Someone started the rumor
that being excited
about the products or services
we offer
is unprofessional.
That is bullsh*t.
I often tell readers (customers)
that I LOVE a story
I’ve written,
that it is magical,
that I adore the characters,
that I think they’ll enjoy it too.
If I’m not excited
about my stories (products),
why would they be?
Be excited!
Love your product or service!
It’s okay to do this.
Many business builders
want their product/service
to go viral.
They want customers to talk about
and sell their products/services
to other people.
They tell me
it is ‘free’ promotion.
It isn’t free.
The cost of going viral
is taking risks.
It is producing a product/service
that is special or extreme
in some way.
The goal is to have
more people love
the difference
than hate it.
But there’s a very real possibility
that EVERYONE will hate it.
Going viral
isn’t merely luck.
It is a calculated risk.
Are you prepared to take
that risk?
I see at least a post
a day
from new writers
that goes something like this…
“All of my friends, family members,
loved ones
said my book idea was GREAT.
They’d buy it if I wrote it.
I wrote it.
Why aren’t they buying it?”
I’ve seen this same thing
during my years in product development.
People will tell us
it was the best idea ever
and they couldn’t wait to buy it.
Then they didn’t.
“‘Would you’ questions
almost always fail
to evoke useful information.
That’s because people are nice,
and want to spare your feelings.
“Sure, if you built x, y and z,
then of course I’d consider buying it.””
Unless there’s a commitment
with that promise of a sale,
don’t count on it.
I asked my cover artist
for a special request last week.
She normally requires a month’s notice.
She’s THAT busy.
But she needed cash today
so she completed my special request today.
She KNOWS I pay my bills
as soon as I receive them.
In the Romance Novel business,
time IS truly money.
An extra day of sales or pre-orders
can make a big difference.
Paying bills upon receipt is rare
and it WILL get a writer’s projects bumped
to the front of the line
…which in turn
gives that writer extra days of sales.
Cash flow is always king
but sometimes parting with cash quickly
means receiving more cash.
Consider if paying bills on receipt
will INCREASE your cash flow.
Yesterday,
I mentioned that
I focus on one social media platform
-Facebook.
However, I’m aware
that any reach I have on
a social media platform
can evaporate over night.
I don’t own the platform.
I have little control
over it.
I regularly drive
Facebook contacts
to my newsletter
and to my website.
THOSE platforms
I CAN control.
John Lincoln,
CEO of Ignite Visibility,
shares
“Your best bet is
a website
as your main designation online.
Invest in social media,
but know that at any point
you could lose that reach
and traffic channel.”
If you lose access
to your social media platforms
today,
can you still contact
your prospects/customers?
I’m involved in
almost all forms of social media
with the Romance Novel Writing business
but I focus on one
-Facebook.
By focusing on Facebook,
I’ve become
a semi-expert on it.
I know the tricks.
I know what my prospects
on Facebook
like and don’t like.
I know how to maximize
my return
on my time and money.
“Try focusing on where
your company has the most engagement
and perfecting it
for three to six months
before moving on to
the next platform.
Think about limiting the strategy
to a few tactics
to be successful
before implementing any more.
Focusing on a few areas
over a sustained period of time
and learning what works
can help your company
have long-term success
with social media marketing.”
Focus on one
social media platform.
A buddy of a buddy
runs a stable.
She has huge monthly expenses.
These costs are fixed.
Unfortunately,
most of her revenue
comes from a pay-as-you-ride
riding school.
One Saturday, she might have 100 riders.
The next Saturday, she might have no riders.
Her revenue is highly variable.
This can be a recipe for disaster.
If there’s a drop in revenue,
she can’t cut costs.
Her expenses remain.
When you build your business,
pay attention to
the type of revenues
vs
the type of expenses.
Ideally, you want these to match.
(Putting riders, in the example,
on a monthly fee program
would be one solution.)
If you’re a woman
and building a business,
you WILL deal
with sexist trolls.
Heck, if you’re a woman
and doing anything,
you will deal with them.
And if you have daughters,
they will deal with them also.
I receive sexist comments
from trolls
on client k
all the time.
It is one of the reasons
I have comment moderating on.
If they’re not alarmingly personal,
I delete them
and move on.
If they are alarmingly personal,
I contact the police.
Others deal with them
with humor.
“I skied back to the Pole again …
to take this photo
for all those men
who commented
‘Make me a sandwich’
on my TEDX Talk.
I made you a sandwich
(ham & cheese),
now ski 37 days
and 600km
to the South Pole
and you can eat it xx.”
She’s 16, a child,
and she’s receiving these sexist comments.
If you’re a woman,
you’ll receive them too.
Be cautious
but don’t let the comments stop you.