When You Know Better, Serve Others with a Re-Direct

Summary

The text emphasizes the importance of guiding others towards better solutions even when it means redirecting them from their initial requests.

Abstract

The article discusses the concept of serving others by providing guidance that may differ from what they initially seek. It opens with an anecdote about a self-publishing talk that concluded with advice against self-publishing for most attendees. The author shares personal experiences, such as her father's approach to home design based on the client's needs rather than their requests, and her own advice to an author about choosing a local printer for his mother's book to save on shipping costs. The article suggests that sometimes, the best help is not what is asked for but what is truly needed, and this can involve recommending a different publisher or service provider. The author, Sharon Woodhouse, advocates for using one's unique knowledge and perspective to surprise and assist others in a memorable way, which can be particularly impactful for writers, professionals, and business owners.

Opinions

The author believes that true service sometimes requires dissuading someone from their initial plan if it's not in their best interest.
She values honesty and directness in professional interactions, as evidenced by her willingness to tell authors that another publisher would be a better fit for their work.
The author holds that personal introductions to more suitable service providers can be a powerful way to assist clients, as demonstrated by her referral of a book project to Chicago Review Press.
She suggests that providing unexpected but needed guidance can make one memorable and helpful, leveraging one's unique experiences and knowledge.
The author emphasizes the importance of addressing the actual needs of clients, which may not align with their expressed desires, and views this as a more effective way of helping them.

“I can do that, but I shouldn’t”

Re-directing when you may happen to know better. Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash.

My friend Mary once said that the best talk on self-publishing she ever heard ended with the line, “If I have convinced most of you to not do it, I will have done my job here.”

Years ago my dad told me that one of the most gratifying ways he helped people was by changing their minds: “They tell me they want the light switch on one wall, and I say, ‘No, you don’t. You’re having a hard time getting in and out of bed. I’m going to put the switch by your bed so you can reach it.’”

Recently an author asked which company I used for short-run print jobs — his mom wanted to print 200 copies of a book she had written and he knew I would know who did the best job at the best price. I did. But that’s not the information he needed. His mom lives in Alabama and so the additional cost of shipping that print run from the Midwest down South would override any savings from my preferred vendor. Instead, I helped him help her find the best company at the best price near her.

Over the years, I have helped many authors who pitched their book projects to me by saying some version of, “I would love to publish this book, but I would be doing you a disservice. There’s a better publisher for you and your book.” Many balked and only took it as another rejection. Others appreciated the candor.

Sometimes I believe in a book so much, and know that another publisher would too, that I make a personal intro to another publishing company for an author. One that comes to mind is The Ragged Edge: A U.S. Marine’s Account of Leading the Iraqi Army Fifth Battalion by Michael Zacchea and Ted Kemp. Chicago Review Press does a beautiful production and promotion job with memoirs like this one and I also suspected they would want to work with authors like Zacchea and Kemp who not only had a riveting, well-told tale to share but wide and varied networks and platforms from which to personally market their book.

Here’s the big idea. If you’re a writer or an author, a solo professional or a small business owner, or if you happen to be a human being who’s lived on Earth for some time now, you know things and have a perspective that others don’t. One way of helping others, surprising them, and making yourself memorable is by not giving them the help or answers they think they want.

Give them different information that better addresses their need.

Sharon Woodhouse is the owner of Conspire Creative, which offers strategic collaboration services for post-publishing author rewards: coaching, publishing consulting, project management, author business development/management, and ongoing group coaching for authors in a private Facebook group, A Profitable Author Life You Love.

Subscribe to my email list and receive my free ABC (Author Business Coaching) Nudge newsletter. It’s a brief, 3x/month nudge to keep your author goals and income on track with accountability, tested ideas, new information, and fresh perspectives.