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Booklet Tips From Paulette

Writing, producing, and promoting tips booklets for marketing, motivating, and making money.

Friday, December 30, 2005

Paulette's 2006 Travels

Every year I travel. Some years it's more than others, and some years it's more biz than pleasure or more pleasure than biz. I like to travel, yet have no desire to be a road warrior or anything close to it. Just enough to vary the fabric of life, see new places through new filters, and get the batteries recharged. It works like a charm each and every time I do that.

Right now, I have three places on my radar that I will be visiting where I intend to deliver one-day workshops as well as individual in-person consulting and do some fun visiting while there. It doesn't mean these are the only places I'll be. It's just what is beckoning to me right now:

* Hawaii - probably in March - Oahu
* Washington, DC - definitely week of May 15 - public workshop Tues. May 16 downtown DC
* England - probably in July - London and York

If you are in any of these places or have interest in getting there, keep an eye out for official notice of firm dates and the content of the workshops. In the meantime, drop me a note of preliminary interest so you are sure to receive the information without it passing you by.

I do know the workshops will be addressing:

* how to sell a million copies of your information products to corporations
* writing something once to leverage it into an entire product line in hard copy and electronically
* ways to license your products

You'll be leaving these workshops with both your booklet manuscript and your marketing plan started, and with reference information, follow-up opportunities, and bonuses galore.

I am more than willing to consider adding other locations to this year's agenda anyplace there is a critical mass of interested people. So don't be shy about saying you'd love me to come to your city or town so we can make magic together and have a great time doing it.

2006 is already a very exciting year before it's even started! In fact, it looks like it will be one of the best years for lots of people in a very long time. I'm looking forward to traveling part of the journey together.

Until next time,
Paulette
http://www.tipsbooklets.com

Thursday, December 29, 2005

Giving it Away

Yes, there's times to give away your booklet rather than sell it. Here's a few situations that come to mind:

* People who are good hubs of influence to refer people to you - lawyers giving free booklets to judges, mediators, and therapists who would refer legal cases involving divorce, for instance.

* Decision-makers at corporations, associations, and publications - people who are in a position to purchase or license large quantities of your booklet from you.

* Past clients - keep people in the loop so they know what you are doing and on their radar so they can purchase more from you by remembering you exist.

* Potential clients of your services - your booklet is a high-level business card with a sampling of your knowledge.

* Current buyers of your products or services - an easy and low-cost bonus of 'free booklet with purchase.'

You can probably think of a few more situations where giving your booklet away for free makes really great sense (cents) and a whole lot more dollars.

Until next time,

Paulette - who rarely advocates giving stuff away for free unless there's a reeeeeeally good reason

http://www.tipsbooklets.com

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Clients Teach Vendors

You know I am fond of looking beyond the obvious. Here's a sampling of that in an excerpt from an excellent ezine published by Robert Middleton. Robert previously commented in his ezine that "The greatest contribution you can make to others is allowing them to contribute to you." His readers responded. Here's one response I feel is worth sharing, especially for the coaches, speakers, and consultants who read this blog.

From Sue Edwards (a client of Robert's)

A year ago I approached a recruitment firm with a suggestion that they align themselves with a professional coach (guess who!) to provide coaching to the candidates that they place to truly set them up for success in their new job. I saw this as a fantastic way of differentiating the recruitment firm's service. (I'm a leadership coach who specializes in working with leaders taking on challenging new roles or moving to new organizations and experiencing enormous pressure to perform.)

What was transformative for me was this... as excited as I was about MY vision of what the service would look like, after I gave my pitch I simply listened and allowed the leaders of the recruitment firm to contribute their own ideas. As they expressed their resistance... talked about their own immediate needs... conveyed their understanding of their client's needs... I ended up with enormously valuable gifts of contribution.

This one conversation literally ended up defining much of my business development strategy for the subsequent year and has formed the basis of my core plans for the next two years.

Initially, their contribution was one powerful question... "How can you make your coaching more accessible to more people?"

Before I knew it, the list of marketing contributions they provided for me grew to...

1. Posting a regular column of articles that I write on their website which has a much wider audience than I would ever reach on my own. The column generates client leads.

2. Publishing and printing a book I wrote (involving a significant financial investment on their part) and providing it as a gift to all candidates they place, reaching hundreds of different organizations each year.

3. Inviting me to meetings with decision-makers in their client organizations.
The beauty of it is that in making these contributions to me, they are giving value-added contributions to their clients and are, of course, providing a contribution back to themselves. And so the collaboration ripples outward.

"By Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing. Please visit Robert's web site at http://www.actionplan.com for additional marketing articles and resources on marketing for professional service businesses."

Until next time,
Paulette
http://www.tipsbooklets.com

Monday, December 26, 2005

Going Backwards

Contact previous clients. Yes, an amazing grasp of the obvious I know, yet it's also amazing how easy it can be to forget to do that. Some of those large-quantity booklet clients will be thrilled to hear from you. They forgot the brilliant results your booklets brought them. That's right, they forgot! They got on with other things.

Then there are those people who quite sincerely said the booklets seem interesting, and there was not a specific purpose in their business at the moment. And then THEY forgot about you. Well, not you, but your booklets. They, too, are likely to be delighted to hear from you.

Take a look at your records to see who needs to hear from you, and contact them. There is no question you will generate some new orders from among them. Be sure you don't forget.

Until next time,
Paulette
http://www.tipsbooklets.com

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Write a Book?

Are you still thinking about writing a book? The operative words there are "still thinking." And yes, I did say "book." If you are one of those folks who has tripped over the work of tipsbooklets.com and are wrestling with booklet versus book, and you're analyzing all the possibilities, my question to you is this: how long are you going to THINK about it?

For the many weeks, months, and years you've been pondering the idea of writing a book, you could have already written a booklet (or hired me to write it with you), and you could have sold millions of copies of that booklet. ( I teach you or your assistant how to do that). You could have been an a published author by now. You could have sold a million copies of your booklet and its derivatives by now, with much less time, money, and brain strain than writing a book.

Isn't now the time to stop thinking and start doing? Talk to me. We'll get it to happen. It'll be not only painless. It'll also be fun!

Until next time,
Paulette
http://www.tipsbooklets.com

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Year-End Sales Abound

This past week two different large orders of product and service were placed with my company in the same context: "I want to spend my marketing/professional growth dollars in 2005 before the year ends." For many people, the additional tax deduction for marketing materials and professional education is an important part of their financial planning. Small businesses and entrepreneurs benefit from the tax deduction. Many departments of larger corporations live by the use-it-or-lose-it adage with regards to their budget.

No matter how you view it, this is all good news for booklet authors looking to sell large quantities of their booklets in the next two and a half weeks. You can create a windfall for yourself by contacting anyone who has been a client or is a prospective client, and lead with the year-end approach. I'll bet some of those people never considered spending their money in your direction just now and, with a little bit of coaxing, may be eternally grateful for your call! You can thank me later, or within the next two and a half weeks with your own tax-deductible order!!

Until next time,
Paulette
http://www.tipsbooklets.com

Monday, December 12, 2005

New Publishing Resource from Dan Poynter

Dan Poynter has just come out with a new no-cost resource to supplement his regular every-other-week exceptional no-cost ezine. The new one is called Publishing Poynters Marketplace. It's about buying, selling and reviewing; authors and publishers helping each other. The first issue includes Wants-Stories/Information Wanted, Publishing Items and Help Wanted, Companies/Properties/Rights to buy or for sale and Reviews on Amazon and Barnes and Noble wanted
Publishing Poynters Marketplace is posted/archived at
http://parapub.com/getpage.cfm?file=/news.html


Until next time,
Paulette
http://www.tipsbooklets.com

Get Twisted

A new twist on common wisdom. That phrase captured my attention. Isn't that what you do when you write your booklet? There's probably been lots written on your topic by everyone and their uncle. You bring a new twist to it. I've often said that there is not an original thought in my booklet, "110 Ideas for Organizing Your Business Life." I did not plagiarize anything. It's just all common wisdom in it, now over a million copies sold.

Are you hesitating in writing your booklet, or in feeling good about selling it because you think there's nothing new to be said? Refocus your efforts and realize there are still billions of people in the world who do not yet know you, your booklet, or your knowledge.

Until next time,
Paulette
http://www.tipsbooklets.com

Monday, December 05, 2005

Blending Online and Offline

Have you met a person who thinks their entire business can thrive solely online? That's become the dream of many with the wonderful advances of the Internet, isn't it? For lots of us, it's a rarity to meet people who don't have Internet access. We've come to assume it's the way of the world.

There's more and more talk these days, however, about the value and even necessity of doing OFFline promotions to increase your ONline business. It's about both not either of these realms. When I started my booklet business is 1991, it was before most of us (me included) were online. And I sold lots and lots of booklets then, too, both single copies and in large volume to single buyers before ever having even an email address much less a web site.

There's so many ways to do offline promotions, too. One of the best experts I've found on the topic is my friend and colleague, Joan Stewart. I marvel at how she has packaged her knowledge. She's got literally dozens of Special Reports ( http://tinyurl.com/9lh6x ) and CDs and Transcripts ( http://tinyurl.com/8ov5h )that address every imaginable aspect of promoting your product or service business.

Joan has also written some tips booklets, so she knows about the booklet business first-hand. It's not a stretch for her. I love the way she presents her information, too. It's easy to understand if you're a newcomer to her topic, and thorough enough to take you to the next level if you're more experienced with generating publicity. And she's priced the products so you can't NOT buy!

Take a peek at what she's got. You'll probably become as big a fan of hers as I am!

Until next time,
Paulette
http://www.tipsbooklets.com

Thursday, December 01, 2005

Think Small

Did I really write that title to this blog entry? Anyone who knows me for even thirty seconds knows I am forever challenging people to think and act abundantly, largely, and beyond what they typically tend to do. So what was I thinking with this title?

Here's what it's about. I am suggesting you make some small goal every day. Consider who would be one good person to purchase 50 copies of your booklet today, or one magazine to send one article to today, or a radio station to be interviewed on today, or one something to move your business forward. Identify something you know is completely do-able for you.

Tomorrow take that one step further. 50 copies was easy for you. How about 100 copies? What about a magazine that's a little larger circulation or prominence than the one you contacted today? Look for a radio station in a little bigger market than the one you approached today.

There is a reason the 12-step recovery programs speak the montra of 'one day at a time.' It's one day at a time that allows things to get done, for progress to happens, for bigger accomplishments to take place. Going from zero to a million of anything might be possible, though it's pretty overpowering and overwhelming for many mortals.

I am not advocating staying at the starting place for very long. I am, in fact, suggesting that taking small steps keeps you actively on the course of a marathon rather than finding you falling off the path of a sprint.

What's one small thing you can do today to forward your booklet business? Do it!

Until next time,
Paulette
http://www.tipsbooklets.com