Today on the Book More Show, I'm talking with Betsey about all the great initials… BCC's and CTA's, as we dive into your back cover copy and call to actions.
We've talked about some of these in the past, but it ties in nicely with the show over the last couple of weeks when we looked at your tables of contents and then last week when I spoke with Dean last week about your email followup.
Your back cover copy, and the step you want someone to take next is very specific to the context of how you use your book, so today we have two great examples to go deep into.
If you've ever questioned what the best next steps are, or how to guide and orchestrate people's thinking into an action, rather than just reading for the sake of reading, then this is going to be a great show for you.
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Transcript: Book More Show 088
Stuart Bell:
Hey, everyone, welcome to another episode of The Book More Show. It's Stuart Bell here, and today talking with Betsy Vaughn. Great episode. We're going to dive into back-cover copy and call to actions. So we've speaking about this in the past, but it ties in nicely with a conversation over the last a couple of weeks, looking at tables of contents, and with Dean last week about the email follow-up. The back-cover copy, the rights is very specific in the context of how you use in your book as a tool in as part of the bigger campaign.
So two great examples that we do a deep-dive on here, if you've ever thought about what the best next steps are, how to gauge and orchestrate people's thinking into an action, rather than just reading for the sake of reading, then this is going to be a great show. So let's dive in. Betsy Vaughn.
Betsy Vaughn:
Stuart Bell, how's it going?
Stuart Bell:
Very good, thank you. Although, today's been a day full of calls, so I think I'm a little bit hoarse before we start.
Betsy Vaughn:
Are you a bit pokey?
Stuart Bell:
Do you know what? I think so, a little bit. And I'm on a slightly different microphone today, so if I sound different it's one of those two things or a combination of both of them. And the fact that on my last call, as I was talking to Dave, I don't know if a tiny little fly was flying around the office and I swallowed it, but out of nowhere I started choking in the middle of it.
Betsy Vaughn:
Oh, no.
Stuart Bell:
Slightly embarrassing, and I was running around trying to find some water. So, hopefully that won't happen again.
Betsy Vaughn:
I hope so.
Stuart Bell:
What's in the show is in this show, as they say, so stay tuned to see what happens.
Betsy Vaughn:
Right. Oh, boy. That's funny. Well, okay, so what are we going to talk about today?
Stuart Bell:
Well, we had a good call with Dean last week where we were talking about what to do next once the book is complete, thinking about the email follow-ups and the engaging people and flagship broadcasts. So today, I wanted to take a step back from that, and think about the last thing that happens before they get on the flagship broadcast sequence. And that is that they read the back of your book and the call to action. So I think we talked about it before, but not for a while, so I think let's dive into back-cover copy and call to actions, and what you can do to orchestrate those next steps. That kind of minimum viable commitment that I talk about a lot. The small next step that makes it easy for people to travel down the path that we want them to travel down.
Betsy Vaughn:
Yeah. We have spoken about this and we talk about this a lot internally off the show. It seems like right now quite a bit because people really struggle with the back cover. We hear this almost every single day. Our content teams gets that, "Oh my gosh, I don't what I want to put there. I don't know what that next step is." And I know that you said it at least 10 times over the course of the year.
Like you should know that before you start, before we start the book. That should be the ultimate, like "What are we going to do with this?" Like, "How are people going to reach out to us?" And that's what I say to people, like, "Well you need to have that answer, that call to action is so important that they have to be able to raise their hand somewhere." If it's just a back of the book with your picture on it, well, that's great and wonderful, but-
Stuart Bell:
It doesn't really get you anything.
Betsy Vaughn:
No. It doesn't. You want to know what that, if it's going to look like an assessment, or if you want them to call you or email you or go to a website, or whatever. It's so simple, but yet there seems to be such a struggle with that.
Stuart Bell:
I think it's because of this idea that we talk about in lots of different context, is because a book as a book, when you say the word, book, people have a certain think in mind, which is traditionally-published books on the shelves of Barnes and Nobel. And the job of work of the back cover of the back in that context is to sell the back. It's under the impression that people are browsing through shelves, and picking something up, and looking at the back, and they need something that either convinces or compels them to take that book to the checkout.
In the way that we're talking about it, it's not that at all. We've said repeatedly that the book's not the product. In the examples that the funnel that you're using your book, they have the book already. It's not like they see the back-cover copy before they receive it. So the job of work of the back changes to this funnel-based concept. This is one step in a broader process. So using that same space for, as you said, do you want them to call you, or come into the office, or take an assessment? The back-cover copy being the thing that people read the second-most to the front cover, is using that space as the place that you can instruct people to take that next step. So the space isn't to promote or sell the book, it's to give them instructions as to what to do next.
So I think that's one problem, people don't necessarily think about that space in the context that we're talking about, they kind of default into the traditional book. And then, I think the next challenge is it's easy to get overwhelmed with what that next step could be, let alone what it should be. Yeah. While, obviously, it doesn't necessarily need to be that. There's a couple of frameworks that we've got that make it more straightfoward.
But the reality, as well, is that it's easy to change. Just like the whole 90-Minute Book process, this isn't writing something that has to be set in stone and can never be changed because we've switched the printing presses off, and that's it. This is something that can be tweaked upon and improved later as you get feedback from the real world. So I think those are the two challenges that cause people to falter a little bit.
Betsy Vaughn:
I do think it is that traditional-read book, because what I her when we're having a conversation a lot is like, "Oh, I just thought I would but my bio on the back of the book," which is kind of like, I don't even think ... I mean I just pulled a few books off my personal bookshelf just to look. Well, that's really not even really a thing. On four books that I picked up, there's little bios, like five sentences, four sentences. That's it. That whole bigger picture. "Here I am, this is where I went to college, this is what I've done."
But that's one of the first things that people say to me. "Oh, I have a bio, it's on my website. You can just use that." Okay, well, that's great, so they know that you went to the University of Michigan, and you have three kids and two dogs. I mean, you know, and you love your wife. So it is kind of funny, but yet in looking at these books, I actually expected, when I picked these books up, to, and these are for some reason these are three self-help books, which may say a lot about me, but-
Stuart Bell:
It's been a tough year.
Betsy Vaughn:
But even, I'm looking at You Are a Badass, which is a pretty popular book by Jen Sincero, and she even has, without that, "Here go to my website," it's sort of, "Here's what the book is, this is what it's going to do for you." And she lists without saying, step one, step two, step three, "You're going to identify and change the self-sabotaging beliefs, and you're going to cradle I see total love, and you're going to make some more damn money." Is what she says. So even on these books, it's a call to action without being sales-y, if you will. We can talk about that too.
Stuart Bell:
Right. And definitely we'll circle back to that before the end. And even those type sort of books, that genre, the personality-driven genre, you'd think that that was the perfect space for a bio, so the fact that people automatically think to thinking that, but actually it's very rarely done is another interesting insight into the way people think about things.
So we're saying to people that a bio is not the right thing to put back there. Although occasionally if you've only got so much space to work with, so if I get across the main part of the message, and you have a little space left at the bottom, then including a few words about the author, there might be space for it. It's just not that's the first thing to think about, and it's not the only thing to think about. Let us think then, about what the better steps are.
Your book is part of a funnel. It's the perfect early stage asset to get invisible prospects to raise there hand. So people who may or may not know you already, you may or may not have a relationship with them, but you don't necessarily know what their interest is in the subject, the book is very low-commitment way, it's not a threatening way of having people raise their hand, so that you know that they're interested. So the next steps are what you would want them to do having read the book.
Now the reality is, like the last time you only spoke a couple of weeks ago, we were talking about the table of contents, and the reality is that read rates on books are very, very low. In fact, I think we all we the same thing last week, when I was talking to Dean. So read rate is actually low, but we know that people want the answer that's being suggested by the title, so they're looking for a solution. And they're just then looking for enough supporting evidence and a clear next step to guide them towards the outcome.
The outcome is not going to come from the book itself. The book is not going to give them the whole solution. Hopefully it gives them enough to make steps in that direction. So knowing the read rate's low, knowing that they have selected something that they're interested in because of the title, knowing the table of contents is going to reassure them they're generally in the right place, then the back cover wants to ideally be those minimum viable commitment next steps that gives people at varying degrees of readiness, gives people a easy next step so that they can continue the journey.
Like you said with the conversations that you have with people who are very unclear on what back-cover copy should be, even to the point that they're really raring to get going on the book, and saying that you really need to know where you're going, that's that kind of destination map type of analogy of if you just started driving without a destination in mind, then you're just going to go around in circles for a while until you hopefully end up somewhere. Knowing the destination, knowing what's on the back cover, thinking like that chess master, knowing what the next five, six, seven moves are going to be with this person, you can structure those back-cover steps to meet that criteria.
So there's a couple of different ways of thinking about it, and a couple of different contexts. And it's not always easy to make sure that you cover all of them, so understanding how you're going to use the book allows you to pick the best of the available options. So I think we can dive into those a little bit more.
Betsy Vaughn:
I think so. I think when you talked about the low read rates, and I was thinking about somebody's cover recently, and I'm trying to find it. So, I remember I didn't read all the Anthony's book, but the title of his book is, The Woman's Trouble Spot Solution: Your Guide to Toning and Tightening Your Trouble Areas Once and for All. So that tells you exactly what it is. Exactly what you're doing. So if I never open up inside his book, and just flip over the book, he's got a nice blurb there about how busy women are and how we tend to take care of ourselves first as far as health and fitness, and we know we should be better at it and make better choices, but again, our priority tends to be somebody else. And you know, "Hey, I've helped hundreds of busy people like you. Just go to my website. Here let's have a call. Here email me here."
It's all right there. I never, ever have to open up this book if that's something I'm really interested in. Like "Oh wow, this is speaking to me." Yes I probably would, if I was really interested, I would obviously read the book, but ultimately, he doesn't necessarily care if you read the book. He wants you to call and work with him. So that's a good example.
Stuart Bell:
Exactly. And the outcome that you're going to get as someone who's interested in the subject because it's resonated, you've requested a copy of it. You want the outcome. If the outcome is a different physical outcome, then really you know what the answer is. The answer is something to do with eating, and something to do with exercise, and in all honestly, you're not going to get that solution from reading the words because you know what the words are already.
You're going to get the solution by either a tailored program or specific coaching, or being in the gym and getting specific routines. So you know that the next step is to take the next action, and that action is on the back cover, it's not hidden in the pages in between. It's the next easy step to get started. It's, again, going back to that point of a book has a special place in society. It's a magical, and a thing that has a reverence around it. It carries the message of the next step over. That the next step is not in the content, it's in that call to action and what to do next.
So let's dive into a couple of the examples, then. The first one, which, I think, so there's no right ... I always caveat everything, I guess, with it depends. But I guess the two ways of thinking about this is, if you're expecting the majority of people reading to know, like, and trust you already have some kind of relationship, this book is potentially at the number three level, the educating and motivating people to take the next step. It's not so much you're just getting people that you don't have a relationship with absolutely invisible prospects to raise their hands. Then if you've got a relationship with them already, and there's some familiarity and awareness with what you're talking about, then the next steps can provide details about a program, and then have a single next step towards joining the program here and a place for people to go.
So it could be one of the formats that we have that says, restate the problem. Most people think it takes, like we've got in the 90-Minute book, Most people think it takes hours in isolation or days in isolation to write, and it's an arduous process. Actually the process can be quite easy. So step one, we outline for 30 minutes. Step two, we record an interview to get your best thinking out on the subject, and step three, we take it from there and complete all the rest of the program for you.
That expectation that people have an understanding, there's a little bit of a warmer relationship. The majority of people of who opted into the 90-Minute Book through that particular channel are coming in because they either have some relationship with us already, or with Dean already, or through Strategic Coach, or Genius Network. Any one of the other organizations where there's some awareness. That back-cover copy of reinforcing a next step, rather than multiple next steps, worked well because someone has heard us talk about 90-Minute Book, they requested a copy of 90-Minute Book, they know the company is always promising a successful outcome, they flipped to the back, and there's a clear and easy to understand next step this reinforces just how straightfoward the program is. And then there's one action that they can take, which is get started now.
Although there's a couple of ways of achieving that, either go to the website, or email us, or call us. But still, it's one step. That works great where there's a expectation that people are a little bit warmer. There's an awareness already of you and the thing that you're talking about. And in your mind, you're assuming that the majority of people coming through this particular funnel, this particular campaign, the obvious next step that they want to take is to actually to get started. They've really made it to this step because they're one step away from pulling the trigger. So that idea of having something that restates the problem at the top, talks briefly about that there is a solution, and then goes into some step one, step two, step three about how easy and straightfoward the solution is to achieve. Perfect for that scenario.
The second scenario, then is probably, I would say this one probably applies to slightly more people. So this is where we're using a book to identify those invisible prospects. They're people that don't necessarily know, like, and trust you yet because you don't have a relationship with them. They're people who are very early in the funnel, and this is potentially the first time you've seen them. This might be running Facebook ads to cold traffic that don't have a relationship with you already. It might be the complimentary, non-competing business type of approach that we've talked about before, where offering this book to people who know the person that you're working with, but don't necessarily know you. In that scenario, it's better to put steps in there that will identify how people can move forward in the process. So this idea that we talked about of getting to the back cover of the back and knowing what the minimum viable commitment next step is, that small next step to move forward, then this other example I'm about to describe is much better for that.
This then, is looking at presenting them with three ways that they can do something more. So depending on whether they're very early on in the process, they're a little bit further in the process and they've got more of a relationship, or whether they're ready to pull the trigger and get started, in that scenario, we'll typically do things like, again, restate the problem at the top because we always want to kind of frame it, assume that someone hasn't read the book, so just, there's a 200 or so more words, or 150 more words to restate what the problem is.
Again, reinforce that fact that there is an answer, and then move on to say the best next step is option one, go to the website, check our videos on this subject where we dive deeper and share some more information with you. Step two, head over to this particular page on the website, or this particular domaine, and complete either the assessment, or the checklist, or the scorecard to evidence to yourself that you're in the right place, that there is a path forward, and step three, if you're ready to get started, then the best thing you can do is join this program.
Again, the kind of map your offer type thing of making the program as easy to get started with a low commitment. Make it as straightforward as possible for someone to take that first step with you. But that step three is for those people who are actually ready to move forward now. One other reason-
Betsy Vaughn:
So ... Go ahead.
Stuart Bell:
No, no go for it, and then I'll circle back.
Betsy Vaughn:
So, I was just thinking about something you said before, that was separate. I'm looking at something in front of me that's a step one, Download a free chapter worksheet on our website, and there's a website. Okay. That's great. That's something for people to do. It engages them a little further. They take it and they see whatever X, Y, Z results they're looking for. So just going to the website, I mean, it's like, "Yes, someone's visiting your website," but how important is it to have that assessment or checklist, or something else for them to do once they get there?
Stuart Bell:
So the way those three steps, the way that we think about those three steps are the three levels of commitment, and based on that kind of relationship capital that you've acquired with this person over time, they're more likely to do one, two, or three. So for the cold traffic, so this scenario that we talk about, it works very well for where you're sending to the cold traffic. You've got no relationship with them so far.
Another example of that actually is when you think about Amazon. Amazon, you don't know who these people are, you've got no way of capturing their details, so this is a very good example for anyone that thinks about listing their book on Amazon, particularly. So step one, that just goes to the website. There's no additional opt-in. You're not trying to capture any more details, but this is to reinforce the know, like, and trust element of, "Hey, if you resonate with what you read already, if you want to learn more about what we're doing, before I actually ask you for anything, like your name and email address, or any money, then you can go and check out these resources that we've put together for free." So there's no opt-in. This is all about just building more contact, presenting them with more content, so it's building more on the relationship.
Now again, get people might get overwhelmed with that, thinking, "Well, I don't have a whole lot of stuff to point people to." The reality is you've probably got something. You might not have much but you probably got something out there, and if you don't have anything at all, then it's probably a sign that, "Hey, it's probably a good idea to do something in this respect."
Betsy Vaughn:
Right.
Stuart Bell:
It might be like a YouTube channel. You might have shot some videos and put them up on YouTube where you talked about the subject. It might be blog posts that you've got on the site. They don't have to be the most up to date, I mean if you've got things on there with dates that are listed against the blog post, most website themes, you can hide the date if you don't have recent content on that. But you could point people back to that.
It could be something that you specifically write for the book. So in a scenario where you don't have anything, then take the audio of your book, once the book's complete, just record a new audio. Just talk into your computer, or even into your phone, and just elaborate on one particular point. Like we've talked about before on the email follow-up sequence to be able to, on each of those sequences to amplify one of the messages. Just take the extra 20 minutes to record something specific. Like a fireside chat, where you're talking about one element of the book, saying, "Hey, everyone thanks for joining me today. I just wanted to record this audio because in chapter two, we talk about how blue the sky is these days, and really this is a very passionate point that I've got, and I just wanted to record this audio to elaborate on that a little bit further and go a bit deeper into why the sky is blue." And then just record 10 minutes of you talking about it.
If someone's interested in the subject and they want to some something, they want to go deeper, then that's going to be very compelling. It's going to build a relationship with people because they're hearing your voice. It's super easy for you to do because you've effectively done it already. You know what you're talking about. Recording something and just hosting it on the site is very easy to do. So having that first step as a zero commitment. Just providing more content, it's kind of building the building blocks, the foundation of the relationship, because you want to leverage that relationship a little bit later by asking them to do something. And whether that's just giving you a name and email address, or giving you money, then you're laying the groundwork, the foundations for this capital. Step two ... Go for it, sorry.
Betsy Vaughn:
So, with that I'm thinking of so much more that you can do with it. Like, okay, if you're selling your book, or you have a great list, your book's been out there. You know, doing sometimes that 10-minute little blurb, of "Hey we talk about this in the book." That's a great ... Not just to have on your website, but if you want to send it out to your email list. Like you said, it's a simple thing. It's going to cost you a little bit time. Yeah. I like that. Like people pop into my head, like, "Oh, they should do that. They should do that." People I've been speaking to recently. That's a great little thing for them to do.
Yeah, and it doesn't come across, when you're talking about that building that relationship ... You know, first of all, you're building the trust because, "Hey, I've never heard of Joe Schmoe from Kansas, even though I'm interested in his subject," you know, what have you.
Stuart Bell:
What have you got against Kansas?
Betsy Vaughn:
I'm from Michigan, but I think I've used Michigan already, and I didn't want anybody from Michigan offended by that. So, "I don't know you, I'm going to your website" without being here. "Here's something for you to buy my product, buy my service, buy my program. Come in and have a meeting with me, blah, blah, blah." Having some valuable content to give people. I think you're so right.
When people, they go like, "Ah, I'm getting something that's of value." They're getting something from that without having to invest financially. And there is something about the voice, about just hearing the people, and hearing a person, and you do connect with them on a level, and it builds that trust up. I always worry when people start, "Oh, I want to send you to my website." Well, what are we going to do when we get there? Like you don't want-
Stuart Bell:
And without throwing everyone in the same bucket, whenever anyone says, "Oh, I just want to send you to the website," that's a red flag, in the sense that you can tell, you can almost even tell by the intonation in the voice, it's like, "Well I don't want to think about this at all, I'll just chuck them somewhere where it's already there." And for the majority of people what's already there isn't fit for purpose. It's just something that has been done in the past, potentially been done with the same dismissive answer as, "I just want to send them to the website." They might not have paid the same attention to creating that thing back whenever.
To the additional overhead, again, I mean, it's a little bit judge-y saying that, because that's not always the truth, and it's easy for me to say, because we've got the benefit of it being easy for us to stick websites up. We've got, it's a core competency that we've got internally, so I understand it's more difficult for other people, but there is so many platforms out there. Even if you just, God forbid, you just point people to your Facebook page, and your Facebook page had, because it's easy to post stuff to your Facebook. There's a million and one other reasons why that's a terribly bad idea, but we don't get into that.
Betsy Vaughn:
There's a whole another conversation.
Stuart Bell:
Yeah. Exactly. It's the easiest thing to do. So not having a place to put content that is fit for purpose isn't an excuse anymore. And pointing people to old bad content ... It's like the conversation, we've done a whole show, if not more than one show, in the past about people wanting to repurpose their talks that they've done from stage, or a webinar that they've done. The problem with is this fit for purpose conversation. If you just want to use it because it's there and you can't be bothered doing anything else, well, understand that there's a cost to that, and that cost is relevancy and fit for purpose. If there's absolutely fit for purpose, then hey, do it. But the reality is for most people, it's not.
So recording something additional that fits in the funnel, fits in with the expectation, once you've got that asset, that thing, as you identified, you can use it in multiple different ways. So we've talked about using audio in the follow-up sequence to amplify points. Well, just use the exact same audio on the back of the copy. I mean, if those are the best words you've got about that subject, then the fact that you're using it in two different places is perfectly fine because it's the best words.
You made the point about it being very engaging. When I'm in the office down here in Florida there's a cross-fit gym I go to every day that I'm down here, and I'm almost evangelical about cross-fit. I absolutely love it. My capability doesn't quite keep up with my enthusiasm, but still, I'm enthusiastic.
Betsy Vaughn:
There you go.
Stuart Bell:
The consumption of additional material, well then I've watched lots of cross-fit athletes, their YouTube channels, I've listened to several podcasts from both athletes and people just who are also passionate about the subject, talking about it. And that engagement really amplifies my interest in the subject. So I'm not just listening to it because it's educational. I'm also listening to it because it's entertaining. And its breadth in the subject, and its depth on individuals, and its interesting little antidote and nuances that don't just come across in, not really there is a word equivalent, but it's more background, and you feel more of a connection with people because of exactly that.
I was talking to someone, and I'll get back on subject in a second, but I was talking to someone this week, and they quoted back to me something that we said in a show a couple of months ago, and I actually missed the reference, so they repeated it to make the point that's where it was coming from. And it was such a weird thing, as a podcast listener, that I'm very familiar with the concept of feeling way more connected with people I've never met but who I've listened to for 10 years, feeling very close to almost them and their family because of all of the stories that come out in the background.
Betsy Vaughn:
Right.
Stuart Bell:
I've talked the immigration challenges we've had over the past a couple of years, and the fact that we were married last year, and Lucy's up in Philadelphia, and I'm down here every a couple of weeks, and I'm back and forth. And anyone that's listened to the show pretty regularly has got some background knowledge. And then to hear that played back, or hear some of that played back, it's a little peculiar. But I'm very used to it being on the listener end, just not on the broadcast end.
Betsy Vaughn:
Right, right. It's so true. I'm always taken aback a little when someone says, "Oh, I heard you and Stuart say ..."
Stuart Bell:
Right.
Betsy Vaughn:
I almost forget, like, okay, this isn't just us talking. We actually send that out to a whole lot of people. Yeah. So it's the same thing where I listen to podcasts, I think I know those people. You almost think, "Oh, that's my friend, that sounds like Rachael Hollis," because I listen to her all the time. Whatever, and so then you just pick up that engagement and you are just kind of like, "Oh, I kind of trust those people."
Stuart Bell:
Yeah. It's just an authenticity about it. I mean, it's difficult to be for consistently for what are we up to now, like 90 episodes or whatever? So it's difficult to just keep that, if this was all fake and false, it would be difficult to keep it going for that long. So anyway, back to the point of the back cover, that step one, the job of work of the step one is to build rapport, and to allow people to see more content. It isn't necessarily an action step. It's the underlying, it's the foundations that you are putting in because you know there will be benefits later. In the context of people seeing these steps, and you don't necessarily have a relationship already, then it does a great job of work of some of that foundation work.
Step two, then, is the ... I'll tell you what, let's just jump to step three, and then we'll come back. It makes sense. With step three, it's for those people who are absolutely ready to go now. So these are people who do know, like, and trust you already, and they have consumed enough to feel comfortable they want to get started. Or the commitment is low enough they're just ready to pull the trigger. So as much as possible, we always want to present an option for those people as well, so that whenever they're ready, and hopefully, they're ready immediately, they can take that step.
So this kind of mafia offer that we talk about in the Eight Profit Activators, this way of making it easier for people to get started, having that step presented on the back cover, so this is a perfect match for those people who have requested it because they know that this is something that they want. They either read it all, or even just thumbed straight to the back and said, "Okay, well, listen, I've raised my hand. I'm interested in this. Just let's cut to the chase and pull the trigger. I want to start this fitness program." Giving them an easy way of getting started, that is step three.
Okay, not really rocket science. Usually on the, after we've got step one, step two and step three, we've also got some words at the bottom that says, "Alternatively, if you want to reach out to me, I'm always happy to talk about this so send me an email to joe@joesmith.com or call me on this phone number and we can talk about it." So that's the kind of catch-all, then, at the bottom. So then all that's pretty straightfoward.
Step two is an interesting one because this is what I think is quite alien to people. It's not something that people necessarily think about, and that's having a way of people opting into something that is obviously the next step on the path. So I'm going to use a scorecard as an example just because we've talked about scorecards before and it's easy to conceptualize and think about. But if you don't have a scorecard, don't worry about it. Every time I say scorecard, substitute it for assessment, or checklist, or report. It's the thing that is the next level up. It's like the 202 level of engagement if the book is the 101 level.
And bear in mind, I'm from the UK so we don't have that structure over there, so that might actually be completely incorrect, but I think what I want is the entry level, and 202 is the next level up. So if that's correct, it's the 202 level. So let's stick with the scorecard example. So step one, head over to the website, or wherever, and consume this additional content where we do a deep dive on stuff. Step three is here's how you can pull the trigger. Step two is head over to bookblueprintscore.com and measure your book idea against the book blueprint mindsets, because that's a great way of scoring yourself on the system and identifying which leavers you can pull a little bit harder to squeeze more juice from the book.
The reason that we do that is twofold, really, or threefold, I guess. The first one is for those people who are on the list already because they've opted in. They've consumed a bit of the content, but they still want to evidence to themselves that they're moving in this direction. So those are the people that absolutely go A, B, C, D, through the process and not just A to D. So that's the first purpose. It just allows people to follow the logical progression of a small minimum viable commitment to move that to them to the next step. They're going to evidence for themselves where they're doing well already, or where they got room to improve, and then the call to action after they've taken the assessment, then that bit of the funnel, really is, "Now, okay, now it's time to get started."
So the first group of people it addresses is those the just want to go A, B, C, D, and complete each step in the process. The second group is for those who aren't necessarily, they're still in the judging phase. So they're maybe still not ready, they're six months away from moving, but they just want to take this assessment. And they might take the assessment like five times before they actually raise their hand and pull the trigger on doing something. But still they want that feeling of moving forward and progressing through. So it's actually, even though these people are on your list already, it's giving you an indicator that they're a little bit hotter. So in your CRM system hopefully you can flag the fact that this person has opted into the book in the first place and then completed the scorecards potentially many times in the second stage.
So knowing that information, you can potentially follow up with that person in a slightly different way because you've got get knowledge that they have taken the next step. They're not just the person who opted in and never did anything else. They're the person who opted in and took the next step, but for whatever reason hasn't yet completed the, got through to the stage of completing. So just gives you some extra information, and it not just allows you to identify invisible prospects, but identify the hotter ones of the prospects that were invisible.
And the third group, and this one really resonates with, or reinforces the Amazon point. The third group is the group that allows you to collect the details of people that you haven't yet been able to collect the details for. So think about Amazon. Someone requests, orders a copy of the book. It arrives, but you don't know who that person is. Having that second stage as a logical progression, but a progression that is behind an opt-in, means that you can now identify that person in a way that if you didn't have that.
Imagine if the only steps you had on the back of the back were, "Hey, call me or come into the office." Well, unless that person's ready, and with the understanding that you haven't yet built any emotional or reputational capital, you don't have a relationship with them yet, then they're less likely to do that. So having the second step as something that logically makes sense in their progression, but also has an opt-in, allows you to capture those details of that whole group of people that you haven't yet captured their details from.
So, Amazon is an easy one to think about because it's pretty straightfoward. The two ones that are a little bit more subtle are those groups of people who have physically picked up a copy of the book from someone else, or have been emailed it from someone else. So again, they're not necessarily on your list. And that might also refers to the complimentary, non-competing businesses. So we talked about working with a local organization that are similarly aligned to you, but aren't competitors, and giving them copies of the books to give to away. Again, you don't know who those people are, so having a second step, that logically makes sense but allows you to capture the details, it facilitates this whole complimentary, non-competing side.
And then the third one I was going to say, is from the orchestrating referrals point of view. Again we talked about this a couple of weeks ago. Sending something out to people who are your existing customers and saying, "Hey, we've just written this new book, we'd love to get you a copy to give to someone if you know of anyone this would help." Rather than saying to your existing customers, "Hey, we've just written this book. If you give me the names and email addresses of your closest friends, then I'll send them something." Which no one wants to do because no one wants to send their friend's email addresses.
Betsy Vaughn:
Sure.
Stuart Bell:
So the fact that we've given them the book, not collecting any details at the first stage, but we have the second call to action, which is an opt-in, then that makes us much more comfortable with having that orchestrated referral strategy. Because we're happy to give away the copy of the book because we know that in the long-term, in the bigger picture, the people who receive that book and want to take a next step, who it resonates with, have a way of doing that because they can opt in to this second stage thing, this minimal viable commitment little step of an assessment, or checklist, or a scorecard, that will help them evidence themselves that they're in the right place, but doesn't feel like you're just beating the email address out of their friend, or their friend sacrificing their email address, or they're opting in to get something that they've already got. It's a logical progression in the funnel towards making that decision. And that was a lot of words. My voice is very dry.
Betsy Vaughn:
I think that for anybody who has been thinking about their book and they're sort of stuck on that, maybe when we ask them that question, like, "Okay, let's talk about your fall backs," then they won't freeze up. It sort of really breaks it down and I think it makes you, hopefully people will walk away after looking and thinking, "Okay, now I need to think of these steps. What are these steps? And then I'm ready to write my book." That's what we hope to happen somehow.
Stuart Bell:
And it's super-achievable, as well. I mean, this orchestrated approach of how to look at the back-cover copy, if nothing else, I would break it into those two categories. If you're expecting that you're going to use this with people who know, like, and trust you already, then have on the back cover, the problem statement again, the "Don't worry, we're here to help you. Here's how easy it is. Step one, we have a 30-minute call with you to outline it. Step two, we record to get your very best thoughts out. Step three, we take it from there and do all of the production." If that's the criteria, if most people are at that stage, then just simply describe the process. Remind them of how easy it is, and then give them the next step of how to get started.
If you are in a situation where you're using the book in a follow-up with people who don't know, like, and trust you already, so that cold prospect type thing, then have these three easy steps. The first one, point them to some content where they can just learn more, and if you don't have any of that already, just record something on your phone in the next 20 minutes amplifying one of the points in the book and stick it up somewhere, even if it's on Facebook. So just point people to some more information.
Step two, have an assessment, or checklist, or something where people can score themselves and evidence to themselves that they're in the right place. If you don't have anything like that already, then think about as you onboard new clients, people coming through the door every day of the week, what are the five or six questions that you ask them to ascertain whether they're in the right place.
So the fitness example, it's, "Do you exercise already? Do you you have cravings for food? Do you have a stressful environment at work? Do you have time to dedicate to this?" Whether they answer yes or no, then it's almost irrelevant because all you're really doing is trying to engage people in the conversation. So by highlighting those quick things, whatever the questions are that usually you use to onboard people, and then responding to them with a way of saying, "Okay, well what we typically find, is if people score yes, yes, yes, to this, then they've got a higher likelihood of have a successful outcome. If they score no, no, no, it means something else." So whether or not you've got something like this already, again, it's very easy to create.
And then the last one, step three is here's the easy way of getting started. If you're ready to go now, then the best step is to do ... Whatever the best step is to do. So I think no need to overthink it. Those two scenarios and the two examples for, and the examples for each of them, a very quick and easy way. And it's something that you can always tweak and amend afterwards once you've got real words, say it for me. Real-world feedback.
Betsy Vaughn:
Right, right. All right, well that was-
Stuart Bell:
I think that's a good place to stop.
Betsy Vaughn:
I think it's a great place to stop. I think that's a lot of valuable information as usual, and I look forward to hearing some feedback, you know?
Stuart Bell:
Yeah, definitely. Shoot us a reply to this message that comes out or on the comments on the blog post, on the podcast post, or even in the Facebook, where you can ping us and see what people think.
Betsy Vaughn:
Yeah. Absolutely.
Stuart Bell:
All right. Thanks Betsy, we will talk soon.
And there we have it. Another great episode. It's really great to dive deep on some of the subjects like this. The back-cover copy and the context of how you're using it is one of those super-important things that once you think about the context it becomes a lot more straightfoward. It can be very overwhelming to begin with and it's easy to default to some of the obviously examples. But just that little bit of orchestration, thinking about how you're going to be using the book in the majority of cases really allows you to write something that's more fit for purpose and is going to get you the outcomes that you're looking for.
So in the episode that we talked about the book blueprint score, book blueprint scorecards, and how you can measure your book ideas against the Eight Mindsets that we have. So if you haven't yet, definitely the best idea to dive into bookblueprintscore.com and then you can score yourself against some of these ideas, including some things like your table of contents and your back-cover copy. Some great ideas for you as you complete that.
As always, if you're ready to get started, then quickest way of doing it is to work with us, we can get your book out there and kind of guide you through each step of the process, really allowing you to just focus on the content. So that's head over to 90minutebooks.com, follow the get started links, and we'll be there ready to help you through. If you want to be a guest on the show, then head over to 90minutebooks.com/guest. Shoot me a note with your details, and then would love to jump on a show and either talk through your book idea or talk about the book that you've recently written and how you're using it. So with that, we will catch you in the next one.