November 2017 – Page 2

I Won’t Slow Down

I’m part of a box set.
Writers in my niche
are contributing a story each
to a bundle
to try to make it
on the USA Today list.

I’ve been on the list
twice.
None of the other writers
have been on it.

Making it onto the list
requires a healthy number of sales
and that means
working our a$$es off
with promotion.

To ensure we don’t
duplicate efforts,
I set out
how I will contribute
to the promotion
of the box set,
listing the sites I would contact
and the things I would do.

The response?
Slow down.
We don’t need to do
all of that.

Yes, we do
and I’m not slowing down.
If I limit the promotion
of this release,
it increases the chance
I’ll get lazy
and limit the promotion
of my next release.

My momentum is building.
I can’t afford to do that.

If folks tell you
to slow down,
think before listening to them.
Slowing down
likely serves THEM,
not you.

The Reason Walls Are There

Very little in this wonderful life
is easy.
Building businesses certainly isn’t.

I find there are two types
of business builders.

There are
business builders who give up
when facing the first roadblock,
the first problem,
the first rejection,
the first no sales day.

These folks might say
they want to build businesses
but they don’t,
not truly,
not enough.

Because these roadblocks
don’t stop the second type
of business builder.
These folks might pause.
These folks might be hurt
by the rejection.
But they keep going.

Why?
Because they REALLY want
to build businesses.

Dr. Randy Pausch
once said,
in his famous The Last Lecture,

“The brick walls
that are in our way
are there for a reason.
They are not there
to keep us out.
They are there
to give us a way
to show how much we want it.”

If the walls, the roadblocks
stop you,
you don’t want it enough.
Find an opportunity
you DO want.

Promote Christmas Now

Normally, I’d suggest
going live with
Christmas-themed promotions
after Thanksgiving.

Not this year.

My main products are eBooks,
luxury items
people don’t buy as gifts for others.

I know thoughts have turned
to Christmas and gift buying
when my sales plummet.
Usually that is around US Thanksgiving.
This year, it was on November 13th.

I have theories about this,
that folks are trying to escape
the stress of politics, social upheaval, etc.
but the key thing is…
it happened.

Big companies likely can’t react
fast enough
to capitalize on this early start.
Small business owners can.
We can send out our flyers,
our cards,
change our store fronts,
throw ourselves into
the Christmas spirit now.

‘Tis the season
for Christmas promotions.

Everyone Is An Original

Whenever writers talk
about marketing,
someone in the group
declares
they have special issues
because
they’re doing
TRULY DIFFERENT WORK.
They aren’t writing
me-too stories,
simply writing to formula.
They’re creating stories
that have never been seen before.

Okay, condescending
dumb a$$,
I can almost guarantee
that every writer in the group
feels that way.
We aren’t copying and pasting
stories,
changing names and settings.
We’re writing ORIGINAL work.

Yet WE still learn
from each other.
WE still can make
classic marketing techniques
work for us.

Yes, you’re likely building
a truly original business
but every business builder
is doing this.
We can all learn
from each other.

What Frightens You More

I have over 200 published stories
(product releases)
yet I still don’t sleep
the night before a story releases.

THAT’s how scared I am
that readers (customers)
will dislike my book (product).
THAT’s how afraid of failure
I am.

But I’m even more scared
I’ll leave this wonderful world
without writing THE story,
without creating THE product
that will change the world.

Adam Grant,
having interviewing
many great business non-conformists
for his book
– Originals:
How Non-Conformists Move The World,
shares,

“Yes, they’re afraid of failing,
but they’re even more afraid
of failing to try.”

What frightens you more
– missing out
on releasing
a product that will
change the world
or
trying and failing?

Know What Your Company Does Best

A loved one works
for a company
known as one of the world’s best
online marketers.
He, however, works
in a different division.

He’s now job hunting
and EVERY company he interviews with
assumes he knows about online marketing.

He doesn’t
but he should.

He has access to experts in that field.
His company hosts courses
he could sit in during his lunch hour.
There is really no excuse,
except for extreme disinterest,
in learning what his company does best.

If you’re working for a company
known for a certain thing or skill level,
LEARN that thing or skill level.

You don’t have to be an expert
but you should be knowledgeable.
Otherwise, you’ll look like a dumb a$$
when people outside your company
talk with you.

Only Promote Your Good Products

You have a product,
part of a line extension.
It doesn’t sell well.
Many folks who do buy it,
dislike the product.

You might as well
give it away for free.
What do you have to lose?

Your entire future.

If you give this product
away for free,
many prospects
who were considering buying
your related products will try it.

They will likely hate it
(as the others did)
and then they won’t buy
another product from you
again.

They’ll tell others
your product is garbage,
advising them to get the free product
if they are still considering it.

This is how brands die.

Only promote your good products.

Time Saver – If No One Asks Why

Folks, especially other writers,
often ask me for advice.
But many times,
they don’t truly want to hear it.
They want my approval
for whatever they plan to do.

In the past,
I would give my advice
and give them the why behind it.

Now,
I don’t
and this saves SO much time.

Yesterday,
a writer asked me
if she should continue to pay
for developmental edits
now that she is published.

I told her
developmental edits
are even MORE important
now.

I stopped there.
I didn’t tell her why.

Her response?
“I believe my money is better spent elsewhere
and this is why
(long tirade about marketing
being more important
than having a good book)”.

Good for her.
And good for me.
I can save the time
I would have tossed away
explaining the why behind my answer
and spend it on writing.

People who truly care
about your advice
will ask why.
Don’t waste your time
on the other people
(who have no shame
about wasting your time).

The Least Expensive Option

There are a variety of ways
to obtain my books
(my products).
There’s the most expensive option
– buying them.
And there’s the least expensive option
– borrowing them from the library.

Of course, I would prefer
that every reader (customer)
obtain my books
via the most expensive option
(buying them).
That’s more profitable for me.

But when a reader asks or hints
about less expensive options,
I tell them how to obtain
my books at their local libraries.

Why?

Because they’ll find out
about that option anyway.
They might already know about it.
By mentioning it,
I am showing them
they can trust me.

I wouldn’t suggest
you volunteer information
about your least expensive option
but if prospects ask,
definitely consider mentioning it.

Your prospects will likely
find out about it anyway.

The Slow And Not-Very-Sexy Route To Sales

I have a fairly sizable readership
(customer base)
in a specific romance niche.
I get messages every dang day
from other writers
(the competition)
asking me for my ‘secret.’

My secret?

I have personally communicated
with almost every reader (customer)
I have,
often more than once.

I post in a Facebook group.
One reader comments.
I chat with this reader.
She buys my book.

I tweet a popular industry hashtag.
One reader tweets back.
We chat.
She buys my book.

Do that again
5,000 times
and you’ll have a sizable readership
(customer base).

Is it fast?
Is it sexy?
No.
It is a slow, not-at-all glamorous,
a bit of a grind,
but it works.

Normally I never hear
from that newer writer again.
She is searching for
the secret to quick, easy sales,
and the reality is…
that ‘secret’ rarely works.

I suggest you do both.
While looking for the secret
to quick sales,
work on the slow and steady method.