The Science of Influence

Book selling is the most important part of your book writing journey. Therefore it is critical that we understand what makes people say yes.

I wanted to share this link http://youtu.be/cFdCzN7RYbw on this topic. Don't try another marketing campaign until you have watched this!

Happy Selling!
www.TrueVinePublishing.org

Don't Ask for Support

Never ask anyone to support you and buy your product. Support me no longer holds the weighty "guilt" factor anymore. Everyone is hurting or has some need so there are several reason why the "support me" campaign won't work.

Reason 1: People don't care about what benefits you. They only care about what benefits them. This is not pessimism,  I promise. This is marketing 101. 

Reason 2: Because people only care about what benefits them, they resent you asking them to support your benefits when they believe they have their own issues that need supporting. Thus you become a source of irritation.

Reason 3: People hate to be sold. This innate disdain immediately closes a mental door to cooperation with your campaign.

So. What do you do? Always, ALways, ALWAYS offer to your audience what your audience wants. Talk about what they want and offer them a piece of what you have that will meet their needs. If they like that chip, they'll buy the whole bag.

Happy selling!
www.TrueVinePublishing.org

Execution is 99% of Success

Execution is everything. Some people feel that you shouldn't do anything if you can't do it right. I don't subscribe to that notion. I believe 99% of success is found in completing the task. It may not be perfect, but when you perform the task you will learn as you go. When you call your first radio station and ask the receptionist, "who should I speak to about being interviewed on one of your talk radio shows," he/she will tell you, "Oh, let me patch you over to our program manager." At that moment, you have learned the contact person for all radio stations. Now you know who to seek out, email, or call.

Don't procrastinate for fear of not doing things right or perfect. Don't fill your mind with the idea that you have to be able to know the jargon and sound like an expert. Be okay with the vulnerability of asking for direction. In most cases, those who know will be happy to redirect you if you're headed in the wrong direction. That is why they are working.

4 Things Successful Authors Know

1. I must make the time. It will not make room for me.
All humans, successful and unsuccessful have one thing in common. We all get 24 hours in a day. Successful authors are not blessed with extra time to write. In fact, the more successful they become, the less time they have to devote to writing. So how do they pump out more books? They make the time. They set a writing time with which no other person or circumstance can interfere. Unsuccessful writers say, "I don't have the time."

2. Success Depends on ME!
When interviewing an aspiring author, I ask a question to gauge the potential success of the author. I ask "Do you have a marketing plan or do you want the publisher to promote the book for you?" Sadly, most people say, "I would like the publisher to sell the book. I don't have time to market a book." I know immediately that author will not succeed, no matter how much they try to prime my interest by saying "this is going to be a best-seller." I want to tell them, "NO! It's not because YOU don't want to sell it." No one can promote a book like its writer. If you won't push it, who will?

3. Nothing is free
So many authors want everything for free, and I've even had an inordinate number of authors who want to give away their books for free. Successful authors understand there is a financial commitment to success. Authors must invest in their product, in the marketing and promotion of their product, in the furtherance of their learning by attending conferences and seminars. With the basic financial obligations for success, can you really afford to give away book? If you want to give away books, just write a blog. 

4.  I must have a plan
No one sets out on a road trip with no plan on where to go and how to get there. Yet, many authors write a book with no plan to sell it. Successful author research their market, they create inroads with groups and organizations, they study their audience's spending habits, hobbies, likes and dislikes. They study conferences where like-minded writers will be. They go to seminars and events where they can sell (and learn). The unsuccessful print books with no plan.