Business cards have served their purpose, but is it time for something more? Once upon a time, that card used to be enough to win business. But times are changing. That little rectangle holds information on how to get in contact with you, but it holds nothing more.
This is the 21st century and with it, you need a 21st century business model to compete. There is competition in every industry like there has never been before. The Internet has ‘flattened’ the world, and with it, it has made businesses have to compete on a global scale. Many people can do business with global companies now, so competition is well outside of the country you reside in.
Not only that, but more and more, people are wanting to know about the person they are potentially going to do business with. If you’re a car salesman or you serve coffees at your local café, then this is not applicable. However if you’re a coach, an adviser, or you want to be seen as a captain of industry, then a book might just change your business.
Imagine being in real estate and being able to give potential listings a book you have written titled The 10 Things You Need to Know Before Selling Your House.
Or imagine being a business consultant and you can hand potential clients your book titled Making it Big in Business – The 7 Keys to Being a Successful Entrepreneur.
Do you think this strategy wouldn’t help you win more business? And when you’re only paying between $5 and $8 to hand them that copy due to low-cost and short run printing, it’s an extremely cheap way to win new clients and to ensure you stand out from the competition.
Pastors who write books are seen to have more credibility because the printed word can carry out into people and places they would not otherwise be able to influence. Readers also get an insight into a person’s life, which can include their motivations for why they do what they do.
Richard Branson is the classic example of a CEO who has used books to extend his message into the global marketplace. He is the first to tell you that without PR and books, Virgin would just be another business fighting for attention. Instead, it is a multi-national because of his message.
Even our company’s CEO has written a book called NOT Business As Usual as a way of helping Christians globally to understand not only how the company started, but what foundations it is built on. Without that book, Initiate Media would too be fighting for space in a saturated market, but instead, it has connected with peoples’ hearts and has built a very large and loyal audience.
So before you write off the idea of producing a book, there are many talented people out there who have the experience to help you pull this together. Our company just happens to be one of them… It might not be as daunting as you think. So it is worth at least considering if a book might just make the difference for you.
