This week’s focus:
If you want the world to treat you like a professional author or speaker, then you’ve got to act and appear professional. Yet, I’m surprised by how many of you shoot yourself in the foot by presenting a homemade image that damages your credibility. Here’s a few tips to help influential people take you more seriously:
● Use a professional email address to communicate with your audience. If you’re still using an old AOL.com email, it means you’re an “Amateur On Line.” The same goes for Gmail / Yahoo / Hotmail and similar email services. You’re email should be your first name followed by @yourwebsitename.com
● Don’t try to save money by getting a family member to build your website on the cheap or using a free blog service. Get serious and hire a legitimate graphic artist and website designer to create your website and marketing materials. The saying is true, “You’ve got to spend money to make money.” If you don’t want to spend money to be a professional author, you’re in the wrong business.
● If you’re dissatisfied with your book sales or lack of speaking engagements, invest in your professional growth. You can’t grow if your skills remain stagnant. Take a class, join a critique group, read insightful books, attend a writers conference, hire an expert consultant, etc. Spending money to make yourself better is never an expense – it’s an investment, which creates long-term benefits.
● Don’t title yourself: “Jane Doe – Author, Speaker, Consultant, Mother, whatever…” Nobody cares. People want to know how you can improve their lives. Instead, create a personal brand that showcases your expertise, such as Jane Doe – “The Stress Buster,” “Seatbelt Suspense,” or “Leading Women in the Adventure of Faith.”
If I sound harsh it’s because your success is at stake, and I’ve got your best interests in mind. Some of you reading this tip need to get serious about being an author or find another line of work. Life is too short…why waste your gift when you can maximize it?
Chew on this:
“The master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.'” – Matthew 25:23
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