I have 25 stories published
under one of my pen names.
However,
when I recently published a story
with a larger, new-to-me publisher,
readers viewed me as a brand new writer
and I was…
to them.

I have to prove myself
all over again.
I have to prove I can write
and provide entertaining stories
and produce multiple stories.

The same thing happened
with my first releases on Amazon
… and All Romance eBooks
… and Barnes.

One of the reasons
we explore new distribution channels
is to reach more prospects.
These prospects might have never heard
of our products or our companies.

We’re new once again
so we should treat this new distribution channel
sort of like a do-over launch,
same branding
but (hopefully) without the mistakes of the first launch.

I’m a fan of newspapers and magazines.
I think they can add value.
I think they can serve a purpose.

However,
I also think they can’t afford to make mistakes,
and they definitely shouldn’t piss off
over 50% of the population.

Which is what The Economist has potentially done
by publishing the most sexist article
I’ve read in a magazine in a long, long time
( The Art Of Selling ).

Not only is it severely sexist
but the article sounds so old fashioned
and out-of-date,
that it makes me doubt
all of the other
well-researched, modern articles.

THAT is how fragile a brand is.
One one-page article can destroy
years of brand building.

Guard your brand.
Protect your brand.
Oh, and if you think something sounds sexist,
it probably IS.

I had a very skilled coworker.
When she delivered on a project,
the results were top notch.

When she delivered.

Unfortunately, more often than not,
she didn’t deliver.
She completed tasks on her own schedule
which didn’t always synch up
with the requested schedule.
Things happened.
Drama occurred.
Excuses were constantly made.

So if the project was important,
she wasn’t involved.

Another coworker wasn’t as naturally talented.
She always delivered on time
however.
SHE got the important projects.

Consistency and reliability is more important
than talent.

Scott Ginsberg has a great post
on the costs of inconsistency.

I received a few emails yesterday
commenting about how
in some areas of the U.S.,
Spanish is more commonly spoken
than English.

Cultural changes,
as with many changes,
bring great opportunities
for small and growing businesses.

English is the de facto national language
of the United States
(the U.S. does NOT have an official language).
The big companies will all be
marketing/advertising in English.

Not all of them
will be catering to
the unofficial language of
where your company is based.
They won’t have signage/advertising/marketing
or salespeople using this language.

It doesn’t mean
you have to change your product
or how you run your company.

One of my buddies manages a book store.
She ensures at least one saleswoman
on each shift
speaks Mandarin as well as English.
The store doesn’t sell books in Mandarin
but when Mandarin-first-speaking customers
wish to buy English books,
they come to her book store,
knowing they’ll have a saleswoman to assist them.
This competitive advantage
costs the store nothing extra.

Embrace cultural change
and use it to your advantage.

A loved one travels
all over the world for pleasure.
He picks up words and basic phrases
in the languages of the countries he visits.

These words, yes, make his traveling easier
(locals are flattered that
he learns some of their language)
but they also help him
in his sales role back in North America.

He’ll chat with prospects
before he makes a presentation,
and when he hears a prospect
is from or has roots in another country
(and who doesn’t?),
he’ll slip in a couple of words.

Boom.
He creates a personal connection
to that person.
He shows the prospect
he listens.
He creates an impression
he’s well-educated
and knowledgeable.

Some of my buddies are debating
having their children
learn Spanish.
390 million people in the world
speak Spanish.
Only 328 million speak English.
By adding Spanish,
they’re doubling the people
they can sell to.

If you have the opportunity
to learn words and phrases
in other languages,
do it.

The Chief Happiness Officer
has a video example
of how to weave another language
into a sales pitch.

Reader chats are a big part
of promoting romance eBooks.

Some new authors will jump in
right away
with blurbs and buy links
and the hard sell.

That irritates readers
and there’s no need for it.
An experienced chat moderator
will always ask authors
about their latest releases
and for their websites.

As Chris advises on the Problogger blog

“I didn’t simply write
“buy this now to be successful!”
Rather, I took the time to engage
members of these sites in conversation
about similar topics.
Eventually, someone would ask for more information,
or if I had a website.
That’s when I would promote my ebook,
and it worked amazingly well.
All those people who were reading the conversation
but not contributing ended up
buying the ebook,
not just the few involved directly.

This is a life lesson for selling anything online:
don’t try to sell outright.
Instead, focus on answering questions.
If your ebook is the answer,
then you can feel confident
recommending it within the discussion!”

A couple of weekends ago,
I was at a Ferrari dealership in Florida.
I asked the salesman
how business was.

I expected to hear “slow”
or “okay.”
The recession is deep.
Hurricanes are causing worry.
That’s not usually a great mix for luxury sales.

I heard “terrific!”
The dealership sold 8 cars last month.
That’s 8 cars priced at $200k plus each.

Then I went to a high end department store.
It was empty.
So I asked how business was.
The saleswoman responded
“Not great. The recession, you know.”

No, I don’t know.

What I did know
was they carried many of the same brands
as other department stores
and they had no sales
or other excitement.

If folks are buying Ferraris,
the luxury market is in good shape.
If that’s your target customer,
and your sales are slow,
look for another reason
other than the recession and weather.

I recently signed with a big publisher.
The writing world is small.
Heck, the entire world is small.
I knew my other publishers
would hear of this signing.

So I contacted them.
I told them
that, although I was excited about this new publishing deal,
I was as excited about my existing publishing deals
with them.
I hoped to publish more stories with them
in the future,
and pointed out that the new deal
might grow my readership.

You know what?
All these publishers HAD heard
of my publishing deal
(although I hadn’t told anyone
outside of a small circle of friends).
One of these publishers
was wondering if I’d be giving up
my monthly release slot with them.
(that would be a big NO)

When you land that big customer,
consider using that news
as an opportunity
to contact your existing customers.
Reassure them
they’re important to you.

One of the biggest adjustments
going from the business world
to the writing world
is that in business,
you greet folks by shaking their hands.

That’s the norm
and if you want to succeed in business,
you need to perfect your handshake.

Guy Kawasaki outlines
how to shake hands well.

-Make contact throughout
-Utter an appropriate verbal greeting
-Make a Duchenne smile
(a genuine smile that gives you crow’s feet)
-Use a medium level of vigor
-Stand a moderate distance from the other person
-Make sure your hand is cool, dry and smooth
-Grip the person’s hand and give it a firm squeeze
-Hold the handshake for no longer than 2 or 3 seconds.

That’s the perfect handshake,
and it comes with practice.

According to the Heavy Hitter Sales Blog’s
survey of 1,000 successful salespeople,
humility is a top personality trait for sales success.

“Contrary to conventional stereotypes
that successful salespeople
are pushy and egotistical,
91 percent of top salespeople
had medium to high scores of
modesty and humility.
Furthermore, the results suggest
that ostentatious salespeople
who are full of bravado alienate
far more customers than they win over.”

This makes sense,
especially when you look at another top trait
curiosity.

Egotistical people don’t ask questions.
Great salespeople do.

In sales,
knowing that you don’t know everything
is a GOOD thing.