Employ these methods now to avoid ups and downs due to sickness or crisis

If you have a business, then you’ve likely seen challenges. Lack of clients, loss of staff, illness and more changed the landscape of many businesses quarantine during the spring of 2020 quarantine, and it’s left many looking for outside the box ways to bring stability and work in new ways.

The beautiful thing about having a book for your business is that it already fills the requirements of social distancing. It’s a product that can easily be downloaded or shipped without hassle. And any activities that I talk about in this article can be done from the comfort of your own yoga pants on the couch or at your computer. This means that whether you get sick, move, are stuck in your house, or see other challenges, you can still do these activities and know that you are moving ahead with minimal effort, stress, and impact on others.

Everyone who wants to be seen as a leader—speakers, coaches, brick-and-mortar service providers, business owners, nonprofit leaders, CEOs, etc.—needs to have a book with their ideas, their journey, or a base-line for their programs in it. If you already have one, great! I have some suggestions for you to put in place right now that will leverage that book to keep you in the black. Don’t have a book yet? I’ve got you, too! Check out the end of the article for some suggestions to get started.

Hello, Author

You have a six-figure story, so let’s learn how to use it—

1. Give it away. All that time and investment to give it away? Hear me out. My client Matt actually had great success with this when he saw an opportunity to give his book about overcoming addiction to a school that helps teenagers with that challenge. He sent them several gift copies, just to make a difference, and they later contacted him about giving several paid talks at the school. How’s that for a gift that keeps giving? You can donate books to swag bags, do a drawing, use it to pitch for reviews in publications, and find other ways to create buzz, change lives, and keep up the momentum by giving your book away. Get creative!
2. Talk about it. Would you believe that I’ve met speakers and coaches before who never mention that they wrote a book? This is how you get known! Use your status as an author when pitching media, events, and more. My client Stacy became known as an expert on self-sabotage and your inner critic because of her book and received numerous requests keynoting and partnering on events. And once you book those events, podcasts, and other interviews, don’t forget to mention your book! Bring it up naturally in conversation! And of course, list it in your bios when you are speaking or on social media. Your book should never be a secret.
3. Sell it. Are you even a real business owner if you don’t have a copy of your book on you at all times? (Joking of course.) But seriously, this one is easy. Keep some copies in your car and throw one in your handbag when you’re able to go out and about, and always have them on your table at speaking and networking events. During quarantine, blizzards, or other events that keep you at home, bring up your book at virtual speaking events, summits, or networking mixers and tell them they can get a discount by going through you or your website. If you offer both digital and hard copy, it’s even easier to sell. Plus, if you use a method to write the book like my own SPARK Method, which I teach in my book and course (see how this works?), then you will have readers coming back to you for coaching, speaking, and more because your book is a marketing piece!
4. Develop a program around it. This is the bonus! Everyone who bought a copy of your book can send a picture of the receipt to join a free program you created (something simple) where you will upsell to your bigger coaching packages. Or you can create a low-cost course that teaches the strategies in your book and includes group coaching calls. People must have the book to join, of course, so they can get part of the content that way. Doing a few homework sheets and videos to accompany this can be quick and easy.

These are all simple, low-cost ways to use your book right now, but what if you haven’t written it yet?

Get started now! It’s time to start thinking about who you want to be. If you want to be a leader, then you need a book. An ideal time for coaches, speakers, and other business owners to start their books is when sales are down, clients are fewer, they have more time at home, or they are taking specific vacation time for writing. However, anyone can block off the time and make it work with dedication, a deadline, and solid writing goals to make consistent progress. 

Think about your goals with your book and how it fits into your marketing plan. Then pinpoint your exact audience, create an outline that is targeted, and write without judgment. Remember that your editor is the one to make it perfect, so don’t get caught up in your wording and just write.

Your book should help you get more clients and speaking gigs and help you make a bigger impact, so think about the big picture and keep up the momentum no matter what the world throws at you! What you put in place now could make a huge difference in the months ahead.