Guy Kawasaki:The Interview

Enchantment by Guy Kawasaki

It is difficult to pigeonhole Guy Kawasaki, is he a marketing guru from Apple’s early days? Is he a best selling author, venture capitalist, entrepreneur or Alltop co-founder?

He has taken his interests and passions to a new level, being successful at each one.

I wrote a book review of Guy’s latest book, Enchantment, over at Yakezie.  Please pop over and see what you think.

Guy was in the middle of his marketing campaign, and I was appreciative of his giving me a little of his time.

The Interview: Guy Kawasaki:

Dr Dean: Where did you come up with the title, Enchantment?

Guy: Cialdini has persuasion, has Gladwell has Tipping Point, I wanted my own word.

Dr Dean: Enchantment is kind of old school, you don’t hear it much any more…

Guy: Maybe that’s because there is not a lot of Enchantment going on!

Dr Dean: You have written many books and a common theme is your approach to marketing, how have you developed your thoughts on that subject?

Guy: When I think about it, I have been studying marketing for at least the last thirty years-since I started my work at Apple.  I have seen a lot of Enchantment, and I have failed at Enchantment…As a psychology major, I wanted to understand it.

My goal with the book was to try to help the entrepreneur or business owner learn to Enchant people-their employees and their customers.

The book is about practical aspects of Enchantment, not academic or research applications.

Very practical and hands-on advice.

Dr Dean: What advice would you give to help your readers get the most from your book, Enchantment?

Guy:  Every author wants his readers to get real use from his work.  But, in the end, it is up to the reader to read and put into  the context of his own life and work, an author’s recommendations and thoughts.  The old “you can bring them to water…..” saying comes to mind.

For someone who buys and reads this book, there is already some level of self-motivation that is present.

Many people buy books and never read them though.

I am trying to give people simple, yet very tactical advice that they can put to use in their business tomorrow.  I am giving the what and the how.

Dr Dean: There are 12 chapters in the book, which were the easiest and which the hardest to write?

Guy: Well, there were no easy ones….But the most re-writes and edits were in the introduction.  The tactical areas were easier, as I do those things myself every day.  I am just telling the reader what I do.

Dr Dean: Your sense of humor and writing style makes the book a good read. I found the “Pull” and “Push” chapters speak to me the most.  They were full of helpful tips I will be putting into use.

Guy:  Pull and push techniques are using social media to help push people to your material, and to help push them into using it.  There are so many tools available now to help you spread and explain your message.

Both techniques are necessary.  It is not a one size fits all.

Dr Dean: You certainly practice what you preach.  You give tips on how to ask for favors, and answer requests, and the use of email techniques.  From our correspondence, you put all those tools into action.

Guy: (laughing) I do try…I can be accused of many things, but not hypocrisy…

Dr Dean: Many of our readers are probably frustrated writers, how long does it take to write a book?

Guy: Most of my books take about a year to write. I’ve heard, “To a writer, the only thing worse than writing, is not writing.” and I would agree with that…

I think blogging or writing a daily column would be even more difficult. (I think he was just being enchanting….)

Dr Dean: As a teacher of personal finance principles, I stress the value of goal setting.  Do you have a goal for the book?

Guy:  I would love for it to sell 1 million copies!  But would be satisfied with 1/2 a million…

I have a theory, that in this day and time, it is just as important to get the word out to all the different media types.  The niche blogger is important.  You can’t just depend on a good review in the New York Times.

Dr Dean: In closing, my primary audience is nurses, how does this book apply to them.

Guy: Two of the most important professions in our country to me are teachers and nurses/healthcare professionals.  They have made the decision to go into their professions with the mindset of helping other people.  That in and of itself is Enchantment!

I think that reading my book WILL help them be a better nurse or a better teacher.  It may not make them wealthy, but it will help them be successful in their chosen field.  I can help them use their hearts and minds to put Enchanting tools into action.

These tools will help them in dealing with family members, co-workers and doctors, to be a better communicator.

Show me a person who thinks they cannot become more Enchanting, and I will show you a megalomaniac…

I want to thank Guy for sending me a couple of his books for me to give away here at the blog.  I appreciate his generosity.

Two Free Books To Give Away

To be eligible for the drawing:

Comment here for 1 chance,

Tweet the post for another,

Subscribe to the RSS feed at the top right for 2 more chances-or let me know you are already a subscriber.  I will have the drawing in 5 days-please make sure you are accurate with your email address so I can notify the winners.  I promise you they will be kept private.

Please check out The Carnival of Personal Finance hosted by Fabulously Broke In The City!  I was an editor’s pick.  Thanks a bunch!

Tags: enchantment interview, guy kawasaki interview, interview with enchantment author, interview with guy kawasaki

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 5th, 2011 at 4:30 pm and is filed under Book Review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.