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
M
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Fall 2014
$4.99
How to implement true-aim marketing to reach your target audience ADAM'S ADVANTAGE
FINDING YOUR VOICE
CLOSING QUESTIONS
Quarterly letter from the CEO | p. 4
How to stand out from the masses | p. 6
Rodger Friedman on lasting bonds | p. 14
ADVANTAGE MEDIA GROUP AdvantageGROUP Media Group is an international publisher dedicated to entrepreneurs, ADVANTAGE MEDIA business leaders, and professional speakers. We help clients Write, Publish, Monetize, and Market their books and content to grow their businesses. Advantage has one mission: to help our clients and their constituencies Learn & Grow™.
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TELL US HOW WE CAN HELP YOU BEST 843.414.5600 advantagefamily.com
In this issue... 8 | Target Practice
Perfecting the art of precision marketing takes time, patience, and the ability to reach the right eyes and ears. Implement true-aim marketing to hit your personal bullseye. By Christina Wells
4 | Adam’s Advantage
Pick your target wisely—but don't hesitate to adjust your aim as needed. By Adam Witty
DEPARTMENTS
6 | Publicity Speaks
Advantage Activity 5 New releases from the third quarter; print and eBook best seller lists
Noise Makers 7
How can you set yourself apart as a professional? Find your voice. By Adam Cufr, guest columnist
A look at recent print, radio and digital media hits for Advantage clients
14 | Closing Questions
Advantage Team 7 Meet Advantage's new Client Success Manager
Rodger Alan Friedman is a financial advisor with more than three decades in the financial services industry. He discusses why and how his new book, Forging Bonds
Event Calendar 10 Dates of note and client anniversaries in the upcoming months
of Steel, came to be, and the importance of trust and
Advantage People 12
confidence between a financial advisor and his clients.
The spirit of summertime had the Advantage family as active as ever
Authors on Books | Who's afraid of good advice... “So long as you write what you wish to write, that is all that matters.” — Virginia Woolf
Opening Number: Stay positive...
79
Percentage of marketing leads that never convert into sales. http://www.hubspot.com/marketing-statistics
843.414.5600 advantagefamily.com ADVANTAGE MEDIA GROUP
Publisher of Business, Self-Improvement, and Professional Development Books and Online Courses
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CEO
Director of Publi shi ng
Publicity Edi tor
E di t ori a l Di rec t or
Editor & Art Di rector
Marketi ng Edi tor
Marketi ng Assi stant
Guest C ont ri but or
Adam Witty George Stevens
Advantage Magazine Issue 28 Fall 2014 © Advantage Media Group. All rights reserved. Trademarks used by permission.
Patti Boysen
Christina Wells
Jenn Ash
Katie Biondo
Denis Boyles Adam Cufr
FA L L 2 0 1 4 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 3
Adam’sadvantage Consumers look for businesses that are speaking directly to them.
K a r s o n P h oto g r a ph y
The evolution of target audiences
W
hen Advantage first launched, in 2005, we began with a focus on the speaking world. My friend and long-time mentor, Pat Wil-
liams, urged me to start a publishing business whose sole focus was to help speakers become better, higher-paid speakers, as authors of published books. Although, nine incredible years later, our client roster contains many professional speakers, and we continue to partner with speakers associations annually, our target audience has evolved with us over the years.
member to maintain a successful, thriving business, is that your targeting is everything. In a world inundated with options, consumers are looking for businesses that are speaking directly to them. Where we began as a publisher for speakers, we’ve become a publisher for professionals, whether that is speakers, entrepreneurs, dentists, doctors, lawyers, etc. What this means is that in all of our collateral, all of our messaging to attract new authors, we must aim to speak to them directly. Make the choice easy for your prospects and see your revenues grow. Remember, no matter what audience segment you are targeting, your ideal client is out there, you just have to know where to find them, what to offer them and how to speak to them. This is the winning combination to
What you may have set out to be your ideal client, in all
grow your client base through effective, targeted mar-
likelihood, has changed over the years as you’ve become
keting messages.
more skilled, more specific and more strategic in the services you deliver and who you deliver them to. Whether you’re a retirement planner who only works with doctors, or a business coach who focuses on building team morale in the restaurant industry, the most important thing to re4 | 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 activity n e w r efrom l Advantage e a s Authors es
Planning for a Loved One with Chronic Illness Inside Strategies to Plan for Medicaid, Veterans Benefits and Long-term Care
Making the Yield
When You Get There
Forging Bonds of Steel
Real Estate Hard Money Lending Uncovered
An Autobiography
S alvatore M. B uscemi
174 pp.; paperback; $14.99
How to Build a Successful and Lasting Relationship with Your Financial Advisor
J ennifer C arroll
232 pp.; paperback; $15.99
R odger A lan F riedman
C hristopher J. B erry
194 pp.; paperback; $14.99
134 pp.; paperback; $14.99
Career Asset Management
Free the Idea Monkey
Crazy Lucky Girl
Out of the Question
To Focus on What Matters Most
D o Y ou H ave the K eys to S uccess ?
How Curious Leaders Win
G. M ichael M addock R aphael L ouis V it Ăł n
S usan M eitner
G uy P arsons A llan M ilham
144 pp.; hardcover; $21.95
158 pp.; paperback; $14.99
Creating Your Retirement Vault
The Metronome Effect
Strategies to Protect Your Investments & Provide Predictable Lifetime Income
The Journey to Predictable Profit
H arry P appas J r .
Always Wear Lipstick— Especially Red
262 pp.; paperback; $18.99
P enny S pencer
J ustin S truble
192 pp.; paperback; $14.99
Getting Ahead, Staying Ahead and Using Your Head to Maximize Your Career Value M ichael H aubrich
232 pp.; hardcover; $24.95
132 pp.; paperback, $13.99
The Better Way; A Better life A Life Changing Journey for CPAs & Financial Advisors
Love What You Do... and Never Work a Day in Your Life!
108 pp.; hardcover; $14.99
124 pp.; paperback; $14.99
Advantage Best Seller List: September 2014 Title
S hannon B yrne S usko
Advantage eBook Best Seller List: September 2014
Author
Title
Author
1 Happy Belly
Nadya Andreeva
1
Happy Belly
Nadya Andreeva
2 Hyper Sales Growth
Jack Daly
2
Hypothyroidism, Health & Happiness
Steven F. Hotze
3 Clarity
Steve Cesari
3
Hyper Sales Growth
Jack Daly
4 Making a Difference
Steve Gilliland
4
Safe & Sound
T.S. Krupa
5 Who Are You...When You Are BIG?
Allan Milham Kimberly Roush
5
Not By Chance
Tim Thayne
6 Hypothyroidism, Health & Happiness
Steven F. Hotze
6
Hide Your Goat
Steve Gilliland
7 Imagine Living Without Type 2 Diabetes
J. Murray Hockings
7
Fitness Model Diet
Jennifer Nicole Lee
8 Not by Chance
Tim Thayne
8
Hormones, Health, and Happiness
Steven F. Hotze
9 Hide Your Goat
Steve Gilliland
9
Wading into Chaos
Bob Holdsworth
10
Why Physician Home Loans Fail
Josh Mettle
10 Just the Fracks, Ma'am
Greg Kozera
FA L L 2 0 1 4 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 5
publicityspeaks | Adam Cufr, guest columnist Finding your voice
W
Off the Record by Adam Cufr
Eight key questions for any financial advisor with the desire to be heard
riting a book and having it published can be a very transformational personal experience. Sure, I could share with you the dramatic ways that my book has deepened my relationships, my public credibility, and my new business pipeline, but I will leave that to others. What I want to share with you has less to do with the final product and its result, and instead is focused on what the process of writing your book can do for you. There are hundreds of thousands of financial advisors in the United States right now, most of whom struggle to answer the question: Why should someone choose me, rather than anyone else, as their personal advisor? The truth is, to the public, we all look about the same. To the companies that we represent, we all look just about the same. Are you really okay with that? So how can you stand apart from the masses and become known for your unique skills and approach? Find your voice. The journey and process of writing your book can give you the ability to speak directly to your current and prospective clients. This act in-and-of itself can define the value that you add to your clients. See, the moment you commit to writing your book, you begin the unbelievably valuable process of discovering what you really think, how you really feel, and who you really are in this business. Once you develop your story and master the skill of telling it, you become an industry of one. You’re the only one who approaches planning the way you do and you’re the only one who can communicate with people the way that you uniquely do. I’d like to suggest that committing to writing your book is the catalyst you need, that we all need, to finally stake claim to who we really are. 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
To help you develop your voice and possibly your book, consider these questions: 1. What is unique about you that makes you who you are, not only as an advisor, but as a person? 2. How did you get into this business and into the role in which you currently serve? 3. What outcomes can your clients expect to achieve as a result of your planning process? 4. What qualifications do you possess that make you a credible source of financial expertise? 5. What would your best client say about you to other prospective clients? 6. What would past clients say about you? 7. What types of clients should not consider working with you?
Published in 2014 Advantage Media Group
8. Why should the reader do business with you as opposed to any other advisor in the world? As you can see, this is deep stuff we’re talking about here. The road to being published should be paved with numerous personal obstacles, but those obstacles will prove to help you dig deeper and more clearly develop your own voice. If the process were easy, everybody would write a book and people would not hold the same level of respect for those who do. Yes, authoring a book has incredible cache and prestige, but it also plays a unique role in shaping everything you do in your chosen calling. Now may be the time for you to find your voice. Adam Cufr, RICP® is the owner of Fourth Dimension Financial Group, LLC in Perrysburg, Ohio. He is a retirement planner, a monthly columnist for Retirement Advisor Magazine, and the author of Off the Record—Secrets to Building a Successful Retirement and a Lasting Legacy. To learn more, go to www.OffTheRecordRetirement.com.
HOW CAN YOU STAND APART FROM THE MASSES AND BECOME KNOWN FOR YOUR UNIQUE SKILLS AND APPROACH?
FIND YOUR
VOICE.
noisemakers | Advantage clients in the headlines Steve Cesari Host Airport Bookstores selected Steve Cesari's book Clarity to be featured in airport stores.
Nancy Eberhardt Served on a panel discussing "Messaging— The Impact of Positive Storytelling" at the 6th Annual Women Are Talking Summit in June.
Josh Mettle Listed as Top 10 Best Physician Financial Books according to The White Coat Investor.
Rodger Friedman Will have an article published in an upcoming issue of Life & Health Advisor magazine.
Neal Peterson One of five Advantage authors serving as featured speakers at the recent EO Nerve conference in Philadelphia.
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: jash@advantageww.com
Advantage Team Member Profile As the Client Success Specialist, Claire Watson brings her enthusiastic spirit to serve as the newest member to the Advantage Media Group family. Claire will play a pivotal role in Advantage's commitment to excellence and world-class customer service as she acts as the guiding light and liaison for all of our authors. From planning the Author Immersion Workdays, to taking book orders, to checking in to see how things are going, Claire is eager to help. The only "no" you will hear from her is, "no problem!"
Claire Watson Client Success Specialist
Learn more about the various products and services that our team can suggest for your business. | p. 2 FA L L 2 0 1 4 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 7
to describe your ideal clients. Are they members of a specific group or association? Do they have certain credentials or academic achievements? Have they purchased a specific item or subscription that connects them well to your product or service? These questions dive a little deeper into who your clients are, beyond their general demographics, and into their behaviors and accomplishments. These are the types of questions you should be asking yourself and using as a quality control measure in all of your marketing. In addition, of course, to gender, age, location, income, marital status, etc. 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
With today’s consumer world inundated with marketing messages online, in email, in the mail, on TV, on the radio and even via text, it’s hard to stand out against competition. As a recipient of these marketing messages, you’ve likely found yourself questioning why they thought you would be a good prospect for service X or product Y. Sometimes, when marketing misses the target so much, you may even think the company is a joke or, even worse, get angry! These are not necessarily the emotions you want to invoke in your target audience, are they? That’s why marketing intelligently to a specific, niche group that fits your ideal client
profile is key! Marketing that is broad is like marketing blindly. Although you may cast your net wide and receive a large quantity of responses, the quality is what leads to sales and increased profits for you and your business. Marketing to demographic information may get you far, but only so far. Behaviors are very telling, especially those that provide insight into purchasing patterns. If your current marketing efforts are missing the mark and aren’t netting the return you need, refine the message and optimize your audience targeting. The following are 5 strategies to remain laser-focused in your marketing and attract your ideal client:
Speak their language. None of us likes feeling “sold.” There’s usually a lot of wishy-washy, fluff talk in marketing that makes the recipient feel like they could be anyone for all you care, you just want their money. In the B2B and B2C worlds, personalization and marketing to emotion is critical to both convey the message of your brand or service and to ignite desire in the purchaser. When crafting effective copy to reel in your target audience, put yourself in their shoes and embrace their pain. Why do they need your service or product? What problem are you solving for them? Speaking to these points will not only convey your genuine interest in helping them, but you put yourself on an even playing field, building a connection unlike some of your competitors.
Connect online and off. Although many of you may believe in either traditional or digital marketing means, it’s the combination of both that can prove most successful. Let me provide an example. If you are an exhibitor at a conference for which your ideal clients are likely attendees, you’ll have a slew of conversations in-person throughout the event. But, unless your company is local and all attendees are too, you’re unlikely to have another face-to-face meeting for some time. That is why connecting online and accommodating the geographical differences of your prospects is crucial. Join the conversation on social platforms such as Linked In. Secure speaking at events where you’ve found success in securing clients before. Provide a newsletter series with information and tips. Hold demonstrations and seminars for your audience. Combining these methods affords you the opportunity to appeal to a larger majority of your target audience, in more ways than one.
Share your successes. Go on, brag a little. In fact, brag a lot… and I don’t just mean through letters of reference or testimonials littered throughout your marketing collateral. Don’t get me wrong, those are great and need to happen, but there’s more. We all know the saying “seeing is believing,” well so is hearing! Often times, the difference between a sale and no sale is providing a reference for your prospect that can help them see you and your services as the obvious choice. When you have someone who represents your target audience who is also a supremely pleased client, connecting the two via a phone conversation or providing a video that captures the client’s enthusiasm and endorsement, can be incredibly impactful. So much so, you can’t risk not doing this.
Turn your clients into your biggest referral source. Attracting clients is one thing. Funneling is another. Imagine, you’ve become so good at attracting your ideal client and making them happy to have partnered with you, they open the floodgates to more people like them. How easy is it to take a minute to speak with a happy client or customer and just say, “It has been an absolute pleasure working with you. We would be thrilled if all clients were like you. Do you have a moment to throw around some ideas about where we could find more people like you?” Two things are likely to happen here. First, if your client knows someone who is in need of your services, they’ll tell you. Because you haven’t directly asked for a referral, the conversation becomes more organic and less forced. Secondly, your client will provide connections they have with groups, like associations, industry subscriptions, etc. All roads point to new pools of your ideal clients.
Always be testing! No matter what marketing medium you are using to reach your ideal client, always test with every campaign. Testing is a critical part of ensuring that you are sending the right message, to the right people, in the right way. There are several ways you can create tests in your campaigns. Some common examples are in headlines or subject lines, color scheme, time of day, frequency, call to action (what nugget you’re offering to recipients to entice them to take action). After you work tirelessly to refine who your ideal client is, if you’re not testing what they’re most responsive to, you could be missing out on a goldmine. Just think, one campaign, to one audience, in one very specific way can generate an ROI that rivals none other. One final note on testing – understand that not every marketing avenue will produce the same results; in other words, not all marketing mediums are replicable. If one print ad works extremely well in one market that does not mean that it will produce the same in another market. That is why you should always be testing – tests make for the best!
When navigating your industry's marketing landscape, be direct, not broad. Remember to meet your prospects where they are, and they’re likely not all in the same places. Leverage your clients’ successes as endorsements for your business. Allow your happy clients to become your best sales force, without selling! And finally, always work to test, improve, optimize and grow. Maintaining focus on growing your business can be a daunting task. However, when you embrace a process and a constant emphasis on who you are targeting, where you are targeting, how you are targeting and why, you are likely to find profitable pools of prospects. Christina Wells is Corporate Marketing Manager at Advantage Media Group, leading the company’s efforts in both branding and lead generation. If you would like to connect with Christina, you may reach her at cwells@advantageww.com or 843.518.6788 FA L L 2 0 1 4 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 9
Event Calendar MON
TUE
WED
THU
S AT
Oct. Nov. 1
2
EO Alchemy
6
3
EO Alchemy
Las Vegas, NV
5
FRI
4
EO Alchemy
Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas, NV
7
8
9
10
11
14
15
16
17
18
24
25
31
1
Happy Birthday to AMG's
Megan Elger
12
13
Happy Birthday to AMG's
Columbus Day
19
20
Adam Witty
21
22
Author of the Year Application Submissions Due
23
OCTOBER
SUN
AUTHOR
Author Success University
AMG Team Member Anniversary:
Allison Looney
Teleseminar—4 PM ET
1
28
29
Gazelle's Fortune Growth Summit
Gazelle's Fortune Growth Summit
4
5
Las Vegas, NV
2
3
GKIC Info Summit
Halloween
Las Vegas, NV
8
GKIC Info Summit
GKIC Info Summit
FPA Chapter Leaders
FPA Chapter Leaders
St. Louis, MO
St. Louis, MO
Katie Biondo
GKIC Info Summit
1
10
St. Louis, MO
11
St. Louis, MO
12
Veteran's Day
FPA Chapter Leaders
18
19
Broomfield, CO
14
15
AUTHORity Marketing Summit
AUTHORity Marketing Summit
AUTHORity Marketing Summit
20
21
22
28
29
Charleston, SC
17
Broomfield, CO
13
Broomfield, CO
16
7
6
AMG Team Member Anniversary:
Daylight Savings Time Ends
9
30
Charleston, SC
Charleston, SC
Author Success University Teleseminar—4 PM ET
23
24
25
26
27
AMG Team Member Anniversary:
George Stevens
7 30
1
2
3
4
Thanksgiving
5
6
Dec.
CAPS 2014 Toronto, ON, CA
7
8
9
10
CAPS 2014 Toronto, ON, CA
11
12
13
18
19
20
26
27
Happy Birthday to AMG's
CAPS 2014 Toronto, ON, CA
14
CAPS 2014
Allison Looney
Toronto, ON, CA
15
16
17
Author Success University Teleseminar—4 PM ET
21/28
22/29
23/30
24/31
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
25
Christmas
NOVEMBER
27
DECEMBER
26
ANNIVERSARIES
Mary Beall Adler John Decky Shannon Susko David Benzel Sandra Mullen Robert Lalor Sonia Kwapisinkski Mike Woodward Peter Wechsler Tara Shollenberger Dan Ohlwiler Carol Miller David Eisner Sebastian Rusk John Dolan William Smith Mary Lamontagne Chris Ruisi Sid Fuchs Dale Wong James Ziegler Frank McKinley Jessica Munday Ken Hardison Richard McFarland Rob Konecny Roger Denk Gerald DiFusco Keith Ayers DJ Williams Sandra Herron Adela Naranjo Alain Samson Susan West Carolyn Finch Doreen Lehr Vladimir Zakharov Cliff Slaten Rodger Friedman Graham Symmonds 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 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 Julie Marshall Cal LeMon Courtney Cole Marianne Ragins Gary Newell Allyson Tomkins Scott Keffer
From the Authors of More Than 30 Best Selling, Money Making, Business Building Books CLAIM YOUR COMPLIMENTARY COPY TODAY!
Adam Witty
&
Dan Kennedy
Inside these pages, you'll discover NINE exciting, different ways to make money for your career, business or cause by being the author of a book. If you know you have a book or books inside you, here you will learn not only how to get that message and those ideas into the right book and get it published, but more importantly how to leverage that book for all it's worth. If, on the other hand, you question what you have to contribute to a book and find the idea of writing one daunting, this book will replace your doubts and questions with practical advice and motivation. INSIDE: • WHY a book is better than any other marketing tool. • HOW to build authority and expert status with a book. • Your book as The Ultimate Lead Generation Tool. • Your book as The Ultimate Referral Generation Tool. • Use your book to get interesting and profitable Speaking Engagements. • Your book as the key to the vault of Free Publicity. • A Proven Plan for Being a Published Author.
FAX ATTN: Christina 843-414-5610
MAIL Advantage Media Group 65 Gadsden St • Charleston SC 29401
EMAIL Christina at cwells@advantageww.com
Advantagepeople
1
2
4 THE SPIRIT OF SUMMER:
5 1: In June, the Advantage team celebrated the arrival of our
newest member, VP of Business Development, Josh Jordan. 2: This summer, newly published authors Jack Daly (right) and Sebastian Rusk networked among the crowds and promoted their books at the EO Nerve Conference. 3: The mayor of Houston proclaimed June 14th as Dr. Randy Mitchmore day. Dr. Mitchmore, an Advantage author, revealed the honorable designation during his book launch party. 4: VP of Business Development Keith Kopcsak worked the Advantage booth at the EO Nerve conference in Philadelphia, PA in June. 5: Senior Graphic Designer, George Stevens was interviewed on behalf of Advantage by Live 5 News as part of a special report about the Best Places to Work in SC, which Advantage was proudly named in both 2013 and 2014. 6: Author Forrest Walden made a guest appearance at the Advantage headquarters while visiting the area to open a franchise location of Iron Tribe Fitness in Mount Pleasant, SC. 7: Director of Publishing Patti Boysen cheers on her Advantage teammates during their bowling games as part of the annual AdvantageStock festivities. 8: Advantage team members enjoyed an afternoon of bowling at The Alley in
3 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
downtown Charleston as part of the annual AdvantageStock meeting in July. 9: The marketing and online learning departments enjoyed a summer sunset harbor cruise on Adam’s boat, Bookin’ It.
6 7
8
9
closing questions
Rodger Alan Friedman is a financial advisor with more than three decades in the financial services industry. He discusses why and how his new book, Forging Bonds of Steel, came to be, and the importance of trust Forging Bonds of Steel by Rodger Friedman
July 2014, Advantage Media Group
Your book is called Forging Bonds of Steel. Talk about that title and what it means. After 30 years as a financial advisor, I have come to understand when I have a strong bond with a client. I liken that bond to a huge link in a steel chain, like what holds the anchor on an aircraft carrier. These links in a chain of trust are nurtured and strengthened over time, forming an incredibly strong bond between the client and the advisor. I wanted to share my experiences about building these strong bonds of trust with my clients.
advisor and his clients.
the first of three planned pre-discovery
Tell us about the publishing process.
calls before I travel to New York City to
As someone who has never written more then a dozen short stories and personal journals over the years, the “publishing process� was this big, scary uncertain and expensive process that I knew nothing about. However, Advantage held my hand, walked me through all the options and alternatives and made the process painless. The only delay I encountered in the entire process was the compliance department at my firm. I hit a home run hiring Adam Witty and his team at Advantage. Everyone I worked with was professional, knowledgeable and went the extra mile to ensure that I was taken care of. They vastly exceeded my expectations! I consider the book to be a success more for their efforts than for mine.
meet with her in three weeks. One more of these, and I have covered all my expenses for the book project.
As a financial advisor, why did you decide to write a book? My goal was and still is for the book to separate me from the thousands of other financial advisors and to be the foundation of all future marketing to grow my business. I wrote the book to attract people just like my clients. I knew that I had
How do you anticipate your book will help you attract quality clients?
accumulated a vast amount of worthwhile
My current project revolves around sending two copies of the book to each of my clients, along with a letter. We are mailing to two clients each day. The letter tells the client that they may request up to six gift books to be sent as a present from them, to friends, family and colleagues. I received a call last week from the mother of a friend I provided a book to. Although I have not spoken to the mother in a long while, she indicated that she wants to become a client after reading my book. Just yesterday, we completed
decades of experience. I wanted a way to
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
and confidence between a financial
and important knowledge based on my share that with more than the families my team and I personally serve. Surprisingly, a number of advisors commented that the book would be a valuable teaching resource. What I did not count on was being told that the book is a wonderful read for advisors less than ten years in the business. I had not even factored that in. Perhaps some wealth management firm may purchase a couple thousand books for their advisors. I could live with that.
What advice do you have for anyone considering publishing a book? Research all your options for self-publishing; McGraw Hill will probably not be knocking at your door with a million dollar advance. Talk to other entrepreneurial authors, really do your homework. Do not commit to anything until you talk to Advantage. I give that advice from my heart and hope you take it.
Do YOU Have the Keys to Success? Business people who succeed seem to do things their own way. The
ones who come up short all seem to keep doing things the same way. But where does the impulse for business innovation originate? How
can we create the magic link between our personal instincts and a path
to entrepreneurial success? Susan Meitner, founder and CEO of the fast-growing Centennial Lending Group, answers that question in a perceptive, entertaining manner.
Along with her talents for business-building and personnel management, Meitner is also a natural storyteller. In this vivid, first-hand ac-
count, she reveals how a businesswoman’s entrepreneurial path can flow naturally from her upbringing and early life experience. In other
words, the person you are is the foundation for the business person you will become. Your job is to understand the quirky interplay be-
tween your strengths and weaknesses, then chart a course accordingly. The setting for Crazy Lucky Girl: Do YOU Have the Keys to Success? is the mortgage business. It’s a familiar and yet suspect sector of the U.S. economy, where the American Dream meets competitive, even sharp-elbowed market practices. Readers who have been sent into pioneer sales territory will relate to Meitner’s story of “going out on the street” after starting in the safety of the back-office processing department. Those who have seen loyalties fray and friendships crack under the pressure of human ambition and market-
place rivalry will nod at many of the stories in these pages. And certainly, anyone who has bought a home, gone through a refinance, been approved for a mortgage — or been rejected for one — will gain insight from Meitner’s explanation of what truly goes on behind the facade of the home-loan process.
Looking to connect your personal style and story to a tale not yet written of entrepreneurial success? The surprising and inspiring story of Crazy Lucky Girl can be your key to making that connection.
crazy lucky girl Do YOU have the keys to success?
SUSAN MEITNER
Founder, President and CEO of Centennial Lending Group
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