The REAL Impact Of Business Books
_____________
The written word has been used to communicate our most important messages since the beginning of time. Cavemen and women used early forms of language to write on cave walls, passing on information to future tribes and generations. In fact, I bet if you think of any of your business role models right now, they are also an author.
The word ‘author’ stems from the same word as ‘authority’ in Latin - auctoritatem - meaning invention, advice, opinion, influence, command, or the noun auctor; promoter, producer, father, progenitor; builder, founder; trustworthy writer; historian; performer, doer; responsible person, teacher, literally one who causes to grow (ref).
It’s no surprise in that case that successful business leaders are authors and vice versa, given that in order to be successful you need to create, promote, influence, produce, build, found, do, teach, ‘cause to grow’ and assume responsibility. Knowing even just that little bit of history therefore makes it completely logical that business owners who author a book tend to make more money than those who don’t.
But why? More to the point, how?
It’s to do with mindset, and how they demonstrate it. People who write books have certain personality traits and approaches to their clients and business which give way to greater growth than those who keep information to themselves. For example, business owners who have authored and promoted their book tend to:
- Believe passionately in what they do
- Display self-confidence
- Have a growth-mindset
- Care about the people they work with/want to with
- Be experienced and knowledgeable in their subject
These are amazing traits to have. This is what you’re telling people when you put your book out there. A book is the most permanent, impressive, and intelligent format there is. You couldn’t impress someone as much with a note or a standard gift. Your book is you and in writing it for people then giving it to them, you’re enabling them to get to know you, get to know your business, build trust with you, and make a connection with you, on their own terms, in their own time.
It’s not like a sales call, where they may have a negative association with hearing from you before you’ve even said hello. No-one would ever receive a copy of your book and go, “Oh I quite liked Steve before he went and sent me his book but now I won’t speak to him again”. They’re more likely to answer a call from you or someone who works for you, because you’ve deposited in the relationship bank account in such an impressive way.
So what are the main benefits of authoring a book for your business?
- Unrivaled credibility
When you’ve quite literally written the book on something, you are not only clearly knowledgeable and experienced, you also take ownership of your intellectual space and professional niche. Why unrivaled credibility? Because even if your Number 1 competitor was to see your book, and then write something similar, they’ll only ever be able to be months behind you and Number 2, at best. Stopping a competitor from moving into your space with the same move that carries all the benefits and results below too is extremely powerful.
- Publicity & Influence
Having a book removes common roadblocks to getting more media attention and increases your influence. As you can imagine, it’s far more powerful to post a copy of your book with a personal note and your contact details to the editors of your top industry publications or radio show/podcast hosts than to email or call, which will probably be picked up by their PA anyway. You can use this same approach to get more speaking gigs, sending your book to the organisers and promoters of industry events, or to clients and prospects, to let them know you’re in charge of your domain and provide them with the opportunity to get to know you and your business better.
- Expert status
When thinking of how to increase your success, in any area of life, the answer is always to look at what successful others do and emulate that. Stand on the shoulders of giants. Pretty much all the big names in business, coaching, and development have authored books: Gary Vaynerchuck, Tim Ferris, Richard Branson, Seth Godin, Warren Buffett, Tony Robbins, Steven Covey, Brian Tracey, Dan Sullivan, Brad Sugars… you will be seen as the expert on the topic, and it will, therefore, become a part of your reputation. You will be approached and treated as such. It is simply how people come to think of you. Which leads to...
- Increased fees and revenue
The effects of your book with your demonstrable expert status will open up doors to more and different types of opportunities. Specifically, consulting opportunities, speaking gigs, workshops, bootcamps; you can launch new products and services with it to surge revenue, but you can also increase your fees for existing work and do more repeat business, as you become more in demand with these business development activities and expand your team. Most people will pay more to work with an established expert.
- Legacy
Your book will outlive you. Fact. They are permanent, once published. There is no other permanent marketing tool. So each time to produce a book, you’re making your stamp on that particular field, yes, but you’re also expanding your legacy by contributing to history, and education. You’ll be able to impact future generations, even after you’re gone. Think of Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. He was in his fifties when it was published in 1937, and he based it on 20 years of writing down things successful people said or did. It’s now sold over 100 million copies worldwide. He died nearly 50 years ago. Homer’s Odyssey was written in 8 BC yet still widely studied and referenced today. Paradise Lost by John Milton - you may have been made to read this or similar texts at school - was first published in 1667. Shakespeare, still a highly influential author hundreds of years later. And what about How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie - it was published in 1936, but is there anyone here who hasn’t heard of it? Of any of those?
Books plant seeds, and seeds grow over time. Your book is your legacy.
But what about tangible, real-world results?
Graeme Hall, Founder of Sales Blueprint and author of The Secrets To A Successful Sales Operation In A Private Equity Backed Business, shares his results since becoming an author and how he’s leveraged his book to create a self-managing, self-multiplying business - take a look:
If you’d like results like Graeme’s and to find out how a book will work for you, CLICK HERE to schedule your FREE Book Discovery Call with me. I can only make a small number of slots available and as this isn't normally something I do, I don't know when I'll be able to offer these calls again. So please go ahead and claim yours, before it goes: https://calendly.com/info-5040/book-discovery-call
Contact
020 3752 7057
Social
Twitter: @WBR_Books
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/how-to-write-a-book
Article References:
https://www.etymonline.com/word/author
https://www.etymonline.com/word/author
Comments