How moneyman Joe Duran is talking his way to another big score

Most of the talking heads on political and financial talk-shows come and go like ocean tides.

Then there are those who stick. They get invited back again and again because they score well with viewing audiences and program hosts.

Joe Duran is an example of the latter group. You’ll find him being interviewed with regularity on MSNBC and CNBC, not because he’s a paid financial or political analyst, but because he’s a terrific interview.

In Duran’s case we can assume it’s paying off handsomely.

Joe Duran is the founding partner and CEO of United Capital, a fast-growing wealth advisory firm. That means every time Duran speaks on national television and says intelligent things about investing and the economy, more money flows into United Capital coffers and the investment models it has designed for clients.

Duran’s been down this road before. He spearheaded the growth of Centurion Capital Management and its eventual acquisition by GE. His other successes include raising more than $45 million for three private equity funds.

The real question for the purposes of this blog is, Why is Joe Duran such as a successful guest on financial talk shows?

You can see for yourself during this recent appearance on CNBC.

After the producers get done running through a series of distracting graphs, you can settle in and notice several important habits that make Duran a model guest. You will see and hear that he…

• Is relaxed
• Waits for the interviewer to complete his question before launching into an answer
• Keeps his replies short but complete and meaningful
• Smiles
• Nods
• Punctuates his remarks with natural facial expressions and head movements
• Raises his eyebrows to demonstrate alertness and interest
• Shares his attention with everyone on the set by making eye contact with each person
• Speaks deliberately so listeners can absorb what he’s saying
• Doesn’t get flustered when challenged
• Doesn’t get argumentative
• Doesn’t raise his voice while being interrupted by the interviewer

When the interviewer says (barely audible) “we gotta go,” Duran finishes his thought within a couple of seconds, rather than trying to squeeze in another policy position or marketing bromide. For the program host, that means Duran is a guest who’s easy to manage and doesn’t add unnecessary pressure to the situation. (Compare that to how most politicians behave in those circumstances.)

Why wouldn’t you want to bring back a no-maintenance guest of Duran’s stripe? He makes life easy. Those are the kind of people we seek to surround ourselves with in any situation.

It doesn’t hurt that Duran has a friendly face and a Zimbabwean accent that adds a dash of panache. In short, he’s a likable guy. That makes him influential. Human beings are naturally inclined to follow the advice of people they like.

Add it all up and Duran has a winning formula that we can emulate – during everyday conversation, as well as during formal interviews.

We might not be able to replicate his endearing smile or appealing foreign accent; but we can certainly adopt many of the good practices I’ve enumerated above.

 

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