The Art of People – Book Interview

Heidi Cohen interviews Dave Kerpen

New book: The Art of People: 11 Simple People Skills That Will Get You Everything You Want

Q: What’s your best piece of advice for readers looking to improve their marketing?

To readers looking to improve their marketing, I would say use the tools available to you to make social media marketing easier.

Social media, if used correctly, can be an incredibly powerful tool in helping your marketing strategy. Having built two companies on social media, the power of social is something I can personally attest to and it’s something we live everyday at Likeable!

Q: What was the inspiration for your book?

The inspiration for The Art of People was, well, people. All of the amazing people I have been fortunate enough to meet along the way have had a huge impact on me. I have learned so much through my interactions with these people and I wanted to share that knowledge to help others have more meaningful relationships in and out of work.

Q: What is the key concept behind your book?

The key concept behind The Art of People is that people skills are indeed an art. As with any art form, it requires practice. However, by honing the skills that I lay out in the book I believe that you can truly get whatever you want in life. In other words, I believe that anyone can be a “people person,” if they cultivate the 11 skills highlighted in the book, and put the 53 tips into practice. as with my previous two books, it all starts with listening better, and it all ends with more gratitude.

Q: What do you want readers to take away from your book?

Ultimately, I want readers to realize that people skills are something that can be learned! A lot of people probably think that either you are a people person or you are not. I do not think this is the case. I truly believe that it’s possible to create more meaningful relationships in life by trying to better understand the people around you, listen better, help them get what they want, and guide them to help you get what you want.

Q: How do you describe yourself professionally?

My Twitter Bio sums it up pretty well:

Dad, Husband to @CarrieKerpen 1st. CEO @LikeableLocal, Founder@LikeableMedia. NYTimes bestselling #author, #ArtofPeople 3/15. Columnist@INC. #Mets #Orange

My elevator pitch:

Social media doesn’t have to be so hard. Likeable Local makes it easy for SMB’s, and Likeable Media makes it easy for big brands.

Q: What are 1-3 books that inspired your work/career?

• Love the Work You’re With has had a big impact on my professional life. Loving the work you do is extremely important to me and anytime I’ve stopped loving my work, I have found something new to do.
• What Color is Your Parachute is a great book that helped me find my passion and that I’ve given to hundreds of others to help do the same. All of Seth Godin’s books and Jim Collins books have been influential to me in marketing and business respectively.
• Adam Grant’s Give and Take is my favorite of the last few years.

Q: What is the biggest challenge that you’ve had to overcome?

The biggest challenges have been writing my books and raising $3 million from investors, both very difficult for different reasons. Writing books requires a level of focus and discipline that’s been very hard for me, and getting investors to fork over their hard earned money when all you’re selling is a vision has also proven very hard. But I like a good challenge.

The biggest challenge that I’ve had to overcome in my life was being in love with a married woman. But you’ll have to read The Art of People to hear more about that. 🙂

Q: What’s something unusual or fun that most people don’t know about you?

Ha, that’s a fun question. Runner-up in the Nintendo World Championships in 1988. Runner up on Fox’s Paradise Hotel reality show in 2003. Ran for New York City Council in 2009 but dropped out of the race. So, 3 big losses there, but luckily for me, a few nice wins along the way as well.

Q: Is there a piece of content, a social media campaign or a marketing campaign that you worked on that you’re particularly proud of?

As a business leader, I’m proudest of the work that I had nothing to do with. There are lots of case studies at LikeableMedia.com and LikeableLocal.com.

Q: Is there anything else that we haven’t covered that you’d like to share?

I’m really excited about The Art of People because it’s my broadest, boldest book yet. I think and hope it can help a lot of people! And if doesn’t help you, I’m happy to give you a money back guarantee! Just tweet me @DaveKerpen, and I’ll send you a check for whatever you paid plus whatever’s fair for your time and suffering 🙂

Contact information

• Name: Dave Kerpen
• Blog: blog.likeablelocal.com
• Book(s): Likeable Business, Likeable Social Media, The Art of People
• Facebook: DKerpen
• Twitter: @DaveKerpen
• LinkedIn: davekerpen

 

Thanks, Dave.

Happy Marketing,
Heidi Cohen