Confessions of a Self Promoter The truth of the matter is, like it or not, we're all in sales. Even those people who are in marketing are in sales. We sell concepts, we sell products, we sell services, we sell advertising, we sell ourselves. That last one is the most important, for if you don't have buy-in on yourself, you won't sell much of anything else thereafter. Of course, selling yourself is the hardest thing to sell because you're so close to the product, namely yourself. So hereunder, I share some angles on selling yourself to others. The first one you have to sell yourself to is you. That's right. You've got to passionately believe your own spiel before anyone else does. More often than not I see people speaking about themselves without believing what they're saying. They hesitate, they ramble, and they use hedge words like like, maybe, sort of, I think, possibly, and sometimes. Here are some helpful pointers to buff up your personal presentation. Top Ten Tips for Shameless Self Promotion 1. Practice your elevator speech. Keep it short -- say, 30 seconds or so. You should be able to recite this in your sleep, but be genuine. Don't make it sound like it's a burned-in script. 2. Start your own email newsletter. I don't care if you only have six people on it at first. It's a good "talk-point" and gives your website an agenda if it doesn't have one already. It's a way for you to stay on people's radar screens after you've first met them. Keep it simple. Keep it short. Don't go on and on, like I do. :) 3. At networking events, the microphone is often passed around to audience members. You MUST seize this opportunity and make a relevant statement, whilst also announcing who you are and what you do. I've gotten speaking and consulting gigs this way, not to mention advertisers for this publication. Be pointed with your comments. Be timely. Be short. No rambling in this venue. 4. Develop personal trademarks. In techie crowds I sometimes wear my father's slide ruler tie bar. I bring an antique pen and ink set to all book signings. I speak in historical metaphors. I use historical documents in my speeches, such as a letter from Thomas Edison to my great grandfather: (http://larrychase.com/speakergraphics.html) and a stock certificate of my grandfathers's from the Boyse Air Ship Company: (http://larrychase.com/speakergraphics4.html). This allows people to gather consistent impressions of you, and allows for many discussions that wouldn't happen otherwise. 5. Don't be shy about your agenda. People are generally more comfortable when you're clear about why you are before them at a given point in time. They're impressed with people who understand and are obviously on their mission. On the other hand, don't forget to hear what others are saying. Ever meet someone who was all about his or her own agenda? I call these people "Huma-bots." They're a turn-off. 6. Listen! Most folks are dying to be heard. They think a great deal of someone who is obviously listening to them and responding with accurate observations, especially the kind they couldn't make without listening intensely. Sometimes, in meetings, I notice that the quieter one is, the more he or she is paid attention to when he or she finally does say something. 7. "Saw this, thought of you" emails: This is a great way to stay on people's radar screens, especially journalists who are mostly bothered with people asking for something from them. Try giving them something for a change. 8. Send out an informational press release. Most people think only large firms do this. Wrong. Anyone can and does. Just make sure it has solid information in it and doesn't come across like an ad in a PR format. More on this in the PR section of my book "Essential Business Tactics for the Net" (http://larrychase.com :) 9. Use both sides of your business card and put graphics on them. It's cheap (mine are done at Kinko's) and it gets noticed. Europeans do this as a matter of course. Americans don't. 10. Turn yourself into a niche celebrity: Don't try to become well-known to everybody. You don't have that kind of budget. It's better to laser-target a narrowly defined audience and concentrate your power on getting known in that end of the universe only. Once you're a household word in that niche, you can branch out. Now, some friends, on occasion, will say I'm over-the-top with my self-promotion. But I always notice they're saying it with a smile on their face. This has become a running joke with them. Some of my friends, upon meeting other friends or colleagues for the first time, often gravitate to this subject and instantly bond by mocking my tactics. They share stories and have great fun at the expense of your humble publisher (that's me:). That's ok, so long as they're talking about me and they spell my name right. |
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