It’s always a good idea to do a Google search on someone you’ll be interviewing. You never know, something interesting or concerning could show up.  Similarly, I’m flattered when someone takes the time to familiarize themselves with stories I have written.

 

A few years ago I interviewed a high tech executive who, in my humble opinion, spent way too much time researching me. It’s true, I covered tech but I covered a lot of other industries as well – travel, autos, parenting and health – yet he took the time to read nearly all of my online portfolio.

 

As we got to know each other he quizzed me about this story and that story. “The story about Beijing must have been fascinating to write,” he commented.

 

I found this fawning to be a bit odd. Never before had I experienced someone who knew my writing history better than me. “What’s with this guy?” I wondered.

 

I finally turned the conversation to the topic at hand – the introduction of a new device for law firms to backup information.

 

Where the briefing went south

 

I received a thorough briefing on the product along with a demonstration of how it worked. I asked the company representative for some customer contacts because I wanted to talk with them about the data backup product.

 

“We don’t have any customers yet,” he said.

 

“I’ve just spent an hour listening to you sing the company song and now you tell me you don’t have any customers?  Why don’t you have customers and how could you announce the product at a major industry trade show without having a customer?” I asked.

 

“We had the box installed at a law firm in Chicago and it couldn’t handle the data load. It crashed. You and I already had this interview set up.”

 

What you can learn from this experience

 

There are a few take aways from this experience:

 

• • Don’t waste a reporter’s time. If the circumstances on your end change, be upfront and tell the reporter what’s going on.
  • Flattery will get you nowhere. Of course it’s always nice to have someone say nice things about your work but let’s face it, even my mother doesn’t read most of my stuff.
  • If you burn a writer once it’s unlikely you’ll get a second chance. If you think you can bluff your way through an interview, think again.

Did the executive get a second chance to make a good first impression?  No.  The product never worked and I didn’t trust him after our first meeting.  If you burn a reporter in public it’s not likely that you’ll get a mulligan.