We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Matthew Toman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Matthew, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with something countless entrepreneurs have had to figure out on the fly – how have you dealt with the rise of remote work?
Thought out my companies we have opted for the hybrid model, some love to work in the office 9-5 while others like to work from their home, a coffeeshop or even the beach. Where ever anyone wants to work I support it.
Working remotely surely comes with its pitfalls, we all have days when we cant get as motivated as we would have if we were sat down beside each other in the office but we have taken full advantage of the digital tools to keep us connected.
I live in Los Angeles and my business partner lives in London. This is the working relationship I miss the most from working in the same time zone. When Daniel lived in LA or when I am working out of Europe I defiantly feel we get a lot more done and things move a little smoother. I do think it has gotten better with time and will eventually become our strength but right now we are doing the best we can.
Sharon runs Bankhouse Media and we have it worked out, I wake up at 6am and get straight on a call with her. I am 6 hours behind so even though I have an early start my workday is “over” by 9am when the office closes in Ireland & UK. Sharon will have a list of quick fire questions to go though, brief update on all leads and jobs and assigns me tasks to carry out, usually ASAP.
The rest of the team is scattered around the world, Philippines, Australia, USA, North & South of Ireland. I personally don’t have any connection with the team as this is taken care of by Sharon. I do feel very blessed to have her and not sure how any of us would get though the day with out her.
Communication tools we use are Slack, Zoho, email and my favorite what’s app, and in my case what’s app voice memo.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
When I look back at what myself, Daniel F Holmes and Sharon Kirkpatrick have created with our brand Bankhouse and the ripple effect it has caused helping 1000’s of businesses owners start, grow and scale their company I do get overwhelmed with emotion. I am extremely proud of what we have achieved and the work we have carried out.
Our company is broken down into 3 sections, our digital media agency Bankhouse Media our film production company Bankhouse Productions and our online learning company The Mindset & Marketing academy.
Bankhouse Media – All-in-one digital marketing agency expert in co-create sustainable custom solutions to drive business forward with ESG Marketing. Web Design, Graphic Design, Lead Generation, Video Production, Copywriting, SEO.
I am in a very fortunate position as a business owner because with Bankhouse Media every business currently trading needs one of our services, all we have to do is connect with companies that align with our values and we can make magic happen!
Bankhouse Productions – Bankhouse Productions an award winning film production company that creates films to entertain and inspire the world. This is where we get to tells stories that matter to us. And thankfully they are also resonating with others as we have had distribution though theatrical release, tv, streaming platforms and film festivals. Bankhosue Productions is where it all started and film making will always be a huge part of my life.
Mindet & Marketing Academy – this is where you can embark on a journey to conquer life and business from anywhere with our transformative online training courses and personalised coaching services. Elevate your mindset, empower your ideas, and revolutionize your business through our cutting-edge academy courses in mindset and marketing. Unleash your full potential today! We encourage people to educate themselves to change their fate. Become an expert in the skills that matter through our mindset & marketing academy. The mindset & marketing academy offers free and and premium courses designed to get you from where you currently are to where you want to be!
Though these business we meet business owners where they are and work with them to where they want to be. the ripple effect this companies have is profound and the hundreds of thousands of reach we have is something I am very proud of.
Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?
During 202 we were delivering 20 – 30 websites per month with a small team and a very high standard, but the world was calling for every business to be online and we had to deliver. Myself and Sharon spent all day everyday on zoom sales calls and our close rate was 82% which was completely unheard of in any business I had worked in in my entire life, but we had surly mastered sales calls and living each minute of them. We had a strategy of, give the client all the information they need up front for free and they could either take it away and go elsewhere or they could stick with us and we could put the strategy we gave them into action.
One sales call stood out the most. the client had been on to 10 other agencies that day and we were the last, I did believe when he told us that he surely had already made his mind up and defiantly wasn’t going to choose us so myself and Sharon gave ti everything, it was out best call of the week. After a few days of Sharon following up we got the rejection email back and I can’t lie I was disappointed. I am not sure if it was because we were up against so many of our peers but I really wanted to win that job. Sharon being the professional that she is replied thanking them for the opportunity to pitch our services and wished them all the best with their web build letting them know we are only a phone call away if they need anything.
I was about to learn one of my most valuable lessons as what Sharon didn’t tell me was, for the next 12 months she stayed in touch with this company, checking in to see how their sales were, letting them know she was thinking about them when another lockdown was announced and turned that first sales call into an open dialogue for the next 16 month when the company finally converted into a client. It turned out they didn’t have a great experience with the agency they went with but could get our brand out of the head. We went on to build several websites for the business owner along with video production, lead generation and SEO.
Moral of that story, don’t get the hump if you loose out on a sale, accept the defeat graciously and stay in contact with the business owner in the most authentic way to can as you never know what is happening within that business and when they might just need your services.
Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?
I have boot strapped every business that I have created and although it was really hard work I wouldn’t change it for the world. I was able to learn from my failures and share that teaching with my clients and students in my academy. Thing don’t happen to you they happen for you and if you truly believe that it takes the edge of during the tough times.
My next big venture is launching my tech company and this has been my first experience with raising money. It has been really enjoyable to learn something new, push myself outside my comfort zone and work together as a team creating something that could end up changing the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bankhousemedia.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bankhousemedia/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matthew.toman
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewtoman/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MatthewToman7
- Other: https://mindsetandmarketingacademy.com
https://www.instagram.com/matthewtoman/
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