Interview with a Blogger - Gavin Ingham

Gavin is an author and motivational speaker. Author of several books, audios and DVD programmes, this year he tells me he will have run open seminars in the UK for around 10,000 sales and business people. He doesn't just focus on the recruitment industry although his background is in IT recruitment. On his website you can get loads of free sales training material, sign up to his newsletter and read his blog.

How long have  you been blogging?
I’ve been blogging for about 2 years now and have been blogging in earnest for about 7 months.

Why did you start?
I wanted to allow more salespeople and business owners access to my tips and strategies. My aim is to reach as many people as I possibly can and blogging provides the perfect medium for that. I enjoy writing and have 6 books in progress so blogging allows me to share ideas and strategies as I write. Small stepping stones to my bigger goals if you like.

What do you do, work related, when you aren't blogging?
I write books, record audios & DVDs, run seminars and speak at conferences.

Do you think blogging has helped your business?
Yes. Blogging allows people to have an experience of my approach to sales and motivation without having to buy anything! This is particularly useful for people who stumble across me on the web. Blogging is also good for interaction and encourages people to share their thoughts, ideas and strategies.

What do you feel is the biggest challenge about writing a blog?
I don’t really have any because I love it. I suppose the only slight challenge is writing consistently. In the summer I was “reviewing” every Apprentice show. I hadn’t intended to really but when I was late with my Apprentice email one week I had 75 emails asking where it was! Getting that into everyone’s inboxes before they got to work the next day was a challenge, particularly when I was away in hotels!

What's another blog that you read and why do you recommend it?
I read Tom Peter’s blog.  It’s got a readable balance of work/personal. I also read Seth Godin’s blog, as I like his style, approach and the titles of his books!

What do you want your reader’s to know about you?
I am currently working on a really exciting sales project that will allow even more online interaction. I’m also about to launch my No Fear Cold Calling book. There will be many sales freebies attached to this book so make sure you’ve joined my newsletter so that you hear about it!

If you knew someone was thinking about starting a recruitment related blog, what advice would you want to give them?
I would tell them to only do it if they enjoy writing. For blogging to be successful it has to be consistent and ongoing. Using blogging for building or communicating with your client base therefore is time consuming and requires hard work. It is not a quick fix to anything and results take time. If you don’t enjoy writing or cannot commit the time then maybe your focus would be better spent elsewhere!

Is there a question you wished I asked you?
What’s your favourite quote?  "When you get on the field, it's all about what you didn't get, who's to blame, who underthrew the pass, who's got the contracts you don't, who's not giving you love. That is not what inspires people. That is not what inspires people! Shut up, play the game... play it from the heart. And I will show you Quan and that's the truth can you handle it?" Jerry Maguire