Unexpected Honesty in an Audio Book
To Quote our mission statement, Mystery street recording company is more than just another business, it’s a community. We strive to operate under this principle with a goal of mutual prosperity between us and our clients. We recently had the opportunity to work with author Todd Caponi whose book, The Transparency Sale, promotes similar ideals as ours here at Mystery Street. It was our pleasure to work with him and produce the audio book component of his publication. To give you some insight into his work, we’ve invited Todd for an interview.
Geramie: When you first reached out to us, your book was already on the market. What prompted you to go the route of an audio book.
Todd: With such a rise in the popularity of audio-books, I knew there would come a time for me to offer one as an option. For me, writing a book was the fulfillment of a bucket-list item, and the only question was if I would do the narration myself, or have one assigned by my publisher do it. In the theme of fulfilling bucket-list items, I chose to do it myself, which was a great experience.
G: Have you ever been in front of a microphone before? You really were a natural!
T: Only on-stage as a presenter. I’ve done quite a large number of talks over the years, but never audio-focused in a studio. Since an early age, I’ve been told I have a voice for radio, and even went to college originally to pursue a telecommunication degree. I ended up adjusting that over time, but still have an underlying passion for the studio.
G: . In your book you mentioned the connection between brain science and consumer buying. This concept along with your idea of using transparency & decision science for good, not evil seems to imply a negative trend in selling. I’m curious to hear your opinion on the current culture in commerce! Do you think it’s easier to sell with honesty and transparency?
T: Every year, Gallup publishes a study focused on the most and least trusted professions. Like clockwork, this year’s results show sales once again in two of the bottom three trusted positions, only trusted more than members of Congress. Where does that lack of trust in sellers come from? It’s the feeling many salespeople give buyers. Walk into a car dealership, and you feel it. See a door-to-door seller walking up your driveway and you feel it. The feeling that they’re going to pressure you – to unduly influence you – to part ways with your money, your time, or some other resource in exchange for something uncertain.
Due to the rise of the digital age, where buyers can research anything and control the process, sellers have had to change. And now, with the proliferation of feedback and reviews on everything we buy (think Amazon for products, Yelp for restaurants, TripAdvisor for travel), experience (Uber drivers, movies, Netflix shows), and download (apps), buyers are even more informed than ever. Sellers who try to hide flaws won’t win anymore…ever.
Not only is being honest and transparent as a seller the right, feel-good thing to do, but now also maximizes results!
G: What do you think is the “hardest pill to swallow” for your readers?
T: It sounds counterintuitive that exposing the negative aspects of your products to a potential buyer would actually help you sell more, right? But go to Amazon to buy a product – there are reviews, both positive and negative, about the product right next to it. Why does that work? Because transparency sells better than perfection!
G: Do you see yourself writing a sequel to The Transparency Sale? If so, what could we expect from it?
T: As of this moment, I don’t have any idea or concept that’s burning so brightly that it needs to be shared in a book. I have been doing a lot of research into the science of motivation and leadership – which have substantial impacts to the sales community. If there is a book, that may be next!
G: Can you tell us a bit about your experience at Mystery Street? Are there any moments that stick out in your mind?
T: If I were giving it a star rating, it would be an emphatic 5 out of 5. Here’s three things that jump out:
- It was a super-cool experience: As someone who’s never spent time in a studio, just being in the studio, headphones on, microphone on, soundboard ready to go, wires everywhere, etc., is just unique and cool to experience. It’s eye opening how much goes in to a perfect recording, and the process was amazing.
- It was an expectedly grueling experience: : Reading your own book is harder than it sounds. I believe we recorded over 9 hours of audio, which then needed to be edited down by Geramie into a digestible audiobook format. That much audio took multiple days – you can’t just talk with passion for that long. And Geramie’s ear for hearing every mispronounced word, every awkward gap between words, and every ancillary sound (i.e., the book pages shifting, an ambulance racing by outside, etc.) was incredible! But it also required us to re-record every instance.
- It was cold: We recorded the audiobook is the heart of the winter months, when it was below zero outside. Having a heater pumping in the studio would compromise the sound. So, day one started very comfortably, and by the end of the day, I think I could see my breath. Lesson learned for day two, where I dressed like a Sherpa to get through the day.
The attention to detail is unmatched, and the resulting book is something I’m incredibly proud of, which couldn’t have been possible without the Mystery Street Studio.
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Todd Caponi is the author of the book, The Transparency Sale. He also is a keynote speaker, workshop leader and trainer as Principal and founder of Sales Melon LLC.
If you’re interested in recording your audio book or publication with us we’d love to hear from you! At Mystery Street Recording Company we accommodate all aspects of audio production in a relaxing and friendly environment. Thanks again Todd for your wonderful stories and advice.