When writing a book to boost your business, you’ve got a couple of missions. We’ve talked about the importance of sharing information and stories about yourself and your clients that make people want to do business with you. But for that one-two knockout punch that will deliver clients, you have to make your case for the product(s) you sell or service(s) you offer. Weaving in data that you come up with through on-point research can, as Stanford University marketing professor Jennifer Aaker points out, “pull at the audience both intellectually as well as emotionally.”
The operative words when it comes to substantiating how your service(s) and/or product(s) help people here are “make your case.”
Think of an attorney presenting a case to the jury. They introduce the argument to the jury in an opening statement. Then they present their case piece by piece with each of those pieces supported by evidence, and expert or witness testimony.
Just like an attorney making a case to the jury, you’ll want to incorporate evidence in your book to prove your thesis. In a book—or a courtroom for that matter—there are two kinds of proof:
- Anecdotal proof in the form of stories, which we’ve talked about in this series’ preceding three articles
- And irrefutable fact
So, during your research, you’ll want to ferret out proven data—including everything from trends or historical information to relevant stats and facts—that will help convince the reader you’re the person they want to go with or buy from. You’ll also want to be on the lookout for any additional information that addresses reader pain points and substantiates that your approach and/or product(s) can help solve those.
Just keep your mission clearly in mind as you dive into your research. You’re not out there to find out everything ever written about a particular issue. You’re gathering evidence that will support your premise and help you make your case. Also remember that, in all likelihood, your reader doesn’t know as much as you do about your field. So, don’t overlook evidence that may seem obvious to you.
Research may well extend past online digging to books or magazines. You may also want to reach out to experts or other people in your field. You may decide you need to do something else. The material will dictate. And, if you sign up for my interactive e-course Boost Your Business with a Book, we’ll talk about your options.
For now, just remember that your readers are your jury. Make your case convincingly, and you’ll sell yourself and your business as long as you hook your readers and retain their interest. We’ll talk about how to do that in Secret #5 of 7 to Writing a Book that Will Grow Your Business. So, tune in two weeks from now.
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