How to Turn Your Book Into a Program

Posted on | June 4, 2010 | 7 Comments

It’s important to have your very own program or system! First of all, you immediately break away from the “crowd” in your field, when you have your own system. You also become perceived as one of the leaders, movers & shakers in your niche. You have a proven formula or a process people can follow to get results they want. Most importantly, it takes your company to a whole new level. Every successful entrepreneur has a system!

You can also hire or certify other coaches and consultants to deliver your system and create a multiple-income-stream business around it (with workshops, retreats, live events, home-study courses, virtual university, and so much more!).

Finally, your confidence level (and your fees) can go up significantly when you develop your own system or method for coaching or helping your clients.

If you already have written a book or an e-book, putting your own coaching system together is really about expanding it and supplementing it with actionable items. Here are just a few tips for getting started:

1. Many books are conceptual – a collection of thoughts, ideas, discussions, and ramblings. If that’s your book, you may want to first organize the content into a step-by-step process. Each step doesn’t have to be actionable. It can be a mind shift, a principle, or anything else designed to create some kind of transformation by the time your client completes your system.

2. Engage your customers – create ways to make your clients think, explore, change their habits, fill-in-the-blank, write down their thoughts and ideas, and other activities (mental or physical) that allows them to interact with your coaching system.

3. Track their progress – find a way to help them track and measure their progress. Are there any tangible milestones they can identify and celebrate? Did they lose 3 lbs? Did they create a blog? Did they have fewer fights with their teenager this week? Did their list reach 500 names? Worksheets, tracking sheets, or even online progress tools can help them stay on track and clearly see the benefits of using your system.

4. Keep the structure simple – complex systems are not only overwhelming to use and implement, but also hard to train your team in. Keep it simple. For example, you may have 7 modules with 3 topics in each one. Each topic could be an audio lesson and a worksheet.

5. Get creative – find ways to make your system unique and be authentic to you. For example, you could add a visual to each of your topic, or you could create a graphic map of your entire system showing the flow of steps.

6. Turn it into a multi-delivery program – your coaching system can be delivered as a stand-alone home-study course, or become a component of a bigger program. For example, you may have a coaching retreat and send your system to each of your participants as a way to prepare. You could also use your system to deliver a live workshop. Or, make your coaching system a part of your year-long coaching program and guide your clients through using it.

You can expand your book or e-book into a coaching system many different ways. Sometimes it can be as simple as adding a few audio CDs, a workbook, and a list of recommended resources will be enough. The questions I like to use to help me expand into a great coaching program or system are these:

After reading my book, why wouldn’t they implement?

What is missing?
What’s holding them back?
What tool could I suggest or create to push them into taking action?
What preconceived notions do they come with?
What mind shift do I need for them to experience before they can take action and succeed?

Category: Passive Income

Comments

7 Responses to “How to Turn Your Book Into a Program”

Jon Orana
June 4th, 2010 @ 11:40 am

Awesome advice. I’m working on my own system right now but I can’t really decide what should be the name of if. I believe putting a right now will be important.

What I did is I create an adwords account using different titles as headline in my ads and see which one have highest CTR.

The highest will be the name of my system.
Andrea Amador
September 22nd, 2010 @ 9:55 am

Dear Milana,

I’m so excited to read these very important guidelines and information. For me, it’s coming at the perfect time.

On October 12, I will finally be able to collaborate with my favorite editor and together we will be re-editing my book, “Lovin’ the Skin You’re In: The Juicy Woman’s Guide to Making Peace with Food and Friends with Your Body”

Although I finished the book back in December 2009, with the help of another editor, I haven’t yet promoted it because I felt that there was too much of my story woven throughout, and that with all the information and resources I’ve shared, at 422 pages, it was just too long. I was also too close to the content and wasn’t willing to listen to my editor’s suggestions for cutting it down. Now I’m ready to really be of service to the women who need my expertise.

One thing I’m very happy about is that I do have a very clearly defined 7 step system, but my R.E.C.L.A.I.M. method is placed in the second part of the book, since the goal of non diet weight control and self acceptance can only be achieved by making many mental shifts.

You can bet I will share this blog post with my editor, Karen. I know that with her expertise, she can help me to get right to the meat of the matter to serve up the best of what I have.

Having this information top of mind will keep me connected with my goal of completing the re-edit in under 6 weeks. Thank you, Milana.

Warmest regards,

Andrea
Milana
September 22nd, 2010 @ 10:38 am

That’s awesome Andrea! Good to hear you’ve grown your business so much!!! Book-to-system is a really good way to integrate everything so you only market ONE product, and it markets the REST of your products for you!
Jason Oman
March 9th, 2011 @ 2:57 pm

AWESOME info Milana! This advice is something readers of my new ‘Conversations with Female Millionaires’ book could benefit from too!
So, check out the email I sent you about that so we can rock & roll and help some great people!
Jason Oman
#1 Best-Selling Author
TV Success Story
http://JasonOman.com/AboutJason
Chinasa Oparaugo
June 14th, 2011 @ 11:47 am

Hi Milana,

You are simply amazing. This stands as a summary comment for all the value I have derived so far from your videos and write-ups.

As you are a blessing to others, so will you be blessed.

Keep the flag flying and thanks.

Chinasa
Milana
June 14th, 2011 @ 12:54 pm

Well, thank you – glad to see the information is helpful, guys!!!
Edmée
November 2nd, 2011 @ 6:53 am

Hi Milana, Read you coaching millions about 2 years ago. Since then I have been thinking(too long) and the good news is that my book congratulations! You Hired a Coach will be published early 2012.
As I have an interview in http://www.voiceamerica.com on 13th December I am finally ready to launch my book system: congratulationsyouhiredacoach.com

this is a system that includes: a book (book paperback and e-book) motivational cards called Whispers and a community where people can become members and get extra support to get their goals become a reality and be supported all the way. Thanks
The site will be online around 10 of December hope to see your comments

Thanks for your inspiration

Edmée
The Netherlands