Getting Published – The Ultimate Calling Card

By Robert Gelinas

© 2009.  All Rights Reserved.

Successful Marketing is based on Credibility. There’s nothing that establishes your credibility better than being the author of a book that explains your expertise, value, capabilities and perspectives.

Imagine this scenario: A business executive (who is one of your top target prospects) receives a mysterious box or express mail envelope.  There might be something important inside, so he/she opens it, and finds an attractive book with an intriguing title like: The Six Things All Executives Need to Know, or The Solution to the [something you know about] Problem.  It’s written by you.  It’s autographed and personalized for its recipient with a hand-written note which says, “I thought you might enjoy this.”

The executive thinks, “Wow, that was thoughtful.”

Does the executive even need to read the book?  Not necessarily.  And certainly not right away, unless it really appeals to them.  And if they do, that’s great. It does indeed contain a lot of helpful information.  Most likely it gets set aside on their desk with the intention of “getting to it” at some point in the future.  And there it may lay for a week or so.

However, what happens next is that a couple of days after its “confirmed” arrival you call them. You get their “gatekeeper” (administrative assistant) who is there to screen out any sales or marketing types from their boss.  You simply say, “Hi, this is [your name].  I’m calling for [the executive].  I sent them a copy of my latest book last week, and I just wanted to make sure it arrived okay.”

The gatekeeper replies, excited to be speaking to a published author, “Oh, yes, it did!  I’ll let him/her know you’re calling.  Hold please.”

The executive answers.  You introduce yourself.  Your name sounds strangely familiar, but they can’t quite place it.  Your name should sound familiar, since they’ve been glancing at it every now and then for a couple of days.  They suddenly remember and pick up your book sitting there on their desk.

A cheerful voice replies, “How can I help you?”

See how easy that was?

Okay, I know, you’re saying, “Sure a cold call like that sounds easy.  Just one problem.  I haven’t written a book.  I don’t know the first thing about how to write a book.  And even if I did, getting published is nearly impossible.”

If you’re a novelist, your concern is valid.  Getting traditionally published as a storyteller is nearly impossible if you’re not already famous for some other reason.  Then again, there are always Vanity Presses that will publish anyone, but the finished products of most of them are…oh, how shall we say?…not that attractive.

So you have two challenges standing in the way of you employing this powerful marketing technique:

1. Writing a Book
2. Getting it Published

Solution to Problem #1: Hire a Ghost Writer.  Collaborate on a text, let the writer turn it into something substantive and credible.

Solution to Problem #2: Hire a Commercial Publisher to publish your book.  Don’t go to a Vanity Press, but a publisher who will produce a book of the same quality as those in any major bookstore and who can get it posted on Amazon.com and other online retail venues and in all the major retailer databases so it can be special ordered by any bookstore.

In addition to using it as a marketing tool, you can also take it with you to speaking engagements where you can sell it and make a extra money.  Or you can give it away as a promo.  Whatever you can think of.

It happens every day.  You really don’t think all those politicians, celebrities, talking heads, TV and radio pundits, diet gurus, self-help mongers, detectives, criminals—and yes, even business leaders “Captains of Industry”—write all those books all by themselves, do you?  Maybe a few do, but come on.  You know better.  So why can’t you do it, too, if perhaps only on a little smaller scale?

You: The Consultative Expert

Think about it:  Most companies seek to apply a “consultative” approach to high-level selling.  You know all too well that you don’t ever want to come across merely as a “bag carrying peddler,” which you also know will just get doors slammed in your face; rather, if you can, you’d prefer to position yourself as an “expert” in the area of your products and services with valuable insights and recommendations to offer.

What better way is there to create that impression of you as a consultative expert in your field and reinforce it, than by offering a physical artifact of your latest “major published work”?  And that’s the reality of what we’re talking about here.

A book with your name on it can serve as a powerful marketing artifact.

Shouldn’t at least someone in your company, ideally someone who serves as your de facto spokesperson in Press Releases, at trade events, to analysts, etc. have an accolade behind their name that says, “…author of Title of Book”?  And then, even if someone goes to Amazon and looks it up, why, sure enough, it’s there!  If they actually read it and like, they may even recommend it to a friend, who can buy it online, or have their local bookstore order it.  That might even result in some word-of-mouth referrals and leads.

Are you starting to see the power of this idea?

It’s very powerful because, culturally, we’ve all been trained to view “authors” as being in a class of unique achievement, which for the most part is true.  Intuitively, everyone believes investing the time to write an entire book is hard to do, something that most people don’t possess the wherewithal to do.  Therefore, those who have done it must be “special.” In the business world, especially in a sales and marketing context, that’s powerful.

“Okay,” you say, “but how do I find a good Ghost Writer and Commercial Publisher?”

Obviously, you simply need to find a marketing company who specializes in such services.  You contact them and tell them what you need.  Let them take it from there.

“Okay,” you say, with just a tinge of frustration in your voice, not knowing of any marketing companies who might specialize in Ghost Writing and Commercial Publishing, “How do I find one of those animals?”

Shameless Plug Alert: Email me.  bob@jpeincconsulting.com.  Let’s talk.

Seriously, if you have an interest in exploring a Calling Card Book project, please contact JPE Inc. Consulting www.jpeincconsulting.com for more information.  We can make it happen for you.