September 2008 – Page 2

Bestsellers, Mid List, One Hit Wonders

I’m inviting a range of authors
to participate in a holiday promo.
and have observed any interesting trend.

The New York Times Bestselling authors
alway respond (or have someone respond for them)
immediately
with either a yes or a no.
Most say yes.

Why wouldn’t they?
There is no cost to this promo
(not even a book give away).

The mid list authors respond
a week or so later.
All of them say yes.

The new authors with small press publishers
seldom respond.
If they do, they are suspicious,
asking questions like “How much does it cost?”
(Nothing)
They want to see the post
before they completely agree with participating.
They send me three different versions of their excerpts
and want me to choose.
In other words, they are a pain in the a$$.

I’m thinking this is not a coincidence.

Want to act like a bestseller?
Respond quickly and professionally.

Using The Name You Were Given

What type of column
would you expect a newswoman named
Blane Bachelor (her REAL name)
to host?

Yep.
A dating advice column.
And she does.
(A witty one)

I know a woman named Spicy.
She writes erotica.

Charlotte Church got her start singing hymns.

My novel readers expect,
with a name like Kimber Chin,
an international flare to my writing.
I give them that.

Business inspiration can come from anywhere,
including your own name.

The Marketing Power Of Angelina Jolie

Dosh Dosh has a great post
on how email marketers (i.e. spammers)
leverage the power of the familiar.

2.28% of all emails in July
had Angelina Jolie in the subject line.
Why?
Because we all known her.
Familiarity lowers our bull sh** blockers.
It doesn’t hurt that she is current.

Is using Angelina’s name too transparent for you?
Then use an influential in the community.
When I visit romance forums,
I’ll lead by talking about
a well known author’s current book.
This small talk puts readers at ease.

Giveaways For One Book Authors

Every month on my writing blog,
I give away a book.

NOT my book.

Why?
Because I’m trying to sell my book
to the people I’m promoting the contest to.
If they have a chance at winning a free copy,
they won’t buy.

So I give away favorite eBooks I’ve read.
Most authors,
when they hear I’m promoting their book,
will give me that copy for free.
They will also help me promote the contest
and drive readers to my site.

Win-Win.

Start And Sell – The Family Business

Only 10% of family businesses
are successfully passed on to the third generation.

Fourth generation business owner,
Thomas Deans shared his technique for
beating the succession blues
in October’s MoneySense Magazine.

When it came time for succession,
his father and grandfather
sold their businesses at market value.

Knowing the family business is always up for sale,
means no assumptions of ownership
or perma-positions held.
Children are free to make their own career decisions.
It also eliminates family tension.

“When all family members
understand there is no family discount on shares,
there’s nothing to be jealous of.”

On Hold

I called a car dealership today,
inquiring about a wire transfer.
I was put ‘on hold’
as the saleswoman looked for the information.

The hold didn’t take.

I heard her refer to me as
“another loser”
as well as other less than glowing terms.
I heard her coworker’s equally
disrespectful reply.

Then she came back on the phone
sweet as apple pie.

Two lessons from this.
First, learn how to use the hold button.
Second, even if you use the hold button,
act as though the customer
can hear every word you’re saying.

Because she just well might.

Sales At Saks

I walked into a Florida Saks
a couple of weeks ago
and there were sales signs everywhere.

I was taken aback.
This is a high end retailer.

Why would they have sales?
Saks CEO Steve Sadove stated
in the June 30th BusinessWeek
“The high-end consumer likes a deal
like everybody else.”

I agree but
I’m not a fan of competing on price,
especially with high end products.
I think it is a short term tactic
with long term repercussions for the brand.
There are other ways to offer a deal.

Jeff Bezos On Misunderstanding Innovation

New product development is sales.
Plain and simple.
Project managers have to sell
co-workers, executives, vendors, customers,
on the new product.
No matter how good
a salesperson you are,
some people
simply won’t understand.

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com,
explained in the April 28th issue of BusinessWeek
“If you’re going to do something
that’s never been done before
– which is basically what innovation is –
people are going to misunderstand it
just because it’s new.”

Maintaining Mailing Lists

I have a very clean,
very focused mailing list.
These names were obtained via contests
and I only contact them
with contest news.

However, I still lose 1% of the list
every single month.
12% of those are from unsubscribes,
the rest are inactive emails.

What does this mean?
I have to continually add to it.
Even the best mailing lists lose participants.

Oh, and before buying a list,
I ALWAYS ask how old it is.

Should I Lie On My Resume?

According to a
poll by CareerBuilder.com,
49% of hiring managers
have uncovered a lie on a resume.

What types of lies?
38% exaggerated job responsibilities
18% hyped up skills
and
10% claimed academic degrees
they hadn’t earned.

With dismissals more and more challenging
(what with the possibilities of lawsuits),
managers are really looking into
candidate qualifications.
Plus the work world is very small.

Don’t lie on your resume.
Odds are, you’ll get caught.