Business
“Are you doing at least a million dollars in sales?” (Aggravated)”We’re doing twenty or thirty times that!”I've always admired bold interviewers. One particular one is Andrew Warner.Andrew is the founder of Mixergy, a place where he interviews founders for their hard-earned lessons and tactics. Andrew has interviewed over 2000 entrepreneurs in the last ten years.He has had the founders of Wikipedia, LinkedIn, Groupon, Pixar, and Sun Microsystems.And Andrew goes after questions people want to know but are too timid to ask, including revenues, rumors, personal relationships, public failures, etc...I've always wondered how Andrew cultivates trust so that he gets the answers he wants (without the founders hating him afterward)Now, at last, Andrew has put all the interview mechanics into his new book Stop Asking Questions: How to Lead High-Impact Interviews and Learn Anything from AnyoneIn our conversation, I took a step deeper:(23:13) The atomic unit skills he uses to master in order to go from a white belt to a black belt as an interviewer (and build a good multi-million dollar podcasting business)(12:44) How 2000 deep conversations impact him, his network, his career, and his lifestyle(5:09) How podcasting as a lifestyle allowed him to do 7 marathons in all 7 continents in 1 year (while (while growing his podcast business))(60:50) What new tech stack and show format he would use starting today?(11:54) The inside-out approach Andrew recommends beginner podcast use?(16:16)The framework he uses to flush out the questions he finds valuable for himself while maintaining what's valuable for the audience?(20:48) How Chris Rock gave Andrew Warner an idea that is at the heart of his craft as an interviewer?(23:30)How double-barrel questions enable him to ask edgier questions while giving guests a graceful out(39:43)Why being interviewed is a vulnerable experience for anyone and we offer 3 different styles of hosts can use encourage guests(43:34)How Andrew maintained his intrinsic motivation so every new guest is brand new and never gets repetitive(31:27)Which thread to follow: shoved facts or story arc?(45:35)Which strategy to follow: start new micro podcasts or stay within your brand?(49:04)How he stays connected with guests after the recording is over?(56:35)(bonus) A ninja technique Andrew uses to connect with all the VIPs at any conference(44:46)Why he started another podcast in the crypto space?If you want to have high-impact conversations with anyone (especially your heroes), this episode is the episode you'd want to tune in.LinksStop Asking Questions the best book on interviewing money can buy128 Andrew Warner: How to Win Friends (& Build a 7-Fig Business) With High Impact ConversationsHeidi Roizen on networking