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How to Write a Book About Your Life with Arlene Gale
“When we create space for people to be heard, they will buy anything because we’re listening.” — Ursula Mentjes (18:23-18:27)
Why do you want to write a book? There are many things to consider. Do you want to be a speaker? How about a life coach or a one-on-one coach? Will you focus on workshops? Figuring out why you want to write is a form of self-reflection. That impacts the content of your book. In this week's episode, Ursula Mentjes has a special guest, Arlene Gale, who tells you how to write a book about your life.
Part One of ‘How to Write a Book About Your Life with Arlene Gale’
Arlene Gale is "The Book Writing Business Coach." Through her step-by-step writing programs. Arlene helps professionals write and market top-quality books for leveraging their business expertise and growing business profits. Arlene has written hundreds of books, earning her clients millions of dollars in new business. She can duplicate these results with people who have been in business for a long time and have a lot of content. She is equally comfortable with those who are starting their own business and need to create branding and content to showcase their expertise.
“Selling is about listening, relationships and connecting.” — Arlene Gale (17:15-17:19)
When you first launched your business, you probably had fears about selling your packages and services. One of Catherine’s biggest struggles was when she started as a writer, charging by the hour. She quickly realized she should be selling her general expertise as a package service. Stop selling an hourly rate as much as possible. Catherine goes above and beyond when serving people. In business, if you have an area of expertise, but you're not willing to claim the expert title, then you have more of a hobby. She had to learn to sell her expertise to write hundreds of books. Books have earned clients millions of dollars in new business. That was the key to success, breaking out of the minimum wage hourly rate.
Thinking about charging a higher hourly rate? It is about selling your years of expertise, your years of results, and the knowledge that you have. There are many things that we're capable of doing, but don't like doing. Make a list of things you love to do. If you love something and you have a passion for it, then that's going to be one price, and if you don't want to do it, then it's going to be another price. You have to realize that not everybody is going to be your client. Not every project is going to be one that you want to do, and that's okay. Permit yourself to back off.
Have you ever wondered how long it took for others to charge what they're worth? The reality in business is most people take several decades to become an “overnight sensation.” Some people want to write their own book because they want to make a positive impact on the world. That shows self-reflection, personal ethics and core values. It's not always about money. When you chase your passion versus chasing instead of money, you become more confident. People see that and it comes off as service as opposed to sales. People resonate with that differently. Some say that if you follow your passion, the money will follow. That's not always true for everybody. Many artists are following their passion but not charging their worth.
Increase your prices and match them with your competence. The more you charge, the more serious clients you get. It can eliminate the people who want you to do everything for them. When finding your client, it's also about how you communicate. If you don't know how to find your client, you're never going to be able to do business with them. Have a laser focus. Sell a package that's appropriate for the client. You have to meet them where they are.
Part Two of ‘How to Write a Book About Your Life with Arlene Gale’
When you struggle in sales, you want to be heard. You want to be respected, to be perceived as an expert. Selling is about listening, relationships and connecting. It's not always about you throwing up your expertise onto someone else's lap. It's about listening, serving, and providing what you can. Use your knowledge to provide help for others. Shifting from talking to listening will get your business moving. It's not about sales, it's about service.
Serving is also about charging what you’re worth. There's a difference between greed and providing for your family. You have God-given talents that should be used to make a positive impact in the world. It's the system that we're in for better or worse. There's no shame in success. But first, you have to find your worth. Not knowing everything is ok. You don’t have to tell someone everything to get them to buy from you. It's about listening and creating space for people to share how they're struggling, and what kind of help they need. When we create that space, people will buy anything because we're listening.
“Don’t write a book until you have a marketing plan.” — Arlene Gale (26:45-26:48)
One of the best sales strategies to move your company forward is to have a clear marketing plan. Be clear about your programs and why you're the best choice. Many people can help you write a book so you can say you're a published author. To say you're a published author and build a business, you don't need 10 or 20 books. If you aren’t writing about your life or your business, you're writing the wrong book. This is about developing your foundational marketing plan. If you try and sell the book after it's written, it's too late. If you wait, it's too late. Create your marketing plan upfront as it impacts the content of your book.
Many are curious about how long it takes to write a book. The best practice is not writing your book until you have a marketing plan. You have to answer all of the important questions. If you don't, your content is not going to be precise. Your book is not going to be sellable. Your book will not build your business.
Arlene Gale offers a wide range of services, including an online 4-week self-paced Book Writing Program for $497, a 12-week online hands-on coaching program for $1,997, to small group in-person workshops, and one-on-one coaching. All of these and more can be found on BookWritingBusiness.com.
More Information About Arlene Gale
Arlene Gale, The Book Writing Business Coach, has helped 100s of clients in a variety of industries earn millions of dollars in business from enhanced business & written communication strategies (especially in writing the right business-building books). Her podcast "Mindset Meets Mastery with Arlene Gale” is available on all podcast channels and is reaching international audiences. Arlene is a multi-international/national award-winning author, #1 Best Seller & business award winner. She helps clients duplicate these results. Arlene has also written book proposals earning clients traditional publishing contracts and written thousands of magazine feature articles, proposals & award applications. Arlene has a proven track record of speaking on business strategies internationally. Grab Bonus Bits of Business Insight for free here. https://arlenegale.com/
How to Get Involved
Ursula Mentjes is the founder of Sales Coach Now, as well as a Sales Expert, Inspirational Speaker, Author and Certified Sales Coach who specializes in NLP to help her clients double and triple their sales. Sales Coach Now delivers a unique approach to sales training and coaching designed for ultimate retention and achievement.
Discover how to transform limiting beliefs, make powerful shifts with intention, and authentically serve (sell) your clients with my free pdf, “6 Secrets to Doubling Your Sales! www.salescoachnow.com/gift
Also, Ursula would love to partner with you at your next event, conference, or sales training session. If you’re interested in coming to Sales Camp, that’s her two-day live course then, you may find out more information here: https://www.salescoachnow.com/sales-camp/.
Here are some great episodes to start with.
