T'is the Season to Be ...

...deciding what to do next in your business. This is a quirky time of year. For some businesses, it's the busiest time of the year. Retail businesses are known to make much of their income during this holiday season. For many other businesses, it's the quietest time of the year. That's more often the case for many booklet authors, who typically tend to be speakers, consultants, coaches, and solopreneurs. Depending on how long you've been in this business, you know it's a quiet time and you've anticipated it cash-flow-wise. So now you can relax in whatever ways you find most enjoyable and take a little time to map out what 2007 will be for you. In this next month, look back at what worked and what didn't work in the past year. What did you enjoy and what was a chore you can delegate or transform in some way? What are some new products to create and new markets to explore? Take time over the next 6 weeks to determine what new life to breath into your booklets and other information products. After all, t'is the season.

Until next tme,
Paulette -- scheduling more vacations and sharing more booklet opportunities worldwide
www.tipsbooklets.com

David Letterman, Top 10 Lists, and Booklets

It was pointed out to me the other day that this is the time of year to see lots of "Top 10" lists printed in magazines, ezines, newspapers, and, of course the ongoing nightly antics of late night talk show host David Letterman. (Stay with me here, even if you are a fan of Jay Leno instead or you go to bed too early to have any clue to the reference at all.) So what's that got to do with booklets? Well, let's start from the end and work backwards here. David Letterman had his nightly comedic top ten lists compiled into a book and sold it. Hmmm, you see where I'm going with this already, don't you?

Many life and business coaches, among other solopreneurs, have been encouraged to create top 10 lists. So now there are lists of the lists, which can readily be compiled into one or more tips booklets quite painlessly. Where the lists may have been articles posted on your own or other people's sites pureful for publicity and exposure, compiling the lists into a tips booklet can convert what you've already done into a new source of income . Not bad, is it?

Go pull those top ten lists out and see what you've got. If you haven't started those yet, you'll probably find it easier to think of making a list of "10 ways to ..." and "10 tips for..." than starting off with the goal of writing 3,000 to 5,000 words.

Until next time,
Paulette - looking for the top ten best ways to take bites of the elephant
www.tipsbooklets.com

International Booklet Sales with Free Non-Skype Telephone Calls

You may be just getting started with international sales of your booklets or still skittish about the whole idea. Either way, I share with you yet one more resource from last week's www.SpeakerNetNews

just made the world a little smaller and a lot more accessible. I've included the entry verbatim from that newsletter. My clients, friends, and prospects in the UK, Australia, and a few other places can expect more chat from me in the near future!

==============

Unlimited foreign calls for no cost -- Patrick Galvin

My wife just called Germany for no charge from a home phone, not Skype or another computer service. Just call 712-858-8883 in Iowa from a land line or cell phone, follow instructions to dial your overseas number and be connected to more than 50 countries. The call will be no charge if you have an unlimited nationwide long distance plan. Even if you don't, the international portion of the call is no cost. There is no registration or membership required. No need to provide personal or financial information. There is no limit on the number or length of calls you may make. The only restriction is that some calls to overseas cell phones do not work. The company is negotiating with carriers to try to include calls to cell phones.

Future Fone Services, Inc., an international telecommunications carrier based in California, provides this service. The company plans to offer the no-charge calls for the next three years (until 2010) as a way to build brand recognition and customer loyalty.

=============

Until next time,
Paulette - happily passing along more ways to broaden our collective horizon
www.tipsbooklets.com

Gathering Booklet Testimonials

Have you ever been positively swayed to make a purchase after reading testimonials on someone's site? I know I have, and clients have told me the same was true for them after reading the many testimonials on my own site. Here's something interesting to pass along to you that was posted in today's weekly SpeakerNetNews

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Testimonial collection site -- Donna Gunter

While researching online for an article about getting client testimonials, I discovered KudosWorks, a no-charge service (however they may start charging a fee in the future) that lets you automate the request and collection of testimonials from your customers and engage them to self-upload written testimonials, as well as audio and video. Then, you can showcase your reputation in your own multimedia KudosBoard and link to it from your Web site. What's even cooler is that you can create a reward system for your testimonials. In return for this no-cost service, all you have to do is write a testimonial for them and share the site with two friends. It's a great way to collect positive feedback on your speaking events and make
those accessible to meeting planners.

====================
Until next time,
Paulette - looking for ways to make business work easily, effortlessly, and enjoyably
www.tipsbooklets.com

Questions Lead to Increased Exposure

I'm a big fan of Marcia Yudkin's work. Here's something that can be very helpful to you in getting more press. See what you think.

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                   ** The Marketing Minute **
                    brought to you every Wednesday
     by Marcia Yudkin
                         Marketing Consultant, Author, Speaker

               *******************

An article in USA Weekend recently caught my eye, headlined,
"The most misunderstood dogs in America."  The author asked
four dog experts which five breeds are most often abandoned. 
The article cited widespread misunderstandings of the dogs'
needs and behaviors to explain why owners so frequently left
these breeds at animal shelters.

Not only was it fascinating reading, it set off a cascade of
ideas on how practically anyone can follow the model of this
article to get publicity.  Here's how.

First, think up a captivating question that you've not seen
or heard discussed and that relates to your expertise.  Your
question should call for a specific yet unpredictable answer,
not "yes" or "no."

Second, pose your question to a few experts or to 100+
people in a certain category (mothers, CFOs, inventors,
stockbrokers, etc.).

Third, summarize the responses in a press release, including
your insightful comments and a paragraph on who you are.

Distribute the release, and voila!  You'll get publicity.

For a camera store, the question could be:  "What frustrates
you most about your digital camera?"

Your question could be...?

                *******************
NOTE FROM PAULETTE: Marcia has an interesting service to
help with implementing the blueprint above, consulting
with you to come up with your intriguing question,
writing a newsworthy press release and assisting with
distribution of the release to national media and
reporters in your niche. She also has other publicity
resources...
24 Press Release Makeovers & 99 Successful Press Releases
http://www.yudkin.com/prmakeovers.htm

                  *******************

For a free weekly marketing tip, subscribe: 
http://www.yudkin.com/markmin.htm

================

Until next time,
Paulette - who can never get enough marketing tips
www.tipsbooklets.com

Interns for Your Booklet Business

This article in a recent ezine seems to answer a concern voiced by many booklet authors.

Find An Intern Online

When small-business owners want to hire an intern, they traditionally look for candidates through local colleges and universities, trade associations or even local high schools. But snagging interns through online sources is becoming more common. Some online internship job sites are free for employers. In most cases, you can search intern profiles by state and by industry. At others, you’ll pay varying amounts for searching intern listings or for posting your job opening. Here are three sites worth checking out:

1. InternshipPrograms.com

2. Internships.com

3. Internjobs.com

You can also find interns by posting onto Craigslist.

Until next time,
Paulette -- sharing resources as they appear
www.tipsbooklets.com

From Roofing to Insurance -- Booklets for All

I had the pleasure this week of being introduced virtually to a delightful person who is already way ahead of the game when it comes to the virtues of booklets as a lead generator and marketing tool. His own long-time expertise and websites are about helping life insurance and mutual funds agents market their services better. Take a peek at an article he wrote, and how he leveraged what he saw in another industry (roofing) into an ideal lead generator for life insurance and mutual funds agents. He's got great stuff on his sites.

http://www.etip.ca/94-LifeInsuranceLeads.html

Until next time,
Paulette -- always happy to broaden the reach for all concerned
www.tipsbooklets.com

Following Up with Follow Up

Robert MIddleton in his recent ezine said it all about doing follow-up. See for yourself:

==============
CROSSING THE GRAND CANYON

 For Independent Professionals, marketing often converges into 

one crucial action step: The Follow-Up Call.

You can follow up at any stage of the marketing process: 

If you meet someone through networking and they show some 

interest, you can give them a call to explore that interest.

If you forward some information to a prospect, such as an article 

or a link to a web page, you can follow up to get their reaction 

and then discuss their need for your service.

Or if a prospect has attended a presentation or teleclass, you can 

follow up to see if they're interested in taking the next step. 

OK, we all understand this... but if this is so simple (and it really 

is) then why is the average Independent Professional so awful at 

actually doing it? Admit it, you've let a lot of business slip 

through the cracks because you haven't made that follow-up call.

I call that crack the "Grand Canyon" because it feels like a mile 

wide and a mile deep!

Today, I'm going to give you some badly needed perspective on 

making those calls. 

Seven Pointers for Crossing the Grand Canyon

   1. If you don't call, it won't happen. Period. The chance of them 

   calling you back from any of the scenarios above is minuscule. If 

   they call, great, that means they are very qualified. But if you 

   don't follow-up, the chances are high that you will never turn 

   them into a client. Never, ever.

   2. Remember, the purpose of a follow-up call is not to sell them 

   your services, but to continue a conversation or to set up an 

   appointment. Take it one step at a time. You're playing 

   Marketing Ball, remember? You're moving towards second base 

   where they are willing to explore working with you. Take it easy.

   3. If you make a follow-up call, bad things won't happen. They 

   won't send a hit man to take you out. They won't even hang up 

   on you or say bad things or yell at you. Won't happen. Relax. 

   About the worst thing that can happen is they won't be 

   interested right now. You can survive that. 

   4. If they don't return your call, it doesn't mean they are not 

   interested. It just means you are not a priority right now. Or 

   they are out of town or their cat just died. You are not at the 

   top of their list and, like you do when someone leaves a 

   message, you think to yourself, "Gee I can't get back to them 

   today, I guess they'll call back if they're serious." Be serious and 

   call back.

   5. You can leave messages, but never leave the ball in their 

   court. Don't expect them to call you back. Instead, let them 

   know you'll be calling again later in the day or tomorrow. This 

   way you can call several times, because you're not expecting 

   them to return you call. Ever. It's not their job. It's your job.

   6. When you finally reach them, be prepared. You always need 

   to start from square one and use the language of marketing 

   (problem followed by solution): "When we talked you said you 

   weren't happy with ABC and wanted more of XYZ. I just wanted 

   to lean more about your situation. Is this a good time to talk?"    

   It just might be.

   7. You know a follow-up call is going well if your prospect is  

   doing most of the talking (about their problems and desired 

   outcomes). You are in trouble if you're getting too deeply into 

   the features and benefits of your service. Don't go there now. 

   See if there's a need and an interest and then ASK for and GET 

   an appointment. 

That's all you need to know to get started. Any prospects needing 

follow-up calls? There's the phone!

By Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing. Please visit

Robert's web site at www.actionplan.com for additional 

marketing articles and resources on marketing for professional 

service businesses.

===========

Until next time,

Paulette -- taking Robert's words to heart

www,tipsbooklets.com

Value-Added Product Bundling At Its Finest

A self-publishing listserv I'm on had the following post today that instantly captured my attention. While it references a book rather than a booklet, the concept reinforces so much of what we talk about in selling large quantities to single buyers. See what you think. It's included in its entirety.

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I've been working on this deal for over a year and had a non-disclosure so couldn't mention it to anyone, but it has now been announced in a national magazine so
I'm free to shout from the rooftops.  Sending out press releases now.
Anyway, I'm very excited to announce that Breyer Model Horses, a division of Reeves International, has purchased 6,000 copies of my first book, Blackjack: Dreaming of a Morgan Horse.  They will be packaging my book with a model they made to represent the horse from the book. (These models are the *very* popular resin/plastic models that most little girls are very familiar with.  There is also a huge adult market
as these models are big in the collector's world.)  Although Breyer has
packaged books with models before, this is the first tiime that they
have used a contemporary book.  Previously, they have only used old
classics like The Black Stallion or Justin Morgan Had A Horse.  AND, to
top it all off, they have invited the real Blackjack (one of my horses)
and myself to attend BreyerFest next July.  This is their huge, annual three-day event in Lexington, KY (we live in Massachusetts).  Not sure what Blackjack will think of the trip, but I'm excited.  I just did a three-day signing at Equine Affaire (90,000 people) and had lots of people coming up to congratulate me.  This is a huge deal in the horse world.  Also had three different people from
Breyer visit my booth and chat.  Keeping my fingers crossed and plan to
do all I can to get the model/book to sell well as they've indicated an
interest in possibly continuing the series (I have three other books in
the series with a fourth in the works).

Ellen Feld
Willow Bend Publishing
www.willowbendpublishing.com

======

Until next time,
Paulette -- always thrilled to see such validation of ideas
www.tipsbooklets.com

Creating Your Booklet Team - Free Teleclass

Tell Everyone Your Know About the Class


Whether you've already claimed your spot for the teleclass this week or not, there
is still space -- not only for you but for the people in your life who will be delighted to have this information.

The all-important details are:

• Creating Your Booklet Team
• Wednesday, November 15, 2006
• 2:00 PM Eastern Time for one hour

This is a brand new class -- if you think you've heard it all from me, well you've never heard this before!

You have a booklet team whether you've realized it or not. This no-cost class shows how to look at who you currently have, who you want for your own booklet team, and how best to select them. It makes the journey easier and more lucrative by crafting your unique team. Experience success in getting your messag out there and making more money in the process.

Everyone who attends this class will also receive a Special Report and a tips booklet about creating your team.

Click here to register for this class while you're still thinking about it

Until next time,
Paulette -- teaming up with you for everyone's benefit
www.tipsbooklets.com

Giving Away a Booklet for Free Makes Lots of Money

Yes, sometimes it does make sense to give your booklet away free, and other times a booklet author thinks about giving it away because they don't know how it can be sold.

One example of it making sense to give away the booklet free was demonstrated by a client years ago who was a family law attorney. His goal was to increase his practice in revenue and calibre of cases. He specifically put his booklet into the hands of judges, mediators, and therapists whom he knew were in a good position to send him the kinds of cases he was seeking. He surpassed his goal within 6 months of doubling the revenue of his practice, with higher level cases than he had been seeing previously. That's just one of several ways it does, in fact, make sense to give away the booklet free.

Until next time,
Paulette - looking at the bottom line from several perspectives
www.tipsbooklets.com

Influenced by Others' Results

Does it matter to you what results someone else has had with their booklets? This is posed as a serious question. When I wrote my own booklet in 1991, I knew someone else had done a booklet, and it seemed like something I could do. However there was never a consideration about what the booklet had accomplished for that person. It was a product I saw as do-able, something that could be sold, and something to market my business at the same time. Maybe my natural trailblazer wiring kept the focus to 'just do it' instead of asking what someone else had done.

You may be wired differently and find your confidence and encouragement in testimonials and case studies about what other people have accomplished or experienced. It can be tough to bump up against a person who asks what difference it makes in what someone else has done. You are here to cut your own unique trail with your booklet. It could look something like what a trailblazer did, yet there is no doubt the journey you take will be yours and yours alone.

So look if you'd like at what somebody else has accomplished, to get some ideas of ways you might go. Rest assured their successes happened because of who they are. The components of what makes you your own person will dictate the results you get. Amazing grasp of the obvious? Probably. Yet it needed to be said in answer to a recent query by someone who will most definitely succeed in getting the results uniquely theirs to get.

Until next time,
Paulette -- who did all kinds of things that worked and didn't work to sell over a million booklet copies
www.tipsbooklets.com

More About Flexibility and Adaptability

It's becoming more frequent lately to get into conversations about the size I advocate for a booklet. For 15 years, it's been in the 3.5" x 8.5' to 4"x9" range, allowing the booklet to fit into a #10 size standard business envelope in North America. It's been a convenient size to use for various promotions. Today I heard myself shift gears some, and it made perfect sense. If a bulk buyer wants to insert a booklet into a catalog or within a larger shipment of product, it would be perfectly fine to make the booklet 5"x8" or 6"x9" and still accomplish the same promotional purpose. And if someone wanted to make the booklet 2"x2" and it worked for them, well, it's also perfectly fine. Another case in life where form follows function. Flexibility, yes, a Good Thing.

Until next time,
Paulette -- noting it doesn't always have to be the way it's always been
www.tipsbooklets.com

Booklet Teams That Work

This month's Booklet Tips from Paulette ezine was all about teams, creating professional and support teams for your booklet. Unbeknownst to me, one of the Tipsbooklets.com team members was in the process of creating a page on her site that says it all about teams that work. Visit this page on the site of one of our graphic designers to see for yourself.

http://www.coyotepressgraphics.com/tips4.htm

Until next time,
Paulette -- teaming up with only the best
www.tipsbooklets.com

Throw It Back Into the Pond

An interesting metaphor came to mind the other day related to fishing. No I am not someone who indulges in the sport. I happily eat fish that others have already caught. Anyway, it's the idea of throwing back into the water the ones that are too small to meet the minimum requirements allowing them to be kept.

This applies to governed locations where the Powers That Be are seeking to perpetuate the edible species that swim. I'm not referring to less civilized or more sparsely populated regions where people do what they do to survive and thrive (though this metaphor is expanding the more I'm considering it.).

Anyway, you get an idea. You get millions of ideas. You feel that every single one of them must be included in what you write. Well, you don't need every single on of them in one document in order to produce something worth keeping. Some of the ideas need to get thrown back into the pond for them to mature a bit, to get big enough to meet the minimum requirements for keeping them. When they get bigger, you can fish them out of the water again for the next product. Interesting perspective when you look at it that way, isn't it?

Until next time,
Paulette -- wisely capturing ideas and fish
www.tipsbooklets.com

Would You Rather Be Right or Prosperous?

There's a method to the madness of suggesting a particular writing style for tips booklets. Short, pithy tips appeal to readers and to decision-makers. Long series of examples separated by commas get tedious when they are included in one tip after another after another.

And punctuation is another thing. If you learned a different punctuation style in a country other than America, and you're selling your booklets in America, you will shoot yourself in both feet at once by insisting on punctuating the way you learned it in the mother country. The buyer will think you don't know any better and will doubt the merit of your content overall.

Please tell your reader what TO do rather than what NOT to do. Imagine a litany of don't's, avoids, and never's. How would you know what TO do? How appealing is that?

You can argue these points all day long, about sticking to your guns because of whatever reasons you present. However, when it comes right down to it, if your choices dissuade people from buying what you've got, what have you accomplished in the end? You're right. That's what you've got. However, have you made as many sales as you could have done by following some guidance that has worked? You make the choice. For me, I'll save being right for some other things, thank you.

Until next time,
Paulette - who is less committed to being right than ever before
www.tipsbooklets.com