A few magical moments happened this week. On Tuesday, our new President took oath- or was that a repeat performance on Wednesday? And on Thursday, my publisher announced the results from his ”titling meeting” about my book and shared it’s new title. One event I cheered for and the other event I was mortified.
Names, titles, subject lines- these are so incredibly important today- especially in our time starved and noisy world. Maybe it’s because I was given such a strange name and have run through life explaining my name or listened to people attempt to pronouce it. Especially when they ask me what nationality it is and I say French- then I watch them squirm or conveniently cover their mouth when they say my name. If you think my first name is tough, try my middle name, Chriqui. Now, thanks to a distant cousin, Emmanuelle Chriqui is now a famous name.
For awhile, I considered just running with my first name, Josiane and that would be my brand. Just like Cher, Madonna, Eminem, Usher but when I went to the DMV office to renew my driver’s license they said I needed a last name.
I’m always intrigued by books with one word titles such as Mary Roach’s books, Stiff, Spoof and Bonk. Or Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Blink. How can they get away with a best-selling one word title book?
Back to my book and this titling process. My book is about inside sales but it’s not your traditional telemarketing, boiler room jocks dialing for dollars type of inside sales book. Quite the contrary- this book redefines inside sales in this sales 2.0 environment. They’re well educated, articulate, and tech-savvy sales warriors who are kicking the field’s butts. They are redefining sales and are in the drivers seat.
My title must include something about selling, about inside sales, about the 10 skills they will learn, about the sales 2.0 landscape they are selling in and it must be a sourcebook that will sit in everyone’s cubicle.
Here is the process, if you can help- I welcome your vote- especially since you understand this world:
1. The working title today: Smart Selling from the Inside Out: The TeleSmart 10 System for Power Selling
2. The title the publisher came up with: Smart Selling Over the Phone: Inside Sales Skills that get Results
3. The title we quickly countered with but got rejected: We countered with: Selling Smart on the Phone and Online: 10 Power-Selling Skills that Close Deals. What Every Inside Sales Warrior Needs to Know about How to Survive and Thrive in the Sales 2.0 World.
4. Your suggestions????
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