Booklet Tips - Lead Time for Bulk Sales Buyers

14:35 | Posted by | | Edit Post
For almost a quarter century, people have asked how over a million copies of a single tips booklet got sold in multiple languages and formats without spending a penny on advertising. While it took a variety of approaches and a lot of things that didn't work, it all came down to a few key elements.

Choices and quantity are among the cornerstones as are persistence, format, and frequency. Once you have choices to offer, you need choices of people to contact. Having enough prospective buyers is a must. Having only ten prospects probably won't work. They will each take however long they take in deciding whether what you have will help them, and then however much longer to actually place the order. It can be weeks or months since they have many other things on their plate and people in their immediate world.

Focusing your efforts on large quantity sales to companies, associations, and other organizations puts you on the path to matching and surpassing the million copy mark. That includes printed copies of your products and licenses of downloads. The associations who say they have no money very likely have potential sponsors who can benefit from subsidizing the purchase. Companies and other organizations may also have potential partners to share the investment. Providing suggestions like those position you as a problem solver and someone who is more attractive for doing business with than merely an order taker.

Being persistent can be tricky though it doesn't have to be. And with large quantity orders and licenses that often have a long decision making process, staying in touch with your contact is crucial. You can send an article you wrote that may be of interest, or let them know the results another client of yours has had that can encourage your future buyer. Riding out the lead time is often worth the wait in the rewards that are delivered with the first sale and those that follow.

A brief, upbeat, relevant "touch" keeps you in front of the person who really does want to buy from you when they are ready and able. The lead time between first talking with them can be instant or longer than you or they might like. They have other people who need to sign off on the idea or pay for it. The budget might be rebooting with the new fiscal year months away. The most ideal fit for your product could be in a promotional campaign that is still a bit in the future. The people who want what you're offering probably have less flexibility to act quickly than you do.

ACTION - Fill your list of likely candidates beyond those you can immediately contact individually so there is always someone else to approach. Some people will be unavailable, some will say no-thank-you (today, anyway), and others will start the exploration with you immediately. Think long-term in the large quantity sales process so it brings you long term results, many of which are recurring rewards.

© 2015

Paulette Ensign, Tips Products International Founder, never dreamed of selling a million+ copies of her 16-page tips booklet 110 Ideas for Organizing Your Business Life, much less in four languages and various formats without a penny on advertising. She's made a handsome living and cross-country move from New York to San Diego recycling those same 3500 words since 1991. With over forty years' experience worldwide with small businesses, corporations, and professional associations in numerous industries, she and her cat live a mile from the beach, keeping them both young at heart.
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Booklet Tips - Talk TO Your Reader

09:30 | Posted by | | Edit Post
Have you ever noticed what it is that draws you into an article, book, blog post, booklet, or anything else you're reading? Yes, the content is certainly a key part of what attracts you. The overall style or tone of the writer is another part that keeps you reading. There is still something else you may never have considered, something that can feel like an annoying pebble in your shoe without ever realizing exactly what it is that's somehow off the mark, unsettling, and even annoying.

That one thing triggering your reaction can be that the writer is mixing it up in talking about themselves, talking to you, and then talking about something that is neither you nor them. They are confusing you in the process of all of that.

When you are writing, these are among the possibilities where your focus is going, intentionally or unintentionally.

All About You

Talking about "I," "my," "me," and "mine" serves a limited purpose, Your reader expects your experience to be the basis of the information you are sharing with them, so all that self focus is unnecessary within the information you are sharing with them. When you talk about "we" or "us," you are being presumptuous in including them in your statement. You may feel you are using that as a way to draw in your readers. Still, your choice in doing that is often counterproductive and more divisive than inclusive.

All About Someone Else

Using examples of "them" can be helpful. Those examples can be even more helpful when you bring the example clearly back around to directly referencing your reader and their situation. There are ways to make that connection so you still use the example of someone else.

All About Your Reader

Talking to your reader with generous use of "you" and "yours" is the magnet to draw your readers into what you are sharing with them. You can personalize your presentation so it becomes a conversation between you and your reader. You may have a proven system that you know will solve their concerns. That is what is important to them, that you have something that solves their problem. The difference between "you will experience the results you want from a proven system" and "I have a proven system I use with my clients" is a subtle and powerful difference.

The most unnerving, unsettling, and confusing of all is when you mix up your writing to have all of those targets within the same publication, writing about you, them, and someone else. Your reader may not know exactly what is causing their negative reaction to your otherwise brilliant information. However, their reaction may ultimately send them away from you instead of toward you.

ACTION - Review your writing to see how much and how consistently you are talking TO your reader. You may not have ever noticed or even thought about this before you read this article, or this might be a great reminder to you of something you learned when you were first considering creating a product from your bite size brilliance. Talking TO your reader is one of the easiest and quickest ways to deepen your relationship with whoever reads or hears anything you share with people who are eager to learn from you.

© 2015

Paulette Ensign, Tips Products International Founder, never dreamed of selling a million+ copies of her 16-page tips booklet 110 Ideas for Organizing Your Business Life, much less in four languages and various formats without a penny on advertising. She's made a handsome living and cross-country move from New York to San Diego recycling those same 3500 words since 1991. With over forty years' experience worldwide with small businesses, corporations, and professional associations in numerous industries, she lives a mile from the beach, keeping her young at heart.
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