Ayo Arowolo: How to get the best from every book you read (2)

This is the third and last in my series on how to profit from every book you read

There is an important lesson I want you to take away from this series and here is it. Whatever problem -financial, spiritual, emotional- you would ever encounter in life, the solution is located somewhere in one book or the other. All you need to do is to locate that book and go for the solution.

 How I Put This to Work

In the past I noticed that anytime I started a project and I ran into some difficulties, I would always abandon the project and look for something new to start. I knew that was a challenge but I did not know how to get around it. But something happened. One of my coaches, Dr. Sunny Obazu-Ojeagbase, whom I hold in high esteem, published a book (Learn it! Do it! Sell it!) and asked that I review it to mark his 60th birthday. While I was making my notes for the review, I stumbled on an idea in the book that appeared fascinating to me because it addressed that particular problem of starting and not finishing a project before looking for another opportunity.

The nugget is in section 3 of the book which contains four chapters and it can be called the icing on the cake for the book. It dwells extensively on how to sell whatever knowledge you have acquired for profit. Obviously, without learning how to sell, there is no way the invisible pay master would allow the cash to flow in your direction. In four hot chapters: Selling for profit; Why do people buy?; The rich world of master marketers; and The ultimate wealth creation secret, the author gives practical and easily applicable (not theoretical) marketing tips for turning your knowledge into instant cash. In an unusual display of openness, the author also reveals the list of the key marketing resources he has used over time to generate a continuous flow of cash.  The information and tips espoused here would actually determine if the wealth creation venture would fail or not. In this section, the author explains the process of information product creation which simply shows you how to generate raw cash by finding out what people want, how much they are willing to pay for the service and going out to put the product together either by yourself or by hiring other experts to make it happen for you.

And the ultimate formula for converting your knowledge into cash ( it is just a tiny portion of the book!): Once you are able to generate the first sale from an income process, you have got into a wealth zone where all you need to launch your endless cash machine is to apply what he called the ultimate wealth plan –RRSID. Once the first income is generated, you can turn it into a permanent income stream by doing the following: Checking the process to see what can be improved (RINSE); Going ahead to offer the service again (REPEAT); extending the service to another person (SCALE UP); creating new ideas of how to sell the same service (INNOVATE) and using money generated from the process to set up another income stream process (DIVERSIFY). The author beautifully explains how to apply the RRSID formula in practical terms.

That was the magic I needed. At that time, I had almost abandoned the coaching programme I was running before I came across that formula. I immediately got to work and applied every aspect of that formula. The result is that that coaching concept ( which by the way also was a product of a seminar organised by Dr. Obazu-Ojeagbase) has not only been sustained, but it has become a multi million naira transformational training programme changing the lives of many people.

Here is another profitable nugget I picked from the book. The author shared in a fascinating way how to convert your problems or those of other people into cash. Fortunately enough, I was also in a class facilitated by the author where he explained in details how to apply the principles espoused in the book. The principles explained in the book were taught in a classroom setting. I paid just N10, 000 to attend the course. I took copious notes in the class as I was determined to put the principles into practice. After collating the tips, I created an income strategy based on those principles a month after the lecture. In one weekend of that year, I executed the strategy and it fetched me a handsome cash of N2.07m! The author was there to witness it.

Again after that , the author also advised that I attend another course and what attracted me was the bold promise made by the author that any participant who was diligent  enough to  apply the principles taught during the lessons,   would make the tuition (N67,000) back while the class was still on. I put it to test, registered for the programme which lasted for 12 weekends. Before the graduation, I had created another income strategy that generated N637,000 and which has been turned into a permanent business.

Get The Message

Here is the message I am trying to put across. You can profit from every book you read if you know how to mine the gold inside it. Think about it! I bought the book for just N1,500   but I was able to extract millions of naira from it as my return on the book! You can do the same.

Here are two more tips you can apply to make the best of every single book you read. It does not have to be money alone. You can save your marriage and your business from trouble if you have access to good books.

 Tip #5: It is advisable to get an electronic version of the same book.

Once this is done, you can convert it into different formats -you can put it into MP3 and load it into your iPod, your computer and you can also play it in your car CD player.

These days I encounter a lot of people who plug their iPod earphones into their ears and listen to one message or the other while exercising. I understand that we absorb more when we listen, but it is better to combine the two.

You can listen to a book while you are in the toilet. Indeed, a few of my friends confess to me that the best place they get inspiration is in the toilet. This makes them to go out of their way to make their toilets conducive to such indulgence. I have a friend who has a loud speaker in every point in his house to enable him to listen to good messages anywhere in the house including the compound.

 Tip # 6: Read the book through once just to get a sense of the whole message.

At this point you may not be particular about taking notes. It may just be okay, noting any point that attracts your attention. You should, however, treat the second reading as a serious business. You should read slowly and get your pen handy to note key ideas from the book.

Most people (including me), however, prefer to make whatever observations they have on the pages of the book as they read along. Some use different colours of markers to shade different areas that appeal to them. Whichever method you adopt, it is advisable to approach the second reading as if you are searching for a solution to a problem.

 Tip #7: Read the book with the aim of both practising what you are reading and sharing with other people.

These two can make a lot of difference to what you get in the book. Sometimes when people call me to say that they finished my book in less than three hours, I know they have not started. A single book can take you a month to complete if you adopt the method I have suggested above.

Depending on whether the ideas shared in the book are sequential or arranged to be independent, you should not move to the next chapter until you have something you can implement or teach. It is better to read one book in one month (or even three months) that makes a great impact than reading 10 that have no proofs in your life. Since I got that formula, I have never read a book without extracting a valuable solution from it. You should also be a solution focused reader.

Best things Always!

Takeaways

There are treasures in every book, mine them

Don’t read books for fun, read for implementation

Don’t drop a book until you have profited from it

If you can, get access to the author of the book you are reading. It makes all the difference.