The Wise Why

Kirsty van den Bulk
Hello and welcome to the Wise Why. This morning. I am really excited. I have now. I actually I don’t know how to say your surname. I always do that. Can I? I’ve got Ralph with me, who I’ve known for over 10 years. And you know what? I’ve never asked him how to say his surname. You know that that that makes me look like a really good friend, doesn’t it?

Ralph Naidoo
You could call it. You could cut. I mean, it’s it’s French Creole. So you could say no, I do. Two or may do depends. Depends where you come from and how you want to say. But I’ve been cold all kind, but I’ll take. Any of those?

Kirsty van den Bulk
That sounds like me. I get I. I’m gonna put out that I get called crusty and it’s like, really, but with the name Kirsty. It’s not surprising. So Ralph and I met, as I said 10 years ago and. He is the backbone of many industries like the security industry. This one I will post a picture of my pop up stand into the chat because he did it for me and I’m really proud. And as I moved to KDB he’s he’s still there holding me and supporting me. But as usual it’s not about me. Over to you Ralph.

Ralph Naidoo
OK. No pressure. I’m only I’m only quite secret person. So you. That’s quite rare. You got me on that. I don’t know how you got me to. Come on it, but hello.

Kirsty van den Bulk
Everyone. Well, I think it’s about needing helping you out at an event earlier on this year and I went. Ohh yeah, you can come on the. Wise wine you went, huh? And you are right, you are a very secretive person. You are the person behind this, the scenes getting things done.

Ralph Naidoo
You could say that I’ll take that.

Kirsty van den Bulk
So what people don’t know is when we go to events or when we’re doing our marketing behind the scenes, you have somebody who is crunching the numbers or actually just lifting the boxes, picking them out of the van and unpacking them and making everything look seamless. And that’s what you do. Can you explain a bit more? About the support you give.

Ralph Naidoo
OK, so you you’ve probably seen us more in the kind of logistic in kind of exhibition. That’s where we probably cross paths more often. We do a lot of support, part of part of our business, an arm of it, I should say, is actually doing exhibitions, supporting exhibition companies, designing, creating, stand building stands and down to logistics. Bringing all the things to the stand, getting upset up. Right through to kind of following through the leads, people coming in, people going out, monitoring that just the whole process really not just like a Courier service. Like someone would actually take and would actually see. For an exhibition.

Kirsty van den Bulk
Can we talk about the? You know, following up on the leads, because when you go to an exhibition and you’re you’re zapping people and a lot of the time, people don’t know what what happens. And and I know that I’m one. Even though I’ve worked on the sands, I’m one that says, Oh no, I don’t wanna be that. Can you talk about the follow up that you. Do with your data management cause what you offer is incredible.
Ralph Naidoo

Sure. Well, data management, it’s a, it’s a massive key part of any business. I mean data is key, full stop and the way we work is just understanding the kind of segmentation who the customers are, who the audience are geographically, where they come from, how many times they’ve been.

Ralph Naidoo
And it depends. I mean, you know, we do massive a few massive shares at Farnborough airport. And there’s over 100,000 people that come to that event. So, you know, it’s understanding who they are and when they are marketed to, not not having to send people mailed to three different times or emailed or, you know, it’s all about streamlining the communication keeps costs down and and not upsetting people by getting too many, too many kind of communication. Little but understanding your customer actually. I’m glad you brought that up because. Especially now, with things being just so expensive, like postage, for example, you know, and GDPR, there’s so many compliance you’ve gotta kind of go through and make sure you’re doing it right. But understanding your customers keep our, I mean you know, we deal with a. Lot of. High end people, people selling emarketing stuff. E-commerce stuff, so they need to know who their customers are, who’s spending what, how much money they’re spending. And then obviously then targeting these people individually in terms of segmentation of sectors. So, so data management you, you know, we could talk about that all day. It’s it’s just such a. Huge feel, but yes. Data management is is something part of and it’s also LinkedIn with exhibition as well where you where you’re doing marketing for them for.

Kirsty van den Bulk
And and what you do is you you can really segment it down, can’t you? You can actually look at the data and know exactly when to target a an e-mail campaign when not to. And this is I think this is the important thing when not to target so.

Ralph Naidoo
Absolutely. Yeah. I mean through through, you know, technology through kind of computers and through software, you could you could know exactly, you know, when the person bought from your business last, how much it spent, you could geographically find out where they are, you could see a trend you could build profile on the trend. On a you know, for example, if you you, you, you had a business and we we looked at the data and. You wanted some more cold customers. We could kind of look at a trend. We could profile your existing customer, find out who they are, where they are. Male, female, where they live, how old earnings.

Kirsty van den Bulk
It’s slightly.

Ralph Naidoo
And if that that kind of sector and then create a profile and then go and. Get or see. New customers, so it’s, it’s so clever. It’s so intelligent. If you if you work it the right way and use it correctly, it’s like a tool that’s used correctly, can be successful to any business.

Kirsty van den Bulk
And and what I love about you is and I do. I mean, apart from that, we’re really good mates. What I really do love is that you are a marketer, you’re in data marketing, you work at events. And yet you avoid social media, and I just, I mean, getting you on here is a total coup. Nobody realises just how much I am sitting here going. I got Ralph on the show. I’m doing a happy dance all the way through this. But you don’t do social media, do you?

Ralph Naidoo
No, I I think you know having two kids young well, not so young men well, but 20 or. 15 I think. I personally think and people will think wrong to this and I know there are. It’s not clear cut black and white, but I think social media in a nutshell makes people antisocial. I really do and I think that some businesses drive on it and I think you you do need social media and they do need that support. But down to down to their use. I mean, you know, we see so many people. I mean, you must see yourself people crossing the road just looking at their phone, social media, you know, getting run over, looking at their phone. So I see someone getting there, living a countryside, someone was riding their horse the other day. But but friends, you know, and I’m not kidding. But like I said, it’s it’s one side. It could be bad if used properly. It could be great. Some businesses and stuff equally. You know, you could damage a business by social media very, very quickly by just pressing the wrong button.

Kirsty van den Bulk
Oh my God.

Ralph Naidoo
Saying the wrong thing. So yes, our businesses mainly come from recommendation. I think if you got an ability to create good rapport with people, if you could, you know, if you could pick up the phone and talk, you can meet people and you’re likeable, you sincere, you genuine people are gonna buy from you. People are gonna like you for who you are. And I think that means more than actually ramping up loads of ads and social media to post about you because. I think the best kind of customer is it the one that kind of comes round as a recommender or someone you’ve met face to face. That you can kind of create a relationship. It’s a bit, I suppose, like relationship these days. I suppose the old fashioned way is to just go and meet somebody and have a chat. These days it’s just dating style against social media, and I’m probably, you know, old fashioned. I don’t look it, but I am.

Kirsty van den Bulk
Quite old and well, I think we’re close in age, but it’s interesting what you say because I’ve been going and trying to explain to people that only 7% of your market. Will ever, you know, only 7% of your business will ever will come through a social media channel. You know, it’s not the bill and end all and it takes about 15 months for a social media marketing organic not paid for but an organic social media marketing campaign to actually turn around and start to generate a you know sales funnel. Takes about 15 months, so that’s a lot of work and a lot of hours spent. If you are posting consistently and I don’t believe I’m gonna say I really don’t believe you need to put a post out every day and I do believe that the watchers. So I’ve had a lead come in this. Week and it’s something that I’ve met out networking and I get on really well with them, but it was actually the social media post that converted them, but at the same time it it’s because they know me and it’s that, you know, you’re on the show today because you know me and people still buy from people. I know we’re old, but I don’t think I think you have to be wise. And very careful with the way that you use social media, particularly as you said in the business, because one post can destroy your, your reputation and your you know you see. You see it all the time.

Ralph Naidoo
Absolutely, yes, absolutely. I think it’s a. It’s a fine line of how you do it. But yeah, no, we we we don’t advertise, we don’t market ourselves. It’s it’s strange because this is what we do, but we kind of we like it that way cause we don’t wanna kind of. Be everywhere we like the genetic. While we like the kind of, you know, we like the the kind of recommendation and people we work with in that kind of way. We keep it very intimate, shall we say.

Kirsty van den Bulk
So how did you fall into it? I’m intrigued because you came over from the seashells when you were about 11. So there’s quite a lot between, obviously, me meeting you at the A similar age to me 10 years ago. So I’m just, you know. Tell me about that.

Ralph Naidoo
Ohh you can see where my colour got tropical blood. It’s not the sun. You’re not been having.

Kirsty van den Bulk
Maybe you could say that.

Ralph Naidoo
Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, it’s it’s a. It’s a thing. 1011 years old, sent over to England for, for education, to go to school, offer trotted and no choice, no option, but sent over. And it was great. I mean, I wouldn’t do it to my kids. Because I’m quite an intimate person, you know. I teach my kids that as well. You know, we always hug. We always kiss me. Good morning and good night. They always. We’re always having a hug, a hug out. And yeah, when you’re young, being sent over, it’s like, I don’t know when you got no choice. Actually, I met someone who, you know very well who we we were mentioned. Who was. But he definitely had no choice. His dad kidnapped him. When he was 10, so you know we we. And that’s another kind of a choice and it it he wrote a book and the the book was about all these kids that young, their, their mum and dad are different from different countries. And then suddenly we’re going on holiday and suddenly they never come back. If that happens in the 80s or 90s where you kind of got no social media or no kind of Internet. And no technology. There’s there’s kids go missing and there’s only now years later. That you can kind of find your roots to find kind of start finding. Through who? Your. Real parents are and stuff like that. But yes, I had no choice. I. Had to come over.

Kirsty van den Bulk
Must have been strange though, cause what it must be. What the 8th?

Ralph Naidoo
I want to kidnap. I just put that.

Kirsty van den Bulk
Out there? No. I know who you’re talking about. Could. What was it like, then? It must been really strange. It must have been. Really. Did you just arrive in Surrey or did you arrive somewhere else?

Ralph Naidoo
Yeah, no, it was Leicester because one of my aunties or distant aunties lived there, so it was Leicester and. And it was. It was weird because he suddenly had no family, no friends in a foreign country. I had been to England before three times on holiday. It’s it’s kind of weird when you’re so young. I mean, when you’re an adult, I suppose you can kind of work your way through, weave your way through and meet people and. But when you’re young and English is your second language. It was, it was daunting and and it was hard. But I suppose if you. If you’re a kind of person, that. That you you are willing to put yourself out and you’re kind of, you know, you’re strong and you know you’re mentally strong and you kind of you kind of make it work, you know, they say some people you throw them in the deep end, they swim and some people sink. I think at a young age. Maybe that was me. That was the making of me in terms of being that way, just being kind of sent in the deep end and kind of have to survive. But yes, here I am. I’m I survived.

Kirsty van den Bulk
Well, thank you so much for saying that. I didn’t know that about you. I am in awe right now and it got me thinking about all the thousands of children who are fostered or adopted and the UK and how they must, how they must feel. So yeah, that’s that’s kind of like really powerful and I really appreciate you sharing that. I’m moving on. Just I’m intrigued. Who’s inspired you along the way?

Ralph Naidoo
It’s not money. It’s it’s it’s a good question though, because always bench success, you know if you’re successful. At what you? Do everything you do. My dad always used to say to me. When I was, I never used to get it. You said to me. Hang around with the right people. You become good. You know you hang around with ideas. You become. You become one and I think. From a young age, I never understood that I never used to have toys. Yeah, mom and dad always. Well, because they had this romantic kind of idea that I’d be a doctor. You know, a doctor, a doctor, be a doctor. And it would be ridiculous. All my mates had. But, you know, had toys and books. But then he toys being a kid. And I just had books. And I think that’s why I like toys so much. Now I just have all that kind of toys I’m making up for lost time.

Kirsty van den Bulk
Talking about toys, you’ve got a new one, haven’t you? You’ve got a new hobby that you’re really good at.

Ralph Naidoo
You help me, I’ll go on with.

Kirsty van den Bulk
Well, you know. There’s there’s, I know another guy, mark, right Mason, who also does dredge shopping and another one chasing. Yeah, but I don’t. I don’t didn’t know anyone in your area. So you do? Drone.

Ralph Naidoo
It kind of. It’s not a new hobby. Oh, it’s a bit of a weird one though, cause some people talk about drones. They just are drones. But no, I I got into in 2016, my brother got me into it and I got into drone racing, so part of the drone racing community and I won some events in racing, you know, racing. And then they fall into videos. This is something that. A few customers, it’s now. It’s become a bit of a commercial entity, but a little bit of a company where people are asking us to do commercial shop for their, for their stand or for their office or for anything. And and we we’ve been doing that for a couple of years now and that’s been quite fun creating videos for them. So it’s a hobby turning to. I suppose part of the business, just as everything falls into into how it folds. So it’s not like a a a business to begin with. It’s a hobby to begin with. And now it’s turned into some kind of little business on the. Side for it so. Which is quite quite interesting actually.

Kirsty van den Bulk
I think that’s really person. I’m gonna try and use the word personal. I think that’s. Well, that could be wrong because if I look at what I do now, it’s started as a hobby. You know, I my hobby was to go and do dancing, acting and singing, and now I coach on camera technique cause I was an actor. So I think our hobbies are kind of kind of in. Cotton, I love the fact that, well, I don’t love. I feel a little bit sorry for you that you you didn’t get your toys as a child. And I’m. I’m thinking about the amount of toys my daughter has and she did actually say to me, Mummy, I’ve got too many toys and I’m. I’m like, yeah, everyone keeps buying me them, so maybe we could just, like, get people to buy. Your clothes. And then her face pulls. But. Books must have been, it must been interesting growing up. With just books.

Ralph Naidoo
You know what I think children are funny things, and if you force them too much, they rebel. You know that that’s how I was. My, my, my own children. And I’ve got a 20 year old and a 15 year old and it’s always been a very open relationship, a very open, never forced them, but guide them, you know, guide them for what they love to do, guide them through what they they think, what they like and then. Region and it could create, you know, a bad environment if you if you force them all the time, you know, and that’s how I was brought up. So and there’s nothing wrong with discipline. I mean, you know, we’re very strict parents coming from that side of the world, but. You know that discipline is quite important in life. You know where you are, where you go follows you all around. So, so bricks isn’t bad. It wasn’t good, but it wasn’t bad discipline that came with it was really good and you know, I brought my kids exactly the same discipline, respect for others and that, you know, if you got a good foundation in life as a person, then I think that goes a long way in terms of where it brings you. Later on in life so.

Kirsty van den Bulk
Nurture over literature.

Ralph Naidoo
That person or seven real person.

Kirsty van den Bulk
I don’t think you’re rude. I think what I really loved about working with you, particularly the events when I was on stand, was as my energy would be dropping, you would be there with a great big smile on your face and you would energise us. And just by dropping a a box of, I don’t know, mince or whatever it was, it could change. And shift everything they would be like ohh Ralphs here and the whole energy of the stand would lift. I I don’t think you’re aware how much you can motivate and shift the energy when you walk into the room.

Ralph Naidoo
You’ve been too kind there in that. I just think you know, I think the old do it. I think again it’s it links down from people have busy lives these days, but if you could just. Sometimes the most important things in life is is right there in front of you, you know, bring in a box of chocolate to see your customers. You know, it’s not nothing else. It’s just showing some kindness. And I think a lot of people have lost their ability. To just be nice. And be courteous. Be, you know, we live in a. Politically correct world and it’s just, you know, I take every day. I mean, last year I buried four friends, you know, just for cancer, stroke and all kind of stuff and. Just sometimes I’ll take a breather and just put life into perspective and you know adversity sometimes show people the light, but I’ve always been like that and I’ve always been like that too. My friends, my family, my customers. And that’s probably why, you know, we work with our customers for a long time. They, they work with us for. Forever. And that don’t mean that. And as a cliche, I mean that, as you know, they deal with us as a company. They deal with that same attitude. You know, if you, if you like, that people like you and that’s that. And that’s why you you say that I’ve walked in and I’ve made. You laugh or or brought. A bit of sunshine into a room. It’s just. Just being normal and I think some people sometimes think of themselves too much, you know, they just think of the money, maybe too much or just themselves generally.

Kirsty van den Bulk
Really wise words really, really wise words. I think people forget that, you know, it’s not just about your customer that you’re selling to or or who’s buying your product. It’s also the people you work with. It’s. That Joyce jousting people, so the word I want to use it’s picking people up. It’s carrying them with you. It’s that care, it’s being genuinely. Interested in people? I remember when I was going through a rough time. Not a rough time. It wasn’t so much that it was a very challenging time and you were. Just holding me up, telling me you can get through this. You can do it. You will be fine. And you will come out the other side and look at the end goal. And you were really, really important at that time. Obviously. Like all that very much on air because it’s very private. But thank you for being there for me, it was really. So I’ve we talked about who’s inspired you. I’m intrigued about any other harm moment. So have there been any moments where you’re going? Yeah, that’s what I’m gonna do. Like bring in your drone technology, for instance, massive or hard moments.

Ralph Naidoo
So that then Kirsty broke up then.

Kirsty van den Bulk
Ohh gosh, that’s not good aha moments. So they’ve been moments where you went. Oh, that’s why I do this. Or Oh my goodness. I’m so I’ve I’ve made a mistake and magical mistake and I’m gonna change it around. So those are hard moments that make or break you.

Ralph Naidoo
I think one of the biggest moments that actually changed me was having children, actually. Yeah, definitely. That to me was the. The point in my life where I thought, you know. Things have gotta change because now you’ve got one mouth to feed and you kind of like. You kind of change your whole way your whole focus, your whole thinking of life. But that’s not everybody. I was just a bit kind of wild and it kind of rang me back in a bit just kind of and now, you know, I sit back and just look at. Them and think. Ohh and I live for them, you know. They they are. They are me. They are my soul and and I love. Them to bits.

Kirsty van den Bulk
I I hear you on that. I I always say to people I didn’t know what was missing in my life until our daughter came along. And I didn’t know it was missing until she came along, and then she came along. It was like, ah. That’s it. And I can’t put it into words. I can’t give you an experience about what it was because I didn’t know I was missing anything and I wasn’t missing anything. And then she arrived and it. Was like ohh. It was like a link that had just. And it’s magical and everything I do is for her. I have a significant celebration on Monday that’s, you know, going to be another year. And I know already that the day is planned around here, so I’ll probably spend the whole day in a play park, which is fine because, you know, nowadays of birthday to me is nothing. Or as a. Birthday to her is important, even though it’s mum is and so I will. I will celebrate it for her. I don’t like birthday cakes and stuff, but I will get one for her. So it’s just interesting what you do for. Your kids, isn’t it?

Ralph Naidoo
It is very interesting. And then and then I wanted more and that wasn’t happening. So I got myself a dog.

Kirsty van den Bulk
Yeah, I’m not getting a dog. I’ve got 2 cats. What’s your dog called? Who’s a little bit about your dog?

Ralph Naidoo
Ohh defeat Rufus AKA defies all kind of nickname. The Welsh Terrier is lovely and yeah, it’s again, it’s just having a focus in life. You know, we all work hard and to me. Going out to drone racing videos, ride my electric electric off road bike, taking the dog out for walking the woods. It’s all things that we all need to unwind. And that’s and that’s why you know, it’s important to have something that unwinds you. And I’ve got lots of them. So I need them.

Kirsty van den Bulk
We’re talking about like you’ve got your. Golf clubs behind you?

Ralph Naidoo
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Well, it’s it’s. Sorry, it’s golf, it’s golf World City. There’s so many great courses around me. And plenty of them, plenty of them still.

Kirsty van den Bulk
I am. I’m appalling at golf. I remember trying to have golf lessons down in Banstead where I, you know, Christ, where I grew up and they kept asked me to stand like a duck. And that was me gone. I just couldn’t do it. The dance training, you know, stick your bummer. It’s not happening. It’s just not happening. So I was terrible, but I I must watch you at some point. And and maybe I could drive the cart and just giggle. In fact, maybe I could just do the champagne.

Ralph Naidoo
You could you could be my caddy anytime. Come on.

Kirsty van den Bulk
Awesome. Well, this is where the tables turn, so you get to ask me a question because I know that you’ve got to run off, so I’ve gotta be. Aware of the times, you’ve gotta run off to go into work, so you get to. Turn the tables and ask me a question.

Ralph Naidoo
Turn the tables and ask your question. Ohh wow. OK, that’s an interesting one. Are you going on holiday this year?

Kirsty van den Bulk
I am. We’ve literally just booked it. We had this wonderful plan of going abroad because what the, the school, my daughters, bilingual. So we had a plan of going to a country where she could use the language and. And actually she’s trying English, I should say. So we had a plan of using one of the languages. But actually the cost is just too much and we have to go to one of the countries because that’s where we’re open live. So we’ve we we’re going to Devon and I’m really excited I I love.

Kirsty van den Bulk
And so we are. We’re staying like, well, kind of local and we will be having an absolute hoot down in Devon for two whole weeks. And I cannot wait.

Ralph Naidoo
Oh no, it’s not that.

Kirsty van den Bulk
What about you?

Ralph Naidoo
No holidays planned, but I’m sure something will turn up. There’ll be plenty of golf holiday with the lads, that’s for sure. You know, weekends, the way we can wait here and there. But yeah, family holiday not planned anything yet, but something will come up. I generally like the Isle of Wight. I love it there for some reason. Falling in love with the other one been going there for the last sort of seven years. And I just think it’s like, you know, it’s a quick hop over the ferry and it’s and depends where you stay, you can have a real really nice time with there, really nice places to eat really kind of places to go with the dog or walk around, you know beaches and stuff. And it’s not really that busy unless you get the all the wild festival. Period, which is busy, but normally it’s quite nice. I quite like to again spend a couple of weeks there at least, which is quite nice, yeah.

Kirsty van den Bulk
We I used to go there as a child. There was a Westbrook house that was a crusader camp. Don’t talk about very often, but anyway, you scared crusade to camp there and it was really good fun and we always went to Blackgang Chai. I think it’s called.

Ralph Naidoo
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s cold out there.

Kirsty van den Bulk
So absolutely brilliant. I can’t believe we just talked about the Isle of Wight in Devon. I have very enjoyed the talk. I don’t wanna hold you any long because I know you’ve gotta run to an office and help them. So thank you for your time today.

Ralph Naidoo
My pleasure. Lovely to talk to you and talk to you again soon. Take care.