I’ve been trying to figure out how to write posts on this subject for a long time now. I’ve put it off this long because the last thing I wanted to do was come across as pretentious and arrogant and turn people off on the idea.
See, professionalism is kind of my superpower. In my previous life, I was in customer service. I’ve taken extensive training in customer relations and retention and I did various kinds of work in multiple fields. It was all the same to me.
You do what it takes to perform your service/job the best way that you can, and you do it in a way that ensures they come back to you when they need that service or job done again.
You can buy into and learn all there is to know about marketing technique, method, or system out there, and it will work at getting people through the door, or in this case, to buy your books. What it won’t do is have them chomping at the bit and standing in long lines to buy your next one.
Its the one thing that we all want if we take our writing businesses seriously, and the last thing we put any real effort into. We expect a system or a method to just keep working over again, and then stand there scratching our heads when it doesn’t really work. We do some more digging, find the next “new” technique, and start over again.
The methods and techniques are necessary for getting to the top of the heap and shout louder than everyone else, but it isn’t what makes us stand out or make people stay with us for the long term. Most of us still havent figured that part out.
Its our level of customer service AND PROFESSIONALISM combined with those methods and techniques that form the relationships that last and work for us for the long term.
Have you seen the state of professionalism in the service industry these days? Think about your last visit to a sit down restaurant chain and your last trip to the golden arches.
At the sit down restaurant, did everyone greet you with forced enthusiasm when you came through the door or were they genuinely happy to see you?
You notice the people that are genuinely happy to see you and appreciate being able to help you. You know the others are just there to do their job and collect their paychecks.
As an author, its your job to portray that genuine happiness to serve people and make them want to come back to you again. If you cant do that, you become the arches. Sure, you will make sales, but you will be missing out on repeat customers, fans that work for you, and some really amazing opportunities.
Professionalism isn’t everyone’s super power. It is, however, a skill that can be learned. Its a necessary skill for running any business, and its harder to show to people when we dont have direct access to the majority of our customers.
This is why we create newsletters and sales funnels, and follow all the other methods to making sales. The problem is, without professionalism and sincerity built into each and every one of our interactions, repeat customers will be hard to come by no matter how often we contact them or what method we use.
I’ve written and am improving an online training course for professionals wanting to learn more about genuinely serving and building long term relationships with their customers.
The benefits you get from the course include:
- Turning buyers into superfans
- Unpaid Marketing methods that work on repeat
- Reputation building, care, and repair
This course won’t give you tactics and techniques to build a financial empire in as little time as possible. I can recommend a few options if you are looking for that, but this isnt that. This is building for the long term. You know that’s important but you really don’t know how. This will show you.
You can find out more about it on the For Writers page of the site and you can check out the courses and workshops lists too.
Take the next step to building the long term relationships your author business needs today.
Be First to Comment