Interview With Author Karen Green

 

1. What inspired you to write this book?

I wanted to write a follow up to my first book Recipe for success - the ingredients of a successful food company and really delve more deeply into the psychology of selling B2B as an entrepreneur.  I have been both a buyer and a seller working for major Uk grocery retailers and manufacturers and learn how to sell from both sides of the table. For the last 8 years I have been consulting with companies helping them to grow profitable sales and wanted to share my experiences and expertise with a wider audience
 

2. What exactly is it about and who is it written for?

The book is written for anyone who wants to sell more and sell better but primarily for CEOs, sales directors and entrepreneurs.  The book is in two parts - the first delves into Biuyerology - how to really understand your existing and potentially new customers both in terms of them as a human, their company and the complex interaction between the two.  In the second part of the book, we go into how to use this data in my 5 step BUYER process which takes a company through the 5 stages of successful sales - from building awareness through to successful execution and referrals
 

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book?

The most important thing for my readers is to learn how enjoy selling and have the confidence to go out there and do it successfully.  Every chapter of the book enables the reader to take action and by the end know how to ensure their business can sell more and sell better 

 

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design?

I had trademarked Buyer-ology® back in 2019 and it seems an obvious title for the book - the subtitle proved more of a challenge as I wanted to get so much in to explain who the book was for and what it would do to help them.  In the end I simplified it and think it works well. I am using the strapline - sell more and sell better in all my marketing now.  The cover design took a little more time - I wanted a bold colour and sales books either seem to be red or yellow so thought I would take a step away from my first book design and go bold for on shelf standout.  We also created the Buyer-ology® matrix icon which runs through the book 

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!?

For both my books, I have got myself on a 90-book writing programme - I have tried to write the books without that support but found that having someone to check in with and the accountability was very effective in getting it done plus all the tough stuff afterwards

I certainly wouldn’t run away from it - writing a book IS really hard work and the marketing is even harder but it is a such a valuable asset and certainly helps you stand out against the competition 
 

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? 

I think people are consuming books in different ways - audiobooks work very well and I am thinking of doing an audio version of mine but it does cost quite alot.  There are more and more people self-publishing because honestly it is so easy to do with Amazon and Canva you can have a book ready for sale with very little time.  
 

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? 

My book is the culmination of 30 years of commercial experience, training and reading hundreds of books about sales, psychology and successful businesses.  All of these came in useful when putting together case studies to make the book more interesting

 

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to?

Everyone who knows me who has read my book says I write like I speak.  So my writing style is very informal but with good structure and layout because that is how I learn the best.  I am not an academic so whilst I do quote the odd paper, I am writing from the heart and from my personal experiences.  I think my style of writing and layout is similar to Daniel Priestly who was kind enough to give me a praise review 
 

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book?

My biggest challenge was post first draft.  I hate the review stage where you have to go back and read that first draft.  I work on a free writing basis for the first draft whereby I just write without editing or use of external sources.  When I came back to do the first edit, there were a few bits that even I didn’t understand and I had written the thing!! And then the second stage was getting people to review the book and give me feedback - which was tough and of course finally handing it to the editor who did another read through and more feedback and amends! 
 

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours?

Everyone needs to be able to sell whether they are an entrepreneur, employee or even writer!! Once you understand the principles of why your customers buy your products, services or ideas, life becomes so much easier.  This book helps you to do this and the BUYER process should be the backbone of any business owner or writer.

 

Karen Green is a former UK grocery retail buyer who subsequently crossed the table to become a successful sales director selling right back at the retailers.  She now runs a very successful consultancy enabling entrepreneurial food and drink companies looking to sell more and sell better. She is the author of two best-selling books “Recipe for Success” and “Buyer-ology – know your buyer, sell more and sell better”which launched in March 2023.   Her clients include the UN International trade centre, Virgin and other SME businesses. For more information, please consult: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thekarengreen/

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2023. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.3 million pageviews. With 4,400+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and two jobs at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. He has been featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald. For more information, please consult: www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.