Interview with Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba

Conversations in Depth: A QRCA Views Podcast

Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba are experts on the effects of word of mouth on customer loyalty. Forbes has called their work "the word of mouth gospel." In 2003, they released Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force. The New York Times called it "the new mantra for entrepreneurial success. At last count, the book has been translated into seven languages.

Their latest book is Citizen Marketers: When People are the Message, which the Wall Street Journal called "an insightful explanation of how the Internet has armed the consumer ­ which is to say everyone ­ against the mindless blather of corporate messaging attempts. Drop everything and read this book.

Ben and Jackie are also the co-authors of the award-winning blog, Church of the Customer. With 135,000 subscribers, Church of the Customer ranks as one of the most popular business blogs in the world. As speakers, Ben and Jackie have delivered hundreds of keynote presentations about word of mouth, customer evangelism and social media at conferences and events for businesses and associations of all sizes, reaching more than 25,000 people. Their work in researching passionate customer loyalty has been profiled by the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Fortune, BusinessWeek, U.S. News & World Report, the Financial Times, and several thousand blogs. They are interviewed, here, by QRCA reviews editor, Kay Corry Aubrey.