The art of an interview

I don't care who you are, get ready to learn from the best.

Whether it is interviewing someone for an article, a radio or TV show or just to find out what the other person on the other side of the table is thinking, it is important to remember one thing.

It isn't what you know about the person your talking to, its what you don't know about that person that makes the interview exciting.

Facts are facts and just hashing over them makes for some boring content and just as boring of an interview process.

TIP #1: Bring a laptop with you. Back in my day, we used notepads and 3x5 index cards we filled with questions we wanted to ask. Use the laptop as a means to ask questions and record voice answers.

TIP #2: Start recording from the time you get out of your vehicle to the time you get back into it. The best quotes happen at the beginning and when the person being interviewed thinks the interview is over.

TIP #3: Never try to ad lib the person you interviewed or put words in his or her mouth. Not only does the dialog sound corny,  you can be sued.

If you do it right, you should have all the necessary facts to build the article on before going through the interview process -- the template for this is in the back of the book -- and you should be able to hedge your questions based on the direction of the story.

But here's the ones I love to ask:

1. Tell me more about how you went from a broke on the streets Vietnam Vet to owning this business with gross sales over 10 million.
2. What was the best business decision you made -- and leave the wife out of this.
3. Who is your hardest customer to work with -- and leave the wife out of this.
4. Who is your most important customer -- again, leave your wife out of this.
5. How do you treat your customers differently?
6. What's your proudest customer experience that you can remember?
7. What was the craziest promotion you used to get customers through the door?
8. What was the biggest mistake you made that you experienced and learned from? And don't use this interview as an example. 
9. What steps do you use to help your staff be more customer friendly?
10. What techniques do you use to keep the cost  of your products down?
11. What's the most exciting aspect of the business for you?
12. What's the most challenging?
13. I see you have a lot of trophies on your wall how important is sports in your life and your children's?
14. Ten years from now, when you look back. What business strategy would you start today that would would still be serving you well?
15. Do you use the internet to help you sell your products and services?
16. What social medium do you find most useful? Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogs, Facebook or something else?
17. What is your greatest challenge for this year? How are you addressing it?
18. Where do you see yourself 7 years from now?
19. Do you see your business as being the best location for your business today?
20. How does the population growth in your community effect your business?
21. Do you use on location radio advertising?
22. What do you think advertising does for your business?
23. How do you train your employees to be their best while working with your customers?
24. Do you sponsor any events or activities in your community?
25. What is the most important VIP that has walked through your door?
26. If something would happen to you, how would this business manage?
27. Do you treat your employees as family?
28. What kinds of incentive programs do you have for your employees?
29. Do you help them to get a higher education? 
30. Do you have an Employee of the Month board?
31. What point of purchase strategies are you using?
32. Explain why the layout of your merchandise is the way it is? 
33. What's the easiest part of your job?
34. What is the hardest part of your job?
35. How do you manage shelf life products?
36. What makes your business special?
37. Do you have a suggestion box?
38. Do you have Android Apps that notify the customer when there is a sale on something they use?
39. Do you have website how to  articles that help your customers use the products and services more effectively? 
40. Do you ever go on vacation?
41. Describe how you see yourself?
42. Have you thought about bring your business to your customers?
43. Do you help educate and inform the newer generation on the value and importance of your products and your services?
44. What's the largest purchase ever made at your business?
45. Do you have any "try me" corners?
46. Do you promote art, artists and photography?
47. Do you use contests to promote your business?
48. Are your products seasonal? If so, how do you deal with off season sales?
49. What other businesses do you support?
50. What does customer satisfaction mean to you?

I could keep on going and going. But here's the important thing to remember, the questions you need to ask are the questions which make the story flow from one point to the next.

Two things you have to remember and respect.  You're taking up his or her time to talk to you. And you need to ask questions that shouldn't take 20 minutes to for him or her to answer and explain why he or she answered that way.

Here's a small example of how I work a spunky personality:

When John Gun gets up in the morning, he does what every man on this planet does. Takes a shower, gets dressed, eats breakfast with his family, kisses Martha -- his wife and head off to work at his pet store. But when he's at his pet store and his customers come walking through the door, he becomes their local Buddy Hackett.

While a lady is looking at a Blue Burmese kitten, "Oh, I wouldn't buy that kitten?"

"Why not" asks the lady.

"Look at her! She's only got one life left!" and as he walks away, "Cute little fur ball."

Reflecting on his approach, he laughs, "I've sold more kittens this way than the local SPCA. That rhymed, you know.  Way,  SPCA?"

My best quotes happened either while I was a bystander or right after the interviewee thought the recorder was off.

Things like:
  
"If there is anything I can't stand its people calling us the 3rd CAB because it sounds like CAV and CAV we are not!", said the Sergeant Major.


And:

"If you really want to know what I think about own any small business venture today, what makes the business special is what's inside the box. Inside the four walls.  

"Not just the quality of the products or the services. 

"You could go to Amazon and get that.  

"Its the exchange between customers my sales force and met on the floor making the customer smile, treating them like human beings and making them feel special. 

"And not a number on a spreadsheet."

My English teacher said I have a way with words. I also have a way with people to get those words.

Time to move on.