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Booklet Tips From Paulette

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

Friday, November 30, 2007

Booklet Yes - Workbook Usually No

Your booklet can morph into many other product formats. In fact, I strongly encourage it. A workbook is typically not one of the suggestions I make. And I'm using "weasal words" here like "usually" and "typically" on purpose. There are specific cases where a workbook can be, well, workable.

The recipients of your booklet have their own area of expertise. They own a beauty salon, have a financial planning or coaching practice, manage a restaurant, are a corporate employee, are a full-time mom at home, or any of a zillion other possibilities. That's who they are and what they do. Your booklet is intended to teach them to better do what they do, in ways they can readily incorporate into their already overloaded and focused life.

Now you want them to fill in a workbook on top of everything else they have to do. C'mon, that's work! Unless they are attending a workshop or seminar you are presenting, where at least a lot of their focus is redirected to what you are teaching during a particular time period, the odds of them independently reading and completing a workbook in addition to everything else they do is very slim. Not impossible, though slim enough that it doesn't make much sense to me to create and market a workbook unless you are presenting lots of workshops to lots of people.

By the way, I refer to the publication in my home study kit, "How to Promote Your Business with Booklets," as a "manual" not a "workbook." Yes, there's space in it for people to make notes. However there are no fill-in-the-blanks or "make a list of..." or "write about why/how you..." It's intended as a reference, for people to come back to as and when they are ready, on their time table.

Instead of creating a workbook, expand your product line with products that fit better into your recipient's life. An audio program can be heard while commuting, exercising, or doing something else. A card deck can have one tip on one card displayed each day or week to glance at on a person's desk, on their bathroom mirror, or somewhere else they frequently go.

Think about ways to best mesh with the fabric of a person's life. Your message will be better received, you will contribute more to the recipient's life, and your own business bottom line will be positively influenced.

Until next time,
Paulette - encouraging what works for you and your market
www.tipsbooklets.com

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Thursday, November 29, 2007

Finally, The Meaning of Life

The title of this post is more useful to you as a booklet author than it may seem at first blush. Recently someone said (and I cannot recall who it was) that the meaning of life is, quite simply, "To Improve."

That stopped me right in my tracks. The simplicity, elegance, and all-encompassing nature of it was nothing short of jolting. I've often said the purpose of my own life is to learn and to teach. "To Improve" says it so much better.

What does this have to do with booklets? Well, only everything. The content of your booklet is intended to give the reader a tool to improve his or her life. The reader may or may not be the person who bought the booklet. It may have been a decision maker at a corporation or in an association. They might have purchased large quantities of the booklet to improve their presence in the world or to improve their sales results. Selling your booklet improved your own business and your feeling of satisfaction.

It accomplished spiritual, emotional, and practical purposes for improvement. Sometimes, it's as simple as that.

Until next time,
Paulette - remembering to keep it simple which often leads to the profound
www.tipsbooklets.com

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Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Sales Lessons from Dancing With the Stars

Yesterday's newsletter from Jill Konrath of www.SellingToBigCompanies.com , completely resonated with me, on several levels. First of all, I, too, have been very drawn to this American show this year. And second, you know I am forever sharing with you ideas about marketing your booklets, especially to big companies. While it turned out that my favorite came in second place last night, that, too, is part of the lesson. You can take a situation all the way to the finish line, do the best you can, and it still may not turn out the way you want. Jill also mentions that in #3 below. Regardless, enjoy Jill's article, and visit her site for even more encouragement on selling your booklets and other poroducts and services to big companies.

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Sales Lessons from Dancing With the Stars
by Jill Konrath

I admit it! I'm hopelessly addicted to this fluffy, feel-good show where famous men & women dare to learn something new with millions of people watching their every move. Tonight I'll be watching the finals, cheering my favorites on one last time. Tomorrow I'll be despondent that it's over. But before the results are announced, I'd like to weigh in on what you as a seller can learn from "Dancing With the Stars."

1. Practicing before prime time is essential. Each week the stars not only learned a new dance, but also struggled to perfect it before they stepped on the stage. They practiced hours each day, tripping over their own two feet and worrying endlessly about mastering the intricacies of each dance. Sellers need to take this lesson to heart. You can't "wing it" in sales today. Savvy sellers run through their presentations multiple times before standing in front of the committee. They listen to their own voicemail messages before calling real clients. In short, they stumble over their own words in private before they "perform" in front of prospective customers. To increase your sales success, practice more.

2. You can't skip any steps. Every dance has certain requirements that the judges expect to see. When the couples don't have enough turns or taps or whatever, they're docked points – which could ultimately lead to their eviction the following week. Sellers who skip steps of the sales process in their attempts to get the business quickly, create obstacles that can delay or even derail their own sales efforts. Customers have their own buying process to go through. They won't be rushed. The more sellers "push" towards closure, the more likely they'll blow it.To win more sales, don't skip any steps.

3. The best option doesn't always win. At the beginning of this season, actress Sabrina Bryan (Cheetah Girls) was clearly a formidable competitor. She danced beautifully and powerfully. Everyone was convinced she would be in the finals. But halfway through the competition, she was booted off the show because the viewers hadn't voted for her. Sellers need to constantly be aware of anything that could negatively impact their sales efforts. If the right people in the company aren't advocating for your product or service, your ability to win the sale is at risk. To stay in the game, make sure people are cheering for you.

4. Lack of confidence doesn't sell. Jennie Garth, actress of Beverly Hills: 90210 fame, came out week-after-week and did a yeoman's job. But she didn't believe she was a dancer and it showed. At times, it felt like she was counting steps or moving tentatively, afraid to really get into the role the dance needed from her. Instead, her niceness showed through – and it cost her. Making a decision to change from the status quo is risky. Customers worry about what might go wrong or if they'll achieve the desired results. Sellers who are confident in their firm's capabilities often can provide the impetus to move ahead.To initiate change, know the difference you can make.

5. All things being equal, relationships count. Going into tonight's finals, three contestants remain: Spice Girl Mel B, Indy 500 champion Helio and performer Marie Osmond. All have demonstrated "enough" dancing skills to be a contender for the coveted trophy. Now it all boils down to relationships. Will the Spice Girl's fans cast their ballots en masse? Will Helio's & Julianne's chemistry pull in the votes? Or, will Marie's long-time fans carry her into the winner's circle? When just three competitors remain in a sales situation, typically customers perceive any of them to be capable of doing the job. Then, the real question becomes, "Who do we want to work with?" Hopefully it will be you.To win the trophy, strengthen relationships.

Tonight, at 8 pm Central, we'll find out who the actual winner is from this season's Dancing With the Stars. Fortunately, it really doesn't matter because we've already learned the sales lessons.

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Until next time (and next year's season of the show!)
Paulette - cherishing the experience and the learning
www.tipsbooklets.com

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Tuesday, November 27, 2007

"I'm Really a ...

...massage therapist, teacher, lawyer, mom, musician, doctor, life coach, writer, auto mechanic...NOT a salesperson."

Oh yeah? What about those ideas of yours that you got someone to accept the other day? Wasn't that selling them on something? Whether it was your student, spouse, patient, or client, you sold them an idea of yours. It was probably more than one idea at that.

You understandably have some opinions about sales and sales people. You also are headed into uncharted waters when looking at selling your booklets and other information products in bulk to corporations, associations, and web sites. You've never done it before. All you need is some knowledge and some nerve, and there you are, talking with someone who needs and wants what you've got, and is willing and maybe even eager to pay you money for it.

You've had payment for your ideas before. It may not have looked like money. A student accepted your ideas and rewarded you with improved performance and satisfaction -- yours and his. A spouse accepted your ideas and rewarded you with, well, whatever he or she thought was a good reward. And it goes on like that.

So yes, you really are a salesperson in addition to whatever other descriptors you use for yourself. And if the word "selling" or "sales" puts up some kind of barrier for you, then consider it "visiting" with someone, and "sharing" what you've got that they want or need. It may be a matter of semantics, or it may be this blog post was just the tool to help you accept the idea that your being involved with selling your booklet is a Good Thing.

Until next time,
Paulette - who does better at sales when not trying to sell
www.tipsbooklets.com

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Monday, November 26, 2007

Not First, and Not Third

One sentence in an article in a recent Fast Company Magazine jumped out at me over the weekend. The article was by Heath and Heath, authors of the book, "Made to Stick." The sentence was this: "We don't want to be first, but we sure as hell don't want to be third." It was quoting the philosophy of the Savings and Loans Credit Union in Adelaide, Australia. Their reasoning is to "stand back and let the first mover take the risk and grab the glory of innovation, then come in right behiond and make a copy that's crisper than the original...Don't be first. Be best."

While I do fall naturally into being a trailblazer and, in some ways, being first, I saw someone's booklet back in 1991 and crafted one of my own that was, in some ways crisper than the original. Then people wanted to know how I'd done what I'd done, so I crafted a number of ways to teach that.

You have gone on to improve upon what I've done. In many ways, you are now not first and not third. You have made a copy that's crisper than the original, being the best rather than the first. There will be people who will look at what you've done and leverage your work. That's not to say they are stealing from you as much as using your efforts as a model on which they can springboard to something better for their own purposes.

You may also recall a very successful car rental company called Avis. Their entire advertsiing campaign was built on the fact they were second, and always trying harder. Second can be a great place to thrive once you view it that way.

Until next time,
Paulette - who was actually not first and not third, this time
www.tipsbooklets.com

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Friday, November 23, 2007

It's About "What" Not "Because"

Many booklet authors struggle with writing booklets. They want to tell it all in 16 pages. Yes, this topic is frequently addressed on this blog because it frequently presents itself. The booklet is where your reader starts, not ends.

Tell your reader how to do things. The challenge comes when you (the booklet author) feel compelled to go headlong into the why's, wherefore's, and because's. Those can be addressed in other formats of your products.

The booklet is where your reader starts, not ends.

Until next time,
Paulette - now ending this post
www.tipsbooklets.com

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Wednesday, November 21, 2007

"I Don't Know How,""I Can't," and Other Lies

I sat with a booklet author client for an hour yesterday. The person was from out of the area and was here visiting family. The client has already renogotiated twice on the date to send me the manuscript for editing. That's because the booklet was never started. Okay, maybe a tip or two. However, for all intents and purposes, it was never started.

The author has a full-time day job, some family at home, a social life, and other things that fill out the calendar. Writing the booklet -- hard, difficult, time consuming, and other fascinating fictional beliefs.

I started the hour yesterday by suggesting the author write 5 tips at the very beginning of lunch hour each day, for 20 days. That seemed to ease things ever so slightly. Okay, 100 tips in a months of workdays. Maybe do-able.

Then I asked the author to tell me, in writing, right then, 5 things to do relevant to the topic of the booklet. With zero hesitation, the hand started quickly moving the pen across the page. Six tips came out. Total time? Less than two minutes. That's no exaggeration. Literally less than two minutes.

So much for hard, difficult, and time consuming. The author shot holes in those theories right then and there. I am guessing I'll be seeing the ready-for-editing Word document within the week now that we've dissolved the long-held beliefs of why it wasn't getting done. What's holding you back?

Until next time,
Paulette - who assures you she has some of her own limiting beliefs floating around, too
www.tipsbooklets.com

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Tuesday, November 20, 2007

A Promotional Opportunity for You and Your Booklet

A friend of mine, Brian Jud, has sent out the following notice that may be of interest to you. While he references books, he would also be interested in knowing about your book or booklet experiences that fit into "special sales," which we also refer to as bulk sales or large quantity sales. It may be Brian's book where you first learned about tipsbooklets.com, in fact!


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My book, Beyond the Bookstore, a Publishers Weekly® title about how to sell books to non-bookstore markets, needs updating. So I am now working on the second edition to be published in mid 2008. If you have a special-sales success story, or know of someone who has sold books in large quantities to non-bookstore markets, please let me know. I’d like to include such examples in my next edition.

Thank you, Brian

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Contact Brian Jud in Connecticut at (860) 675-1344 or go to http://www.bookmarketing.com

Until next time,
Paulette - who has connected with many clients by being in other people's books
www.tipsbooklets.com

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Monday, November 19, 2007

Law of Action

I heard a colleague speak at a publishing event here in San Diego on Saturday. Her name is Debbie Allen and she's based in Phoenix. Debbie and I have known each other for a bunch of years. She's done a series of books with the branding of "Shameless Self Promotion." It won't surprise you that I'm included in one of her books.

Debbie has identified another branding that she's developing right now around the Law of Action. Can you relate to having good ideas, a portion of inspiration, and then not moving off the mark? That's where the Law of Action comes in. It is action that takes you from idea to success. It's the action that makes all the difference in the world. Your idea can be mediocre and enjoy greater success because of the action you take than an incredible idea that suffers from inaction.

Revisit your choices. Action? No action? What's next?

Until next time,
Paulette - who has taken more action than some and less action than others
www.tipsbooklets.com

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Friday, November 16, 2007

DHL Could Have Sent a Booklet

DHL, a big courier service, delivered a book to me yesterday as a thank-you for completing a short survey for them. It was a 200-ish page special edition about bridging the culture gap. What made it a special edition was the first page was a message from DHL's CEO, talking about how DHL delivers in more than 210 countries everyday.

Of course this entire thing resonated big-time for me. It was confirmation that companies are still using publications as premiums for their business activities such as an incentive to answer a survey. It also said this is a company who gets it and has the budget and mindset for such a thing. And delivering to over 210 countries everyday tells me they literally have a substantial size universe.

It is basically rolling out a red carpet to contact them with suggestions for other information products that would support some particular campaign they may be doing in the future. A booklet has to be less expensive than a book, saving them money while still providing a gift. It might even be an audio CD as the premium, for listening to content when traveling, or some other product with tips.

What do you miss noticing that is right in front of you? What opportunities are delivered to your door, literally, that could be large sales for you? It's very likely I'll be in touch with DHL very soon!

Until next time,
Paulette - with eyes wide open
www.tipsbooklets.com

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Thursday, November 15, 2007

Timing and Booklets

When is the "right" time to write and to sell your booklet? More often than not, there is no "right" time. Yes, when you're dealing with sales in a seasonally influenced sales cycle, there is a "right" time. Otherwise, it's all over the calendar.

First off, the time to write your booklet is now, as simply as that. Do it in bits and pieces if need be, and do it now. Waiting for "as soon as" leaves you with missed opportunities.

As for sales, you can make yourself crazy trying to guess when the best time is to approach any particular company or organization. Each has a different budget year, promotional campaign, potential use for your booklet, change in cast of characters, and on and on.

When your topic is seasonally related for a holiday or back-to-school or, in fact, a particular season, the "lead" time for the decision-makers to determine if your product is a match for them is probably longer than you think. Sometimes it's as much as a year in advance. It's certainly possible you could come in under a last-minute wire, though I wouldn't count on that.

Approach your quantity buyers when you are ready, and then find out when is the right time for them.

Until next time,
Paulette - who understands there are moments when time matters and moments when it doesn't
www.tipsbooklets.com

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Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Google Alerts and Booklets

Our friend Joan Stewart, of www.PublicityHound.com , had in her weekly ezine yesterday the following great ideas about ways to use Google alerts. Google Alerts can be set up, at no cost. to let you know any time you, your company, or anything else you want to know about has been mentioned on the Internet. It's the consummate clipping service. The Google Alerts arrive in your emailbox. I have some set to my name, my company name, the words "booklet" and "booklets" and a few more.

Here's Joan's suggestions for using Google Alerts:

--To find bloggers who are writing about your topic, so you can post comments at their blogs, or pitch them for publicity.

--To find journalists who cover your area of expertise. Once you know the name of the journalist who wrote a particular story, you can do even more research on them before pitching. How? By creating a Google Alert for their name.

Go set up some Google Alerts for yourself right now!
Until next time,
Paulette - who knows more of what's going on than you may realize
www.tipsbooklets.com

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Tuesday, November 13, 2007

You Made It Easy

Did YOU make it easy to create your booklet? Or are you still researching and tweaking and doing whatever you're doing to keep yourself from moving forward.

One client email today included the "you made it easy for me, one more time" comment. And a phone call from a different client said "I expect to have my booklet in your hands by the end of the month, after I finish researching and organizing the content." This latter person has been telling me a variation of that for about a year. I assured the person that the booklet could have been finished and bringing in apparently much-needed income by now.

Are you making it easy for yourself, or are you slogging around in some muck and mire, eventually maybe sorta kinda one day getting the booklet done? Call me. We'll talk.

Until next time,
Paulette - preferring easy, effortless, and enjoyable for all concerned
www.tipsbooklets.com

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Sunday, November 11, 2007

"Thank You" is Good for Business

Booklets can be a great way to thank someone for their business or for subscribing to your ezine or for opening an account. Thank-you's can be a simple way to build relationship and foster goodwill.

In addition to using booklets as a thank you, there's other ways that thank-you's are crucial in business. Saying thank-you can be an important way of letting someone know you got their email, especially when their email was a response to some help you requested. They made the time to honor your request. Your thank-you both expresses appreciation and lets them know their email arrived.


In this day of dropped calls on cell phones and lost emails in cyberspace, it's even more important to let people know the communication cycle was completed. Plus it's common courtesy and decency. Assuming someone knows you appreciate their efforts and assuming they know their email arrived can be a recipe for unnecessary disaster.


Take a quick moment and send a one-line thank-you. The return on your investment of that quick moment is more than you might imagine.


Until next time,

Paulette - who believes there's no such thing as assumed appreciation www.tipsbooklets.com

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Friday, November 09, 2007

Collection of Experts Booklet Free Information Call

You've seen mention here and in the newsletter and on the main site about the Collection of Experts booklets that have been created in the past several months. You've even been thinking about looking into it, to see what it's all about.

Next Tuesday, November 13, you will have the opportunity to attend a no-cost 30-minute information session I'll be doing by telephone.


Find out what it is, how simple this is for you to have other people marketing you, and how you can have a product to sell or distribute in less than 10 minutes of your own time.

For more information about this and to register for this no-cost call, go to the link at the top of www.CollectionOfExperts.com

Until next time,
Paulette - looking forward to sharing this with you
www.tipsbooklets.com

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Thursday, November 08, 2007

Analysis Paralysis

Analysis paralysis creeps up in lots of places. Booklets are among them. An email came this week from someone wo started discussing booklets about a year ago, sounding very ready to complete a booklet. Yup, next month would be the time it would be ready for me to edit it. That "next month" has happened several times with this person. Then the real truth arrived in this email: "I've probably spent way too much time thinking about the content."

Well yeah!!

That booklet could have been done by now (many times over, in fact), getting the writer's message out there and earning some apparently badly needed revenue!

It's a booklet, for cryin' out loud, not the consummate reference on rocket science. Get it done!

Until next time,
Paulette - encouraging people as lovingly as possible to just get on with it already
www.tipsbooklets.com

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Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Is Free Stuff Making Sales Harder?

No question that there's tons of free information available now online, more than ever. Then why would anyone pay for information? Here's some completely valid reasons:

1. Centralized, easily accessible answers to avoid doing lengthy research all over the Internet.
2. Your content bought/licensed from you to be used by an online or offline business as a promotional item to prompt more sales.
3. Being in the right place at the right time, as an impulse purchase.
4. You are perceived as an expert on the topic, and the value is there to make the purchase.
5. Paying for something has greater perceived value.
6. Attractive physical presentation of the product.

These are just a few reasons why you can be very encouraged about cotinuing to sell information products both online and offline.

Until next time,
Paulette - processing orders every day of the week for online and offline information products
www.tipsbooklets.com

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Tuesday, November 06, 2007

San Diego Event November 17

Publishers and Writers of San Diego, of which I am a board member, is presenting the follow Special Event on Saturday, November 17: "How to Be a Successful Author Without a Major Publisher"Half-Day Seminar

Details at:

http://www.publisherswriters.org/events.html

Until next time,
Paulette - happy to be a catalyst for further learning
http://www.tipsbooklets.com/

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Monday, November 05, 2007

I'll Do It Myself

Rarely a day goes by that a booklet author doesn't decide to edit and/or do the graphic design layout work themselves. Some of the decision is based on saving money, and some is based on thinking they have the skills to do that. It's frustrating to see good content unnecessarily presented in a less than professional way.

The box of booklets sitting in the corner of the office takes on an almost-monster life of its own when the author realizes the results of their shortsightedness. One bulk sale would more than pay for professional editing and graphic design, greatly increasing the odds of many more bulk sales. It has become false economy or a matter of pride that results in doing it all oneself.

Reconsider if that's the route you plan to take. The return on your investment will be many times over.

Until next time,
Paulette - sighing a big sigh over some things that came past me this morning
www.tipsbooklets.com

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Friday, November 02, 2007

Doing Your Buyers a Favor

When you contact bulk buyers with offers to sell them your products, you are doing them a favor, not the other way around. You are bringing them a vehicle to help them sell more of their product, service, or cause. They are not doing you a favor in buying from you. It is often an amazement to realize how many booklet authors are stuck, yes paralyzed, in the whole sales process because of the belief about asking the prospect to do them a favor.

One of the earliest licensing deals I ever did was with a large consumer mail order catalog company. They licensed from me the right for them to print 250,000 copies of my booklet. That seemed like a large sale, and for me at that moment, it was. However, in that year they were distributing 17 million catalogs, so the 250,000 booklets was a drop in the bucket, a test for them. An other piece of perspective here is that although they paid me a very nice low-5-digit check, they experienced a 13% sales increase based on offering my booklet free with any purchase in one issue of their catalog. That 13% translated into millions of dollars for them.

So who did who the favor in that sale? I did them the favor with selling them something that gave them a huge return on their investment. And yes, I was also quite happy to make the sale.

Until next time,
Paulette - encouraging "favors" that work for everyone
www.tipsbooklets.com

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Thursday, November 01, 2007

Too Close for Clarity

It can sometimes be a challenge to see the big picture of your content when looking at it from the inside out. Take a step back to see the full view. Look at sequences, the various categories of people involved, the typical expectations of someone coming to your topic for the first time - all for clues of content and categories. These can all be helpful ways to capture and organize your material in a useful way.

Until next time,
Paulette - remembering way back when
www.tipsbooklets.com

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