Ep 170 Creating a Commercial Ecosystem for Your Book

In the fierce and fabulous world of online business, we are always talking about and working on our ascension model - lead magnets, newsletters and podcasts (oh my!) to name just a few of my faves. So I’m sure it comes as no surprise when I tell you that throwing a book into the mix is one of the most complimentary things that you can include in your commercial ecosystem.

A lot of people have the dream to write a book, but it is a HUGE undertaking in both the amount of effort that is required, but also the permanence.

Unlike online offerings that you can update or re-record as time passes, your book is locked. It’s there as a reflection of who you are at the time that you wrote it and the knowledge that you held at that time.

I’ll never forget the golden advice from Valerie Khoo, who spoke about networking at events and the “un-binnable” power of books. “At events, people get given a dozen business cards, then they go home, and those cards ultimately end up in the garbage. BUT if you’ve written a book, take copies of your books instead of business cards that you can give to the people you connect with at events. Those people are not tossing a book in the bin. They're putting that on their shelf.” 

Books have staying power, and when you write a book, your credibility also has staying power.

When I started planning my second book, Million Dollar Micro Business, it was important to me that we considered how it would fit into the commercial ecosystem that I already had. How it would co-exist with a podcast, downloadable content, my short courses, and Her Empire Builder. 

My programs are all for people that already have their business started and on-track. I knew that I didn’t have anything on offer that went back to the very beginning, and that was the gap in my commercial ecosystem that I was desperate to fill with Million Dollar Microbusiness.

“But why a book, Tina?”
You might ask.
“Couldn’t you have just whacked together a beginners course in a lot less time, and with a lot less tears?”

How could it NOT be a book is the real question!

You see, so many of the things that have shaped my belief, that have changed my habits in business and contributed to my success started from a book for $20. It blew my mind, and I wanted to contribute that back to the world. Today, Million Dollar Micro Business has surpassed 10,000 copies sold, and because of the lower price point, it can go far throughout the world and have that much bigger impact.

Which of course, fits beautifully into my ascension model.

From book sales, we've since had over 500 people take my starter level course, Idea to Launch, and that is purely because our ascension model was at the top of my mind when I was writing and marketing the book. When a book is a winner, your readers are going to want to take that next step with you so you, and you want to make that as easy as possible.

This means that all the way throughout your book, you want to be considering resources that you can include to take your reader on an experience beyond the book itself.  All the way throughout Million Dollar Micro Business, there are additional resources, workbooks and exercises that take my readers to milliondollarmicrobusiness.com where they enter their details and come further into the ascension model that we have created. 

It’s really the start of a beautiful relationship!

From book purchase to website opt-in, these readers are now able to be introduced to the podcast, course offerings and Her Empire Builder launches. If they're subscribed and gaining huge value from what we are providing, they're ready to take that next step and join our higher tier programs. 

Having those beautiful invitations throughout your book that always circle back into your website provide you with a huge opportunity to build, nurture and connect with your followers. 

And here’s what happens in their inbox once they take the lead and join us in the ecosystem:

1. They purchase Million Dollar Micro Business
2. They submit their email address to access the workbooks and bonus content scattered throughout the book
3. The receive email #1
   “Hey, I'm Tina, how are you going?
   Nice to meet you!
   This is a little bit about me.
   I'm so happy that you're part of my world” 
4. They receive email #2 a few days later, where I share a customer case-study and showcase the types of people that usually work with me and ask them the important question: “Can you see yourself in this program? Because if you can, these are the results that you can expect when you can work with me”
5. The final email they receive before going onto our weekly email list is a simple invitation:
   “If you want to take the next step, here are the ways you can work with me”

A relationship has blossomed, and that's how it can continue by making it easy for someone to take the next step with you when they are ready.

Ecosystem Tip: Make sure to have your email sequences all mapped out so that as soon as people opt in, they are moved into the correct sequence (and that nobody currently on your list accidentally receives an introduction by mistake!) By tagging the purchasers of your book you can also send them special offers for program launches, new products or events.

By being clear on your ascension model and including the commercial ecosystem from your book, you will gain more of an idea of where your readers are up to in their business journey and be there for them when they’re ready to level up with you.

The bad news? When you write your book it’s unlikely that you’ll make much money out of the book itself.

The gorgeous news? Where you do create your wealth is by having your book in a seamless, automated ascension model, so that people who are reading the book find it very easy to take that next step.