Becky Robinson's Blog, page 34

Clarity First: How to Achieve Outstanding Performance

Realizing the myriad benefits that come with organizational clarity requires that leaders be 100 percent clear on the most important, foundational question: what is their organization’s purpose? Organizations that take the time to ensure team members have a strong connection to purpose, create enthusiastic brand ambassadors who are deeply committed to helping the organization succeed.

This week, we’re honored to launch a book by award-winning author Karen Martin that provides methods and insights for achieving clarity to unleash potential, innovate at higher levels, and solve the problems that matter to deliver outstanding business results.

Clarity First

Lack of clarity collectively costs companies, educational institutions, government agencies, and nongovernmental organizations billions of dollars per year. Ambiguity is the corporate default state, a condition so prevalent that “tolerance for ambiguity” has become a clichéd job requirement. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Clarity First provides methods and insights for achieving clarity to unleash potential, innovate at higher levels, and solve the problems that matter to deliver outstanding business results. Both a visionary road map and practical guide, this book will help leaders:

Identify and communicate the organization’s true purpose
Set achievable priorities
Deliver greater customer value through more efficient processes
Provide greater transparency about true versus assumed performance
Build strong problem-solving and critical thinking capabilities throughout the organization
Develop personal clarity to be a more direct, purposeful, and successful leader.

Drawing on the author’s work with thousands of leaders, this book identifies 5 specific areas of focus that dramatically improve organizational performance — purpose, priorities, process, performance, and problem-solving. It enables leaders to eliminate ambiguity, the first step for achieving strategic goals, and gain the clarity needed to make better decisions, lead more effectively, and boost organizational performance.

In today’s rapidly changing business environments clarity has never been more important and yet more overlooked.  Business conditions may be volatile, uncertain, and complex, but leaders can confront those realities more effectively when their strategy is focused on Clarity First.

Meet the Author

Karen Martin, president of the global consulting firm TKMG, Inc., is a leading authority on business performance and lean management. Known for her keen diagnostic skills and rapid-results approach, Karen and her team have worked with dozens of international clients to develop more efficient work systems, grow market share, solve business problems, and accelerate performance. A skilled change agent, Karen builds energy within work teams by helping them focus an organization’s key performance goals—faster delivery of higher quality products and services at lower cost—while simultaneously building organization-wide problem-solving capabilities and boosting employee engagement.

As a thought leader and skilled teacher, Karen has shaped how leaders and improvement professionals approach business performance in over 45 countries. She informs her audiences with insights on how best to improve organizational performance and inspires them to create work environments that enable the entire workforce to excel. Audiences leave Karen’s sessions armed with practical how-to’s and motivated to carry out the urgent missions that Karen lays forth.

Karen’s broad understanding of work system design and business management stems from her experience building and managing operations for several rapid-growth organizations that each grew into multi-billion-dollar companies. She developed a keen understanding of customer value while serving in sales and marketing roles, and has extensive experience mitigating legal and compliance constraints. While she has worked with clients in nearly every sector, her healthcare-rich background includes clinical, administrative, and regulatory work in hospitals, post-acute care settings, payer services, medical research, clinical laboratories, physician practices, integrative medicine and behavioral healthcare.

Praise from Readers Like You

“Karen Martin has written a wonderful “tough love” guide for leaders to systematically clear away chaos and confusion and bring their organizations to operational excellence. She bravely discusses the feelings involved in this kind of work. The feeling that prevents people from seeking clarity – fear – and the feelings that grab your heart – excitement and pride in serving others. She’s even got a great addendum on how to meditate. Such a refreshing voice in a field that often lacks passion.”

— E. Swan, 5-star Amazon review

“The book is filled with a good mix of practical examples as well as as well as concepts that can be easily implemented. I liked that the examples come from in and out of business. You will find that the book is a powerful book that offers extensive insight into how you can change your own processes. The other thing that is important with this is that the ideas presented are ones that can be used in many different industries, which makes this very versatile. “

— Dad of Divas, 5-star Amazon review

“The author of this book gave some great ideas and examples, which made it very understandable and clear. It’s a well-researched and principled look at how to make the message clear and concise.”

— Jane Rosenthal, 5-star Amazon review

Learn More

Visit the website to learn more and download a free chapter.
Buy a copy of the book, or leave a short review of it, on Amazon.
Take the free quiz to discover how you (or your organization) rate.

How to Maximize Your Content for a Stronger Platform

Although necessary, we know that the idea of creating a library of promotional content can quickly become overwhelming, which is why today we’re talking about ways to work smarter, not harder. Whether you have a website with a blog (our best practice), a page on Facebook, an active Instagram feed, or you regularly post articles on LinkedIn, you should view everything you write or create as a part of a greater content library, for use across multiple platforms.

Did you write something on Facebook that struck a nerve? Work it into a longer post for your blog or LinkedIn article. Did you create a popular image on Instagram? Share it on Facebook and again on Twitter (tools like Pablo allow you to turn one image into the correct size for all three sites). Writing a 600 word blog post does more than just populate your blog, it also gives you ready-made content for Facebook shares, tweets, Instagram images, and even LinkedIn content.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

Let’s use this post as an example of how to get more content out of just one writing session. If this were your post, you might send out a tweet (or one could automatically go out using a tool like dlvr.it) that would say, “New Post! Taking Stock of Your Content” with the associated URL. That’s great, but if you want to get the most out of your work, you should take about 5 minutes and go through your post, creating tweets for your content library that would look something like this:

Look at everything you write or create as a part of a greater content library, for use across multiple channels. #SocialTips https://bit.ly/2QK652g
When you write a post, you’ve done more than just populate your blog, you’ve created content for Facebook shares, tweets, and Instagram images. https://bit.ly/2QK652g
Work smarter, not harder. Today’s post contains #SocialMediaTips on how to get the most out of your writing → https://bit.ly/2QK652g

Those took two minutes to create, and everything was pulled directly from the opening paragraphs of this blog post, with a few tweaks. One blog post = three instant tweets to share.

Now take the last tweet and, using a program like Canva, turn it into an image for Instagram that can also be shared on Facebook and used in the blog post. Or take this same post, trim it down to one idea, about 250 words, and use it as a new LinkedIn article that helps drive people back to the site. Don’t have time to write a new post? Use one from the archives and draft it back into service on all new channels. The possibilities are endless!

There’s one last thing to keep in mind when you’re reworking content. If you want clicks through to your blog or website, you must ensure you’re not only offering value in your original post, but also in your social media promotion. In the example tweets, people get an instant, useful takeaway that makes them want to click through to learn more — and that’s the key to being a platform builder.

Get the click. Land the new view. Score a share or retweet. Grow your audience. Build your platform — one post at a time.

What Are Your Blind Spots? Conquering Leadership Misconceptions

Many leaders are using outdated practices to engage and motivate their people — and they’re failing miserably! They are hindered by blind spots in various areas, unable to see the best way to lead their people and run their organizations. Are you one of them?

This week, we’re excited to launch a book that will help you uncover your blind spots and reset your leadership approach for long-lasting success in any business. It offers a proven framework for increasing organizational innovation, productivity, and creativity to help people find real purpose in their work.

What Are Your Blind Spots?

Far too many business leaders today are using outdated practices to engage and motivate their people — and they’re failing miserably. Truly resilient, thriving organizations are those that are purpose driven and focus on more than pure profits. Purpose, or an underlying company philosophy, not only drives strategic change, but also encourages customer loyalty and employee engagement. In order to succeed, leaders must be willing to discard old ways of thinking and detrimental business habits — and recognize their blind spots.

Authors Jim Haudan and Rich Berens identify the five most common leadership blind spots that hamper success: Purpose, Story, Engagement, Trust, and Truth. They take you straight into the boardroom of well-known leadership teams to illustrate how these blind spots play out and the impact they have on organizations. You’ll learn how to identify and overcome your own blind spots and embrace positive, forward-thinking new practices.

What Are Your Blind Spots? equips you with the tools needed for a personal leadership reset. You’ll discover how to increase engagement, productivity, and growth in your own organization. This is an invaluable guide for executives, managers, team leaders, and human resource professionals looking for an effective way to engage and motivate employees at every level of an organization.

Meet the Authors

Jim Haudan is Co-Founder and Chairman of Root Inc., a best-selling author, and a sought-after business presenter. For more than 20 years, he has been helping organizations unleash hidden potential by fully engaging their people to deliver on the strategies of the business. With his background as a coach, it’s not a stretch that the company Jim co-founded focuses on tapping employees’ discretionary efforts — the kind that produces winning results.

As an organizational change expert, Jim believes that business results don’t come from creating a great strategy, but by meaningfully connecting it to all of the people in the company to bring it to life. He helps companies create leadership alignment, execute strategies and change successfully, build employee engagement, and transform businesses. He is a sought-after business presenter who has spoken at TEDx BGSU, Tampa TEDx, and The Conference Board events.

Rich Berens is CEO and Chief Client Fanatic of Root Inc., and a noted speaker on the issues of strategy and change. For over 10 years, Rich has had the opportunity to lead Root and its artists, designers, researchers, programmers, and MBAs in creating breakthrough approaches to change that have reached millions of people around the world. Under his leadership, Root has been listed among the Great Place to Work® Institute’s top 25 places to work, named to the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies list, and experienced 10 years of consecutive growth.

Rich is a frequent author, thought leader, and speaker on the subject of leadership, transformation, and how to create lasting change. He has personally worked with dozens of Global 2000 organizations, including Hilton, Verizon, Masco, Petco, Procter & Gamble, Daimler, and many others to help align leaders and drive strategic and cultural change at scale. He has also authored articles for numerous publications and blogs.

Praise from Readers Like You

“This book is brief and accessible for all readers who are eager to improve their effectiveness in leadership and performance. . . . [it] brings about awareness and insights and also can inspire simple changes that will be impactful to organizations.”

— Craig Stephans, 5-star Amazon review

“This book does a great job helping you see how you can identify and improve on them. Recommend for anyone at any level of leadership as it is never to early to start working on being a better you for your team. “

— Amy Dru, 5-star Amazon review

“The book is full of not only ideas but excellent examples of each blind spot in businesses the authors had worked with. The assessment and recap in the final chapter alone are worth the price of the book.”

— David Hackler, 5-star Amazon review

“The only people who won’t find something helpful here are those who don’t think they have any blind spots.”

— Joe Graham, 5-star Amazon review

Learn More

Visit the website to learn more and download a free chapter.
Buy a copy of the book, or leave a short review of it, on Amazon.
Watch the recent webinar to learn more from Jim and Rich.

How Do You Build A Platform, Anyway?

I’ve always bristled at the idea of a platform because the word invokes the idea of a person set-apart, on a stage — a sage with an audience of listeners, separated, even artificially. A platform is something that you earn or something that is gifted to you. You have a job that gives you the platform, or you’re invited to speak on someone else’s stage. A platform just IS; when you have one, you know it. If you don’t have one, you can’t manufacture it. If you have one, you must use it carefully and intentionally.

What if you don’t have a platform? Can you build it?

Forget a Platform – Build a Community

Authors, or aspiring authors, come to me and my company with the request that we help them build a platform, because their publisher requires a platform of a certain size or their agent told them they’ll need a platform before submitting book proposals. They are defining platform as connections, and they want to make as many as possible, quickly, so they can reach that bigger goal. So they have a platform. So they’ll get a book deal.

As far as building connections goes, I give people the same advice. I tell people that it’s a good idea to make as many connections as they can, as soon as they can, and I stand by that advice —  as long as people realize that your ability to influence others cannot be quantified solely by the number of connections you have. The quality of those connections and each individual’s interest in you and willingness to listen to or engage with you matters.

If you want to have positive influence in the world, you need to be connected to a growing community of people who are interested in listening to you .

The more people who want to listen to you, the more likely you are to make the positive difference you’d like to make. Why would people want to listen to you? How can you get more people to want to listen to you?

If people perceive that you have value to share, they will listen to you.

The most important step in building a growing community of people who want to listen to you is to share value. Keep sharing value. Connect authentically with people as you share value. Be a real person they can identify with as you share value. Keep sharing value. Keep connecting. Keep sharing value. Put this process on repeat.

Start doing this as soon as you know you want to make a difference in the world, and don’t stop ever. At some point, if your message resonates with enough people, you may realize you have a platform. When you have a platform, use it wisely. Care for the people listening to you by sharing as much value as you can.

Why Having a Platform Matters

In the early-mid 2000’s, I decided I needed a blog. It seemed like everyone around me was starting a blog and, as a writer, it seemed like the thing to do. So I started one. I wrote about my life. Random thoughts. My job. Etc.

Here’s the problem . . . I never really figured out what my blog should be about. I wrote about things in my life, but didn’t have a particular focus. So, like millions of other blogs out there, my blog never really gained a following beyond a few friends and family members.

According to Statista, in July 2018 there were over 426 million blogs on Tumblr alone. That doesn’t include WordPress, other hosting sites, or company blogs. It’s no wonder my random musings never gained momentum with all the other options out there!

Social media has made it easier than ever to gain a following, but it has also exponentially increased the number of competing messages and noise! That’s why it’s important to know your platform.

But what is a platform?

Simply put, a platform is your message.

In the old days, you would spread your message and insights by standing on a platform on the corner in your town and yelling at people who passed by. In today’s online world, social media, blogs, earned media, and owned media all allow you to share your message, principles, and values with your fans, contacts, customers, and potential customers.

However, the 24/7 news cycle and social media have made clarifying your platform even more important. You want your platform to be crystal clear in order to make the most impact.

What do you stand for?
What do you believe?
What value do you bring?

If you want your message to be heard, you need to be clear on your message and on the channels you are using to spread that message.

You need to be clear about your platform.

According to Michael Hyatt, “A platform enables you to cut through the noise and deliver your message or product right to the heart of your prospects.” It is comprised of your contacts, prospects, followers, and fans.

Over the coming weeks, we will be discussing ways to clarify and expand on your platform on the Weaving Influence blog. I’d encourage you to follow along! If you are interested in learning more about how to build your influence, we’d love to help! Send us an email and one of our team members will be in touch!

Tell me something! What’s one way you need to improve on your own platform?

Dare to Serve: How to Drive Superior Results by Serving Others

Back in March 2015, we had the privilege of launching the first edition of Dare to Serve, and watched eagerly as it quickly rose to bestseller status. The author’s timeless principles and heart for serving others proved effective not only for her own business, but also in the lives of thousands of others who chose to adopt a ‘servant leadership’ mindset.

This week, we’re excited to launch the expanded and revised 2nd edition of Dare to Serve, where the Cheryl Bachelder shares some of what she’s learned since the first edition, and offers some new insights on the transformative power of having a servant mindset.

Dare to Serve

How do you transform an ailing company into an industry darling? Adopt servant leadership!

In this updated edition of Dare to Serve, former Popeyes CEO Cheryl Bachelder shows that leading by serving is a rigorous and tough-minded approach that yields the best results.

When she was named CEO of Popeyes in 2007, the stock price had slipped from $34 in 2002 to $13. The brand was stagnant, the team was discouraged, and the franchisees were just plain angry. Nine years later, restaurant sales were up 45 percent, restaurant profits had doubled, and the stock price was over $61. Servant leadership is sometimes derided as soft or ineffective, but this book confirms that challenging people to reach a daring destination, while treating them with dignity, creates the conditions for superior performance.

The second edition of this bestselling book includes Bachelder’s post-Popeyes observations, and new examples of how you can switch your leadership from self to serve. Ever engaging and inspirational, Bachelder takes you firsthand through the transformation of Popeyes and shows how anyone, at any level, can become a Dare-to-Serve leader.

Meet the Author

Cheryl Bachelder is the former CEO of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc., a multi-billion-dollar chain of more than 2,600 restaurants around the world. Over ten years, she led a remarkable turnaround of the company’s financial results with a compelling strategic roadmap for growth and an inspiring purpose and set of principles. The results – industry leading performance for the franchise owners and the shareholders.

With more than 35 years of experience in brand building, operations and public-company management, Cheryl has worked at companies like Yum Brands, Domino’s Pizza, RJR Nabisco, The Gillette Company and The Procter & Gamble Company. She has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal and featured on Mad Money; recognized as “Leader of the Year” by the Women’s Foodservice Forum; and received the highest industry award, the Silver Plate, for the quick service restaurant sector, presented by the International Food Manufacturer’s Association. She was also recognized as a 2012 Nation’s Restaurant News’ Golden Chain Award recipient. Today, Cheryl serves on boards, mentors CEOs, and invests in philanthropy.

Cheryl holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a Masters of Business Administration in Finance and Marketing from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. She is married to Chris Bachelder and they have three grown daughters.

Praise from Readers Like You

“Cheryl Bachelder pens a powerful manifesto on true servant leadership — one that comes from the heart, forged by discipline, and displayed with grace, depth and humility. Her story is timely, her lessons wise, and her personal example inspirational. ‘Dare to Serve’ should be the playbook for every leader regardless of the size or mission of the enterprise.”

— Chip Bell, 5-star Amazon review

“‘Dare to Serve’ brings optimism to leadership—that coaching and developing your team, stepping out of the spotlight, and leading with integrity and humility can drive results. . . . Full of exercises and powerful reflection, this book is a must read for leaders in all industries. “

— Sharon Bergquist, 5-star Amazon review

“I have read more leadership books than I care to admit. ‘Dare to Serve’ is one of the most distinctive and refreshing leadership books out there! Not only does [it] offer up a contrarian approach to leadership, but Cheryl Bachelder backs it up with real examples and a true to life transformation story . . . Anyone in or outside business, young or more seasoned in any profession can benefit greatly from her words of wisdom and practical experience.“

— Phil H, 5-star Amazon review

“‘Dare to Serve’ is both a record of delivering outstanding business results and a ‘how to’ in providing leadership to a far-flung organization — with inspiring and profitable results. A ‘quick read’ that will leave you wanting even more!”

— John Cranor, 5-star Amazon review

Learn More

Visit the website to learn more about the book and download a free chapter.
Buy a copy of the book, or leave a short review of it, on Amazon.
Watch the recent webinar to hear more of what Cheryl’s been up to lately.

How to Overcome Your Aversion to Self-Promotion

When we recommend clients begin promoting their books and other work on social media, we overwhelmingly get the same response: “Do I have to?” Unless you are a salesperson, odds are, the idea of promoting yourself feels very uncomfortable. You’re not alone. Some people never reach the levels of success they could — because self-promotion feels so onerous.

We want you to be successful, so we offer a few ideas to help you overcome your fear of promoting your work.

What’s the worst that can happen?

This is one of those questions psychologists often pose to help us fight fears. So what is the worst that can happen when you promote your work? You might annoy a few people . . . you might also sell your books, elevate your profile, and land some media or influencer interest. The benefits are worth the risks.

Change your mindset.

Selling books isn’t the same as selling used cars. Focusing less on selling and more on promoting ideas and thought leadership can make the process easier. Your work will make a difference for your readers. Put your promotion behind those transformative ideas and your book will sell itself.

Ignore the spotlight.

We all think everyone is focused on us, but the truth is, they are not. Psychologists call this the spotlight effect. Ignore those ideas, and post and share as frequently as makes sense to reach a larger audience. Same goes for repeating content. Social algorithms and the speed of social will mean very few, if any people, will see your repeated content.

Follow the leaders. 

There are so many people who are excellent at self-promotion. Follow their lead. What you’ll notice is that they promote their work on their websites, social media, email marketing, and more. They repeat content. They focus on ideas. They also make no apologies. Check out these excellent self-promoters: Michael Hyatt, Brendon Bruchard, and Marie Forleo.

Will you sell books without self-promotion? Yes, you will. But you’ll sell many more books and get your ideas in front of more people with a little effort. Most people want to support you, they just need to be asked. Conquer your fears, ask for help, promote your work. You’ll be surprised at the results.

What’s your biggest fear about promoting yourself?

Transform Your Company: Align Your Business & Get Your Life Back

Why is running a business so difficult? From putting out fires to dealing with miscommunications, email overload, and too many unproductive meetings, it’s a good way to feel like you’re running around in circles. The good news is, change is possible — and the author of this week’s featured book can help you get there.

Transform Your Company

Bring your business into focus. Whether you own this company, lead it, or work in it—it’s YOUR COMPANY! Your financial and emotional health are linked to how functional, or dysfunctional, your company is.

Discover the hidden force pulling companies into dysfunction, and creating frustration. Learn how to implement straightforward tools to identify and remove the real source of your pain. Eliminate the most common behavior that keeps a company from becoming an unstoppable force. Your company starts with you and your immediate team. You can replace the daily grind of fighting frustration with achieving desired outcomes that provide a source of energy.

Transform Your Company reveals critical steps and business alignment tools that will show you what to do when your company is sucking the life out of you. Finally, you can have the company you’ve always envisioned—one that works for you!

Meet the Author

Alex Vorobieff is the founder and CEO of The Vorobieff Company, a premier business-consulting organization. A highly sought-after speaker, business alignment coach, and the author of Transform Your Company, Alex has helped scores of business owners and successful companies replace chaos with clarity and finally attain the success they’ve always imagined. His methods eliminate the real source of their frustration using business alignment tools (a term he coined after years of working with and investigating different business systems).

After years working with companies, Alex realized the financial and accounting issues he would clean up were always a symptom of a bigger issue: people within the companies were not on the same page to the answers to essential questions and would inevitably end up working against each other. It took time to articulate the root cause, where to start and what could prevent a transformation, but removing the frustration changes a company for sucking the energy from its people and into a source of energy and satisfaction.

In addition to solving thorny business problems, Alex Vorobieff enjoys pursuing his hobby of photography.

Praise from Readers Like You

“Written with humor, personal insights and clarity, this book would be a valuable tool for business and organization leaders. Fantastic book!”

— David Lee, 5-star Amazon review

“Vorobieff shows us a simple model to help business leaders on this journey to alignment by helping readers define their organization’s unique place to begin, the best alignment tools for different situations, and how to choose the best tool for each. This is an enjoyable read that gets to the point and makes things very practical.”

— Neal Woodson, 5-star Amazon review

“This book is insightful — clear and concise — allows an entrepreneur to get clarity on a subject ‘that there is no book for’ (except this one).”

— Amit Kothari, 5-star Amazon review

“Fast growing entrepreneurial companies often face challenges that can slow, hinder or stop growth. This book offers numerous strategies and tactics to help you face those challenges head on. I’m listening to the Audible version for the 2nd time because it contains so much information. A great read.”

— Edward, 5-star Amazon review

Learn More

Visit the website to learn more about the book and download a free excerpt.
Buy a copy of the book, or leave a short review of it, on Amazon.
Watch the recent webinar to learn more about transforming your company.
Listen to the podcast to discover even more tools to advance your company.

Why Asking for Reviews is Hard – and How to Make It Easier

One hard thing for many authors is asking people for book reviews. It sounds easy enough, but often it’s deceptively difficult to request. You don’t want to feel intrusive, or sound desperate. And you definitely don’t want to bribe people into leaving dishonest reviews.

But the primary driver of sales today is word-of-mouth. That means honest reviews are what sells about 90% of the time! A variety of reviews also tend to highlight other aspects of the book that the marketing blurb might not have. And often, the more reviews you get — the more you’ll continue to get.

So how do you get more of them?

Don’t Confine Yourself to Launch Week

One of the challenges with asking for book reviews is knowing when to do it. The good news is, there’s multiple right options! You don’t have to wait until launch day — or stop hard when launch week ends.

Start planning for those requests ahead of launch week. How will you be building buzz for your book? If you’re running a giveaway, sharing advance copies with select individuals, or even offering guest posts or interviews about the book’s topic — those are prime opportunities to request reviews on bookseller sites like Amazon! But it doesn’t stop there. Plan to send out a short reminder on the day your book actually launches, and then again (only to those who haven’t yet left a review) a week or two later.

We recommend continued, diligent work in capturing names of those who can help. Make connections with and outline specific asks for each, along with individualized timelines and plans for outreach.

Make Your Ask Compelling

When you do send out your requests, don’t just copy and paste or send out a mass-email to everyone on your list! Nothing will end up in the spam folder faster than an long, impersonal email full of boring details that they didn’t ask for in the first place.

Be personal. Use a mail-merge tool to add people’s first names, or consider sending out individual messages personalized with people’s names and a particular point of connection (shared interest, fellow author, etc.).

Be concise. Keep it 5 sentences or less — just the facts, ma’am! No need to include all the publication details — just the book title, a 1-2 sentence synopsis, the launch date, and a link to where they should share a review.

Be polite. Don’t beg, push, or manipulate. Simply ask nicely and politely, and assume your readers will respond in kind. Most people will, if you give them a chance.

For example, here are few sample requests you could customize to fit your book and audience:

Pre-launch request: “I noticed you share frequent reviews of [your genre/topic], and [your book title] is the newest title in that category. It’s for [your audience] who want to [your intended goal] in [your optimal timeframe]. If that sounds helpful or interesting, I’d love to send you a free copy. All I ask in return is that you share an honest review on Amazon [link here]. If that sounds good, hit reply and let me know!”
Launch day request: “Launch week for [your book title] is finally here, and I could really use your help in making this a great week! A short review on Amazon would mean so much — here’s the link. Could you also take a moment to share a quick tweet or Facebook post with your networks? Here are a few suggested posts.”
Follow-up request: “Have you had a chance to start reading [your book title]? I’d love to know what you found helpful or encouraging. Could you take a few minutes to share some thoughts on Amazon? Here’s the link.”

Think Outside the Box

Get creative. Don’t just ask the same old connections you always reach out to — look at their connections and networks, and relevant groups in your community, top leaders in your field and their organizations, and even ‘professional’ book reviewers via bookseller sites and publishers. The more people you ask — the more responses you’re likely to get in return.

Also, don’t limit yourself to asking for book reviews. As important as they are for increasing exposure, helping with marketing, and showing public support for your book — they aren’t the only thing you should (or could) be requesting. Consider using these same guidelines to ask for endorsements, media introductions, event invitations, and social shares.

The sky’s the limit!

 

Want more tips like this? Download our new free ebook, Making the Ask, or check out our online resource center for DIY book marketing tips.

How To Get People To Endorse Your Book

When we’re talking about doing hard things, seeking endorsements probably one of the top things on the list. We all know they’re important, but who actually likes asking for them?

Getting the right people to throw their name and influence behind your book (or speaking platform) is key to finding success and achieving credibility as an author or thought leader. Praise from reputable leaders in your field lends credibility to your work and provides a credible recommendation for others. Plus, endorsements are a versatile marketing tool — you can use them in your book, on your website, on Amazon or other bookseller pages, and even on social media via share graphics or quotes.

It’s hard to find a piece of the marketing toolkit that carries more weight then book endorsements . . . but how do you go about getting them?

Making the Ask

Making the ask starts with brainstorming your dream team of endorsers. The sky’s the limit here — you can include everyone from colleagues and fellow authors you already know personally, to high-profile leaders in your field who wouldn’t know you from Adam (or Eve).

But where do you go from there?

Don’t worry — we’ve got you covered! Learn how to seek endorsements for your book with our free step-by-step guide, Making the Ask. Seeking endorsements can be an overwhelming process, especially if you’re not comfortable making the ask. We give you a clear-cut plan to get there, suggest words to use in your emails, and provide other tips to make this process easier.

Request your free copy here!

Getting the right endorsements from the right people takes time and patience, but with follow-up and utilizing every connection you can think of, it is possible to land that one person who will give your book the boost you’re looking for.

Want more book marketing tips like this one? Check out our Book Marketing Action Guide for authors at any stage!