Competition – Book Giveaway
We are giving away 5 copies of Gary’s new book, ‘The Thank You Economy’ and there are many ways to be eligible to get your hands on a copy!
Way to enter number 1:
Simply join our Facebook Fan page if you haven’t already here, and let us know on our wall that you’d like a copy of the book.
Way to enter number 2:
Or you can follow us on Twitter & retweet this interview (use the green ‘retweet’ button at the top-right of this post), make sure you include @Blogtrepreneur so we know that you helped spread the word.
Way to enter number 3:
Commenting below this post would also be cool! All three, would be amazing! Its as simple as that, if you help us spread the word you will be entered to win a copy of this great book! (5 wall posters, commentators and retweeters will be picked at random).
Gary didn’t have much time on his hands to do the interview, but nevertheless did not disappoint by delivering some truly fantastic, and very helpful answers. The main aim of the interview was to chat about his brand new book ‘The Thank You Economy’, which is a book that tackles the old fashioned way of doing business, and bringing back the importance of LISTENING and ENGAGING with your customers by using Social Media and other mediums of technology.
Clearly, Gary has a whole wealth of knowledge and experience, and he proves that in this very short 17 minute interview. What I admired most about Gary is his shere honesty when talking about the evolution of business and online marketing, basically saying that what is relevant now will not be relevant in 5 years time, and that ‘The Thank you Economy’ will become outdated as businesses evolve – this is very true, and something which you can never imagine the author of the book to say.
If you think that you learnt a lot from listening to Gary here, then just think of how much you can learn from investing in his book – you can check out Gary here:
– Gary Vaynerchuk’s Blog
– Wine Library TV
– ‘Crush It’ Book
– ‘The Thank You Economy’ Book
I hope you enjoy the interview guys and as always, please leave your comments and feedback below.
We wish you great success with the interviews that we provide! 😉
Luke Etheridge
“The Interview Guy” at Blogtrepreneur.com
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Gary Vaynerchuk Interview (Audio Transcription)
Luke Etheridge: Hi guys and welcome to Blogtrepreneur.com. My name is Luke Etheridge and I’m very pleased to present to you yet another interview with a truly inspiring and insightful entrepreneur who goes by the name of Gary Vaynerchuk.
Welcome to BlogEntrepreneur, Gary.
Gary Vaynerchuk: How are you, my friend? Thanks for having me.
Luke: I’m good. I’m good.
Now, guys, you wouldn’t know this, but I’ve been trying to get Gary to be a guest with us for some time now and I’m delighted to say that after a few emails, he’s decided to take us up on the offer. I knew that Gary’s enthusiasm for business would just be so contagious that you guys would really, really love what he has to say.
So thanks for coming along, Gary.
Gary: Thanks, mate.
Luke: So now, let’s cut to the chase. After the massive success of your fantastic book, “Crush It!”, you’ve decided to go after it again with a brand new book released last month, I believe, called “The Thank You Economy.” Please enlighten us a bit, tell us a little bit about the book.
Gary: Yes. “The Thank You Economy” talks about the current state of social media and Internet opportunities that I see with the equity going back in the consumer’s pocket, meaning that the consumer’s word of mouth and voice has never been more powerful or stronger. We’re going back to small town rules.
And so, really, I try to tackle what the ROI of social media is and what the return on actually engaging and giving a crap is. You know, why do guys like me want to do interviews with you, Luke, when my PR people are yelling at me and they want me to do CNN and BBC, right?
Luke: Yes.
Gary: And so I think that people instilled their standards of a new world out there. There’s a different game being played, and I really go into details on how and why and what, and I’m excited about it.
Luke: Cool, cool.
So I looked at your website briefly and it’s quite clear that the books, it’s quite… from what I can tell is, it’s quite about customer service, really bringing that back into your business model and sort of reminding businesses to use it and really kind of look after your customers. Is that correct?
Gary: It’s a little bit of that, but it’s also layering technology on top of it. So it’s not just customer service. It’s understanding that consumers are putting out data about their thoughts and wishes and wants in a way we’ve never seen before, and attacking that and engaging with that and converting that into actual sales.
You know, this isn’t about just being Mother Theresa and doing the right thing by the customer. This is definitely about going out there and addressing the opportunity in the business world and engaging with all the micro conversations and micro contacts that are being created. And it’s about execution and not just theory.
Luke: OK. Yes, yes.
So, basically, using things like social media to really leverage your, you know, the way you’re looking after your customers.
Gary: Yes, for sure.
Luke: OK. So you seem very, from what I’ve seen online and from YouTube and from your website, you’re obviously very, very enthusiastic about this book. You know, have you always been this way ever since you set out and started to write the book and started to create the book? Do you think that’s been the kind of key to its success?
Gary: One more time? The first part I’ve chopped, Luke. What is the part about success, enthusiasm?
Luke: Basically, I always, from what I’ve seen online, I’ve seen that you’re very enthusiastic about the book in general. You know, do you think that being enthusiastic about the book ever since, were you enthusiastic about the book ever since you sort of set out to make the book? And do you think that was the key to its success?
Gary: Yes. I think, at some level, if you’re not excited or passionate about what you’re doing or talking about, you have no shot. So, yes, I’m definitely thinking there’s some level to that.
I definitely was massively excited about the subject matter. I’ve achieved business growth using “The Thank You Economy”, Luke, right? I mean, I’ve engaged with people in the hundreds of thousands of engagements on Facebook and Twitter and Tumblr and other platforms, and that stuff has really mattered for my business success.
So, yes, I mean, for me it’s a huge part of why I’m successful and why I like it. And it’s definitely something I’m passionate about.
Luke: Yes. Coming… because if you’re not enthusiastic or passionate about it yourself, then how do you expect the people buying it, right?
Gary: And, more importantly, I think all of us who are listening, or entrepreneurs will do that, but you have to be enthusiastic more than just about the money, right? It can’t just be chasing cash, because that’s not enough. And I think that that was a very big part of why I’ve been successful as well. It has a lot to do with a lot of things besides just the dollars and cents of that, and I think that’s an important part of the whole equation.
Luke: OK. Yes. So, I mean, what you just said there with just, you know, don’t always have the kind of cash in your mind. Obviously, your previous book, “Crush It!”, folks, is on, you know, cashing in on your passion and talks about social media revolution and things like that.
What actually separates “Thank You Economy” from “Crush It!”? You know, do you think that as times are changing you need to evolve with the times as a business and as technologies are advancing?
Gary: Well, I think “Crush It!” talks about how you do it individually, I think, and had ego and execute it. I think that what “Thank You Economy” does is tells you why and makes you look at it at a bigger level. It’s a thesis on why this is all happening and how and, what the real long-term value in that all is. And so they’re different books in that sense, but they really collide with each other. The principles are similar, but the thesis is a little bit different.
“Crush It!” is very much like you’re an individual entrepreneur. You love wine. You love technology. You love massages, yoga, whatever it is. Here’s how you go about building a business around it. “TYE” really talks about this is a big genre shift. Here’s why. Here’s how big business and small business can win in it, and here’s the execution and micro and macro trends that really have enabled it.
Luke: OK. Yes. So it’s taking “Crush It!” pretty much and put it on a larger scale and applied it more to the larger business.
Gary: Correct.
Luke: So how is “The Thank You Economy” keeping up with the times? You know, what does it teach you that you wouldn’t have already known pre-2011?
Gary: You know, I think …one more time, how was “Crush It!”?
Luke: Sorry. “Thank You Economy”.
Gary: I see. How has “Thank You Economy” go ahead. Repeat that one more time. I apologize.
Luke: It’s not a problem. So how is “The Thank You Economy” moving with the times? You know, how would it teach you…
Gary: I see.
Luke: … anything that you didn’t already know pre-2011?
Gary: I think it just looks at, you know, platforms and it has cases studies and shows you real life business people doing real life stuff. Plus, it’s for a very short window. I very much believe that everything I write about in “Thank You Economy” will be ruined in three or four years by marketers, because people will start using it as tactics and not a theory, and people just kind of start engaging and caring about customers because they think there’s ROI in it, which will then ruin the intent and the authenticity of it, which will then cloud the waters in the entire space.
So, just like marketers, including myself, have ruined things like email and other platforms, I think TYE will get ruined. And so, what I think, TYE is relevant for now and the next four to five years and then it will be gone.
Luke: OK. That’s very upfront of you and, you know, frank of you to say that. I mean, you wouldn’t expect anyone to come out and say that. But I liked the fact that you’ve come out and said that what is relevant right now may be not be relevant in 2017 kind of thing. And…
Gary: Yes. If you’re listening to this podcast and it’s 2017, do not buy “Thank You Economy”.
Luke: Yes. Wow. Now, that’s something I never thought I’d hear you say on this. We’re not going to clip that part of what you’ve said and put it on the website, “Do not buy ‘Thank You Economy’.”
Gary: Good. Good.
Luke: But that leads me onto the next question, is basically, you know, there is a growing view that Twitter and Facebook are slowly becoming irrelevant as marketing tools, you know? What would you say? What’s your opinion on this?
Gary: I think that’s insanity. Now, here’s the point. I’m not obsessed with Facebook and Twitter. I’m obsessed with people communicating with each other. So, you know, I mean, I haven’t heard that, Luke, that people think it’s irrelevant. I’ve just grown with its relevance in the last, I mean, I think it’s more relevant today than it was yesterday, so.
But do I see a world where it might not be? Sure. It’s conceivable. I just have not, you know, seen that kind of scenario happen or I think the people that are not seeing as many results from Facebook and Twitter is because they’ve spammed their users so much they’re not getting the same ROI.
Luke: So you think maybe it’s because they’re actually just not using the tools right?
Gary: Correct. That’s like you know… absolutely. It’s like me saying painting sucks. Well, yes, because I suck at painting, but a good painter knows what to do with it.
Luke: Yes, and they’ll enjoy it.
Gary: So I would definitely … yes.
Luke: Exactly.
So I’ve noticed that, you know, both of your books, there’s quite a strong mention of branding, you know, around businesses. And why do you personally think that branding is important for a business? You know, why is it important to enforce a strong brand?
Gary: Good brand is what sells at the end of the day. It’s what people remember. It’s the recollection. It’s absolutely, positively the way people remember and purchase product. So, for me, brand is kind of everything. It’s how you need to execute in our society and where the value really comes from and it’s a complete no-brainer for me.
And brand is the whole kit and caboodle. It’s the absolute way that customer shop and spend their actual money on, and it’s very much the backbone of building something that has long term potential.
Luke: OK. So, on that note, I do know that you’ve worked with some large businesses and from your point of view, what tips can you give to somebody who’s just starting a business or maybe just a blog of their own? What branding tips can you give to them that would help them?
Gary: I would say live and breathe your product. Know what you’re saying. You know, understand the content and definitely engage with the audience that’s most interested and engaging with it. Very much know your story. Know it cold. Tell it over and over to yourself and to your consumers.
The brand story, storytelling is the most underrated part of business. The story is the whole thing, and I highly recommend you understand yours and execute it and communicate it.
Luke: Cool. So what’s been the most successful technique for yourself personally? Because I know that Gary Vaynerchuk itself, the word is, you know, become a brand around yourself, which is obviously really cool. And a lot of people can strive quite hard just to get that kind of brand around their name.
You know, what’s been the most successful technique for you when it comes to branding yourself?
Gary: Giving a shit. You know, Luke, doing this interview, right?
Luke: Yes.
Gary: I mean, you know, you know how I roll. I mean, you know, the proof is in the pudding. Either you do it or you don’t. You better kind of blew off your email or it couldn’t. Either I did the interview or I didn’t.
And I think coming through and being a man of my word, and most of all, Search.Twitter.com, searching conversations and getting involved in them, amazing, amazing opportunity. I highly recommend it for everybody. The ability to search and talk to people about, you know, your business is huge, and I do it all the time.
Luke: Do you think in a way that’s kind of networking, yes?
Gary: Absolutely, I do, for sure.
Luke: So you think networking…
Gary: Yes.
Luke: … do you think networking itself …because I noticed there’s a lot of mixed opinions on networking as well. You know, you can over network and be in people’s faces and you can over network to the point that you don’t get any work done. But do you think there’s a happy medium?
Gary: I do think there’s a happy medium. I think it’s got a value. I really think there’s a lot to engaging, and your Rolodex matters. And yes, I think there’s a happy medium because I very much believe that I over engage, but I also am a major executor. I think if you’re doing one or other, then that’s great. Not too much of one, not too much of the other, and definitely nothing else. I think it’s about your Rolodex and about executing.
And so, yes, I think that that would be the way I would look at it.
Luke: Yes, yes. I think that everybody would want to listen to somebody who is, you know, maybe a little bit too over networking. But if they’re also, you know, practicing what they preach and they’ve got the results to prove that what they’re talking to you about works, then I think you can go a long way with that, you know? Would you agree?
Gary: Yes, I would.
Luke: Yes. So what I’m actually stressing out is the current your book. The book is actually intended to have a huge impact on its readers, and obviously it’s something that you pride yourself on that you created the book. Did you ever consider outsourcing when you created the book?
Gary: No. Never. It’s not how I process. You know, everybody has their own plot, but for me, I liked doing it. I liked being in the trenches and executing it. And so, for me, that’s the way to go.
Luke: Yes. Because I do know there are a lot of people who do outsource books, and I don’t personally agree with it at all, because if you’re going to sell a book and get behind a book and get behind the whole movement, then I personally think you have to have a hand in actually creating it, yes?
Gary: I totally agree. I totally agree.
Luke: Exactly.
So, just to wrap up a bit, I know that we’re a little bit short on time. But if ever you, this is something that I do ask pretty much every one of our guests, is if ever you lost everything that you had, so, say, if you all of a sudden weren’t Gary Vaynerchuk and you went back to being a normal person and have to work a normal 9:00 to 5:00 and work for somebody, what would you do tomorrow to get you back on the track of success? What would be the first step that you do to get your back onto wealth and success?
Gary: Well, I would never work for anybody else, Luke. Even if I have lost everything, and you just asked a very interesting question. Do you know that secretly, I secretly sometimes want to lose everything just so I can rebuild, just to show everybody that I can? It’s something, a real entrepreneur loves the climb.
And you know what I would do is I would definitely do something in the Internet because the web scales. I have no problem living in a studio apartment or with 17 roommates and eating Burger King everyday, whatever it takes. And I would try to understand what customers wanted and I would give it to them. And that’s that.
And so, you know, that question’s kind of actually very attractive to me. I think I view that as an exciting question, one that, you know, if I didn’t have a wife and a child at this point, that I would be more than willing to do. And I think it’s, you know, if you’re a real entrepreneur, that question excites you. It doesn’t scare you.
Luke, I think – I think wealth is bullshit. I think the climb for wealth, the climb to be successful, that’s the whole game.
Luke: Thank you very much, Gary. That was really inspiring answer there.
So what tips would you, what advice would you give to somebody who is working a 9:00 to 5:00 job and, you know, who really, really wants to give it up and have their own business?
Gary: You know, I would just say that remember what makes you happy. Do what you got to do. And once you pay the bills and live a practical life, then dream and inspire and execute on what you love. You’ve only got one at bat at life. This is our only shot. Stop making excuses and start executing.
Luke: So you’re saying don’t live above your means while you’re, you know, while you’re planning to succeed with your business. I’ve heard this from a few entrepreneurs and a few…
Gary: Don’t live above your means ever.
Luke: I agree with you, you know? I’ve heard it from somebody else I interviewed as well, whereby you should never live above your means because, you know, you can lose your head as well that way and then you don’t become as focused as, you know, you should be.
Gary: Absolutely.
Luke: Thanks for the interview anyway, Gary. It’s been a real pleasure.
Gary: Thanks, mate.
Luke: It’s been insightful. I know it’s only …it’s very short for an interview on our blog, but I’m sure we got a lot of info in there and I’m sure everybody loved it.
But to the readers…
Gary: I apologize.
Luke: No, you…
Gary: I’m sorry it’s short.
Luke: It’s fine. It’s fine.
Gary: But thank you so much, Luke.
Luke: You’re a busy man. You’re a busy man. It’s all good, as long as you’re busy and that, you know, you’re obviously doing very well to be that busy. So it’s all good. It’s all good. So…
Gary: Thanks.
Luke: But to the readers, please, please comment below. Let us know what you think of Gary. Buy his book. Please buy his book. But don’t buy it in 2017, as Gary said.
Gary: [indecipherable 16:30] .
Luke: It’s pointless…
Gary: More so than buying it, fans, everybody listening, you don’t have to buy it. Just come to Facebook.com/Gary and say hello. That would mean a lot to me.
Luke: Exactly.
Gary: Stay well, everyone. Thanks, mate. Thanks, Luke.
Luke: Cheers. Cheers, Gary. Thanks a lot.
Gary: Sure.
Luke: It’s been a pleasure.