In an effort to network among publishing professionals and learn a few thing about the nuances of book marketing (FYI, there are marketing nuances in every vertical even experts like me can hone new marketing techniques!), I went to Mark Victor Hansen’s MEGA Book Marketing University 2007. It was really a great event with good people and great insights, I would recommend it to those aspiring authors out there (even if you haven’t yet written that book that is in you).
(Apparently this post is going to have a lot of parenthetical ideas… so apologies in advance).
I witnessed credibility branding in action first hand while there and it only took 5 minutes for it to happen (of course there was groundwork laid before hand). I have an example like this in my book, but this one is fresh and I interviewed the participant. Here is what happened…
Jerry Teplitz has a unique gift it is called “behavioral kinesthiology.” Essentially he will guide his clients through the decision making process by using their own internal intuition and muscle electricity. He has worked with IBM, Motorola, EDS and Time among others. One example he gave me was helping Heinz to create the best labels on their packaging. With his help the products with the new tested labels sold about 20% better than projected.
Here is how his system worked for me: He worked with a new book I am writing, it is a coffee table book with images and poetry. He took the some of the pages of the book and muscle tested a complete stranger. The person being muscle tested has their arm out and Jerry pushes down on it to test for strength. For some of the pages of my book the person being tested became weaker and for some of the pages the person became stronger. For the pages that were tested as “weaker,” a few subtle changes to those same pages made the tested person stronger again. Jerry also has a unique system he uses called brain gym and has developed a series of books called “Switched-On” using this method for golf, selling and business you can check it out at http://www.teplitz.com/switched-main.htm.
Here is credibility branding in action: So Jerry is sitting in the audience of over 600 at the MEGA event and one of the keynote speakers Jack Canfield (of Chicken Soup for the Soul fame and more recently a star of The Secret – he was just on Oprah) asked Jerry to stand up. Jack then proceeded to discuss what Jerry does and how great he is at it, not to mention how valuable a tool applied kinesthiology is for the many who didn’t even know this existed. That was the full package endorsement, and live in front of hundreds. Well Jerry’s life changed that day. Jack was one of the highlight influencers of the conference and his endorsement took Jerry to the highest levels of credibility, instantly.
Before Jack’s endorsement, Jerry walked the halls anonymously. Before, when he introduced himself to some of the other influencers and speakers at the show, they were interested, but not willing to act. After the endorsement those same influencers sought him out and pretty much signed on to do some projects with him. Now Jerry became the person others chased, regular participants followed him; “are you the guy?” and a new contact was made. He sold product right there too (a video that shows how to do this for yourself). Conference coordinators are in conversation with him to be a speaker at future events. When I interviewed him he said “it was amazing, I had this feeling of really being launched to a new level of exposure,” and he hasn’t looked back!
So how do you find and leverage this kind of exposure? Following are a few tips for getting yourself (and product) recognized at speaking events (conferences summits etc.):
· Get a gist of the speaking topic in advance and research the speaker, then come up with several really intelligent questions. These would not be to pitch yourself but to discuss industry trends or insights you have about the speakers philosophies that may or may not have come to light during his/her presentation. There is usually a question and answer period, ask one or two of those questions. If they are good enough you will get attention. Many executives I have coached come away with high profile new influencers on board and even some editorial opportunities. (Editors are always looking for experts.)
· Research the speakers in advance and start a dialogue before the event, then when you introduce yourself you are not a stranger and can take the conversation to the next level.
· Always have your cards at the ready and design a specific brochure (one page only) that you can use as a point of discussion when you meet a potential prospect or influencer. They will usually take one with them.
· When talking to influencers at these events start the conversation by asking them how the event is for them. If it is a conference ask them what they are looking for at this particular show. I have made more friends with editors and influencers by guiding them to the things they were looking for. They ALWAYS ask what I do and they will use their gratitude to stick around and hear you out.
The bottom line is however, make sure you know who you are, that your messaging is rock solid (see yesterdays post below), and your benefits are clear. Also seek out high profile customers, getting a few of them on board then asking for their endorsement is an important piece of the credibility branding process and works as a sales accelerator. (See the DeWalt post that offers an overview of the credibility pyramid.) As mentioned in previous posts your customers will be able to sing your praises and really tell you what the benefits are better than you can, and when they are recognized in their field it is that much better. That is what Jack was for Jerry a very high profile customer, the ultimate credibility builder.
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