Last night, I was at the August APTS meeting, where I met a couple of new people and listened to Tom Abbott and Nicholas Ong.
Taken from APTS website: www.aptsg.com
Tom was an emphatic speaker and an expert in sales training. He shared his story and a few points from his signature training material with us. One of the things that struck me was his emphasis on developing expertise - something that I strongly advocate too.
In answering one of the audiences's questions, he mentioned that saying no to training in an area of our non-expertise allows us time and space to focus on our area of expertise. He acknowledges that, at the beginning of our training careers, we will want to take on practically any assignment, just as he did.
However, he reminds us that once we build up our skills and portfolio, we need to specialise so that we can stand out and focus on giving the best of ourselves.
A picture with Tom
Nicholas was a very different style of speaker. He was clearly more comfortable speaking in Mandarin, but, through his gallant effort, and the way he made his personal story so relatable, he received a standing ovation.
His was a story of transformation, how he overcame a past mired in darkness and confusion to emerge as an entrepreneur and speaker. He told us about the hard work he put in to complete his books and his determination to make something of himself. He certainly has. And he isn't resting on his laurels.
Two very impressive speakers with so much experience to share. I'm glad I was there to take it in. I look forward to the next meeting.
A picture with Nicholas