Promoting yourself

Hello Lovely Learners,

Today I want to talk about promotion.

We've discussed time management and building platforms but how do you promote yourself.

This is one of the toughest parts of marketing for many people. We don't want to promote ourselves because, if we do, then any rejection is a rejection of us personally.

If you're selling cars and someone doesn't want to buy your car then they are rejecting your car, not you.

If you're selling houses and someone doesn't come to the open house, it isn't a reflection on you personally.

However, if we are promoting us or our writing and we are turned down. The sting is deep.

But, that is only if you look at promotion as trying to pitch your persona all over.

I try to look at promotion as talking and helping.

All of you who have read my blog these last few months know that I gladly come to your blog if asked. I'm more than happy to teach and share information with others. I also post that blog link on this site in case you want to come visit.

This is a form of promotion. But it isn't selling myself in a scary way. I am helping others.

I truly feel this is the best form of promotion. Help others [with genuine concern] and TALK. Let people know you're available. No one knows how busy a person is. Many times a person may feel uncomfortable approaching an author. I was when I got started in the industry.

Let people know you're available [and don't just post it on a website. Tell them.]

By helping other people you're not only promoting yourself, but you're giving other people a reason to promote you too.

See you tomorrow. Your coach for the journey. Tiffany Colter

Writers are readers part 2

As I promised last Friday, today we will talk about why you needed to keep track of all you were doing.

I hope as you've read each blog this week [well, since Friday] you have begun to combine the information I've given you. The goal was helping you increase your organization.

Friday we talked about keeping track of all you are doing

Monday we talked about organizing your writing and writing ideas

Tuesday I encouraged you to establish some form of a routine

Thursday I said to stick with what works.

Now, let's tie it all together.

By first understanding how you are wasting nuggets of time you can combine those and create "more time" in your day. I did this by NOT sitting with my email open. I also turned off the noise that beeped or clicked every time an email popped in my box.

Then sit down and do things by project. If your brain needs to constantly change, organize it in to mini-projects with frequent breaks [NOT to check email, breaks like stretching or getting a glass of water]. Stay focused on your task.

So what is your task? We talked about that with the Monday blog. By having a folder system you can take the small moments of time and create productive work. If you have 30 minutes carved out of your busy schedule you don't have to worry if you have complete writer's block. Pick a folder. Do marketing, do revising, do writing-no more wasting time.

Then create a winning routine. I don't know how much scientific evidence there really is to support it, but I believe your brain gets in routines. If you ALWAYS read before bed, a book becomes a signal for your body to relax. If you always sip on gatorade before working out, your body preps to workout when you drink Gatorade. At least that is how my mind works.

So create some "creative signal" for your mind. Use a particular mug, listen to music [personally I usually have 2-3 songs on each novel that help me 'hear' my characters. Without fail, if I hear it on the radio I suddenly hear chattering in my head.] or work in a particular spot.

Then when you find that formula STICK TO IT. My husband and I have found it takes 6 weeks of consistently doing the same thing at the house for things to start to see an improvement. The 4th week is usually the toughest because you've been putting forth the effort, it is getting stale, but the results haven't quite happened. But once we push through that 6th week...WOW. Things starts moving.

So set up the creative routine. Set up your marketing routine. Set up your speaking routine.

Take what you're learning and tie it all together. Don't compartmentalize and say "wow, cool idea" and shelve it away. Use it to build EVERY area of your life.

Hmm, wonder if this helps with housework. :-) [Actually, it does. Check out FlyLady if you don't believe me.]

Your coach for the journey, Tiffany Colter

Stick with what works [or Following my own advice]

Do you know why I tell all of you to follow my advice?

Because it works.

So then, why in the world don't I follow it myself. Laugh.

Actually, most days I do. As I've said time and time again, I don't advise you to do something until I've tried it and seen positive results. If I tell you to do something that I've NOT tried, I make it clear that I haven't tried it.

So when 2008 started we were experiencing phenomenal growth. There were literally more offers coming to me than I had time to fulfill. I was overwhelmed with blessing in my business. Not only that, I was excited to see the sphere of influence of my blog growing faster than I thought possible.

So as many successful people do...I changed everything.

That is disastrous. As successful people have learned over and over, once you find success in a plan...stick to that plan.

Why do we change things when they're going well? I think it is because we think "If this went well, this will go SUPER well." It is like a successful salesman who suddenly stops calling on clients because he has such a large client base. Suddenly he finds that client base disappearing.

Or the writer who does so well at their craft that they start to "cut corners" to their usual process. They get an inferior result.

When I'm teaching math to my kids I always urge them "Use the process. Don't use shortcuts." When determining slope y=mx+b. That is the equation. Write the values you have...then solve for those you don't have. It is when you THINK you know the answer that you make silly mistakes.

I urge you to take chances and try new things as you're learning. However, once you find a winning combination KEEP DOING IT as long as it is producing results. There will come a time when you do need to change [For that time I suggest you read Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life A 100 page book I've read over and over again.]

But until that time comes, keep doing what will bring success. And once you begin to get success KEEP DOING IT.

Now, I'm going back to what made me successful. And I'll report the results to you-faithful readers. :-)

Your coach for the Journey, Tiffany Colter

Routine=productivity

It is funny how life imitates art.

In my case my life has illustrated the message I'd planned to share today.

In my plan to spend this week helping your organize your business and become more productive writers, I've seen over and over how true these words are.

So Sunday when I planned to talk about how creating a routine makes a person more productive I had NO idea that a computer issue was going to destroy my routine and give me one of the least productive day I've had in almost a week. [This said when I am having one of my busiest weeks in a while.]

Today I want to talk about creating a routine. This builds on what I talked about on yesterday's blog on organization.

When I say "Create a routine" I don't necessarily mean you do the exact same thing on certain days at certain times. What I do mean is create the habit of doing productive things. For me, that routine is trying to plan my blogs on the weekend, write my blogs in the morning and have the bulk of my writing done before I make lunch. This requires me to get up early enough to get up, get breakfast and do the first teaching part with my kids by a certain time each day [I homeschool 4 kids]. Therefore, in my ROUTINE I know if I haven't gone through the lesson with my youngest by 10:30 I won't get my blogging and writing done before it's time to help the oldest and start lunch.

I also have established the routine of NOT checking my email constantly. I have my various emails diverted in to folders and I scan through them once or twice a day. Otherwise the over 130 emails I get each day will occupy the entire day.

So what is your routine? What do you seek to accomplish each day?

This is really a matter of breaking your goals down in to smaller chunks.

So what is your routine?

Create one and track your progress for one month.

For one month decide that you'll write for two hours on Saturdays.
For one month decide that you'll market your writing for 30 minutes, three days a week.
For one month decide that you'll leave emails UNREAD for more than 2 hours at a time.

And see what you accomplish.

I'm looking forward to hearing about the increase in your productivity.

The 20th century way

Do you remember the 20th century? Back before you could text your friend with your cell while sipping on a latte?

Despite all of the great technological advances I still use a fairly simple system to organize everything pertaining to my projects.

I use Manila folders.

My folder system works quite well because my creative bursts tend to come when I'm waiting for my daughters to finish ballet or when I'm walking through the grocery store. That is not the moment to leave a voice memo "Kill off Tom after Cindy gets cancer." You get funny stares that way...even if people DO know you're a writer.

What I do is for each book project I have a folder where I put every scrap of paper associated with that book: Online research, slips of paper or receipts with marketing ideas scrawled on them, sketches of the town as it appears in my mind [no, I'm not artistic. It is ususally houses made of squares with street names so I can remember where various things are laid out.]

The other part of my folder system works for my marketing and article writing. For articles I've labeled the folders like this:

Article ideas
RD
Markets
Submitted
Accepted
Rejected

Here is how these help me.

Article ideas are usually slips of paper where I've thought up a line, a title or a subject for an article. On creative days I go to this folder and see which articles will come out. Once I've written a RD I then print out the RD of the article and put it in the RD folder.

On NON-creative days I go to my RD folder. I read through the article and edit or add to it. When I'm not feeling creative I can be more brutally honest about the quality of the "Masterpiece" I'd previously written. I also write the name of 3 or 4 markets for that article. I start with the one I'd most like the article to appear in [based on their pay, audience, &/or circulation].

When an article is complete I write the query [or cover letter depending on writer's guidelines] and I submit. I write the submission date next to the name of the publication directly on that printed copy. If it is accepted I staple the acceptance letter to the cover of the article and slide it in the "accepted" folder. In 2 or 3 years I can rework it and sell it to one of the other markets as a reprint.

If the article is rejected I put a single line through the name of the publisher and move to the next one on the list. Once I've been rejected from every potential publisher I put it back in the RD folder to either look for new markets or to rework. If I'm not longer interested in trying to sell the article I put it in the rejection folder.

Finally there is the "Market" folder. That is when I run across a magazine with an interesting article and I'd like to submit to them but don't have an article idea yet. It is also when I hear of a new market accepting submissions.

While this may not be as fancy, I'll help you encorporate all of this on Friday to help you be a more productive writer. I went national when I had a 4 year old, 2 year old and colicky, 6 month old. Time was limited but by having these folders I could grab one quick if I only had 15-20 minutes and accomplish SOMETHING.

Tomorrow we'll be talking more about productivity...and how to increase it. I hope I'll see you there.

Writers are readers

I've heard it said writers are readers.

I absolutely agree with that. We need to study our craft and understand the tone, pace and structure of writing to improve as writers.

But there are so many hours in a day.

Anyone who knows me knows that I don't just burn my candle at both ends, I lay it on its side and burn it long ways. [Okay, that image worked better in my mind than on paper.]

So I've become a person obsessed with how to fit more in my day without sacrificing quality.

So here is your assignment for this next seven days. Keep track of what you're doing.

Keep tally marks of the number of emails read and emails sent.
Keep tally marks of the number of hours spent watching TV [yes, even news]
Use tally marks to figure the number of hours you're commuting.
Use tally marks to figure the number of hourse you're doing housework.
Use tally marks to figure out the number of things you're doing with those important to you.
And use tally marks to figure the number of hours your sleeping

Bottom line is keep track of everything. By using a check list [to do] and tally marks [what I did] you will begin to see a clear picture of where you're spending your time and what results you're getting from it.


What does this have to do with marketing? We will discuss this next Friday. So write your to do list for the week, review it every night before bed and adjust as necessary, and keep a sheet of paper to use tally marks for all activities.

And we'll see what we learn about ourselves and our potential.

Are you brave enough to try? See you next week.

Your coach for the journey, Tiffany Colter

There's a face behind that number

Who are your customers and where are they?

That is the focus of most marketing plans. When you find the people you build that platform and try to keep it growing.

The key to doing that is remember there are faces behind those numbers.

When you're tempted to do a poor job on your blog or hold back information...trade places with your 'customer'.

When you're trying to decide how to market an idea, consider what you would like. What would be valuable and useful to YOU?

It is tempting sometimes to see customers as walking dollar signs who have no greater desire than to follow you around and hang on your every word. While there are certain stars who might be able to garner that response-the rest of us need to put both feet directly on the ground and think.

Every day as I sit down to blog I ask myself a question "If I were to stop at this blog, would I feel my time had been well spent?" There have been times that I completely changed the entire focus of my blog because I decided I wasn't helping all of you enough. If I would feel cheated by reading my blog, I don't post it for all of you.

So think about it, are you putting all you have in to what you're doing? Are you cranking out words to meet an article deadline or are you trying to truly inform others? Are you throwing something together just to get a recent blog posting? Are you trying to attract people only to try to separate them from their money?

I hope that when a person finds this blog that they feel they've located something valuable. I hope they feel enriched for having read it.

Do you have the same level of respect for the people you're trying to reach?

I'll see you next time. Your coach for the journey, Tiffany Colter