Pick up a How-To book or read an article that covers “how to succeed at selling your book” and you’ll hear without fail that you will need to be your #1 marketer. Whether you go the traditional route with an agent and publishing house or you decide to publish it yourself, the majority of the marketing and promotion, these days, falls into your hands. So, would you consider yourself a “Top Seller”?
Do you know how to effectively promote and market not only your book but yourself as a writer/author?
I am not a “Top Seller” person. Matter of fact, I have never tried to sell anything other then girl scout cookies and school fundraisers. For the most part, I hate trying to convince someone to buy something. I’ve always felt that if they needed it and wanted it they would come to me. But honestly, that’s like saying, “I’m waiting for the right man to come along” or “I’m waiting for my big break”. Waiting get’s you nowhere. I can’t write my book and wait to see if an agent/publisher somehow hears about it and contacts me. That would be ridiculous. I also, can write a book and do nothing to promote it and still expect people to find out about and buy/read it. I have to be able to effectively sell what I’m offering to the right people in the right way.
The only way to achieve success is by doing.Â
I can read as many books and articles as my hungry little hands can find but that still doesn’t give me the one-on-one experience I need to basically be able to sell myself. So, what does someone like me do to learn how to become a “top seller” while brushing up on their people skills?
A crazy idea came to me last month. Why not thrust myself into a personal nightmare situation. What’s that you ask? It’s where I’m forced to break out of my shell, engage with perfect strangers, convince them to buy what I’m selling and do it in a way to where they will remember me and want to come back for more. Therefore, I became a direct sales consultant! Dun…Dun… Dunnnn…. Yes you heard me right. I can barely believe it myself.
I realized that selling my book and convincing people to invest time and money into it was becoming sort of a fear for me.
How do we conquer our fears?
Well, one way is to immerse ourselves into the very situation we are afraid of. For me, that’s face-to-face interaction with strangers while trying to convince them I have what they are looking for.
By now,your probably trying to figure out how becoming a direct sales consultant will help me become more comfortable selling my book.
Direct sales consultants:
- Need to build a customer base
- Need to be able to engage with them socially in person and on the internet
- Need to know how to share and inform their customers of what they are selling.
- They need to create excitement over their product.
- They need to be able to stand up in front of complete strangers and deliever a sales pitch that is not only fun, catchy and friendly but convincing at the same time.
- They need to know their products and their customer base and keep up with the latest trends and market news.
Are you seeing the connection now?
This is why I can am proudly announcing with somewhat shaky nerves that I am a Thirty-One gifts Independent Consultant. Why did I choose Thirty-One? Mainly because I have a friend who is not only a huge fan of their products but is a consultant herself. What better way to start then to have an insider who knows all the important tips and tricks. Plus, their products, though pricey are extremely well made.
I’m not saying everyone who has little to no experience selling stuff should up and join a direct sales company but ask yourself this question:
How else can you gain experience selling something to complete strangers?
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