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This contest will be won by an enthusiastic team with a high level of commitment. The size of your school or town is not nearly as important as your level of passion and determination.
Here's some tips and tools to help you get there.
Promotional fliers
Click here to download a PDF document that you can print off and hand out to people who might order a copy.
Click here to download a Word document that you can customize however you want (for example, add your school's name).
Sample letter to email or send to people who might order a copy
Writing a letter is hard work, I know. So I've done it for you.
Click here for a sample letter you can use for sending emails or snail mail. Just copy the letter, paste it into an email or document, and change the [BRACKETED SECTIONS] into your own words.
Feel free to change the letter in any other way you want. It's just a sample.
What to say on the phone or during face-to-face meetings
You could always memorize the sample letter or read it when you call people on the phone or talk to them in person, but I'd recommend against it. Instead, have an outline with several main points in your head or on a piece of paper that you want to get across. For example, you could work off of an outline like this:
- Who Josh is (cancer survivor and Paralympic ski racer) and why I liked his speech
- How Josh's speech could help our school
- Why our organization needs the $5 donation from each copy
- Why I think this person would enjoy reading Josh's funny and inspirational book
Step-by-step game plan
1. Assemble a team
If you heard me speak at a conference, chances are good that some of your friends at school heard me there, too. They are the best people to get on your team. Also, if you went to the conference with an adviser, make sure he or she is on board. Your adviser will have important contacts in the adult world who might want to order the book.
When you bring this idea to your adviser, don't forget to talk about how this is not only a contest to bring me in to speak, it's also a fundraiser for your group or chapter. If you sell 100 books, for example, you'll get $500 for your group.
Even if you don't have a team, you still have a shot at winning the contest. Maybe you can work with your best friend, your adviser, or all by yourself. If you talk to a lot of people and work hard, you could beat a team of several people who are less commited than you.
2. Make a plan
Meet with your team and brainstorm all the people you know who might be willing to order the book. This includes your friends, your parents, your teachers, your neighbors, and your relatives.
Also, don't forget that all those people on your list know people, too. For example, maybe your parent(s) would be willing to ask their coworkers to order a copy, or maybe your adviser could send out an email to all the teachers at your school asking them to consider participating.
And remember that for adults who aren't going to hear me speak, the donation to your group or school may be the key selling point. So you might approach individuals and businesses who have made a donation to your school or group before. For example, if you are an FFA chapter trying to get me to speak at your school, maybe your adviser has a list of donors in your community that have supported FFA, or a list of alumni who were a part of your chapter when they were in school. These people will be excited to know that not only are they getting a copy of a great book, but that they are creating a $5 donation for your group, too.
Most of your sales are going to be made one-on-one using existing relationships. In other words, people like your relatives and friends will order a copy of the book because they know you and trust you. When you recommend a book to them, they listen. And when you tell them how you're trying to raise money for your school and get me to speak, they want to help. For this reason, I don't recommend sending mass emails. Instead, copy and paste from the template below and add some personal remarks into every email you send.
That being said, you can also try to spread the word with mass communication like school newsletters, local newspapers, Facebook, Twitter, etc. The more you can do to get the word out, the better, of course.
Let me give you a brief but very important lesson in sales: Always try to discuss the other person's benefits, not yours. You want to show what's in it for them. In this case, the benefits to them are:
1. They get to feel good about helping raise money for your group. You should explain the goals your group is towards right now and why exactly you need funds. Remember, their purchase results in a $5 donation.
2. They get a copy of a great book with an inspirational story. You might mention the positive reviews my book is already getting from some pretty big names. For example, Elizabeth Strout, the winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize said, "I didn't want to put this book down." Legendary spy novelist John le Carre called my book, "Inspiring. Courageous. Sometimes heartbreaking.”
3. They get to feel good about helping to bring an inspiring speaker to your school. Here's where you mention why you liked my speech and why you think my assembly would benefit your school.
3. Start early
It's incredibly important that you meet with your team before the contest starts on Sunday, January 24th. The contest window only lasts one week. You cannot start at the end of that week and hope to win.
I would recommend that you start making contact with the people on your list of potential book buyers the week before the contest. Use the email templates below, for example, to ask for their commitment to order the book.
Or maybe go around with your team to meet in person with the people and businesses on your list a few days before the contest starts. At the very latest, make sure you get started by Monday, January 25th.
The reason you want to start early is so you can build momentum. If you wait a few days into the contest, say, until Wednesday, to start trying to get orders, there will be other schools that will already be way ahead of you and your team might get discouraged. You want to make sure you are in the game from the very beginning.
4. Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up
Follow-up is essential. After you email people on your list, you should consider going to see them in person or calling them on the telephone. Keep trying to get in touch with them if you don't hear back.
If someone says they'll order a copy, make sure you contact them again on January 25th as a reminder, because people are busy. They forget. They need you to follow-up.
Good luck
I hope to come give a speech at your school very soon!
