7 Ways to Promote Yourself Without Bragging:
To Attract Attention, You have to Show Off
by C.J. Hayden, MCC
Recently, a client of mine complained, "I'm really good at what I do.
I shouldn't have to market myself." In fact, he is quite good at his
profession, but the problem is that not enough prospective clients know
about him. Like many professionals, he is reluctant to talk about his
accomplishments. "It feels like bragging," he says. "Doesn't it make me
seem unprofessional?"
If thoughts like these often cross your mind, ask yourself this -- who
are the biggest names in your profession? In your line of work, who
might be considered unquestioned experts, those with maximum
credibility? Now, how did you get to know about those people's work? Did
you read an article or book they had written, hear them interviewed,
learn about them on the web? Or perhaps you were told about them by
others who had heard them speak or read their words.
The point is that these well-known people became well-known because
they showcased themselves, usually in multiple ways. They shared
stories, examples, and ideas about the work they had been doing with a
wider audience than just their friends and family. You know about their
work because they showed it off. And I'll bet it never occurred to you
to call them unprofessional for doing it.
Showing off your work doesn't have to sound like, "Ta da! Aren't I
great?" It doesn't have to contain even a hint of bragging. There are a
host of very dignified and appropriate ways to let a wider audience know
how good you are without ever saying so. Here are a few you might try.
1. Writing articles - Putting your expertise in writing and
sharing it with publications your target audience reads is a powerful --
and very professional -- way to let more people know about your unique
talents. Submit your articles to both print publications and web sites
that serve your niche and watch your visibility grow.
2. Public speaking - Appearing as a speaker allows you to
broadcast your expertise with three different audiences -- the people
who attend your talk, the people who are invited by the sponsoring
organization but can't attend, and the people you tell about it before
and after. If standing in front of a room makes you too nervous, serve
on a panel of experts instead. You'll get to sit behind a table and
speak from notes.
3. Media interviews - Being interviewed by magazines,
newspapers, or on radio and television can spread the word quickly about
your capabilities. Landing interviews is not that hard to do if you
remember to start small. Begin by approaching easy targets like
association newsletters, neighborhood newspapers, and local cable
programs or talk radio.
4. Telling stories - One of the secrets to effective articles,
talks, and interviews is to tell stories about your clients. When you
describe their challenges and accomplishments, you reveal the value of
your role in helping them without having to boast about it. You can use
the same technique in a client presentation to boost your credibility
without being arrogant.
5. Testimonials - Whenever you do a good job for a client, ask
them to write you a simple thank you note describing what you did to
make them happy. Then make their words available on your web site,
brochure, or other marketing materials. Let them tell others about your
value, and you won't have to say it yourself.
6. Building a portfolio - It's not just artists that should
capture their best work to show off in a portfolio. You can collect
photos, examples, and other evidence of your accomplishments and display
them on your web site, in a marketing kit, or with a PowerPoint
presentation. You don't have to sell people on your abilities when they
are seeing for themselves what you can do.
7. Creating products - Packaging your work into merchandise
that prospective clients can take home and sample gives them a
compelling way to discover your real value. Products like ebooks, white
papers, and audio recordings allow you to showcase your expertise and
increase your credibility. They can often be advertised more widely than
your services can, giving you another avenue for getting your name
known.
Pick just one of these ideas to pursue and make a plan to showcase
what you can do for a wider audience. If you truly want to spend less
effort on marketing yourself, start letting your prospective clients
know how good you really are.
 C.J. Hayden is the author of
Get Clients NOW!
Thousands of business owners and salespeople have
used her simple sales and marketing system to double or triple their
income. Visit her web site at
http://www.getclientsnow.com.
|
