Fireside Chat with Chris SmithWelcome to another episode of the Spin Sucks Fireside Chat!

My guest today is the author of The Conversion Code, which I’ve read three times.

I made my team read it.

I made my mastermind group read it in our book club.

And I more than gently suggested our clients read it.

But I have to give full credit where it is due.

Karl Rectanus, who is a dear family friend, asked me over the summer if I’d read it.

I hadn’t yet, but promised him I would.

Boy, am I glad he asked!

I have six pages of notes from reading the book and two pages of tasks to accomplish.

I’ve done about half of them.

I tell you all of this because you are in for a real treat.

Who is Chris Smith?

Chris Smith is the co-founder of Curaytor, a digital marketing and sales coaching company.

He uses the method presented in The Conversion Code in his own business, which has helped him build a seven-figure business without any capital.

Much of what he recommends in the book are things communicators should already be doing.

And, while I know my team is sophisticated when it comes to this stuff, I truly do have two pages of tasks from reading the book.

And look, it was published on my birthday last year.

So he wins twice.

The Fireside Chat: Talking Conversions with Chris Smith

Here is an outline of our discussion:

  1. You have the book split into three parts, which really can be read alone or in tandem with each other. It revolves around capturing leads, setting appointments, and closing sales. Most professionals are good at just one of those things. How do you recommend they become proficient at all three?
  2. I keep recommending people read chapter four because it’s all about Facebook ads. The process you outline is so simple, yet everyone wants to complicate it. Talk us through your process and why it works.
  3. When I told my mastermind group that I get to spend some time chatting with you, they threw in some of their own questions. I tried to combine them into two. The first is, what is the best way to help a client understand the value of brand awareness in social advertising as it relates to lead generation? The second is, you recommend using a low-barrier ad to drive prospects into the funnel. How specific should that ad and blog post be? Is it an “anchor post” that goes through the entire process, or should it be just one piece of a larger campaign?
  4. As a fellow author, I selfishly want to know how this book came to be. There are SO MANY great ideas—everything from four full pages on how to build a website that builds trust and captures leads and landing page must-haves to resources for the ultimate SEO checklist and content ideas. How did you capture it all so you wouldn’t miss something?

My Favorite Parts of the Conversation

  • How he wrote the book without missing anything because there are so many little tips and ideas that are overwhelming and powerful, at the same time.
  • Why inside sales is so important to inbound marketing—and what most organizations are missing.
  • How he uses cheat codes, like in video games, to run his business.
  • The CAB process to content marketing.
  • Where HubSpot gets 90 percent of their leads.
  • Some great recommendations for blog reading, beyond the normals.
  • His top eight takeaways from INBOUND this year.

Without Further Ado…The Fireside Chat

Enjoy the conversation…and let us know what you think!

(If you can’t view the video below, click here and you’ll be magically transported to YouTube to watch it.)

Next Month’s Fireside Chat

Next month, I am going to have a surprise guest.

Because, well, I failed to invite someone before this published.

So I will work on that after the first of the year and it will be a surprise.

Stay tuned for that on January 26.

Gini Dietrich

Gini Dietrich is the founder, CEO, and author of Spin Sucks, host of the Spin Sucks podcast, and author of Spin Sucks (the book). She is the creator of the PESO Model and has crafted a certification for it in partnership with Syracuse University. She has run and grown an agency for the past 15 years. She is co-author of Marketing in the Round, co-host of Inside PR, and co-host of The Agency Leadership podcast.

View all posts by Gini Dietrich