SELLING YOURSELF

How much time do you spend selling yourself? No matter if you are looking for a new job, having a meeting with your boss, or networking, you may not be aware of it, but you are selling yourself. These interactions may lead to that new job or your boss giving you a promotion or meeting a new client.

You may not have majored in marketing; therefore, you never had to take a sales class. You don’t consider yourself a salesperson at all. You just don’t have “that personality.” But everyone needs to be a salesperson, because you are always selling yourself. There are several ways you can master selling yourself:

1. Always dress the part. There are days that you just don’t feel like going to work. Or days that you are so tired, you want to sleep an extra 15 minutes, so you won’t do your hair. You always want to look your best, because you don’t know what that day has in store for you. Maybe you are meeting an unscheduled client that will bring in business for the next three years. You want to look and be prepared.

2. Have the right attitude. When you are going to a networking event, don’t be a wallflower. You are there to meet people and introduce yourself. Don’t stand in the back alone and not talk to anyone. That defeats the whole purpose. Make yourself known. Have the courage and go up to strangers. They aren’t going to be rude or not talk to you. That’s how they become friends or possible future coworkers.

3. Be passionate. Love what you do and do what you love. If you aren’t then be passionate about what you are doing. Become interested. Research more, and maybe you will find an undiscovered treasure that you can apply to your job. When you have that next great idea at work, make sure you present it with enthusiasm and passion. You might be amazed at how far these can go in selling your idea and you.

4. Know what’s going on in the industry. If you know what is happening in your industry, with your competition, and with your own company, you will be able to talk with anyone. You can offer your suggestions or counter someone else with what your biggest competitor is doing and how you can do it better. You will look like you keep up with the trends and are interested in helping your company achieve better success.

5. Join social networking sites. If you are not on Linkedin, Facebook or Twitter, join them. Some companies look at your Linkedin profile when hiring. You may not have time to be on different social media sites, but really how much time does it take? Two minutes? Three minutes? Everyone can find two to three minutes in his/her day for social media. Companies know that social media is not the future, it’s the now. And you should too.

If you ever think, it’s not about selling yourself, think again. Even in your personal life, it’s about selling you. If you are at a store wanting to find an item, the clerk will likely help more efficiently when you are nicer to him. You may get a five minute longer massage, because you asked the masseur about her personal life. The agent may give you a better deal or find a coupon, because you treated him like he was a real person and not someone there to “serve” you.

You are constantly selling yourself. Put some thought and effort into this job. Once you excel at it, you can surpass other interviewers for a new job, meet with your boss without reservations, and network with the best of them. So make sure you have the necessarily skills to make the best impression you can, because you never know what the unknown reward might be and how you can benefit from it.