How good a self-salesperson are you? How effective are you at attaching value to who you are and what you do?
Those are critical questions, considering the power of the personal sale. In today's competitive marketplace, you can't do the best job of selling your stuff until you do the best job of selling yourself.
Here's a checklist that will help you access your self-marketing skills, and determine how you rate as a personal salesperson.
True or false, you ...
- Started or contributed to a conversation related to your industry on LinkedIn, Facebook or some other social media platform this week.
- Posted a video in which you shared your professional expertise this month.
- Distributed a news release the last time you signed a major client, won an award, participated in an industry event or achieved some other professional milestone.
- Created or updated your professional bio, and included a link to that bio in your email signature in the last 90 days.
- Developed a professional database of at least 1,000 contacts with whom you communicate at last once every quarter.
- Continually build that database, by offering a special report or other freebie to those who provide you with their contact information.
- Spoke at three conferences in your industry the last year.
- Wrote three or more articles for industry print or online publications the last year.
- Write and distribute a blog post every week.
- Contacted reporters, producers, bloggers and others in the media in the last six months, and offered yourself as an information and interview resource
Your Promotion Profile
Add one point for each "true" answer, and take a look at how you grade:
- 9-10 Pro-moter
- 7-8 On-the-go-moter
- 5-6 So-so-moter
- 3-4 Low-moter
- 0-2 No-moter
If you rank closer to "no" than "pro," you should make an extra effort to polish your personal promotion skills.
The most financially successful business professionals are not necessarily the ones with the most experience, education or expertise in their industry. The most financially successful individuals are the best personal salesmen and saleswomen.
Maybe that's not right or fair, but it's fact.
You weren't born with self-promotion skills, and chances are you didn't learn them in school. But you can master those skills by adopting these self-promotion success principles:
- You're too good to be your own best secret.
- Sell yourself on the idea of selling yourself. Recognize the value of recognition.
- It's good to be good. It's better if others know about it.
- No one else has your ability, background or skills. You're one of a kind. Promote yourself accordingly.
- No one can promote you like you. Promote yourself by yourself.
- You are the marketing director of your own marketing department of your personal corporation.
- Accept credit where credit is due, and promote it once you get it.
- Create magic in your message by tuning into the radio station that all those you seek to influence listen to all the time: WMYD (What makes you different).
- How you promote yourself is less important than simply doing it differently. Your key to marketing success is to do what competitors don't.
- Good things come to those who "make it, break it, take it": make a plan, break the news of their accomplishments and take responsibility over promoting that news.
- Don't play the blame game or the same game of marketing. Rather, look in the mirror and say, "What is to be is up to me."
- Overcome self-doubt and accentuate your positives, and you'll become an inner winner — and a powerful self-promoter.
If you haven't marketed yourself in the past, now is the time to start. After all, if you don't blow your own horn, no one else will do it for you.
