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Show Notes

In this episode, I sit down with Patrick Donadio, a communication strategist, speaker, and executive coach who’s trained thousands of leaders across Fortune 100 companies. Patrick is the author of The IMPACT Process — a framework that helps leaders communicate with intention, clarity, and purpose.

We talk about how to think before you speak, how to build systems that support authentic communication, and how clarity can completely transform your business relationships. Patrick also shares his own journey — how he left his job at 28 to start his firm, landed his first clients, and eventually built a thriving practice that serves some of the biggest corporations in the world.

If you’ve ever felt like your message isn’t landing, or that your business depends on relationships but you’re not sure how to deepen them, this conversation will give you a clear roadmap.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to think before you speak using Patrick’s proven IMPACT Process.
• Why intention is the most powerful starting point in any communication.
• How to build repeatable systems that make your business referable.
• Patrick's best advice to grow a successful firm.

If you’re a coach or consultant navigating the noise of automation, this episode is a refreshing reminder that what people crave most is real connection.

Connect with Patrick:

• Website:https://patrickdonadio.com/
• LinkedIn:http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickdonadio.
• Download the IMPACT©” Process Model:https://patrickdonadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Communicating-with-IMPACT-Wheel.pdf

Patrick Donario is a communication strategist and a communication coach who has trained thousands of leaders in Fortune 100 companies. Patrick authored the Impact Process, a communication system to help you communicate with impact, with clarity, and to create deep relationships. You know, when people tell us that we need to think before you speak, that we have two ears instead of one mouth because we're supposed to listen twice as much as we speak, that's easy to say, but...

but Patrick really offers us a system that really details what needs to happen under that think part of the process. So join me for this conversation. Not only we will go into this communication impact, Patrick also tells us his story on how he entered this line of business, how he got his firm to be so successful, how he started working with some of these

massive corporations in Fortune 100. And he also shared his best advice for business development and is one of my favorite conversations out there at the Business of Trust. So you are in for a treat. This is such an energetic conversation and you will really enjoy it. Please make sure to rate us and subscribe to whatever platform you're listening from and let's tune in. Here we go.

Hey Patrick, welcome to the Business of Trust Podcast.

Hey, here you go, good to see you, my friend.

I heard you for the first time through our mutual friend, Damian Goldvarg, who has a podcast, Lead With A Coaching Mindset. And as soon as I heard this conversation, I became a big fan and I knew I had to have you in the podcast. I'm so honored that you said yes. So I want to start since the beginning. Like, how did you get into this line of business?

Well, how much time do you have? I think at very early age, I always enjoyed interacting and communicating. I was always hanging around my aunts and uncles and older adults.

And at some point, I of realized, actually, I'm kind of funny and entertaining. So I tend to find myself in the center of attention.

I got a job where I was in charge of creating seminars for ⁓ police officers. But that job as the association program director really taught me about speaking and training. And literally in about a year and a half, my boss left, I got promoted.

to executive director. And that's when I realized I really like speaking and training. that was the turning point because I was hiring speakers and I was saying to myself, you know, these speakers are pretty good, but I think I'm pretty good. So literally at the age of 28, Hugo, I just quit my job and jumped out to be a speaker and a trainer. And that's how I got started in this line of business.

Obviously, I didn't realize that if you want to be an entrepreneur, like a lot of our listeners are, it takes more than really being good at what you do. It also means you have to be a good marketer and a salesperson. But that's how I got into the business. I had a passion for what I love to do. I was good at it, I thought. And at some point, I just made a commitment to take the risk. And then I like to use the word actually make a risk and not take a risk because I really didn't just jump out. I had calculated that I had enough money to live on for a couple of years. I knew enough about.

what it takes to be a business leader, because I was running an association. But I think the story that we all share is very interesting for people to know where you come from, because that determines a lot about who you are and also about how you're to add value to other people's lives.

It sounds like you jumped into this with a lot of clarity and conviction. And what strikes me is like, you're 28. So I want to zoom in into that moment. You're 28. You're like, OK, let's go. have enough money saved for two years. How did you go from that moment to landing your first account?

Yeah. Well, the first thing I did was I went back and tapped all of my network. So my first account was actually, I had spoken when I was the director for the association at a couple of different national conferences, but I wasn't getting paid. was just, you know, doing it as a part of my job. So the first thing I did, which I think a lot of people who are listening today, if you're just starting your business is go to where your network lives or where you are called a low hanging fruit. So I went back to an association ⁓ conference that I had spoken to for free and said, listen,

I'm back on my own now. I'd love to come back and do that again. So they were gracious enough to bring me in. And I came back this time and got a paycheck. Not the kind of paycheck I think I deserve, but it was a paid engagement. So that first account for me was just going back into my network. And pretty much for that first year, I tapped into a lot of my contacts at different associations that I had connected with as an association director and also at different law enforcement agencies that I connected with.

Then of course, once my network ran out, then I realized, ⁓ I really don't know what I'm going to do next. Cause I didn't know how to sell and market Hugo. So I had all this stuff and then it died up. And then I'm like, boy. And that's when I learned about the national speakers association. And eventually of course, ⁓ international coaching federation about 15 years later, when I started coaching.

tell us a little bit more about that just because you know, it doesn't mean necessarily that they're going to hire you. There's got to be, you got to do your part, right? The marketing part, right? The business development, right? when you're faced with this problem, the National Speaker Association and the International Coaching Federation supported you, but in what way? How, how, how did you play that marketing game?

Right. Yes.

Yeah.

Yeah. Well, I think to me, both of those associations are what I call your tribe, right? People that do what you do. And so if you're listening right now, you don't have a tribe, you know, find a place where people hang out to do what you do, because you're going to learn from people who are five, six, know, eight years ahead of you. So the National Speakers Association, we had a local chapter.

I had seen a speaker locally who was a member of that chapter. said, hey, take me to breakfast. I'll tell you how you get into the business. And he recommended I go to this group. And at the time, Hugo, you have to remember I was single. So it was a bigger risk. But you I like mac and cheese. You know, didn't have to worry about feeding a family. But I went to the meeting and I just felt like, wow, these are my people. mean, people were very helpful, very nice. They were telling me about the kind of things that they did to get started, what mistakes they made.

So I think early on, whether you have an association or not, you need to surround yourself with people to support you, because it can be a lonely business. I'm over two decades or more doing this and I've always been a solopreneur, but I've always had people that I could tap into to help So that's kind of how I jumped in. And then from there, I learned a lot about sales and marketing.

If you want to be in business for the long haul, you got to be good at what you do, but you also have to be good at

driving in the business and building those relationships. that kind of is a little bit about how that association helped me. And just one last thing for both of those organizations, I've got involved and paid forward. So I've been on the board for the National Speakers Association. I've been the chapter president twice for NSC Ohio. I was a founder for our ICF chapter in Columbus, Ohio, because I'm a big believer when you get something, you have a responsibility to pay it forward to help other people. So what goes around comes around.

Hey there, just a quick message before we continue. I'm your host Hugo Sanchez and I'm the founder of Mundus Media, the sponsor of this podcast. I created this show because I was tired of seeing coaches and consultants getting sold cheap marketing tactics that just don't work. I think that real growth doesn't come from this hacks, they come from solid relationships, referrals and reputation. That's exactly how we operate at Mundus Media. We are full service.

digital marketing agency that helps B2B coaches and consultants grow through relationship-based marketing strategies, not by commoditizing your brand, but by amplifying what makes you unique. Think of us as your tech savvy sidekick for product launches, web development, podcast production, email marketing, and ad campaigns. If you're curious about how we can help you, check out our work at mundesmedia.com. Okay, back to our conversation.

Definitely. And I mean, I'm single too, so I can relate to what you're saying. Did you meet your wife at the NSA or the ICF by any chance?

Yeah, no, I didn't. I

didn't get married until I was 33. So I was a pretty old guy, but I met my wife. That's a whole other story on a blind date from two of my friends that I had known from college. So anyways, but I did. Yeah, yeah. But you know, it's all about relationships, right? That's just another example of referrals. You get referrals and next thing you know, it could turn into something great.

different story. It is. ⁓

Right, ⁓ Patrick, something that I'm always interested in is I think that I've seen the power of that...

these relationships can have to bring our business to a whole other level. Like I'm an immigrant and I came here with no context and through my work I've met people but these people have referred me and some of them have referred me a lot. I call them champions. People who just love and work and to love what I do and refer me like crazy. Have you had champions in your life that just like took your business to a whole other league? Can you tell us perhaps a story of one of them?

Yes.

Right.

Yeah,

you know, I've been very blessed because nobody gets there on their own, right? because to get where we are, we've got to really ask for help. And that was a big thing, I think, for me. I had a hard time asking for help. But as I got into these relationships, particularly again, I, NSA Ohio, I met some some great people who, you know, took me under their wings and then.

Real quickly, we started, and I don't know you know much Hugo about a mastermind group, but we started the mastermind group where about five or six of us speakers got together every month and we tried to help each other. So again, I had the support from my colleagues and believe it or not, I got support from my clients. I'll give you a quick story. This is a little bit later on into my career, but we just moved to a new city. I'm in Ohio and our kids are fairly young and the local chamber asked me, would you be willing to come and do a little presentation for...

students and I said, listen, I don't really talk to students. said, but my kids are young and maybe someday they'll be on the program. So I did. And it was not a fee paid engagement. So I went and did my workshop on presentation skills. And I met the woman who was the organizer and she brought her husband. And so at end of the event, her husband comes up to me says, oh my gosh, you are really good. Do ever talk to adults? And I said, oh my, I said, I always talk to adults. I never talk to kids because well, you know, here's my card. want you to reach out to me. Well, this guy was a vice president for a fortune 500 company and

We got together. He brought me in to do a little bit of a workshop. Now at this point, Hugo, I'm also doing coaching And I said, well, listen, I'd be happy also to do some coaching. He know, funny, why you coach me? So I did a workshop. I coached him. And then right after he says, man, you're amazing, but I got to tell you something. Your fees are too low. If you want to work with my company, you have to raise your fees. I'm like,

Okay, I've never had anybody tell me I gotta raise my fees. And literally Hugo, for the next 10 years, this gentleman brought me into his company and I pretty much coached, I don't know, over 20 people through this organization, both in the C-suite and at the VP level. So again, this is not gonna happen all the time, but that's the power of relationships, both your peers who can help you, but also your clients.

relationships are such an important component. And believe it or not,

Great communication skills are one of the key ways to build deeper relationships.

And that's a perfect segue into the next question that I have for you because you have authored a wonderful framework called the Impact Framework. I'll let you explain it to us, but ⁓ in a nutshell, how can this ⁓ communication framework help us establish key relationships with people?

Yeah. Well, I think for all of us who are business owners or entrepreneurs, most of us are selling a service, right? And intangible. So we have to work really hard at making something intangible, tangible. And for me, I mean, I was doing communication skills training for a long time, but I happened to be lucky enough to be a goodwill ambassador to Japan, Hugo. And I was over there with Rotary and I stayed for four weeks living with Japanese families. And I learned so much about the culture, but I also learned something that really changed the way I look at my business. And that is

One day on my third host family, I was really, really tired of eating, you know, sushi, which people love, but I like, just wanted the hamburger. So I said to my host family, hey, they had two little kids that said, could we go to McDonald's? Cause I'm kind of homesick. And so they were like, Oh, McDonald's. So their parents and the kids, went to McDonald's and I, and it could be any fast food restaurant, right? But I got the hamburger and the fries. And when I was eating that, first of all, I felt good cause it was comfort food. But second thing I noticed was this food tastes exactly the same. And it did back here in the States.

And that's when it dawned on me, you know what? When you have a process or a system, you get a much greater result. So when I got back to the States, ironically, I found a book by Michael Gerber called The E-Myth, which talks about processes and systems. And so I took my communications workshop and I decided, and again, this is a long time ago, to create a process. And so that's how I came up with the impact process. And so if you don't mind, I'll take like 60, 70 seconds. I'll walk you through the six steps and then we can go deep on any one of these.

But these are the six keys that I've learned over my years as a speaker, a trainer, and as an educator, and as a student, and I'm still a student. I mean, I'm a lifelong learner. That to be a great communicator, there are really six key elements. So it's the word impact. And if you'd like, Hugo, I could even give you a link and we could put in the show notes if people want to get a look at the process. But let me share it for you quickly. The I is the intention. Every great communication starts with the thought. Think before you speak.

Definitely.

We're all impatient today. We all tend to want to hurry up, know, just start typing, just start picking up the phone, just start talking. But what I tell people is look, take 30 seconds, take a step back and ask yourself, why am I having this communication? Don't start with the what, start with the why. And then of course, I have a laser focused intention template that I like to teach people in that. The is the message and the method. So once you know the intention, what's the best method and what's the best message, right? And we use it, we want to go to our go-to method. I love email. I love a text. I like to pick up the phone.

But I tell people, think about the receiver's favorite method and start there. Because if you start there, they're going to more likely to respond. So pick the right method. Then you want to frame the message, right? A good opening, you have your body, a closing, whether it's a speech, an email, a conversation like we're having today, you have an opening, body, and a closing. And we talk a lot about creating content. So then I like to say, know, intent before content, then intent drives content, right? The P is the person, and we're all different. And I know a lot of coaches are...

who are out there who are using personality profiles. But I think to me, just be aware that again, when you're communicating, don't assume we're all the same. So take your message that you've created to achieve your intention and adjust it to the person, Introverts, extroverts, analyticals, relationals, you wanna think about the receiver and make that connection. That's the IAMP, the IAM planning. The A is activate. There are two things we talk about in the activation step, active listening and active engagement.

And those are really important components. just going back to sales, right? know, good salespeople are great listeners. They're not out there selling and promoting. They're asking, they're diagnosing, they're coming up with, you know, what I call the problem solving mindset. So being a good listener and then of course, active engagement, right? In today's world, everybody wants to be engaged. I don't know, Hugo, if you've heard of the Gallup studies, but they've been tracking engagement for the last 15 years. you know, literally a year, about a third of the people are engaged.

You know, so being able to engage people is very important. That's the A. The C is clarify, right? How do you make sure the message you sent is the same message? Checking for understanding. And then of course the T, which is my favorite step. And it's really my coaching step is transform. And that is how do you transform this interaction into the intention you set? And we talk about two types of transformations. External, which we all know about deadlines and follow ups. But then the other one that comes from my coaches training is the internal transformation, right?

What's going to get in the way in terms of the mindset or the belief of this person helping you get to the intention you want to achieve? So there you go. You got the eight hour workshop in about 90 seconds. But I think it's important for people to be aware that to be a great communicator, it's not a soft skill. There's a little bit of a science to it. And whether you use my system or not, at least I want to encourage people who are listening, take some time to think before you start communicating about what it is that's going to make this a very valuable and impactful interaction.

When I first heard about this framework, I just absolutely loved it. Because a lot of times I just find myself speaking and then I just miss the point. I didn't take the time. They say, before you speak. But that's easy to say. But a framework actually offers you what to think of. What do you want to think of before you speak is the impact ⁓ process. ⁓

It just brings a lot of a system, like it brings a lot of clarity into the step by step of what to do before I actually open my mouth. So thank you for that.

Well, you're welcome. You're welcome. And I can tell that you actually

are really good at this because I got a very thorough response from you talking about how to get us really clear about what our goal is today. So you were good about the intention and crafting some important things for me to be more valuable to your listeners. So thank you, Hugo.

Yeah.

Well, thank you. Thank you. Coming from you, that's a huge compliment. know that when I was exploring your website, I know that you also do business development coaching. And what I love about you doing this is that, I mean, you're very well established in the industry and you are talking from experience. So that's really... ⁓

Yes.

powerful. And when I started this podcast, it was because, as I was telling you earlier, that I've seen so much noise out there when it comes to marketing, so much noise around like what I call the marketing bro of like this webinar, this funnel got me 30,000, you know, like it's so I want it. I don't believe that works. I haven't seen it work. And I wanted to offer anecdotal evidence of what works. And so I think we're in the same note here.

Yeah.

Right?

are listening and they are trying to grow their firm. What would be the best line of advice that you would give to them? And you share a lot already, but ⁓ I'm sure there's more.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, thank you. And

you know, that was the other group that I mentioned. You talked about long-term clients. Another organization that I ended up working with was actually my first coaching client was a law firm. So I had been doing business development training and they asked me to come in and help them help their lawyers build their practice, which I think anybody who has a service is building a practice, whether you happen to be a consultant or a speaker or a trainer.

So, but I came in and did that and that's another example where they had me for like six years coaching all their people. But what I think is critical about business development is number one is to have clarity around your value and what you offer. So when you go to your website, I want you to like if you haven't been your website recently, go to your website and take a look on your homepage. Is it about you or is it about your value that you offer your receiver? So number one is people buy from people they know like and trust.

and people buy from people they know can give them value and offer a solution to their problem. So you want to make sure A, you're a problem solver, B, you talk about the problem you can solve, and C, you share at least some value about what you can do. So don't be afraid to give away some tips, right? Don't always say, well, that's in my book. can, you buy my book. That's not what it's all about, right? It's about building deep relationships. So number one, lead with intention, right? Number two, be a great problem solver, right? And be clear about that. And I think a lot of folks, and I know myself,

Hugo or my first 10 years, I was all about me. You me, me, me, me, me, me. Look at my website, a picture of me. And then here I got this degree. And then I realized that really it's about the buyer. And another phrase that I heard from a speaker, Jeffrey Gidamer, is a sales speaker. He said, you're not selling, you're just helping people buy. And that really shifted for me the mindset, right? That, yeah, I'm not really helping. I'm not selling. I'm just helping people buy. I know I have a good service to offer.

And if they don't hire me, they're going to get somebody else who may be, you know, one of those folks you talked about, buy my $30,000. Right. So, so thinking about the value you can offer others and building those relationships. And then the last thing, which what we're doing today in a way is really being visible. Right. You got to be out there. You got to have a brand. You got to build your brand. Right. My brand is impact. Everything I do now is around my impact process, communicating with impact, presenting with impact, branding with impact. Right. And so I've learned over years and it takes time. It takes time to get that clarity.

But once you get that clarity, people start to know who you are, then you got to continually to get your message out there. So again, I could probably do a whole other podcast, you know, who go about, but I want to at give some folks some ideas of the things that I've learned over the last, you know, two decades of being in business. And, know, it's something I love. I would never go back to a real job. I don't mean that in a negative way, but I will say it's a lot of work. So if you don't love what you're doing and you're not doing it really well, there's a good chance you're not going to be around.

I just want to say, like, I love how your mind works because, I mean, you have such a capacity, I can see, bringing process, clarity, and like pinpoint the essentials in things that can be very complex, emotionally complex or complex because of all the, of how overwhelming it can be, you know, to grow your business. And I've been doing marketing for a while and I completely agree with everything you're saying.

Thank you.

Yeah, you're welcome.

I know we're almost out of time, but there's one last thing I wanted to share. mentioned the process and yeah, I have my impact process, but I also want to give folks who are listening today, we talk about business development. I have a little business development process and I call it the BDA. What do do before you get the client? What do you do during your work with the client and what do you do after the client? And if you can create a system that's repeatable around those three elements and start to really get in this process of every time I get a new prospect, I do one, two, three, four, five.

And when I'm working with them, I do one, two, three, four, five, six. And once they are done working with me, I do four, five, six, seven, eight. This system of processes can really, really grow your business. And that's kind of what I've done in my business development coaching is I've really helped people take what they think is, you ⁓ I just do these things to say, no, you get to do them in some kind of a formal structured way that's going to really be repeatable. And when you're repeatable, you're referable. And when you're referable, you can hang around for a couple of decades.

Patrick, thank you so much for all the amazing advice that you have shared with our audience today. This has been one of my favorite episodes so far. for people who are listening and they want to connect with you, where would you like to send them? What would be the best way for them to connect with you?

Yeah, I think for me again, LinkedIn, if you're on LinkedIn, that's a great place to go. So go to my LinkedIn website. It's simply Patrick Donato at LinkedIn, you know, and I'm started to post and Damien and I are working together. We're posting every week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So I'm putting up a lot of value there. I'm not putting up, know, hire me. It's all about things you can learn today. Actually, I just put up my post and it was about how to get more paid engagements. So ironically, it's a good timing. So LinkedIn is a great place to go. You can always go to my website, Patrick Donato dot com.

or email me Patrick at Patrick Donadio. So it's pretty easy. It's all about Patrick Donadio. So I made it, I'll try to make it simple, right Hugo? So people can find you. Yeah.

Simple branding.

Simple brand is I always say people go with your name as a brand because like people know you and meet and they want to work with you. make that the brand. Well, Patrick, thank you so much for the generosity of advice you've shared with us today. I'm so honored that you spend this time with us. Thank you.

Right? Yeah.

Yeah,

great to be here.

Hey, that's all for today. I hope that you enjoyed my conversation with Patrick. Make sure to check out the show notes because there's a few links out there with some information about the impact process, also more information about Patrick. If you really like this conversation, make sure to subscribe from Raiders and whatever platform you're listening from.

Every Friday, there's a new episode with a new guest. And we always talk about business development, developing trust, and solid relationships to propel your business forward.

So if you want to stay in the loop, just make sure to go to the distanceofthrust.com and subscribe. Bye for now.