The Dig

Johnnie Martinez 0:04
On today's episode of the Dig, I am joined by Declan North of Tarrick Financial Services and I will let him introduce himself and go deeper into his background.

North, Declan 0:13
Johnny, thanks very much.
Obviously Declan North and Global Director of Trade and financial Services for tariffs financial services, looking after the Materials processing Division materials processing is one of the two segments or one of the three segments of the Terex Corp, which is quite a diverse segment.
I have been with financial services.
Now I'm heading into the 10th year, so only feels like yesterday when I joined.
I'm an Irishman from the accent, I'm sure you can detect, but based in the UK and I covered a globe from my little office here in Chinar in Oxford.
So delighted to be on and look forward to this podcast.
Johnnie Martinez 1:03
Fantastic. Well, it's great to have you.
I'm glad we were able to get connected and.
You know, I think it's important to talk about everything you guys are doing, especially, you know you look at it from a a global scale, this industry is changing so much all the time.
You know the individual lending segments and then the wider lending space from where you sit in the role you have, you know what makes kind of your job at Terex Financial Services unique and what makes the the division you cover so so unique in the space?
North, Declan 1:34
Oh, that's that's that's really the $6 million question.
I'll tell you why I love the job I it is the uniqueness of it.
So Terrib financial services, we are the captive arm, but we don't operate on books.
So we operate with a number of funding partners.
What makes my role really unique is that when I say it's a global role, most people show that global role into their title.
But this is truly a global role. So.
Material processing cell or have dealers or provide facilities?
I have an involvement in it and that's from the start right through to the finish. So it's a really integrated job. I get to see different cultures.
So last year I was in Australia, I was in India, I was in Dubai.
You don't know where you're going to find yourself, which means that you're not just restricted.
To one area or one segment or one territory.
You've gotta get a broader understanding of the different cultural and we may talk the same language, but there's different variances and cultural differences as you go from country to country, region to region.
So you know, that's what makes it quite unique.
What makes Turks material processing unique is we're made-up of about 2627 different business units, each one of them has a different requirement.
It's quite a diverse portfolio of businesses and that's what makes it really interesting.
So you get to see.
You know.
Concrete mixer truck. You get to see a volumetric mixer truck. You get to see a shredder, you get to see Crane, you get to see material handler. You get to see a crusher or a power screen or Finley crushing screen.
And so it's really quite diverse.
Eve equip screeners no two days are the same and no, no. Same.
No two hours are the same, let alone 2 days of the same.
So that's what makes it really exciting.
And we work with a great crew.
You know, our guys are really, really professional.
They're they're long term employees that have a really passionate feel about the business and I suppose we're the same, whether it's the financial services, whether it's the equipment side, you really are ingrained in the business and kind of passionate about it.
Johnnie Martinez 4:07
That's you OK11 other question. I was gonna wanna ask, and I was gonna have this at the end, but I'll. I'll go ahead and do it here because of what you're just talking about.
You know, I've had the luxury of talking with a lot of people who operate in this industry, especially at the the United States domestic level.
Or, you know, they'll do some international stuff with Canada or Mexico with you operating on this global level, right?
What advice would you give to someone who's kind of stepping into that?
Level of equipment finance and starting to operate in that world as far as you know a global.
Level of transactions and interacting with people all around the world versus maybe just Aus or just auk. Just a domestic transactions.
North, Declan 4:47
Yeah, yeah, that's a great question.
And it's quite funny. So to kind of give you a little bit of history, I I moved to the UK 14 years ago.
So up until then.
All my working life had been in Ireland.
Expect that you move to the UK.
That would be fairly similar to Arlington.
The similarity was kind of the language.
You know the products were slightly different.
The the actual.
Way people transacted was totally different. So it was the first kind of eye opener. And then as I moved to the UK and I started having a kind of more of an international role, the advice I would give is embrace the local culture and get to know that.
Local culture before.
Trying to predetermine what you want to offer, because once again, you know, they may have the same.
Products, but the delivery of those products or the the local way of dealing is is different, you know Middle East is totally different to India, which is totally different to China, which is totally different states, which is totally different to Europe, you know and that that was one.
Of the things I think over the last 14 years.
That is really struck home with me is.
Understand who you're dealing with and understand the culture, because I think that's that's the first step to actually making it a success, because if you get to know that person or get to know their culture and accept and embrace, it makes a big difference.
A simple little thing.
Irish people tend to talk very fast.
Slow down, you know.
I mean, I know you're there. You go that you know, if you had to set that to be 14 years ago.
Johnnie Martinez 6:31
That.
North, Declan 6:35
Yeah. No, I don't know what you're talking about.
But yeah, you know it's that would be my my best advice.
Look at the target market.
Look at the culture.
Understand the culture.
I'll tell you a funny story, but I went and started doing business in India. First I sat in the meeting and the Indian people are fantastic.
People are absolutely lovely people, but they don't like to say no and you know, I came away thinking, wow, that was really good and really, you know.
Really easy and when I got back to the UKI started sending my follow up emails, you know, kind of this what we're going to go. Oh, no, we can't really do that.
And I was kind of going, you should have told me that when I was down there, but my local guys were kind of gone.
They didn't want to offend you and then kind of go well. You know, I'm usually. I'm not usually offended so.
Prefer to talk direct, but that was an eye opener for me.
You know, 'cause, I came away thinking I had agreed something, but I agreed nothing and I had to go back and start all over again, you know.
So that was that was a really big learning experience, but I've enjoy...