April 1, 2025 • 44 mins
What if your book could do more than sell copies? Most authors stop at the book launch. But what if your book was the beginning, not the end, of something bigger?
Allison Lane sits down with marketing strategist Ann Carden to uncover how authors can reverse engineer success by building a business around their book. Whether you're writing, launching, or already published, this conversation will shift how you think about book promotion strategies and author visibility. It’s not just about selling more books, it’s about expanding your reach and turning your book into a brand.
Ann Carden is a business strategist and founder of Expert in You®, helping authors and experts scale with high-end strategies and standout positioning.
Press play to learn how to turn your book into a business and reach more of the people you’re meant to serve.
What You’ll Learn
- Why the book launch is just a milestone, not the destination.
- How to create a strategy beyond “just sell the book.”
- The key to positioning yourself as a high-value expert.
Resources Mentioned
- Ann Carden’s website: annlcarden.com
- LinkedIn Learning Course: Think Bigger About Your Career by Allison Lane
- Allison Lane’s tech stack pack and marketing resources: https://www.lanelit.com/tech
- Book Recos:
- Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids about Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert Kiyosaki - https://bookshop.org/a/55773/9781612681139
- Gap in the Gain: The High Achievers' Guide to Happiness, Confidence, and Success by Dan Sullivan - https://bookshop.org/a/55773/9781401964368
- The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines Into Massive Success and Happiness by Jeff Olson - https://bookshop.org/a/55773/9781626340466
- 10x Is Easier Than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less by Dan Sullivan with Benjamin Hardy - https://bookshop.org/a/55773/9781401969950
Timestamps
- [03:08] Why your book needs a strategy (and what most authors miss).
- [09:26] How to use your book to book paid speaking gigs.
- [14:37] Positioning: The secret to standing out online.
- [20:32] The most effective book marketing strategies right now.
- [30:52] Why getting help is the ultimate fast-track.
Tune in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ef8bZh4uuU
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Ann (00:00):
Why would you say the sky is the limit when there are
(00:03):
footprints on the moon?
(00:28):
Welcome to the podcast.
I am your host Allison Lane, andI am here for you because I know
that your book is important toyou, and I know that you don't
want it to wither away on thevine.
What you have to share is neededin the world.
(00:49):
And it's my job to give you theinsights and the practical tips
and the guest experts to helpyou make that happen.
So today, I'm welcoming amarketing genius who is going to
share with you how she helpspeople think bigger so that they
(01:13):
can speak and sell and scale andreach so many dollars.
I'll let her tell you, but withand develop a business from
their book.
Our guest today is Ann Carden.
She helps authors and coachesand entrepreneurs and anyone who
(01:35):
wants to go bigger.
And you know what I say, youhave to think bigger.
And as you'll hear, she has someof the same power statements as
well.
So you'll hear how we realize.
Huh?
We're saying the same thing.
How do we just meet each other?
It's so exciting.
(01:56):
Anne is the founder of theExpert in You Brand and
marketing agency, a bestsellingauthor, host of Expert in You
podcast.
I'm so grateful that she's here.
Welcome, Ann Carden.
I'm so glad we're talking today,and thank you for coming on the
show and sharing your geniusbecause oh my gosh, we need to
(02:21):
know what you know, everyonereally does.
And those of you who arelistening along thinking, gosh,
I hope she gives me a tip to gobigger.
Wait for it.
It's coming people.
So, welcome.
Thank you.
Thanks for being here.
Allison, thank you.
It is my pleasure and honor, Ilove talking about talking about
(02:44):
stuff and sharing.
it's going to be great.
Allison (02:47):
okay, well let's start with the problem because that's
usually, people don't know whatthe solution is, so they don't
know what to ask for.
They know what is giving them athorn in their side.
They know that they're trippingup on something.
So what's the biggest mistakethat people are making when
(03:09):
they're trying to grow, whenthey're trying to expand their
career or think bigger?
Or even when authors want togrow their audiences, what are
they tripping up on?
Ann (03:20):
I think the first thing is that they don't really create
the strategy that will get themthe results they're looking for,
or they don't really know whatthose results.
Are that they want.
So often people write a book andthey think, oh I am gonna sell
enough books and make a milliondollars.
But the average book sells about$15,000 worth of books over its
(03:41):
lifetime.
Now, not saying that you can'tdo much more than that, but most
of the business comes from usingthat book as sort of the anchor
in your business.
It becomes sort of the core ofyour business, and then you can
actually build out from there.
So, it's really understanding,okay, how do I really accomplish
(04:01):
what I want?
And what is that?
For a lot of people, they don'teven really have that game plan,
so you can't get somewhere ifyou don't know where you're
going.
Right.
Allison (04:10):
That's what I say.
We can't get there if we don'thave a map.
We can spend hours and hoursjust driving around town, or we
can drive cross country.
Ann (04:22):
Exactly.
Allison (04:23):
a map.
You just said two things though.
I wanna back up before we getthere.
You said they don't have astrategy and they don't know
what results they want.
Those are two different things,friends.
The strategy is how you getsomewhere.
Are you driving or are youflying?
(04:43):
The result is.
Where do you end up?
Ann (04:46):
Right.
Allison (04:47):
It's the destination,
Ann (04:48):
The strategies, it's the journey that you're gonna to get
to that destination.
Allison (04:55):
So when people think about their book, whether you're
writing your book or you wannawrite your book, or you're
prepping for your book launch,the book launch isn't the
destination.
And it feels like it becauseit's a milestone.
But really it's a catapult.
(05:15):
And it can be.
We want it to be because we wantyou to reach more people.
Right.
And that's what you're so goodat, is helping people turn a
book into a powerful brand.
Ann (05:30):
Yes.
Allison (05:31):
That they can do better things and more things and help
more people.
I mean, from an audience centricpoint of view, it's so that you
can serve more people.
From a marketer's point of view,it's grow your reach, but it's
not for you.
All the authors I work with are,feel like they're called to help
(05:56):
people.
So, I just wanna help peopleunderstand that when we say grow
your reach, we know that yourinstincts are to help.
Ann (06:05):
Mm-hmm.
Allison (06:06):
So please forgive our marketing jargony.
Ann (06:08):
Can I speak to that for just a second?
Allison (06:10):
Yes, ma'am.
Ann (06:12):
Okay, so it doesn't have to be'either or,' can have more
impact.
So if you're not looking foryour book to make money or
you're not going to use it asleverage to make money, you
reach is really going to belimited.
So that's one thing to reallyunderstand and a lot of people
don't.
It takes money to be able to dobigger things.
(06:37):
And it takes.
for example, you wanna go speakon stages.
That's great.
Go speak on stages.
But if you're not getting paidbig dollars for those stages,
it's going to cost you money.
It's going to cost you travelmoney.
It might cost you money to getthose stages booked to begin
(06:58):
with.
You might have to have some helpto find those stages so.
Money, whether people think thisway or not, it makes the world
go round.
It does.
And so one of the things that Iteach people is it doesn't have
to be either or.
Why can't it be both?
I don't care if you wanna givethe money away, But you're still
going to need money to make theimpact that you want.
(07:19):
You need money to publish thebook, you need money to get the
book done to begin with.
Right?
Most people do.
Allison (07:26):
And.
Well, even if even those who aretraditionally published.
You will need a website anddon't have you.
Please don't have yourneighbor's niece develop your
website.
She's going back to college.
She doesn't know anything aboutmessaging or how to monetize
(07:48):
your site or to make it so thatyou can also have a CRM
integrated in it.
I do, and I'll put my tech stackin the show notes as well as
everything we talk about today,by the way, will be in the show
notes.
But I love what you're sayingbecause I'm thinking,
particularly about some clientsI have who recently had book
(08:12):
launches, but they knew twoyears ago that they were
publishing their book so thatthey could transition from one
leadership level in their careerto a leadership level outside of
their industry.
On a national or global stage,which means that they needed to
(08:36):
have some new photos taken.
I'm not talking about fashionphotos, I'm talking about good
lighting.
You're talking about brandingphotos?
just branding photos.
These are not your friend comingover with her iPhone.
Which those can work for awhile, but we only need a couple
(08:59):
of photos, but we do need them.
You do need a functioningwebsite.
You do need to have a vision,and you need to know that even
when you are showing up at otherconferences, are you prepared
for what's there?
Do you have one sheet?
(09:21):
You know, Do you have sometools?
And when then someone says, I'dlove to have you speak at this
event.
Do you know what you charge?
If you don't know what you'resupposed to be charging?
If you say a number, that's whatI would consider low.
They're not gonna take youseriously.
Ann (09:39):
Right.
It goes back to you have to knowwhat you want that book to
accomplish.
And also to even publish thebook in the right way.
What do you want it toaccomplish?
You need a strategy for yourbook, but then you need a
strategy beyond your book.
I remember having a conversationwith someone on social media one
day and he said he wanted to usethis book to speak and to get on
(10:01):
stages.
And which is a lot of people dothat is their game.
And I said, what kind of moneyare you wanting to make, to do
that?
And he said I wanna sell amillion books.
And I said, okay.
How many stages do you need toget on to sell a million books?
And these are things he hadnever thought about.
So there, it's all part of thestrategy.
(10:22):
You have to know what you'retrying to accomplish.
And can it get you to where youwanna go.
Allison (10:29):
I'm so glad we're having this conversation.
Okay.
Perfect example.
And let me back up by saying,when you know that you are the
brand and your book is theproduct.
You understand that yourspeaking is also a product, or
your collaboration is also aproduct.
(10:51):
And by product I mean it'sanother way for your audience to
interact with you.
They might not buy your book,but they're gonna spend a
thousand dollars to come to theconference that you're
keynoting.
And what I want people torealize is that, yes, I know
(11:11):
you've worked so hard on yourbook and you think that's the
end.
But it's not the end.
It's the beginning because it isproof that you are a big effing
deal that you can now offer tosomeone in addition to all the
other ways you're offering tothem.
Ann (11:29):
Yes.
Allison (11:31):
And what I see people do that is such a mistake is
that they think that their bookpromotion is about selling the
book.
And when you try and sell a bookand all of your interviews are,
so go and buy the book.
Nobody likes it.
Nobody likes to be sold to.
(11:51):
People hate it.
It's not, it smells bad, itturns people off because they
don't wanna be sold to, theywanna lean in and feel like
they're getting value out ofknowing you.
And then they realize, oh, I canget the book too.
(12:14):
Awesome.
Ann (12:15):
Well, not only that.
One of the mistakes I thinkpeople make is they think
somebody's gonna be transformedfrom their book.
People aren't typicallytransformed from a book.
And so if you are not offered,they might get a nugget, they
might get a breakthrough, butthey're not typically, going to
get major results from a book.
They're gonna get a new idea.
(12:36):
Maybe a paradigm shift, you'regonna expand their thinking,
whatever that is.
But where people make thismistake is they don't give
people a way that they can godeeper with them.
They don't offer anything otherthan the book.
To me, it does a disservice topeople.
It leaves them hanging.
Allison (12:55):
It is very limiting.
It's like saying to someone, Iwould love to get together, but
I'm only available on this dayat this time, and if that
doesn't work for you, try andcatch me at a different time.
It's what?
No, I thought we were gonna befriends.
But this is the one, the onlything that I can offer.
(13:18):
I'm never available at thattime, and it's just rude.
Oh, I don't offer anything.
Every author should expect thatsomeone will end up emailing
you, asking you to do somethingthat is outside of just buy your
book.
They will want to pick yourbrain, which PS you need to
(13:39):
charge for.
Ann (13:40):
Right.
Allison (13:42):
As soon as you have three people picking your brain,
that's your afternoon, and anafternoon is worth charging for.
Ann (13:47):
And time you'll never get back.
So, yes.
Allison (13:50):
Time you'll never get back and you really wanna record
that because more than threepeople are gonna wanna pick your
brain.
Ann (13:55):
Mm-hmm.
Allison (13:56):
And then you have to notice that people not only
wanna know you, but your websiteis not the destination.
They're not seeking out yourhome base.
Ann (14:09):
Right.
Allison (14:09):
That's why when people wanna meet new friends, they
leave their freaking house.
So no one's coming to yourwebsite and discovering you.
You've gotta go out there and bewhere the people are, the
audiences to grow your reach.
So, one of the effective waysthat people can position
(14:33):
themselves as a big effing dealis whatever that is for you.
You need to figure that out.
Now, and what's one of the mosteffective ways that people can
and stand out as an expert intheir industry or beyond?
(14:56):
I'm putting you on the spot, butI think people really wanna know
like, I know there's no one way,but can you give us a hint?
Ann (15:04):
Of course, yeah.
In fact, I'm running a workshoparound this right now.
Allison (15:08):
Oh, perfect.
Yeah.
Ann (15:10):
First of all, you do not have a choice anymore to not be
online.
One of the mistakes that peoplemake is they often don't build
up a really robust onlinepresence.
And it's not just about beingBeing online, but but, be
congruency.
There should be congruency inyour brand.
There should be congruency inwhat you do and who you help and
(15:32):
how you serve.
There should be congruency inyour message that you're putting
out there.
And and.
that helps build what we callpositioning.
Positioning is the outsideperception people have of you
what you're all about.
And I love to use this sort of,analogy or this metaphor so
(15:54):
often, and I say, if I say theword Lamborghini, what comes to
your mind?
You have a visual of what thatis, right?
You have a visual of what thatcar looks like.
Maybe you get a certain feelingor certain emotions, you
instantly think luxury orexpensive or sleek.
If I say the word cheap usedcar, what comes to your mind?
(16:18):
You get a visual image, that'spositioning.
Positioning is that idea, thatfeeling, that perception, that
people have of you when they seeyou.
So, one of the things that Ishare with my clients is if even
if you wanna get on more stages,you wanna sell more books,
whatever that is.
You should be out there singingabout that book everywhere.
(16:40):
You should be out there, talkingabout that book everywhere.
You should be building up thatonline presence around your
book.
Your book can become your partof your brand.
If you are looking at the videohere, you can see behind me,
expert in You.
I've written books.
I have another book, my fourthbook coming out.
This next book coming out isaround Expert In You.
(17:01):
Mic Up, step into the ExpertSpotlight, speak, sell, and
Scale the millions.
But that is all built around.
My expert in new brand.
My other expert in new book wasreleased, I don't know, four
years ago.
But you can go and you canactually search expert in you,
or you can search my name andeverything's gonna come up.
That's what I'm talking about.
(17:23):
If you're not doing that in themarketplace today, you're really
going to have a tough time doingmuch of anything if that makes
sense.
And when you do it in the rightway, you'll stand out against
everyone else.
You won't look the same.
You'll have your own brand, yourown identity to what you're
doing, and people will be ableto clearly see when you have
(17:44):
this done right, what you're allabout, and you'll start
attracting things to you.
So, it actually makes everythingeasier for you to market,
whether it's a book or marketyour business, it makes it
easier for you.
I like to say it does the heavylifting.
Allison (18:00):
It's helpful to know who you are so that you know
what you're not.
Ann (18:07):
That too.
That should we should be part ofit.
Allison (18:11):
I love it when people are specific about saying no to
a podcast interview or aspeaking opportunity, or are you
going to that conference?
Oh no, that it would be nice,but it doesn't fit with my
(18:32):
priorities.
AKA, it's not a strategy to getme to my chosen destination.
And it's helpful, I think if weassume success, and I think this
gets in people's way, that theydon't assume success.
(18:53):
So they think, oh my God, Idon't wanna say, no.
Did you hear my breathy voicetoo?
That's my tentative voice of I,I know her, so I think I should
do this.
Like, mm.
I will give you three of those,and then you need to prioritize
the things that are going tohelp you help more people and
grow your reach, right?
(19:17):
And so, that means that forparticularly for authors, going
to writers conferences will nothelp you grow your reach.
It will help you connect withother authors who will not buy
your book.
Ann (19:33):
Right.
And if you don't know that,you're gonna burn up a lot of
time and energy and maybe money.
Allison (19:38):
It's gonna feel good.
You're gonna feel like, oh,well, this is a peer group and
they've asked me to speak.
Of course they have becauseyou're speaking for free and
that's super nice, but it's likegoing to any industry
conference.
You're giving back and that'sgreat, but it's not a way to
grow your reach of youraudience.
Ann (20:02):
It doesn't mean you can't do things to give back.
I'll go and speak to give back.
when I know no one in the roomcould be an ideal client for me,
or is really going to be better.
It literally is an act ofservice.
But know, that's okay to do.
It's just know that's whatyou're doing when you take that
offer from someone.
(20:22):
So it really comes down to thatclarity around where do you
wanna go and what are the stepsthat you need to take to get the
results that you're looking for?
It will help you cut away a lot,say yes and say no to the right
things.
Allison (20:38):
Yeah.
And allow yourself to say yes toa few of those things that feel
right, but realize that you willneed to diversify in order to
grow.
Can you share some strategiesthat you've seen work best for
authors when they are trying tomarket and sell more books?
Ann (21:00):
Mm-hmm.
Sure.
So, first of all getting onstages, getting on podcast in
front of your ideal people.
Being very active on socialmedia is, I mean, the resources
and the tools that we haveavailable today is crazy.
So to not be out there in thespotlight, sharing about your
(21:22):
book, talking about your book,getting other people to talk
about your book, giving awaysome books so they'll read it
and talk about your book,whatever it takes, all of those
things.
It's about just getting active.
It's about getting passionateabout what you wanna do with
that book.
And if you're really interestedin getting that book into more
(21:42):
people's hands and having morepeople buy it, you've gotta go
out and earn that business.
And a lot of people don't thinklike this.
They think, oh, it's just gonnacome to them.
You can also partner with peoplethat could sell your book for
you.
There's so many different ideasand options and strategies.
But at the end of the of theday, it all means you need to
(22:04):
step out there and you need todo the work get the business.
Allison (22:09):
Mm.
And I would say once you decidewhat that work is going to be,
you don't have to do everything.
I mean, let's,'cause I can feelthe crush of the pressure of all
of the options.
You don't have to do everythingfor the, you know, you listener
as you're sitting in the targetparking lot thinking, holy
(22:32):
crackers, Allison, Ann.
Now, I feel even more stressed.
No, we're saying these are someoptions.
Choose what works, and thenremove the rest from your dance
card.
You have to make choices andthen make this something that's
manageable'cause you will notstop the world from turning so
(22:55):
that you can have more time inthe day.
And it'll take all the enjoymentout of it.
It's supposed to be fun.
You wanted to write this bookand you wanted to share your
message and your experience.
So we want you to enjoy theentire process, right?
I would say, choose a fewstrategies and stick with those.
(23:20):
If podcasts and speaking and onemain social platform, make one
your home.
You don't have to be on Blue Skyand threads and Instagram and
TikTok.
It is too f-ing much
Ann (23:39):
No, that
Allison (23:39):
start a Pinterest.
Yeah.
Ann (23:41):
you can repurpose so that you are everywhere.
Allison (23:44):
Mm-hmm.
Ann (23:45):
Especially if you're creating content or you're
getting out there and you'reonline, you're doing a podcast,
you can repurpose all of thatcontent so that it can go on
YouTube so it can go onlinkedIn, it can be on TikTok,
it can be on Instagram.
You can still do all that.
You don't have to be all thoseplaces, and that's a mistake
people make too.
(24:05):
But it comes back to reallyknowing the end game that what
is it you really wannaaccomplish with that book?
And then having the right piecesin place.
Because some platforms wouldn'teven really be a good fit.
Depending on what your book isand who you want to read that
book and who you wanna sell thatbook to.
Some platforms wouldn't even bethe right place.
(24:27):
So why would you even wannawaste your time?
So if you don't have a goodstrategy mapped out or you don't
understand this, get helpbecause you will burn up a lot
of time and energy and wasteeven maybe money if you don't
have this piece in place first.
It is really the precursor toany activity you do.
Allison (24:47):
I think it's a very common action to take to turn to
the other people who just didwhat you wanna do and say, well,
this worked for them.
But they also were a debutauthor and their book came out
two months ago.
They have launched one book thatis not a good focus group for
(25:11):
you.
And when I see, debut authorscreate a accountability group,
and they're all taking advicefrom each other.
I just think, oh boy, none ofthem is informed about what they
might do that's more efficient.
Or because TikTok works for one,TikTok for instance, doesn't
(25:36):
necessarily convert to emailsubscribers or even paid
programs, but it is great forreaching other influencers.
So, do you have a plan tocollaborate with those people?
Because people think like, oh, Iwanna grow my TikTok.
(25:58):
Like really, but for whatreason?
Like we need to know, andthere's always maybe a different
way to go about things.
And I think getting help andinformed support will save you
from some angry cries.
Ann (26:16):
With someone that knows what they're doing.
Allison (26:18):
Right.
That's what I mean with someonewho's been down that road.
Yes.
Whether it's Ann or me orsomeone else, we want you to.
Enjoy this and feel like thingsare smooth and silky because
you're still living your life.
(26:38):
You're still teaching at theuniversity, or running your
medical practice and putting abook out, and now you're
speaking on stages.
Which means you have to take asabbatical for the semester.
So how many stages are you gonnaspeak on, and are you making the
(27:02):
choices?
Are you grabbing the marketingassets while you're there that
will fuel your branding for thenext four years?
That's probably another podcastepisode and we'll have to do
something else about all themarketing assets that people
gather that are trash when theycould focus on, three or five
(27:27):
everywhere you go.
And then be pleasantly surprisedwith, wow, I'm really able to do
fewer efforts.
But they pay out so much morebecause I'm focused.
And then you can actually take avacation and vacate, you know?
(27:48):
Then you can enjoy your timeaway without feeling like.
Ann (27:52):
That's why building on the back end of your book is gold.
I talk about building a milliondollar business from your book,
not building, not making amillion dollars with your book,
but how do you build a milliondollar business around your
book?
There's so much more opportunitythere, and it goes back to what
we were saying.
You're leaving so much on thetable and you're making things
harder for yourself.
(28:13):
I guess I would just have to sayagain.
I get that you wanna impactpeople.
That's why we write our books.
We're passionate about whatwe're sharing about the
expertise or the information.
What are you going to do beyondthat?
Because you will eventually gettired of doing everything for
nothing.
If that's what you're doing, youwill get tired of that.
Allison (28:36):
Yep.
So when you think of a piece ofadvice that everyone needs to
hear, when they feel stuck oroverwhelmed with their growth.
What's one thing that you needto take everyone by the
shoulders and just help themreally absorb.
Ann (29:00):
Besides, you should work with someone that can help you.
That would be Yeah.
the fast track.
I'm just gonna say, I don't saythat just because I help people,
but that is a fast track.
That's something allison, I'vebeen building businesses for 34
years, 35 years.
I'm in my sixth and seventhbusiness.
And for the first four or three,I didn't have someone that could
(29:24):
help me that wasn't a thing.
Business coaches were noteverywhere.
They weren't a dime a dozen.
We couldn't write our own books.
We couldn't self-publish, wecouldn't, even going to a
publisher was so out of reach,none of those things existed.
Now, we have access to all ofthat.
And so, for people to not takeadvantage and fast track their
(29:46):
success.
I mean, Think about this, andthere are 1700 new millionaires
a day in the United States,1700.
When I started 35 years ago, Ididn't even know a millionaire.
That wasn't even a thought in mymind.
And yet, these are theopportunities we have today.
But so many people don't gethelp to speed that success.
(30:12):
And the more they don't do that,the more opportunity they're
missing.
There's a thing calledopportunity costs.
You're losing.
You're missing out every time.
Even people that a year ago saidthey wanted to be a coach, they
didn't come into the market.
Guess what?
Now, 400,000 new coaches haveentered the market.
Now, you're competing with400,000 more people, you're
(30:33):
already behind.
I'm on my fourth book.
Some people are just startingtheir book.
That's what I'm talking about.
That would be the one thing thatI would say is leverage the
expertise of other people andspeed your success.
You don't have to do things allyourself anymore.
You don't have to try to figurethings out.
(30:56):
That would be the first thing.
And then, the second thing Iwould say is think about
expanding your mind around whatis possible around the people.
Now, you can impact millions ofpeople.
We're global, right?
It's a global audience.
Think bigger.
(31:16):
I don't see people thinking bigenough.
Allison (31:19):
They don't.
And everyone should be thinkingbigger about their career, which
happens to be the title of theLinkedIn course that I just
recorded for LinkedIn learning,which is so funny.
And we have, so we're likesisters from another marketing
mom.
But it's so funny.
(31:40):
No one's thinking big enoughbecause I think that they've
been taught that there's ahierarchy or a path.
No path anymore.
You don't have to wait in linefor your turn.
You don't have to wait until thekids are out of the house or
everyone has what they need.
No one will ever have everythingthat they need.
(32:01):
They'll always want more.
It's up to you to take the spaceto say, this is what I'm doing
and this is what I'm doing it.
And for those of you who think,well, if I could just get this
time or find the time.
Time can't be found.
It just exists.
You have to devote the time andmake the decision to take
(32:23):
action.
And I'll share my own strugglewith starting this podcast,
which I had been saying for twofreaking years, which is so
annoying.
I'm so annoyed with my past selffor not putting this forward.
Because I enjoy it so much andI've simplified the process so
(32:47):
much and I have the support thatI need to make it happen.
And now, I'm reaching out topeople who I don't know and who
don't know me.
And suddenly, we find that wehave the same marketing mama
clearly and we should have knowneach other this whole time.
It is my delight to talk to youand make sure that people
(33:10):
understand that they can thinkbigger and bigger is possible.
It's not a dream, it's a goal.
You mentioned the cost.
What did you say?
The cost opportunity?
Ann (33:24):
The missed cost.
The missed opportunity cost.
Yeah.
Allison (33:27):
Yes, the missed opportunity cost, which makes me
wonder about a book you lovebecause that term is ringing a
bell for me.
So, can you share with us yourbook Reco?
Ann (33:42):
Oh, gosh.
There are so many.
What I'm talking about pro, Iprobably wasn't in one of those
books.
One of my favorite, oh, gosh.
I would have to say, Rich Dad,poor Dad was the book that
completely changed how I thoughtabout things, so I love that
Robert Kiyosaki.
That's one of my favorite books,and I've read it so many times.
But there's a book I readseveral years ago called The
(34:05):
Slight Edge by Jeff Olson.
And I loved that book.
For me, it was a game changer.
It talked about the small,incremental changes that you can
do that will add up if you thinkabout compound interest, that
was the whole idea behind thebook, but not just with money.
(34:28):
It was with other things in yourlife.
And I thought that was sosignificant.
I loved that book.
I probably need to go back andread it again because it's been
several years since I've readit, but it's never left my mind.
Allison (34:40):
I will make sure that is in the show notes as well as
I want to just ask you,'cause Ithink we have another favorite
book or author.
I have recently, and reoverhauled my entire schedule
and priorities based on the kickin the tookus that I got from
(35:05):
reading.
10 X is easier than two x
Ann (35:08):
That's a good one too.
Mm-hmm.
Allison (35:10):
By Dr.
Ben Hardy and Dan Sullivan.
And I think that term that youuse, the missed opportunity
cost.
Ann (35:20):
Mm-hmm.
Allison (35:21):
Is that from Gap in the Gain by Dan Sullivan?
Ann (35:24):
It's probably, several books.
It's really not a new concept.
It's something that really, CPAsand financial people use that
terminology a lot.
But Dan Sullivan is excellent.
I love the Gap in the game.
That's another really good book.
And so, it may be in there, Idon't remember, for sure.
(35:45):
But it is definitely somethingthat's been around for many,
many years that accountants use,CPAs use, and now coaches use it
because it's so true.
People don't think like that.
And when you really realize, heyhere's another example.
You didn't buy a new car lastyear and now this year it's
(36:06):
$20,000 more.
That's just an example That iswhat it means, a missed
opportunity cost.
Now it's costing you$20,000more.
I've had people that havereached out to wanna coach with
me.
And as I got better in coaching,my fees went up, up, up.
Until they would come back andthey would be like, what?
(36:27):
No, that was missed opportunitycost right there.
Plus you could have been makinga lot more money because I could
have been helping you all thattime.
And so, those are other thingsthat fall into that.
So just to give people an ideawhat that means.
Allison (36:41):
I think that people also, when they think about the
gain, when you think bigger,even if you don't reach the pie
in the sky result that you'reaiming for, and you reach 70% of
it.
It's so much more than therealistic goal that maybe your
(37:08):
critique partner set forthemselves where they wanted to
be on three podcasts.
Ann (37:12):
Exactly.
Allison (37:13):
This is my third podcast today.
Ann (37:15):
Yeah.
Allison (37:16):
Three podcasts is nothing.
I mean, I had to have a firmtalk with myself and limit
myself to three podcasts a day,because I could do this all week
long, but I did have to sitmyself down.
Ann (37:29):
Well, and it goes back to how does this align?
Is this doing what I needed todo?
Right.
But no, what you're saying aboutthe goal thing.
Here's the thing people need tounderstand too about how the
mind works.
When you set your sights on agoal, when you actually write a
goal down.
This is my goal.
You will subconsciously startmoving towards that goal.
(37:51):
But even if you don't achieve itI heard a saying many years ago,
why would you say the sky is thelimit when there are footprints
on the moon?
Think about that.
I know, it blew my mind when Iheard it too.
So if you're reaching for thestars, you may not catch'em all,
but what if you catch a lot of'em?
Right?
So I talk about this all thetime.
(38:13):
You may not think like if youset your goal at a million
dollars I help people createmillion, what I call million
dollar offers and brands aroundthat.
If you set your goal on amillion dollar offer and then
making a million dollars, evenif you only make 700,000, would
you be disappointed?
But if you set your goal on sixfigures, you said you're goal a
(38:33):
hundred thousand.
And you only make 50, is thatgonna be good enough for you?
Now, that's not to say you can'tachieve a hundred thousand, but
in reality, a hundred thousanddollars in your business is only
going to be about a$45,000paycheck.
Allison (38:52):
Right.
Ann (38:52):
That's just reality.
Yeah, people.
That's what I mean by people.
big enough.
Allison (38:58):
They don't, oh my gosh.
I'm gonna get a tattoo withthat.
Because I say it, you say it.
I'm gonna put it right here andsigned and, okay.
And let's bring it home.
Ann, if you could share one tipthat our listeners can put into
practice today so that they cangrow their audience.
(39:22):
What should they be doing?
Just one simple step they can dotoday.
Ann (39:28):
Get on social media and start connecting with the right
people.
You and I are connecting rightnow.
We reached out, we found eachother on a platform.
Actually, my assistant found youor you found her, I'm not sure.
But go and start havingconversations with people.
Start trying, reaching out andconnecting with people.
But you have to give them areason to wanna connect.
(39:48):
So, you have to kind of get thatpositioning right?
Otherwise, they're gonna belike, who is this person?
Why would I wanna connect withthis person?
So, I would say, get yourpositioning, then go connect
with the right people that willstart growing your audience.
Allison (40:02):
Perfect.
Ann Carden, thank you so muchfor being here.
Tell us again where everyonecould find you.
Ann (40:09):
Yes, you can go to annlcarden.com, on my website
and you can see my podcast, youcan see books, you can see free
resources, and you can connectwith me.
Allison (40:25):
Perfect.
Thank you so much.
And listen folks, I know you'reout there and you're thinking,
but I'm just at the beginning.
Everyone is just at thebeginning of whatever they're
gonna be doing today.
Even if your book came out sixmonths ago, it's new to the
person who learns about ittoday.
(40:47):
So, you are never finished.
There is no like, check, I'mdone.
Now we can all go to Arubatogether.
You can always envision yournext step, and it starts with
whatever you're going to dotoday.
So, take the action.
(41:07):
And also, share what you alreadyknow.
Stop right now.
Pull over if you're driving.
I'm always driving, so this iswhat I always say.
I'm always in the car with thecarpools.
And forward this podcast episodeto someone you know is
(41:27):
struggling with.
How do I go bigger?
Ann is literally telling you,here's what you can do now.
And she gives so many greatresources on her podcast and on
her website.
Don't wait.
Do it now because you'll forgetlater, and then I'll have to
remind you later, and I don'twanna be that person who's
nagging.
Ann (41:47):
And there's always missed opportunity cost.
Allison (41:49):
Right, and there's always a missed opportunity
cost.
That person will thank you anddo me a solid.
Please leave a review a goodone.
If you have nothing good to say,keep it to yourself.
But leave a review that helpspeople find the podcast.
We are here helping the podcastis free, and we wanna help
(42:15):
people who are looking for theanswers and the solutions and
the encouragement that we'reproviding.
So, share what you know andplease share the podcast so it
reaches more people.
Because there need to be morebooks in the world.
We need to find a way to helpeach other, and podcasts are so
(42:36):
important, share it.
Last request, send me a text inthe episode description at the
very tip of the top, it says,send me a text.
If you click that, it sends me atext.
You can ask me a question.
Offer me some insight.
Tell me about your book.
(42:57):
Lament about a problem you arehaving.
Allow me to answer your questionor offer you some guidance on my
Thursday quickie episodes whereI answer your questions in my
quick Q A because I am here tohelp.
And just a last reminder, youare a big effing deal.
So you have to think bigger.
(43:20):
No one's gonna think bigger foryou.
I know you're a big deal and youknow you're a big deal, so make
a big plan.
Reach big and take and guidance.
She's here to help too.
Thank you.
I'll see you next week and makesure you keep writing.
Why would you say the sky is the limit when there are
(00:03):
footprints on the moon?
(00:28):
Welcome to the podcast.
I am your host Allison Lane, andI am here for you because I know
that your book is important toyou, and I know that you don't
want it to wither away on thevine.
What you have to share is neededin the world.
(00:49):
And it's my job to give you theinsights and the practical tips
and the guest experts to helpyou make that happen.
So today, I'm welcoming amarketing genius who is going to
share with you how she helpspeople think bigger so that they
(01:13):
can speak and sell and scale andreach so many dollars.
I'll let her tell you, but withand develop a business from
their book.
Our guest today is Ann Carden.
She helps authors and coachesand entrepreneurs and anyone who
(01:35):
wants to go bigger.
And you know what I say, youhave to think bigger.
And as you'll hear, she has someof the same power statements as
well.
So you'll hear how we realize.
Huh?
We're saying the same thing.
How do we just meet each other?
It's so exciting.
(01:56):
Anne is the founder of theExpert in You Brand and
marketing agency, a bestsellingauthor, host of Expert in You
podcast.
I'm so grateful that she's here.
Welcome, Ann Carden.
I'm so glad we're talking today,and thank you for coming on the
show and sharing your geniusbecause oh my gosh, we need to
(02:21):
know what you know, everyonereally does.
And those of you who arelistening along thinking, gosh,
I hope she gives me a tip to gobigger.
Wait for it.
It's coming people.
So, welcome.
Thank you.
Thanks for being here.
Allison, thank you.
It is my pleasure and honor, Ilove talking about talking about
(02:44):
stuff and sharing.
it's going to be great.
Allison (02:47):
okay, well let's start with the problem because that's
usually, people don't know whatthe solution is, so they don't
know what to ask for.
They know what is giving them athorn in their side.
They know that they're trippingup on something.
So what's the biggest mistakethat people are making when
(03:09):
they're trying to grow, whenthey're trying to expand their
career or think bigger?
Or even when authors want togrow their audiences, what are
they tripping up on?
Ann (03:20):
I think the first thing is that they don't really create
the strategy that will get themthe results they're looking for,
or they don't really know whatthose results.
Are that they want.
So often people write a book andthey think, oh I am gonna sell
enough books and make a milliondollars.
But the average book sells about$15,000 worth of books over its
(03:41):
lifetime.
Now, not saying that you can'tdo much more than that, but most
of the business comes from usingthat book as sort of the anchor
in your business.
It becomes sort of the core ofyour business, and then you can
actually build out from there.
So, it's really understanding,okay, how do I really accomplish
(04:01):
what I want?
And what is that?
For a lot of people, they don'teven really have that game plan,
so you can't get somewhere ifyou don't know where you're
going.
Right.
Allison (04:10):
That's what I say.
We can't get there if we don'thave a map.
We can spend hours and hoursjust driving around town, or we
can drive cross country.
Ann (04:22):
Exactly.
Allison (04:23):
a map.
You just said two things though.
I wanna back up before we getthere.
You said they don't have astrategy and they don't know
what results they want.
Those are two different things,friends.
The strategy is how you getsomewhere.
Are you driving or are youflying?
(04:43):
The result is.
Where do you end up?
Ann (04:46):
Right.
Allison (04:47):
It's the destination,
Ann (04:48):
The strategies, it's the journey that you're gonna to get
to that destination.
Allison (04:55):
So when people think about their book, whether you're
writing your book or you wannawrite your book, or you're
prepping for your book launch,the book launch isn't the
destination.
And it feels like it becauseit's a milestone.
But really it's a catapult.
(05:15):
And it can be.
We want it to be because we wantyou to reach more people.
Right.
And that's what you're so goodat, is helping people turn a
book into a powerful brand.
Ann (05:30):
Yes.
Allison (05:31):
That they can do better things and more things and help
more people.
I mean, from an audience centricpoint of view, it's so that you
can serve more people.
From a marketer's point of view,it's grow your reach, but it's
not for you.
All the authors I work with are,feel like they're called to help
(05:56):
people.
So, I just wanna help peopleunderstand that when we say grow
your reach, we know that yourinstincts are to help.
Ann (06:05):
Mm-hmm.
Allison (06:06):
So please forgive our marketing jargony.
Ann (06:08):
Can I speak to that for just a second?
Allison (06:10):
Yes, ma'am.
Ann (06:12):
Okay, so it doesn't have to be'either or,' can have more
impact.
So if you're not looking foryour book to make money or
you're not going to use it asleverage to make money, you
reach is really going to belimited.
So that's one thing to reallyunderstand and a lot of people
don't.
It takes money to be able to dobigger things.
(06:37):
And it takes.
for example, you wanna go speakon stages.
That's great.
Go speak on stages.
But if you're not getting paidbig dollars for those stages,
it's going to cost you money.
It's going to cost you travelmoney.
It might cost you money to getthose stages booked to begin
(06:58):
with.
You might have to have some helpto find those stages so.
Money, whether people think thisway or not, it makes the world
go round.
It does.
And so one of the things that Iteach people is it doesn't have
to be either or.
Why can't it be both?
I don't care if you wanna givethe money away, But you're still
going to need money to make theimpact that you want.
(07:19):
You need money to publish thebook, you need money to get the
book done to begin with.
Right?
Most people do.
Allison (07:26):
And.
Well, even if even those who aretraditionally published.
You will need a website anddon't have you.
Please don't have yourneighbor's niece develop your
website.
She's going back to college.
She doesn't know anything aboutmessaging or how to monetize
(07:48):
your site or to make it so thatyou can also have a CRM
integrated in it.
I do, and I'll put my tech stackin the show notes as well as
everything we talk about today,by the way, will be in the show
notes.
But I love what you're sayingbecause I'm thinking,
particularly about some clientsI have who recently had book
(08:12):
launches, but they knew twoyears ago that they were
publishing their book so thatthey could transition from one
leadership level in their careerto a leadership level outside of
their industry.
On a national or global stage,which means that they needed to
(08:36):
have some new photos taken.
I'm not talking about fashionphotos, I'm talking about good
lighting.
You're talking about brandingphotos?
just branding photos.
These are not your friend comingover with her iPhone.
Which those can work for awhile, but we only need a couple
(08:59):
of photos, but we do need them.
You do need a functioningwebsite.
You do need to have a vision,and you need to know that even
when you are showing up at otherconferences, are you prepared
for what's there?
Do you have one sheet?
(09:21):
You know, Do you have sometools?
And when then someone says, I'dlove to have you speak at this
event.
Do you know what you charge?
If you don't know what you'resupposed to be charging?
If you say a number, that's whatI would consider low.
They're not gonna take youseriously.
Ann (09:39):
Right.
It goes back to you have to knowwhat you want that book to
accomplish.
And also to even publish thebook in the right way.
What do you want it toaccomplish?
You need a strategy for yourbook, but then you need a
strategy beyond your book.
I remember having a conversationwith someone on social media one
day and he said he wanted to usethis book to speak and to get on
(10:01):
stages.
And which is a lot of people dothat is their game.
And I said, what kind of moneyare you wanting to make, to do
that?
And he said I wanna sell amillion books.
And I said, okay.
How many stages do you need toget on to sell a million books?
And these are things he hadnever thought about.
So there, it's all part of thestrategy.
(10:22):
You have to know what you'retrying to accomplish.
And can it get you to where youwanna go.
Allison (10:29):
I'm so glad we're having this conversation.
Okay.
Perfect example.
And let me back up by saying,when you know that you are the
brand and your book is theproduct.
You understand that yourspeaking is also a product, or
your collaboration is also aproduct.
(10:51):
And by product I mean it'sanother way for your audience to
interact with you.
They might not buy your book,but they're gonna spend a
thousand dollars to come to theconference that you're
keynoting.
And what I want people torealize is that, yes, I know
(11:11):
you've worked so hard on yourbook and you think that's the
end.
But it's not the end.
It's the beginning because it isproof that you are a big effing
deal that you can now offer tosomeone in addition to all the
other ways you're offering tothem.
Ann (11:29):
Yes.
Allison (11:31):
And what I see people do that is such a mistake is
that they think that their bookpromotion is about selling the
book.
And when you try and sell a bookand all of your interviews are,
so go and buy the book.
Nobody likes it.
Nobody likes to be sold to.
(11:51):
People hate it.
It's not, it smells bad, itturns people off because they
don't wanna be sold to, theywanna lean in and feel like
they're getting value out ofknowing you.
And then they realize, oh, I canget the book too.
(12:14):
Awesome.
Ann (12:15):
Well, not only that.
One of the mistakes I thinkpeople make is they think
somebody's gonna be transformedfrom their book.
People aren't typicallytransformed from a book.
And so if you are not offered,they might get a nugget, they
might get a breakthrough, butthey're not typically, going to
get major results from a book.
They're gonna get a new idea.
(12:36):
Maybe a paradigm shift, you'regonna expand their thinking,
whatever that is.
But where people make thismistake is they don't give
people a way that they can godeeper with them.
They don't offer anything otherthan the book.
To me, it does a disservice topeople.
It leaves them hanging.
Allison (12:55):
It is very limiting.
It's like saying to someone, Iwould love to get together, but
I'm only available on this dayat this time, and if that
doesn't work for you, try andcatch me at a different time.
It's what?
No, I thought we were gonna befriends.
But this is the one, the onlything that I can offer.
(13:18):
I'm never available at thattime, and it's just rude.
Oh, I don't offer anything.
Every author should expect thatsomeone will end up emailing
you, asking you to do somethingthat is outside of just buy your
book.
They will want to pick yourbrain, which PS you need to
(13:39):
charge for.
Ann (13:40):
Right.
Allison (13:42):
As soon as you have three people picking your brain,
that's your afternoon, and anafternoon is worth charging for.
Ann (13:47):
And time you'll never get back.
So, yes.
Allison (13:50):
Time you'll never get back and you really wanna record
that because more than threepeople are gonna wanna pick your
brain.
Ann (13:55):
Mm-hmm.
Allison (13:56):
And then you have to notice that people not only
wanna know you, but your websiteis not the destination.
They're not seeking out yourhome base.
Ann (14:09):
Right.
Allison (14:09):
That's why when people wanna meet new friends, they
leave their freaking house.
So no one's coming to yourwebsite and discovering you.
You've gotta go out there and bewhere the people are, the
audiences to grow your reach.
So, one of the effective waysthat people can position
(14:33):
themselves as a big effing dealis whatever that is for you.
You need to figure that out.
Now, and what's one of the mosteffective ways that people can
and stand out as an expert intheir industry or beyond?
(14:56):
I'm putting you on the spot, butI think people really wanna know
like, I know there's no one way,but can you give us a hint?
Ann (15:04):
Of course, yeah.
In fact, I'm running a workshoparound this right now.
Allison (15:08):
Oh, perfect.
Yeah.
Ann (15:10):
First of all, you do not have a choice anymore to not be
online.
One of the mistakes that peoplemake is they often don't build
up a really robust onlinepresence.
And it's not just about beingBeing online, but but, be
congruency.
There should be congruency inyour brand.
There should be congruency inwhat you do and who you help and
(15:32):
how you serve.
There should be congruency inyour message that you're putting
out there.
And and.
that helps build what we callpositioning.
Positioning is the outsideperception people have of you
what you're all about.
And I love to use this sort of,analogy or this metaphor so
(15:54):
often, and I say, if I say theword Lamborghini, what comes to
your mind?
You have a visual of what thatis, right?
You have a visual of what thatcar looks like.
Maybe you get a certain feelingor certain emotions, you
instantly think luxury orexpensive or sleek.
If I say the word cheap usedcar, what comes to your mind?
(16:18):
You get a visual image, that'spositioning.
Positioning is that idea, thatfeeling, that perception, that
people have of you when they seeyou.
So, one of the things that Ishare with my clients is if even
if you wanna get on more stages,you wanna sell more books,
whatever that is.
You should be out there singingabout that book everywhere.
(16:40):
You should be out there, talkingabout that book everywhere.
You should be building up thatonline presence around your
book.
Your book can become your partof your brand.
If you are looking at the videohere, you can see behind me,
expert in You.
I've written books.
I have another book, my fourthbook coming out.
This next book coming out isaround Expert In You.
(17:01):
Mic Up, step into the ExpertSpotlight, speak, sell, and
Scale the millions.
But that is all built around.
My expert in new brand.
My other expert in new book wasreleased, I don't know, four
years ago.
But you can go and you canactually search expert in you,
or you can search my name andeverything's gonna come up.
That's what I'm talking about.
(17:23):
If you're not doing that in themarketplace today, you're really
going to have a tough time doingmuch of anything if that makes
sense.
And when you do it in the rightway, you'll stand out against
everyone else.
You won't look the same.
You'll have your own brand, yourown identity to what you're
doing, and people will be ableto clearly see when you have
(17:44):
this done right, what you're allabout, and you'll start
attracting things to you.
So, it actually makes everythingeasier for you to market,
whether it's a book or marketyour business, it makes it
easier for you.
I like to say it does the heavylifting.
Allison (18:00):
It's helpful to know who you are so that you know
what you're not.
Ann (18:07):
That too.
That should we should be part ofit.
Allison (18:11):
I love it when people are specific about saying no to
a podcast interview or aspeaking opportunity, or are you
going to that conference?
Oh no, that it would be nice,but it doesn't fit with my
(18:32):
priorities.
AKA, it's not a strategy to getme to my chosen destination.
And it's helpful, I think if weassume success, and I think this
gets in people's way, that theydon't assume success.
(18:53):
So they think, oh my God, Idon't wanna say, no.
Did you hear my breathy voicetoo?
That's my tentative voice of I,I know her, so I think I should
do this.
Like, mm.
I will give you three of those,and then you need to prioritize
the things that are going tohelp you help more people and
grow your reach, right?
(19:17):
And so, that means that forparticularly for authors, going
to writers conferences will nothelp you grow your reach.
It will help you connect withother authors who will not buy
your book.
Ann (19:33):
Right.
And if you don't know that,you're gonna burn up a lot of
time and energy and maybe money.
Allison (19:38):
It's gonna feel good.
You're gonna feel like, oh,well, this is a peer group and
they've asked me to speak.
Of course they have becauseyou're speaking for free and
that's super nice, but it's likegoing to any industry
conference.
You're giving back and that'sgreat, but it's not a way to
grow your reach of youraudience.
Ann (20:02):
It doesn't mean you can't do things to give back.
I'll go and speak to give back.
when I know no one in the roomcould be an ideal client for me,
or is really going to be better.
It literally is an act ofservice.
But know, that's okay to do.
It's just know that's whatyou're doing when you take that
offer from someone.
(20:22):
So it really comes down to thatclarity around where do you
wanna go and what are the stepsthat you need to take to get the
results that you're looking for?
It will help you cut away a lot,say yes and say no to the right
things.
Allison (20:38):
Yeah.
And allow yourself to say yes toa few of those things that feel
right, but realize that you willneed to diversify in order to
grow.
Can you share some strategiesthat you've seen work best for
authors when they are trying tomarket and sell more books?
Ann (21:00):
Mm-hmm.
Sure.
So, first of all getting onstages, getting on podcast in
front of your ideal people.
Being very active on socialmedia is, I mean, the resources
and the tools that we haveavailable today is crazy.
So to not be out there in thespotlight, sharing about your
(21:22):
book, talking about your book,getting other people to talk
about your book, giving awaysome books so they'll read it
and talk about your book,whatever it takes, all of those
things.
It's about just getting active.
It's about getting passionateabout what you wanna do with
that book.
And if you're really interestedin getting that book into more
(21:42):
people's hands and having morepeople buy it, you've gotta go
out and earn that business.
And a lot of people don't thinklike this.
They think, oh, it's just gonnacome to them.
You can also partner with peoplethat could sell your book for
you.
There's so many different ideasand options and strategies.
But at the end of the of theday, it all means you need to
(22:04):
step out there and you need todo the work get the business.
Allison (22:09):
Mm.
And I would say once you decidewhat that work is going to be,
you don't have to do everything.
I mean, let's,'cause I can feelthe crush of the pressure of all
of the options.
You don't have to do everythingfor the, you know, you listener
as you're sitting in the targetparking lot thinking, holy
(22:32):
crackers, Allison, Ann.
Now, I feel even more stressed.
No, we're saying these are someoptions.
Choose what works, and thenremove the rest from your dance
card.
You have to make choices andthen make this something that's
manageable'cause you will notstop the world from turning so
(22:55):
that you can have more time inthe day.
And it'll take all the enjoymentout of it.
It's supposed to be fun.
You wanted to write this bookand you wanted to share your
message and your experience.
So we want you to enjoy theentire process, right?
I would say, choose a fewstrategies and stick with those.
(23:20):
If podcasts and speaking and onemain social platform, make one
your home.
You don't have to be on Blue Skyand threads and Instagram and
TikTok.
It is too f-ing much
Ann (23:39):
No, that
Allison (23:39):
start a Pinterest.
Yeah.
Ann (23:41):
you can repurpose so that you are everywhere.
Allison (23:44):
Mm-hmm.
Ann (23:45):
Especially if you're creating content or you're
getting out there and you'reonline, you're doing a podcast,
you can repurpose all of thatcontent so that it can go on
YouTube so it can go onlinkedIn, it can be on TikTok,
it can be on Instagram.
You can still do all that.
You don't have to be all thoseplaces, and that's a mistake
people make too.
(24:05):
But it comes back to reallyknowing the end game that what
is it you really wannaaccomplish with that book?
And then having the right piecesin place.
Because some platforms wouldn'teven really be a good fit.
Depending on what your book isand who you want to read that
book and who you wanna sell thatbook to.
Some platforms wouldn't even bethe right place.
(24:27):
So why would you even wannawaste your time?
So if you don't have a goodstrategy mapped out or you don't
understand this, get helpbecause you will burn up a lot
of time and energy and wasteeven maybe money if you don't
have this piece in place first.
It is really the precursor toany activity you do.
Allison (24:47):
I think it's a very common action to take to turn to
the other people who just didwhat you wanna do and say, well,
this worked for them.
But they also were a debutauthor and their book came out
two months ago.
They have launched one book thatis not a good focus group for
(25:11):
you.
And when I see, debut authorscreate a accountability group,
and they're all taking advicefrom each other.
I just think, oh boy, none ofthem is informed about what they
might do that's more efficient.
Or because TikTok works for one,TikTok for instance, doesn't
(25:36):
necessarily convert to emailsubscribers or even paid
programs, but it is great forreaching other influencers.
So, do you have a plan tocollaborate with those people?
Because people think like, oh, Iwanna grow my TikTok.
(25:58):
Like really, but for whatreason?
Like we need to know, andthere's always maybe a different
way to go about things.
And I think getting help andinformed support will save you
from some angry cries.
Ann (26:16):
With someone that knows what they're doing.
Allison (26:18):
Right.
That's what I mean with someonewho's been down that road.
Yes.
Whether it's Ann or me orsomeone else, we want you to.
Enjoy this and feel like thingsare smooth and silky because
you're still living your life.
(26:38):
You're still teaching at theuniversity, or running your
medical practice and putting abook out, and now you're
speaking on stages.
Which means you have to take asabbatical for the semester.
So how many stages are you gonnaspeak on, and are you making the
(27:02):
choices?
Are you grabbing the marketingassets while you're there that
will fuel your branding for thenext four years?
That's probably another podcastepisode and we'll have to do
something else about all themarketing assets that people
gather that are trash when theycould focus on, three or five
(27:27):
everywhere you go.
And then be pleasantly surprisedwith, wow, I'm really able to do
fewer efforts.
But they pay out so much morebecause I'm focused.
And then you can actually take avacation and vacate, you know?
(27:48):
Then you can enjoy your timeaway without feeling like.
Ann (27:52):
That's why building on the back end of your book is gold.
I talk about building a milliondollar business from your book,
not building, not making amillion dollars with your book,
but how do you build a milliondollar business around your
book?
There's so much more opportunitythere, and it goes back to what
we were saying.
You're leaving so much on thetable and you're making things
harder for yourself.
(28:13):
I guess I would just have to sayagain.
I get that you wanna impactpeople.
That's why we write our books.
We're passionate about whatwe're sharing about the
expertise or the information.
What are you going to do beyondthat?
Because you will eventually gettired of doing everything for
nothing.
If that's what you're doing, youwill get tired of that.
Allison (28:36):
Yep.
So when you think of a piece ofadvice that everyone needs to
hear, when they feel stuck oroverwhelmed with their growth.
What's one thing that you needto take everyone by the
shoulders and just help themreally absorb.
Ann (29:00):
Besides, you should work with someone that can help you.
That would be Yeah.
the fast track.
I'm just gonna say, I don't saythat just because I help people,
but that is a fast track.
That's something allison, I'vebeen building businesses for 34
years, 35 years.
I'm in my sixth and seventhbusiness.
And for the first four or three,I didn't have someone that could
(29:24):
help me that wasn't a thing.
Business coaches were noteverywhere.
They weren't a dime a dozen.
We couldn't write our own books.
We couldn't self-publish, wecouldn't, even going to a
publisher was so out of reach,none of those things existed.
Now, we have access to all ofthat.
And so, for people to not takeadvantage and fast track their
(29:46):
success.
I mean, Think about this, andthere are 1700 new millionaires
a day in the United States,1700.
When I started 35 years ago, Ididn't even know a millionaire.
That wasn't even a thought in mymind.
And yet, these are theopportunities we have today.
But so many people don't gethelp to speed that success.
(30:12):
And the more they don't do that,the more opportunity they're
missing.
There's a thing calledopportunity costs.
You're losing.
You're missing out every time.
Even people that a year ago saidthey wanted to be a coach, they
didn't come into the market.
Guess what?
Now, 400,000 new coaches haveentered the market.
Now, you're competing with400,000 more people, you're
(30:33):
already behind.
I'm on my fourth book.
Some people are just startingtheir book.
That's what I'm talking about.
That would be the one thing thatI would say is leverage the
expertise of other people andspeed your success.
You don't have to do things allyourself anymore.
You don't have to try to figurethings out.
(30:56):
That would be the first thing.
And then, the second thing Iwould say is think about
expanding your mind around whatis possible around the people.
Now, you can impact millions ofpeople.
We're global, right?
It's a global audience.
Think bigger.
(31:16):
I don't see people thinking bigenough.
Allison (31:19):
They don't.
And everyone should be thinkingbigger about their career, which
happens to be the title of theLinkedIn course that I just
recorded for LinkedIn learning,which is so funny.
And we have, so we're likesisters from another marketing
mom.
But it's so funny.
(31:40):
No one's thinking big enoughbecause I think that they've
been taught that there's ahierarchy or a path.
No path anymore.
You don't have to wait in linefor your turn.
You don't have to wait until thekids are out of the house or
everyone has what they need.
No one will ever have everythingthat they need.
(32:01):
They'll always want more.
It's up to you to take the spaceto say, this is what I'm doing
and this is what I'm doing it.
And for those of you who think,well, if I could just get this
time or find the time.
Time can't be found.
It just exists.
You have to devote the time andmake the decision to take
(32:23):
action.
And I'll share my own strugglewith starting this podcast,
which I had been saying for twofreaking years, which is so
annoying.
I'm so annoyed with my past selffor not putting this forward.
Because I enjoy it so much andI've simplified the process so
(32:47):
much and I have the support thatI need to make it happen.
And now, I'm reaching out topeople who I don't know and who
don't know me.
And suddenly, we find that wehave the same marketing mama
clearly and we should have knowneach other this whole time.
It is my delight to talk to youand make sure that people
(33:10):
understand that they can thinkbigger and bigger is possible.
It's not a dream, it's a goal.
You mentioned the cost.
What did you say?
The cost opportunity?
Ann (33:24):
The missed cost.
The missed opportunity cost.
Yeah.
Allison (33:27):
Yes, the missed opportunity cost, which makes me
wonder about a book you lovebecause that term is ringing a
bell for me.
So, can you share with us yourbook Reco?
Ann (33:42):
Oh, gosh.
There are so many.
What I'm talking about pro, Iprobably wasn't in one of those
books.
One of my favorite, oh, gosh.
I would have to say, Rich Dad,poor Dad was the book that
completely changed how I thoughtabout things, so I love that
Robert Kiyosaki.
That's one of my favorite books,and I've read it so many times.
But there's a book I readseveral years ago called The
(34:05):
Slight Edge by Jeff Olson.
And I loved that book.
For me, it was a game changer.
It talked about the small,incremental changes that you can
do that will add up if you thinkabout compound interest, that
was the whole idea behind thebook, but not just with money.
(34:28):
It was with other things in yourlife.
And I thought that was sosignificant.
I loved that book.
I probably need to go back andread it again because it's been
several years since I've readit, but it's never left my mind.
Allison (34:40):
I will make sure that is in the show notes as well as
I want to just ask you,'cause Ithink we have another favorite
book or author.
I have recently, and reoverhauled my entire schedule
and priorities based on the kickin the tookus that I got from
(35:05):
reading.
10 X is easier than two x
Ann (35:08):
That's a good one too.
Mm-hmm.
Allison (35:10):
By Dr.
Ben Hardy and Dan Sullivan.
And I think that term that youuse, the missed opportunity
cost.
Ann (35:20):
Mm-hmm.
Allison (35:21):
Is that from Gap in the Gain by Dan Sullivan?
Ann (35:24):
It's probably, several books.
It's really not a new concept.
It's something that really, CPAsand financial people use that
terminology a lot.
But Dan Sullivan is excellent.
I love the Gap in the game.
That's another really good book.
And so, it may be in there, Idon't remember, for sure.
(35:45):
But it is definitely somethingthat's been around for many,
many years that accountants use,CPAs use, and now coaches use it
because it's so true.
People don't think like that.
And when you really realize, heyhere's another example.
You didn't buy a new car lastyear and now this year it's
(36:06):
$20,000 more.
That's just an example That iswhat it means, a missed
opportunity cost.
Now it's costing you$20,000more.
I've had people that havereached out to wanna coach with
me.
And as I got better in coaching,my fees went up, up, up.
Until they would come back andthey would be like, what?
(36:27):
No, that was missed opportunitycost right there.
Plus you could have been makinga lot more money because I could
have been helping you all thattime.
And so, those are other thingsthat fall into that.
So just to give people an ideawhat that means.
Allison (36:41):
I think that people also, when they think about the
gain, when you think bigger,even if you don't reach the pie
in the sky result that you'reaiming for, and you reach 70% of
it.
It's so much more than therealistic goal that maybe your
(37:08):
critique partner set forthemselves where they wanted to
be on three podcasts.
Ann (37:12):
Exactly.
Allison (37:13):
This is my third podcast today.
Ann (37:15):
Yeah.
Allison (37:16):
Three podcasts is nothing.
I mean, I had to have a firmtalk with myself and limit
myself to three podcasts a day,because I could do this all week
long, but I did have to sitmyself down.
Ann (37:29):
Well, and it goes back to how does this align?
Is this doing what I needed todo?
Right.
But no, what you're saying aboutthe goal thing.
Here's the thing people need tounderstand too about how the
mind works.
When you set your sights on agoal, when you actually write a
goal down.
This is my goal.
You will subconsciously startmoving towards that goal.
(37:51):
But even if you don't achieve itI heard a saying many years ago,
why would you say the sky is thelimit when there are footprints
on the moon?
Think about that.
I know, it blew my mind when Iheard it too.
So if you're reaching for thestars, you may not catch'em all,
but what if you catch a lot of'em?
Right?
So I talk about this all thetime.
(38:13):
You may not think like if youset your goal at a million
dollars I help people createmillion, what I call million
dollar offers and brands aroundthat.
If you set your goal on amillion dollar offer and then
making a million dollars, evenif you only make 700,000, would
you be disappointed?
But if you set your goal on sixfigures, you said you're goal a
(38:33):
hundred thousand.
And you only make 50, is thatgonna be good enough for you?
Now, that's not to say you can'tachieve a hundred thousand, but
in reality, a hundred thousanddollars in your business is only
going to be about a$45,000paycheck.
Allison (38:52):
Right.
Ann (38:52):
That's just reality.
Yeah, people.
That's what I mean by people.
big enough.
Allison (38:58):
They don't, oh my gosh.
I'm gonna get a tattoo withthat.
Because I say it, you say it.
I'm gonna put it right here andsigned and, okay.
And let's bring it home.
Ann, if you could share one tipthat our listeners can put into
practice today so that they cangrow their audience.
(39:22):
What should they be doing?
Just one simple step they can dotoday.
Ann (39:28):
Get on social media and start connecting with the right
people.
You and I are connecting rightnow.
We reached out, we found eachother on a platform.
Actually, my assistant found youor you found her, I'm not sure.
But go and start havingconversations with people.
Start trying, reaching out andconnecting with people.
But you have to give them areason to wanna connect.
(39:48):
So, you have to kind of get thatpositioning right?
Otherwise, they're gonna belike, who is this person?
Why would I wanna connect withthis person?
So, I would say, get yourpositioning, then go connect
with the right people that willstart growing your audience.
Allison (40:02):
Perfect.
Ann Carden, thank you so muchfor being here.
Tell us again where everyonecould find you.
Ann (40:09):
Yes, you can go to annlcarden.com, on my website
and you can see my podcast, youcan see books, you can see free
resources, and you can connectwith me.
Allison (40:25):
Perfect.
Thank you so much.
And listen folks, I know you'reout there and you're thinking,
but I'm just at the beginning.
Everyone is just at thebeginning of whatever they're
gonna be doing today.
Even if your book came out sixmonths ago, it's new to the
person who learns about ittoday.
(40:47):
So, you are never finished.
There is no like, check, I'mdone.
Now we can all go to Arubatogether.
You can always envision yournext step, and it starts with
whatever you're going to dotoday.
So, take the action.
(41:07):
And also, share what you alreadyknow.
Stop right now.
Pull over if you're driving.
I'm always driving, so this iswhat I always say.
I'm always in the car with thecarpools.
And forward this podcast episodeto someone you know is
(41:27):
struggling with.
How do I go bigger?
Ann is literally telling you,here's what you can do now.
And she gives so many greatresources on her podcast and on
her website.
Don't wait.
Do it now because you'll forgetlater, and then I'll have to
remind you later, and I don'twanna be that person who's
nagging.
Ann (41:47):
And there's always missed opportunity cost.
Allison (41:49):
Right, and there's always a missed opportunity
cost.
That person will thank you anddo me a solid.
Please leave a review a goodone.
If you have nothing good to say,keep it to yourself.
But leave a review that helpspeople find the podcast.
We are here helping the podcastis free, and we wanna help
(42:15):
people who are looking for theanswers and the solutions and
the encouragement that we'reproviding.
So, share what you know andplease share the podcast so it
reaches more people.
Because there need to be morebooks in the world.
We need to find a way to helpeach other, and podcasts are so
(42:36):
important, share it.
Last request, send me a text inthe episode description at the
very tip of the top, it says,send me a text.
If you click that, it sends me atext.
You can ask me a question.
Offer me some insight.
Tell me about your book.
(42:57):
Lament about a problem you arehaving.
Allow me to answer your questionor offer you some guidance on my
Thursday quickie episodes whereI answer your questions in my
quick Q A because I am here tohelp.
And just a last reminder, youare a big effing deal.
So you have to think bigger.
(43:20):
No one's gonna think bigger foryou.
I know you're a big deal and youknow you're a big deal, so make
a big plan.
Reach big and take and guidance.
She's here to help too.
Thank you.
I'll see you next week and makesure you keep writing.
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