The Secret Sauce to Self-Promotion

Hi Guys!

When recently chatting with some other business owners, I notice that just the mention of the subject “self-promotion” brought about responses of either a frown, deep sigh, or expressions of dread.

These types of reactions are more than expected when speaking with newbie entrepreneurs; however these were experienced (7+ yrs exp.) business owners.

I admit I was a bit intrigued, so I thought I dig a bit deeper.

Self-Promotion Defined

Let’s start out with the definition of self-promotion.

Self promotion can described to as the act of attempting to present oneself to others as an accomplished, capable, smart and skilled person.

Dictionary .com provides the following definition:

self-pro·mo·tion: the action of promoting or publicizing oneself or one's activities, especially in a forceful way.

From what I’ve witnessed, self-promotion is somewhat acceptable in situations when you’re expected to put your best foot forward (ex. job interviews, networking). Our society, however, does appear to have an overall, somewhat negative viewpoint self- promotion.

Labeled!

People who self-promote have been unfairly assigned labels such as “obnoxious” “boastful” or a “bragger”. Further, business owners have to deal with the underlying fear of losing social likability.

It does appear to be socially acceptable for business owners do a level of self-promotion for the business (you know—say “we” instead of “I”)……..but what do you do when the business is you?

The 4 Tips

We can start by changing our mind and shining the light on how we really see ourselves. Ready for the secret sauce? I’ve outlined 4 tips to help you get over the uneasiness of self-promotion:

• Believe: Somewhere deep down inside the “inner chatter” tries to tell us we’re not worthy, or that no one wants to hear us. I say you have to have the STRONGEST belief in yourself as well as the product/services you provide. If you can’t get excited about YOU, then why should clients get excited or purchase your products?

• Change & Embrace: Change your mind about you, and Embrace the fact that you have obtained a certain level of success because you are good at what you do. This not only allows, but it qualifies you to self-promote!

• Add Variety: As business owners, much of our self-promotion is done through our daily conversations, social media interactions, or even when speaking publicly.

• Mix it up a little; mannerisms, posture, speech and style of dress are all ways we can positively self-promotion.

• Remember Your “Why”: There was a reason why you went into business all those years ago, and it’s still relevant today. List your accomplishments and remind both yourself and your audience exactly “why” you deserve their attention, and their business

Some business owners consider self-promotion to be one of the most difficult things they’ve ever had to do; I personally believe self promotion is one of the most critical thing every entrepreneur has to do. In this 21 century, (complete with a very noisy and saturated market) every entrepreneur must OWN their experience, OWN their skills, OWN their talent and simply—Just Do It!

aj