Wednesday, March 27, 2019

How Authors Get A Yes Out Of Others


Image result for yes images

When prompting a book to the media or marketing your brand to consumers, you’ll hear “no” much more often than “yes.”  That’s okay.  It’s a numbers game.  You put out a lot of asks and see who comes back to interview you, buy your book, or agree to have you speak at an event.  But what if you can increase your chances of success by taking a better approach?

Check out The Ultimate Guide for Mastering Objections:  The Art and Science of Getting Past No, by the CEO of SalesGravy.com, Jeb Blount.  In skimming through his book I found helpful advice on how to generate more sales.

In his book, he identifies seven disruptive emotions that impede one’s ability to get past a no, including:  fear, desperation, insecurity, eagerness, worry, and emotional attachment.  Once you develop self-awareness of what you do wrong, you can begin to correct it with good self-talk, positive visualization, and a change in your mindset.  He wants to get you to be obstacle-immune.

Most of us look to avoid rejection, but unless we push further and reach higher, we’ll never get anywhere.  Sometimes we reach beyond our grasp and fail.  It’s okay.  You’re getting a step closer to success in the process.

He narrows down the five ways to prospect for a yes to the following:

1.      Get someone’s attention.
2.      Identify yourself.
3.      Tell them what you want.
4.      Bridge to a because.
5.      Ask for what you want.

Blount identifies the following variables that impact one’s ability to get a “yes” out of someone – and I think they also apply to authors.  Here they are:

1.      The quality of the prospects you are engaging.
Are you contacting the right media outlets and the right people there?  Are you selling your book to a targeted group – or hoping anyone will buy it?

2.      Length of your sales cycle
It can take days, weeks, or months for someone to follow-up with a yes.  Be persistent and stay in touch.

3.      Industry vertical.
Are you approaching logical organizations – as well as bookstores, libraries, the news media, and targeted consumers?

4.      Time of day.
Know when the person you need to reach is around and available to communicate with you.

5.      Day of week.
Some people are reachable on the weekend, but most are Monday to Friday.  Monday’s are our busiest days and Fridays could be calming for us with the weekend approaching.  The person you want to connect with may not be in the office five days a week.

6.      Time of year.
Holiday season can be hectic.  Parts of summer can be a dead time. Some things are seasonal.  Know
 when’s the right time of year to contact someone who may plan months ahead.

7.      Decision-maker role of your contact.
If you are not in touch with the person who can say yes you have a harder job to convince their surrogate and then the decision-maker.

8.      Product or service.
Is your message powerful, your credentials strong, your book great?  If not, don’t sell crap and demand a yes.

9.       Complex sale versus transactional.
A book is not a commodity – it is a bundle of stories, ideas, and even life-impacting solutions. What’s complex for you is the level of competition.  So many books are out  there – and other experts with products who seek what you want.

10.  Call objective.
Your objective is an immediate yes to a media placement, book sale, or scheduled speech.  Otherwise you want yes to the next step, whatever it may be to move things along.

11.  Sales methodology.
How do you approach your prospect?  Do you use humor, fear, facts, something in the news, something personal?  What will get their attention, disarm them, and allow you to feel trusted?

12.  Quality of your approach.
How you present yourself and your book will greatly influence people’s reactions.  Be energized, to the point, cheerful, positive, helpful, empowering, witty, and prompt.  Look the part and sell it hard.

13.  Your knowledge and skills.
Are you qualified to write or speak on the subject?  Are you interesting and confident?  Do you come off as someone who can share something useful?

14.  Prospecting Channel
Text?  In-person?  Email?  Phone?  Fax?  Mail? Social media?  How do you contact and connect with
 someone?  What do you package to them – links, videos, books, press kits?  Sell them how they want to be sold.

15.  Message
What exactly will you say to someone to get them to a yes?  It’s not just your look, presentation skills, or voice, or style that you’ll be judged by – it’ll be your very words, ideas, experiences, views, and questions that they will rule on, too.

16.  Emotional control and mindset.
Do you show desperation, weakness and insecurity?  Do you come off as unhinged, an extremist, or a wild card?  People want someone who sounds stable, focused, and of the same mindset as them.  Be sure to project normalcy.

Ok, so let’s say you did everything right, but you still sense an objection or a lack of buy-in.  What do you do next? Say, “thanks” and move on – or try one last time to make magic happen?

Blount has a five-step objection-turn-around framework.  First, acknowledge and relate to their objection.  Show you understand and hear them.  Next, ask questions to isolate or narrow down to discover their core resistance.  Then minimize their concerns and show how you provide a solution to a problem.  Now, ask for a yes again. Lastly, negotiate for something else if they fail to commit fully.

Blount concludes: “No matter what you do, there will always be those who reject you and stand in your way.  Learn to welcome your detractors.  Learn to channel their rejection into motivation.  Whenever someone lays down a roadblock or whenever you get rejected, it is a clear sign that you are getting closer to your goal.”


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Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2019. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s Independent.  This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America.




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