The KellyGram

A search of the Internet, in the category of "book proposals," will uncover many other valuable resources. Having prepared proposals for our own account and for clients, weve also gathered a great deal of helpful material on this subject. If we can help in any way or answer any questions you may have, please contact us.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GETTING REAL ABOUT WHAT YOU DO!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

by Ian Percy, CSP

The trouble with any profession, especially one that involves standing on a stage with a spotlight in your eyes, is that you cant see whats really going on. Gotta tell ya thats dangerous! You could get hurt or, at the very least, be extremely disappointed. "To the blind, all things are sudden," someone once said. I want to be sure you have a clear view of whats to come.

That lights been shining in my eyes for over 30 years now and, having been up and down more times than a yo-yo, Ive learned a few things that might be helpful to you. Mind you, I dont have any need for you to believe me and, in fact, maybe its better for you to find out for yourself. Its your choice.

Before we take a brutally real look at whatever new career or profession youre considering, lets intrude into why you want to do it in the first place. It had better be a good reason, because the world sure isnt clamoring for more of whatever it is youre planning to do! Here are a few common, almost sad, reasons lots of people experiment with something new. I dont recommend any of them.

• I want to grow rich!
• My real job sucks!
• I love the attention and fame!
• Ive got a story the world needs to hear!
• I love to travel and meet people!

If you dont have a burning purpose and passion, if you dont feel this is part of your divine destiny, maybe you should go very slowly. Having said that, be aware that everything youll hear at a workshop or convention can pretty well be slotted into one or more of the following categories of advice:

1. Learn from the "Masters." You know the advice "If you want to be a master [whatever], do what the masters do!"
2. Select and develop your best topics, qualities, etc.
3. Write a book and develop products (Everybody needs a book, or they dont have credibility. Or didnt you know that?)
4. Develop a significant Internet business and presence.
5. Spend most of your time marketing; which basically involves coordinating categories 1-4.

Youve got to admit that these categories seem inclusive and reasonable. Indeed, Ive spent most of my career working on these very issues. But rather than nod our heads in blind compliance with the advice were given (and that advice can be annoyingly contradictory) maybe its time to ask some "Wicked Questions" about what were being told.

Wicked questions are tricky to ask in print because I dont know how to write them so you hear the tone in which Im asking these difficult things. I want to be brutally honest, because your life and time are too precious to be otherwise. At the same time, remember these realities are being raised by someone who has devoted over half his life to achieving purpose in his chosen field and, God willing, will devote the rest of his life to doing so. I really do care about what I do.

1. Exactly which "Masters" should you learn from? There are lots of them are they all ideal models for you, or should you pick and choose? What if theyre phenomenal professionally, but their personal life is a house of cards?
2. What are the qualifications for being a "Master?" Do you have to be old, famous, rich, original or unique in some way? In other words, what makes a master a master?
3. What do we mean "learn from?" Does this mean do what they do, copy their stuff, dress like they do, tell their stories, make your website look like their website, or learn to think like they think?
4. Do Masters ever stop being Masters? Or is this a life-time appointment. What if a Master hasnt said or done anything new in 20 years do we still hold him or her up as a model for today? Or do we simply honor them for what theyve done in the past?

1. What exactly is an "Expert?" Are you an expert because youve done original research, or because youre innovative or have international influence?
2. Should we have to prove were experts in our field in some way? Could you actually prove to a client that youre an expert in "motivation," for example? Peter Drucker once said: "We know nothing about motivation. All we can do is write books about it."
3. Is it "once an expert, always an expert?" Seems to me that if our expertise is based on what we were taught in graduate school 12 years ago, were a little behind.

1. What exactly is an "author?" A large percentage of literate people claim to be "co-authors" of a Chicken Soup book how legitimate is that claim? Im just asking. What the difference between being an author, a writer, a contributor and an editor? I think we confuse these roles a lot and often mislead people.
2. What proof is there that having a book gives us credibility? Have you seen any legitimate research on that? Wouldnt writing a lousy book give us lousy credibility?
3. Why do people brag about being on Amazon?
4. Should the quality of our books and products be evaluated by a learned panel before were allowed to use the title "professional?"
5. Are product sales the only way to financial success? Isnt the world pretty well saturated with "Have a Dream" books and tapes?

1. Has the Internet made us more visible? Heres an idea: type your name into any search bar and press "Enter."
2. Why is contact information so hard to find on many websites? Are we playing hard to get? (Hint: put all contact information on every page!)
3. What percentage of your business is actually booked from the Internet?
4. Can we really market proactively through the Internet? And if so, how do we know who to listen to about how to do it?

Marketing

1. Is there a "right" answer to the marketing question? In other words, whose Boot Camp should we go to?
2. Have those who want to tell us how to market actually been highly successful themselves? Do they have to be?
3. Do we put too much stress on marketing and not enough on sales? (Hint: the answer is "Yes!")
   

Im not saying I have answers to all these questions. Im saying we need to start asking them even if it hurts, even if it means barbecuing some of our sacred cows. However, there are some things I can tell you with a high degree of confidence. Actually, theyre bits of advice Ive learned about my profession that I believe are applicable in whatever field you choose. Tune in next month and Ill begin sharing them with you.

[For more information, visit Ians website, www.IanPercy.com, and sign up for his free newsletter, "Percy On Purpose!"]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SMILE AWHILE

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HELP WANTED: Officials of The Dingling Brothers Circus have been conducting an extensive search to replace their Human Cannonball, but to date have been unable to find anyone of his caliber. Preference will be given to candidates who have been previously fired.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BACK ISSUES AVAILABLE

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A number of our readers have expressed interest in seeing previous issues of The KellyGram, and were pleased to announce that theyre available on our website: www.wordcrafters.info.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A FINAL WORD

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The IRS has a special toll-free number for persons having problems figuring their tax forms. Its designed especially for those who like to listen to busy signals.

Pat Williams/Ken Hussar

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Privacy Policy:

Your privacy is very important to us. We assure you that under no circumstances will we share, distribute, publish, give away or sell our mailing lists or other information about you to any other party.

Reprint Permission:

You may copy or distribute excerpts from The KellyGram by using the following credit line: "The following is taken from the [insert date] of The KellyGram, and is used with permission." We will appreciate receiving copies of any publications in which you use materials contained herein. Thank you.

Subscribe/Unsubscribe:

If this issue was forwarded to you and you would like to receive it regularly at no cost, please email us at list@wordcrafters.info. If you no longer wish to receive emails from us, please click on the link below.

If you know of others who might like to receive The KellyGram, please forward this issue to them.

Send The KellyGram to a friend:

Email Address:

Comments/Questions:

Your comments and questions are always welcome. Please contact us at info@wordcrafters.info or call Bob Kelly at (480) 895-7617.

© 2004 by Bob Kelly. All rights reserved.