What Made Readers Cry at My Book Launch
The 10 excerpts I shared from my book 'Value Whispering' that resonated most ... and got a surprisingly emotional response for a marketing book!
I nearly didn’t have a book launch party.
I’m of course extremely proud of my book; I poured 12 months of hard writing and editing into it - and, if I’m honest, 5 years of over thinking and procrastination before that too!
But after putting my heart and soul into the book, I didn’t have much energy left to promote it so the idea of organising the event felt overwhelming.
However, I’ve learned two things in life that helped me through.
The power and joy of asking for help.
There was a time when I did everything myself, for all the usual reasons. I told myself things like: “no one will do it quite like me”, “it would be quicker to do it myself”; some part of me felt duty-bound to do everything on my own; and, if I’m honest, I was scared to ask.But having kids while living abroad, quickly taught me that I couldn’t do it alone and I started asking for help. And when I saw how easy it was and how genuinely happy people were to help out, I never looked back.
The genius of opposites.
I learned this from Jennifer Kahnweiler, author of ‘The Introverted Leader’ and other titles. Through her research, she discovered that when you pair the right introvert and extrovert together, their natural strengths complement each other and they can create magic!
So, with these two lessons in mind, I reached out to an extroverted friend Jenny for help, and she was delighted to jump in and take the event organisation off my hands. We walk our dogs together a couple of times a week, and so she had been very much part of my book writing journey and she felt honoured to play such a key role in it’s conclusion. And she did the most wonderful job.
When discussing the agenda, she asked when I’ll like to read from the book.
My blood ran cold at the thought of it. It felt both too vulnerable and too indulgent, especially since not everyone in the room was a small business owner or had an interest in marketing. I worried the excerpts might not land with people who weren’t already in that world.
But thanks to some gentle encouragement from Jenny, I changed my mind and read a few passages from the book, and I’m so glad I did.
For each excerpt, I gave a little personal introduction and shared what was happening behind the scenes when I wrote it, why I included it, or how it was showing up in my life and the lives of others. And what came back to me was something I hadn’t expected: people told me it was one of the most special parts of the evening. They felt privileged to hear me reading my own words and to be let into the story behind them. And some even cried!
So I wanted to share those ten passages with you here, along with my personal reflections on each one. Because what the launch showed me is that these moments matter—not just to me, but to the people reading the book too.
Here’s a little video of the evening, shot by Jean Chessex, to give you a flavour of the event before we begin:
The first excerpt I shared were from the opening of the book, where I shared some background as to how I came to develop ‘Value Whispering’ as a marketing and business growth concept and process.
1: Get Clear on Why
The following section from the introduction of Value Whispering shares one of the biggest insights I learned from my first business:
“Two months after the birth of my first daughter, it became clear that returning to the corporate career I loved was not going to be possible.
“Not wanting to withdraw from my career completely, I started a communication consultancy during nap times, and within a year I was advising communication teams and leaders within some of the world’s largest organisations, such as Lloyds Bank, Nestlé and the UN.
“It was exciting at first, and I loved the chance to be the kind of Mum I wanted to be, while still getting to use my marketing and communication skills to earn an income.
“Eight years on I looked like a big success. But on the inside, I found myself facing burnout. I had forgotten to ask myself an all-important question: Why? As a result, I was attracting well-paid contracts, but it wasn’t work that gave me joy, meaning and energy. Every day became a chore.
“Then I read a quote that changed everything: “If it’s no longer fun, stop doing it”. Sir Richard Branson’s words hit home for me instantly. Heeding his advice, I looked for a different way to use my skills and experiences to help others.”
How often do we keep going for the wrong reasons - mostly because we haven’t stopped to ask ourselves what the right reasons are?
Success means something different to all of us.
It’s important to understand what success means to you before starting your own business, or any new project. Then you can make the right decisions for you, and you’ll be far more in tune with what is working for you, and what doesn’t, so you can make adjustments along the way, or stop before you burn out.
And that point reminds me of another point I make in the book, which I’d love for you to always keep in mind so you feel more comfortable following your own path:
“If it works for you, it works. Period.”
2: Embracing Your Hard-Won Insights
So often I see business owners, founders and leaders struggle to not just communicate their value, but to recognise their true value.
One of the reasons for this, is because much of what makes us so brilliant is wrapped up in the memory of all the ways we’ve struggled, wobbled and failed - so it’s hidden from view. So in chapter two, amongst other things, I talk about how to dig deep to find that hidden diamond within, and surface it so it can shine.
“At school, we’re often taught that failure is bad. Failure results in bad grades, and bad grades condemn us to a career cleaning toilets (or at least that’s what Mr Jenkins told me and my Year Four classmates).
“With such dire lessons learned, we come to fear failure and dare not admit when we’ve messed up. This lesson is further drummed into us when we start work. We soon learn that, if we fail to meet our targets, our annual bonus – even our job itself – might be at risk.
“But there are few things we get right first time, especially when trying new things and pushing our boundaries. No one gets far in business by playing it safe.
“And no you has ever built your business before. Mistakes and failures are inevitable as you figure things out, and these mistakes are an important part of the process. They will teach you everything you need to know about what it takes for you to succeed.
“We should therefore celebrate our failures with the same rigour and joy as we do our successes.
“Those hard-won insights are highly valuable, both to ourselves and others. They add practical experience to our natural talents, learned expertise and personal values.
“List all your mistakes and rumble with what each one taught you. Consider what these experiences added to your value, and how these lessons can be incorporated into your work to help you stand out and generate meaning for yourself and others. You’ll soon see that you’ve been gifted a one-of-a-kind perspective.”
This one-of-a-kind perspective is highly valuable to others, and will help you to naturally stand out in your market place. I’d encourage you to show it gratitude and appreciation to help you fully embrace it.
I talk about this more in my TEDx Talk which you can watch here:
An Introvert’s Guide to Having Quiet Impact
3: Focus on Your Dream Clients Only
I often see people struggling when it comes to defining their niche. So I spend quite a bit of time in the book helping readers to not only find their niche, but also tackle and fears and doubts they may have around narrowing their focus.
This passage shares one of the key reasons why you want to focus solely on your dream clients.
“Not everyone will be your Dream Client, and that’s perfectly okay.
“It’s crucial to work with clients who align with your values, respect your processes, and are genuinely committed to getting results.
“These clients will appreciate your expertise, boost your confidence, save you time, energy and resources, and refer you to other people just like them, contributing to the growth of your business.
“By contrast, working with the wrong clients can destroy your business, and fast.
“You may feel that, to get started, anyone willing to pay you is worthwhile. But working with the wrong clients can be a slippery slope. This was exactly what led me to burn out while working on my first business.
“While I was attracting high-paying clients, and doing work I could do well, it wasn’t work that felt fulfilling and energising. I could keep going for a while, but I soon started to feel the effects on my energy and mental health.”
We often underestimate the negative impact that working with the wrong clients can have on us and our business. It’s why in the book I also help you to define your ‘red flag’ clients, so you can avoid working with people who will be more hassle than they are worth, and preserve your time, energy and creativity for where you can have the most impact.
4: Knowing Your Value Sweet Spot Is Better Than Building Confidence
Your Value Sweet Spot is a key concept in the book. Once you know this, everything else start to feel more straight-forward and meaningful.
This is the part of the book where I introduce Your Value Sweet Spot:
“Focusing on what you do best, and how your existing awesomeness can create the most impact for others, naturally helps you to stand out. This is the ideal scenario – and it’s exactly what happens when you know your Value Sweet Spot.
“Your Value Sweet Spot is the unique overlap between what you do best, the difference it makes for your clients, and what your Dream Clients value most.
“It’s the place where your skills, passions, and proven results meet your clients’ real needs, making it easy for you to communicate your worth, stand out authentically, and attract the right opportunities.
“In short: your Value Sweet Spot is where your brilliance meets what your Dream Clients value most.
“When you show up from that space, you will create the most impact for your Dream Client and marketplace – and without being loud, feeling pushy or changing anything about who you are or how you show up. All of your work will begin from and lead back to your own individual zone of genius; occupying this space, you won’t just feel confident, but proud of the impact you create.”
5: The Client Journey
So often when I speak with business owners who are struggling with their marketing, I notice that they are tackling their marketing, sales and delivery as different activities, so nothing quite comes together and flows. This also makes it hard to manage.
It’s much more helpful to see the experience you create for your clients as one seamless journey, and then to map all your activities to this.
Then everything feels much more natural and easy for you - and for your prospective clients. Meaning you both get better results and enjoy the journey more.
I go into this process step-by-step in the book, but here’s a short passage that provides a story from my childhood to help put it in context:
“Your messages and offers click into place once you know your Dream Clients’ journey, and what resonates most for them at each distinct step.
“When helping my clients map out their client journey, I encourage them to think of it like a flight of stairs.
“When I was a child, my friends and I would often challenge each other to climb the stone steps home from school two or three steps at a time. It’s not an easy or comfortable thing to do, and it often resulted in us going home with grazed knees – again!
“Needless to say, as an adult, I walk up every flight of stairs one step at a time. It’s easier and far more comfortable. And that’s the point.
“When you know your client’s journey, you can create a series of steps that feel easy, comfortable and natural for them to take.
“And, as the old army saying goes: slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.”
6: Creating your Signature System
Creating a signature system is my favourite way to communicate your value as it marries the emotional pull of working with you, with a logical explanation of why it works.
I talk about this more on the Art of Value Whispering podcast here. And here is where I introduce the idea in the book:
“Have you ever been asked what you do and found yourself struggling to give a clear answer?
“For many business owners, the honest response is often, ‘Well… it’s complicated.’
“Other times, it’s not that what you do is complicated, but that you have so much expertise you don’t know where to begin. Years of expertise and experience mean you could talk for hours. But while your answer might be truthful, that doesn’t mean it’s clear, or that the person you’re talking to will stay engaged long enough to hear it all.
“As I said earlier, a confused mind doesn’t buy or buy into anything. That’s why you need to be able to explain the journey on which you take your clients in a way that’s simple, clear and easy to follow.
“Your Signature System does exactly that. It’s a step-by-step process that shows your Dream Client how you take them from feeling stuck, lost or frustrated, to feeling clear, in control and confident about their future.
“Your Signature System is unique to you. It’s based on your expertise, experience, values and preferred way of working.
“It’s the essence of your True Value. It gives you a repeatable process for creating consistent, predictable results you can be proud of and that your Dream Clients love. It also helps you stand out, standardise much of your content and approach, and save time, energy and resources.
…
“When my client Sam tried to map out the milestones in her Signature System, she hit a roadblock.
“An expert in natural fertility and pregnancy with significant experience, she knew her work inside out, but as no two clients ever took exactly the same path, she found it challenging to find one ‘system’ that underpinned her work.
“However, as we talked, one truth emerged: every woman she worked with shared the same need. To be heard.
“Sam realised her process always began by listening deeply to her clients’ needs, desires and challenges, allowing these women their voices. She realised that her Signature System was the way she listened, organised her clients’ needs and created a bespoke plan for each one.
“When she started to map out this process, she realised that it had five distinct steps that spelt out ‘VOICE’. The realisation gave me goosebumps!
“Now, with her VOICE system clear, she could explain her work in one compelling sentence: ‘I give women a VOICE when deciding on the fertility and pregnancy journey they want to take.’
“It’s memorable, meaningful and positions her instantly as the expert.”
I’ve worked with hundreds of business owners on their signature system, but Sam’s story remains my favourite as she was so unclear on her process, yet when we talked it through it came together really quickly. And knowing how often women are not listened to by health professionals, the way her process spelt voice, still gives me goosebumps!
This section is part of a bigger section in the book dedicated to helping you define your core message, and start using it to attract more of your dream clients.
You can get your copy of the book, or download the first chapter free, here.
7: Marketing Made Simple
Naming this chapter was easy, as one of the big reasons why I wrote Value Whispering, is because I see too many internet gurus making marketing feel overwhelming, complicated and expensive.
To my mind it’s none of these things. And for small businesses, it can often be incredibly simple, cheap, easy to implement, and fun - I promise!
“You don’t have to be loud to market your business, stand out and make a positive difference.
“A couple of years ago I was scrolling through a Facebook group for female founders when I read a post that made my jaw drop. This is what it said:
‘Six months ago I decided to stop marketing my business. Instead, I started showing up as myself and focused on delivering exceptional value for my niche, and guess what – now I’m getting clients!’
“I was horrified. Who on earth told this lady that being yourself and adding value wasn’t marketing?!
“Marketing (and sales for that matter) has nothing to do with being fake, pushy or manipulative. It’s not about wasting people’s time with a load of hot air and baloney. And it’s not about boastful self-promotion or ‘scratching the pain until it bleeds and then selling the Band Aid’, an awful phrase I’ve heard used more often than I’d care to remember.
“It’s about adding value, starting meaningful relationships based on trust and understanding, and it’s about deeply serving your clients with thoughtfully designed products and services that will transform their lives in a positive way.”
So now you know ; )
8: Bringing it All Together
Another reason I wrote the book the way I did, is because often sales and marketing are treated separately. And while this makes sense in a large organisation, when you are both the Chief Marketing Officer and the Sales Director for your company, it’s much easier to see the two as parts of the same journey.
So, I have dedicated a full chapter to the sales process, having natural-feeling sales conversations, and building your sales mindset.
In this excerpt, I lay out the benefits of creating a simple sales script to support your conversations:
“To help you have consistently great sales conversations, create a simple sales script. This should lay out the questions you want to ask, in order, and specify every point to make when you explain your offer in detail
“A clear, simple structure has many benefits.
“It means you can focus on your prospects’ words, rather than thinking about what to ask next. And it will ensure you cover everything you need to comprehensively guide your prospect to the right decision for them. Plus, having a logical, measured flow to your pitch will give your client confidence in your abilities as a service-provider.
“Following this structure will also help you avoid oversharing. Sometimes we can give too much information away, information that misleads your prospect into feeling they now understand how to move forward without any further help from you. This perception will almost always do them a disservice; unless your service boils down to one core piece of advice, it’s unlikely their problem can be resolved so easily.
“Once you have your draft script, check that it aligns with your Value Sweet Spot. To do this, ask yourself this:
“If you were to conduct the perfect sales conversation, one where you and your prospect were in total alignment with what was important and valuable, and where you both agreed completely on the nature of their problem, how would you feel during and after your call?”
The answer to this question will ensure you have sales conversations that are valuable to your prospect, and allow you to show up in a way that reflects your values and the way you ultimately help people. And this will also help you feel calm and confident too.
9: Mastering Your Mindset
Mindset is everything in business. But that’s not something I understood in my first business. I often wonder if, if I had understood this during the first iteration of my business, if I would have done things differently.
I’ll never know of course, but once I appreciated how crucial the right mindset is, and how much we struggle with this, I certified as a Mindset Coach six years ago, and became a co-founder of the Mindset Success School.
The school is no longer operational, but everything I learned from developing and delivering the materials for that business, and from coaching hundreds of entrepreneurs and business owners, can be found in the Mindset chapter of the book.
“You don’t have to be loud to make a difference, but you do need to be consistently visible to your dream clients. Your mindset is the key to doing so comfortably.
“In my first book, A Shy Girl’s Guide to Networking, I shared how my mindset used to make my life feel so much harder. I dreaded public speaking and networking, and the negative stories I told myself only amplified the fear, making these situations feel almost impossible.
“Then a few small mindset shifts changed everything. What once felt terrifying soon became second nature, and before long I was confidently speaking about my network on stages across Europe.
“Real and lasting transformation is possible for anyone willing to change the way they think, and this transformation can happen fast.
“In that book, I shared my VICTORY Formula, the simple steps I took to turn around my mindset and confidence for good.
“Since sharing this, I’ve been truly touched by the messages I’ve received from readers who used the formula to turn things around in their own lives. Reading their messages, I have gained a deeper appreciation for how powerful mindset can be, and how quickly small changes in our beliefs and thinking can open the door to a new world of possibility.
“From coaching, guiding and speaking with thousands of entrepreneurs, I have seen this consistently: one of the biggest challenges to our business growth isn’t our skills, budget or the economic climate. It’s not our messaging or marketing. It’s not even finding the time to do everything we need to. It’s our mindset.
“I could give you the perfect marketing plan, create your perfect sales process, and even add an extra five hours to your day. But if you are held back by negative self-talk, poor self-image or lack of self-belief, none of this will get you results.
“The stories we tell ourselves – or more accurately, the negative stories we tell ourselves – can hold us back and keep us playing small. And if you want to help people, that is not the space you want to be in.
“Mindset is everything, and when I finally truly understood this, I became a certified mindset coach so that I had the tools to guide my clients through any doubts or limiting beliefs. Only then could they consistently and successfully market their business with joy, ease and confidence.
“Along my own journey of reflection and growth, I reworked the VICTORY Formula into something deeper and more refined. I call it the TRUST Formula. Embrace it, and it might just change your life.
“That may sound dramatic, but I really believe it. Just imagine what would happen if you no longer held yourself back – back from that action that will grow your business; back from that practice that will organise your time.”
10: The Value Whispering Manifesto
I end the book with my Value Whispering Manifesto.
However, when I was signing books for people, I thought it might be nice to have it at the beginning too, to set the scene - what do you think?
The Value Whispering Manifesto
You don’t have to be the loudest to have the biggest impact.
Your value isn’t found in how loud you shout
– it’s in how deeply you resonate.The right people – the ones who need your unique brilliance – will recognise you when you dare to show up with courage, intention and heart.
You are enough.
Your work matters.
Your voice is powerful.
Keep whispering your value.
And watch with pride as your business and impact grow.
About the Book:
Value Whispering: the Smarter Way to Market Your Small Business … that just happens to be brilliant for introverts
If you’ve been quietly hoping there was a more natural way to market and grow your business, this book is for you!
Here’s the book trailer to tell you more:
"If marketing makes you want to run and hide, get this book.
Melitta shows you how to attract dream clients by being more you.
No shouting, no cringe, no burnout required."
Andrew and Pete, Founders of Atomicon
or
or read a sample first by
downloading the first chapter free here
Have you read Value Whispering?
What passages stood out most to you?
Beautiful and inspiring!