Those of you who have read our book Money, Meaning and Beyond, know that we are die hard fans of doing the opposite of the traditional. We call it Pulling a Costanza.
And today I'm excited to introduce you to a new way of thinking about how to build your business along these lines.
These days, we're all in sales. You sell, I sell, we ALL sell for a living. So, what's the best way to sell without
selling out and to reach today's customer in today's market?
Hint: It's not what you've been taught to do...
That's right. The typical sales tactics no longer work. Cold calling gets you nowhere and closing techniques don't work on today's savyy customers.
That's the core message of the new book, The Contrarian Effect: Why it Pays (BIG) to Take the Typical Sales Advice and Do the Opposite, written by my colleagues Michael Port and Elizabeth Marshall.
You'll get to hear me talk with Elizabeth and Michael later this month on a teleseminar about specific strategies I've used to take the typical sales shtick and do the opposite (more on that later). You won't want to miss it! But, first...
Today, I encourage you to do TWO THINGS:
1) CHECK OUT THEIR BOOK CAMPAIGN (I'm giving away something special!)
Michael and Elizabeth have put together a never-been-done-before (and totally contrarian) book launch that is something quite special. In fact, I think it's so creative I've offered TWO gifts to support the cause:
* Coaching by Example 9-CD Audio Program (worth $347)
* $100 Gift Certificate to use in the Kiva.org Store
Does either of these sound intriguing? Check out their campaign here:
http://www.contrarianeffect.com/auction <---- GO HERE
In addition to your chance to grab these gifts, be sure to look at all the good stuff that's yours for the taking,
including:
* two tickets to the Inc. 500 Conference in Washington, D.C.
* a seat for Michael Gerber's Dreaming Room Workshop (worth $3000)
* premium business software from Mindjet, Daylite and iThemes
That's just a taste of all the cool items available, so visit the link above for the full scoop.
2) BUY A COPY OF THE CONTRARIAN EFFECT
If you're not interested in the gifts in the auction, not a problem. Grab a copy of the book ($13 at Amazon) to learn how to sell more than ever before:
http://snipurl.com/contrarianeffect-866 <-- GET THE BOOK
It's definitely an irreverent business book that will change the way you think - and encourage you to do the opposite, especially when your business is stuck.
OH, I almost forgot. Be sure to save you seat for the teleseminar I'm doing with them later this month.
http://www.contrarianeffectbooktour.com <-- SAVE YOUR SEAT
Cool F'ree Tool from Slide.com: FunPix makes it easy to tell a story in comic-format
At first glance this tool may seem childish. A parlor-trick in the home we call the internet. But there are several business applications that you can claim as an excuse to try it. Good thing too, because it turns out FunPix is one of those guilty pleasures. Very fun and easy to use.
Here's a 'funpixed' photo of my family and I this summer, celebrating my Dad's 70th. The captions will mean nothing to you unless you read Taiwanese, a feat unto itself especially when I tell you Taiwanese is an oral language and on the endangered languages list. Suffice to say though, the photo is a source of great hilarity to my Taiwanese family and the students of conversational Taiwanese that we're gathering together, and will likely become the backbone for a printed text.
You can also use Funpix for:
- presentation slides
- direct mail advertisements - excellent for attention-getting postcards, especially
- seasonal greeting cards that highlight your own coaching wisdom
- tailored inter-session messages for printing by clients who respond well to printed reminders
- power of intention or dream boards
- spicing up your blog photos, newsletter articles, and more...
If nothing else, send the link right now to your favorite graphic designer. You can bet they'll be happy to keep it in mind for your next website design. Say, what else will you use this tool for? Comment below to share yours...