Guest Post: Get Out There!

This article is primarily aimed at women starting their own businesses, but I think there are a lot of great points here that would be very useful to authors.  Networking is crucial to the success of any business venture.  As I always say, "your book is your business." - Terry




Get Out There!

By Pat Mussieux


Are you hiding behind your computer and thinking you can grow your business that way? Is that part of your comfort zone because you don't really know where to go and what to do when you get there - when it comes to marketing your products and services?

I am always telling my clients that they need to get 'out there'. Easily said, I know. What I have learned, though, is that they just don't know where and how. Here are some key tips for you - so you can develop the KLT fact (know, like and trust). People do business with people they know, like and trust.

Get a business card and carry them with you at all times. It is unbelievable to me how many women entrepreneurs I meet, out and about, who don't have a business card with them. Come on! Get a professional business card - and be sure to use the 'real estate' on the back of it, too - and have them with you at all times - in the car, in your purse - in all places. It is 'client attractive' to make it easy for people to connect with you.

Create, and send, a weekly ezine (newsletter) and be consistent about it - You know, by now, that my ezine comes out every Thursday at 2:00 p.m. EST - and when it doesn't, I get e-mails from people asking if they have been dropped from my list because they didn't get it on any one occasion. People come to expect it - especially because there is always good, solid content which is helpful to them in growing their business and become a wealthy woman leader. They come to know me and what I have to offer. What about you?

Create a 'free gift' and have it available on your website. One way to 'get out there' and get known, is to be driving traffic to your website on a regular basis - through your business card, your ezine, a public speaking event, a radio interview, etc. Get people to your website so you can grow your list - and be sure to offer a free gift (a report, a CD, etc.) that has great content for your prospects.

Get booked for interviews on radio and TV. Many, many people listen to blog talk radio these days - there is a lot to learn from the various experts who are being interviewed. You need to be one of them. Just google 'blog talk radio' - find the category that fits with the work you do - listen to a few of the shows to ensure you have synergy with the host and determine that you can bring value to that person's show - and make contact. Get talking!

Public Speaking. We've talked about this before - as an entrepreneur who wants to grow their business and make more money, you've got to get out on various stages - to create awareness about who you are and what you have to offer. Create a signature speech, create a list of the stages you want to be on - and get going.
Volunteer. I totally believe in the universal principle of giving back - volunteer your time or services to an organization that aligns with your values. As a new entrepreneur, don't 'sign up for life' - but, rather, manage your time and energy so that you can have a 'presence', give something of value, and still have plenty of time to be working 'on' your business.

Pick up the phone! Yup - that's what I said: pick up the phone! I often surprise clients, on a Friday afternoon, when I randomly choose a name and call them just to chat and see how they are doing. Or I call someone with whom I have developed an e-mail or social media relationship, and make arrangements for a coffee date - taking it to the next level. Get out there.

CONCLUSION

There are many ways to grow your business, whether you are a 'start up' or a seasoned entrepreneur, but it does mean stepping out and away from your computer. I totally believe in the personal touch and 'getting to know' people. You've got to get out there - and in a big way.

Pat Mussieux is fast becoming regarded as a highly valued Canadian mentor for women entrepreneurs taking her own business from zero to a multiple 6-figure home-based business in less than 4 years. Much of her success can be attributed to her expertise in marketing, mindset and money! Pat Mussieux is a business coach, author, speaker and radio host. You can reach her at http://www.wealthywomenleaders.com

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Guest Post: Book Signing Nightmares

Book Signing Nightmares

By Teresa Slack



Book signings. Ugh. The mere thought is enough to send shudders down the spine of those of us who have sat behind a table of books, wearing an insipid grin while praying that someone, anyone, will come over and talk to us.

Book signings are a lot of legwork, networking, interviews, and basically debasing yourself to the free world for little or no apparent reward. Leading up to a recent author event, I did radio interviews and was featured in two local papers. The library where I was to sign and read from my book bought radio spots for the event. Even after all that, response was regrettably low.

In a depressed, dejected state, I prepared for another book signing event in another out of the way locale. A forty-five-minute drive with gas prices kissing three dollars a gallon to sell a couple of books.

I know what you're thinking. Book signings are for the reader, not the writer. It's all about networking. I realize that. But the cold hard facts are that since getting published, I'm having a hard time finding time to do what I'm paid (hmm) to do...write. Regardless, I put on a happy face, loaded up the minivan, and headed out.

A sixth grader met me at the door of the library. "Are you the writer?" he asked. He held the door open while my husband and I carried in our boxes--one containing books, in the other; flyers, a door prize, bookmarks, a sign-in notebook, and all my other writer paraphernalia. While I was setting up the table, preparing myself for a dismal turnout at this small off-the-beaten-path branch library, a young man entered. He turned out to be from the local paper, his presence requested by the librarian. He interviewed me before the signing and then exited. I went through my spiel for six people, one of whom was my mother.

"Why am I doing this?" I asked myself after selling five books, barely enough to replace the gas in my tank.
But it's all about networking.

And the boy who met me at the door? It turns out I have a fan besides my mother. He had been waiting to meet me all afternoon. He didn't have money for a book, but asked if I would autograph a picture and an author event flyer that he paid a quarter to print off of the library's computer.

So why do I do this? An entire evening where I ended up selling five books?

It turned out I got more than just treated nicely by a sixth grader that evening. The following week, my interview made the front page of three different newspapers in neighboring counties. My next reading/signing more than doubled in attendance and books sold.

Yes, readings and signings are never as exciting as they appear on television. It's a lot of driving, a lot of schmoozing, and little outward reward. But it's fun. I meet honest, helpful, friendly people. And my offer to autograph a copy of one of my books has yet to be refused.

Don't go to a reading/book signing expecting to sell a carload of books. Go prepared to speak to a few people, make some friends, and hopefully leave them happy for having left the comfort of their homes to listen to you speak for thirty minutes. They will appreciate it. Your local library will appreciate it. If nothing else, your significant other will enjoy the opportunity to show you off.

Relax. Have fun. Unless you are a professional athlete or ex-president, it will take a lot of time and more hard work than you bargained for. But your book is worth it. Your message will get out there, one reader at a time. Be patient. It may not get any easier, but someday a sixth grader may ask for your autograph, and it will be worth all the effort.

Teresa Slack is the author of five novels, including Streams of Mercy, the first in a series of Jenna's Creek Novels, and A Tender Reed, both published for the Christian fiction market.  Marketing her books has been her biggest challenge so far. It is a job, she says, that never ends. Read more about her and her fiction on her website http://www.teresaslack.com.



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