137 - Book Funnels & Tech Layoff’s

Today’s Topic: Book Funnels & Tech Layoff’s. Using a Book to Secure Your Position

There were at least 154,000 layoffs from more than 1,000 tech companies last year, according to Layoffs.fyi, a website that has been tracking tech layoffs since March 2020.

Google alone just let go 12,000 employees. Amazon let go of 18,000, Microsoft 10,000, 11,000 at Meta, 8,000 at Salesforce, and many more have followed suit, like Twitter (3,700), Uber, Cisco (4,100), Caravan (4,000), Peloton, booking.com, Airbnb, Instacart, Wayfair, Capital One, and so many more. What’s going on?

Many believe this has something to do with massive hiring at the height of covid and all the lockdowns. Amazon gained 800,000 employees between 2020-21, while google gained 52,000, Meta gained 27,000, Microsoft gained 58,000. Tech people are saying that Apple only slowly hired 17,000 and has yet to let any go. Many are saying that there is a re-normalizing occurring now. Basically, these companies over-hired.

Interestingly, I was just informed by my book printer that he’s been following the printing trends and it seems many printers are going to be discontinuing the printing of books and moving into corrugated printing. In other words, printing on boxes. I’m guessing this has a bit to do with lockdowns and Amazon as well. And, of course, I’ve already mentioned the paper shortages causing price increases in book printing in earlier podcasts.

So much has shifted so quickly in the world and so many have become so accustomed to living life virtually. I mean, even dating or partnership has turned into a virtual experience where you go online and pick from thousands of profiles to find all the features you’re looking for in a partner. Fortunately, you can’t also choose chemistry because my God you do eventually have to spend time with this person! I don’t even know if some can even recognize real feelings anymore however. But, that’s beside the point.

There has been a lot of fear generated with the news of all these layoffs, but when you understand that it’s a re-normalizing post lockdown then you understand that it may not be as tragic as it was played out to be. Nonetheless, I bring this up because people are concerned and saving things (like writing a book) for a rainy day because lets be honest, you think it’s a lavish extra and right now you’re saving in case you are in the position of loosing your job as well. But, what’s fascinating is how a book can actually help you during a transition or if you do need to find employment. How many people do you think are applying for the same job you are that don’t have the credentials of being an author of a book? Imagine how great it would be to take some time to get yourself either positioned for a job change or to transition into self employment. A book is a wonderful way to position yourself for something greater or to pivot into something new.

I’ve been thinking a bit about the message I’ve been sharing over the years and the fact that I’m always pushing you to write with your business in mind. I wanted to assure you that this is not always about making money and I totally get that, I know you also have a massage to share. But, as a business and book coach I want to be sure that, at minimum, you get financially even with the investment you made to get your book published. However, your book is not likely going to be a profit center. It doesn’t take a smart business entrepreneur long to figure this out. I mean, you are selling an item with a low price point. So, all these claims that your book is going to make you all kinds of money are a little mis-leading. It’s the book creating awareness of the other things you do—it’s never directly the book!

I’ve heard some say it’s the “gateway” to your business. I’ve heard others say it’s a lead magnet or a way to attract your ideal client. All this is true. Yes, by writing a book, you are setting yourself up as an authority on your subject matter. And, your subject matter might not be something many would consider a typical business but regardless it’s still the thing you do for an income.

A book helps you get clear on your offering to showcase your topic to others so there is no confusion about who you are or what you do—whether you are using it for landing more clients, boosting your resume, enhancing other credentials, or simply telling a story. Basically, a book tells others that you are a master of something, you can guide a certain kind of person or audience (a target market), and you’re making an offer or a promise with a clear outcome or end result.

Your book extends your legacy. The written word is the only way to do that! Technology, tech platforms, and websites come and go, but a book preserves the past. If you truly want to leave a legacy and your mark on the planet, a book will far outlast you and live well beyond your kids as well.

I always make the assumption when I’m speaking to you that you understand that when I’m talking about making profits I’m not stating that this is the holly grail endpoint for writing a book. I’m just hopeful that when you write you are taking full advantage of a book as a way to make the world clear on your gifts, your message, and increase your offerings as you expand with the material that makes up your platform. If you aren’t using a book to build our platform, then you may only break even with all your efforts of producing the book. I’d just like to see you do better than pay back your investment to produce the book.

Writing a best-seller is a game that many smart business-minded people have caught on to. So, don’t fall for the games around this. The only real reason you want a best-seller is either you have a big ego or you think it will indirectly grow your business. But, it’s always smart business… and using a book as a tool for showcasing clearly your real offering… that will get you ahead! Don’t make things over-complicated by trying to be in the business of selling books. Now, this leads me to using book funnels, to do just that - sell books!


Book Funnels
Perhaps you’ve learned about some tools for selling books, like ClickFunnels. I’ve listened to Russel Bruson, owner of ClickFunnels talk about this a few times. Let’s talk about this a bit more….

I mention this because I’ve seen a few things being passed around lately with regard to book funnels, Again, as long as you’re not in the business of selling books, there is no problem with using your book as a lead magnet to pull clients into your ecosystem. However, don’t be fooled that something magic is happening here with these tools to  help you sell books!

There is a lot of merit to thinking through a book funnel, but stay focused on your end result… and, I hope by now you’ve listened to me long enough to know a book is not a profit center! Remind yourself as you look into these tools that it’s always about more than selling a book. Even with these tools, a book is not a profit center. In fact, it’s less so with the cost of the tools to make the funnel.

But, what does happen with a book funnel is that it will have you thinking smarter. Really, a funnel will lay out the proper steps for marketing and upselling anything. It will cause you to look beyond just the book. It will have you asking - what else can I offer or how can I upsell? If you’re smart with business you will get this without the prompting. Although, some of the tools help you bypass the techie side to actually be able to implement your funnel.

Again, it’s just smart business to have a function and flow to your message. You are going to walk through defining your offer, creating an ad, engaging with a prospect, and, of course, some believe upselling as a part of the funnel is where you engage the prospect in the real thing you are selling. Personally, I have no interest in selling books. I just want people to come to me because I’m good at the thing I do… and oh, yeah…I also happen to have a book. So, funnels have really never been my thing. I mean, really, if my thing is helping you write a book you’re going to assume I have a way to teach this. I happen to have multiple ways to do this. And, I use different methods and tools to accomplish that.

The funnel just puts things into a practical process or application model. And, I find that there are some tools (I use Kajabi) that offer a bit more than a click funnel can. A funnel is just an ad, but you also need an entire platform to house everything you do for your business. You see, generally your going to want to use a book to gather contact information or create awareness that eventually builds the effectiveness of your email campaign. But, a more comprehensive tool will let you run your whole business in one location, build an online course, compile an email list, create a community, and of course run ads.

It’s believed that book readers are better clients because they are informed and generally smarter. You become a better person by reading. Not everyone reads so this could be true. If you did a bit of research you’d probably come to a conclusion that book readers will spent more with you long term if you have more than just a book to offer. You can do more with this kind of customer long term because you’ve engaged them with lots of content. But, you still have to take them beyond the book. No matter how you build out any marketing offer, you still have to guide them to the next thing… and you still have to build it.

You can create an offer that dovetails from the book into a higher value offer once you think through the business behind your book. You might next offer them an audio or video program, but of course you still have to build this out. You can sell a workshop and give away a free book, but again, you still have to build that out. I’ve been finding that many leading business authors are selling their audiobook for almost $40 because it’s a perceived value that they get your voice and it’s almost like they get personal time with you the reader. In all reality, its not personal but it feels more like it is so they believe it’s worth more. (Yes, I know I need to sell my audiobook for more if this is true.) There are some that use a book funnel to sell a workshop and give the book with it. Again, the perceived value.

The benefit of building out any kind of book funnel is just the time you took to conceptually think through the offer. The funnel thinking starts the marketer in the direction of solving a problem but presenting a new problem upon the purchase.  It’s kind of the nature of the thinking behind these funnels - up selling! Someone might buy your book about doing a thing, but now if they want to do it they might not know how, so they have to either get the next book in the funnel, sign up for the workshop, or hire you as a coach. The upsell game of online selling of course!

Unfortunately, everything we do outside of a book dies. A book keeps living. A lot of top business leaders have made a pact to themselves to write a new book every 2-3 years to leave their legacy behind.

In a world where tech employees are loosing their jobs, you begin to think perhaps this adjustment is leveling out the games and causing buyers to ask: “what am I really buying and does it give me a perceived value or a tangible result?” I mean, really, what a lot of these flamboyant marketers are doing is bamboozling you into believing that there is a tool that make your business a smarter one. But, buyers are waking up to the games and when there isn’t a lot of room for extras, because of layoff for example, then the real value is working with a coach or investing in a system that builds something more lasting to work around the games and something that can get you real and practical results!

In conclusion
As I’m finishing up compiling this podcast, I’m reading an article that the DOJ is accusing Google of unlawfully monopolizing the way ads are served online by excluding competitors. They used the back-end of a platform they bought in 2018 called DoubleClick that offers up split-second ads on web pages. There is legal action in many states as well for violating antitrust laws - alleging anti-competitive practices for how ads and search results are served up.

When you’re marketing online and selling a coaching model or anything else without a book you have nothing to show for yourself as soon as you stop showing up. And, in order to really show up you have to invest in the games. Did you know that Russel Brunson puts $1/2 million per month into his book funnels? The old saying of it takes money to make money, right? Since this is his business he has reason to play in this circus.

Let me tell you, if you are in a position to give your book for free and just cover shipping then you are thinking the right way about your book and any marketing campaign. It’s the message and the draw to the other things you are offering that you should be focused on. I can show you all the back end tools for building things out with the backend platform I use, but my main goal is to help you build a strong foundation to your business so that everything you build is an add-on to enhancing the diversity of your business offering portfolio! Stay focused on the idea a book is just one tool to help you call out the things you’re already doing!

I’ll keep an eye on the tech world and how this affects the book world and whether your thinking about writing a book to enhance your business, build out your resume, or grow your platform—I can help you make it happen! I’m not going to upsell you. I’m going to give you real world practical advice. I look forward to working with you when you’re ready!

On that note, and as always… wishing you peace, love, and light!