Secret Sauce

I’m often asked how I’ve been able to secure interviews with some of the top business book authors of our generation. So here’s the scoop; the secret sauce on getting interviews with brilliant, busy people:

I asked them.

Shocking, I know. There’s really nothing more complicated than that. A few people never replied to my emails. One author politely requested that we reschedule in 2014 (yes, really). But, by and large, the people I’ve been reaching out to have been extremely receptive. On further reflection, I think there are a couple aspects of my “ask” that made it easier for them to say yes:

• I’d read their books. At least one, often several.
• I’d promoted their books through ActionableBooks.com.*
• I have a legitimate and strong interest in their subject matter. In other words, I wasn’t trying to leverage their name for self gain. Obviously, that’s a fringe benefit to having some heavy hitters in the interview archives, but it was not the reason for wanting to interview them. And I think that resonates.
• I traveled to them and did everything I could to accommodate their schedules. (Gary and I had to reschedule 3 times before we finally got together, as an example)
• I was exceptionally clear about what I wanted. (30 minutes of their time to discuss the concepts from their most recent book). People like clarity.

*a caveat here – I reviewed and promoted their books because I liked their books. Not because I planned to leverage that summary to make them feel like they owed me something.

I believe that if (a) the person you want to meet with genuinely cares about their subject matter, (b) you genuinely care about their subject matter, (c) you’re persistent and (d) a little bit lucky, you can find, connect and engage with virtually anyone you want to.