160 | The Power of Niching Your Business with Tim Grahl – Part 2

Tim GrahlHave you thought about writing a book to position you in the marketplace? Would you trust a book marketer that doesn’t have a book? Yeah, me neither. But today’s guest is Tim Grahl, an expert in author and book marketing. He is also the author of “Your First 1000 copies”. Listen to Tim in part 2 of our interview where he explains how he used his book to propel his business forward. Don’t forget the overall picture of this interview which is about niching.

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Target Audience: Tim helps authors build their platform, connect with readers and sell more books.

Tim’s business officially took off when he wrote his book: Your First 1,000 Copies. He was motivated to write the book because he felt he was saying the same things over and over again to many different people. The book was written for authors take advantage of its content and use it over and over. People don’t know what to do when it comes to marketing and the book dissolves a lot of questions around it.

Tim also figured out a way to drive business back to him. In several different places in the book, Tim recommends people to return to the website and grab more (free) resources to help the reader. Technology changes and improves so it was futile to put those things in the books since they would inevitably change. So, the book has become the entry point to the rest of his platform

Tim sold over 10,000 copies of the book in the first year. Did you know that most books only sell 250 copies the first year they come out? This is all due to the marketing strategy you have. You must test your strategy all the time in order to see what works and what doesn’t.

When you are trying out your strategy it’s best to get advice, says Tim. However, the problem with advice is that most people who make it up haven’t actually tried it. It often comes from one author’s perspective and interpreted by another author.

Tim decided to work with a coach: Josh Kauffman who says, “when in doubt create assets.” Meaning, when in doubt, create more content. Josh also helped him to see the mistake many people often is that they don’t write for their potential clients or customers but simply write for themselves. This won’t often sell. Start by identifying who you are trying to attract. Make sure that when you are writing, (or producing any form of content) you are writing it from the perspective of, “how can I help the person that I eventually want to give me money?”

Building a platform before publishing a book is a good way to get the word out there. Some people do it the other way around where they publish first and build their platform using the book. Tim likes to think of the books he publishes as little sparks. Remember that a book can go places you can never go to on your own

In this episode we’ll cover:

  • How Tim used a book to drive business back to him
  • Why you need a coach in your corner
  • How to find someone to help you solve your struggle
  • What focus you must choose for your book if you want to sell
  • Why books go further than you ever could
  • Why systematizing is everything

Practical and Actionable:

1. Find someone to ask advice about a current problem you are having.
2. Look for things you are doing over and over and find a way to systematize them to save time. Computers do amazing things to automate.

Resources and Links

Connect with me too on LinkedIn or Twitter @genehammett.

Do you have questions about today’s episode!?

Did you know that you can apply to chat with me by phone? This is a limited time offer to help anyone that is serious about refining their business as well as developing a clear & compelling strategy that will drive them forward. Complete the questions and our team will follow up with you to schedule time for your “Business Breakthrough Session”. These are limited to 30 minutes, completely free and oh, so valuable.  Apply Now!

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