MARKETING YOURSELF
Volume #36 - November 2003
Earlier this month I presented at Linkage's Women in Leadership Summit in Boston with two of my clients from Texas Instruments. This afforded me the opportunity not only to share my knowledge but to attend other workshops as well. One of the sessions that drew a large audience dealt with women's need to learn how to brag and toot their own horns. The presenter was funny and had people doing outrageous exercises and everyone was laughing hilariously as they tried to stretch outside of their comfort zones.
I think, however, that a vital point was missed - rather than trying to imitate men or adopt behaviors that seem unnatural, women can succeed better at marketing themselves by playing to their own strengths. I have male clients who also face the dilemma of how to let others know about their accomplishments without sounding as though they're bragging. So here are five steps that I advocate for both women and men:
Shift your mindset. Marketing is not about bragging. Marketing incorporates an element of psychology. It's about understanding yourself and others. It's discovering what others need and value, and letting people know what you can do for them, how you can help them, and how you add value. In the course of your work, you need to know about the skills of others so that you can utilize and leverage their skills. In turn, you need to let people know about your skills so they can leverage and utilize yours. You benefit the organization by calling attention to the way you provide value. So rather than thinking that you need to brag, think about what other people need to know about you so that you can help them be more effective. Create a mental shift by asking yourself: What do people need to know about me? By reaching out to meet the needs of others you will find it easier to put words around your accomplishments and frame up your description of yourself in a way that benefit both you and your organization.
Package yourself. Pay attention to how you present yourself. What image do you project? What kind of presence do you have? Over three-quarters of the messages we send are communicated via body language - by what we do physically with our bodies. How we look and how we speak create impressions. Marketing has to do with creating images and impressions. So knowing how to hold yourself and how to communicate can be more important than what you say.
I'm still amazed at how many women give limp handshakes. In the US, a weak handshake sends a message of insecurity and hesitancy. So make sure your grip is firm, yet engaging. Let your nurturing side come out - focus on the other person. Make eye contact and be warm and welcoming.
Pay attention to the clothes you wear. Many people today work in dress-down cultures, but if you are trying to develop presence and are trying to market your worth, you need to dress up, not down. That doesn't mean you should be in a suit while others are wearing chinos and jeans but you should be dressed enough to distinguish yourself as being a woman or man who is easily recognized as knowing how to take charge.
Another aspect of packaging is the way in which you share information with people. What do your e-mails look like? Do you give an impression of being articulate and intelligent or lazy and careless? What does the other written information that you create look like? Does it reflect a thoughtful, cogent person who knows how to make succinct points with clear rationales? Is it formatted in ways that match the needs, communication styles and attention span of your audiences? Again, pay attention to the needs of others and you'll find yourself developing a package that works.
Operate with confident, conscious intent. Marketing is about sending a message that your product is good. You are the product. Therefore, you need to have an internal belief that you are good. Know your strengths and skills not only so you can talk about what you have to offer but also so that you can exude an air of confidence. Have a well rehearsed, extremely brief, elevator speech (the one you can make quickly between floors on an elevator that says who you are, what you're good at, and what you want) that easily rolls off your tongue.
Make sure that every time you go to a meeting or attend a conference, trade show or networking event, you consciously think about the impact that you want to have and the image you want to leave. Know what you want from any given interaction and exude confidence. Confidence is built through a positive spiral of step-by-step successes. So take a small wins approach. Set and achieve small goals. Then congratulate yourself and internalize your achievement by sharing your success with someone else. Telling someone about your success helps to make it more real. The more real it becomes and the more you can internalize and believe it, the easier it will be to talk about.
And for heavens sake, don't talk about your failures. Be careful of your need to confess all your sins. Honesty is a value we should live and work by and we should admit our mistakes, but we don't need to tell everyone everything. One of my clients successfully finished an extremely complex and difficult project. She'd encountered some bumps along the way and made some mistakes, but she succeeded. Yet when one of the senior managers asked her about the outcome instead of staying focused on what had gone well and what she had accomplished, she repeatedly added how hard the project had been. Rather than hearing that she had completed a difficult, challenging project, he took away the message that it was too hard for her and asked if she wanted to have her roles and responsibilities changed. Be aware of gender differences in communication. Men and women listen differently. So remember that marketing is knowing your audience and focusing on the positive. It's about projecting confidence in your product - you. In order to project confidence remind yourself of all the things you have accomplished and all the things you know.
Position yourself . Marketing is about positioning a product in the marketplace. You are the product and the marketplace is your organization. Positioning yourself means making yourself visible to the people. Know your culture. What positions have the most power? What roles and responsibilities should you take on? Whom should you be aligned with or in relationship with? What task forces, committees and projects will provide you with the opportunity to visibly demonstrate your skills?
Another way to gain visibility is to conduct informational interviews. Get on the calendars of people who have power or clout. Informational interviews enable you to learn what's going on in other parts of the organization, what opportunities might exist, and what skills people are looking for. They also offer you the chance to meet people and talk about yourself without having to feel like you're selling yourself.
Some women tend to think negatively about these kinds of political activities and shy away from the concept of networking and navigating the politics of the culture. Learning how to align and position yourself is critical to success. Unfortunately, your work doesn't speak for itself. You must promote your performance and position yourself so that others can see how well you perform. How can you position yourself to benefit the organization? Remember if you are visible and the people recognize your talents you will be better utilized. Therefore, when thinking about positioning yourself, ask: Who needs to know about my performance? If you are better utilized, both you and the organization win.
Use your voice. Marketing is not only about being seen; it's about being heard. Marketing is about communicating. It's about creating influencing messages. How can you get your voice heard? When your voice isn't heard you transmit a message of weakness. You can even become invisible. Know what the organization is listening for. What does it value? What's the message for you to communicate?
As a general rule for having your voice heard, I think it's a good idea to make at least one cogent, relevant comment at meetings. However, it's also important to know your culture and not open you mouth when you don't know what you're talking about or when the timing is not . If you don't feel like you have a brilliant idea to contribute, you can still agree out loud with someone: "Joe, that's a great idea because..." Or support someone in a controversy: "I agree with Martha. What she's saying makes a lot of sense..." Or add to someone else's comments: "Yes, Harry, that's and we could also doŠ" Or make suggestions: "Here's an idea I'd like to put on the table Š" Or provide insight: "I beginning to sense that there's some underlying tension about the issue. It might help if we explored it more." Generally speaking, women have larger emotional antennae than men do and can pick up on some of the emotional undercurrents that men miss. I've had men tell me that they check in with key women after meetings to get their readings, so if you pick up on something, share it with the group. Or ask a question that needs to be asked: "We really haven't clarified our next steps. What do we need to do first?" Or disagree with respect: "I appreciate what your viewpoint, but I think it's better if we do Š" As people hear you express your views they come to know you. Your confidence will impress them and form positive images. The more they know about you, the more helpful they can be to you.
In addition, you should be asking to get your needs met. You can't rely on others to market you. Your boss can't help market you if she doesn't know what you want, and while it's her responsibility to help you develop, it's your responsibility to communicate your goals and desires. Marketing is shaping and communicating messages to influence people; so, you need to shape and communicate your message to influence people to support you. Remember, in that process, both you and the organization benefit.
COACHING QUESTIONS
- How well do you market yourself?
- How effective is your elevator speech?
- What kind of image do you project?
- What value do you provide to your organization?
- Who knows about your work?
- How visible are you?
- What do you need to do to be more effective at marketing yourself?
Copy © 2003 Virginia O'Brien All s Reserved
