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Author: Robin Thompson

How To Quickly Boost Your Holiday Book Sales

Written by Robin Thompson on . Posted in Audiobook Marketing, Blog, Sales.

Holiday marketing is already well underway, but it’s not too late to put into place some simple ways to boost your book sales over the holidays, particularly if you’ve got your books on Amazon.

boost your holiday book sales

Amazon OWNS the holiday sales season.

boost your holiday book sales

Everyone is in a buying mood from about the beginning of November through the beginning of January, so it’s the perfect time to piggyback on that trend and sell more of your books.

Here’s a quick timeline to guide your holiday marketing.

Early November to Thanksgiving

  • Emphasize in your social media and emails that books make wonderful gifts and shopping early saves time and stress
  • Offer pre-holiday book bundles if you have more than one book
  • Collaborate with other author friends and all offer discounts on your book on the same day(s) – send out an email and social media posts all on the same day to promote each other’s books.

Black Friday through Cyber Monday

  • Everyone is going to Amazon to shop, so remind people they can add on your book to their order and perhaps offer your book at a discount
  • Run ads in book deals newsletters that go out in this time frame.

Early to Mid-December

  • Offer a discount to colleagues/contacts who have teams and/or employees to buy your book(s) in bulk to go with their holiday gift giving
  • Donate a box of your books to a charity or not for profit that would benefit, and create a PR/photo opportunity to promote both you and the charity
  • Suggest to colleagues that putting a gift card or bonus check inside of a book instead of just a card is a cool and classy option for team members or clients.

December 20-24

  • Remind people that ebooks require no shipping
  • Use language that talks about last-minute gifts and stocking stuffers.

January 1-7

  • People want to spend those gift cards they got over the holidays AND they are looking to set their goals for the New Year – suggest that they invest in themselves by buying your book
  • Offer your book as a gift/bonus for those people who schedule discovery calls with you for your programs and services
  • Create a free book club around your book to start the new year off and do a series of 4 free calls going through what you’re teaching in the book – simply require that participants prove purchase of the book buy sending you a picture of them with the book (pssst- get permission and use those pics in your marketing later!)

Do you need to do ALL of these? No, but you may be tempted to! Choose one that feels most free and easy to you, and simply take action on getting that one thing done. Then, do another!

We’re always here to support you in your marketing strategy and implementation to get your message out to the world and reach more readers and leaders.

Which one of these will you use to sell more books? Let us know – knowing that you are out there fulfilling your dreams and goals is a gift to me 🙂

Are you launching a new book or do you want to revive an older title? We can help you reach new markets and leverage your hard work with Audiobooks – the fastest growing segment of the publishing world!

How To Reduce Your Stress Immediately With 2 Vocal Techniques

Written by Robin Thompson on . Posted in Blog, Leadership, Personal Development, Voice. 2 Comments on How To Reduce Your Stress Immediately With 2 Vocal Techniques

Did you know that you can reduce your stress immediately with simple vocal techniques? Here are two quick techniques you can try out today.

Originally published on ForbesReduce Your Stress Immediately

You’re in a state of tension, stress, fear, worry, or anxiety-and what happens? Your shoulders naturally raise to protect the vulnerable throat and neck.

In many cultural traditions, the throat represents the center of creativity, self-expression, and communication. It’s also the conduit between your body and your head/mind, representing the link between your thoughts and feelings, or the “Mind-Body Connection.”

When you create more freedom in your throat and neck, you open your ability to express yourself more effectively and generate a greater sense of confidence and well being.

The musculature of the throat is incredibly complex, and I think very beautiful with all its fine, interwoven connections that allow us such flexibility of movement. We often take for granted that freedom of movement until we spend too many hours at the computer, or experience high stress levels – then we sure do notice that tension in our throats, necks, and shoulders.

Since there’s no machine at the gym to exercise your neck and throat (I think I’m grateful for that), you can use your voice to release the tension in your throat and really, your entire body.

Here are couple of techniques you can try out today and feel free to let us know what you notice.

1. Sigh like my Italian Grandmother

My great-grandmother was a 4’5” marvel of efficiency and energy. In the afternoons when she allowed herself to rest in her chair for a while (usually while crocheting something), she would repeatedly release a deep sigh. At the time I wondered why, but now I know that she was releasing tension in her body.

Take a deep belly breath in through your nose and allow yourself to sigh it out. (Bonus points for allowing any sound to come out with the sigh.) The long exhale combined with the vibration of the “ah” sound triggers your parasympathetic nervous system and your body’s relaxation response.

If you’re trying to feel more relaxed before you work with a client, enter a meeting or wind down at the end of the day, this is one of my favorite exercises. 

2. Try the “One Word Rant”

If you’ve read my e-book called “Solve Any Problem in 10 Minutes,”  you’ve learned about the creative problem-solving technique I developed based on our very human tendency to worry and complain. Often, what is beneath our concern is something we are deeply committed to. Otherwise, we wouldn't get upset!

This technique allows you to quickly take solution-focused action, using what you're upset about as the access point. The result is feeling relieved, clear and more at peace due to the fact that you've given a voice to your concerns and addressed them in a powerful manner. 

A shortcut version of this technique to simply release tension and clear your mind is called the One Word Rant. The word used in this technique is, “why.” Why? Because that's the question we're really asking ourselves at the heart of our stress and upset.

“Why is this happening?”

“Why are they doing/saying that?”

“Why can't I feel better?

When we allow ourselves to express our frustration in a safe, quick and healthy way, the brain and body respond with a cascade of hormones and neurotransmitters that feel good, such as epinephrine and testosterone (yep, even for women) and we feel clearer and more focused.

The technique is simple, but you'll want to be in a private or quiet place since this involves some vocalization. I've been known to do this in the car.

Ideally, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart or wider, and semi-squat like a sumo wrestler. Throw your hands in the air above your head, take a deep breath and loudly exclaim “Whyyy!” You don't want to say it so loud as to strain your voice or throat, but you definitely want to express your “why” loud and proud.

Yes, I’m serious. I’ve facilitated this in a group of 50 or so leaders and the results were amazing. The simplicity of the “why” allowed the group to bond without having to explain or share a lot of personal feelings that may have caused them to feel vulnerable. At the same time, that shared experience of making a loud noise together in unison elevated the energy in the entire room. The group collectively felt heard and acknowledged.

The chemical cascade of hormones and endorphins the One Word Rant releases is simply wonderful. Generally, this technique is more energizing than the Italian Grandma Sigh, so I tend to use it if I’m having a frustrating day or if I need to boost my energy before speaking or a meeting.

This is also a fabulous tool to show your kids to help them learn to shift their stress and state of mind quickly, without a lot of “talking about it” that may be difficult for them to articulate or stressful to share with a parent.

We lead busy lives and we need solutions quickly. Try one or both of these techniques this week to reduce your stress and keep yourself going and growing.

Boost Your Business Through Networking – Greg Peters – S2Ep25

Written by Robin Thompson on . Posted in Podcast, VIP Backstage Pass.

Boost Your Business - Tina Dietz & Greg Peters

Boost Your Business w/ Greg Peters

When you think about networking you feel a bit “reluctant?” Greg Peters totally understands.

Greg, the reluctant Networker, is back on The StartSomething Show to talk with us more about how you can boost your business by networking, referral building, and how you can start doing effective follow-through.

Before transforming himself into a networking professional, Greg was a computer programmer, and he’s a classic introvert. Through study, practice, and lots of trial and error, he has been able to transform himself into a true networking professional. Catch Greg’s first episode here on The StartSomething Show where you can learn how to build successful businesses in different fields and how he teaches so many people the value of developing powerful personal connections.

After this, you will stop being “reluctant” about networking and, just like Greg, become a pro at it.

What You'll Learn From This Episode:

  • Basic networking mistakes people make
  • Systems you can build to follow-through and deepen relationships
  • Challenges people face after a networking event
  • What can you do to reduce the number of business cards you get at a networking event
  • Key Business Tip: “Immediate Follow-Up”
  • The differences between a phone/Skype conversation and meeting in person
  • How to choose who to network with
  • Not sure if you should connect with someone or not? Here’s how to handle it
  • The simple question to get around hardcore salespeople
  • How different networking groups differ
  • How a good referral relationship should work
  • Preparing to have referral partners effectively
  • What questions to ask yourself when looking for good referral partners
  • How simple gestures of appreciation can make a difference to your clients and referral partners
  • Greg’s action steps to help you explore your own story and make use of it
  • Greg’s legacy for the world.

Featured on the Show:

StartSomething-Show-Stitcher-SubscribeStartSomething-Show-subscribe-with-itunesGoogle-Play-Music-en-badge-webStartSomething Show Tina Dietz

What To Do When You Are Afraid To Say The Wrong Thing

Written by Robin Thompson on . Posted in Blog, Leadership, Personal Development.

What opportunities and possibilities do you find yourself diminishing or killing off because you're afraid to say the wrong thing?

Afraid To Say The Wrong Thing

Have you ever been asked this question?

“If you were a super villain, who would you be and what would be your power?”

This was not a question that my chiropractor was used to being asked, but I had just come from a conference call with some colleagues where we were discussing how to bring more of our personalities into our businesses and brands, and the topic of heroes and villains had come up.

You know,” my chiropractor pondered, “I think the worst feeling in the world is shame. It just stops people in their tracks. So my supervillain would be Shame Spiral, and he would freeze people from the power of shame.”

Wow.

Do you have conversations like this with your health providers? Because seriously, you should.

Author and shame researcher Brené Brown says, “Shame is the most powerful, master emotion. It’s the fear that we’re not good enough….it corrodes the very part of us that believes we are capable of change.”

Shame and the avoidance of shame shows up as embarrassment or fear of embarrassment, anxiety, depression, worry, resentment – what’s your flavor?

And shame definitely shows up as your fear of “saying the wrong thing.”

What opportunities and possibilities do you find yourself diminishing or killing off because you’re afraid of saying the wrong thing and looking foolish, or being wrong, or not looking good? How do you make yourself smaller and less bright because of how you think what you have to say might or might not come across to others?

Shame, in our bodies, can feel like we are dying – so we try and avoid it at all costs.

However, the solution to what to do when you’re afraid of shame, embarrassment, “looking bad” and saying the wrong thing is counterintuitive.  I echo what Brené says…

“As a shame researcher, I know that the very best thing to do in the midst of a shame attack is totally counterintuitive: Practice courage and reach out!”

Courage is the antidote to shame. So then, how to create courage? My favorite activation point for courage is one simple and easy to conjure feeling.

Curiosity.

The courageous lion is still a cat, our avatar for curiosity. When you are feeling concerns about saying the wrong thing, being embarrassed, or risking shame, engaging your curiosity triggers your creativity, your inner wonder-er, and your sense of play.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to engage your curiosity and replace your own personal “Shame Spiral” with your inner “Courageous Curious Crusader.”

Shame Trigger 1:  “I don’t know if I can do this.”

Curiosity Trigger 1:  “I wonder how I’ll grow from this experience.”

Shame Trigger 2:  “What if they don’t like it/me/this?”

Curiosity Trigger 2:  “This is going to be interesting-I wonder where this will lead me?”

Shame Trigger 3:  “I’m not qualified to do this.”

Curiosity Trigger 3:  “I wonder what I can add in to my knowledge or expertise to make this even better?”

Notice the pattern of the phrase, “I wonder…” This simple phrase is a deep and effective trigger to shift you from a shame reaction to a courageous and curious one.

We are always in the process of evolving into our greatness, try on replacing your automatic responses of shame, worry, and concern this week with those of curiosity, and see where it leads you – and let us know what you discover, we read and respond to every email.

Keep going, and keep growing!

How To Successfully Achieve Your Goals – Pete Winiarski – S2Ep24

Written by Robin Thompson on . Posted in Podcast, VIP Backstage Pass.

achieve your goals - Tina Dietz & Pete Winiarski

How to Successfully Achieve Your Goals w/ Pete Winiarski

How many times have you find yourself lost in the woods on your way to your goal? Successfully achieve your goals without getting lost and have some fun with the process.

Pete Winiarski is founder and CEO of Win Enterprises, LLC, a Management Consulting and Results Coaching Firm as well as co-founder of the Business Consultant Institute, and has been guest expert on all major television outlets in the US. Pete is also the bestselling author of “Act Now! A Daily Action Log for Achieving Your Goals in 90 Days,” which helps both businesses and individuals to be action-oriented and achieve their goals.

Makes sense to have Pete back on the show again to talk about goal achievement, doesn’t it? 

What You'll Learn From This Episode:

  • The 5-C’s of Goal Achievement
  • Why these 5-C’s are fundamental to achieving your goals
  • 1st C: “Cascade”
  • Why you should ultimately think about your goals into 90-day periods of time
  • 2nd C: “Create”
  • What does “creation” mean when setting your goals
  • It’s okay to go back and adjust your goals
  • 3rd C: “Commit”
  • What are you “committing” to when setting your goals
  • The three types of action
  • The role daily affirmations play for goal achievement
  • How goal-achieving-moments of inspiration will start happening for you
  • What overwhelm stops you from achieving
  • 4th C: “Confirm”
  • Staying on track with your goals
  • 5th C: “Celebrate”
  • The importance of “celebrating” along the way to goal achievement
  • How to grab hold of what you already deserve
  • Some favorite ways to celebrate achieving your goals
  • How goal achievement can be a teachable moment for your kids
  • Pete’s legacy for the world.

Featured on the Show:

StartSomething-Show-Stitcher-SubscribeStartSomething-Show-subscribe-with-itunesGoogle-Play-Music-en-badge-webStartSomething Show Tina Dietz

How To Unleash The Message You Really Want Others To Follow – Sharon Sayler – S2Ep23

Written by Robin Thompson on . Posted in Podcast, VIP Backstage Pass.

unleash the message - Tina Dietz & Sharon Sayler

How To Unleash The Message You Really Want w/ Sharon Sayler

Our communications and body language expert, Sharon Sayler, joins us to talk about nonverbal communication and how you can unleash the message you really want others to hear and follow, as opposed to the message that people are actually receiving from you. It will blow your mind what a simple shift in hand gestures can do to your message!

Sharon is an international communications trainer, trainer, speaker, CEO of the Strategic Communications Firm – Competitive Edge Communications, and the best-selling author of seven books.

Sharon works with a wide range of clientele — executives, entrepreneurs, universities, corporations and organizations such as Delta Airlines, Yale’s Graduate School of Management, and the Women’s Executive Leadership Council.

Through Competitive Edge Communications, Sharon reaches professionals around the world how to be courageous leaders using critical communication skills.

Don’t miss Sharon’s episode and check out the free bonus Sharon has for all of you: The 5 Little-Known Things That Affect How Others See You…

What You'll Learn From This Episode:

  • The uncommon and super-powerful place Sharon begins when teaching non-verbal communication
  • The first place in your body language that you need to be as authentic and transparent as you can
  • The 360-Breathing technique
  • The impact to your body language when you’re breathing wrong
  • What you can do to shift negative impacts in you and others
  • Leadership Skill: How to calm an angry or agitated person
  • Leadership Skill: How to best deliver bad or volatile news
  • Gestures in your body language that you need to pay attention to
  • “Jargon” gestures, and why you need to be careful about using them
  • The three cross-cultural hand-gestures that you can use universally
  • What women leaders can do nonverbally to send a firmer, stronger message
  • Language softeners and why you need to drop them
  • How to properly deliver your idea without eagerness or missing the ideal timing for it
  • “Hero Language” vs. “Team Member Language”
  • What is being “Artfully Vague?”
  • Sharon’s action steps to help you explore your own story and make use of it
  • Sharon’s legacy for the world.

Featured on the Show:

StartSomething-Show-Stitcher-SubscribeStartSomething-Show-subscribe-with-itunesGoogle-Play-Music-en-badge-webStartSomething Show Tina Dietz

Unleash Your Leadership Through Purposeful Storytelling – Michel Neray – S2Ep22

Written by Robin Thompson on . Posted in Podcast, VIP Backstage Pass.

Unleash Your Leadership - Tina Dietz & Michel Neray

How to Unleash Your Leadership with Storytelling w/ Michel Neray

Michel Neray is without a doubt one of my favorite people on this planet! Michel is not only a colleague and a brilliant speaking, marketing, and storytelling expert, but a good friend and mentor.

On his first visit to The StartSomething Show, Michel talked with us about the importance of storytelling, how you can start sharing your story to engage your audience. Today, Michel is back to talk with us about how purposeful storytelling unleashes the voice of your leadership. 

Everything Michel shares about storytelling in this episode can, and should, be applied to your business.

Known as the Master Of The Essential Message for companies around the world, Michel has spoken on a ton of stages, and is a Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming. He is also the founder of Momondays, a monthly speaking event that has grown from a single location on the second floor of a tearoom in Toronto to nightclubs from coast to coast in Canada and the U.S.

What You'll Learn From This Episode:

  • Why is storytelling so important
  • The difference between simple storytelling and purposeful storytelling
  • The power of storytelling to create change
  • Why are stories everywhere
  • How storytelling applies to all areas of your business
  • The only storytelling structure that really exists – and why it works!
  • What is a “storytelling trigger” and why it’s so important
  • How to adapt this storytelling structure to your business situation
  • Discover your storytelling key resource
  • The Storytelling structure that appeals and speaks to your prospects
  • The Universal storytelling challenge we all identify with
  • And now, the part of your story everyone will want to know!
  • Michel’s action steps to help you explore your own story and make use of it
  • Michel’s legacy for the world.

Featured on the Show:

StartSomething-Show-Stitcher-SubscribeStartSomething-Show-subscribe-with-itunesGoogle-Play-Music-en-badge-webStartSomething Show Tina Dietz

The Three Main Pillars You Need To Build Your Business – Camille Leon – S2Ep21

Written by Robin Thompson on . Posted in Podcast, VIP Backstage Pass.

build your business - Tina Dietz & Camille Leon

The 3 Pillars You Need To Build Your Business w/ Camille Leon

Founder of the Holistic Chamber of Commerce came, Camille Leon, joins us today to give you tips about what it takes to create a business association with multiple chapters and facets, and the three essential main “pillars” you need to build your business successfully-holistic or otherwise!

The Holistic Chamber of Commerce has chapters all over the U.S. and Canada, and Camille chronicled her journey of creating this innovative organization in her book “False Starts: The Misadventures of Transformation.” 

The Holistic Chamber of Commerce represents holistic business professionals and practitioners in growing their businesses, clientele, and sustainable practices. They also are an advocate from the holistic community to the public, assisting in educating people on what holistic health is and dispelling myths and misinformation.

What You'll Learn From This Episode:

  • The absolutely essential advice that entrepreneurs and business owners need to hear regularly
  • What are the three main pillars of building your business successfully
  • Challenges around creating these pillars
  • Two responses that help you manage your time-energy-money resources
  • Where Camille finds an extra hour in her day (you don’t want to miss the answer!)
  • The impact that self doubt has on your time management
  • What you can learn from business models other than your own
  • “Traditional” vs. “Non-Traditional” networking events
  • Finding your business specialty
  • The role of delegating and why you should delegate
  • How to manage and deal with your money
  • What to charge and how to value your work
  • The value a business coach brings when determining pricing
  • How to showcase and upsell your products and services
  • Camille’s action steps to help you StartSomething this week
  • Camille’s legacy for the world.

Featured on the Show:

StartSomething-Show-Stitcher-SubscribeStartSomething-Show-subscribe-with-itunesGoogle-Play-Music-en-badge-webStartSomething Show Tina Dietz

4 Steps To Properly Leverage Your Time – Barb Stuhlemmer – S2Ep20

Written by Robin Thompson on . Posted in Podcast, Productivity, VIP Backstage Pass.

Leverage Your Time - Tina Dietz & Barb Stuhlemmer

How To Properly Leverage Your Time w/ Barb Stuhlemmer

Time is the one resource we can’t renew and we can’t get back. We’re always looking for more time for both business and pleasure. So what’s the deal? Why do we all seem to struggle with time?

In the past, Barb Stuhlemmer and I talked about the differences between an entrepreneur struggling to get by and someone who is already very successful-how each group deals with time is a BIG differentiating factor. Barb returns in this episode to talk with us about dealing effectively with time and how you can properly leverage your time…without getting a clone.

Barb is a Master Business Strategist whose goal it is to inspire Ambitious Business Growth so entrepreneurs, that are super-visionaries, can reach the million and multi-million dollar mark in their business and live their biggest dreams. Barb provides strategic guidance in her business BLITZ Business Success to create Product & Client Identification Plans (what to sell, how to price it, where to sell it, and who to sell to), helping successful business owners, who are driven by big ideas, create new paths in their business and life so they can truly enjoy what they do and successfully live in their passion all the time.

What You'll Learn From This Episode:

  • The importance of having systems to manage your time
  • How managing your time can make a huge difference in your life
  • Why the term “Time Management” can be controversial
  • What you can do differently to manage how you go through time
  • The importance of creating a strategy for what you really want to do
  • Four easy steps to better manage your time
  • How to keep track of your time (without hating it)
  • What tracking your time allows you to assess
  • Determining your time goals
  • What are “S.M.A.R.T.A.R goals?”
  • The importance, as a business owner, to leverage someone else's time
  • The role your kids play in leveraging your time
  • Good systems to use in your business to better leverage your time
  • Using automation to better leverage your time-you don’t have to be technical
  • Barb’s legacy for the world.

Featured on the Show:

StartSomething-Show-Stitcher-SubscribeStartSomething-Show-subscribe-with-itunesGoogle-Play-Music-en-badge-webStartSomething Show Tina Dietz

How to Unleash Your Leadership Through Connections and Positioning – Lisa Marie Platske – S2Ep19

Written by Robin Thompson on . Posted in Podcast, VIP Backstage Pass.

Connections and Positioning - Tina Dietz & Lisa Marie Platske

Unleash Your Leadership Through Connections and Positioning w/ Lisa Marie Platske

Lisa Marie Platske is the CEO and founder of Upside Thinking, Inc. She creates high-performing leaders, coaches people from around the world, and has her focus on generating connections, leadership and powerful positioning for her clients. Today we will be talking about ALL THE THINGS related to becoming a powerful leader and using connections and positioning to increase leadership.

Give yourself permission to be the rusty cat. Yes, it’s the internet so we have to have cats!

Listen in to the story of my stray cat and how he taught me a powerful leadership lesson about connections and positioning.

What You'll Learn From This Episode:

  • We discuss why “Connection is the new currency”
  • How connections opens doors of opportunity and influence
  • Common mistakes you’re most likely to make that hurt your connections
  • What journalists can teach us about making powerful connections
  • Powerful leaders do this all the time, but “average Joes” don’t
  • How to showcase your expertise through asking questions, rather than ‘telling’
  • What is the convincing game?
  • The great questions Lisa asks when first making a connection
  • Lisa’s definition of “positioning” and what you need to be doing
  • How effective positioning really works to showcase your expertise
  • What words will make you fell into connection traps you don’t see
  • All about power verbs!
  • How to craft your positioning statement
  • What positioning and storytelling have in common
  • Making sure your positioning is authentic to who you are
  • Allowing yourself to practice (even experts practice!)
  • Lisa Marie’s action steps to help you StartSomething this week
  • Simple exercises to implement that strengthen your connections and positioning
  • Lisa Marie’s legacy for the world.

Featured on the Show:

StartSomething-Show-Stitcher-SubscribeStartSomething-Show-subscribe-with-itunesGoogle-Play-Music-en-badge-webStartSomething Show Tina Dietz