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The 5 challenges that we will face as a Spanish Publishing industry in 2010

I always look forward to the holidays, and this year is no different. It signals a time with family, celebrations of wonderful traditions, and opportunities for some rest. The holidays also signal the end of a year and the birth of a new year. I love the hope that a new year offers. I know that I have a clean canvas and can absolutely paint my future any way that I want to. At the same time I also prepare myself to be ready for opportunities and challenges. I do this both personally and professionally.

As I look out on the year that awaits us I see several opportunities that will present themselves to us. I
am already working with the team to ensure that we are ready to take advantage of them.  I cannot wait to share with you some of the things we are working on for 2010. I think one of them has the opportunity to be groundbreaking for the Christian publishing industry.  Those announcements will come in due time.

Let me though mention a few of the areas that I believe will be challenges for us as an industry in 2010. We are already working on positioning ourselves as a team for these changes and identifying strategies to help us embrace the opportunities that challenges always bring. Here I will identify 5 areas that will challenge our industry that will affect Authors, Publishers, Distributors, Booksellers, and Consumers.

Marketing: Traditional marketing, defined as the static analog marketing whose results are difficult to measure, will continue to decline. In 2009 we saw a very large portion of the print media shut down with some of them scrambling to regroup and carve out their digital space. We are also seeing a decline in Trade Shows marketing money as it is being drawn away from these traditional venues and being invested in new consumer oriented marketing.

Use of Social Medias: As the traditional marketing continues to shrink, ”Social Medias” will continue to grow and change the way that marketing is used. However, we will go through a strong learning curve. The use of Facebook, Blogs, and Twitter are just the start. It will continue to evolve, so much so that in the next 6 months there will be a whole new “cool” medium out there that we will all be scrambling to understand. I think it will eventually end up inside one of the new e-readers (perhaps the coming Apple reader- they seem to understand it), which will be a perfect fit for our industry. Imagine that. It will be up to us as industry leaders to determine where we will find our fan bases for our product.

Marketing: There are no crazy ideas.

First of all, please know that this post is primarily about getting to share the below video with you. But I also wanted to quickly look back on our marketing decisions over the last year as well.

Over the last year we have taken some shots from people in the industry because we chose not to use our marketing dollars in the normal manner. Some of the cuts have been difficult and have not been easy. At times we even began to have doubts, but hindsight, we are very pleased. We have cut our advertising in dozens of magazines, reduced our traditional marketing funds for trade shows over the course of the last year. Many have urged us to keep spending for sake of the relationships with those we would pay, and in some cases we have re-evaluated the cut and re-instated the advertising spend.

However, we have freed up hundreds of thousands of dollars to target toward new manners of marketing in the future. We believe that there will be, and already is, a dramatic shift happening in the way that we market to our consumers. We are poised and already investing in vertical columns of readers and consumers. We are digging deep and experimenting with various forms of marketing; from viral to communal. We have given ourselves the freedom to do new things.

I am all for trying something new in marketing and getting your name out. Many times we are limited in our thinking to the tried and true. But what if you had to be creative? Think all the good ideas are taken? Think again. Here is a video from the Frankfurt Book Fair this year. This Publisher, Eichborn, has a Fly as the logo. Well look at how their marketing team decided to get their name out there. So enjoy thinking about new ways to market. There really are no crazy ideas anymore. What will you do to make your company stand out in a crowded market place?

Tips for leaders: 4 steps to avoid embarrassment

Too many headlines are littered with the names of leaders who have been caught in embarrassing situations. We call them “embarrassing situations” but they have many other names like theft, affairs, lying, or even adultery. Some leaders begin to think that they are invincible or above the law and think that they will never get caught.

Here are a few steps to help you avoid being caught in these embarrassing situations.

Avoid putting yourself in compromising situations. Guard your agenda. Know who you are with, and where you are going. If there is a doubt, make sure someone you trust is with you when you are in a meeting. Let me say it in words we can all understand – “Keep your nose clean and your clothes on.”

Don’t be a phony- be real. Don’t pretend to know something or to be someone you aren’t. It is much easier to be consistent instead of always putting on a show.

Try to be as open as possible, within reason. Tell the truth when asked. If it is sensitive information,
let them know that you cannot share that, just don’t lie to get them off your back. This way you don’t have to remember what you told others because you are always telling the truth.

Don’t expect other people to cover up for you. Never ask anyone in your team to lie for you. This is degrading to them, and is unacceptable in leadership. You are a coward and have just lost all respect with your team. They know you are a fraud.

I know you are a good leader. You know you are a good leader. Are you in a situation that could embarrass you? The good news is that there is time and you can still make it right before you are found out. Turn around and make it right- today.

6 steps to improving your communication skills.

I enjoy speaking. In fact it is perhaps the part of my job that I enjoy the most. I especially enjoy being able to train, share, and challenge the booksellers that I run into so very often. I have had the opportunity to speak in front of audiences of all sizes and ages, in English and Spanish.

Many times I am asked how I do it by different colleagues. The truth is I’ve done it for quite some time and have picked up a few tricks to help put both myself and the audience at ease. Here are a few tips I use for speaking in public.

Know your audience. Do your homework here. Find out ahead who they are, how many, and any other information you can get. Do some online research about the people or industry you will be speaking to. You will be amazed at how much you can learn about an audience online. Once there I try to get there early and just blend in with the group and interact and ask a ton of questions and get 1 or 2 names to use in the speech and gain eye contact with later.

Stay focused with your audience. Keep the audience and yourself focused on the subject at hand.
Work ahead on your flow of the speech. Tempo, wording, and illustrations will help keep the focus. I always try and leave one or two stories with the audience.

Respond to your audience. Great speeches are interactive. Feel the audience when you speak. Pay attention to the responses you are getting on the first, the middle, and the last row. Watch for the agreements, the nods, and the snoozers as well. Find 3 or 4 key people to watch for how you are doing.

Get the help you need. If you need help with speaking, get training. If you use PowerPoint and you need help – get it. Ask others to help evaluate you, and then work on the areas to improve. I had to work on my stuttering issues, my confidence, and my closure.

Over prepare. I always ask how much time I have and then I prepare for and extra  50% of the time given- If I am told I will have 30 minutes I bring 45 minutes to the presentation and cut during the speech depending on the audience reactions. I also prepare thinking that the audience already knows more than I do. This helps me dig a bit deeper and give my best.

Be authentic. Be who you are. Don’t change to try and be someone else on stage or in front than who you are in person. And definitely don’t try to imitate anyone else. Just be yourself. You are the best one at being yourself.

I would love to hear some of your tips for speaking in from of people.

4 keys to building your team.

The other day I was asked how I hire people. My answer is always the same. “I hire good people and find something for them to do.” I know that sounds simple, and perhaps I do oversimplify it, but that is the way that I see it. Let me expand on my “simple” answer a bit with these 4 keys.

Make sure everyone fits together. Be sure that the chemistry works between the people on the team. Too many of the same personality type eventually stagnates the team. You need thinkers, dreamers, detailers, visionaries, leaders, creators and managers. I am a visionary type person. I don’t care how it gets done. But I also have people on my team like Graciela Lelli, our chief editor, who are very detailed and organized and understand what it will take to get to where we are going.

Look for honesty and loyalty. In an ever expanding world, if you cannot trust your team, you are lost.
I look for these two qualities first and foremost.

Overlook personal quirks. Overlook the little personality traits that may aggravate you initially. Some of these quirks may just be nerves, or habits that do not reflect their real ability. And remember your dislikes are just that- yours.

Choose qualified people. Above all, if you set the bar, or the standard, of what you are looking for in the position high, keep it there. Do not lower your standard based on personal preferences or taste in personnel. Make sure that the position is filled with people who can help you grow, not ones that you will find yourself apologizing for within months.

It costs a lot of money to recruit, hire and train for a position. Do it right the first time.

Local Christian Bookstore versus Local Church Bookstore

As I was wrapping up a conference in Buenos Aires I did as I normally do and just walk around to the different lunch tables and thank everyone for all they are doing in their region or country. It is usually a time where we try and out complement each other with words of gratitude for the other. 9 of the tables this was the case. Then I got to my 10^th table.

I was quickly asked to sit down and to be the definitive answer on (in their words) “why the Local Church Bookstores where unfairly practicing a trade and where undermining the Local Christian Bookstore.” OK, hornets’ nest, not a topic that usually ends with happy people on both sides. So I took a look around the table and saw that it was 3 Christian Bookstores versus 1 Church Bookstore. The three were convinced that the 1 was taking away customers from their stores and had hugely unfair advantages such as rent, salaries and utilities that were all covered by the church.

So I was told- “what should we do about them?”

And after a thoughtful deep breath, here is what I answered.

Are you still solving others peoples problems?

Last week I had breakfast with a fellow industry colleague in Buenos Aires. His name is Rolando Gonzalez and he works for Lifeway International. Rolando is one of those guys who is way smarter than I could be in two lifetimes. He frankly is overqualified for the work that he is doing and if you get to know him a bit better you quickly realize this.

I was happy to get together for breakfast because I knew we would start a quick dialogue about the industry, our families, issues, and what we are learning. It was during this time that Rolando reminded me about something as he was sharing what one of his mentors had taught him. It had to do with problem solving.

As a leader, do you ever feel as though people use your desk as a drop off spot for their problems? They seem to walk in carrying a heavy load, and glide out a bit lighter. And when you turn around to look at yourself and your desk it seems that it is beginning to buckle under the weight of so many problems that you have inherited.

I was reminded of a couple of the illustration where workers would get the “monkey off their backs” and let the problem become yours and after a short time you look like a zoo keeper trying to solve everyone’s problems. Here is how it happens:

What I am learning about communication: Speaking without a voice

I went to the doctor this last week because my voice was losing its power. I had no strength left to enunciate and project when I was speaking. In fact after just 30 minutes of regular dialogue I was worn out. Forget about trying to talk on the phone, that always ended with what either sounded like a bad connection or my quickly trying to wrap up the call because I was tired. So I gave in and went to the doctor.  I wish I had done it some 6 months ago, but I didn’t.

If you know me I am quick to give my opinion, quick to hold a conversation, and love a good debate. My confidence had been slipping because I was straining to speak, pushing my voice past were it should have naturally gone. I started to keep my opinions to myself, speak less at meetings, and even put off non-critical conversations. Not good for business or personal moral.

So my doctor took a look at my voice box, saw that it was inflamed and scared. He then proceeded to put me on voice rest for a while and started me on a pretty strong dose of steroids. Now you know I have trouble staying quiet, so I have limited my voice to a soft whisper in the office and only during critical times. And that is when I started to learn a bit more about my communication.

•  I have relied too much on my emotional adrenaline to convince many in the past.
• I have spoken too much and listened too little.
• I have used too many non-value words in the past.
• I have spoken without thinking every word out.

Even just in these last few days I have found that I can improve my communication three ways.

• By listening completely first.
• By choosing my words wisely.   
•  And through stronger written communication.

So over these next few weeks and months may I be found slower to speak, quicker to listen, more guarded with my words, and more open with my smile.

What is the role of the salesperson in the near future and long term?

Several months ago a member of our sales team asked me about the future and how it related to him as a sales person. It was a very good question and one that, if you are in sales, (remember—we are all in sales) you should pay attention to. The issue at hand- electronic downloads of both audio and video content from our authors as well as the next phase, which is well underway, digital downloads of the written product via Kindle and PDF’s.

 

If you have been anywhere but under a rock, these were some of the same issues that heavily affected the structures of the music industry, forever erasing the lines of ownership and distribution. I have included the three questions asked- but save your time- jump to the third question- that is the key question.

 

• 1.    In the Thomas Nelson website (our corporate site) we are selling downloads but are we the ones getting the sales, (meaning Thomas Nelson) or is it any other company? 

[>>>LAD]       We are as Thomas Nelson though our internet channel, they are also available through Audible, iTunes, i-amplify and many others.

 

• 2.    If our distributors would like to develop the idea in their own website, can we help with the technology to do it? If not how can it be done? Will we sell the license so they can have the product to be download by their customers?

[>>>LAD]     We already have developed the technology for them. And they can start selling tomorrow / actually today. Note that I am testing it on my blog. I simply followed the quick and easy steps – though I am doing mine as a freebie only directing everything to TN. But they can fill out the form and get a certain share of the sale. We hold the server. Check out the upper right column of my blog to see example. But we will not create new technology for them- they just need to become an affiliate (no, they don’t get a normal discount – it will be much less - but no inventory at all J) and copy and paste into their site- they can literally be up and running today.

 

• 3.    This question came to mind as I was doing these questions. How do you think this initiative will affect our roles as sales people in the near future and in long term?

[>>>LAD]      First of all “Near Future and Long Term” let me just say in the future. We are changing to quickly right now to differentiate much past 18 months. For right now- sell, sell, sell! But shortly - In the future we (as sales) will need to become providers of content for different vertical groups. You MUST become an expert in an area. That is to say- how do I begin to understand all the needs of specific groups of consumers, and how do I get them connected to my author’s content. Example: Leadership Books – driving down to business groups , Small Business Associations, entrepreneurs, managers, and many more… how do we reach them and make them fans of Maxwell and business content. Could we see a day shortly where they eventually sign up to be “mentored” by Maxwell daily with our content? Right now we are Horizontal as a publisher and even more so as an industry. We sell a wide variety and it is displayed widely in a bookstore waiting passively for people to come in and browse- scan the horizon. We must become Vertical – that is we must know:

1) who is our authors core customer base, we must know

2) how they want it delivered to them, we must know

3) when they want the product delivered to them,  and finally

4) at what price they want the content delivered to them.

This may be 5 years off- or it may be 18 months off. These are exactly the questions that the “digiready©” team at Thomas Nelson is tackling right now.

The most important phrase in all of customer service.

As I continue reading WOW: Deja al cliente boquiabierto con un servicio fuera de serie – I am struck by the chapter that focuses just on saying thank you. This is such a very important phrase that we often take for granted. No matter the country, the culture, or the language; a simple “thank you”, “gracias”, “obrigado”, “danke”, “merci”, “na som”,  “grazie”, “arigato”, “tack”, or “cheers”, it is a powerful connector that we have often overlooked.

Here is a reminder of several opportunities you have to say a simple heartfelt “thank you” to your customers.

• When they buy from you
• When they compliment your company
• When they offer comments
• When they try a new product
• When they recommend you
• When they are patient, and when they are not
• When they help you serve them better
• When they complain
• When they make you smile

And here are 5 often overlooked “thank you’s” within the company:

• Your co-workers
• Your boss
• The other departments you work with
• Your vendors
• Yourself- yes you- you do a great job, thank yourself.

And just a quick additional tip I learned from what I read and am working to put into practice: The most effective “thank you’s” are the ones that are:

• Immediate
• Specific
• Sincere
• Special

Who do you need to say thank you to today?