Advantage Media Group - Summer/Fall 2016 by Advantage Media Group

Th e M a r k e t i n g M a g a z i n e f o r E n t r e p r e n e u r s , Bu s i n e s s L e a d e r s , a n d I d e a - M a k e r s

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Fall 2016

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In this issue... 8 | You've Got Fans

"We're the best!" Every business claims as much, but in today's market, testimonials are king. People trust people—let your satisfied clients share your story by sharing their own.

4 | Adam’s Advantage

Is your company tapping into the far-reaching power of referral marketing? By Adam Witty

DEPARTMENTS

6 | Publicity Speaks

Introduce your hero, then chase him up a tree: here's how you capture an audience. By Bill Stainton

14 | Closing Questions

Advantage Arrivals 5 New releases from the second and third quarter of 2016

Noise Makers 7 A look at recent print, radio, and digital media hits for Advantage Members

Advantage Team 7 Meet Advantage's new Senior Project Manager

Debbie Craig is all about numbers. After all, she holds degrees in economics and business and runs her own financial advisement practice. Recently, she logged another

Event Calendar 10 Dates of note and Member anniversaries in the upcoming months

important statistic: one ... book, that is. Her first title, Piece

Advantage People 12

by Piece™, was released in May of 2016.

The third quarter of 2016 meant big stages and broad smiles across the Advantage Family

Authors on Books | You don't say... "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."—Maya Angelou

Opening Number: Upping the ante...

Percentage of customers who trust referrals from people they don't know. http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2013/under-the-influence-consumer-trust-in-advertising.html

843.414.5600 advantagefamily.com THE BUSINESS GROWTH COMPANY

We help busy professionals Grow Their Business by becoming the authority in their field.

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/advantagemediagroup /advantagefamily /company/advantage-media-group

CEO

VP of Publi shi ng

Guest Contri butor

Marketing Assistant

Editor & Art Di rector

Assistant Designer

Copy Editor

Staff Writer

Adam Witty George Stevens

Patti Boysen

Katie Biondo

Bill Stainton Nate Best

Courtney Little Brian Turner

FA L L 2 0 1 6 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 3

Adam’sadvantage People believe what others say about you more than what you do!

K a r s o n P h oto g r a ph y

Referral marketing 101

eople don’t believe what you say about yourself, but they sure do believe what others say about you. Truer words are rarely spoken.

It makes them feel cheap. Instead, your clients

the product/service delivery process. At Advan-

will cheerfully introduce you to friends, family,

tage, we are now mailing 20 first edition copies

or colleagues they believe you can help.

of the Member’s new book to colleagues that

Second, acknowledge and thank your client

would be interested in reading the book. This

Let me pose a question. Do your clients brag

for the introduction. Believe it or not, this is

about you to their friends at dinner parties? Seriously, stop and think about that for a minute. Do they? If the answer is no or “not a chance,” there is work to be done.

the one thing that limits referral flow in most businesses. Clients that give referrals aren’t acknowledged or thanked. This is easy to fix. At Advantage, every time an introduction

now gives us 20 prospects a Member can introduce us to with each new book published. Advantage Member Dr. Steven Hotze allows his customers to “gift” a copy of his book to their friends or family at no charge each Christmas. Dr. Hotze’s office regularly assembles a list of

One of the Seven Pillars in Authority Market-

is made, regardless of quality, a hand-signed

ing™ is Referral Marketing. Most entrepre-

thank-you note and a $10 Starbucks coffee gift

1,000+ leads from this one strategy alone.

neurs will tell you until they are blue in the

card is mailed. This quickly acknowledges and

Finally, as the theme of this issue indicates,

face that word of mouth is their most valu-

thanks the client for their kind gesture.

you must collect stories. Systematically col-

able channel of new client acquisition. When

Third, suggest a quick 10-minute phone in-

lect success stories from your clients. Display

I then ask the entrepreneur to share all they

troduction between you/your company, the

those stories throughout your physical office,

are doing to reliably and consistently stimu-

referrer, and the referral. If you can’t do that, at

website, and all of your marketing materials …

late referrals I get a blank stare with a mouth

least ask the referral what the referee said about

even in your book! Remember, people believe

fallen so wide open that flies could freely enter.

you/your company. I know this will be hard to

what others say about you far more than they

Smart referral marketing is developing systems

believe, but occasionally a client won’t give a

believe what you say about you!

and processes to consistently stimulate referrals

perfect overview of your company’s products

and introductions from your happiest clients.

and services. They don’t purposely misspeak,

So let's talk about a few basics.

they just do. Get a sense of what the referral

First, I recommend you steer clear of the word

knows and doesn’t know first.

“referral.” Instead, use “introduction.” Your cli-

Fourth, embed systems and processes to auto-

ents don’t want to be pumped for “referrals.”

matically stimulate referrals at certain points in

4 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | A D V A N T A G E F A M I L Y . C O M

Adam D. Witty, Founder & Chief Executive Officer awitty@advantageww.com

Advantage arrivals Title

Author

Emotional Utopia

Leah Benson

Managing Retirement Plans

G. David Biddle

Flight 3407

David M. Bissonette

Inclusion

Jennifer Brown

The Ortho Manifesto

Dr. Dustin Burleson

Be Well Assured

Jen Coffel & Kim Bavilacqua

Restore Your Lost Vision Now

Dr. Dennis J. Courtney

Piece by Piece™

Debbie Craig

Pint-Sized Prophets (Hardcover Edition)

Dr. Chuck Dietzen

The 9 a.m. Meeting

Doug Ecklund

Retirement Saving Made Simple™

Robert Kratzer Everett

The Break Away Move

Robert S. Fish

Hear AND Understand

Dr. Eric Frederick

Creating Retirement Plan Perfection

Paul Garnett & Traci Garnett-Froscheiser

The 401(k) Quarterback

Joe Gordon

The Red Zone of Retirement

Peter Hibbard

Winning Adaptive Sales

Lee Hicks

Surviving the Business Storm Cycle

Dave Hopson, Ph.D.

The Big Prescription

Dr. Shan Hussain

Lead with Balance

Donnie Hutchinson

Work Just Gets in the Way of Making Money

Scott Jelinek

So You're in the Family Business...

Paul Karofsky & David Karofsky

Speak to Sell

Dan Kennedy

Practice Freedom Blueprint

Dr. Edward Kondrot

A S.E.A.L. to Heal Your Marriage

Darek Laviolette

The Effective Landlord

Dan Lieberman

Wealth on Purpose

Carlos H. Lowenberg, Jr.

Keep the Cherries, Throw Away the Pits

George N. Luciani

Worth Doing Wrong

Arnie S. Malham

Zero Accidents & Injuries

Bob McCall

The Return of the Pension

Wyatt Moerdyk

Main Street Smarts

David Morgan

Financial Literacy 101

Bobby Ning & Alphil Guilaran

Wall Street Lies

Ted Oakley, Pat Swanson & Trey Crain

Big Shifts Ahead

John Burns & Chris Porter

Retiring with the Lion's Share

Carol Pratt

Making the Cut

Dr. Darshan Shah

Secure Retirement Strategies

Marc Smith & Michael Neft

The Baby Boomer's Guide to a Rockin' & Rollin' Retirement

Danny Smith

Money Does Grow on Trees, the Family Tree

Trey Smith

The Reveal

Bryan Sommer

World's Best Doctors

Victoria Soto

The Power of a Plan

David E. Stone

Here to Help

Kevin Thorn

Results (Workbook)

Scott Weintraub

The New Retirement Standard

James Weiss & Loren Merkle

FA L L 2 0 1 6 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 5

publicityspeaks | Bill Stainton A hero, rocks, and a tree

Need an awesome anecdote for your speech? Here are five steps for a story that sings.

reat stories are the building blocks of a great speech. But where do you find these great stories, and how do you develop them into a tight piece of material that works over and over again?

as big things. Each thing you write down could be the starting point for an unforgettable story. Step 2: Channel Joe Friday

moment when your audience should suddenly think, “Oh crap!” It’s the moment—usually bad, but not always—when everything changes, and there’s no turning back. For example: “I rush out of the store with barely enough time to still make it to the wedding, I look around, and it hits me. My car has been stolen.” This is the incident that propels the rest of the story forward. Find the “Oh crap!” moment

There used to be a TV show called Dragnet,

in your story—the moment when everything

featuring a stony-faced detective named Joe

changes—and craft it so that it appears one

Friday, who was famous for his tagline, “Just

Overview: The Structure

quarter of the way through your story.

the facts, ma’am.” For Step 2, you need to be like Joe Friday.

Step 4: Go Rock Collecting

Before we get into the system itself, let’s talk about basic story structure—very basic story structure, like beginning, middle, and end. (I told you it was basic.) Each of these stages has a specific job within your story. The best description I’ve ever heard is this:

Here’s a simple, 5-step system that I’ve developed to do just that.

Beginning: Get your hero up a tree. Middle: Throw rocks at him. End: Let him down. With this structure in mind, let’s get to the 5-step system. The System Step 1: Ask the Magic Question When speakers are trying to find great stories from their own experience, they invariably ask, “When did something funny happen?” They come up with one or two obvious answers, and then they go blank. That’s because they’re asking the wrong question. The right question—the Magic Question—is, “When did something go wrong?” Comedy and drama are both based on conflict, and conflict is when something goes wrong. So Step 1 is to ask yourself the Magic Question and make a list of every time in your life that something went wrong—little things as well 6 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | A D V A N T A G E F A M I L Y . C O M

"One way to find your ending is to look at the beginning of your story. If you can end it using the same words you used to begin it, you'll have an ending that truly does wrap your story up and tie it together." The beginning of your story is where you introduce the facts that your audience will need to know in order to understand the rest of the

Now that your hero is up a tree (the “Oh crap!” moment has been revealed), this is the time to throw rocks at him (or her). Come up with a list of everything that did—or could—go wrong to make life even worse for your hero. Here’s a tip: try to make the rocks increase in intensity as the story moves forward. (I call this “escalating the conflict.”) The “rock collecting” (which is the middle of your story) should comprise roughly 55-70 percent of your time. Step 5: UPS It What do you do when you take a package to UPS to ship? You wrap it up and tie it together, and that’s what the ending of your story

story. Who is the “hero”? (And by “hero,” I just

should do.

mean the person that the story is about—in

One way to find your ending is to look at the

most cases, you.) What is he/she trying to ac-

beginning of your story. If you can end your

complish? Are there other characters your au-

story using the same (or similar) words that

dience will need to know about? Is the weather

you used to begin it, you’ll have an ending

important? Time of year? If it is, put it in. If it’s

that truly does wrap your story up and tie it

not, leave it out. You get the idea. Don’t clutter

together.

it up with things the audience doesn’t need to know. Just the facts, ma’am. Step 3: Plant the Crap There’s a crucial moment in your story that I call the “Oh crap!” moment because this is the

Bill Stainton is a 29-time Emmy Award-winning executive producer and respected leader in the Seattle business community. He is a regular contributor to Seattle Business magazine, and his expertise has been cited by Forbes and The Wall Street Journal. Bill has also authored nine business training video programs in subjects ranging from office politics to customer service to team motivation.

noisemakers | Advantage Members in the headlines Drew Harper Coauthor of Space at the Table: Conversations Between an Evangelical Theologian and his Gay Son discussed on the Huffington Post the challenges he had to overcome to write his debut novel with his father, Brad Harper.

SC Moatti

Author of Mobilized was a guest on NPR's Tech Nation where she spoke about the mobile revolution and the formula guiding mobile success.

Michelle Reina Michelle's article, "What Every Business Can Learn about the Kelly Ripa—ABC Spat," was featured on Fortune.com in April.

Ron Wallace Ron's book Leadership Lessons from a UPS Driver received a positive review featured on Forbes.com.

Caroline Webb Caroline's book How to Have a Good Day was featured in The Economist in an article about executives improving personal performance.

advantageteam |

Have you been making noise in local, regional, or national media? Let us know, and we’ll feature you in next issue’s Noise Makers! E-mail: alooney@advantageww.com

Advantage Team Member Profile

As Advantage's Senior Project Manager, Kirby works on managing both internal and external workflows,

identifying

inefficiencies,

and

prioritizing various tasks to ensure that book

K a r s o n P h oto g r a ph y

projects are delivered on schedule to the authors

Kirby Andersen Senior Project Manager

to their complete liking! Kirby has a background in project management, most recently crafting and honing his skills at AMC Networks in New York. Kirby hails from Massachusetts, is an avid surfer, and loves the New England Patriots! Learn more about the various products and services that our Team can suggest for your business. | p. 2 FA L L 2 0 1 6 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 7

You've got

FANs They're singing your praises...

so hand 'em a mic!

from appreciative witnesses were soon to follow. Proclaimed “the greatest thing since the discovery of fire,” the genius of the wheel was surely spread by word of mouth, hence its meteoric (and longlasting) popularity.

ssst! People are talking. And if you're really fortunate, the topic is you.

In today’s hyper-competitive, digitally-driven, super-saturated marketplace, the voice of the people—your clients and customers—may be the most valuable marketing tool you’ve got. In the history of essential marketing techniques, the customer testimonial is undoubtedly the oldest in the book. Consider the invention of the wheel. Once it made its first public appearance, I’d wager that a series of prehistoric grunts and cave paintings 8 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | A D V A N T A G E F A M I L Y . C O M

Several dozen millennia later, there are any number of viable routes to take for marketing success. Direct mail, print ads, radio and TV spots, blog posts, and social media campaigns populate the marketing plans for the world’s greatest companies. Each platform boasts its own strengths and weaknesses, costs and benefits. But for appealing to the modern-day consumer, more cynical and skeptical than in any generation past, nothing rivals the old faithful customer testimonial for instilling and building trust. In fact, it’s proven to be the Holy Grail for companies like TripAdvisor, Amazon. com, and Yelp! The spectacular growth of today’s most influential brands can be attributed to trading

the traditional “Our Savings Are Crazy!!” promises popularized by used car salesmen for leveraging the voice of the consumer. According to a recent survey by Search Engine Land, 72 percent of consumers polled claim to trust the public’s reviews of a company as much as a personal recommendation from a friend. A satisfied client can serve as an experienced evangelist for your brand. So, unless you’re delivering subpar goods or services (in which case, you should probably close up shop now) your customer comments should be bellowed from the mountaintops. If, however, there are no appropriately towering mountain ranges in your area, there are several other ways to spread the praise of your raving fans.

The World. Wide. WOW! In 2016, the quickest (and perhaps most valuable) venue for showcasing testimonials is through your company’s personal corner of the worldwide web: your website. The great majority of your potential clientele will be introduced to your brand and your services here. Along with the opportunity to tout your expertise, your quality goods or servic-

es, and your company voice, your site serves as a platform for building the kind of trust that money can’t buy. And your past clients make up the building blocks. Third-party testimonials, presented with skillful design, foster an instant credibility for your business. Building a customer testimonial page is the obvious place to start. Here, special attention to aesthetics will carry you far. Easy-to-read typography, colors that reflect brand, and engaging imagery will keep your prospects focused on your customers’ kudos. As with most digitally presented messaging, short but sweet is key. Feature customer quotes that are pithy but powerful and offer a link to read further if the testimonial is strong but unwieldy in length. To further authenticity, it’s important to include the full name of each contributor and, when possible, a photo. A smiling, friendly customer headshot set alongside their glowing quote is a surefire trust builder between your client and your company. Today’s most confident businesses have moved beyond the single testimonial page format for broadcasting their fans’ hosannahs. Rather than relinquishing public praise to the deep inner pages of their websites, they make it the main attraction with prime placement on their homepage. An enthusiastic client will be honored to take center stage, and by featuring a customer as your website’s lead in, you’re showcasing both your commitment to the consumer—and their loyalty to you.

Lights. Camera. ACCLAIM! With video capabilities now available across more and more social media platforms, onscreen testimonials are invading the landscape. The investment is minimal and the return on that investment can be tremendous. For your camera-ready client, the chance at momentary celebrity status could be irresistible and, if they’ve got an energetic, warm persona, their live-action shout-out could prove invaluable in connecting with your target market. Consider the skyrocketing instant success of singer Patti LaBelle’s baked goods company after a flamboyant fan (literally) sang his praises to the diva’s sweet potato pie in a home video. The spirited clip went viral, and within days, the product was sold out in stores across the country.

Distributing your video footage is simplified by signing up for a free YouTube account. The service allows for posting clips across your website as well as popular social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter. There’s no need to hire an Academy Awardwinning cinematographer for the task. A simple, unpolished clip, captured on a cheap camera or cellphone, not only reduces your investment but furthers the sort of homegrown authenticity that resonates with the viewer.

The Old School Shout-Out The high-tech temptations of digital marketing are, no doubt, quite powerful. But there’s a versatility to the standard customer testimonial that transcends online-only placement. Consider featuring a customer quote or two in sales packs. Direct mail pieces, too, might be bolstered with a statement from a fan. A persuasive recommendation from a content client is a welcome sales tool wherever it lands. Be creative. Consider adding a succinct quote from a happy customer on the back of your business cards. Better yet, create a template for several business cards with a different quote claiming the back of each. If you’ve got people boasting for you, then do yourself a favor and give them a platform to do it. For building trust and transparency in your prospective customer relationships, the testimonial is a cost-effective, tried-and-true solution. When you’ve got the right clients saying the right things across the right media platforms, you’ve got a personal PR team in your corner—and they’re working for free. Oh, look what just came in! A testimonial dedicated to this very article about testimonials! ten!

autifully writ

be "This story is

ust be very The author m d gifted. intelligent an that he's And I'm sure boy!" a very good 's —The Author

Mother

Awww … the people have spoken.

TESTIMONIAL TIPS While any customer praise is a feather in your marketing hat, you’ll want testimonials that afford your company a fully plumed headdress. In soliciting feedback, it’s wise to steer the client away from generic or irrelevant comments. “This company is awesome!” or “My sales rep was wearing super-cute shoes!” will do little to further brand credibility. Guide your satisfied customer toward more tailored messaging by asking them a few specific questions:

1. What problems were you or your business facing prior to contacting us? 2. How has our company helped you to remedy these issues? 3. What concrete results have you seen as a result of our services? 4. Would you recommend us to a friend? FA L L 2 0 1 6 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 9

Event Calendar THU

EO Alchemy

FRI

S AT

EO Alchemy

Patti Conrad

Happy Birthday to AMG's

Adam Witty

Columbus Day

Growth 25 Gazelles 26 Summit

EO Alchemy Happy Birthday to AMG's

OCTOBER

WED

oct. 3

TUE

AMG Team Member Anniversary:

Allison Looney

3 28

NOVEMBER

MON

Adela Naranjo Alain Samson Susan West Carolyn Finch Doreen Lehr Vladimir Zakharov Cliff Slaten Rodger Friedman Graham Symmond Lisa Miller Lisa Parker Steve Musick Bob Ingram Lucas Boyce Kirk Laman Joseph Marcius Carol Desmond Steve Bosley Tony Leone Yolanda Harris Chris Hurn Jason Stapleton Pat McGuire Paul Davey Jennifer Myers Kayla Mai Frank Patrick Larry Kesslin Eleazar Kadile Lynne Lambert Tim Thayne Mike Sprouse Matt Zagula Nancy Eberhardt Greg Lawlor Matt Dicken Ed Basler Corinne Sandler Patrick Began Milo Hamilton Charlette Manning John Cotton John Lorenzen Jackie Lapin Jim Mathis Kim Mathis Tanya Jones Jim Jacobus Patrick Barrett Dr. Julie Marshall Cal LeMon Courtney Cole Marianne Ragins Gary Newell Olimpia Zuccarelli Allyson Tomkin Scott Keffer

AMG Team Member Anniversaries:

Courtney Little, Jonna Palmer & Kristin Hackler

Happy Birthday to AMG's

31 

Shelby Janner

Halloween

7 

Daylight Savings Time

nov.

AMG Team Member Anniversary:

Katie Biondo





Election Day

Veterans Day

Happy Birthday to AMG's

Melanie Cloth

Happy Birthday to AMG's

Kristin Hackler

Happy Birthday to AMG's

AMG Team Member Anniversary:

George Stevens

Thanksgiving

Happy Birthday to AMG's

Paige Velasquez

Sam Joseph

dec. 9



Happy Birthday to AMG's

Allison Looney

18/25

19/26

20/27

21/28

22/29

23/30

24/31





Christmas

New Year's Eve

1 0 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | A D V A N T A G E F A M I L Y . C O M

Mary Beall Adler John Decky Shannon Susko David Benzel Sandra Mullen Robert Lalor Sonia Kwapisinkski Mike Woodward Peter Weschler Adrian Mikeliunas Tara Shollenberger Dan Ohlwiler Carol Miller David Eisner Sebastian Rusk John Dolan Mary Lamontagne William Smith Chris Ruisi Sid Fuch Dale Wong James Ziegler Frank McKinley Jessica Munday Ken Hardison Richard McFarland Rob Konecny Phillis Pilvinis Roger Denk Gerald Difusco Keith Ayer DJ William Sandra Herron

DECEMBER

SUN

AUTHOR ANNIVERSARIES

TURN THE PAGE ON OLD SCHOOL MARKETING STRATEGIES. LEAD THE FIELD , THE LATEST BESTSELLER BY ADAM WITTY, CELEBRATES THE UNDENIABLE POWER OF AUTHORITY MARKETING FOR DOMINATING THE COMPETITION. As the leader in your industry, community, or marketplace you can position yourself and your business as the undisputed expert, influential authority, and in-demand celebrity. Leading your field makes marketing, selling, and building trust with your target demographic easier than ever before. Inside the Lead The Field book, you will learn:

Learn the secrets to hyper growing

•

What Authority Marketing actually is

your business from Adam Witty, the

•

Four reasons Authority Marketing makes growing a business much easier

authority in Authority Marketing™

•

Seven Pillars of Authority Marketing

•

Examples of Authority Marketing in business today

•

How to implement Authority Marketing into your business for gain, fame, and fortune

To claim your no-cost copy of Lead The Field, visit: advantagefamily.com/leadthefield

Advantagepeople

4 A STOCKED SUMMER:

1: VP of Authority Marketing, Alison Morse, welcomed Advantage

Member Dr. Jamie Reynolds and his team for an Authority Marketing Blueprint Day. 2: The Charleston Advantage Team volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, contributing their time to tape and paint interior trim. 3: Advantage Author, David Rendall, started off AdvantageStock with a keynote presentation for Team Members. 4: Team Members in Austin celebrated Cow Appreciation Day at their local Chick-fil-A by dressing up and enjoying complimentary sandwiches. 5: The Advantage Team celebrated the first night of AdvantageStock with a sunset cruise around the Charleston harbor. 6: After Team Members completed a citywide scavenger hunt as part of AdvantageStock festivities, Adam threw them a pizza party. 7: VP of Authority Marketing, Mitch Broderick, welcomed Advantage Member TJ Kancuzewski and Mauricio Anon

for an Authority Marketing Blueprint Day. They even brought their signature solar powered backpack! 8: Have you seen our A-Players?! Austin Team Members showed their support for the US Olypmic team by dressing as gold-medal athletes. 9: As construction came to an end at the Charleston office, Mr. Witty thanked Eddie and his team for their hard work with cake and a small celebration.

1 2 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | A D V A N T A G E F A M I L Y . C O M

6 7

FA L L 2 0 1 6 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 1 3

For a full slate of new releases from the second and third quarter of 2016, turn to page 4.

CLOSING QUESTIONS Debbie Craig is all about numbers. After all, she holds degrees in economics and business and runs her own financial advisement practice. Recently, she logged another important statistic: one ... book, that is. Her first title, Piece by Piece™, was released in May of 2016. She shared with Advantage Magazine her thoughts on the publishing process and how a book was the perfect vehicle for her message.

Tell us about yourself and your professional career. How did you get where to you are today? A degree in economics at Kalamazoo College, an MBA at Kellogg Business School at Northwestern University, then 15 years in financial positions at General Motors. At age 10, I had my mom drive me to Olde Discount in Warren, Michigan, to purchase a stock (Wendy’s) and a mutual fund (Templeton Global). I can never remember not loving the beauty of numbers and working with people. It was time to establish my independent practice in 2000. I want to come to work every day. 1 4 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | A D V A N T A G E F A M I L Y . C O M

There are plenty of financial planners out there, but few of them can claim to be authors. What made you want to decide to author a book? Two primary reasons—first, it’s on my bucket list! Second, to communicate the Piece by Piece™ plan in a permanent place (paper or digital) so that the model can be read and referred to many times. “We have a plan and this is the framework we used” can become a kind of mantra when the “media noise” tries to unsettle my clients’ retirement confidence.

Your book is characterized by—well, characters! Talk about that structure and how the Piece by Piece™ plan can help those planning for retirement. The magnitude and speed of infor"Everyone mation is terrifying! The Piece by on earth was Piece™ model is built and personalized by each client because each imbued with a person has different dreams and passions that they want to see come different talent. to fruition during the next season Use a book to of their lives. By building “piece by piece” they are able to have confishare it!" dence in their own plans, turn off the TV, and go walk the dog (or play pickleball, or visit grandkids, or golf, or volunteer…)! Talk about working with Advantage and the publishing process in general. What were the challenges? What was the most rewarding part?

D I S C OV E R S T R AT E G I E S TO S H E LT E R YO U R CAREER A N D YO U R LIFE You’ve heard the horror stories of malpractice—of doctors who lost their license and were forced to close their practice. With so much time, energy, and

The most challenging part of writing a financial book is compliance. Advantage was able to help navigate the many iterations of trying to “get it right” for my many different approval partners. There are many roles in the publishing process (editor, layout, design, covers, manufacturing, distribution) and I, as a first-time writer, could never have navigated them on my own. Advantage wrote the map!

money on the line, it only makes sense to

There are plenty of wouldbe authors who need a nudge. What advice would you give for someone who's unsure about publishing?

protecting doctors, Victoria Soto knows

Piece by Piece

2016, Advantage Media Group

Everyone on earth was imbued with a different talent. Don’t bury it, use a book to share it with the world where we can all be inspired by it! FA L L 2 0 1 5 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 1 5

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