Text Me! Book Review

I enjoyed “Text Me!” very much. I’m in a good position to judge the content, because Kevin Kruse is doing the exact thing I’m doing. Only he is doing it much better.
I’m a practitioner of what is taught in “Text Me!,” but I still managed to find numerous value bombs inside.

It is a very rare case when I simply cannot criticize a single thing about the book. Everything is perfect.
The book is short, but it does it good. Kevin didn’t have to fill paper with string of words because his publisher wanted a thick book. He said what he had to say in a concise format, but he covered the topic fully and in some depth.

First, the author preach the value of personal attention, Intimate Attention–as he called it–in a modern world of shallow or fake connections. For me, he preached to the converted, but if you really think that more followers and bigger email list are better (than a small and engaged list), you NEED to read this book.

I liked how Kevin mentioned many times the best practices of people we consider ‘too big to bother’ with personal connections with their followers. Multimillionaires, billionaires, rock stars, and other high profile folks are crushing it, one person at a time and story after story from the rich arsenal of stories confirmed that.

I found very useful the part about how big is each social media and for which particular demographics they work best. Kevin also very aptly described the current trends (“most Tweets [my own included] are automated click bait”).

Intimate Attention

I loved the glimpses into Kevin’s personal way of dealing with the Intimate Attention system in his own business. This is what I love the most about independent authors—they share their experience, not write textbooks. This is so important. A coaching platform with millions users mined their data and found that people who “have been there and done that” have FOUR times better chances to teach you a new skill, habit, or knowledge than ‘certified’ or ‘qualified’ coaches.

Kevin Kruse walks his talk and he is only a few steps ahead of me—an ideal role model.
And his lessons on how he deals with trolls, beggars, or complainers were enlightening.

The Value of Consistency

The real key isn’t volume, but rather consistency.

Kevin is absolutely right. I do in my business exactly the way he does. I reply to each email and message on social media.

But by no means, do I do it in the systematic way he does. I have no fixed schedule nor appropriate processes. And it shows.

I have 350 followers on Medium, 1900 on Quora, 650 on Twitter, and my email list consists of 1,300 names. His numbers are about 10 times better, because his consistency is 10 times better.

Pointing the Finger

I absolutely loved the honest way Kevin pointed out businesses and individuals who don’t walk their talk. Kevin paid thousands of dollars for product and services, but it meant close to nothing to providers. When he asked for contribution to his book, he got canned refusals.

I remember writing an article for Firepole Marketing in the same spirit three years ago. I pointed out businesses that assured on their websites that they reply to all messages and inquires. Some of them replied only to those that involved money. In most cases, their declarations were empty and I heard nothing back.

Firepole Marketing rejected my article, because “it reads too much like a rant—particularly in the mention of other bloggers and what they do.”

Well—unlike Firepole Marketing—Kevin wasn’t afraid to call the king naked.

Right Role Models

I also loved the part of the book with highly successful people’s mini-interviews. It provided more insight and perspectives about how Intimate Attention can be cultivated on different platforms.

I also noticed that every single one of those successful people said it was good for their business. Your Intimate Attention translates into money.

The Style

I’m a reader. I have read thousands of books in my life including about 1,000 non-fiction books. And I can tell you—Kevin Kruse is a great author. He knows how to write good books.

The content is actually useful and functional. Kevin illustrated practically every point in “Text Me!” with a story and this is the most effective method to leave a mark in readers’ memory.

When he jokes, he is really witty. I laughed out loud when he explained why giving his book the title “Intimate Attention” wasn’t the best idea.

When he demonstrated vulnerability sharing one of the stories of interaction with his reader, I cried with him.

Conclusion

After reading “Text Me!,” I’m seriously considering to dedicate an hour a day to connect with my audience.

True—I’m not in Kevin’s position yet; I don’t work full time in my own business. But if I truly want to grow it beyond the point where it will become my main source of income, I’d better pay more attention to the way I give my attention to my readers and clients.
There is verily no other way than connecting—one person at a time.