The Mutterings and Musings of an Author's Husband

How to get a job - Marketing like an author

 

I'm a salesperson of over 23 years. Blimey, I've sold all sorts, from Avon Cosmetics to women in their homes (yep, the only Avon Man my customers had ever seen, which was a laugh in itself, hehe), office equipment, high security paper to governments and banks all over the world, and large scale Enterprise software, hardware and services solutions, to name just a few.

During most of my career, as an extension to my role, I have often been entrenched in marketing activities, eventually leading and delivering marketing projects on several occasions. Some people would say I have a lot of experience in marketing because of this. The thing is, I'm not a marketing person. Marketing is a completely separate discipline which I would never claim to be more than a novice.

This has become quite clear in the past year as I have been involved in marketing Gina for her first two titles, Utamaro Revealed and The Wonderful Demise of Benjamin Arnold Guppy.

Working with Gina to promote her has been an amazing experience. I thought it would be simple to use the same techniques I have used for over two decades, but I was wrong.

Marketing an author is subtly different, but it's that subtlety that is the difference between success and failure in my humble opinion. I have learned a lot from her about the greater importance of internet marketing, use of media such as book trailers and software tools, better use of PR through more intelligent use of target words and phrases, how to better use networking as a tool and a long list of other things. The funny thing is, she learned a lot of these things from me, tweaked and improved them, added her own creative flair and ingenuity and handed them back to me. It would be like me giving her the blueprint for a bicycle and then being handed back an actual luxury car with all the extras. LOL! Amazing.

This brings me to the reason for today's blog. I've recently become unemployed. My usual 'sales' activities continue, of course. I have a list of over 400 potential employers and dozens of consultancies all over the world that I am on the phone to or emailing every week day, from morning until night. I am networking among my industry contacts like crazy and also using every avenue available to help find a suitable new role.

The thing is, differentiating oneself from other candidates is always important, even more so in the current climate. Rather than just sending out CVs (Resumés), I am making myself stand out by a whole raft of methods that I have re-learned from Gina. I have set up a website to promote myself with case studies, a video, downloadable content, an eBrochure, press release and other information.

My brochure (front and back) and my presentation pack, which also includes a CD, and my website. It's meant to look corporate rather than personal. **Please note that since securing a new role for myself, this website has been replaced by my personal blog instead.**

I am using business networking in a much more efficient way, including multimedia and downloadable content wherever possible, I have branded myself and have business cards, presentation packs, electronic files on CDs, PowerPoint presentations and a properly printed brochure.

Gina even convinced me to have my first business profile photo. She took this photo of me in our kitchen, believe it or not! Blimey! If bookmarks could help me sell myself, I'd have those printed too! LOL!

There are so many parallels to what I am doing to market myself and the marketing that many authors have to do that I thought you might find this interesting, either as published or budding authors.

Crikey, I've even been after reviews, or in my case, recommendations from former work colleagues, strategic partners and customers. Fortunately I have been fortunate enough to have 6 glowing 'reviews' on LinkedIn, the business networking site, so far.

Interesting, how similar this process has been with Gina's marketing. Interesting indeed. :)

 

I used to know everything

 

Today, Gina and myself were talking about the saying, 'with age comes wisdom'. We know of people where this applies, but they are just a few. A surprising few considering the number of people out there.

This led on to a discussion about my own experiences and how age has never been consistent with what people think I should have been doing in life, the experiences associated with particular age groups and the level of maturity or immaturity that I demonstrated at the time.

Gina's mother had a chance meeting once, with a woman who knew me when I was 5 or 6 years old. She was shocked to find that we knew each other and went on to say that I was a man in a child's body, and had already taken on the responsibilities of an adult at the age of 6.

The picture here is of me at the age of 5, an old man in a cap.

By that age, I was already advising my mother to get a divorce, beginning to become familiar with the financial circumstances of my family and being reared as a replacement father to look after my siblings. I was a drill sergeant to my siblings, teaching them to be physically and verbally abusive to my father. I also started to learn to cook for the family. I was appointed protector and I took my role very seriously.

By the age of 8, I was practically a surrogate father to 5 kids. I have never had a normal relationship with my siblings because of this.

By the age of 10 I was so financially aware that I would be advising my mother not to spend money on things, asking her to look at second hand items instead. I continued to advise her to get a divorce and continued to breed hatred towards my father from my siblings, with lots of helpful guidance from my mother.

By age 15, I left home, started a semi-independent life outside the family while continuing to go to school and learned to live alone and support myself. By the age of 16 I was kicked out of the country by father and ended up in Japan where I worked to support myself, taught myself basic Japanese, tried to learn about a foreign culture, failed, became homeless, survived and then got back on my feet again.

By the time I was 18 and returned to the UK and met Gina, I had already lived in 16 'permanent' addresses in my life and felt like I had lived the lives of 3 or 4 people.

I felt old (in the most positive sense), and contrary to the truth, I also felt wise and mature. Oh yes, I believed that I knew everything! LOL!!

When I met Gina, I was blown away. She understood me! My word! I was amazed, she was an art student and on the face of things, she was a shy innocent who had no experience of life as I would measure it, but she had more compassion, more wisdom, more maturity and more intelligence in a single finger nail than I could ever have imagined attaining in my lifetime.

And so began a new life for me. A new path of learning and more adventures to come over the next 23 years. The roller-coaster ride continues, even now, and I feel as though we have lived several lifetimes already, with many more to experience.

And by the way, me and dad are friends now. I have also *never* achieved even a tiny modicum of the wisdom that I thought I had achieved at age 18, and doubt I ever will. LOL!