Smart Author Media: A Unique Way to Help Authors Scale with Chris Benetti

I’m excited to share this fantastic conversation I had with Chris Benetti. Chris is not just a great friend but an amazing business mind who focuses on providing real value without the hard sell. We talked about everything from business strategies to personal life updates, including his new role as a father and his foray into real estate. Let’s dive into the key takeaways from our conversation.

Easy Wins in Business

Chris Benetti believes that providing value without hard selling is essential. He shared his experience of helping people with step-by-step guides and tools that can make a difference in their business. According to Chris, “The goal is to help people achieve results by directing them to resources where they can implement what they've learned.” This approach has helped him build trust and long-lasting relationships with his clients. It’s all about focusing on the value you can bring rather than pushing for a sale.

Personal Updates and Family Life

In between all the business talk, Chris shared some exciting personal updates. He recently became a father of two and moved into a new home that he built. He emphasized how important it is to balance family life with work. "Building a new home and focusing on family life has given me a fresh perspective on what’s truly important," Chris said. This balance is crucial for maintaining both personal well-being and professional success.

Business Strategies and Investments

Chris and I talked extensively about making your business profitable to invest in tangible assets outside of the business. Chris mentioned property and real estate investments as a key area where he’s focusing his resources. We agreed that growing your business to generate profits for investments is a smart move. Chris also emphasized the importance of diversifying income to avoid financial instability. "You can’t rely on a single source of income; you have to think ahead and safeguard yourself," he explained.

Smart Author Media

Chris’s current focus is on Smart Author Media, where he helps authors scale their businesses using effective marketing strategies. Despite new challenges like having a child, Chris has designed a scalable business model targeting underserved niches. He validated this model through beta testing and networking. Chris has also used his podcast to establish himself as an expert and validate his models with input from guest experts.

The Power of Giving Away Books

One of the most interesting parts of our conversation was Chris’s strategy of giving away free books to generate leads. Chris mentioned that “Giving away free books can still result in clients, with a conversion rate of 1-5%.” They’ve given away around 2,000 books, with 10% of those people starting a trial membership. Chris also cited an example of a client who gave away fewer than 5,000 books but still made a significant amount of money from it.

Effective Marketing Techniques

Chris uses book funnels and employs an affiliate model to promote them. He suggested using affiliates to promote book funnels and offering 100% commissions on digital offers to acquire customers at minimal cost. Chris's business model centers around selling books with advertising and using email follow-ups and retargeting ads to guide readers to the next step. This approach helps to increase the average cart value, offsetting advertising spend. The ultimate goal is to convert readers into long-term clients.

Chris's Resources

• Smart Author Media
• Chat with Chris

Conclusion

Wrapping up, Chris Benetti shared some amazing insights into balancing personal life and business, the importance of providing genuine value, and the effectiveness of innovative marketing strategies like book giveaways. The key takeaway is that providing immediate value to potential clients and having a diversified income strategy are essential for long-term stability and success. Chris and I look forward to reconnecting and having more enlightening conversations in the future.

Two Other Episodes You Should Check Out

• Triple Your Teams Productivity by Mastering AI with Mike Koenigs

• Unleashing the Power of AI in Content Creation with Ramon Berrios

Resources From Episode

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• Check out other podcasts on the HubSpot Podcast Network
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