Week twenty-three: Promotional ideas
12 Comments Published by Dr. Beyster October 12th, 2006 in The Book.My wife Betty and I had the good fortune to spend an enjoyable week at Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico. I lived a different life last week, but I’m back to reality now and will be putting the finishing touches on the book over the next several weeks. The manuscript is being examined by the editors now, but there is still time to incorporate useful advice. So don’t hesitate to give us ideas. We’re beginning to focus our attention on our upcoming public relations campaign — I am interested in hearing your ideas for how we can best get the word out on the book. We expect it to be available for purchase in the spring.
Click on the comments link to share your thoughts.
- Bob
Here are my responses to previous weeks’ comments:
Donald Bauer (Week 22): If anything, there’s more than enough on the America’s Cup in the book. For me, the participation of SAIC in the successful America’s Cup campaign — and the contributions we ended up making — was one of the most exciting events in my life. We were able to take technology from our work with the Navy and apply it to improvements in the design of high-performance racing sailboats. This was not a profitable enterprise for SAIC, but it was one of the events that forced the company into the public eye in a positive way. This certainly changed my attitude towards the importance of PR for the company.
Gary Marple (Week 22): I enjoyed my association with the Kauffman Center and learned a great deal about entrepreneurship, which was helpful in the building of SAIC. We actually hired Ray Smilor, who you may know, to run the Beyster Institute at UCSD. The Beyster Institute focuses on lessons learned from SAIC and other employee-owned, entrepreneurial companies. I hope others will follow our example and build long-term employee ownership into their companies.
Book reviews in appropriate magazines and newspapers as well as arranged book signings are the standard approaches to advertising a book. Requesting book editors of these publications to review your book pays big dividends.
More modern approaches include reviews on Internet web sites such as Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com as well as having your own book website.
Each of these has paid off for me. The biggest issue, however, is to get your publisher to promote your book. They know what to do.
Duane Hove
I agree with Duane. I believe a web site devoted entirely to the book would be good. We just completed development on a new book and we’re preparing to send it to reviewers. I think it’s important to get peer review testimonials before sending the book to reviewers. I think you need to market to the book to reviewers so they will make it a priority. Admittedly, I’m a neophyte at this as this is our first book.
We are self publishing, so your publishers is probably already taking care of these things.
Dear Dr. Beyster,
My last trip to
“Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico”,
was in 1964.
It was my High School “Grad Night”.
And a few of us from “University High School”,
in Los Angeles, decided against
the “Grad-Night Lock-In”.
So, we drove down to RLP.
I don’t know how we chose it,
but we did not have “reservations”,
so they would not let us in.
They had “tight security”, even then.
We slept in our cars, overnight,
and snuck in the next day.
I had been there once before,
with my “parents”, in ~1962,
and met the very tall, and very wise,
70-year-old, grey-haired-man,
who started the “Institute”,
and personally lead
early morning “Nature Walks”,
every day.
If you think that is appropriate,
on your Blog-site, please elaborate,
on your “Experience” at RLP.
Also, if you think that it is OK,
please tell your fans,
What do you think of the IPO ?
Did they invite you to ring [or break] the Bell ?
Were you in the back, “off camera” ?
Also,
Thank You Very Much
for your insight, and dedication.
Thousands of your ex-employees
really do “Owe It All To You”.
Dr. Beyster,
I do not have any great insight for your book but have been thinking about you an awful lot lately. My years at SAIC, like many others, molded most of my views of the business world. I learned from you that it is easy to make the right decisions when things are going well but much more important is making those same right decisions when they have negative implications.
I will never be able to appropriately thank you for all the lessons learned, but hope you know the lasting effects you have had on this public servant.
Can’t wait for the book.
Warmest regards,
Mike Moore
Chief Information Officer
County of San Diego
Dear Dr. B – About promoting your book. Don’t forget the other organizations that promote employee ownership such as NECO and their annual conference. Definitely you need a web page for your book. Hopefully you can cross link web page with other organizations such as Kauffman Center, etc. Also send promo copies to B-School professors you admire. And also corporate groups that promote entrepreneurship such as Ernst and Young. Good luck!
Hello Bob,
The book appears to be an important contribution to the understanding of American business practice. As such, it would be of interest to TV interviewers like Larry King, Charlie Rose, or someone on the Lehrer Newshour. Business leaders like Jack Welch and Andrew Grove promote their books on these programs.
I look forward to reading the book.
Dr. Beyster,
How do you want to promote your book? I was just re-reading many of the blog entries over these nearly 6 months. Your ambassadors are all over the place. And they have their own networks. Perhaps the editor could put together a PDF promotional flyer that anyone on your blog could access and send to their colleagues/friends/etc. If it comes out next spring, the book will make a terrific Mother’s Day or Father’s Day gift for all those entrepreneurs out there in fact or spirit. Also, don’t forget about all the universities (U.S. and international) with entrepreneurship programs, certificates, and degrees. Your book will become text book material – case studies on innovation, growth, dispersed and decentralized organizations, and horizontal management methods.
Sincerely,
Gael Tarleton
Dr. Beyster
Your book, based on you unconventional,
but unprecedented success, will stand on
its own merit.
You don’t need the socialist, anti-capitalist
pseudo-press.
“SAI never did anything the usual way.”
Please surprise us again.
Sincerely, Bob Kamen
Bob,
I would like to comment about employee ownership and your book. Last year I left SAIC/AMSEC after eight years and started The GBS Group, a professional services company. I worked with my accountant, attorney, and advisers to develop an employee ownership model that I learned from you. We have since hired some top rate engineers and technical people from NG, Bombardier Systems, Wartsila, NAVSSES Philadelphia, NSWC Crane, etc — all are employee owners. We have won contracts or subcontracts with Amtrak, Boeing, Mantech, Anteon, AMSEC, and the Navy. Over the course of the past year I have talked to my employees many times about the culture you established and about the simple rules you reminded us of often, including when we inducted you into the AMSEC Hall of Fame. You said we must always move physically close to the customer; find out what is hurting them and make sure we solve their problems; and stay humble by keeping costs down and being respectful of the client. Last, you said we should share the ownership of the company with those who do the most to grow the business. The employee ownership model is working for my new company and I appreciate everything I learned from you and all the great people in SAIC & AMSEC. I wish you great luck with the book – I will buy one for every employee and will recommend it to a great organization I belong to, EO, an international organization of CEOs of companies with over 1M in revenues, age 50 and under (strange rule). Anyway, best of luck to you Dr. Beyster.
Well since you asked what I am up to….Integrated Science Solutions, Inc. where I am CEO/President, is doing great! In the past 6 weeks we have been listed as fastest growing private business in SF Business Times, East Bay Business Journal and Silicon Valley/SJ Business Journal. We were inducted into the San Francisco Business Hall of Fame this past month. I think this year, 2006 will be our tipping point year. I finally feel as if our diversification strategy is working and if we don’t win a bid it won’t put us out of business. Controlled growth and maintaining margins is a continuing battle. I have also been struggling with how to share employee ownership and although investment banker types tell me its’ a bad idea, we will probably put through an ESOP in 2007. On Friday I am leaving to go to Abu Dhabi for a Dept. of State sponsored conference dedicated to Middle East and North African women entrepreneurs; and me a Democrat! You will get a kick to know that the Beyster Institute is the contractor for the trip by the State Department. Ray S. is attending. I have not told him I’m a SAIC refugee yet. I just attended a SAIC reunion spearheaded by Mike Spaeth for the old Las Vegas Yucca Mt. Project. It was a great time to see people I haven’t seen in 20 years. That was this past weekend in Las Vegas. Over 200 employees, retirees and ex-employees attended. What fun! So that is what I am up to… Ceil
As a small business we started in one area, environmental, but expanded into other areas. Our clients asked us to do other work! Now we have about 75 scientists and engineers, about 28% of the staff have PhDs. We are supporting NASA, EPA, DOE, Army mostly in environmental, safety/health, system safety, IT, nuclear engineering, risk assessment, program management/program integration. Expansion with an eye on cash flow. SAIC gave me a great technical/marketing education, but starting a business has made me expand into other skill areas. However I still stand by my advice that you can teach a scientist or engineer business but you are not going to teach a business person science or engineering. Stay true to your technical roots!! Had a great time with Ray S. in the Middle East. Hope all is well in sunny San Diego. Ceil
Word for word had this same thought and conversation recently…
“… you can teach a scientist or engineer business but you are never going to
teach a business person science or engineering.” I would say this is very
true with a few remarkable exceptions.
It also boils down to rigor in a science, engineering or similar technical disciplines being combined with the proper amount of knowledge in an area of application.
To carry it a step further, believe education and training are now being confused.
Educate for life, and train for the task at hand; one in grounded in understanding,
and the other is more based on rote.
The business folks point fingers at the academics and the academics return the
gesture. Both worlds appear to be behavng with fiscal abandon.
Believe few academics and business types do not have solid understanding of understanding of wealth. Money in itself is not wealth, it is what is done with the
money that creates wealth. The wealth of a community is its schools, its hospitals, its parks, playgrounds, and other basic civic infrastructure.
Similarly, not sure management in either academia or corportate sector understand
that salaried technical professionals can not to be managed as cobblers in a shoe
factory or day-laborers hanging sheet-rock. This is not to take away from skill
of the folks doing those manual tasks; financed my education working in the “trades.”
It is hard measure the creative process and assign a fair wage value to it, but not sure non-technical pencil-neck types should be setting the rates for my “professional guild.” Some days believe the independent electrical and plumbing contractor
enjoy more professional autonomy than many degreed professionals.
The biggest obstacle to stepping out and forming one’s own business is the
cost of health care for an individual. Getting insurance as a self employed person
is now next to impossible in many states. On the other hand have had this argument with the “spousekateer;” that all the health care benefits in the world are simply useless if the demands of the work place are adversely impacting one’s health in the first place.
Am curious what Dr Beyster thought about what was then called health insurance
when founding SAI and later SAIC. Was it an issue or did he and his recruits just
fly without a net for a while? Simple Health Insurance as a product for an
individaul no longer really exists; and not having it is a frightening prospect
for anyone forty-five and older. This is a big factor for the most basic of employee
owned busissess, the one man professional in private practice.
As I close not sure the HMOs. PPPO’s, etc are adding any value to the
health care being provided; and that is question needing to be asked everywhere.
Is something of value being dispensed or at least added?
Just the same, have enjoyed scanning your blog-site this evening.
Take Care …