Authority + Celebrity + Expertise = A.C.E.
Why Your Business Benefits If You Write A Book!
Guy Kawasaki calls this an A.P.E. Book – with the P standing for Personality. Since I’d rather be an A.C.E. or than an A.P.E. I’ll stick with Celebrity in the middle rather than Personality – but the important thing is that this book expresses who you are, what you think, and what you deliver to your clients.
It’s increasingly hard for service businesses to differentiate themselves, but at the same time it’s increasingly important for them to do so. I’m not complaining about the current business environment, because most of the businesses I’m working with are doing fairly well and finding new opportunities coming at them full tilt. Still, the reality is that there is a lot of competition, and as larger businesses are laying off workers there are more and more consulting firms and small businesses every day. Each of these is looking for clients, and they’re all subject to similar regulations so in many ways you are facing more competition each day.
How Can You Stand Out In A Crowded Marketplace?
Nothing says, “I’m Different.” like an A.C.E. Book! What’s more, it gives you an easy way to explain to prospects who you are and how you work, so you attract your ideal clients and don’t waste time on the other sort. It’s hard for your prospects to make a decision between Financial Planner A and Financial Planner B – or even Dentist A and Dentist B; but what if one of them has a book … and what if that book answers the questions your prospect really wants to know about your subject?
In the business to consumer world your book is a powerful tool and whether you give it away or sell it, you can use it to attract better clients and charge higher fees (How to use your book to generate business is the subject of another post). Authors have author-ity and that gives them a special attraction. The simple fact that you have written a book demonstrates that you have confidence in your knowledge of your subject and a willingness to share that knowledge with others. Even if you’ve had your book written for you, it’s still your intellectual property that you are sharing, and your investment of time, money and energy to get your ideas out there.
These reasons are even more powerful when your target market is the business to business community – especially the C-suite. Most of them have worked hard to achieve their position, and they are used to mixing with other top-level players. Your book puts you in their level even if you are a ‘consultant’ or a ‘small business owner’ because suddenly you are also an Author, a Celebrity, and an Expert and you can leverage that to gain entrance.
Many of the A.C.E. authors I know, find that their books are picked up by local newspapers, and that they start to get invited to speak as well as being offered opportunities to bid on more valuable and desirable tenders. They also start to edge out their competitors when it comes to winning contracts and price becomes less of an issue. That’s the “C” part of the equation – with even a little bit of savvy promotion, a book is an easy pathway to Celebrity … not overnight, but snowballing!
Don’t get me wrong – even being featured in ‘The Age” or “The Herald Sun” isn’t going to make you tens of thousands of dollars – but properly used it can open doors that would otherwise be firmly shut. And you don’t even have to start with the big papers – local papers like “The Leader” are a stepping stone to bigger chances for publicity, and more publicity means more opportunities to get in front of your ideal clients – the kind of people who only want to work with Experts in any field.
Let’s Talk About Your Prospects For A Minute
It doesn’t really matter whether your prospects are consumers, government officials, middle management, or C-level executives – they’re busy, they’re bombarded with sales messages, and they don’t want to make a mistake. It’s getting harder and harder to break through their defences and put your message in front of them. Sure, it might be exactly what they want and need, but they’ve got email filters, voicemail filters, receptionists, and even mail filters and each of them has a nose like a sniffer dog when it comes to marketing!
On the other hand, when was the last time you saw a book in the rubbish bin? It rarely happens. About the worst thing that will happen if you send a book to someone is that they will use it as a paperweight to keep their mail in check … and they just might flip through it one day … and learn something new … and give you a call.
I mean, how many authors do you know personally? And how many of them have actually sent you a copy of their book? Your recipient will be flattered even if they don’t read the book all the way through, and they will certainly think more highly of your expertise (unless the book is a total mess – which does happen sometimes).
What About Personality?
The days of the impersonal, cookie-cutter specialist are coming to an end. Craftsmen and boutique agencies are on the rise because people really like to deal with people they respect.
I was in a meeting with a gentleman a few weeks ago who stated bluntly that he didn’t care about rapport, he just wanted the facts and would judge every proposal on the basis of those facts. It wasn’t more than 15 minutes later that he also told me that he couldn’t possibly work with anyone if he didn’t like them and agree with their views. I had a quiet chuckle!
It’s hard to write a book about your subject without communicating your values, worldview, and personality to some extent. That’s a good thing because it makes you stand out. It will help you attract people who think like you – or who at least respect your views and that can save a lot of grief in your working relationship.
Sitting down with a book someone has written is like sitting down and talking to them, you may not agree with everything they say, but you will learn what they’re thinking, and the reasons that are behind their thinking. You’ll come up with questions to ask, and you’ll have an overall impression of whether or not you can work with them.
I can’t think of a better way of differentiating your service business from others around than writing a book about what you do and who you work with. Can you?