Page 72 - The Bootstrapper Bible

ChangeThis BEST-SELLING BOOK (BASED ON $20 SELLING PRICE) Author: ........................................... $1.70 Agent: ............................................ $.30 Printer: ........................................... $1 Price to retailer: .............................. $12 (publisher keeps $9 for sales and marketing) Price to consumer: .......................... $20 (bookstore keep $8 for selling it to you) Note that the agent who sells the book (sometimes in just a few weeks) gets 15 percent of the authorʼs share, even though the author might have spent years writing the book. Why? Because selling is hard. And those who can sell can charge a lot for their skill. Many bootstrappers are tempted to delegate the sales process to a representative, an agent, or an employee. Big mistake. The sales process—regardless of your business—is the heart of your business. As long as you control it, you control your company. Without it, you are at the mercy of whomever you delegate it to. Once you have a cash flow from sales, youʼll be amazed at how easy it is to buy everything else you need. As a buyer, you have all the power. You can pit suppliers against each other in bidding wars to get you the lowest price. You can find spectacular freelancers who will build, assemble, design, draw—whatever you need done, you can buy. What should you do if you hate to sell? What if the idea of getting in front of a customer fills you with dread? Basically, you have two choices: You can find another line of work. Or you can focus all of your energy on hiring someone who can sell better than you can. Faking your way through isnʼt going to work. Hoping that the sales process will go away wonʼt help either. As a bootstrapper you must sell yourself and your business. Otherwise, no business. | iss. 6.01 | i | U | X | + | h 72/103 f