Part
of doing well at marketing or promoting a book involves you asking for more
things from others – from customers, publishers, vendors, or anyone that you
deal with. You need to speak up and be
assertive in this world. Just by asking
for something, you increase your chances of getting it.
You
don’t ask if someone wants to buy your book.
You only ask: Cash or credit for that purchase?
You
don’t ask the media if they’d like to interview you, you only ask: Which date
and time is good for scheduling the interview?
You
don’t ask if an organization wants to have you speak before its members. You only ask how many books are they buying
and to whom do you submit your invoice to?
This
lesson is best demonstrated by my recent conversation with Cablevision/Optimum
Online. I decided I’m paying too much
for my communications and entertainment.
Between Cable TV, Internet, and house phone, I pay over $200 a month. It seemed like it was less by a lot a few
years ago.
I
told the tech provider that I’d cancel the service if I didn’t get a better
deal. They came back with a package
upgrade – I now have Showtime and Starz (you must see Magic City) – and they
chopped 35 bucks off my monthly bill for the next year.
One
call saved me about $420 AND added a value of about $240 for the year. Not bad.
You
can do the same, every time you deal with anyone over anything. How? Just ask. That’s it.
Ask, and ye shall receive.
So
next time you find yourself negotiating with others as it relates to your book,
simply ask for more. It could be in the
form of money or some other reward/benefit.
That’s fine. I guarantee it works
almost every time.
The
converse is this: If you don’t ask/demand something, no one will just give you
extras or free stuff. They simply aren’t
thinking about your needs or desires – unless you make them known.
The
person who always looks to improve the sales terms, price, or service will be
the one who comes out ahead. Will you be
shy – or will you claim what could be yours?
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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this
blog are his alone and not that of his employer, the nation’s largest book
promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the
third-person. This blog is copyrighted material by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2013
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