“Ten thousand Twitter followers won’t help you when you’re broken down on the side of the road. But a few good friends will.”
The introverted tendency to build deep relationships with just a few people may seem like a disadvantage when it comes to marketing a business. But Tom Schwab argues that the tools of technology allow us to build meaningful relationships and establish trust while reaching hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of potential customers—through podcast interviews.
Tom is the founder of Interview Valet, a concierge-level Podcast Interview Marketing service that helps small business owners, entrepreneurs and solopreneurs get featured on leading podcasts in their area of expertise, targeting prospective clients and turning listeners into leads. Tom sees marketing as a conversation, and he contends that podcasts are the ideal format for introverted entrepreneurs who excel in building meaningful relationships: Share your heart with the host, and reach a much wider audience in the process!
Today, Tom shares how his experience in the Navy led to a love of connecting with other people. He explains the impetus behind Interview Valet, discussing how the service allows entrepreneurs to get in on the conversations their ideal customers are already having. Tom describes how his ability to listen and remember puts people at ease, why he builds in time to recharge at conferences, and how he invests in himself through a consistent morning routine. He also offers insight around how Play Bigger taught him to focus on being different rather than trying to compete with others. Listen in and learn how Tom seeks to learn something from every person he meets, embracing the idea that what’s ordinary to you is extraordinary to others!
In this episode you’ll learn…
- Tom’s take on marketing as a conversation with someone.
- How introverts can use the power of the internet to connect with ideal customers.
- How to get in on the conversations your ideal customers are already having.
- How Interview Valet helps entrepreneurs get featured on podcasts.
- The findings of the Interview Valet study, The 2017 State of Podcast Interviews.
- How Tom’s ability to listen and remember puts people at ease.
- The introverted tendency to build deep relationships.
- How podcasts allow you to build trust with potential customers.
- The value in repurposing content.
- How Tom builds in time to recharge at live events.
- His insight that what’s ordinary to you is amazing to others.
- How Tom’s morning routine allows him to invest in himself.
- How he uses Zoom to connect with people all over the world.
- How Play Bigger taught Tom that ‘competition is for losers.’
Tom’s favorite quote
“The customers have the answers
We just need to be smart enough to know right answer when told.”
Other links and resources mentioned in this episode:
Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah
The 2017 State of Podcast Interviews
Podcast Guest Profits: Grow Your Business with a Targeted Interview Strategy by Thomas M. Schwab
Play Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers, and Innovators Create and Dominate Markets by Al Ramadan, Dave Peterson, Christopher Lochhead and Kevin Maney
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
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Warmly
Sarah