As Roy H. Williams and Rachael Ray were using their first books to broaden their careers, Ivan Misner was already a worldwide success.
He had begun the world’s largest referral-marketing organization, BNI (Business Network International) in 1985 and just over a decade later, he had a huge platform of followers. So by the time Misner wrote his first bestseller, “Masters of Success,” he had an audience of eager readers waiting to buy his book, thanks to the vast network he’d created with his company.
The path to “Masters of Success” becoming a bestseller was relatively straightforward. Misner had already laid the groundwork and had built a remarkably powerful platform.
But what did this book bring him?
In a way, it did for Misner what “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” accomplished for Steven Covey: It improved an already well-established and successful business. It propagated his position as expert and purfeyor of knowledge in a specific area of business. It paved the way for his doing the same with future books.
The book was a bestseller, but it was much more than that: it was what we might call a continuous calling card for Misner’s expertise, and another step on his journey as an entrepreneur who knows how to build, use and continue a platform to keep his readers satisfied. Ore than satisfied – eager for more.
We’re going to continue with a couple more examples of authors who’ve used a platform to build their profile and launch themselves into the ranks of bestsellers.