Having a book is valuable for at least six reasons, several of which will be relevant to your situation. First of all, a book allows your ideas or concepts to be documented and passed on to others. For instance, Dr. Cooper was the brain surgeon who invented the concept of freezing parts of the brain to “cut out” unhealthy areas. He found that the procedure also helped other diseases. Without his book, his procedures and contributions would have been lost.

The second major value of a book is to attract clients. Since only the top experts in most fields have written a book, your authorship confirms that you are in the upper echelons. Many books by professionals on topics like reengineering, TQM, and marketing have made the reputations and businesses of the writers. Naturally, if clients have a choice between a professional with a book and one without, they will generally choose the author. A book can also be used as the basis of a series of other activities that reach out to prospective clients. These can include seminars, articles, and media interviews. An entire marketing outreach campaign can be built around a book. (We can show you how.)

The third value of a book is that it helps people. The information in your book can benefit your clients both before and after they work with you. By making your expertise available more widely, you also help people who aren’t your clients. Clients tend to keep your book because they know you, and they share it with others, which leads to the fourth value of books.

A book is a “brochure” that never gets thrown away. It is an ideal vehicle to generate referrals in three ways. A book produces referrals when people see it on the shelf of your clients and ask about it. It generates referrals when clients loan it to their friends who ask for ideas in your area. And it generates referrals by keeping your name in front of your clients so they remember to recommend you to their social and business networks.

A book can be a profit center in itself for consultants and speakers. If you speak to audiences, about 20% will buy your book. And it’s not unusual for consultants to sell their books by the hundreds to client companies to give out to staff. For instance, one consultant we worked with pre-sold enough of his books to clients at a prepublication discount to pay for printing 4000 large hardbacks. We have sold 500 books for a single talk to be given out to the audience as a “take home.” For some situations, a book is more likely to be given away free as an added-value item to clients or as the “brochure” already mentioned.

Lastly, and generally a smaller consideration, your book may also record the normal uncertainties of your services. That is, by frankly discussing the limitations to your services, you can create realistic expectations. This can be one small piece of documentation to limit your liability in the case of problems.

All in all, having a book out that represents you can be of considerable value if you use it well. And besides that, it can be fun to see your name in print! We can make it happen for you.

• If you turn over written material and someone rewrites it, that could be better called a big editing job (developmental editing). This might cost a few hundred dollars for an article or book chapter.
• If you are interviewed for 20+ hours and the writer goes away and comes back with a draft, that is what star athletes and other names tend to do. The ghostwriter writes the book, but you have provided most of the material. This type of work pays the best ($100,000 +) because you know the product will sell because of the star’s name. Ghosts also often get credit in these situations (Michael Jordon with Sam Smith in smaller type).
• If you have an idea, some speeches and a “position” you want to write about, that is probably the most common situation among most potential authors and where the ghost has to research and write the most material. It is also the hardest on the ghost because many different books could be written on most topics. The more you can narrow it down, the better for the ghost, and the cheaper for you. The more material and direction you provide, the lower your costs.

You may be interested to know that one hour of continuous talking is about a book chapter (5000-6000 words). I found dictating was the easiest way to write my first book. Interviews with you will be of some value if you can give ten different speeches on your area. These could cover the 10 chapters needed for the average book.

Most people are likely to have material for only a few chapters in writing or in their heads. In this case, a good ghostwriter becomes a researcher. Gathering material and drafting it is a different job than editing. It’s fairly easy to develop a list of 10 or so chapters and research enough material to write them. You can then input your personal slant on the material. The danger here comes when the ghost has little direction and has to research 50 possible chapters to decide which 10 to write.

I know people who have used editors, like Jack Canfield of Chicken Soup for the Soul fame, (or ghosts) and been unhappy with the results. Don’t turn over an entire book project to a ghostwriter or editor without trying them out on one chapter first. It’s a lot cheaper to pay for one chapter you don’t like than a whole book you can’t use.

Ghostwriting a book, or having one ghostwritten, is not a difficult process. Depending on how much material you have, it can take as little as a couple of months. Just make sure you know what type of book you’re trying to produce before you start and that the final product reflects your goals.

A briefer version of this article was published in SpeakerNet News, 9/21/01

1. building relationships
2. analyzing needs
3. knowing customers’ industries
4. generating creative solutions, and
5. helping your customers succeed

1) Building Relationships at Higher Levels

When you are a vendor, you are a commodity. Many fall into this position when they don’t differentiate themselves from their competitors. Vendors are selling what they have, not working on clients’ needs.

Solution providers have a skill that they want to apply. They still aren’t focused on what the customer needs. The consultant level is the beginning of a long-lasting relationship. You are applying your expertise to understand and solve client problems. (There is more on this and the higher levels shortly.)

Team members have transcended the barrier of being an outsider. You know more about your clients’ processes and are trusted. If you used to work for the client, you often start at this level.

The term partner is much used, but seldom attained. Here you have proven that you have the clients’ interests at heart. You are privy to high level information, and do more than you are asked to. You treat the client’s business as if it were your own.

Advisor includes all the other levels, plus the ability to act independently for your client. You take responsibility for their business, and often act as a mentor.

While there are many ways to describe relationships between you and your clients, this hierarchy gives you some goals to shoot for. While you can’t be at the highest levels with every client, you will build the best business–and enjoy yourself the most–when you have clients who trust you at the top levels.

2) Analyzing Needs

In order to analyze prospects’ and clients’ needs, you need a repeatable method. Obvious examples are checklists or a series of questions, followed by action steps.

For instance, one insurance agent has trained thousands of others to use about 90 brief questions on their finances. The form takes a prospect nine minutes. It helps them understand their own needs, qualifies them, demonstrates the agent’s expertise, and starts the relationship off at the consultant level. And it immediately screens out people who have no needs.

Needs analysis questions can start with the general situation, but should move quickly to the prospect’s unique circumstances. To do a needs analysis, you need to be much better at asking questions, listening, and analyzing than at presenting. This gets you away from old-fashioned selling situations with their stereotype “arm-twisting” and pressure.

3) Knowing Customers’ Industries

When you specialize in clients’ industries, they know you’re already up to speed. They don’t have to pay for your education or for beginner’s mistakes.

Not all the ways you can help improve your clients’ profits will come from your direct services or products. Some may come from connections you make for them in their industries. This is one advantage of specializing in a niche. You not only serve customers better, but you give and receive stronger referrals that are more relevant to you and your clients.

4) Your Creativity at Work

Peter Drucker said roughly that the only purpose of business is to create customers through marketing and innovation. While innovation is often thought of as new products, more important in our service economy is innovation in delivering services.

Creativity helps you at two stages of the sales relationship. First, it makes it easier to come to prospects’ attention and convince them that you are worth investing time in. If you look and act like every other “salesperson,” you won’t stand out. People spend time avoiding “average” salespeople, not building relationships with them.

The mere fact that you do something different early in the relationship–such as a needs analysis–suggests that you may offer more customized, 1-1 solutions. Clients need new approaches, and you do too if you are to avoid being a commodity.

The second area where creativity serves you and your clients is in producing new and better solutions. If you offer something no one else does, you (and your customers) have a unique advantage.

You may also be more creative in customizing solutions specifically for clients’ needs. Some people define the ultimate in expertise as knowing all there is to know. This means you know the state of existing “art” in your field. I would argue that knowing how to create new solutions is more important to your expertise.

Don’t just apply what has been done before, create customized solutions for clients. Of course, this is also the opposite of the “vendor” at the bottom of the relationship hierarchy.

5) Helping Your Customers Succeed

You’ve probably heard the old example that someone only buys a one-inch drill in order to obtain a one-inch hole. The drill is the feature, the hole the benefit. However, this example doesn’t go far enough. People have a reason they want the hole. You need to know more about the benefits to your customers.

The simplest way to help your customers is to know more about who their customers are. While your customers may need your services, remember that they only what them to attain their goals. Their ultimate goal is to succeed. There is more to the definition of success than money. You need to discover the dimensions of success your customers care about. By keeping their goals in mind, you will realize that there are other ways besides your services that you can help your customers.

Conclusion

The most profitable business comes from repeat business from good customers. If you’ll work on the five aspects of sales covered here, you’ll be more successful in building that valuable repeat business.

Of course, it’s not called customer service in the construction industry. It’s part of marketing, guarantees, owner relations, or whatever.

Really it all boils down to getting along with other people and living by the real Golden Rule (not the Golden Rule that he who has the gold makes the rules!). And that’s one of the troubles. A lot of nice guys get shafted in this business. How tough you are with owners, architects, and others depends on your style and experience with each party. Thinking about your relations with these buyers in customer service terms can still be beneficial, even if you can’t completely trust them.

There are some obvious rules of courtesy with customers. Respond to their needs, return messages promptly, don’t duck them, and so on. Perhaps the area most people are worst at is handling customer complaints. You need to look at complaints from clients as giving you a chance to show that you’re on the ball. It may just be a communication problem. You may have to give a little more than is fair. But if you can handle a complaint positively, you can make a friend and build your credibility greatly.

Think about yourself taking something back to a store or complaining about service. It’s a strain on you. Maybe you let little things pass just to save wear and tear on yourself. Or maybe you go after it with a sense of righteousness. It’s a strain to have to confront someone. Think how pleased you felt when a store took back that appliance that didnt work properly without a lot of red tape and bull. Youll remember that store fondly.

Getting owners to complain to you can be hard. Lots of times they’ll just drop you from future consideration without telling you what they were disappointed with. If they complain, they’re showing that they care about a long-term relationship. And they’re giving you a chance to prove yourself. Take it in that spirit and theyll be surprised and pleased. Give more than they expect and they’ll give it back later.

Research in other fields shows that customers who have a complaint are several times more likely to tell others than customers who are pleased with you. Negative word of mouth passes faster than positive. Research also shows that customers whose complaints are resolved are many times more likely to buy from you again than those with unresolved complaints. But even those with unresolved complaints are twice as likely to buy again than those who never complain at all about a problem. Just having you listen to a complaint makes people happier.

The bottom line is to think about your client relations from different angles. Customer service is one such approach. Another is to encourage customer complaints, or at least welcome them as a chance to let the customer know that you are interested in their business. At the very least, don’t cite “It’s our policy” as a reason for turning them down. And don’t hide from an unhappy customer. They wont go away, unless its from you on the next job. Be glad to the chance to keep the lines of communication open.

• Have someone in your company who has the prime responsibility for generating new business. If there’s no responsibility, there’s no production.
• Marketing can be a part-time job, but it must be recognized as a real job.
• It takes time to make connections. Budget time to go meetings, call people, follow-up bids, and so forth.
• Once you get organized, clerical help can work on your marketing. If you subscribe to a service that announces bids, someone can sort them out to save management time. A clerk can make calls to find the right people, handle mailings, and the like.
• Keep your eye on negotiated projects. There is more profit and less competition. Your current and past clients are a place to start.
• Architects can give you information before projects are sent out to bid. For negotiated work, and getting on bid lists, you need to become known by larger architects and engineers.
• Your easiest marketing is done to existing happy clients. Don’t neglect existing business to chase after possibilities.
• Try something new every month. Send a postcard to current clients. Call three large architects a week. Get interviewed in the paper. Offer a seminar for owners. Ask your subs for referrals. The possibilities are endless. Not all will work or fit your style, but find the ones that do.

Marketing is the building of relationships between your company and prospects and clients. It shouldn’t be neglected. It shouldn’t be painful. It is as much the source of your profits as the efficient running of your jobs.

You Need More R&R

No, not rest and relaxation, although that may be true too. There are two ways to think about selling where you’re not exploiting customers for your selfish gain. These are research and relationships.

The whole sales process can be designed to find people who already have a strong need for what you have to offer [research]. Youre not convincing/arm-twisting anyone. You’re spending time finding those with a need. If they have a clear need, some of them will want to work with you.

The main reason many people are afraid to work with a contractor or sub whom they havent worked with before is because they dont know if they can trust them. People prefer to do business with people they know. If you have a relationship with people, they will not exploit you for a short-term gain. Good salespeople instinctively spend time building relationships. It’s not just “glad handing.” They really do get to know people and bonds develop.

So instead of worrying about sell as a four-letter word, do some research and find the people who need what you have to offer. As part of this, and in addition to it, spend time building relationships in your industry and community. This will lead to referrals, repeat business, a more relaxed life for you, and yes, sales.