Hey, family.
Let me get right to it.
Don’t be lazy with your sales. It doesn’t serve you or your prospects.
This weekend was the Dayton Book Expo. The first time I heard about it, I was meeting a woman in a Starbucks on the north side of Indy. I enjoyed the conversation and was intrigued by her children’s book.
I hadn’t seen the book. It was the fact she’d got it into the public library that was impressive. I later learned it didn’t take much effort to accomplish. Nevertheless, I was surprised when I first heard it.
Towards the end of our chat, she invited me to the Dayton Expo as a sponsor. At the time, I was headed to an event for Black CEO and didn’t want to make a commitment. Plus, I wanted to explore the history of the event and talk to other people about expos.
The meeting was in February. I told the lady to contact me in a month about the event. I told her I at least wanted an author table if I didn’t sponsor the event. I heard nothing from her.
About two weeks before the event, I saw a post about it from one of the founders. I got on the site to check registration prices. Then, I called the woman who originally introduced it to me. No answer and no response. I text her a few days later about registration for the event. No answer and no response.
I didn’t hear anything from this woman until the day of the event as we passed each other. SMH. Maybe she’s been busy. I don’t know. What I do know is I don’t care to follow up with her anymore.
That’s what I consider lazy sales. (I admit I’ve done it myself and I see why those individuals don’t answer now.)
Who passes up an opportunity when the opportunity says, “Hey, I’m right here. Help me help you.” As my coach says: PICK UP THE CASH!
Ok. Enough with the venting about bad business practices…
Today, I want to give you my After Action Report using the WINA philosophy as the framework:
What Worked?
- set up from the trunk – Having my books, a couple of tablecloths, and my ‘go-bag’ was key to set up. My ‘go-bag’ has a speaker, extra cords, and a couple of books.
- be a motion detector – I tried to make eye contact with every person that walked by my table. I didn’t have all the stands and banners the rest had. So, I stood on my feet and shared my money maker (the smile).
- implementation intention – Set your intention for an event before you go to it. I started doing this in MLM. Setting your intention for the event and how you’ll respond to specific situations prepares you to take action.
What to Improve?
- get to events super early – I could have prepared better if I had a better idea of what I was working with. It was a two-hour drive at 8 am but I still could’ve been earlier.
- set books on stands – Another lady at the event (not an author), suggested I set my books up so people could read them from a distance. I’d thought about it but couldn’t figure out how to do it. Eventually, I rigged up a way to do it. #makeithappen
- discounts – At the suggestion of another author/book consulting mentor, I sold my books for $10. I’m not sure that I want to do that again. I priced the books for a reason. If I offer a discount, I must receive something in return. Maybe an email to follow up or something along those lines.
Any other Notes?
- lazy sales? – Many authors sat behind their tables and waited for people to approach them. Don’t do that. Your enthusiasm sets you apart. Definitely, don’t do what the lady in the opening story did.
- assist your hosts – One way to make a good impression is to offer help. I failed to do this. I usually arrive early and stay later to help and make connections with the event planners.
- make money – I broke even for the day and still lost money. Because I bought several books, I spent the money I earned from my own sales. But, I lost money because I didn’t recoup the table fee and the travel expenses.
Actions to take?
- be early enough to help hosts and investigate
- make money before spending it
- buy stands for books
I plan to do it again. The most interesting confirmation from the weekend was how many people were interested in Overcoming Procrastination. I saw a need in my market and wrote to that need.
Fun fact: I wrote and published the book in 30 days. All of the principles taught in the book were used to write the book.
Funner fact: You can write your book fast and have it be a lead generator, too. I show you how to do it in my latest book, How to Write Your First Book in Less Than 4 Hours. Get your copy here =>>
– Fortune aka The Profess’rr
PS. A mini-course will be out soon that covers the concepts for writing your first book. It’ll be $97 for most people. But, for you… Keep your eyes and ears open.
