BBF133: From professional athlete to keynote speaker with Troy Gray

What a diverse character we have on the show this week; AFL footballer, TV presenter, MC, international media agent… what hasn’t this guy done?!?

As you can imagine we had a great chat with Troy Gray. He’s got so much insight from his amazing journey in business and in life, so it was a great privilege to have him on the show sharing it with us. Read on for some of the top tips that came out of the conversation:

**Go to the end users in your marketplace and find out what they want rather than what you want.

**Don’t ask too much of new contacts. Take an approach like this: “You’re a person who inspires me, and I’ve got an idea that can make you money. If you’d like to hear more then get back to me”.

**Remember the concept of the elevator pitch – don’t write long emails first up.

**People who are successful tend to love being asked what they think. Asking for advice is a great foot in the door with eminent business people.

**Really really listen to what people are saying when you pitch to them – if you can’t entice people to ask more questions during a pitch then that’s a sign that it’s not working.

**Don’t do it on your own in business. It’s nearly always worth giving away equity in order to gain inspiration from others.

**Major on reporting to your investors. Regular reporting is a great mechanism for cross-checking your own logic in running the business.

 
In this episode of Business Brain Food you will learn:

**Troy’s incredible story

**How sportspeople are equipped to drive business

**The importance of playing the industry game in order to get people to listen to your ideas

**The power of focus groups**The perception of the Australian psyche in the world of business

**The game of equity

**The right time to stop

**Can pitching be learnt?

**How to be held accountable as an entrepreneur

 
Resources mentioned in this episode:

**Ben’s free business planning template: http://www.maxmyprofit.com.au

**All previous BBF episodes & show notes can be found at http://www.businessbrainfood.com.au

**Troy’s website: http://www.troygray.com.au

**Troy’s media company, Vox Ventures site: http://www.voxventures.com.au

**Facebook: facebook.com/businessbrainfood

**Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessbrainfood

**Twitter: https://twitter.com/bfewtrell

**Subscribe to BBF on iTunes: http://actioncoachanz.com/itunes

**Subscribe to BBF on Stitcher: http://actioncoachanz.com/stitcher

 
How can you fail to be inspired by a guy like Troy? This man speaks the truth. You could do a lot worse than put a touch of Troy into your business!

Also, if you are enjoying these Business Brain Food podcasts, then make sure to share them via social media sites or email the links to family and friends. A lot of time and effort goes into producing each of these podcasts with the goal in mind of the more people we can inspire about business the better. You can help us do just that!

Until next time, have a profitable day.

Cheers,
Ben Fewtrell
[phone]