The first secret the gurus don’t tell you when you’re writing your book…

There is one lethal syndrome you never want to encounter when speaking with someone. You also definitely don’t want this to occur when someone picks up your book or looks at your product range.

TEGO (tee-go) leads to disaster, destruction and the death of your hopes for converting your audience into paying clients. It is also guaranteed to get a reader to put your book down and never give it a second thought in the future.

So, what is this mysterious TEGO?

It is the moment when the person you are speaking to finds the colour of your neighbour’s hair more interesting than your pre-planned pitch. It is the moment when a potential client drifts off into their favourite daydream whilst you share your wisdom and knowledge. It is the moment when a reader turns a page, sighs and drops your book in frustration.

You’ve experienced TEGO yourself. Indeed, you may even have triggered it in another person occasionally. Sadly, I have done this many times…

A guaranteed way to induce TEGO is to forget the essential principle of good business communication. When communicating with a client or potential client it isn’t what you do that is important. It is what you can do for them that is important.

When we are looking to grow and develop our business we either want a solution to a problem or a way of creating new possibilities for our business. We want to get rid of pain or we want to create some pleasure.”

When meeting prospective clients (in the room, online or via your book) the most important message you have to share is the one your audience needs to hear—that their problem is understood, that there is an effective solution to their problem and they can access that solution easily through you.

Most people who induce TEGO talk constantly about themselves, about the features of their product or service, about their venture-capital-backed brilliance or the 150 years of their traditional family business. They do this thinking that their prospective client will easily sign up on the dotted line. How wrong they are.

The result of their monologue is TEGO – The Eyes Glaze Over…

So many business books end up making the same fundamental mistake.

The business author writes down everything they think they know, hoping to impress the reader by demonstrating their authority and expertise. This is not how to write a business book—they fail to remember one vital point…

How to avoid TEGO and write the right book

The book you think you have to write to show your authority is not the book that will truly touch, impress and inspire your readers.

Understanding how to write your entire book for the benefit of your reader rather than yourself is, paradoxically, the only way to ensure that your book really does benefit your business.

Don’t pretend to speak with them—really take time to understand them. Show your appreciation by detailing how you will love their problems. Demonstrate your reliability by freely sharing powerful information and strategies from the first word to the final full stop.

Then, and only then, can you be confident that TEGO will not strike.

Oh, yes – the first secret – It’s not all about you!

Keep your eyes peeled for the second secret, coming soon…

Acknowledgement: A big thank you to Michael Henesy, a truly wonderful communicator, for introducing me to the concept of TEGO.