People come to me because, as they put it, they’re not good at selling themselves. I hear this from everyone: salespeople, marketers, actors, speech writers, strategic communication professionals, PR agents. For the majority of us – even those where selling is a central component of the work, selling becomes a challenge when the product is ourselves.
That’s because SELLING is the wrong mindset. We don’t want to be products and we don’t want to be our own salesperson.
So don’t be.
Instead of selling yourself, get excited about your story. This excitement is like a genie in a lamp: conjure it up and it will get you whatever you want. It will do the selling for you.
But your excitement must be genuine. Therein lies the rub (hee hee) – a blessing and a curse – you can’t fake your way in because no one will follow you.
When I’m doing interview coaching or asking a client about their work history to build their resume, I’m not just gathering content; I’m summoning the genie. I’m watching for a lift in their voice, for their pace to pick up, for a good ramble to pour out. That’s when I know I’m rubbing in the right place. It’s obvious. We can both feel it, the genie in the room.
There is an undeniable truth to excitement, an honesty that sells better than any prefabricated pitch. And, no matter how disillusioned you are with the places you’ve left, that excitement is always in there somewhere, curled up and waiting to be called upon.