How to Be A Talkable Leader – Guy Richards Interview (Part 2) | Get More Clients

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Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with Guy Richards, CEO of Abiah and author of the book “Talkable“, via skype. We are both speaking at the upcoming Momentum Conference on May 14th and 15th in Chicago.

Below is part 2 of 3 in the interview series. You can read part 1

Part 2 of Guy Richards Interview- “Doing Something Worth Talking About

Matt: Right. That’s a great point, is to maximize it. When I read the book there was kind of an inverse part of this too, which is that it can go badly. You do something and it has a resounding effect or some sort of resonant effect where it keeps going, even beyond your own efforts. But it can work the other way too, right? It can go badly. Is that true?

Guy: I like to say there’s a scale. You’re horrible or you’re great. Then in the middle is the clutter that we’re ordinary.

Matt: Right.

Guy: Average‑ville.

Guy: But what happens is when you’re horrible, then people will talk about you. They’ll talk about you quicker than they would if you were great. It’s just their natural bend towards sin to complain about something. What will happen is you’ll say, “That place I just ate at was not the best. The service was bad.”

Guy: ”The taste of the food just didn’t match what I expected.” You’ll talk about new members and so on and so forth. That will grow and that will take off. It will gain legs. When you’re great, then you talk about the greatness of… You know, it’s funny. I was just at a conference last week at COA and I’m sitting at a table and they’re talking about Pinterest.

Guy: Today, I ran out to the office of my my CPA, and I was over there and my CPA said ‑ we were just kind of joking with friends, grew up together ‑ he was like, “Hey, what stock should I buy?” I’m like, “Well, you really want to… I don’t know what I would choose but I’m saying, listen if Pinterest is publicly traded…”

Guy: It was funny just because I know my wife uses it all the time. She’s on there nonstop. I’ve heard the CEO of CLA talking about it. I’m sitting down… Oh, and she was talking about how Billy Graham’s son, Franklin Graham’s, so the American person’s using it. Then I asked someone…

See how it transferred?

Matt: Yeah.

Guy: Since Thursday until today.

Matt: Pinterest, well, it’s a good example because Pinterest just seems to have come out of nowhere, which isn’t really true. But once it reaches critical mass and it has that talkability, and now you’re like, “Hmm, four or five people that are really important to me have said something.” You think that effect, though, has a lot of relevance to what it means to run a ministry, don’t you, where people would pass that on?

Guy: Yeah. It comes down to, it could be qualities inside a person. I’ve heard people say, comparing churches, “I feel like I could give my pastor a hug.”

Matt: Yeah.

Guy: ”I feel like I could give this guy a hug.”

Guy: It’s funny. It’s the authenticity that’s communicated through body language or just tone, logistics or the makeup of how they present that you can feel they care. I know this one pastor. He gets a standing ovation before he speaks.

Matt: [laughs]

Guy: …speak at two or three times a year, on staff, like a lay pastor. But why is he getting a standing ovation compared to someone else? It really comes down, is they really know he cares. He’s not… I would say… He didn’t go to Bible college. He’s just a passionate guy, loves the Lord and cares. “Talkability” comes down to not just a marketing campaign, but it comes down to your whole life. When you do something good or you’re more unique than the average, people talk about you. That’s really the definition of when people start talking, is when you’re offering something that no one else has, you’re more unique. In this culture, to love someone is…

(Stay tuned for part 3 of 3, or download the full interview here )