eulogy at the, at the funeral, and I picked up a couple of things. One was the fact that he supported people from a diversity perspective. Now, remember, this is 40 years ago, so he had a number of friends who decided that they weren't men. They wanted to be women and they went through the, the process, and what happened at the, the bbc, was that they tried to get rid of them, or what they did was that they sent them to Cardiff, which was the, the, the um, what wasn't really very um wasn't a great place.

Speaker 2

The equivalent of sending to Coventry. Yeah, yeah, yes.

Speaker 1

Yes and um, and, and that in a number of cases 40 years ago, said if I'm, I'm going with nowhere to go, yes and and. So this is this and so. So, for example, the guy that did the sound for noel's house party and mr blobby which you is think will be funny, but for him that was the height of his career because he was doing the sound for a program that was probably the most watched TV program on the BBC at the time this is your dad. He was mentored by my dad. Sorry, yes, he was mentored by my dad. And he wrote to us and said if it hadn't been for your dad, I wouldn't have worked with Mr Blobby and Noel's house party, which I know that you think would be, but for him that was the peak of his career.

Speaker 1

And so one of the things going back to me, one of the things that I it's like, so what you've got to do is you've got to help people. So one of my, one of my purposes it wasn't until my dad died that I realized I needed to work out what my purpose was, and one of the my purposes is to help people, and and so if I have some knowledge so, chris, you're never going to buy anything for me. So so, um, it's not not like I I need to try and sell you something, but what I can do is I can help you, and when you and when I help you, you'll say tim hughes is a really good person. Because this isn't about what you think about tim hughes in the is in the room. It's what you think about tim hughes when I leave the room.

Speaker 1

Of course, yes, and this is about I think Tim Hughes is a really, really good person. Now, I'm not doing it because because of you know, for me it's a this you know, I saw the way that my dad had helped people and I went that that's actually the right thing to do, and so so one of my purposes I have three purposes one of my purposes is to help people. So when you said, can you come on and and.30 in the morning and help me with Restream, I go yeah, of course.

Speaker 2

Lovely answer. And yes, and relatively, because when I talk about personal impact, it's the afterburn of you. You know, when you've left the room what do people think, and that can be a long tail and very relatable, you know. As you know, my own dad died in the last month and I too was similarly moved with his long tail and his afterburn in how people were coming up to me.

Speaker 1

I knew it anyway, but uh, yes, very, you see, I didn't know it you know, you know, I, I didn't, I, until until I, until until those people, I mean, I knew. So, I mean I, I, I, the eulogy that I, I, I, I, I read out basically just, it just appeared in my head one day and I just read it down Um, I didn't actually give it any thoughts. It was one of those strange where did that come from? Anyway? And I read it out and there were people who were um, because you, you now have a zoom link, as well as the people attending the thing in person. And my mom said that there was a number of people on the zoom link. She knew they were, because they're now janice, they're not peter or whatever um, and she said they were on the on the thing and um, and, and she, you know, and, and you know he was supporting people through who, who decided that they, you know he was supporting diversity 40 years ago. I mean, yeah, how, how amazing is that?

Speaker 2

It is amazing, absolutely so. Now I believe we're on to the squirrels. Borrow from the film up. What are the two things that never failed to grab your attention? Squirrels, irrespective of anything else that's going on for you.

Speaker 1

Well, there's one of the things because of the that, these things, that there's a, there's a. Um, because I'm an outsider, I'm always interested in other people that are looking to change the world. So my partner and I, we live in Teddington and in Twickenham there is a grotto which Alexander Pope to have alexander pope is the second most quoted person after shakespeare um and uh, you have to get to it through a private school. It's now all the house and everything.

Speaker 1

That was a shell grotto because, yes, it's underground and he used to sit in it and look out over the River Thames, and when we were in there we were in this private school it pointed out that there was a Peter Jones. So Peter Jones, for those that don't know, is one of the the dragons on the Dragon's Den, and as if anybody from Mark, if anybody from America listening. So we call it Dragon's Den, they call it Shark Tank, so think Mark Cuban from a US perspective. But Peter Jones, he has set up a foundation to train young people on how to be entrepreneurs and they help them have a set up a business, um, um, what, how that would work, and how that wouldn't work. And and that's just an example of it always fascinates me when, when that happens.

Speaker 1

So, peter. So I got the peter jones foundation onto one of one of my podcasts, because it quite often we talk about so what, what are the kids going to do today? And actually they gave an example where the managing director gave an example where he took his son go-karting and on the helmet of the go-kart there's a camera and what you can do when you get home is you pay some money and you can download the film and you can then do with it what you want. That was one of the people that they taught how to set a business. Now peter jones has no commercial interest in these businesses at all, so even that, so that that um film thing on the is now worth like wow, like a gopro, but for for that.

Speaker 1

Yes, yes to go on the front of the, the helmet that you wear on the go-karting that's now worth. That's a 10 million business. Now that isn't a. Peter Jones has no commercial interest in that. What they do is that they get a £5,000 prize and it's here's £5,000, go and do with it. He doesn't take a shareholding or anything like that.

Speaker 1

Yes holding or anything like that. Yes, um and um, it just it. That's just an example of where some people that are are being um are doing all you know. They're a little bit out there but they're doing something, but they're doing something to change the world, and it's true philanthropy, utterly altruistic.

Speaker 1

Yes, yeah, yeah and it's, you know, it's. It's uh, give a man a fish, feed it, feed him for the day, teach a man to fish that they can feed themselves for the rest of their life. And that's what he's doing. He's actually saying you know, these are the things that you need to think about. Come up with an original idea. Maybe it's about your passion, and we got them on onto our podcast. It's so fascinating about how somebody is is using their, their position of influence to also help people as well, and I find that fascinating as well yes, there is a comic spin on that joke which is teach a man to fish and you can go and burgle his house at weekends.

Speaker 1

I love that example any other squirrel, because you've had that wonderful one about true philanthropy and altruism oh yeah, the other thing is is is is the world of arts and I think this is just a spin off of the music the fact that I live in London and you know we are constantly going to, you know we're members of the Royal Academy, we are we're constantly going to art exhibitions. We're constantly using London as a as a base to visit things. So, for example, in London for the whole of this month there's something called Open House, which are where buildings that are not normally open to the public are open. So, for example, yesterday we went to a Hindu temple it's known as an Eastern temple and we went there and we went to see what it was like, went around the outside and inside and had some food there and stuff like that, and and we're constantly looking for things in london that that are associated with with the arts or something just like the open house lovely, wonderful squirrels, and now a quirky.

Speaker 2

You're welcome. And now a quirky unusual fact about you, tim hughes.

Speaker 1

We couldn't possibly know about you until you tell us is the end of the five, four, three, two, one yes, so I didn't go into too much detail when I was talking about the the 78 because I didn't want to spoil this um, but I have over 478 um in a cabinet just here. This cabinet there's a wooden cabinet for those that are listening. In that my grandfather made it's in my office. In it has all of the 78s that my great-grandfather, my grandfather and my father collected. There's about 400 and they're very musical, which would have been the pop music of the day or if wilton's music hall are listening to you.

Speaker 2

They'll be coming around your house and hopefully teaching you to fish. They can burgle your house at the weekend.

Speaker 1

So yes, so um. So I've got people, like you know, gracie fields, which is the equivalent of um, um, which is the equivalent of, like madonna Dua Lipa, in the day. So one of the favourites that my dad played to us I know this off by heart is a song called Winter Draws On, which is a lovely play on words because it's obviously about winter coming. Um because um, because it's obviously it's about winter coming, but also the word draws in. In the uk, um is also a another word for knickers. So so she, by by having a song, winter draws on and this would have been in the 1930s, genius that that would have been like um, the sex pistols, yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, in terms of, you know you wouldn't have been like the Sex Pistols.

Speaker 2

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1

You know, in terms of you know, you wouldn't have been able to allow to. And that play on words. There's another one, which is Don't Stop my Heart for a Pint of Beer, which is which, again, it's Say that again Don't Stop my Heart for a Pint of Beer.

Speaker 2

Yeah, don't Stop my Heart for a.

Speaker 1

Pint of Beer. Yeah, I know these songs off my heart, but they were the musical songs of the day, Again, similar to the pop music the Dua Lipas, the Madonnas and that.

Speaker 2

Do you have any sort of you know vaudevillian stuff? Do you have any sort of Stan Laurel-related material?

Speaker 1

Because Laurel and Hardy are my all-time comic heroes, particularly Stan Laurell I wonder if you've got a 78 of the laurel and hardy theme tune. Um, I don't think I have. Um, yeah, I I'm not. I'm not sure I have and and there's no and there's no, but there's there's. There's no elvis either because Cause a lot of Elvis, when it was first came out, was on 78 or it was on 78 and on 45 single, and because my, um, uh, my family have always been big classical music. Um, people, they always saw Elvis as the Elvis didn't fit with that, whereas musical was more of a bit of. You know, for example, I've got from my father, um a box set of all the goons shows, wow, um and um, you know, they were sort of like goonzy. You know, monty python, um, you know, sort of that sort of cambridge footlights type, yes, uh, rather than um lauren hardy, which was generally seen as american yes, and wind forward.

Leveraging Social Media for Purpose

Speaker 2

My equivalent is monty python and michael palin is my all-time living comic hero. Um, beautiful that you're quirky. Unusual fact is your cabinet complete, replete with 400 original 78s. That's gorgeous. And thank you for the winter drawers on. I love that. And now we've shaken your tree, hurrah. So now we stay in the clearing, which is on your bike, and in the running skate, but we decided it's on your bike where you're going to be going to East Island to ride to, because your wife is allergic to horses. And now we're talking about alchemy and gold, so we're still in the clearing. When you're at purpose and in flow, tim hughes, what are you absolutely happiest doing in what you're here to reveal to the world?

Speaker 1

well, it I've kind of mentioned it earlier on which is that this, this thing about changing people's lives, um, and, and I'm most happiest, you know, I decided to build my to, to, to change my career to help people on social media and to change the world with social media, and that's what we're doing and I and I am I'm never bored of it. It's it's my hobby, it's my, it's my purpose. You know all of these things.

Speaker 2

So I'm actually my job, is my purpose and my hobby and you think about it at weekends too, rather than being arm and digital transformation.

Speaker 1

Yeah, yeah, yeah, and I do actually do stuff at the weekend, because actually it's it's what I want to do, um, and so we're recording this on a monday. So, monday, I always do a video on monday, just a two minute uh video. Um, I'm before I came on here. I've basically done the video, I've transcribed it. So when I finish this, I'm going to upload it. But I never see this as a chore. I always see this, as you know. This is, this is what I'm going to do and, as far as I'm concerned, at the moment, I'm just going to carry on doing this. This is a journey, it's not a destination. Um, and, and I do, and I and I know I must get into some sort of flow because, um, my partner will suddenly shout out I'll get it, and I don't know what she's talking about, what she means she's going to get, she's getting the front door, and I won't have heard the front door or anything.

Speaker 2

I will just be so focused in, on, on, on, on what it is I need to do I love that life path, of that, that mantra you just said it's not a, it's not a destination, sorry, it's not a journey. What was it?

Speaker 1

it's not a destination, it's a journey yeah, this is a journey, it's not a destination. I originally thought that we we, when we set the company up, we thought that we'd probably get into two years and then someone would buy us um and and, um, and, and that's not happened. Um, and that's partly because we thought within 18 months of setting this up, everybody would work out the importance of using social media and everybody would be on it. And here we are, eight years later and still people don't get it and when you say the we, what is the collective?

Speaker 2

the sort of awesome, the we, the way it's okay the week.

Speaker 1

So so the we is my business partner, adam gray. So adam gray, adam Gray and I own DLA Ignite and we set the company up eight years ago, and so when I say we, it's Adam and myself Wonderful.

Speaker 2

OK, so now I'm going to award you with a cake, hurrah, so you get to put a cherry on the cake now. First of all, do you like cake, tim Hughes?

Speaker 1

I do and I don't. I had a job in a pub, tim Hughes, I, I do and I don't. I had a job in a pub. My first job was in a pub and if you work Sunday lunch you could basically have you'd have a beef meal and then you could help yourself to the um, um, the, the, the cake trolley, so I'm the entire cake trolley. So I'm 14 or 15 and they say you can have as much cake as you like. So I used to get a bowl with you know, like Black Forest Gato, and fill it up with cream and eat all that and then go and get the strawberry cheese, you know, cheesecake, and so it kind of. It was one of those things where you like what you're working in. If you ask somebody in a sweet shop, a sweet shop, do you like sweets? And they say, well, I've.

Speaker 2

You're living in vocation of the law of diminishing returns. You've had too much.

Speaker 1

Yes, yes, but I do like flapjacks. If I go anywhere, it will be a flapjack.

Speaker 2

So when I meet you in person, which I sincerely hope I will, I will bring you a flapjack Hurrah, thank you. We meet you in person, which I sincerely hope I will, I will bring you a flapjack hurrah, thank you. We're going to put a cherry on your flapjack now, if you'll pardon that particular expression. And this is now, um, what's? A favorite inspirational quote that's always given you sucker and pulled you towards your future tim uh, so that would be, uh, a mahatma gandhi quote.

Speaker 1

uh, and that quote is first first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win, and that's the story of my life. And just say it again First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

Speaker 2

What's the best piece?

Speaker 1

of advice you've ever been given, tim hughes, okay, um, there is a saying that you should never suffer fools gladly. And I was given a piece of advice from a managing director which is you should always suffer fools gladly. And I said what do you mean by that? He said that you'll be sitting in a meeting and someone will say something which everyone will think is and I'm doing inverted commas with my fingers is stupid. And he said I'll stop the meeting and I'll always say to the person what do you mean by that? Because he said you have to listen to, you have to get away from the group think and the um and the fact that you're in a meeting and everyone will just agree with you. You've got to find people in your organization that will either challenge you or come up with ideas that that nobody is is thinking about. Yes, so it's so important that you do suffer falls gladly and find out you know they're saying something in a particular way why.

Speaker 2

And I love that. Tell me what you mean by that is supportive and collaborative rather than challenging.

Speaker 1

Yes.

Speaker 2

Yes.

Speaker 1

Yeah, and trying to trying to, because I'm trying to pull it out of somebody. You know, I've got somebody who's been with this with for four years now. It's not too bad, but when he first started, what happened is that you you he's an introvert um, so what had happened is you go into a meeting and all the extroverts basically talk to each other and the introverts basically sit back and just listen because they're not used to so, and then what happens is that there's a problem. So the introverts basically get together, they talk, they come up with a solution and they go isn't it brilliant? And then walk out the meeting and then the introverts can actually say, well, actually it's a crap solution, because actually, if you did this it'd be far better. But they were never given a chance to speak. So it's so important in a meeting that what you do is you and this particular individual would just sit there and I'd have to say rob, what do you think? And rob would say that's interesting, but have you thought about this? And we all go.

Speaker 2

No, we haven't thought about that which full circle comes to your whole usp of being an outlier, and how good that is, because it's that super objective lens in the same way that I use being a slight maverick in that way too yes, and but it's about making sure that you're you're as a leader, you have to make sure that everybody's involved.

Speaker 1

Yes, a part of that is and you and this is you know you have to do this, even on on zoom calls is make sure we always have the, the cameras on, um, and making sure that everybody is is part of that and that.

Speaker 1

And actually having so Rob, what do you think? Because, being an introvert, he won't interject. He does it now because he feels safe. But when you know, for two years, I would always have I'd let all the extroverts basically chatter away to themselves, talking rubbish and coming up with nothing. And then you go to Rob and say, well, what do you think? And Rob would always come up with a solution. But you have to kind of go through that because other, because, because you, you still have to go through that process of of making sure that everybody's party to this, to to the answer, rather than just rob coming and saying, well, this is what the answer is, yeah, um, you know everybody has to talk and then say, you go to rob, and then, and then you'll get people challenging rob and rob would say, yeah, well, what about this?

Speaker 1

and rob is your business partner no, rob is one of the people who work for me. I'm with you, yeah. Yeah, adam, who, who is my business partner, is a classic extrovert, um, you know, he'll chat away, um, and and they'll, the extroverts just basically um, agree amongst themselves and come up with something, and then, as I say, we I asked rob and rob will go all about this, and, and rob, usually the solution is what rob comes up with and you may not have interpreted it this way, but coming full, full circle, this gets back to your father and his desire, richly and seismically, to be inclusive yes, yeah, and, and you know we have to be.

Speaker 1

You know that there is, there is. There is so much truth in, in, in the richness of decision and innovation through diverse um, views and opinions, and I see every single day at work, because we all have a different view on on life, we all have different experiences, um and and and and those different views and things and our thought processes, and it's so important to allow every everybody to have a voice, regardless of where they're from next question what's the um with the gift of hindsight?

Speaker 2

uh, what notes, help or advice might you proffer to a younger version of tim hughes?

Speaker 1

um, I, I think really I'm, I'm an introvert as well and I think you know I I had, um, I had real problems when I was, you know I was, I was a real shy child, um, and and I I found it really difficult, you know, meeting new people. I still do um, but you know, I kind of kick myself up the backside and whenever I do that it's kind of what I have to do now. But my advice to the younger child would be to not worry about that. My mum still can't believe that I will stand up in front of 250 people and do a talk. She said you would never have done that when you were a child.

Speaker 2

No, I run away. We're ramping up to shakespeare very shortly to talk about legacy, but just before we get there, this is the pass the golden baton moment, please. So now you've experienced this from within. Who do you most like? Who would you most like to pass the golden baton along to, to keep the golden thread of the storytelling going?

Speaker 1

um, so. So I would like to pass it on to um, uh, antonia wade, who um wrote the, the book transforming the b2b buyer maximize brand value, improve conversation rates and board loyalty. Um, she's the cmo of price waterhouse goopers or PwC, and I think that she would be a great person to come on here. I think that she's got a great story to tell, it's a great book, and I think that she'd be ideal for this.

Speaker 2

Wonderful. Thank you for the great gift of that. That's wonderful. I work for PwC quite a lot actually. That could be. That's wonderful. Okay, so now Shakespeare, inspired by all the world's satire and all the women milly players. When all is said and done, timothy Tim Hughes, who would you most sorry? How would you most like? Not, who would you like to? How would you most like to be remembered?

Speaker 1

Well, legacy is actually one of my purposes, and so the books, the podcast I do, or the podcasts I do, and changing the world with or changing the world of sales and marketing is what I want to be remembered for and now, where can we find out all about you and DLA Ignite and everything that you're up to, because you're also a prolific podcaster?

Speaker 2

obviously we co-present on not so we don't co-present, but we have the influence radio network in common. Where can we find out all about you on the internet?

Speaker 1

the. The best place to is to find me on linkedin. So I'm timothy tim hughes on should have played quidditch, should have played, and my and my summary title is should have played quidditch for england, so you should be able to find me if you google me. If you put in tim hughes and social selling on on google, you'll find me. I'm timothy underscore hughes on x?

Speaker 2

um and our um website is dlaignitecom and all views are your mother's, which is wonderful yes, yes as this has been your moment in the sunshine in the good, listening to show stories of distinction and genius here for a special brand strand founder story episode. Is there anything else you'd like to say, tim Hughes?

Speaker 1

Yes, my book Social Selling Techniques to Influence Buyers and Changemakers, the one with the yellow cover, which is the second edition, is available on Amazon worldwide Boom.

Unveiling the Good Listening to Show

Speaker 2

So thank you very much indeed for watching on LinkedIn, if you have been too. The website for this show is thegoodlisteningtoshowcom as well. There are seven different series strands about how you, too can get involved. It's been an absolute joy, delight and privilege to talk today to Tim Timothy Hughes from DLA Ignite. Anything else you'd?

Speaker 1

like to say at this point no, thank you for having me, Chris, and thank you for a great conversation.

Speaker 2

Good night. You've been listening to the Good Listening To Show with me, chris Grimes. If you'd like to be in the show too, or indeed gift an episode to capture the story of someone else with me as your host, then you can find out how care of the series strands at the goodlisteningtoshowcom website, and one of the series strands is called Good Books. If you've written a good book and you'd like more people to know about it, then a large audience awaits you in the clearing as you tell us all about it. You also get to put your good book on a metaphorical plinth within the clearing plus read an extract from it too, and then, very importantly, we find out exactly where we can come and find your good book to buy it from. You tune in next week for more stories from the clearing, and don't forget to subscribe and review wherever you get your podcasts so so chris sends you a video before you come on, which is for you to do the prep.

Speaker 1

so so, okay, and I play and I did it, and I did it and then I shut, basically played it to my partner. I I said you need to listen to this. I said this is I've never seen a podcast like this and I played it. So she said I've never heard of a podcast that goes into such detail. She said it's very, very radio for us. That's exactly the same feedback I gave Chris and Chris, this is a great podcast and a great format. And Chris, this is a great podcast and a great format and and I and I and and respect for you for basically coming up with it and and running with it, I think it's fantastic, it's it's awesome thank you so sorry.

Speaker 2

I'm quite moved by that. Thank you so much, tim. That's that's really generous of you, and also in all the connections I've had with you. Thank you so much. You were so kind to me about a week ago when I spoke to you and we we had a sort of um you know, I call it. A very good friend of mine said welcome to the dead dad's club and and I'm I should meet it. It was an extraordinary. I had a really lovely conversation of extra depth then with you too. I would sincerely like to meet.