The Quentin Tarantino for Websites: My Interview with Andy Hayes WPCP: 022

One of the things I love MOST about what I do is that you never know when one thing is going to lead to something else and what that something else might be! That was the case with my interview with Andy Hayes. I was introduced to Andy Hayes from Jonathan Perez over at Sure Fire Web Services when I interviewed him for the podcast. He said Andy was very instrumental in giving him direction for his website and business (you can listen to my interview with Jonathan here), so of course I asked for an introduction. :-) The title of this post and episode was taken directly from one of Andy's clients, which of course was one of the things I asked him about during our interview (how could I not, right? When someone refers to another person as "The Quentin Tarantino" of anything, you gotta ask! You'll have to listen to the show to hear the story). Why I was SO interested in talking to Andy. Over the past several months I've been digging into the other side of my business (for lack of a better description). The how and why of everything I do, not from the personal heart-centered perspective, but from a strategic business perspective (novel idea, eh?). I realized with the changes I made in my business that not only was it time to take a  look at this but I was ready to take a look at it... and more importantly, do something about it. To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, let's start with a question. I've asked this question to the last 4 people I've done strategy sessions with (more about that in another episode) and they all had the same answer (and because I have to qualify everything, this isn't a dig at their answers. I would have given the same answer even a year ago). What do you want people to do when they come to your site for the first time? Their answer? "I don't know". Bom bom bom... My answer? I want them to opt-in. I want to build a relationship with them and that starts with getting them on my mailing list so I can communicate regularly with them. That question though is just the beginning. There's SO much more to the 'user experience' (never in a million years thought I'd be using that terminology) than what you someone to do when visiting your site. This topic has completely opened my eyes to the way I do things (still a work in progress of course and assume I will be for a long time). The content I create, the direction I'm taking my business, how I layout my post, pages and sidebars and what I want to offer in the future. Yea, I know. It's a lot. Of course my interview with Andy also led to another introduction I requested from him and have already hired the person he introduced me to! BUT... you'll have to wait a couple weeks for more details on that (I'm still in the beginning phase of this project). Andy's background is pretty extensive with technology and the user experience (he moved to Scotland for one company), but it was his training and teaching that I was interested in. He does workshops (in person and online) on topics such as: Website Critiques How to Build a "Top Shelf" Content Marketing Strategy and Think Like Your Client I told Andy right away that I was interested in doing a class for my audience where he does the Website Critiques! In the interview he explains what he does, some common issues he tends to see as well as a few easy fixes. You can register for the Website Critique Teleclass here (Tuesday, October 22nd from 5 - 6:30pm PST). Oh, and you'll also hear about Andy's book, "Create a Website That Converts", which you'll get a free PDF copy of when you register for the class (I read the Kindle version and it's great). I had a great time talking with Andy and am REALLY looking forward to the class! You can also submit your website for one of the critiques during the class! And don't worry, Andy's a great guy and will be kind. Direct, but kind. And you'll walk away knowing exactly what you can do to have your own Website That Converts!...