You have been invited to share your promotional experience with others.
Your Name: Mark Tewart
1. Where you are from and where are you now?
I a was born and raised in Middletown Ohio and currently reside in beautiful Lebanon Ohio which is a country suburb of Cincinnati and Dayton Ohio
2. How did you get started writing?
I started writing training manuals with my ideas back when I was a General Manager of an auto dealership. That continued on when I became a professional speaker, trainer and consultant and I have written 11 or twelve training manuals and numerous CD,DVD and on line training materials. Later, I was asked to write a monthly column in a trade journal and that became several articles a month in different magazines. I also was asked to do an ongoing TV show on a satellite training network in which I wrote the shows. My new book is my first book through a publisher.
3. What do you do when you are not writing?
I own four businesses that keep me very busy. I am a speaker, consultant, coach and now author. I own a products company, a reinsurance company that reinsures many of the products and services I offer and a real estate investment/holding company. I am also married to my wife Kim with two children – Erin a 23 year old senior at Wright State University and Jake a 9 year old son. I am actively involved with Jake in coaching and supporting his sports and school activities. I am a member of the National Speakers Association, Authors Guild and the Elks Lodge. I like to scuba dive, ski, sky dive, read, write, travel and spend time with my family.
4. What would readers like to know about you?
I am the same as everyone else. I have hopes and dreams, triumphs and tradgedies, fears and trepidations. I grew up on the tough side of the tracks and left home after I graduated high school to make some money for college. I moved across country to a place with a better economic climate, but where I had no place to stay, no job, no car, no money. I experienced tough times but was able to benefit from it and persisted to create a successful path.
5. What inspired your first book?
Two things. First of all I was diagnosed with cancer in November 2005. I am a lifetime non smoker who eats right exercises and takes care of myself. However, I still got cancer. When you face a life threatening illness it causes strong introspection. I had always been pretty good about going for my goals but upon reflection I had not written he book that I had always had a goal to do. I got busy in educating myself about the book business and process. When I started writing, I wound up writing the whole book in less than two months. Secondly, I became tired and frustrated and watching intelligent, talented people either fail or not reach their goals, hopes and dreams. I knew that I could help them. I felt like it was my calling to share with anyone that had a desire to seek something better. I also know what a difference books have made in my life.
6. How many books have you written?
11 or twelve manuals I have self published, tons of articles but 1 published book so far.
7. What are the titles of your books and what genres are they?
How To Be A Sales Superstar – Break All the Rules and Succeed While Doing It
Sales, Sales Techniques, Sales and Marketing
However, I have been told by many that this book is also a book about life and strong self improvement book as well.
8. Why are you specially qualified to write about this topic?
I started selling when I was 18 or 19 years old. When I was in college, I started to sell automobiles and did well. I became a general manager of a dealership when I was 27. I started my speaking, training and consulting career when I was 31. I have personally sold many millions of dollars of products and services from business to consumer, business to business and presided over companies selling millions of dollars of products and services each month. I have spoke to over 2,000 audiences on sales, sales marketing and sales management. I have coached and consulted with many different companies in various industries that have had magnificent increases in sales and profits. I guess the simple answer is that I have and currently do what I write about. I have been fortunate to have success in the sales and business arena so I have a desire to assist people in reaching the goals and success they wish.
9. How do you manage to keep yourself focused and on track when you’re writing a book?
I set aside a time each day to write and in that time, I do not allow distractions. No emails, cell phones, office calls, office visits, family interruptions – nothing. The world has to wait. I wrote my book in less than two months. When I start something I am pretty fanatical about finishing it.
10. Do you write to make money, for the love of writing or both?
Both. I don’t believe that you have to separate the two. I think it’s dangerous to start making the two mutually exclusive. I think it becomes a self imposed roadblock. I love to write. I love to share. I also know that if my writing has great value it will be impossible for me to not be rewarded and one of the ways I will be and expect to be rewarded is financially. Money follows value.
12. What are some unique methods of marketing you have used? Which were the most successful?
Dimensional or lumpy mail – trash can mailers, bank bag mailers, barf bag mailers, FED Ex Mailers etc. email marketing – newsletters, autoresponders, special notices, tele-seminars, associations, articles with by lines, trade magazines, 800 recorded messages, special reports, ebooks, sponsorships, special events, speaking engagements, Twitter and many other social networking events, vendors and many more
13. Do you sell through a website? If so, what’s the address? If not, why not?
Yes, www.marktewartlive.com – www.tewart.com – www.marktewart.com – www.howtobesalessuperstar.info
14. Where can people order your books?
www.marktewart.com – www.marktewartlive.com – www.amazon.com as well as book stores and other online retailers
15. What format are your books – e-book, print, audio etc?
My book is only in print form at the moment. I do have a couple of ebooks and niched industry specific DVD, audios and workbooks as well.
16. Will you write more books?
My goal is write 1 or more a year for the next ten years minimum
17. What do you have in the works now?
I am writing another sales book titled – From Zero to Sales Hero In 60 Days or Less
18. What does the future hold for you and your books?
I will continue to write and have my books published where I am creating a brand around me and my writing and projects.
19. What was the most successful thing you did to promote your books?
Teleseminars, joint venture book announcements, speaking engagements, social media
20. What was the least successful thing you did to promote your books?
Hire a PR firm
22. What makes this book special to you?
It’s a lifetime culmination. The book is a completely different perspective on sales. The book emphasizes not only sales skills, people skills, life skills and marketing skills. I believe everyone is a salesperson and that we all should get better at sales. I have wonderful feedback from people who are not in traditional sales capacities that have expressed how much the book has helped them. I also wrote this book in a more conversational form which made it fun for me and hopefully for the reader as well.
23. What sort of comments have you gotten about the content of the book?
I have been told that it brings the missing elements to sales and success. I have been told that it updates and professionalizes the profession of selling. I have been told that it is a book anyone should read not just salespeople.
24. What makes this a book that other people MUST read and WHY?
This book is so much more than sales it is a success primer. The book addresses the roadblocks that in some form or fashion we all face and gives you real life effective approaches to use in your life. The things expressed in this book are not just theory they are tried and tested. The approaches have worked for myself and thousands.
25. What people NEED to read this book and WHY?
They only need two things. They need an open mind and a teachable spirit.
26. What sparks your creativity? Any tips to help others spark their own
creativity?
Just about everything. I look at everything and ask what the opposite would be. I am a Contrarian. I also look at everything from a value and marketing perspective. I read newspapers from a marketing and copywriting perspective. I also get great creativity and motivation from education – Education = Motivation. I am constantly self educating myself through seminars, books, CD’s mastermind groups and more
27. What do you think motivates people to become authors? What motivated you to get into this unusual industry?
I think most people feel they have something to say and a burning desire to share. I have no misconceptions about my ability to spin prose. I only have confidence in my information and ability to communicate.
28. Tell me about the most unusual things you have done to promote any books?
I am in the process of setting up corporate sponsors and utilizing non profits where I can donate some proceeds from the book and in turn they will assist me in marketing
29. If a potential reader thinks that your book wouldn't interest them, what would you say to convince them to buy? I'm thinking something better than "Its the greatest book ever." Give me something more specific :)
Everyone is a salesperson. To be truly great at what you do, you must be great at sales in some fashion. This book is unique in the approach it takes to help you get to that success. This book breaks the mold of traditional selling techniques and brings a new perspective to sales. The world and the marketplace is a different and changing all the time and this book gives real world information on how to sell and market in today’s environment.
30. Why does the topic of your book interest you? Why would it interest potential readers? Give us a hook to reel in new readers.
I have lived and breathed sales and marketing my entire adult life. I have seen the rewards this information can bring and I have seen the sorrows that salespeople, entrepreneurs and people in general experience if they don’t have sales and marketing skills. Quite simply, you can’t afford to not have this information. It can only help and not hurt you. If you want to excel to higher levels you cannot do what you have always done. For what a person pays for book in relation to the value received and the possible results it can being is minuscule.
To read the first chapter of How to be a Sales Superstar and to receive several FREE bonuses from Mark Tewart, visit www.marktewartlive.com.
Full tour details are posted at http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/10/how-to-be-sales-superstar-by-mark.html
