Maximize your success by selling yourself

Did you know that you are involved in the oldest trade in the world? No, I don’t mean what you think I mean! Although in a way falls into the same category…

I’m talking about sales.

Now don’t try to imagine that you are not a seller.

Do you really think you don’t sell yourself with every step you take?

People make snap judgments about you in less than two seconds. That’s all it takes to make a first impression.

And no matter what industry you’re in, what your goals are for the day, the week, or the year, how you sell will affect your success.

You may be the most independent and self-directed person in the world, but you will still be affected in some way by other people’s perceptions of you.

So what image are you selling to the world? How would someone describe you if they just met you? What ‘lasting impression’ would you leave?

Maybe you don’t care. You don’t care about other people’s opinions of you. You are quite self-sufficient and extremely confident in your own abilities, thank you very much.

It’s a pretty liberating way to live your life, isn’t it? No respect for anyone except yourself. However, you could feel quite lonely after a while. Not to mention that it is almost impossible to follow. We all depend on other people in one way or another. Interdependent, at the very least.

Which means those people’s opinions, their perceptions of you, well, count.

It is not like this?

Think about it: how do you relate to potential clients, your colleagues, your boss, a new employer? To your family? To friends, both new and old, to a potential partner? To the man in the street?

Do you sell yourself as a happy, energetic, and positive-minded person? Someone that others would love to be around? Or do you let the world see that you carry their weight on your shoulders? Are you rude to strangers because you’re too important, or are you too busy to care?

Every time someone sees you in a certain light, they reflect it back to you. Which reinforces your own image of yourself, and then your future behavior. Can you see how this works? It is a vicious circle. Or a positive one.

So let’s consider this in more depth. How do you decide how to sell yourself?

I think it all comes down to how you define yourself. We have discussed that the way you perceive (or present) yourself is inevitably the way others will perceive you. Have you ever heard the phrase ‘you create your own reality’?

So if you think you’re not good at your job, that you’re just lying until someone finds out, then the truth is that no matter how hard you try to hide it, your actions will, somehow, kick in. to reflect their beliefs. Bottom line: The more you think you’re not good at your job, the greater the chance that others think so too.

What other thing? What about relationships? Do you think deep within yourself that no one would want to be with you? That everyone will notice the lanky, insecure child inside, no matter how well packaged the outside is? Could you be projecting these thoughts onto other people?

Everything you think, every expression or movement you make, is selling something about you. Sell ​​the concept of you. Even if others don’t see it, your subconscious will pick it up. And record it. File it in your name.

So let’s talk about how you want to present yourself to your prospects. At work and in life. Sounds a bit cold, doesn’t it? Maybe you think life shouldn’t be so calculated. But why not? If you project your fears and insecurities without realizing it, when in fact most of the time you are a confident, empowered and capable person, who could help others improve their lives, then you really are underestimating yourself. On top of that, others might miss out on your fabulous company, your knowledge, or who knows what else.

How would you like to be defined?

If you were a company, how would you brand yourself? A company without a mission statement, without a marketing package or presentation for potential clients, is one that will never get off the ground.

You are not so different.

Take a look at these two companies, both with excellent products. One company has carefully determined its brand and has been successful ever since, while the other is clearly continuing to follow an old pattern and is now slowly dying.

Visit Apple.com and Microsoft.com to see what I’m talking about.

Are you running programs that are years old and no longer apply? Do you still present yourself as you were 10 years ago? Worried that it would be bragging to sell the ‘new, improved’ you; Tell others of your skills and abilities? To promote yourself both in the workplace and outside?

Think about it.

And then do something about it. Plan your campaign. The great revelation of you. And then sell it like you mean it, or fake it until you make it, because nothing sells like passion, and you and your prospects deserve nothing less.