Getting your book in front of the right people is a systematic process and an art.

Imagine your business book is a pot of soup cooking on the stove. Your goal is to bring this soup (your book) to a delicious, bubbling simmer (your sales goal). The heat from the stove represents your marketing efforts. When you turn up the heat (increase your marketing efforts), the soup begins to warm up (interest in your book grows). The higher the heat, the quicker it gets to that perfect simmer.

Now, here’s where hysteresis comes in (I warned you I am a reformed engineer, right?). You already know what hysteresis means but might not realise it. It goes like this, just like in a real pot of soup, the heat doesn’t instantly translate to temperature. If you’ve been keeping the heat low, and suddenly crank it up, it will take a while for the soup to respond. Similarly, if you’ve been blasting the heat and quickly turn it off, the soup doesn’t instantly cool – it keeps simmering for a while.

In the world of selling your business book, this means that increasing your marketing efforts (attracting incoming leads) won’t lead to an immediate spike in sales (payoff). Conversely, if you pull back on marketing, sales won’t instantly plummet. There’s always a bit of a delay. 

But, just like with soup, the key is to find that perfect temperature and keep it steady. Too little heat, and your soup never simmers. Too much heat, and it could boil over and make a mess. Too little marketing might mean your book never gets noticed, but too much could overwhelm or turn off potential readers.

So, your job as the chef (or the marketer) is to keep a close eye on that pot, adjust the heat as necessary, and stir occasionally to make sure everything is evenly heated and nothing sticks to the bottom (sticky bottoms are not good for business).

Constantly oscillating between “hot” and “cold” in terms of marketing and promotion can lead to several problems for a business book author who aims to grow their business and improve their influence:

1. Lack of consistency leads to not being remembered and selected.

2. Ineffective use of resources means your marketing is always an expense.

3. No momentum so it feels like you’re always pushing and shoving!

I’m running a free session and you’re invited to discuss this very problem with me (book sales, not sticky bottoms)! I am giving my best stuff away in these free sessions so that you can get your book working for your business!

Be part of our LIVE stream and save yourself from the hot and cold, on again off again marketing “strategy”!

Ciao for now,
Debs

PS:  I might have a free gift for you – come along and find out! Here is the link to join: https://debbiejenkins.com/ideas-into-assets-join-the-group-access-the-calls/