There’s a truism in retailing that one secret to increasing business is to put up a bigger sign in front of your store. Which is great if you are selling pizza or home furnishings.
A powerful sign attracts attention and differentiates a store from its competitors. That’s why you see those giant inflatable advertising blimps floating above auto dealers and tire stores.

But what about if you can’t put up a bigger sign, or launch your own blimp because your business doesn’t have a storefront? What if you are a lawyer, or a financial advisor, or a psychologist, or a public speaker, or a personal coach?. What can you do to attract more clients, build a brand, and sign on lucrative new clients, especially now that the economic climate is so turbulent? What is your equivalent of hoisting a blimp aloft?

Maybe you’ve heard that other marketing saying that “If you can’t fly a blimp, write a book.” (Ok, so I just made that one up!) 

Traditional marketing just isn’t particularly effective when it comes to building your brand and establishing why you are different from your competitors, and “right” for your prospects. Unfortunatlely, marketing tools such as direct mail to prospects, fancy sales folders, business cards, or even advertising in the local paper, share one core problem. They all end up usually ignored, forgotten, or thrown out.

No one ever throws away a blimp.

And no one ever throws away a book.

A book is the ultimate marketing tool, the brochure that no one throws out. Without their books: Suze Orman would be just another financial planner; Jim Cramer would be just another gonzo hedge fund manager; and Robert Kiyosaki (of Rich Dad, Poor Dad fame) would be just another marketing huckster.

Being famous is not a prerequisite for publishing a book about your financial expertise. John Girouard, from Bethesda, Maryland uses his “Ten Truths Of Wealth Creation” to advocate his common sense approach. Roland Manarin from Omaha, Nebraska has parlayed “Manarin On Money” into appearances on television networks including CNBC and Fox Business News.

Even as the banking industry faces what may be the biggest crisis in American history, Bob St. Meyer and Jack Hubbard continue to grow their banking consulting firm, due in part to the power of their book, “Conversations With Prospects,” to showcase their expertise to prospects.

And, unlike that advertising blimp, your brand-building book will keep on working to reach your best prospects in good weather and bad, after dark, and it even fits in a handbag or briefcase!

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