883: The Smartest Way to Turn Your Story into Sales, Leads, and Legacy

24:24One is a free copy of this book. And so then all of the people who we disqualify from working with us, thank us. They're like, thank you so much. Oh my gosh. That's incredible. And so they feel great. And then the people who work with us is helpful for them as well. And it just, to your point, it saves, it saves you a ton of time, but then I want to have a hurdle for them, but I also want to make it as easy as possible for them to actually consume the book. So that's why I will give them the audio book or I will give them the PDF or the physical copy or whatever. So that, yeah, I want them to take the step, but it's as easy as possible so that preferably they get done with that audio book.

25:04We just had a seven hour conversation. Now they're ready to go. Yeah. I love this. Okay. So you basically, you're going to laugh when I say this, but you're like a book doula. Like you are like helping birth books out into the world. Like what a beautiful job you have. I know, but I'm like, when I think of what you do, it's like ushering in. Like, I often joke that like I had twins because I had my daughter Quinn and my book were coming out very similar timelines and it felt like they were twins, right? Like the twin is the book. And so I felt like I was birthing a baby in a book at the same time.

25:40And so you have helped thousands of authors, even some of my audience, you've helped them since your last episode, get their books out into the world. So what are the key ingredients of a book that converts readers into an actual result, whether that's an email subscriber or a paying client? Like what are some of those ingredients that a book must have? Yeah. Well, ingredient number one is you got to get pregnant. No, I'm kidding.

26:08You wouldn't believe how many people we've helped publish books that were pregnant. And it's the ultimate deadline. It's like, I got to get this book done before before the baby comes. But yeah, we've probably helped. I don't even know how many dozens of folks from your audience since the last episode and since our last training. I think the core ingredients, I mean, number one, does it solve a problem for people and a problem that people care about? And I like to think about kind of the four Ps of a bestselling book. It's person, pain, promise, price. So person, write it to one person that you know, right?

26:44And a lot of people struggle with voice or they struggle with how to say something or how to find their voice. Well, think about the one person that you're writing this book for and not an avatar, someone you know. So let's say that that was Jenna for me. Well, then when I'm writing that book, all the questions are answered. Should I be serious or should I be funny? Well, how would I tell this as if I'm writing a letter to Jenna? Okay. Well, should I use this story or should I not? How would I say it to Jenna? Right? So just, you start to answer all those questions. then number two, the pain. So what's the pain that they have that they know that they have?

27:18That's really important. Not the pain that I know that they have, the pain that they're, they're problem aware, right? As they would say. And so an example I like to use is let's say I've got back, let's say I've got back pain and I go to a chiropractor and he points out that I have bad posture. I'm sitting on my wallet. I'm, you've got bad posture, all this stuff. Well, well, he could write a book about posture. I would never read that book because that's a vitamin, not a pain pill, right? But if he wrote a book about back pain and that same thing could still be in there, right? I call this chocolate covered broccoli.

27:54It's the chocolate is what I'm there for. And then the broccoli is on the inside. But if I just had a piece of broccoli, you'd say, no, thanks. Or at least most people would. And so if he writes a book on back pain and then in there is the posture stuff that I need. Well, now he's spoken to the pain that I have. And then the promise, what's the promise of the outcome that you're promising with your book, right? That's a compelling outcome. And then the price is pretty straightforward, depending on the format, that sort of thing. But if you do that well, well, then those four Ps line up with the four Ps of your business or of your offer.

28:28And if those are aligned, well, then now it actually makes the cash register ring in your business. I love this. One thing that I love about what you were saying is like even just nailing down the person like this is going to help you in every area of your business, not just in writing a book. And I feel like a book makes you narrow your focus in a beautiful way of like, what do I actually want to say? Like, what do I truly want to say? What truly matters? Who am I speaking to? It crystallizes a lot of the nuance that exists in entrepreneurship that entrepreneurs are too busy ignoring that can really help add that clarity and that definition that will take you to the next level.

29:10Like I just think if you nail those things down in a book or outside of it, those are the pieces of the puzzle that I think a lot of people are missing while they're on the hamster wheel of all the other things a business takes. So how early in the process, let's say somebody is listening to this and they're like, gosh, I never really thought about writing a book, but now this is interesting. Like how early in the process should someone be thinking about like, okay, what is the business connection or what is the strategy here? Or what would the funnel be? Like, is this something that's like an afterthought?

29:41Is it before you start writing? If somebody is listening and they've started a manuscript, is it too late? Like walk us through that. Yeah. Great question. It's never too late, but I would also say it's never too early. And so we'll tell people I'm sure about the training we're hosting together. I would show up to that. We'll ideate it. We'll come up with ideas with all that stuff. But I would think about if you can, before you start, begin with the end in mind, Stephen Covey, you know, let's, let's think about the four Ps. Let's align it to the business. Let's think about what are the broken record conversations that you have in your business?

30:13What are the things that you just keep repeating over and over again, or the things that you're tired of talking about? And if you start there, these are the objections that people have before doing business with me, or these are the reasons that they pick up the phone, that kind of stuff. Okay. If you can start from there, obviously it's going to better connect to your business and better move the needle in your business. But even if you have most of the length of a book or a manuscript mostly written, chances are, I mean, it could be totally unrelated, in which case maybe you use it as a brand play and maybe you wrote a memoir and it's only tangentially related to your business.

30:51Well, then true, you could publish that. And I would still tie it in because now it's part of your brand, but it's not going to make it rain like a on the money, you know, like the core business type book, but it can still move the needle in a meaningful way. But then I would just say, if you are at that point, how can you edit or massage that to tie into the business in some way, which I feel like you did a good job of that. I was going to say, I feel like you're talking to me, but in a good way. It's so interesting because from a strategy standpoint, I did not follow the best strategy from a business standpoint.

31:29And what was so different about when I finally decided to write a book was that it wasn't about business for me, which was shocking. I've told you this before, but the first version of my manuscript was written as a business book. And as we widen the lens, I really had to let go of the strategy piece of me that is so deeply ingrained in who I am and how I live in this world. It's like, I'm strategic. I like that. And so what I miss and what I miss out on is the ability to strongly tie my book back to my business. And I think that if I were to ever write another book strategically, I'd be following all of your advice right now.

32:14And I don't regret the way that I did it, but it wouldn't make sense for the average person, right? Because I already had a big brand and a big following. People were already invested in my life. And for most listeners, they might not be there yet. And so my experience is so separate from how you are teaching this, where I'm looking back and I'm like, dang, dang, dang. But at the same point too, my experience was mine alone and it made sense for me, but it likely wouldn't make sense for most people listening, which is why I keep having you come on because I told you this, writing my book and my book is the best work I have ever done.

32:55It's the most meaningful work. It was really cute, Chandler. I might cry when I tell you this, but oh my gosh, I might cry. My grandpa recently passed away. Oh, shoot. And sorry. And we were cleaning out his apartment. And my like book was there right on his table. It was the one thing he like kept on his coffee table on top of all the photo albums and all the things. And he had written in all the margins and like underlined all the things. And like there's a chapter about him in the book and it was like circled and hearted and like all these things. And it was like the one thing that I wanted from his apartment.

33:32But it was like the only tangible extension of all the work I've done over the last decade was like this book, right? And just seeing like he even had his address label in the back cover of it. Like if he ever lost that thing, somebody would know how to get it back to him. And so it's wild because I think that we look at books as like, oh, this is like so much extra work and extra time. Oh, like it's also such a tangible way to reach people. So all of this to say, I did not follow this strategy. And if I were coming at a book from a strategic marketing standpoint, I would follow yours. I don't regret how I did mine.

34:13But now looking at hindsight, I'm like, oh, but a book is, in my opinion, the most meaningful work most people will ever do if they ever do it. And I just wish more people would do it. It's a very long way to say that. Well, hey, thank you for sharing that. I think that is so aligned with just my core belief. I mean, for me, it was my dad handing me rich dad, poor dad at 16 years old, it changing my life forever. And just this feeling of, hey, books change lives. They change the lives of readers. They change the lives of authors. And so it's just, it's some of the most meaningful work that you create to your point with, with your grandpa.

34:53I mean, my brother and I wrote the first book we ever wrote was about our parents. And it was basically about the 15 things our parents taught us growing up that we thought were normal. We got out in the real world, realized no one gets taught this stuff. It's his perspective as a musician, obviously plays in the band, need to breathe. My perspective as a business guy on these same 15 things. And it's one of those things is like, they will forever have that. Our kids will forever have that. Our grandkids. And I think that everyone, even if you, so we're going off in the left field here and this is not business at all, but it's impact.

35:29And it's creating something that long after you're off this earth, it's still here. It's making a difference to your point. It's physical. It's, you know, you and I do a lot of online business stuff, you know, grandpa can't hold on to a webinar on his coffee table, right? Like there's no webinars hanging out on grandpa's coffee table, right? I wish there was, but yeah, it is. It just hit me of like how, yeah, it's a real life extension of who we are. Okay. So if I were to write another book, not signing myself up for it yet, how would you like step-by-step start thinking about the process? Like, does it start with idea?

36:09Do I have to come to you with like, I have an idea. Does it have to be like, here's the goal? Like what is required to enter into this process of self-publishing a book? So let's just use you as a super hypothetical example. You would be like, you did not commit to this. No, I think what's beautiful about the process that you've went through is that writing a book is kind of like learning how to ride a bike. Once you do it, you can do it again and again and again. And so you wrote the book that was true to your heart. And that was the starting point. And now if you ever chose to do the next one, it would be 10 times easier.

36:48Yep. And both on the topic and on the process. If you wrote a down the fairway business book, but you know, obviously you teach all this stuff all the time. Yep. That's great. But then also the process, I mean, you now know how to do it. There's a reason why there's not a lot of people who have written one book. There's a ton of people who have written no books. And then you see people who have a bunch of books, right? And that's because you learn the process. And so the way I would think about it, and we'll talk about this on the training as well, is the more writing method is a framework that we teach.

37:20M-O-R-E, mind map, outline, rough draft, editing. And so that's kind of how I think about it. Go through the kernel of the idea, then turn it into an outline, then write the rough draft, then move into the editing process. But it all starts with the mind map. And for a lot of people, you're probably listening to this or watching this. I'm not even there yet. I don't know what I would write about, or I don't have ideas. And so start with that mind map. And I think you'll find out there's a lot more that you can say than maybe you think. Okay. Walk us through how to do a mind map. Here's a really quick, funny story, Chandler.

37:55The first time I ever met my husband, We were in this comm class and our first assignment was to make a mind map. And he is convinced that I played dumb, not knowing what a mind map was. I literally didn't know. And so I asked him to meet me in the basement of our dormitory hall so that we can make mind maps together. And he claims that that was like one of our first dates. If somebody is listening and they're either playing dumb or they really don't know what is a mind map, walk us through how to start one. Well, first off, is this a disputed account? It's such a dispute. He also claims that I had a low-cut shirt on when I came to the basement of his dorm.

38:34I disagree on all that because you couldn't get this girl out of sweatpants when I was in college. So I disagree. I think he has a really altered reality of what that memory was. You know, this sounds like me and my wife debating how we met in our first date and all this stuff, but that's a story for another time. So the mind map process, I like to think about, all right, start with a blank sheet of paper, circle in the middle of the page, something that looks kind of like this is a little example. I still use this all the time for different things. So circle in the middle of the page with your idea, the thing that you could write about, the broken record conversations that you're having, whatever that thing is.

39:12Then set a timer for 15 minutes as soon as you're done listening to this or tonight before you go to bed and just brain dump everything you can think of on that topic. What are the stories that you have? Lessons that you've learned? Maybe client wins that you would want to talk about in the book. Maybe it's the broken record conversations that you keep having over and over again. The questions people have before they work with you. Any of those things, mind map. And then in that process, you're going to start to see ideas flowing. Now you can group those into groups or themes, start to create the structure of the outline, which the better the outline the easier the book, that really kind of greases the wheels with the whole rest of the process.

39:51I love that. When we were young, we dreamed of castles and fairy tales. And as we grow up, those dreams might shift into building something real, like starting a business. You need a website, payment systems, a logo, and a way to reach customers. It can all be overwhelming and confusing, but thankfully that's where today's sponsor Shopify comes in. Shopify powers millions of businesses around the world and 10 % of all US e-commerce from big brands to folks just getting started. They offer beautiful, ready-to-go website templates so you don't need design skills to look professional. Their AI tools help with product images, descriptions, discount codes, and more.

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41:02Anyone who knows me knows that I'm all about creating spaces where people actually want to be. So when we started hosting on Airbnb, it honestly felt like the most natural thing in the world. And it's turned into one of the best decisions we've ever made. Over the years, we've hosted hundreds of couples in our little spaces. We've had so many repeat guests come back and we've created this incredible community, not just with our guests, but also with the people who help us care for our space. Whether you've bought properties as an investment or have unused rooms waiting to be shared, hosting on Airbnb is a practical and profitable choice.

41:36And just think about it. If you've put a ton of time, effort, and work into your home, someone out there probably would love to experience it while they're traveling. So next time you're planning a trip or want to make some extra income from your spaces, you should definitely host on Airbnb. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com slash host. Okay. And I think too, one thing we've been doing Chandler. That's interesting that you really talk about and teach on is like one thing I realized is after writing my book, I kind of stopped writing. Like I wasn't writing consistently.

42:13And so one habit I've gotten into is every week, somebody on my team gives me three story prompts. And it's literally like, tell me a time when, and it could be like, you had fear, but you did it anyways. You were embarrassed and you thought you'd never recover. You went into something with one expectation and walked out with something totally different. It's like literal, like we're making a story log in my business, which is something we did in the past. We haven't updated it in so long. And it helps you to see how many stories you have, whether they are from a decade ago or from today. And it's honestly helped me so much in even just like acknowledging the different day-to-day stories.

42:55I feel like on social, I've just been showing up more vulnerable, more just like sharing my thoughts and what I'm thinking about and conversations I'm having. And so I think a lot of times people think like, well, I haven't written in so long. Where do I even begin? Or I have no stories to tell. And it's like, oh my gosh, when you start to unearth it, it's almost like the floodgates just open. And you not only look at life differently, but you kind of evaluate. Like for me, writing my book was like so therapeutic in so many ways of like thinking through all the different things that taught me the lessons I've learned along the ways and acknowledging those moments and those people and those things.

43:29And so I just feel like a mind map can start to unlock so many things that you have already experienced. So many stories that already exist. So many things that you might've even forgotten about that, like come up to the surface. It's like literally just like twisting the key and opening the gates. And like, I feel like so many people I know that have written books, it's like, once they get started, the floodgates open and you literally can't stop. That was my experience. I know so many people who have had that experience. And I want my listeners to have that experience too. I agree with that.

44:01I love that. And I love the, it's so parallels, right? You're creating content for social, there's stories, there's takeaways, there's lessons. It's a muscle. Similar to the book writing process. And even just the, it's a really interesting, this kind of your story bank process, if you will. I think that's helpful for the book creation process. Cause I don't know if you're anything like me, but I'm a very much a teach, teach, teach kind of like, I've got a book or I've got anything I want to teach. And I'm not going to tell stories because that's going to be wasting their time. They want to learn.

44:33But then I realized, hold up, the most compelling and interesting sermons that I listen to or books that I read are very story-based. Yes. How about that? And so it's been something I've had to really consciously work on. I'm going to give that process a try of just mind mapping all the things I want to teach, but then on the other side, mind mapping the stories that I can tell. So, oh, this story, there's this story. Oh, that story matches with that lesson. That story matches with that lesson and kind of bring in the content to life. Yeah, I love that. And that you're exactly right. Like I am the person who types out the Slack message and then has to go back to the beginning and be like, hello, good morning.

45:10I hope you're well, because it's like, I am straight to the point. Every email I write, I have to always go back to the beginning and add in the niceties and like the greetings because I just am like, so like literally let's just rip off the mandate and get to it. And not everybody is like that. But I am the same way when it comes to teaching and tactics and strategies. And I have felt the same way, even in webinars. Like I often were like, I was a person where I was like, let's just get to it. And it's like, no, people remember stories. They need to relate. They need to know you relate to them or you understand them.

45:45And so I think it's also just a beautiful way of like, okay, how do I relate to them? Or why do I relate to them? Or when was the time that I actually felt this pain? And it's interesting too, because I think a lot of people who have built businesses, they're so far removed from those early days that they can have struggle connecting to the people that they want to serve because they've forgotten what does it feel like to be a beginner or what does it feel like to have that pain and not know how to get the transformation. And I know for me, like writing the book, like brought me viscerally back to those early days of all the different things that I've been through.

46:20And it really kind of grounded me again into like, why do I do this? And like, how did I get here? And like, what were the pivotal moments? And so I don't know, for me, writing a book was like, so amazing to like, be reminded of all of those things. And I, I know you agree with this, but I think everybody has a book within them. And I think that the more people that can see that and honor their own story or the things that they've learned, either the easy way or the hard way, like the more that we are getting this out into the world and not like coveting or gatekeeping the things that could change other people's lives.

46:55Because I just believe we're a bunch of people walking around thinking everybody knows what we know and it's not true. And in fact, they don't know most of what you know. Correct. Correct. I feel so seen on the, on the edit.

47:11Oh my gosh. Okay. So one final thing that I want to talk about. So I just finished up an interview with two of my dear friends and they wrote a book. They're amazing. And I literally remember talking to them about the whole book process two years ago when my book came out. And they were saying that they loved the creative side of writing a book, but they hate the selling of it. Like that part feels vulnerable. They want to not do it. It's just they're having all the resistance. And I think a lot of people are creative and they like being in that creation mode, but the actual selling of the creation can feel really sticky.

47:49So can you help us walk through like some strategies or any tips you have around actually selling the book? Because I would gander to bet that there are people literally sitting on manuscripts or ideas for manuscripts, but the thought of selling that thing and putting it out into the world and getting it into the hands of their readers is the thing holding them back. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I mean, I would say there's two components. There's the mindset and then there's the tactical, which if you don't master the mindset, nothing else matters, which I was someone who hated sales and marketing. And then I dropped out of school and I'd had some businesses that had done decently well, but then I was kind of starting from scratch.

48:28And I had a mentor who said, Chandler, you need to meet Sam. I'm like, okay, great. Who's Sam? Why do I need to know him? He said, well, Sam is sales and marketing. He said, if you build it, they will not come. Like you got to tell them about it. So you got to learn sales and marketing and you are the driver of your book's success. If you truly believe that this book is going to change people's lives, well, you can't change their life if they don't read it. They won't read it if they don't buy it and they can't buy it if they don't know about it. Right. And they can't know about it if you don't get really passionate about saying, hey, this is going to be helpful for you in learning sales and marketing.

49:04So you got to take the mindset first. And honestly, nothing else matters if you don't have that. But then once you have that mindset for marketing, it's moving into some very tactical stuff. One of which is this concept called a launch team. So it's a small group of people who support you in the topic of your book. And pulling together, if you just do one thing, just do that. It's kind of a lot to unpack. I'll unpack it on the training that we're doing. So show up for that. I'll walk through the whole process and it'll help you create a launch team. And if you just do one thing, create a launch team, your book will be more successful.

49:41But again, if you don't have the mindset and learn to love it, even though you might not love it up front, well, then the book's not going anywhere and it's not going to help people. Yeah. Okay. Let's talk about this training. We've been teasing it. This is the comeback tour because every year we do this and books are born. Chandler is the doula and it is so exciting and nothing brings me more joy. So what is this training that you're hosting? Tell me about it. Tell me why somebody should be on it and I'll tell you where to go. Yeah. So it's going to be awesome. It's live on June 10th. So if you're seeing this before, then you can register.

50:19If you're seeing this after this, we'll also evergreen it so you can watch the replay. But we're going to talk about how to come up with an idea. We're going to talk about how to get the book written in as little as a weekend, which I know is kind of a crazy concept, but then we'll talk about the three steps to launching the book as well. It's going to be a lot of fun. Like you said, I think this is the comeback tour. I think since last time, I don't even know how many dozens of books we've launched from your community, but it's been pretty incredible. So it's selfpublishing.com forward slash Jenna.

50:49You can register for the training there and it's going to be awesome. I'll give you a free copy of the book when you show up. We practice what we preach here. So show up, you'll learn a bunch of good stuff, get some free stuff. It'll be fun. Yes. Yes. I love this training just because I think so many people are just stuck either sitting and waiting to have the idea come or sitting on the idea itself or starting the manuscript and then thinking now what? And so this is such a fun training. And I just think it's so beautiful. I want to be the godmother of all the books that are born because I just feel like books are such a beautiful thing.

51:26I feel like my grandpa reminded me of that just a few weeks ago, just how powerful they are. And Chandler, I feel like you are just such a great teacher of this and simplifying the process that often feels daunting and overwhelming. I feel like if you do a book right, it's not going to take you out of your business. It's only going to add to your business. And so I think that this is a beautiful way to do that. So selfpublishing.com slash Jenna for the free training. I'm so excited to do that as well. Chandler, where can everybody find out more about you and learn from you? And of course, sign up for the training.

51:59Yeah. I mean, first and foremost, just show up to the training. So selfpublishing.com forward slash Jenna. Register for the training. You'll get a free copy of my book, whatever format you want. We'll hook it up for you. Show up live. We're going to have a lot of fun. It's going to be awesome. And you can find us at selfpublishing.com. You can find me on social here and there. I don't have an Instagram, but I'm on LinkedIn and Facebook and all that stuff. Instagram might be coming soon. I love that for you. I'm so happy for you. Awesome. Thanks for coming back on the podcast. As always, it's such a treat to have you back.

52:32Thank you, Jenna. I love talking books with Chandler. I feel like he is a wizard and a leader in this industry when it comes to helping authors not only write their books, but get them out into the world in the most meaningful and impactful ways. And I love this idea of using a book strategically as a part of your business ecosystem as a way to help people fall in love with you as an offer to the world and a way to add value. I just feel like books are so, so powerful. And I personally do not know anyone better than Chandler to help you get your book out into the world. So I love his free training.

53:08I attend it every single year. I have his book. I have his blueprint. It is so, so powerful. And I absolutely love hearing from all of you who have used his system and his blueprint to launch your book out into the world. And so if this is something that you are considering, or if you've never considered it until this episode, but you are now go save your seat for his free masterclass, selfpublishing.com forward slash Jenna. I will be on the training cheering you on. And I'm excited to hear your ideas for books. And thank you so much for listening to this podcast. If you know somebody who has a book in them, or you're like, you've told your friend, you need to write a book about this, send this episode to them or any of my past episodes with Chandler to plant that seed in their mind and invite them to the free training.

53:52Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the gold digger podcast, whether I'm laughing or crying, you are along for the ride. And until next time, keep on digging your biggest goals. Thanks for pulling up a seat for another episode of the gold digger podcast. I hope today's episode fueled you with inspiration, gave you information that you can turn into action and realigned you with your true North in life and business. If you've enjoyed today's episode, head on over to golddiggerpodcast.com for today's show notes, discount codes for our sponsors, freebies to fuel your results, and so much more.

54:26And if you haven't yet, make sure you're subscribed so that you never miss a future show. We'll see you next time, Gold Diggers. please note this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements and individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in the episode your support through affiliate links or sponsored content helps us continue to bring you valuable content thank you for being a part of the gold digger community