Rich Mulholland: Killer Presentations

Richard Mulholland is a speaker, author, entrepreneur, and blogger, who kicked off his career as a rock n roll roadie. Today on the EO Podcast, Rich reveals his thoughts on higher education, his definition of “purpose,” and how an embarrassing moment with a flight attendant inspired him to reframe his elevator speech. Tune-in to learn how Rich powerfully and successfully speaks to top corporations, how he prepares, and how he combats nervousness on stage.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

00:50 – Introduction 01:00 – Rich was a roadie for bands like Iron Maiden and Def Leppard, started South Africa’s largest presentation firm, Missing Link, co-founded 21 Tanks, SA’s first perspective lab, and started a digital agency called Firing Squad 01:55 – Rich wrote “Legacide” with the theme of innovation, is a blogger and speaker, and has been featured in various publication 02:32 – The introduction before he enters the stage ends with “...and he has a tattoo of your mum on his left bum cheek” 03:35 – What’s with Iron Maiden in Europe 04:00 – Iron Maiden was in Frankfort in 2017 and they were still popular; Europe is not as spoiled and they are fathers of metal music 05:08 – Rock stars are often very intellectual 05:30 – The rock n’ roll phase of Rich’s life: A happy accident 05:33 – Depeche Mode was going to South Africa, his father had contacts and got him a job in the crew doing lighting 06:11 – He paid truck drivers to go to different gigs and started selling merchandise, too; he was offered a full-time job to go on tour with bands for 2 years 07:08 – He never considered higher education, he always knew he wanted to start a business; he’ll send his kids to university if they know what they want to do 08:20 – They are working on starting a business called the Freshmen Foundation which places kids in 10 business for 10 months so they can determine what they really like 09:02 – Rich feels higher education is good for relationships; his clients all seem to land in a job after school that wasn’t what they ultimately wanted 09:45 – When you invest years and money, you get emotionally locked in to the investment 10:50 – Rich’s filter and self-control (or lack thereof?) 10:54 – He has full control; he tries to remove people from their comfort zone 11:45 – The purpose of a presentation is to change people 12:04 – The job is to drop the theme; a standing ovation feels good but doesn’t mean the job is done 13:01 – There’s a reason why people are investing time in you; act accordingly and act with purpose and intention 13:28 – Even as a CEO of a company, speak with purpose 13:50 – How do you measure your success as a speaker? 14:02 – When people want to engage after a talk; they either approach Rich, email, or, even better, email a few months later with an update because of what he said 15:20 – He tries to open and close with something fun, but the middle is the actual message 15:40 – Rich doesn’t believe he has a purpose, he believes that all purpose is what he crates for himself 16:00 – He has the ability to drive change and opinion in people 16:30 – Keys to successfully influencing people 16:40 – Buy their attention with your opening by giving them a reason to care and believe, a credibility statement, and telling them what they need to know and do 17:29 – How to get someone to care: Create a way to sell the accident (ambulance example) 19:00 – “Don’t sell the ambulance, sell the accident” 20: 00 – How to create a great elevator pitch 20:29 – Story about how Rich decided how to format what he does 21:25 – “You know how when you (blank)? Well, what I do is (blank).” 22:13 – Fill the gas tank; make it about their problem, not your solution 22:45 – Subscribe to Rich’s email list for tips and techniques by visiting com 23:03 – The difference between an elevator speech and a sales pitch: In sales the goal is to get the audience asking questions 23:15 – When you’re talking you’re selling, when they’re asking they’re buying: the 2/3 rule to leave time for questions and provide your best content 24:00 – Stop selling earlier 24:10 – The difference between a sales pitch and an investment pitch 24:17 – Shorter “care, believe, know, do” 25:00 – How Rich convinces his family members 25:20 – He still uses the core principle of addressing the problem before proposing a solution 26:00 – You have to create the itch first then the scratch is a given 26:50 – His son doesn’t like being told what to do, he wants to know why so he can rationalize it 27:50 – Rich’s son asked why he was learning about checkbooks in school: The school doesn’t give him a reason to care first, they just give the knowledge 28:28 – The care isn’t simply to get to the next grade 29:20 – Timing in presentations: Speaking first or last at a conference makes the job different 30:10 – Primacy vs recency: If you are pitching and they have to decide in a short time, you want to go later (recency effect), if they have time to decide, go sooner 31:20 – Make the timing work in your favor 31:45 – Presenting to 1,000 vs presenting to 15 31:56 – It’s more difficult to present to 15; 1,000 people are more of a controlled entity 32:30 – You can stare in general directions when you speak to 1,000; with 15 you are speaking to individuals and it is much more unforgiving 33:10 – You can often make more impact with a smaller group; prepare well, don’t be nervous 35:08 – Handling nerves: You are supposed to feel nervous, it means that you care 35:40 – The key is to be prepared enough so that your nervousness melts away with confidents 37:12 – Tips to ease nerves 37:25 – Do not over-rehearse but do talks as often as you can 38:15 – The more often you talk, the less nervous you’ll get for bigger talks 39:20 – How to tell a good story 39:33 – Understand why you are telling the story; putting a pill in peanut butter so a dog will take it analogy 40:36 – Use a story that is relatable and entertaining 41:02 – Flaw: Using a film format 41:23 – Why his family moved from Scotland to South Africa: His grandmother passed away in South Africa and his father got a job while he visited and his parents were in a tough place 42:05 – His parents wanted a fresh start and are now on their 50th anniversary 42:50 – His parents are an inspiration; Rich is divorced and happily remarried 43:50 – When Rich found his personality 44:20 – When he was young he wanted to be an actor; he looked up to Michael J. Fox 45:04 – He always wanted to be a salesman and was always selling 45:35 – Rich’s tattoos: He got involved in punk rock and loved the ethic except the idea that you had to be a financial failure 46:35 – He started a blog called “Capitalist Punk” where he formed that he could be different and successful 46:55 – This formation germinated in his early 20s 47:26 – com 48:00 – Rich went to a forum where a video was shown instead a man presenting himself 48:23 – He’s writing a book with Howard Mann, the author of “Your Business Brickyard” where the premise is that businesses are 90% the same 48:50 – They created a platform with pre-made presentations to turn managers into leaders 50:11 – It is a subscription model 50:35 – Boxers or Briefs Video or text? Video Movie or book? Book Kindle or paper? Kindle Def Leppard or Iron Maiden? Iron Maiden Harley or Ducati? Neither, Triumph Vespa or bicycle with a motor? Vespa Dog or cat? Dog Khakis or jeans? Jeans Tesla or Porche? Tesla Pickup or Prius? Pickup Country or city? ‘burbs 52:23 – How to reach Rich: Facebook, Twitter, email, google

Key Points:

When you speak, there’s a reason why people are investing time in you; act accordingly and with purpose and intention. Don’t sell the ambulance, sell the accident; make it about their problem, not your solution. When you’re talking you’re selling, when they’re asking they’re buying.

Resources Mentioned:

Entrepreneur's Organization – The EO Network Rich’s Book - Legacide Rich’s business - Leadrspeak Howard Mann’s Book – Your Business Brickyard Contact information - Facebook, Twitter, email, google