How You Can Grow Your Business By Writing Marketing Books
How You Can Grow Your Business By Writing Marketing Books
We’ve all seen books written by high-profile business leaders and other professionals. We know that authorship
creates or enhances the prestige of such people. But do we understand how writing books and marketing can
help build a business or career? Ron Kaufman knows. It has built a business around customer service training and
motivation, including a series of two books. Ron has generously agreed to share his thoughts and experiences with
us.Bobbitt: Thanks for the interview, Ron.Ron: My happiness! Let’s begin. Babbitt: I count you to have 14 books in two
series. This is quite a success! What motivates you to keep writing? Ron: As a consulting professional, I speak, teach,
write newsletters and articles, and facilitate educational events. Writing books is a natural “next step” that I have put
into writing the experience I have gained over the years. Writing a book also forces me to stabilize and organize my
How You Can Grow Your Business By Writing Marketing Books
thinking in an integrated body of knowledge. The rigor required to organize each chapter and describe each page has
improved my thinking and my ability to serve my customers. Babbitt: Has writing and publishing increased the
demand for your professional services? In what ways? Ron: Writing and publishing greatly enhance your reputation.
After all, “author” is the foundation of “authority” – when you write (and write well) people take you more
seriously. Also, I now insist that each of my corporate audiences receive at least one copy of my 14 books.
This adds value to the participants – they can “take-home” and read my writing after the program. But it also increases the
number of very influential “Ron Kaufman Business Cards” on the market – books! Babbitt: Books also create a
How You Can Grow Your Business By Writing Marketing Books
marketing synergy that works both ways – do your books get you a consulting business and does the consulting
business increase book sales? Ron: Yes, books and live sessions help each other toward common goals of learning,
improvement, and commitment. Participating in a session allows for interaction with instructors and peers while
reading a book gives you more time to consider and reflect on each of the key points of learning. Babbitt: Books and
live sessions “feed” each other to accelerate the growth of your business. Are there any other cross-marketing tips
you can share with us? Ron: Happily. My free email newsletter puts me “at the top of my mind” for decision makers
around the world. And each issue has a lot of links that take readers to a website where they will find a lot of extra
value. All my books include references to other books and websites. On stage, I refer to my books and read short
How You Can Grow Your Business By Writing Marketing Books
sections to highlight important points. One surefire way to get people’s attention is to give them something for free.
So I created two special “gifts” that are now circulating the world as viral gifts, from one person to
another … and back to me. Babbitt: I felt that in some cases you would customize the cover and specific pages of a
book for an organization. How is it beneficial for your business marketing? Ron: When you allow a user to customize
to their specific needs, they value your content even more. And they remember where they got it from! An
unexpected benefit occurs when someone leaves the organization and brings some of their books and contents.
If your book travels with them, they can introduce you to a new place of work … one step closer to a new
client. Bobbitt: Another area non-fiction writers often worry about is to turn to a traditional, established publisher or
How You Can Grow Your Business By Writing Marketing Books
publish through their own company. I like the freedom and control I get from self-publishing. What are
your thoughts? Ron: Self-publishing gives you freedom and control. It also gives you tremendous financial benefits.
A book in print costs about $ 2-3 per copy (after initial editorial and production costs). Trust is a business card /
a brochure that you can use. imagining. They never throw it away, and if you sign for them, it’s a treasure.
Now imagine selling your book in volume to your client – 100 people in the room, each receiving a copy of your book.
Of course, you sell the book to your corporate client at a pretty good discount of 40 or 50% (which they consider a
How You Can Grow Your Business By Writing Marketing Books
huge investment), but the book only costs you a few dollars to print. See economics? Over the years and years (and
books last so long!) The financial benefits to the speaker/author are tremendous. The benefits of advertising are
endless, too, because every copy of your book lives its life – it goes around, it lends itself to others, it moves from
office to office. You never know when someone will see your book, on your website.