759: A Book is Better Than a Business Card, Here’s Why

22:57I need to do all these things in order for it to be a success. And there are so many things that Chandler just said that are so stinking brilliant that will actually drive way more results than going the traditional route for the average person. And so I love all of this because it gives you so much control. You get to make those decisions. You get to make those calls of how you want to distribute your book, how you want to pay per lead, how you want to get people into your ecosystem. And so this is like a huge reason why self-publishing is so powerful. Yeah. And you can give the audio book away, right?

23:35Which if you've sold the rest of your audio book, that's maybe not an option. So yeah, you're preaching to the choir here. I agree. I know. Well, and I love this because I just think it's so powerful in that you just have total control. There's so much benefit here if you're looking at. Now, the second thing that I think is super powerful about a book, and we touched on it, but through a different lens. And so I'm going to kind of pivot that lens is that when you have a book and somebody reads it, you are putting them in the position of qualifying themselves to subscribe to your strategy, to your lifestyle, to like whatever your book is about, right?

24:09Like you are poising them in this position of saying like, here is everything. Does this resonate with you? And I think nowadays, especially in the climate that we're in, people feel like selling has to be like predatory and like so hardcore. And we have to qualify people. We have to go after people and all of these different marketing tactics that really don't resonate, especially resonating among a more feminine audience. And so what's so beautiful about a book is that you get to put it all out there, but you get to poise the reader in this position of being like, oh my gosh, I do want to learn more.

24:42So let's talk a little bit about that side of it. Yeah, it's a great question. And so I would go, I would go back to those three buckets, lead sales and referrals, and I would put this in the sales bucket. But it's not to your point, it's not sales the way that most people think of it. It's sales by adding value first. And so that's the way I look at sales and not even just me. I mean, that's the best way to do sales. It's the rule of reciprocity, right? You add value. And so if you imagine like someone reads the book, they think, wow, this was, if this was this helpful, I wonder what it's like to work with Chandler.

25:15I wonder what it's like to work with Jenna. Like, let me see what else she's got that I might be able to, you know, I might be able to work with her. And so that's where it goes back to the, Hey, give away all of your best stuff for free, put it in the hands of your best prospects and they will become your best prospects. Like my sales team is like, Hey, if we just, if people have bought the book, listen to the audio book or subscribe to the podcast, like those are the three lead sources that are like, Hey, give us those calls all day long. Yeah. Those people are bought into the methodology. There's credibility and authority and who we are and what we do and they want to work with us.

25:54And so I would just say like on the sales bucket, like integrate the book into most people have some sort of sales funnel or sales process. We put it, the book everywhere. So it's like, Hey, if you register for this webinar, like we'll give you a free copy of the book if you show up. Right. Or, or maybe you do it as a show up right thing where it's like, Hey, if you show up and stay all the way to this webinar, will give you a digital copy and an audio book. So there's just like all these little things that you can do to just grease the wheels of your sales process in a way that adds more value, builds more authority, and ultimately leads in more customers.

26:26Oh my gosh, this is so good. Okay. So I'm already anticipating the next question someone's going to ask and I'm going to frame it a little bit. So I was recently at a mastermind. There's one woman there who had a book deal. So she was going the traditional route. She was like, I just like, cannot make time to write this book. Like everything feels more important. Like I have children, all these different things. And it was so fascinating to me because like I was someone who literally wrote my book in like 20 minute increments. So I wasn't waking up at four in the morning and lighting a candle and like putting Zen music on.

26:59I was putting my kids to bed and making and writing my book while my husband cooked HelloFresh in the kitchen next to me. And then there are certain people that like go to a cabin in the woods for a writing retreat. So can you give us like if somebody is listening to this and they're like, okay, I think I want to write a book But like I literally don't even know one how to make the time and two like how to structure that time. Where do we begin? Yeah, it's a great question And I know we'll be we've got a training that we're doing together that i'll kind of walk through that process of how to get started Yeah, I would say I mean there's to your point there's two There's kind of the tortoise and the hare approach which some people were like hey i'm locking myself in a cabin for a week and I just want to make as much progress as I can.

27:41I had one lady on my podcast who, she went on a cruise, but never left her room. That's weird. And one guy that would book a round trip flight to Japan or somewhere in Asia. And he was like, cause then I would not have internet. I would not be bothered. And I wrote the book. Did he just like get on the plane and then get off and get back on the plane? Exactly. Yeah. This guy, Peter Shankman, he's a funny, funny guy. But so that like, that's the approach that I think most people hear about, but to your point, that's, I love your approach, which is we have this 30 day rough draft challenge, which is, Hey, for 30 days, write two 30 minute blocks.

28:22Now that's like a little bit of an aggressive version of what you were talking about, but let's say you write a thousand words a day doing that. Well, then in 30 days, you got 30 ,000 words done and that's most of the length of a normal book. Right. And so it's just about saying, Hey, what are my strengths or what's the way that I'm actually going to do it? And then there's this short-term sacrifice, which we hear that all the time too, is like either the timing isn't right, or I don't have time to do this book. And it's going to be a short-term sacrifice. But to the point that you made earlier, you have this asset for the rest of your life and long after you're off this earth.

28:57And it's a real thing, right? Yeah. It's not an Instagram post that might get buried in the feed. It's not a digital thing. that's like, when I die, someone might accidentally press control, delete. And it's gone, right? The book will be here forever. And so it's just like this huge asset in your business, but in your life. And so, yeah, it's a short-term sacrifice, but in my opinion, it's worth it. Yeah. You know, it's so interesting because I wrote my book. So I think it took like two and a half months of like 20 minute increments basically. And I was about to be pregnant and pregnant for part of it and chasing a toddler and still running my entire business.

29:36Right. And so it wasn't this huge sacrifice, but it felt so meaningful. And so it's so interesting. What do you think is like the number one mistake that people make when they decide to write a book, especially if they're going to self publish it? Like what should people avoid? Hmm. I think the big mistake people make is they don't start. And so they don't think that they can do it. And then after that, so like, let's assume that they start it's, they either try to write multiple books at one time, or they just try to chase a bunch of different rabbits. And we found obviously, I mean, thousands and thousands of books that we published.

30:11And there's this demarcation line on the rough draft. And after I say this, it's like, well, duh, Chandler, this is not like a revolutionary fact, but that, that rough draft, this is the point where people don't finish the rough draft, they never finish. But if they do, it's almost like this big enough milestone where they start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And it goes from this theoretical thing to, oh shoot, this is actually happening. So that's what we recommend for people when we're coaching people, we keep them just laser focused. Like if it ain't the rough draft, it doesn't matter.

30:46That's it. That's the only, the title doesn't matter. The book cover doesn't matter. Your, your marketing plan doesn't matter yet. It's the rough draft, rough draft, the rough draft. And so if someone's thinking about doing this, I'd say laser focus on that rough draft and just get that done. And then you can figure out the rest from there. I mean, it's so funny because when I think back, like, so I, most people know this, but like I did everything in reverse intentionally because I want to be creative and I don't want to have time constraints or money involved in my creativity. And so I basically started my book writing process the last week of August.

31:24And I said, by December 31st, rough draft is going to be done. And like that just gave me like a timeline of like, okay, I've got to commit about this much. And one thing that I do, and this might be helpful for listeners. And I even have it in my phone today is like, pay attention when you're talking to people or different stories that come up that people are really engaged in, or they're laughing at, or they're understanding. And I have a note in my phone of like stories for a book. And it's just like a bunch of different stories that I can tell. And so it's like having that as like a jumpstart.

31:57And it's like, okay, just tell this one story, like sit down today and just write out one story. And it was just like so helpful for me. Cause it's like, I think a lot of times, especially women, we want to think so linear of like chapter one, chapter two, chapter three, four, five. And it's like, it's hard to see the full picture. And so I love where you're like, let it be a rough draft. Don't think about how pretty it needs to be or what it's going to look like on a book. Like, let the words be the words. The title of my book didn't even come until like a month before my book went to print. The cover didn't come.

32:27The marketing didn't come. Like you have to just write. Look, I've become kind of a systems nerd and anything that gives me more space in my day, I'm all in. And a reliable connection is a huge part of that because when the internet lags or cuts out, everything pauses and suddenly the simplest tasks take forever. I learned really early on that dependable internet, it's not a luxury, it is a must. Whether you're a content creator like me, a restaurant owner, or running a busy dry cleaning business, you need that steady connection to support your team and your clients. That's why I'm excited to share a solution for my fellow business owners.

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33:46One of my favorite moments was our team retreat in Arizona with the incredible women who helped me keep this business running. I also recently took the kids to Nashville during fall break and somewhere in between I squeezed in a trip to Puerto Rico with friends. We booked some of our most memorable stays this year on Airbnb. There's something special about finding a place that doesn't just look great in the photos, but actually feels welcoming the moment you walk in. That this feels right kind of feeling. If you've got trips coming up, whether it's a family vacation, a retreat, or a work trip, your house will probably be sitting empty while you're gone.

34:20Have you considered hosting your home on Airbnb and letting it work for you? It's a simple way to earn some extra income that can be put towards a future trip or home improvement projects. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com forward slash host. Yeah, I completely agree with that. And I would say two or three points on that. One, I'm pretty sure we talked about this in the last podcast interview that we did. So guys check out, it looks like episode 645. We talked about the more writing method and the process of mind mapping and all that stuff. And so that episode will go deeper in that.

34:58We don't need to rehash all that stuff. But I would say to your point, Jenna, it's, I love the, you know, they say it's, what's it a facts tell story sell. Ooh. Yeah. I don't know if you relate to this, but I'm a very much like, I want to teach if I'm, if I'm going to speak somewhere or if I've got, you know, on a podcast where it's like, all right, teach, teach, teach, teach. Like I wanted to leave no doubt that someone shows up. That was extremely valuable. And stories to me feel like fluff and like a waste of time or like, Hey, I'm wasting people's time when they really are just here to teach.

35:29But then I look at my own life, like what are the favorite talks that I go to? Favorite podcasts that I listened to this, like there's this really compelling story. So I've always been wrestling with this kind of urge to just teach the whole time. And what I know is really probably better, which is adding stories. And so what I started doing is it's very similar to what you mentioned. I'm glad you mentioned that it's like, all right, here are all the things that I want to teach. But then here are all the stories that I can tell. And then you almost play like a little connect the dots of like, Oh, okay, cool.

35:58That story, the punchline is this point. That story, the punchline is this point. And so it just helps your book be more engaging and entertaining. I love your thought of like the phone note, because oftentimes when you're in the process of writing, it's like, well, I need a story here, but what's the story? Yes. I have a whole note of stories. And I'm like, or I'll tell something randomly. And then I'm like, oh, people were like laughing at that. I guess I never, like I told this story at this mastermind about how I randomly as a child wanted to be in 4-H for a year. And my parents were like, we don't have horses or like anything.

36:34And I was like, I don't care. I want to do 4-H. And they're like, all right, we'll bring you to the community center on Wednesday nights. And I had to like learn the whole pledge and all these things. And I had to show my bunny at the fair. And like, everyone had these like purebred bunnies and I had this super fat, like overweight mutt of a rabbit and I got a red ribbon and everyone else got blue ribbons and I got a red, which is basically like a consolation prize. And then I was like, I'm done. And I was like telling this story and I was like, Oh, I like people were just laughing. And then I was like, Oh, like how many times in life do we get these random rabbit ideas of like going and, you know, and it's just funny.

37:13Cause then I like made a note the next day, I was like, Oh yeah, that was like a great story to tell. And like, it just helps for you again. Like I was just thinking, I'm doing an interview soon with an author and I was reading her book to prepare for the interview. And every chapter, I just kept trying to find the stories in it. Like I was, you know, going through it and every time it was a story about herself or her husband or her team member, whatever, that was where I was like super engaged. And that was where I wanted the conversation to be fueled by. And so I do think it's so powerful for people.

37:43Like we all have stories to tell. And I think we don't recognize that we're doing a disservice when we're living in this digital age where everything is in 10 second clips. Like your story is so much more than that. And it's so powerful when you actually sit down and ask yourself, you know, what have I been through? What have I learned? Like, what has life taught me? What am I still working on? Like, what has been really hard? What has been beautiful? Like, it just is such a legacy play. And I think a lot of us want to attach more meaning to the work we're doing. And I just feel like a book is like the best vehicle for it.

38:14Yeah, I completely agree. And it's just interesting you mentioned that, Jenna, because that's a great example of how a story could have multiple meanings. Yeah. That could be your big bunny story, or it could be your red ribbon story. Yes. Those might have two different, it's like this creative thing that you've always wanted to try. And I got this big bunny, or it could be your red ribbon story, which is okay. How many times in life have we went through this thing where we know that we're really just getting a participation driven, but it was the start of a skillset or a thing that that's what's so fun about these stories is when you have that, that backlog, you can say, all right, well, this is a good story and it gets a good reaction, but I can, I can say, where's the punchline in here in a way that serves the talk or the book or whatever else.

38:57Totally. That's exactly how I wrote my book is like story. And then I was like, what do I want to teach through this? And then like, what is a tool or something that someone can take away from this? And that framework just helped like narrow in my ADHD brain of like, this can go in a million directions or why does anyone want to read this? And like turning it back to the reader. And I think too, people might not want to say this, but they could feel like writing a book is egotistical, right? Like you're just like focusing on yourself, but it's like, if you do it in a way, like your stories are really just illuminating someone else's life experience that is a shared experience through a different something and beautiful because it is an act of serving.

39:36And I just think, yeah, it's such a beautiful thing. What would you say to somebody who is listening to this and they're like, on the fence, I think I might, I could, I don't know. Like what is your like call to action in the sense of like, let's get people off the ledge here. Cause there are a lot of people on the ledge right now. Yeah. I would say take 15 minutes as soon as you're done listening to this podcast, and create a mind map. And on that mind map, just list out all the things that you can think of on the topic that you might write about. So stories that you have, lessons that you've learned, books that you've read, ideas that you have, anything that you can think of on that topic, and just do that.

40:18And what you might see, and we'll build on this in the training that we're doing together, it's like, I'll walk people through that exercise and then we'll say, hey, how do you turn this into a plan? But what you probably will see is that you've got a whole lot more that you can write about than you think, but it's just that first process of getting it. I call this the more writing method. M-O-R-E is an acronym and the M stands for mind map. So that first step is just getting ideas on the page. And I think for a lot of people, that'll turn the lights on. Yeah. I love that. I know. I feel like it just takes like one act of courage for me.

40:51It was opening up a Google doc and titling it. I am writing a book, not I'm going to, but I am writing a book. That was literally the title of the Google doc for many. And so it's just from going from that going to, to am and really pivoting in that way. Chandler, where can everybody learn more about this? And let's talk a little bit about the training. So many of you gold diggers went through this last year and oh my gosh, it's just so powerful to see what is coming out of this community and the legacies and the strategies and the missions and the messages is so powerful. So tell me a little bit about the training.

41:31Yeah. So we're hosting a training. It's in April. If you're listening to this after April, we'll evergreen it and you can go there. And on that training, we'll talk about three things. We'll talk about self-publishing versus traditional publishing. So we'll kind of peel that back a little bit more. We'll walk through the more writing method and how do you actually get this book written. And then we'll talk about the three steps to successfully launch the book. And so how do you actually launch it and get reviews and all that stuff? So that's the training. It'll be a lot of fun. Like you mentioned last time, it was awesome.

42:00We had a lot of just a bunch of people there and a bunch of people say, Hey, I'm going to, I'm going to work on this book. And we've been working with them on their book since then. So there's two simple ways to get there. Like the simplest is if you go to selfpublishing.com forward slash Jenna, we'll have the registration page and all that stuff. But as like a bonus gift, kind of practicing what I preach here, I'll give a copy of my new book to everyone. If you go to publishedbook.com forward slash Jenna, that's like, we'll give you a free digital copy and audio book. And then on the thank you page is all the webinar stuff.

42:32So either way, both routes lead to this training that we're doing and should be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to it. Oh my gosh. You know, No, it's so wild because I never thought I'd be an author. I swore I would never. And I can honestly say it's my proudest piece of work. And it is something that I've become known for. And like I said, it just feels like such a deep connection with anyone who reads it and experiences it. And it's something tangible. My daughters will get to read someday and just learn more about their mom and who I am at this stage of life. And so it is something that I had all of the obstacles against me for, and yet it was the most worthy use of my time.

43:16In fact, I think if everyone listening were to go to their phone and look at like their time scrolling, you actually do have time to write a book. I'm just going to throw this out there. Oh, shoot. Oh, dang. But yes, please go to selfpublishing.com slash Jenna or publishbook.com slash Jenna. And Chandler and I are just so excited to guide you and to really show you how you can launch your book to bestseller status in three easy steps. And they are actually quite easy. You're overcomplicating this whole thing. And so let us just like pull the veil back and simplify it all. Any last things to leave our listeners with today, Chandler Bolt?

43:52Get started. Get started. Start with that mind map. Show up to this training. We'll build on that mind map. That's going to be a lot of fun. I just, it was fun thinking about Jenna, your daughter, learning to read. And then one of the first books that she ends up reading being your book. Like, I don't know, just when you said that, I was like, Oh man, what a cool moment. That's crazy as a parent. It's like, they're discovering more about you and about this new skillset of reading. I don't know. That's, that's fun. I think of like, if you think of all the people that you love in your life that you've lost and like what you would give to just like enter their life for a day, like it is such a legacy play.

44:29And if your legacy doesn't matter or doesn't deserve time, then I think there's some reframing that needs to happen. So thank you so much for coming back on the podcast, Chandler. I can't wait to see what books this community writes. Me too. Thank you for having me. It's kind of crazy, but I get a little bit emotional if I think about you writing a book, you, my listener with a story to tell you someone who might be so in the trenches that you can't even see how powerful your legacy is, especially the people who love you, but to the people who don't even know you yet. I sincerely hope you sign up for Chandler's training.

45:04It is so powerful. And the way that he simplifies literally everything is bar none. Head to selfpublishing.com forward slash Jenna. That's selfpublishing.com forward slash Jenna. Save your seat. I'm so excited to join him on this training. I just think it's such a powerful message and writing a book changed my life and hopefully it changed your life too. Thank you so much for listening to another episode of the Gold Digger podcast. Of course, until next time, keep on digging your biggest goals. I'm over here giving you a virtual high five because you just finished another episode of the Gold Digger podcast.

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