"I want people to be all in on my message or move on."
I recorded a podcast episode recently with author Jamie Smart. It was the ten-year anniversary of his book, Clarity, and he was releasing a new, revised edition.
He said something that stuck with me. "I wrote the first book without really knowing what might come from it. Now, the revised edition lets me tie it in with my message. I want people to turn it up or change the channel."
What a fantastic way to think about how we communicate. We don't need people to agree with everything we say. But our best clients know what to expect and are on board with how we work.
We can do this by being clear and consistent in what we share, and who we're talking to.
People Want to Feel Reassured They're in the Right Place
Have you ever walked into a restaurant only to be confused about what food they serve? It looks like one thing on the outside, but once you're in, you get mixed messages. It's the same for your audience and potential customers. The more subjects you cover, the less confident they are about being in the right place.
I talk about conversation-starting books and podcasts. I know some people are more interested in traditional books or bestsellers, but that's fine. We're not for them.
You Deliver More Value When You Know Who You're Talking To
Imagine standing at an intersection, giving directions to everyone who passes. That's a lot of directions. As the line of people gets longer, how much detail can you give any one person? Not much.
Now imagine you had a sign saying "Directions to New York." How much value can you deliver to those people? Illustrated maps, places to stay, sights to see, restaurants to eat at.
It's much easier to provide value to a specific group of people, and those people will be enthusiastic about turning up your message.
It's Just More Fun
We could help people write fiction books. Most of the production issues are the same, cover design work is similar, and it would be easy to focus our editing team in that direction.
But guess what. It's not as much fun as using a book to solve a marketing challenge. There are hundreds of ways to use a book to build your business, and I enjoy talking with people about the opportunities. I can talk to other authors, but there are only so many hours in the day, and I prefer working with the group I've chosen.
It's easy to worry about missing out. "I serve everyone. If I write for group A, I'll miss out on group B."
The truth is, there is far more opportunity in being all in for group A, owning that market, and understanding we'll welcome some B's if they come along for the ride.
Have you picked your "all-in" group?
