Parisien gives marketing, sales advice

On Wednesdays, The Writers' Len focuses on ways to help writers. I often share tips about sales and marketing, and today we're making the leap to a more traditional approach. Thankfully, MAURICE PARISIEN has put the process into narrative form. I met Maurice at a book-signing event at 6 North Cafe and look forward to reading ALIGNED, but I'll let him tell you more about it.

Guest post by Maurice Parisien

 Like most first-time authors, I was taken many years ago with the idea that I would write and publish a book. The first hurdle I had to cross was fairly basic… “What do I write about?”  I had already made up my mind that I’d write a non-fiction book about what I know best, the world of sales and marketing. Although I was quick to pick the subject content, the challenge came in honing in on an idea or concept that was new, or at minimum one that may have been around for a while, but not yet adequately addressed. I chose the latter. The subject of my book is one that continues to challenge every organization both small and large. ALIGNED speaks to the age-old problem of the failure of the disciplines of sales and marketing to work together effectively to grow an enterprise.
Sales and marketing executives continue to point fingers at one another for their failure to achieve top-line revenue objectives, opportunity exists to provide sales and marketing executives with a road map that brings about alignment between these two business building disciplines, creating a smoother, more integrated sales and marketing process that drives top- line results while at the same time maximizes bottom-line results.
To take a lesson from my book ALIGNED, the following are three tips to consider in the marketing of your book: 

- Know your Audience - In the case of ALIGNED, the book was written to communicate the value of aligning the disciplines of sales and marketing, and do so in small to midsize organizations. The target audience for ALIGNED is business owners, as well as senior executives in sales and marketing, as such, my book was written to appeal to the interests of this audience and written in a form that would not only deliver highly relevant content, but do so in a manner that would hold the reader's attention from beginning to end.

- Establish Credibility - As a first time author, I had the option of publishing my manuscript through a vanity press/ POD publisher, or go the route of a legitimate publisher. I opted to pursue publishing with the latter. My belief was that if I was successful in landing a legitimate publisher that I would have much greater credibility with my target audience.

- Market Yourself & Your Book - Even though one might rely on their publisher to market their book, publishers have a slew of titles that are under contract. In order for your book to gain sales traction, it is critical to secure opportunities for speaking engagements, PR events, and other opportunities to generate awareness of your work with your target audience. For a first-time author, relying on the publisher alone to create the necessary buzz about your book will likely do little to stimulate sales.

ALIGNED is the first non-fiction business book to offer a clear, narrative depiction of the value of sales and marketing alignment and the process of how to go about achieving it. Instead of promoting an academic sales and marketing theory, this book engages the reader with a story that presents the practical application of the sales and marketing alignment theory through the lens of two very different marketing services agencies and their prospective clients.

     Oscar Wilde once quipped: “Nothing succeeds like success.” Concerning sales and marketing, he was right. A successful sales and marketing process leads to a successful business, and proper alignment in sales and marketing leads to a successful sales and marketing process.

ALIGNED is divided into three parts. The first section introduces the dilemma facing a young technology firm as it attempts to market and sell a new service offering. The principals of the firm receive help from an experienced sales and marketing consultant who takes them through a strategic planning process that leads to outsourcing the firm’s marketing services and recruiting an executive level sales person.

 The second section of the book introduces two very different marketing services agencies along with their respective management teams. Each of the agencies have the expertise to support the sales efforts of the technology firm, but one of the agencies possesses a superior sales and marketing process orientation that would better assist the technology firm in achieving its sales goals.

ALIGNED is rich with content that provides the reader with a clear understanding of the steps that must be taken to align the disciplines of sales and marketing. The book is an easy read that also contains an appendix of diagrams that will further acquaint the reader with the principles of alignment. Additionally, the book contains a Suggested Reading List of quality articles and books that provide helpful perspectives on the disciplines of sales and marketing management.

What experts say about ALIGNED…

In Aligned, Maurice R. Parisien has written an engaging book about successful sales and marketing methods that uses an unusual technique: a conversational method showing how individual people approach marketing – making mistakes and correcting them. Reading like a novel, in Aligned, Parisien teaches modern successful marketing tactics in a refreshing way. Anyone who wants to learn about effective sales and marketing could not go wrong by reading this book.  

Arthur Middleton Hughes

VP The Database Marketing Institute, Ltd.

author of six best selling marketing books

About the author ...

MAURICE PARISIEN is a principal with Digital Intersection, an integrated online & offline database marketing services agency located in St. Louis, Mo. Maurice is an experienced marketer with 30+ years of consultative and management experience in marketing, sales and communications with both small and large corporations in both for-profit and non-profit organizations.  Maurice has worked for, or consulted with, companies across multiple industries from CPG, telecommunications, financial services, healthcare, high-tech and non-profits organizations.

An experienced marketing strategist, he has successfully served his employers and clients by providing effective strategic direction that focuses on the needs of the customer and the organization resulting in improved top-line and bottom-line results. An effective speaker and lecturer, Maurice has presented his theory of customer relationship development (CRD) to both academic and practicing database marketers.

Maurice lives in Manchester, Mo., with his wife of 37 years, and when not busy with work and client engagements, he enjoys time with children, grandchildren and supporting causes that make a positive difference in the world.

ALIGNED was published by Racom Books, Chicago, IL, ISBN: 978-1-933199-38-2
Available on Amazon and Racom Books

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