The Working World

Sell Yourself Without Feeling Like a Jerk

The term “self promotion” often carries a negative connotation—and with good reason. No one enjoys dealing with someone whose solution to every problem starts—and ends—with “I.”

But in tough economic times, it’s more important than ever to make yourself memorable to employers, potential employers, clients, and business and networking associates. You might know what you do—and what you can do. That’s not the same as making sure other people know it.

So how do you advertise “you” to the world without earning Sir Lancelot’s “C’est moi” reputation? By communicating a value package of which you are one component—a fundamental one. Here are the three essentials:

1. Talk about the team

Conveying your abilities is more than providing a laundry list of education, skills training, and professional experience; you need to talk in terms of achievements and accomplishments. To do it without feeling like a braggart, remember that facts melded with humility are a powerful combination.

For example, if you’re in IT sales and you closed a multi-million dollar deal with a major corporation, you might say you had the opportunity to work with a leading corporation to provide needed IT capabilities, while helping set a new sales record (assuming that was the case). “I had the honor to work with a highly talented sales team to seal the biggest sales agreement in company history,” sounds better than “I closed this great deal and set a new sales record.”

2. Focus your goals on what you can give

Let’s you’re aiming to be the top-producing IT sales rep in the region. While saying that much might impress some people, it probably won’t separate you from the hundreds of other ambitious sales reps with the same goal—and who, incidentally, may be in direct competition with you.

So talk in terms of others. If you know the way to achieve your goal is to sign on a certain number of major companies as new clients, you might say your vision is to help 20 leading corporations maximize their IT capabilities by implementing the systems, software, and equipment that you can offer. You’ve shifted the direct focus away from you while still maintaining your role—your value—in producing the desired results.

3. Explain your value to your audience

It’s been said the key to success is finding a need and filling it. In the same way, the key to communicating your value to others is identifying their goals and demonstrating how you can help them achieve them.

Pretend you are interviewing directly with the hiring manager of an IT sales corporation, or lunching with that prospective client whose business would skyrocket your sales figures. You could tell the prospective employer you’ve sold millions of dollars in IT services and can do it again, and you could tell the client you’ve installed and configured IT networks for companies far more complex than his (not recommended). But the real question the person sitting across from you is asking isn’t “What can you do?” It’s “What can you do for me?”

Find out what your audience’s goal is and then share how you can help him or her reach that goal. With the IT company head, use your past success to explain how you can help him or her grow the company’s market share. With the potential client, illustrate how you can help increase the company’s productivity and profitability.

Self-promotion doesn’t have to be about self-aggrandizement. But people do want to associate with individuals who are confident, who want to help others achieve their goals, and who have the skills and qualifications to do so. Transforming self-promotion into value communication helps them see that’s who you are.

Richard Zeoli, author of the 7 Principles of Public Speaking, is the founder and president of RZC Impact, a communications firm specializing in executive-level communication coaching and strategic messaging. A frequent guest on national television and radio, Zeoli is also a Visiting Associate at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Additional information can be found at www.rzcimpact.com.

Tags: expert advice, job-hunting, The Working World