Tips to Schedule an Interview with a Busy Customer

Shelly Ryder · 2025-08-01 21:28:50.442721+00

Any words of advice for getting a super-busy customer to schedule time with us for a case study interview? I'm thinking of sending him a gift via Reachdesk to win him over. I've been chasing this guy for over a year. We know that he likes fast cars and bourbon, that's about it.

Tips to Schedule an Interview with a Busy Customer | CMAweekly Customer Marketing and Advocacy Slack

7 comments

· Sorted by Oldest

Kristin Blye
·
Incentives always works for me. Have you explicitly told him what's in it for him? He can be seen as a thought leader, repurpose the content for his own PR, etc. Or stroked his ego by saying how his successes will help other customers?
Mary Green
·
thoughts Rebecca Grossman?
Rebecca Grossman
·
I wonder if it's worth the time/effort. Why is this story so important? Will you be able to get approval once you get the story? Do you have another person at the org you can interview? Or do you need this title?
❤️2
Shelly Ryder
·
Hi Rebecca Grossman It's a well known brand in the biotech industry, where it's hard to get ANY customers to do a public story. The contact is the IT Director and is (for better or worse) the main POC that even our executive sponsor is focused on. The person is just too busy and won't make time for an interview. Our exec sponsor "introduced" me via email recently (even though I had been chasing him since last fall, including an intro call, so he already knows who I am ) and said that I can "make it worth his while", mentioning the fast cars and bourbon topics.
👍1
Tiffany P. Nguyen
·
Hi Shelly Ryder, for my process, I do not have an intro call unless the interviewee wants one. Most people and especially executives are very busy and don't have time to attend two calls. I usually just email the interviewee the guide and let him/her know that we will just talk through it so there isn't any need to try and answer questions before hand. Make it a 30 minute video call and record it. It's generally just two people on my interviews which includes me (interviewer) and my writer. The less people the better. I hope this helps. Happy to chat more if you have any other questions. In this scenario, it might help to send him something in advance and put in the card/note, looking forward to hearing your story soon.
1
Tiffany P. Nguyen
·
Another thing Shelly Ryder you can do to make things easy for your stakeholder is to send an email with some available time slots in his time zone, so he can choose from what is in front of him. Make it easy for him to work with you. You can follow up after you send him the gift saying hope you got it... I'm hoping one of these dates and times work for you. Give him some time slots 1 - 2 weeks in the future.
❤️1
Helen McCrone
·
I'm a bit late to the conversation, but as he's a director, have you though of contacting his PA? (He may have his own or share one with other directors). I find them super helpful for making appointments: they have access to the calendars and often do all the setting up on the behalf the directors - they just show up and talk. And I agree wholeheartedly with Tiffany: make it just one concise call and send him an outline of what you want to ask him ahead of time.
👍2

Kristin Blye
·
Incentives always works for me. Have you explicitly told him what's in it for him? He can be seen as a thought leader, repurpose the content for his own PR, etc. Or stroked his ego by saying how his successes will help other customers?
Mary Green
·
thoughts Rebecca Grossman?
Rebecca Grossman
·
I wonder if it's worth the time/effort. Why is this story so important? Will you be able to get approval once you get the story? Do you have another person at the org you can interview? Or do you need this title?
❤️2
Shelly Ryder
·
Hi Rebecca Grossman It's a well known brand in the biotech industry, where it's hard to get ANY customers to do a public story. The contact is the IT Director and is (for better or worse) the main POC that even our executive sponsor is focused on. The person is just too busy and won't make time for an interview. Our exec sponsor "introduced" me via email recently (even though I had been chasing him since last fall, including an intro call, so he already knows who I am ) and said that I can "make it worth his while", mentioning the fast cars and bourbon topics.
👍1
Tiffany P. Nguyen
·
Hi Shelly Ryder, for my process, I do not have an intro call unless the interviewee wants one. Most people and especially executives are very busy and don't have time to attend two calls. I usually just email the interviewee the guide and let him/her know that we will just talk through it so there isn't any need to try and answer questions before hand. Make it a 30 minute video call and record it. It's generally just two people on my interviews which includes me (interviewer) and my writer. The less people the better. I hope this helps. Happy to chat more if you have any other questions. In this scenario, it might help to send him something in advance and put in the card/note, looking forward to hearing your story soon.
1
Tiffany P. Nguyen
·
Another thing Shelly Ryder you can do to make things easy for your stakeholder is to send an email with some available time slots in his time zone, so he can choose from what is in front of him. Make it easy for him to work with you. You can follow up after you send him the gift saying hope you got it... I'm hoping one of these dates and times work for you. Give him some time slots 1 - 2 weeks in the future.
❤️1
Helen McCrone
·
I'm a bit late to the conversation, but as he's a director, have you though of contacting his PA? (He may have his own or share one with other directors). I find them super helpful for making appointments: they have access to the calendars and often do all the setting up on the behalf the directors - they just show up and talk. And I agree wholeheartedly with Tiffany: make it just one concise call and send him an outline of what you want to ask him ahead of time.
👍2