Conversations with Authors, A Book Launch Story: What Can the New Branson Airport Teach YOU about Your Book and business?

A visit to the brand new Branson Airport reminded me of a recent conversation with an author. Though this was one conversation, it is one I repeat often. When you start to learn how to write a book, you want to answer this question.

the question I asked caused him to think, which was my goal. I’ll get to that once I show you a few things that will allow you to discover something for yourself.

The question I asked him was, “What comes after the book?”

Read this story as you consider your own answer. The airport planners are doing some things very RIGHT, yet they make me wonder if they are making a common mistake that so many authors make. Maybe YOU. So please read this post carefully and share it with all the authors you know.

First, I’ll share a little background about the airport with you.

Solving a Big Problem

Until recently, if you wanted to visit Branson or fly out of it, you would have to go to Springfield (over 1.5 hours drive from where I live) or drive at least 4 hours to Tulsa or Kansas City. So learning that we would have an airport in Branson excited me.

Think of yourself and why you started writing your book.Like the airport planners, you wanted to fill a need, right? Good start.

Branson is a family entertainment hub in the heart of the Bible Belt. Branson is like Las Vegas, without the naughty. Be prepared to be drowned in churches and Jesus stuff when you arrive. People constantly invite you to their church if you live here, but they don’t do that to the visitors. So you’re safe from that. You’ll notice over 100 shows and attractions that are family-safe. Not much “night life.” Although people often think we have a lot of country music, actually, you’ll find a wide variety of available shows, from the Acrobats of China to the Bald Knobbers (Hee-Haw type music and comedy), to Cirque (like Cirque du  Soleil) to Spirit of the Dance (world dance) to Andy Williams (vintage music).

Making It Easier

I’m giving you a feel for the area so that you can glimpse the genius of how aspects of the airport fit into the local flavor. having an airport closer to home is a wonderful thing. Right now, service is extremely limited, but I have hopes for the near future. I thought surely there would be non-stop service to Chicago, which is where I am from, because so many Chicagoans visit or move here.

Wrongo. Dad came into Branson via Atlanta, making the trip longer than it would be if he could drive the 8 hours to my house. Ah well, maybe someday soon for such an obvious,  popular destination.

Everything cannot happen at once, and I am not privy to plans for expansion. There is a lesson here for you. See if you can guess.

Have a Plan

When a prospect or customer first encounters your business or your book, she doesn’t know all your plans. She does not see the structure of your business; she only sees what is visible to all. And thus there is a Big Question for you, which I am saving for later.

Remember, I’m showing you how the new Branson airport reminds me of a common conversation I have with authors – and maybe even with YOU.

Back to the airport. There are currently 2 airlines flying into Branson: AirTran and Sun Country. The airport code for Branson, in case you need to know, is BKG. Right now, you won’t be able to use the popular services like Air Gorilla, Travelocity, and Expedia. They will not recognize Branson or the BKG code. However, you can visit FlyBranson.com or AirTran.com to make arrangements.

Good Fit

When you approach the Branson airport, you will notice that the building is small but inviting. I have not come through from the passenger side, but the outside welcome center and homey design makes you feel as if you are about to have a pleasant experience. Kudos to the planners and developers on this one.

Once inside, you will notice waiting areas that are more like what you might find in a country motel rather than an airport. Soft lounge chairs and rocking chairs are comfortably arranged in an area with wood-trimmed walls. It feels like a living-room, not an airport. Kudos again for making the airport feel homey. I hope you, my dear reader, are making your customers feel as welcome.

Here is a picture of my dad sitting in one of the rocking chairs. have you ever seen a rocking chair at an airport?

The entry to security looks more as if you are about to go into a restaurant.

We’ve Got Trouble

What about the ticket counter? Take a look. this is a brand new airport, and maybe you will notice what I did when you see this picture.

I love the wood around the windows, but count the ticket desks. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Does this bode ill for the airport? Maybe. And what about YOUR business? Are you doing what the planners did?

But wait…there’s more.

Check out the baggage claim area and count the conveyor belt.

One. Yes, 1. There’s just the 1.One belt to serve them all. One belt to bind them. One belt to limit growth and evermore define them.

I found myself wondering how many planes can arrive every hour with only the 1 baggage claim. My guess would be 3, 4 tops.  Planes with a hundred passengers or so arrive, and I’m wondering how long before incoming baggage is delayed while workers dispense bags from previous flights. No problem now with only a few incoming flights…but what about next year?

dad and I were thirsty and wanted to have something to drink. But we noticed something – something big —>

No restaurant.

When You Fail to Plan…

How can a place so homey miss the mark in such a big way? The design team failed to plan big-time in a number of ways. Small number of check-in points. Only 1 baggage claim. No cafe cart or restaurant. Hey hid vending machines behind a wall, but how inviting is that?

The only restaurant is on the other side of security. We haven’t been able to pass through security without a ticket for 20 years, since Gulf War Part 1. As it turns out, there is a way you can order food or drink from the ground side. We had to ask someone in order to find it.

The security guard told us that the planners didn’t count on people picking up passengers or wanting to use a restaurant, so they did not put one outside of security. They had to retro-fit a solution.

Look at these pictures and see what they did after the fact to accommodate people wanting food:

There is a menu on the wall for Famous Dave’s barbecue, and above it a sign telling you to use your cell phone to order. Your food will then be delivered either to the waiting area that I showed you earlier, or to the observation deck outside. Here is a picture of the picnic tables by the wooden 1–storey observation deck. You’ll see a lot of gravel, no umbrellas or other shelter, and no landscaping.

that homey, welcoming feeling crashed onto the rocks. No, we did not order 2 lemonades. We finished looking around the new Branson airport and left.

Let’s Recap

What they did right: Stop a moment and think for yourself about what developers did right. The airport fits the area. Meaning that the solution fits the problem. They carried a theme from the building’s exterior into many elements of the interior. Meaning they kept consistency (mostly).

What they did wrong: Again, stop and think of what is NOT serving the customer. Hey dropped the inviting feeling (no restaurant), they did not plan for an increase of business and service (no room for expansion), and a feeling of impending problems (baggage).

The Common Conversation with Authors

I started this post by telling you about a common conversation I have with authors. I asked him the question, “What comes after the book?”

“What do you mean?” he asked me.

“I mean, where are you leading the reader after the book?”

“Uh…I’m getting a website.”

“Good start. But how else will you make money?”

“Uh…I’d like to do some consulting, I think.”

”What’s your profit funnel? Do you have a plan?”

Silence. No plan, other than a ubiquitous thought of some consulting.

I asked him, “How much money do you anticipate making from your book sales?”

“I don’t know. A lot I hope.”

This is something most people don’t think about when they start planning how to write a book. “Let’s say you make a $2 royalty on each book,” I told him. “How many books do you need to sell to make a living?”

A light bulb must have appeared over his head. “Wow. A lot.”

“And if all you have besides the book is consulting, think of what that means for your income. Although you don’t need many high-end consulting clients to make a living, how are you going to bridge the space between book buyer and consulting client?”

He had no answer, but at least he had now begun to think and plan. In another post I will share ways to make a profit while you are still writing your book. And in still another, you will discover how to lead your reader into doing business with you.

Resources

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• New airport in Branson prepares for takeoff (msnbc.msn.com)

Ronda Del Boccio is a transformational speaker, mentor and author known globally as The Story Lady because she teaches authors, entrepreneurs and business owners to easily connect with your ideal customers and contacts through the power of your story.

She is the author of numerous stories, poems, and articles, as well as her books I’ll Push You Steer, and other upcoming books.

Discover how to explode profits, prospects and prime media opoprtuntiies with her latest book is the Instant Credibility system, which teaches any business owner, entrepreneur, coach, speaker or writer to craft a lead-generating book that grows your business.

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