Wednesday, April 3, 2019

A Sales Manifesto For Books




Image result for sales manifesto images 

“For decades, the model and philosophy around the selling process has focused on a model of “prospecting, presenting, overcoming objections, and closing the sale,” writes best-selling author Jeffrey Gitomer in his book, Sales Manifesto.

He says that way of sales is dead.  I don’t know it that is completely true-depending on what you sell, to whom, when, and where – but it is obvious there are other ways to approach sales.  

For authors, selling books is certainly different than selling widgets, luxury items or food staples – or electronics, homes, cars, or gym memberships.

So what style of selling works for authors?

For one, you need to be personable. You are selling to others, telling stories, listening to their needs, and seeking to solve a problem with your words.

You also need to be mindful of price and competition.  Plenty of books are vying for your customer’s wallet.  Plenty of non-book resources are also available, each holding the promise of fulfilling someone’s needs.

Your sale will come down to a host of factors -- timing, luck, price, your presentation skills, the look and feel of your book, and how you show your book’s value in the context of a customer’s perceptions.

Here are some things you should pay attention to when trying to sell your book to others:

·         Be persuasive – but not pushy.
·         Have an easy way about you – be inviting to talk to.
·         Show you ae driven and on a mission – not just to make money.
·         Reveal our authentic, honest, friendly side – people need to buy into you and your trustworthiness.
·         Have a positive, empowering, yes-you-can attitude that infects others.
·         Give of yourself before you ask for anything.
·         Anticipate questions and provide answers before they ask.
·         Show an interest in them, be inquisitive, and really listen.
·         Come off as a trusted advisor and confidant.
·         Express empathy, sympathy, love, and kindness.
·         Inject wit and humor into your exchanges.
·         Display unyielding ethics and strong personal values.
·         Learn the why behind their buy -- know what moves them.
·         Don’t project your views onto your customers – learn their reasons and views and sell to them.
·         Express an urgency in why they need your book now.
·         Get them to be emotional and to speak about what makes them tick.
·         Provide service beyond their expectation.
·         Establish your social media brand so that people are pre-sold on the idea of buying your book.
·         Always ask for the sale -- repeatedly and often.

“Sales is no longer telling,” says Gitomer. “It’s about asking powerful, emotionally engaging questions.  When you are talking, you’re not learning about the customer’s needs, wants, motives, and expected outcomes.  That’s where the sale is.  Stop talking and start asking, and your sales will double.”

One’s reputation should proceed them.  When others find you knowledgeable, likeable, attractive, friendly, and trustworthy, getting a sale is a lot easier.  If they perceive a difference between you and your competition – and they have confidence in you – they will buy under the atmosphere you have created.

So are you starting to catch on?

1.      Establish your brand.
2.      Give value first.
3.      Help others.
4.      Show people what you can do for them.
5.      Exploit your competitive advantage.
6.      Smile.  Ask for the sale.

Selling books, like anything else, is a numbers game.  It’s about making a quantity of quality efforts to pre-qualified prospects who have been pre-sold.  If that doesn’t work, beg.  Or change the offer.  Sell a service with a book.  In the end, you sell yourself.

Other nuggets of sales wisdom from Gitomer include these action steps for ultimate success:

·         “Your face-to-face networking gets you contacts, leads, and builds relationships.
·         “Your social networking builds attraction, engagement, followers, and connections.
·         “Your ideas get you listened to and talked about.
·         “Your questions uncover prospects’ motives for buying and reveals their urgency to own what you’re offering.
·         “Your deep belief in what you sell will create emotional engagement with your prospect.”
·         Their unspoken risk (not your price) is the real barrier.
·         “Your ability to deliver beyond expectation gets you talked about and bought again.
·         “Your availability, ease of doing business, speed of response, and friendliness created customer’s desire beyond price to become loyal.
·         “Your ability to stay in touch and provide continued value creates repeat, business, referrals, word-of-mouth advertising, and the law of attraction.”

      Now, go sell some books!


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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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