Writing, producing, and promoting tips booklets for marketing, motivating, and making money.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Better Living Through Technology
I am often a late adapter of technology. Not something to brag about, just something that is. And, like so many other people, once I finally jump in, I'm bowled over by how much the technology adds to my life.
An example of that happened today. This may all be old news to you. Stay with me on this, since you might see some usefulness in this story even metaphorically. Two different clients of mine have told me about a no-cost way to talk ( as in make sound out loud) with someone through the computer. I did this once before in a webinar situation that was, for me, a total disaster when I got knocked offline midway through presenting the class. The technology these two clients were telling me about is at http://www.skype.com Apparently you can also call a land line through this service for a very small amount of money, which does come in quite handy when making international calls, especially.
Today I was speaking with a client of mine in England, as if we were on the telephone, and it cost neither of us anything. Yes, we both had to be at our computers at the same time, and had to have the no-cost software from Skype downloaded onto our computers. It was a totally no-hands, full audio conversation into a very modest microphone plugged into the computer and the regular speakers. Plus, this client was especially delighted to realize he had been influential in my following through with using Skype to talk with him. Thank you John Marsh in the UK for your wonderful way of encouraging me to be all that I can be :-)
Why am I often resistent to technology? I really don't know. It does make me think of responses I've had from clients, when I know I can help them improve their bottom line, be happier in their business, or do something to make their life more, better, or different. They resist, in spite of the potential professional and personal enhancements. Can you relate to that? Are there clients who come to mind? Is it you I am describing?
Maybe the lesson is more along the lines of maintaining a steady and quiet persistence when it comes to the client or prospect's resistance. John Marsh and I will both be saving considerable amounts of money by using this service. That's a good business decision to minimize expenses whenever possible. In the course of saving money, John and I will also be making more money, not to mention the opportunity of staying closer in touch with John and his lovely wife, Beverley.
What can technology do for you today? And what resistance of yours is worth putting aside?
There's nothing like a vacation to help re-frame a person's perspective on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. My Magnificent Other (aka Bob) and I took 8 days away from our wonderful home base of San Diego. As fabulous as things are here (and they really are, too), a change of pace is a Good Thing.
Our first three and a half days were at Yosemite National Park, a place neither of us had ever been. The massiveness of the rocks, the water falls, and the giant Sequoiah trees coupled with the high elevation and the beauty of the park were almost more than words could describe or a camera could adequately capture. We thought about what life would be like living up in those mountains, particularly when we saw a UPS truck pass us going through the park. Bob assured me that I could still ship out my home study kits. I assured Bob that we weren't leaving the beach in San Diego so fast. His point was well taken, though. If we wanted to, I truly could do business from high in the hills as long as I had a decent internet connection. I do prefer the beach, which is where we'll be until further notice, I promise.
Our next three and a half days were in San Jose, an hour south of San Francisco. This is an annual trek we make the last weekend of September to a weekend-long reunion of people from an online chat room where Bob and I first met. About 50 people from far and wide gather from Thursday to Sunday to visit, eat, visit some more, eat some more, see the sites, and go to a street fair in San Franscisco on Sunday of the weekend. Did I mention that we eat? When I say from far and wide, that includes England, Hawaii, Alaska, New York, North Carolina, Florida, Seattle, the midwest, and more. Sometimes new people join us who are friends of friends. Over the years, we've become family even though we have limited contact throughout the year. It's pretty impossible to avoid discussing business when we do all get together.
What I've come to realize on this vacation is something that some big corporations discovered awhile ago. Sometimes the best ideas come from people who are in completely different industries than your own field. Our hosts at Yosemite (Bob's cousin and her husband) and our friends in San Jose not only had interest in purchasing some tips booklets. They also offered ideas about new and different markets. It was easy to discuss all of this in the relaxed settings of the vacation, with no to-do lists or other demands, and with people who enjoyed the brainstorming as much as I did.
We're looking forward to our next vacation, which will undoubtedly be another opportunity for some more new ideas about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I'm thinkin' Hawaii or the UK for the next jaunt.
Are booklets limited to success only in America? Not hardly. In fact, today's email brough the following from one of our booklet authors. I thought you'd enjoy seeing it. ++++++++++++
Here's an update on a my client who just looooves booklets
You may recall that I emailed about them before - here's what's happens since.
I first introduced the idea of creating *guides* (booklets) to them just 18 months ago.
Since then...
They have enjoyed an ADDITIONAL £7,000,000 in turnover and £2,000,000++ EXTRA profit And have £6,000,000 in the pipeline of what looks like pretty good business
They only spent £256,000 in marketing costs - total!
Not too shabby heh?
I also trained their sales people on how to follow up the booklets requesters and what to do at the sales call - apart from all the usual brilliant stuff they were already doing.
Two recent situations reminded me of the value of having a different pair of eyes look at a booklet manuscript. And I"m speaking to myself as much as I'm speaking with you about all of this.
The first was from a person who is genetically incapable of writing in anything other than full paragraphs. I say this half jokingly and half seriously. The person is excellent at elaborating and just cannot write in tips format, no way no how. The manuscript had wonderfully valuable content that would be lost on the reader in long paragraphs because the topic was related to a crisis situation. That would not be a time when someone would sit down to read a book written in anything other than short easily referenced sound bites, in tips. The author agreed to hire my manuscript editing services, and we crafted the document into something very workable for the reader, and something I believe will be very lucrative for the author.
The second situation involved a booklet from a new booklet author. The cover letter referenced the fact that the author did proofread the booklet, yet a few typos slipped in anyway. Yes, that is often the case. I recall years ago having a booklet author client who missed a typo in their office telephone number! It's not to say that every single typo will always and forever be caught, no matter how many eyes read it. The odds are greatly improved, though, when someone other than the composer of the work gets to look at it since it's fresh eyes seeing the information.
It is usually false economy to do it all yourself. You have a wealth of great information. Take the few extra steps to have it edited and proofread by someone other than yourself. I promise you it's worth it.
Have you given any thought to selling your booklets in bulk to the thousands of direct selling companies/multi-level marketing companies (i.e. Avon, Mary Kay, Discovery Toys, Nu Skin, Usana, Young Living, etc.) or to the home school industry (yes, it's an industry). Both are huge fields with gigantic buying power. Your booklets and related products (audio CDs, card decks, etc.) can be given or sold to distributors or resold to customers of those companies. Ask people you know for introductions to those with authority to make volume purchases up the ladder of these organizations. You probably know someone who is involved in at least one of these entities.
The Internet's First Self-Publishing Radio Station
I found another pearl today in one of the many ezines I read. It's the Internet's First Self-Publishing Radio Station. Listen to some of the past shows at their web site. I don't have an interview scheduled with them yet, though something tells me I will at some point in the future.
