Benjamin Loh, CSP

Professional Speakers Australia - PSA

Conferred by the National Speakers Association, the CSP is the speaking profession’s international measure of professional platform competence by which speakers become a Certified Speaking Professional.

About 12 percent of the 5,000 + speakers worldwide, who belong to the 13 member associations of the Global Speakers Federation, currently hold this professional designation.

The Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation is earned through demonstrating competence in professional standards: Platform skills, Business management, Education and Association

Information provided by the National Speakers Association based in the United States of America. The Professional Speakers Association of Australia also grants Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) status with similar (but different) standards of its American counterpart.

Statistics are estimated as of July 2017

Certified Speaking Professional (CSP®)

Flare Communications Coaching Pte Ltd.

Flare Communications Coaching Pte Ltd (201416605R) is a boutique executive coaching outfit dedicated to uplift the communications standards in Asia and help our clients deliver more impact and derive more returns from their communications.

We believe in business-backed outcomes and authenticity, not just plainly "informing" or "entertaining" your audiences. As a Public Speaking Coach, if you're delivering presentations and speeches but not getting the kind of sales results or conversions you want, we will work with you to increase the ROI of these engagements and have prospects convert to paying clients through a proven and tested system of presenting.

Clientele includes executives, directors and C-level executives from leading organizations like AIA, MOE, IBM, DHL, ERA, Barclays Capital, Deloitte Consulting US, Ernst & Young, NTUC, Franklin Templeton Investments, USAID, Lend Lease Group, Walton International Group and Le Xin Group.

We run tailored and customized public speaking programs for your key executives so they can maximize the returns from every speaking opportunity that falls into your pipeline.

Managing Director, Lead Public Speaking Coach

NewCampus

Host for Class - Pitch Your Way To The Top

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NewCampus is making learning a lifestyle through community and convenience.
We believe that lifelong learning, genuine human connections, enriching experiences and a broad view of the world is key to thriving in the new world today.

NewCampus Class Host (APAC)

The Huffington Post

Accepted and invited onboard as a Contributor on The Huffington Post platform. Articles center around career development, Millennials, young professionals, public speaking & presentation skills.

Huffington Post Contributor

Startupbootcamp FinTech

Onboarded as a Mentor (Pitch Coach) for Startup Bootcamp Fintech in 2017. Previously served as the Pitch Coach for the inaugural class in 2015.

Mentor

Served as the inaugural Pitch Coach to 11 early-mid stage financial technology (Fin Tech) start-up founders of Startupbootcamp FinTech class in Singapore who were seeking funding in quantum range of $250M to $1.2M USD. My job was to ensure clarity and impact of the investment and business pitches for the founders as they prepare for their Demo Day in July 2015 to over 500 industry practitioners, venture capitalists, investors and government officials. This class of founders comprised former bankers (from GS, CS, BoA) with over 10-15 years of banking experience, consultants, traders and financial professionals.

For more information about Startupbootcamp, Europe's leading accelerator program for startups, visit http://www.startupbootcamp.org/.

Official Pitch Coach

Speaker's Flare Training & Consultancy

Speaker's Flare Training & Consultancy (UEN: 53193779L) was founded in June 2011 with the vision of empowering individuals to shine brilliantly on stage by being their truest selves. As Public Speaking Coaches, We work with clients who desire to thrive on stage; increasing sales, raising investment funding and delivering solid effective pitches are what we specialize in.

Till date, we've worked with over 50 clients individually through executive coaching and trained over 1,500 clients in workshop setting. we've been fortunate and thankful to work with individuals from leading corporations including AIA, MOE, IBM, DHL, ERA, Barclays Capital, Deloitte Consulting US, Ernst & Young, NTUC, Franklin Templeton Investments, USAID, Lend Lease Group, Walton International Group and Le Xin Group.

Through our customized public speaking and presentation skills training program, we have empowered our clients to reap immense returns from their speaking engagements.

Founder, Principal Trainer, Lead Public Speaking Coach

Seedly

Seedly Personal Finance Festival 2021 is Singapore's biggest personal finance festival ran digitally for 2021 and has garnered over 5,000 paying #millennial attendees. It also involves over 50 speakers from ARK Invest, 99.co, The Woke Salaryman, Franklin Templeton, Providend, DollarsAndSense, StashAway, EndowUs, Syfe and many more!

Our role as the 'Official Learning Partner' involves preparing the 2 founders of Seedly Singapore to deliver their keynote speeches, 8 moderators, 2 workshop speakers and 2 event emcees to take the stage with effectiveness and authenticity as their Public Speaking & Presenting Coach.

Official Learning Partner (Seedly Personal Finance Festival 2021) 

China-ASEAN New Smart City Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition (ASEAN Division)

One Pitch. Breaking Borders

This groundbreaking China-ASEAN New Smart City Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition is back for the 3rd year in 2020! We’re calling for the best ASEAN innovation startups who are seeking opportunities to break beyond their borders.

This is your opportunity to pitch your way into China!

The world is facing a different kind of normal and borders have shut indefinitely. As a result, this competition aims to provide a different kind of Value to startups.

Other than attractive prize monies to be won, we also strive to offer the best smart city Startups access to highly strategic networks, turn ideas into sought-after solutions, and opportunities to break into new markets!

This competition is hosted by the Nanning Municipal D&R Commission and the Nanning Foreign Affairs Office, and organised by CloudBae Big Data Industry Development Co. Ltd.

The ASEAN Division is organised by The 2B Compass Pte Ltd, and co-organised by *SCAPE Co. Ltd and Singapore University of Social Sciences.

Like and Follow us on our Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/chinaaseancomp

Head of Mentoring Growth

Singapore Management University

Appointed as a Career Consultant for undergraduates at the Dato' Kho Hui Meng Career Centre. Specialist in communication skills and mentoring undergraduates to speak and present powerfully during key moments like interviews, career assessment centres and pitch competitions.

Career Consultant with Dato'​ Kho Hui Meng Career Centre

Thousand Network Asia (Singapore)

Thousand Network is a global community of young people who live on the edge. We cook up molecular gastronomy, perform pop sonatas, build social empires, and craft radical policy. Scattered across 40 cities on 5 continents, we are bound by our curiosity and creativity. The world is our lab, and we were born to discover what’s possible. Altruism is our currency, and we prosper by aiding each other’s growth. Collectively we can do more with our time on (and off) this planet.

Local affiliated hubs around the world select exceptional young people under 30 as members, and empower them to achieve greater impact through the network. We are one such hub based in Singapore, and we spearhead the Thousand Network presence in Asia.

As the Hub Ambassador, I work with my co-Ambassador, Tim, to grow Thousand's membership and further our vision of bringing tomorrow's leaders together, one event at a time.

Hub Ambassador

Growing up as an introvert and serial bully victim, putting myself out there has certainly not been my thing. 

Yet when I decided to pursue my dream as a professional speaker and coach as an accounting college student, I had to learn how to build online influence well. 

A decade later, I’ve been blessed to serve a Fortune 500 life insurance corporation as their Millennials and Social Media Engagement Consultant. 

Here are some "top-line" achievements: 

🌟 Keynote Speaker for Asia Pacific Life Insurance Congress (APLIC), MDRT Day ID, KL & SG 2019-2022 - teach the very strategies that have grown my global speaking business over the past 12 years - from a $500 paid-up capital by 1,000x (annual rev)

🌟 Strategic Growth Coach to the Top Agency Leaders in SG, MY, ID, HK. Currently the "Outsourced CMO" to a $20+M Agency in Singapore, reigning as the Top Group. 

🌟 Taught >57,000 audiences across 10 countries in Asia and Middle East. As of 2020, I've been accorded the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), an accolade for the top 12% of speakers globally. 

🌟 Featured over 70x on local and regional media (TV, radio, newspaper) like Channel News Asia (CNA), Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), The Huffington Post, and more. 

🌟 Trusted and engaged by global corporations like AIA, Atradius, Coface, DB Schenker, MSC Shipping, Porsche Asia Pacific, Prudential, Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), the Saudi Arabia Kingdom (SAK) government etc.

All without spending on paid advertisement, but by pure organic engagement and attraction.

If you're a top life insurance agency decision-maker, you know it’s harder to attract talents.

The old rules - a numbers game - it was effective, but no longer. ❌

You need to be #𝗧𝗼𝗽𝗼𝗳𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱, but maybe are facing these challenges:

😪 Confused by the mixed messages on how to build your online influence well 

😪 Lost and frustrated after months of "posting content" that doesn't move the needle one bit 

😪  Time and resource-poor because you're tied up with strategic growth of your agency

There is a better way and it doesn’t involve you doing more or becoming someone you are not. 

I can help you: 

🚀 BE AWARE - So your personal brand is seen by your ideal talents and have you be in their radars consistently 

🚀 BE ATTRACTIVE - Leverage organic social content to draw talent to you and the right ones!  

🚀 BE AMPLIFIED - Leverage the right audiences to be a prominent choice

🎁 Connect with me and let's discover how we can make you relevant to your talents of today!

What's wrong with our young people these days?


Just today, Singapore's first and only Olympics Gold medallist and national swimmer, Joseph Schooling announced his retirement.

From professional swimming at 28. 

While not retiring from work per se, people will still "chastize" Schooling for his folly and naïveté.

Meet Singapore's Ashish Kumar too.

🏅 A top PSLE (our Grade-6 national exams) scorer
🏅 Enrolled into Raffles Institution, known as the "Gateway to the Ivy League"
🏅 Recipient of the prestigious Overseas Merit Scholarship of Singapore
🏅 Graduated 2nd in his class in Law from the University of Cambridge
🏅 Did his tour in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI)
🏅 And then...

Self-declared, a "retiree" at 31-year-old.

"What a waste" - some would lament. But to whom, you should ask? 

In fact, it's not apparently a "Singaporean" young people phenomena.

These two China terms - 躺平 (lie-flat) and 摆烂 (let it rot) were terms that trended in China and online last 2 years. 

A response to China's 996 work culture and frenetic chase for more-and-more (not unlike Singapore, New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong etc.)

Are our younger generation a "lost cause" ?

Here are my thoughts:

🔺 Far from "lost", they are more aware than ever before - powered by social media and the tear-downs of traditional institutions of trust, they are probably the most informed and "woke" generation.

They've seen how the former generations have seeming worked themselves into depression or death and now, they value and live life at their own terms. 

🔺 The Hedonic Treadmill is real - as a Singaporean youth, entrepreneur and father, I feel it deeply.

We are always chasing and gassing out. 

On to our next deal, project, house, investment property, car, $1M, $10M and more... 

But do we really need more... to be happy? 

Or are we just hard-wired into jumping through hoop after hoop, just to have a false sense of progress? 

🔺 Walking away is not being a "cop out" - quoting J.R.R Tolkien,

"Not all wander are lost"

Reading the social media comments suggests that when someone has the "gall" to go against the grain... it's often met with disbelief, cynicism and snide remarks like 

"Well, I could do so if I'm living off my parents"

Economic and pragmatic considerations aside, can there be space also for empathy and learning? 

In fact, I see Ashish as walking away to his happier place in life. 

That courage and self-awareness for what he treasures and believes in, should be lauded.

--

There are more than one road to success.

And even for Ashish in this new creator's economy, I won't be surprised if he starts making a neat 5-figures income from the comfort of his home through Youtube or e-products off a beach in Bali. 

What's wrong with our young people these days? 

In fact, I believe they can teach us so more about living our lives right and well. 

Do you agree?

#singapore #youths #careers 

I shared this SECRET to win more business during a recent training. 🤫

And apparently, so many people loved it.


I've always been "hyper-focused" on my business.

And that means being brutal with my time and energy management. For example - I only met people who had "client potential".

Later, I realized:
 → In the b2b business I am in, business moves when relationships are deepened 
 → I developed an "echo chamber" syndrome 
 → Days where I lack inspiration and connection

And for what I taught my financial advisors students across Asia:

Social Media.

I was posting so much media, cranked up 1.4M+ in engagement the past year and even earned... a top voice "badge". 

But I forgotten all about the 'social' in 'social media'.

That was where I "loosened" my rules. 

I reached out also to people who were radical, interesting and also, different. 

People from other fields who stood for their own genius and cause. 

Elfarina Zaid was someone I met recently. In fact, she was also my Alumni Mentor at Singapore Management University over a decade back! 😳

Let's just say Elfie is bold, unapologetic yet deeply aware and balanced. 

In our short conversation, I've learnt from her:

🍀 How to run a global coaching and consulting business balancing logic and intuition 

🍀 What it takes to facilitate polarizing conversations like a pro -- Elfie once had a Prince from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in her class and she stood her ground and won him over

🍀 Why our past experiences and pain, when harnessed properly, can be our best stories and assets to win people over

To be social is to have a long-term mindset, openness for discovery and collaboration and to know we don't always thrive, as an isle.

It's also about humility. 

Business is won over, a relationship at a time. 

It starts from social and it extends to media (which you're reading). 

So let's not forget about the 'social' in social media, shall we? 

You with me?

#topofmind #professionalspeaking #mentors 

LinkedIn Top Voice | I help top life insurance leaders and service professionals in Asia grow their brand and influence and be #TopofMind | Millennial Dad | Top 12% Global Speaker

This photo was taken in 1946. 

This guy is Ken Shimizu. He is 45 years old.  🏋🏻


He eats what he wants. Sleep as late as he wants.  Shimizu never runs. 

Even drinks soda & alcohol. 

What does Shimizu do to get such a body?

Shimizu doesn't have any secrets. 

He just bikes every weekend.

(Shimizu is the person sitting at the bottom left of the photo. As for the man standing in the middle, we're not sure who he is.)

Taken from Meta  / @japan moments

P.s. All ye #linkedinfam, the lesson here for us is... ? Just for laughs, alright?

2024 is my 10th year in entrepreneurship.

And this is what I've learnt so you avoid these deadly pitfalls. ☠️


A decade ago, I quit my first sales job out of Accounting school.

I registered my company.

"Build and they will come. Right?"

Can't be farther from the truth. 

The earliest months were:
→ Cold outreaches (calls, emails, pitches) that left me high and dry
→ Training myself to "live lean" with a daily budget of $20 
→ Receiving "well-intentioned advice" to get a proper job, otherwise, my wife and children will starve

The thing about professional speaking, as with entrepreneurship, you only see the "glitz and glam".

It's the survivorship bias - i.e. only those who survived to tell the tales (post fancy photos and videos) are what remain on your radar. 

You seldom know of those who have failed and fizzled. 

Have I arrived? Far from it.

But here's what I've learnt to take my work to speak and teach across over 20 cities and scale a 5-person team in the Philippines as our media production arm:

🔷 Revenue is Vanity, Profits is Sanity, Cash is King - you don't need a fancy CBD office or a $3,000 suit to make business and stay in it. 

Far too many "entrepreneurs" spend money they haven't earned to impress people they don't need to. 

That's not branding. That's posturing. Instead, focus on your business and cash making. 

Receiving cash in bank (from clients) is also the clearest validation that your product / service has a fit with your market. All else are distraction. 

🔶 "Soft Assets" Make Hard Wins - I've always espoused the need to build your brand before you even need to use it. It's "soft", intangible and unquantifiable.

But it's a real asset that keeps giving back to you, provided you invest into it. 

That's why if you have a "short-term mindset" when it comes to branding, it will never work for you.

Accompanying that - your track record, reputation, good work you do, way you nurture relationships, how and when you give... all constitute that "brand" you own. 

Don't take this "soft asset" for granted. 

🔷 The World is Brutal... But It's Not Without Kindness - my mentors tell me the "business world is cruel and brutal"

I agree. But I also have been recipients of kindness and unconditional giving like opening doors for me to media and business, taking time to counsel me, telling me upfront how "bullshit" my ideals and work may be, at times. (#hardtruths) 

There are good people with kindness overflowing. You just need to be open to ask for help (learning this) and also, give help when you are blessed and able.

--

I could share more but there's an obvious word limit.

If you've been in business for a while and thrived, what else may you add? 💙

P.s. Entrepreneurship is not any superior than scaling the corporate world. In fact, I think entrepreneurship is over-hyped. 

The key is awareness and knowing yourself, your purpose, calling and what contexts you can best thrive under. 

#entrepreneurship #business 

"Why so stupid to quit your job? 5-figure salary, aren't you happy?"

This is my journey from Freelancing to Freedom. May not be for everyone. 👇🏻


Side hustles are all the buzz right now.

'9 to 5 pays your bills. Your 5-12 builds your dreams' (Internet meme)

Your corporate day job = stable pay check.

Your after-office hours = dream building

Is it that easy? 🤐

I quit my sales job close to a decade ago.

At that time, my salary was >5-figures monthly. Decent for a graduate with 1+ years of working experience. 

On top of that, I was "freelancing" as a speaker and coach, with blessings from my bosses. 

But I knew these were important if I were quit my job to do it full-time:
→ Priorities - clarity of intentions and goals
→ Plan - roadmap on how to get there (and paid, well and consistently)
→ Potential - both short and long-term viability and sustainability

So many lessons I've learnt but here are my top three:

#1/ 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙛𝙪𝙣. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩'𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙪𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙨 💸

Too many freelancers and self-employed don't know their numbers:

1. Minimum monthly burn rate - what's your monthly expenses that you can afford to live leanly, to build your runway and dreams?
2. Emergency expenses - at least 9 to 12 months of expenses in bank
3. Earning equivalence - my rule was that my freelance income had to equalize my monthly job income 3 months consecutively before I could quit

Throw in activity, client and pipeline management for the savvier ones!

#2/ 𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢. 🌟

I wanted to become a speaker and coach during my university years.

Consciously and consistently seeding the work I do, philosophy, client engagements, lessons, wins and even failures on Facebook and LinkedIn made me #topofmind. 

Transiting to a full-time "freelancer" was a lot smoother because people already knew, liked and trusted me.

Great personal brands are not built overnight. But over many nights (and days). 

#3/ 𝙆𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝. 𝙒𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙙. ❌

Being a freelancer is NOT freedom when you are stuck with low fees, clients from hell and poor delivery.

The way out is UP.

You have to learn to know and charge your worth when your work has delivered value multiples, in relation to the investment. 

Yet, most freelancers also suffer from self-doubt and esteem issues. They should work with a coach to transcend those. 

Or read books on value-based fees and million dollar consulting / speaking from Alan Weiss.

--

I took a gamble on myself at 26. 

And thankfully, my "freelance career" has taken off and me to over 20 cities to teach over 65,000 leaders as one of the youngest paid speakers in Asia. 

Was it risky to quit my job?

Well for me, it was always riskier not to. 

How about you? 

#personalbranding #freelancers #business 

This post is NOT about a career promotion or closing a Series A deal. 

Or getting that "top voice" badge (sounds like I'm a Boy Scout again) 🤷🏻‍♂️


Well, it's probably also not "LinkedIn content" but I'll share anyway. 

Just yesterday, I cleared my schedule to "date" my parents.

Brought them for a good lunch and made a new pair of spectacles for mum.

When the optometrist asked my mum in a surprised and exasperated tone:

"How is it you're able to wear your old specs for so long? 

It must be difficult for you"

I was lost for words. Slightly ashamed for that matter. 

Later, I realize my mum has been wearing her maladjusted spectacles for 2-3 years.  

You know how on LinkedIn - it's all about the grind. 

Pushing out new stories and insights. Landing new gigs and opportunities for the clients and myself.

Just, SHOW, UP - the "gurus" all say. 

But when it came to showing up for my mum who's growing old, I could do so much better at that front.

This weekend, screw what the "gurus" say. 

LinkedIn activity thing or badge chasing behaviours or commenting on 10 ICPs daily, are not most important.

Being active and present with your loved ones is the priority. 

Doing great work for people you serve that taps into your gifts and talent matter so much more. 

If you don't even show up powerfully in real life, why bother posturing here on LinkedIn?

Are you with me? 👋🏻

#topofmind #life #family

This is the #1 reason why most people don't succeed on LinkedIn. 🍄

And it's not what you think it is. 👇🏻


Before that, circa 2014 -- I joined a talent competition.

My first thought when I hit the "apply" button - 

"This is going to be hard. But let's give it a try anyway" 

I joined because I was slightly bored on the weekends on my first job.

Later, I won 3rd place, $3,000 for my "engagement ring fund" and met some cool friends. 

Similarly, I often get asked how I end up coaching CEOs / MDs in my 30s without any corporate experience, getting paid 5-figures to speak in the Middle East or if I would be intimidated or feel inadequate doing XYZ?

What I discovered as a result of doing "hard things" (projects, failed businesses, cold pitches etc.) repeatedly:
→ The point is NOT about winning or losing
→ It's also not always about ROI (contextual)
→ The key goal is to realize this:

Doing "hard things" repeatedly, builds your character and identity. 

It's in the doing that you build your boldness and openness to do, learn and discover your zones of strength and genius. 💪🏻

Back to LinkedIn (or social) as I work with financial advisors to grow their brands, one of the reasons why they don't grow is that... they don't ship (enough).

They are fearful to 'post'. 
They think too much. 
They believe others are always judging them.

Yes, putting yourself out there and online can be "hard". 

But when you sense the fear, do it anyway and do the "hard things repeatedly"...
(and with some good coaching and guidance)

You'll eventually write your success story.

Does this speak to you? 🙂

#topofmind #socialmedia #financialadvisors 

Yes, I may be a "boomer" 👴🏻

But watch out for the deluge of "coaches" online who "want to help you"


Over 12 years ago, I attended my first coach training program.

It was 6 months long with over 60 hours of classroom training.

And then, 10 hours of mentor coaching and 30 to 50 hours of pro-bono peer coaching.

There were role-plays and formalized assessments to ensure we met the mark.

Even after graduation, we had a fair amount of modesty before we call ourselves... 'coaches'.

Fast forward to 2024, I've noticed a deluge of "coaches" online.

Personal branding coach (huge on LinkedIn). Confidence coach. Business coach. Fashion coach. 

'Be your best self and stop being a loser. So pay me USD $2,888 first' coach.

Some are definitely qualified and trained. An emergent group of "coaches", I've no idea how they became one. 

You get the point. 🤐

I may be a boomer but coaching, while unregulated, should be deemed a profession needing:

→ Proper training and development from a recognized coaching school
→ Clear assessment criteria and competencies check 
→ Demonstrated value and track record to clients (paying or not)
→ Ongoing professional development

Coaching is not a title you slap on your LinkedIn headline because it's in vogue.

A coach has to master how to hold space, dig deep into someone's being, set powerful agreement, create accountability, ask powerful questions, be neutral, stand for the growth for your clients among many others.

You are working with people and their lives here. 💯

Otherwise, you'll be a mentor or consultant (which are also fine, just not a "coach"). Or for some, a charlatan (hard truth). 

A coaching designation is earned. It's not slapped on like a marketing label.

Do you agree?

#topofmind #coaching #professionalism 


Do you TRUST insurance agents? 💸🤐

This is my honest truth... (+ introduction for the few x00s of you who just connected) 


I didn't. Until I met my first agent at 27 years old.

Back then, I suffered from a liver abscess condition. 

In fact, I was hesitant to admit into a hospital. 

Because it's been said in Singapore -- hospital bills are so crazily high one may sometimes choose death over hospitalization!

Thankfully, it was Aaron who insisted I get a proper plan and coverage.

$14,000+ SGD, 12 days in a private hospital and even a stipend for being out of work.

I learnt the value of insurance. 

But I didn't trust him fully at first.

I thought to myself, 

"You must be more concerned about your commissions!"
(well, the commissions off hospital plans are meagre to start with)

Almost a decade later, I find myself among thousands of agents and advisors across 8 countries in Asia. 

Like this event in Malaysia last week with the AIA Malaysia Union. 

Why? 

Because I am deeply passionate about raising the perception and hence, opportunities for "good agents" like Aaron across Asia. 

According to a survey conducted by Edelman Trust Barometer, only 34% of respondents in Asia trust insurance companies, a hint of also the levels of trust in insurance agents and financial advisors as well.

My work as a keynote speaker, workshop facilitator and top producers and leaders' coach are simple:

✅ Discovery - help agents discover themselves and design their game plan when it comes to social and branding
✅ Delivery - make social and branding work for them so they earn the buy-in and respect from their ideal clients. To be #topofmind 
✅ Destiny - a good agent makes an immense difference in the financial habits, processes, mindsets and destiny of their clients

Why do I believe in this so dearly? 

Because that's been my journey - building trust and earning opportunities over the past decade as a professional speaker and coach too.

I can't do the work I do. 

If not for people who saw and recognized the value I can deliver before I step on stage. 💯

In every industry, there are bad eggs.

But in the life insurance and financial industry, there are good actors who deserve to grow and be spotlighted. 

So they grow their practice and help more people. 

Do you agree with me? 

Have you met solid advisors or agents and experienced their goodness before? 

Tag them below so they know and are seen by more people! 👇🏻

#asia #mdrt #professionalspeaking

Introverts... must be BAD at personal branding and business.

You think so? 🤔 (+ 115s live snippet on Malaysia's #1 biz radio station) 


Well that was probably my naive thinking over a decade ago...

But I also realized many people even till today thinks:
❌ I am not an "in your face" type of person
❌ It's not in me not be an "influencer"
❌ You need to constantly be "on" and "sell yourself" to no ends

So I don't think I can do well on this branding and social thing. 

Sounds familiar?

Even till today, these are some myths I've to work through as a Coach.

Yesterday, I shared some of my brand and business building journey with Richard Bradbury on Malaysia's leading business radio station - BFM 89.9 - The Business Station

In this clip snippet below, I share about how social media and branding is actually the best "equalizer" of all times for introverts in business.

You can be... "always on... without being always on" ✅

You can win business while you're "asleep" or at work

You can filter clients who choose and love you. From those who think you're not the "type" for them.

In fact, I think introverts have their unique and unfair ADVANTAGE when it comes to putting themselves out there. 🏋🏻

Why?

Because we tend to be introspective, inward-looking and more measured. 

All of these help us to be even more "intentional" in positioning ourselves well. 

Have a listen - to a snippet of the interview. Full interview link will be in comments - share it if you know it can help someone else. 

Let me know if this speaks to you? 👇🏻

#topofmind #introverts #business

"Ben, you're such a workaholic" 😳 (but wait... why?) 

A friend told me after I posted my work schedule in Kuala Lumpur. 


I don't deny that.

In a short 4.5 days in KL, Malaysia 🇲🇾
✅ 3 speeches (AIA Malaysia Union and entrepreneurs in Malaysia)
✅ 2 media interviews (on BFM Radio - The Business Station and Bob Low's superb podcast)
✅ 4 key account meetings
✅ 3 collaborator meetings 
✅ 1 Coffee chat with a staff potential
✅  Shot 5 short videos for socials

On the lighter side, I also bonded with my two sisters who came along - lots of Malaysian delicacies and live Mandopop music (follow me on Instagram for the lifestyle side of things lol)

Yet the gist of this post - when I am on the road or overseas, I always optimize for success and efficiency.

Why?

Because I know every day I'm out of Singapore, I'm missing out on some of the best years of my son, Davey (I call him my bro)

In fact, there was a statistic that ran -

"75% 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙒𝙚 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙊𝙪𝙧 𝙆𝙞𝙙𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙊𝙪𝙧 𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝘽𝙚 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙩​ 𝘽𝙮 𝘼𝙜𝙚 12"

So I am mindful of my "opportunity costs" -- I could chill and take a massage or two (which I also do).

But my time on the road has to move the needle for my business. 

Otherwise, I'll have missed out on the best times with my boy for... nothing. 

It's about clarity of intention → strength of execution → expectation of outcomes

When I returned after 4.5 days on the road, Davey started to blabber so many new words and sentences. 

I was amazed.

As I put him to sleep that night, he held on my finger. It was a reminder again.

You can have it all. Or strive towards that. 

But the price to pay are intentionality, focus and lots of drive.

(And healthy amounts of caffeine)

Does this speak to you, road warriors?

#topofmind #professionalspeaking #malaysia 

I was aghast to hear:

"Professional speakers... are just hot air and time fillers" 🎈💨

Many would associate professional speakers with entertainers

→ Both have to engage and entertain well
→ There is no "regulation" in the industry - anyone can speak 
→ We are sometimes, seen as "peripheral" until we are "core" to events

Obviously in a limited LinkedIn post, I'm running generalizations.

In reality, I often think of professional speaking as a creative artform - it's more art than science, in my opinion. It's a performance. 

I took a LONG time since my start as a "boring content speaker"

(think tons of information and slides and an overwhelming need to educate and.. impress? And then... audience zoning out 💤)

But in the recent years, I've had the opportunity to hunker down and learn the craft of speaking (and I'm still learning it)

The 'top-of-the-game' speakers command top dollars (think 5-6 figure speaking fees) all have the:

🎙️ Ability to lead mass audiences in a direction that empowers and impacts 
🎙️ Charisma with on-stage techniques and strategies to move hearts and minds
🎙️ Persuasiveness and authenticity to influence people to take action

These screenshots were from my recent engagement in Nov - and I was so happy to receive the message. 

From an advisor "about to give up her MDRT this year" to securing it (2024) and thanking me for the "octopus slap" (first time in my books).

The ROI for my speaking to my client - education, engagement and the necessary shifts in their states. 

If you have sales teams or agency force who are willing to take "octopus slaps" to regain their motivation to run harder for their businesses -- Mr. Octopus 🐙 is a DM away.

How about you?

What do you think makes a great speaker?

#topofmind #professionalspeaking #MDRT

𝙏𝙝𝙚 #1 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙇𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙚𝙙𝙄𝙣 / 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝘽𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙤𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝘽𝙇𝙐𝙁𝙁 😳
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A lot of coaches tout and wax lyrical on social media.⁣⁣⁣
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But not many have the results or proper training as a coach, to boot.⁣⁣⁣

And it's also about - winning on SOCIAL as well as in BUSINESS. Not creating "viral posts" or being a regular "LinkedIn poster" 

In the past and current year alone, our report cards read:

→ Only Growth / Branding Coach in Life Insurance Industry & Only Financial Consultant in Asia to be accorded LinkedIn Top Voice (global invite-only, 2024)

→ 2023 - 1.4M impressions, >$400k new biz revenue from LinkedIn, international speaking gigs to USA and Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) (Self)

→ 2023 - >1M impressions, TOT and COT attainment >15 candidates attracted organically (Coachees)

It all boils down to consistency and effectiveness in these 3 domains:⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
1️⃣ Relevance⁣⁣⁣
2️⃣ Authority⁣⁣⁣
3️⃣ Intimacy⁣⁣⁣
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When done well, you start to emerge out of the noise and undifferentiated...

You become #topofmind and highly sought after.⁣⁣⁣ 🌟
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How my coachees and I cracked the "social business code"

Unpopular Opinion - Generative AI + automation make you LAZY and STUPID

And this is why. 🦄


Recently at a LinkedIn event, a financial advisor asked us:

"What are your thoughts on using Generative AI tools like Chat GPT?

Before that, I've seen the DELUGE of content and "engagement" recently:

🤖 Profiles that hardly post anything → 4 - 5 long posts every week
🤖 Creators who didn't engage with you → leave thoughtful comments on yours and other creators' posts at successions of 1 minute
🤖 Users who used to be lurkers → sending massive templated DMs that actually sound personal 

What are the tools here?

- Chat GPT or related AI writing tools to write whole posts
- AI commenting and engagement pods (no way an intern or human does that for a dozen other creators, at 1min succession)
- Outreach and automation tools

Before you strike me off as being "boomer", I don't think AI and automation are all bad. (there are use-cases, but for another post)

Fundamentally, as with the 65,000+ financial advisors and leaders I've taught  in brand building across 8 countries in Asia, one of the #1 pain points:

"I can't write"

Or so they think.

And so, they ask ChatGPT to write content, en-masse. Or hire a copywriter or ghostwriter. 

Here are some problems and considerations:

🪬 You don't sound the same and it's a guise - if you write in flowery ("I am humbled in this opulent and grandiose presence of...") and you don't in real life. Guess what?

People obviously spot the dissonance. Worse, what if potential clients actually thank you for commenting on their thread and appreciate your thoughts?

And then, you realize it was one of the hundreds comment left by a bot and can't recall what "you" commented? 

✍🏻 Writing is difficult. But writing well gives you more value and upside that you can imagine.

"I've seen any people shy away from writing because it doesn't come naturally to them. What they overlook is that writing is more than a vehicle for communicating -- it's a tool for learning.

Writing exposes gaps in your knowledge and logic. It pushes you to articulate assumptions and consider counterarguments. Unclear writing is a sign of unclear thinking"  (Hidden Potential, Adam Grant)

In other words, writing also demands that you are reflective, analytical, structured and grounded in your thoughts and communications.

Guess what happens when you SKIP + OUTSOURCE all that? 

💙 Do things that don't scale - stealing this from the start-up world from Paul Graham - there are times a founder needs to do work that is manual and laborious. 

In the context of building quality and long-term relationships, I am a believer that authenticity and discipline are what scales your brand.

---

Again - I do think are merits to AI and automation.

But the spirit of deploying them, matters more. 

I believe the tools should breed efficiency, but not laziness and insincerity. It's more damaging than you think it is.

Agree?

#AI #automation

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