Have you heard that business cards have become obsolete? Not as obsolete as dinosaurs, but more like fountain pens, still around but not as functional as before. It’s true, that small rectangular card that all businesspersons can’t do without once upon a time has been replaced and totally eclipsed. Replaced by what? By another small, although not as small as a business card, rectangular object called a book. This is not a false claim.
Bear with me, because I’m going to prove it to you in this article.
In the past, you can’t be considered a professional if you don’t have your credentials etched on a business card. You gave out these cards as your identifying label wherever you went. Unfortunately, everyone else carried business cards with them. Now, there is something else that you can leave behind as your identification: a book.
One big advantage of a book is that it differentiates you from the pack. This is something that a card can’t do. A business card ends up in a business card holder gathering dust on top of an office table. On the other hand, a book – a well-written book – is treasured. It creates a lasting impression that a business card will never be able to do.
More importantly, it will help you become an expert in the subject matter of your book.
In this fast-paced modern world, a book has become the new calling card. Like a business card, it projects your image and identity. What differentiates it from a business card is the quantity of information you can incorporate in it. A business card, because of its size, limits the quantity of data that you can write on it. On the other hand, your book is a “bigger” business card that you can use to market yourself and your business.
A book communicates to prospective clients in a way a business card won’t be able to do. And best of all, with your book, you can share your expertise with the readers. It serves as a tool to inform, entice and motivate your readers.
In essence, you become an expert in your field by becoming a book author. People will think, “Well if he/she wrote a book about it, he/she must be an expert on that particular field”.
A business card could end up in a trash bin or gather dust in a card holder. Conversely, your book has lots of chances to get read over and over. With your book, your prospective customer will have a chance to be acquainted with your values and your business. The impression it creates is lasting. In addition, it can carry the message you want to impart. The more they read your book (provided it is well-written) the more they see you as the expert. That’s how you become an expert in their eyes.
Your book keeps you in constant contact with your prospective customers. When your book readers come back to you for more advice and information, then you will be success in projecting yourself as an expert. These committed readers will eventually become committed customers.
If you’re still not convinced, try this on….combine your book with your current sales and promotion efforts, it will most likely bring in increased sales that a business card will never be able to achieve. Try it and let us know if it works, it’s worked for many others so why not you?
