Michael Hyatt is the author of Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World (Thomas Nelson). It is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestseller. Recently, Forbes magazine named him one of the “Top 10 Online Marketing Experts To Follow In 2014.”
He left a lifelong career in the publishing industry to launch his own speaking/mentoring/writing business, but he spent eight years building his own platform before he resigned from his CEO position.
He openly shares his failures and recommendations for success in this episode of The Sales Podcast.
Inbound Marketing Sales Tips
- Don't quit your day job!
- Having a day job does give you a safety net.
- Look for a niche.
- Success and fun. Passion. (Daydream.) Competency. (What are you good at?) Market Demand.
- For four years, Michael had under 1,000 readers per month on his blog.
- You have to build a tribe, a following, a platform to get your word out.
- It’s easier now. Few are doing it well. It’s easier to stand out now if you focus.
It’s easier to stand out now if you focus."
- Everyone wants to create excuses.
- Time is the easiest excuse.
- He was a CEO with five daughters, etc.
- He would say he was handicapped by being a CEO.
Make your customer the hero."
- Michael’s inflection point is because he focused on his audience, and most get it wrong and focus on themselves.
- Michael sees himself as a guide. Help them solve problems.
- In year four, he shifted his focus and realized he wasn’t the center of the universe.
- He conducted a survey and created content around addressing those problems.
- Have an Intentional Monetization Strategy
- He wishes he had started collecting email addresses earlier.
- He had about 2,500 subscribers when he went out on his own despite having 100,000 visitors per month.
- He went from 2,500 to 73,000 in the first nine months by being intentional.
- The right content that people want—provide a quick win—deliver huge value. Give away your best stuff for free.
- People undervalue their knowledge. Everyone is an expert in something. People will pay you for what you know.
- Read Brendon Burchard's "The Millionaire Messenger: Make a Difference and a Fortune Sharing Your Advice"
Have an Intentional Monetization Strategy"
- Hire the best coaches you can afford. It may be just a free book from the library.
- Join Masterminds.
- Set time aside to learn and time to work. “Every time I’ve hired an assistant it has enabled me to increase my income.”
- Narrow on what you do best and add value. It brings joy.
- Michael spent 30 days in Europe. He got five emails that entire time from his daughter. He has grown over three years and invested.
- He sees books as fancy business cards. It fills the top of the funnel.
- Book Shout - Dallas - amazing engine for entrepreneurs wanting to sell their digital products.
- Non-fiction authors - most don’t know they have to write the book first.
- Write a great proposal in a specific format - “Writing a book and getting published is more important than a PhD - get published!”
Writing a book and getting published is more important than a PhD!"
- It’s a bit of the chicken and the egg:
- Blog to create your platform.
- It’s your laboratory to test content.
- Then polish it up and publish.
- People will pay for convenience.
- If you’re serious about speaking, hang a shingle and let people know that’s what you do.
- He has a chapter in his book. His invitations quadrupled when he got this right.
- If your content is resonating, it will connect with event planners looking for good people. Don’t make it difficult for them. View yourself as a product and package yourself.
- Speak for free to get started. Get permission to record it and make your demo reel.
Links Mentioned
Market like you mean it. Now go sell something! 👍