Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom

Book Review: Doing Business By the Book

Nearly every entrepreneur and a lot of business professionals I meet say that they want to write a book.  I suppose this is with good reason.  After all, says Sophronia Scott, a published book is the near equivalent of a business card.

Sophronia, who spent fifteen years writing for Time and People magazines before bursting onto the entrepreneurial scene as an expert in book publishing, has shared her lessons in a handy little volume, Doing Business By the Book: How to Craft a Crowd-Pleasing Book and Attract More Clients and Speaking Engagements Than You Ever Thought Possible, which shows business owners and solo practitioners how they can transform the vague idea of writing a book into the most powerful marketing tool their company has.

Having taught hundreds of courses on writing effective books, Sophronia is skilled at demonstrating how to construct your book so that your target audience has to have it.  She knows that the mere magnitude of the publishing process is what holds a lot of people back from engaging in it.  They believe that writing a book takes months, if not years, and so they put it off.  To get readers moving, Sophronia breaks the book-building process into easy to complete chunks so anyone – even the busiest person – can manage it.

I’ve already published three books, am producing a fourth, and brainstorming for a fifth, and I learned a lot from Sophronia.  Thanks to her, in my new proposal I’ll hone my call to action and I’ll use my books to turn up the volume on my speaking practice.  Doing Business by the Book has also helped me clarify whether I’d be better served continuing to work with large-scale New York publishers, or if it makes sense to self-publish my next project.  Basically, whether you’re a prospective first-time author who’s looking for more customers or a veteran writer who wants more readers and higher advances, Sophronia’s book serves up important insights for you.

Would You Pay Someone to Write Those Icky E-mails?

A few times in the last year, I’ve had friends and family members approach me with conflicts they’re facing at work.  Specifically, they’ve received e-mail messages of the hostile, threatening, rude, or passive- variety, and they’ve wanted my advice on how to respond.  Most of the time, my loved ones want to stand up for themselves without making the situation worse in the process.

People come to me because I’ve spent the better part of the last five years learning how to deal with sticky workplace issues, and because I tend to express my feelings well in writing.  I’ve found that after I’ve listened to someone vent about her latest work snafu, I can take all the information in and in a half hour write out an empathetic but assertive response for my loved one that will neutralize the toxic person in her life.  One of my best friends told me last week that it would have taken her half a day to draft an e-mail response to her employee that would “show him I understand where he is coming from, but also make it clear that I’m the boss and protect me in case he complains to someone senior.”  It needed to be done, but she didn’t have the time or the emotional energy to figure out the most succinct and effective way to communicate her message. 

This is by no means an advertisement of my services, especially because I don’t even have services right now.  But since I really trust my readers’ opinions, I’m wondering if you guys think there’s a business idea in this.  Would you pay someone a nominal fee to help you write these kinds of e-mails?  Do you think there are ethical or legal implications, and would it be worth partnering, for example, with an HR consultant?

The Value of Controversy

Plenty of people have made a good living on the backs of controversy.  After all, the phrase “any publicity is good publicity” became a cliché for a reason.  The blogger who publicly denounces a high profile celebrity will get 100 comments in a matter of hours.  The family reality show that no one watched or cared about until US Magazine leaked that the parents were carrying on extramarital affairs will crack the week’s Top 10. 

Given the amount of noise in today’s world, it’s tempting to use controversy to draw attention to your message.  Except that I don’t necessarily think people who are controversial are always respected.  It’s human nature not to be able to look away from a bad accident or a provocative tabloid report, but does that mean you’d trust the driver or the people whose photos are splashed across the magazines in your grocery store?  Just because you’re paying attention to those people at the moment doesn’t mean you want them in your life.   And when it comes to people who court controversy, at what point does it seem totally insincere?

I’ve thought about writing about a controversial topic for my next book, but I’d want to do it in a way that’s authentic, tactful and classy, using balanced and fair reporting.  My question to you is:  what’s the right way to be controversial?  Is it better to generate mass awareness and dollars by amplifying the stirring the pot, or stick to a more measured approach that will have a small, loyal group of followers with you for the long haul?

New Episode: 30/20 Vision

Please join us the new edition of 30/20 Vision, the radio show for the twenty-something who wishes they had a couple of big sisters to clue them in on the ins and outs of life after college.

The show will feature your hosts, authors Christine Hassler, Lindsey Pollak, and me. It will air live Wednesday, May 20th (tomorrow afternoon) at 5PM ET.  We’ll be talking about gap years and the value of taking some time off between college and work. 

Says Jenny Floren, founder and CEO of Experience. Inc., on the topic of gap years:  "For various reasons, many students pursue a gap year after college.  Some aren't sure where they want to use their skills in the workforce, others feel the need to contribute by volunteering.  When executed correctly, a gap year can be an excellent use of time -  it can be a great way to gain perspective, maturity and experience.  We see more and more employers looking for the types of skills that are sometimes best acquired during a gap year: leadership, negotiation skills, positive work ethic, etc.  Gaining these through volunteerism, a year abroad, teaching or other programs is a great way to round out one's résumé and further hone interests and talents.”

We hope you’ll join us or listen to the replay.

 

6 Tips for Launching an Online Writing Career

Chris Guillebeau, an entrepreneur extraordinaire I met via Twitter, has just come out with 279 Days to Overnight Success, otherwise known as 11,000 words of free advice for how to create success with your own project.  Since I’ve been getting so many questions from WCW readers about this lately, I asked Chris to provide some wisdom for getting started writing online.  Now, for his tips:

• Choose a Topic (maybe):   The traditional advice for online writing is to pick a topic, write on it in great detail, and don't expand beyond your expertise.  That works for some people, but I've been successful writing about a range of topics that are connected to a broader theme (in my case, nonconformity). More and more, I see other writers doing something similar - writing about several topics or sub-topics and building a brand around who they are as a person. In other words, if you don't want to be pigeonholed into one topic, you can safely ignore the traditional advice and do your own thing.
• Set a Schedule:  When you start writing online, make a schedule for your project, announce it on your site, and stick to it. It doesn't really matter if your schedule is once a day or once a month - consistency is the goal.
• Freely Network:  If regular writing is the most important thing, building your network is the second most important thing. Don't worry about monetization in the beginning; worry about readers. You find readers through other bloggers, through social networks, by reaching out to everyone you know.  Don't be shy.  If you have something good, it's worth sharing. If not, make it better and then share.
• Be Interesting: No matter what you're writing on, you have to be somewhat interesting. Give people a reason why.  Even if you choose the traditional "one specific niche" route, you'll stand out much more if you're interesting. I like the quote from Oscar Wilde: "Be yourself, because everyone else is already taken."
• Write the Story: Good marketers and good writers understand that storytelling is extremely important. I didn't understand this very well at first. I told my readers I spent four years in working in post-conflict countries in West Africa, but I didn't say much more.  People wanted to know more - what was that about?  What did I learn?  Once I started providing more details and telling stories, my readership jumped.
• Always Help People: If writers can focus on adding value and delivering content that helps people, I think they'll have a much greater chance of success. I believe is that there is really no competition in this business. Focus on expanding the pie and always looking out for others. In addition to being genuinely helpful, it's surprisingly effective.

Maximizing Your “Gain to Drain” Ratio

Curt Rosengren is one of my favorite life coaches.  His specialty is identifying the sources of energy and incorporating them into your career and life.   At the heart of energy management idea is what Curt calls the Gain to Drain Ratio.  Maximizing your Gain to Drain Ratio is simple.  All you do is:

• Bring as much as possible of what gives you energy (the Gain part of the equation)
• Do whatever you can to minimize the things that drain your energy

In terms of your career, the two key Gain components are passion and meaning.  The more you can incorporate the kinds of things that energize you inspire you, and pull you forward, the more Gain you have.  By the same token, the more you can change the things that suck your energy away - whether by doing something major like a career change or taking small steps to do things more in alignment with how you naturally function - the smaller your Drain will be.

Curt says that the Gain to Drain Ratio idea applies throughout your life, not just your career. For example, a big source of Gain or Drain can be diet and exercise. The more healthily you eat and the more consistently you exercise, the bigger the Gain. Living on Twinkies and potato chips, on the other hand, can be a massive Drain.  And of course, the net effect from things like diet and exercise have an impact on other parts of your life. You might be doing a job you love and making a super-inspiring difference, but if you your diet and exercise habits create a big Drain, it's going to reduce the Gain to Drain Ratio.

Take a look at your own career, and your own life. What does your Gain to Drain Ratio look like?  When you start getting a feel for how the different components of your life affect your overall Gain to Drain Ratio, you can start exploring ways to maximize the Gain and minimize the Drain.

Want to Learn the Art of Persuasion? Consult Aristotle.

Mark Clemente is a business consultant I met online.  He sent me an intriguing e-mail noting that all effective persuasion tactics stem from the ancient teachings of Greek philosopher Aristotle.  Some of his key lessons, which are incorporated in his book Winning Through the Art of Words, include:

• Show Credibility– Aristotle wrote extensively about the “ethical appeal” or ethos, which emphasizes the importance of establishing your credibility as a principal means of persuasion. Take stock of what you have done in the past – including specific personal and professional accomplishments – that highlight your ethos (“wisdom, moral character, and good will” – as Aristotle would say). Factor these into your personal messaging or “positioning” to cite, where appropriate, in face-to-face and written communications.

•   Find Ways to Identify with Your Audience – The importance of striking a common bond with your listener is a core strategy of rhetoric. Aristotle places emphasis on audience analysis to establish how a speaker and audience are similar in terms of shared interests, beliefs, background, etc. For upcoming interviews or new-business meetings, conduct online research to spot ways to identify with the people with whom you’ll be meeting. Then strategically work those identification opportunities into your overall messaging and communication approach.

 

• Use Logic – Persuasion requires sound reasoning. In this context, Aristotle wrote of the “logical appeal” or logos and use of the rhetorical syllogism. This is a series of statements comprised of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion – where, “If A is true, and B is true, then C must be true.” The syllogism is another valuable tool for messaging and communication strategy development. Articulating a syllogism that advances your position – in terms of an advantageous conclusion – provides a solid structure for crafting any persuasive communication.
  

• Incite Positive Emotions – Aristotle’s “emotional appeal” or pathos highlighted the importance of establishing a specific emotion in your listeners in order to facilitate persuasion. It’s necessary, wherever possible and appropriate, to incite positive emotions in your audience that will help instill positive feelings toward you. Aristotle wrote of the importance of human emotions such as emulation, confidence, and friendship – for example, a salesperson “tries to make a friend” in establishing a new-business relationship.

Is Social Media Turning Introverts Into Extroverts?

Liz Strauss has a cool post on the latest thinking regarding introverts and extroverts.  She describes them as follows:

Introverts renew their energy by going inside themselves. When they’re bearing stress, they seek to be alone to find comfort and solve problems. Other people’s energy drains their reserve. Introverts are less likely to seek stimulation from others because their own thoughts and imagination are stimulating enough.

Extroverts refuel by being with other people. When the house falls in, they want to talk it out. Hearing themselves talk is how they solve problems. When they’re with other people they get recharged. Extroverts end to be gregarious, assertive, and interested in seeking out excitement.

It’s not fully understood why some people are introverts and others extroverts. The ratio is changing over time. CPP (formerly Consulting Psychologists Press) is the publisher of the Myers-Briggs assessment and has testing data going back 50 years.  It plans to release research showing younger generations are becoming increasingly extroverted. Those born before 1964, including baby boomers, are split about 50-50 between introversion and extroversion, but 59% of Generation X are extroverted, as are 62% of Millennials.

Says Liz:  “People see me as an extrovert, but I’m not. I’ve heard the same from blogger friends. I understand why people think so. I look around and wonder: are the tools making us extroverts or just making us seem so? Are we introverts or have we become something different in this context? Are introverts becoming extroverts on the social web?”

This is an intriguing question.  I consider myself an introvert as well, and have tested that way multiple times via Myers-Briggs.  But I find myself making statements and having conversations on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter that I never would in an in person social situation or at a speaking engagement.  Via my blog, it seems like I’m always expressing opinions via posts and comments, whereas in the physical world I’m much more hesitant to speak my mind. 

What do you think?

Take the Path to Knowing Yourself

As a result of my recent Wall Street Journal column on self-assessment, my Twitter pal Charlie O’Donnell introduced me to his cool new service, Path 101. 

Path 101 is all about helping candidates figure out where they want to go and how to get there.  There are plenty of places to just find open jobs, but it's not as easy to figure out what you're looking for in the first place.  Via personality tests, resume analysis, and industry profiles, Path 101 provides direction and career insight before you start the application process. 

There are a million career advice websites out there, so what makes Path 101 different?  Charlie says that they’re compiling career data from the resumes and profiles of millions of people across the web. “We don't have anyone writing about what they guess a career in accounting is like – we actually analyze the resumes of accountants,” he says.  “This information helps users them put their careers in context and figure out what might come next.”

The site is visually appealing, and you can use many of the tools without registering.  I love the “Ask Jeeves” feature where you can receive guidance on a specific question, and may very well use the site as a source for my next career book.  If you’re job hunting or just want to see what else is out there, it’s worth a look.