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SOME THINGS LAST FOREVER7/25/2024 I would argue that some things last forever. I inherited my grandma's electric beater which she got in 1957. It'svintage. I broke the lever one time when it crashed to the floor. It survived the crash but I can still use it. We have another newer electric beater here. After a few years, it quit and that was the end of it. Not the planned obsolescence of phones, electric gadgets, and modern appliances. Back home (in the Philippines), every thing (including umbrellas, shoes, etc.) can be fixed. A whole business is built on fixing anything at an affordable price, meaning it's cheaper to fix than to buy a new one. This has been going on for years, until we got inundated by a wave of Chinese products, which were dumped in the market for a bargain. Now, the fixing business is almost gone, except for the bigger players that have branches all over the country and can afford to stay afloat with other services being offered. The poor has always resulted in the do-it-yourself mechanism which has a whole new market for them. The rich is satiated with the latest fashion, trends, and accoutrements. Needless to say, we cherish those things that are built to last. It's a rarity now and so we marvel at the care that it took to build something that lasts. What are you building right now that would stand the test of time, the wear-and-tear, and the all the hypes and flavors-of-the-month? If my grandma's electric beater's longevity is a proof that some things do not fade away but becomes evergreen, I bet you can do more than that.
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When I published my first commercial book: Provocateurs, I knew that I will be its marketer extra-ordinaire. No other person can promote this book more than me. No other agency can package, reformat, and reboot this more than I do. So to start off, here are some of the lessons I've been learning since I launched it in 2022. 1. The book is a good excuse to contact strangers "Yes, I have a new book," an out-of-the-blue announcement from me to a stranger I want to connect with sounds a bit dubious. But it worked wonders for a lot of time. First, it stirs curiosity at least. Even if they don't take my offer, they will look for me and get to know who I am and what I do. Second, it reminds them that I am around and can help in areas of my expertise. Third, we can be greatly connected and this will be useful later on, no matter what happens in the interim. 2. Promoting a book is never-ending, but it doesn't have to be a chore It's a good strategy to get your book in front of your target audience in the first few years. But as soon as it's no longer new, it's time to start writing again or repurpose its contents, in many ways to encourage more engagement. If you have a loyal readers, that's the audience to tap in terms of engagement, case studies, and applications of your book's insights. Continue to grow that audience because you will need them for the next books and launches. I always get a good dopamine after I get some good reviews out of it. It never ceases to make my day. 3. Ready or not, market now! I have a marketing plan when I wrote my book proposal. I had this very optimistic numbers to start with. Well, during the pandemic and the after-years, those numbers were just imaginings. Conferences and events were all virtual and you have to book them ahead to get on their radar screens. I had to use my marketing hat and be creative as to how I will get in front of my audience and those that already following and/interested in my work. No marketing plan ever survives contact with reality, just remember that. 4. Don't forget your WHY? Don't forget why did you have to write that book? The long game goal. So, when it's not the best-seller, it's just perfectly fine. Some negative comments perhaps. Your target audience will be the ones cheering for it and appreciating its value for a long time. Great outcomes can come in many ways and not just through book sales and royalties. It all accrues to what the business goals you set out at the beginning. Stay in that long game perspective. 5. Love it but not obsess about it You're the best person to appreciate and promote your book but it has to speak to the benefits for the reader/audience. They don't care about another book as there are millions of titles every single week that's being produced, if not self-published. But why you, why this book, and what gains will it bring to them with this one? As Seth Godin noted, there are less people who reads books nowadays, much less finish the book. Don't be those book authors who are obsessed about their books, that they forget the people behind why the book was created in the first place. 6. Your last book will be revived with the new one Guess what? To revive an old book, you need to write a new one. If you're launching a new book, all your past work will be resurrected. You will see a resurgence in interest in your old books, old contents, past offering because you are back in the game of promotions and engagement and all that jazz. It will keep everything that you do fresh in the minds of your audience. That means, that we authors have to continue making original intellectual property to stay in our game. In the academic world, the 'publish or perish' mode operates. In this industry, it's 'create or die' that rules our existence. Whoever says being an author is super-easy, not if you want an excellent product that speaks for itself and sells on its own merits. Being an author is also about being a great marketer, in season or out of season.
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UN-RULE IT9/18/2023 Organizations, small and large have rules, policies, and procedures. Yet every time, the best organizations try to become more responsive and not use the rules, policies, and procedures to avoid helping their customers and clients succeed. With high commitment, you don't need a lot of stupid rules to get what you want from your people- staff, members, clients, and the general public. Compliance is good but commitment is way better. For the money, for goodwill, for long-term partnership and support, for any longer relationship than just a written contract signed by parties. Purpose-driven organizations use rules, policies, and procedures as guides but not to transplant it with common sense and inventiveness. The latter missing in many organizations that are bent on becoming the same kind of entity within their field. Hence, there is no standing out and delivering greater value than what is typically expected whether it's in sales, marketing, production, non-profits, or government offices. You can't make this up. My former supervisor from my last full-time work gave me the choice to take a leave for a few days because I had been using a lot of my Saturdays for work-related events. These events were chosen by partners and I had no control over these. He allowed me to take unofficial leaves and called it as his executive decision. If there are supervisors or directors like that who are not afraid to go past beyond rules and be responsive, staff, members, and customers' needs are responded to in the most immediate and satisfactory fashion. If you're saving the world through your mission, you can't be operating on rules alone. You need empathy, responsiveness, flexibility, and common-sense to achieve your grand goals or your next target. If the rules get in the way of these values, scrap them. |