Authentically Promote Your Work Without Feeling Like A Jerk Part 2
In last week’s blog post we looked at some of the mindsets that hinder us from “selling” our work and what to do about them. This week, we will look at three ways to more effectively position ourselves as a person who adds value or solves critical problems. This positioning can dramatically up level our influencing capabilities.
(Download this free ebook 10 Confidence Building Habits To Implement Now if you want to build your confidence so that this fear of being disliked in NO LONGER a hindrance for you).
1 Recognize that you if you bring a needed solution, you are not “bothering” stakeholders, and they have the power of choice
Many of us may not proactively have the conversations needed to build awareness about the impact of our work because we are overly concerned with bothering people or taking up too much of their time. Based on my years of coaching various personality types, chances are, if you are concerned about being a “bother,” you probably have nothing to worry about since you are more inclined to be careful and respectful of the schedule of others. People who are apt to consuming too much of other people’s time, typically lack the self-awareness to even think about this type of question. Focus on what the solution is that you are proposing or what the intended outcome is for the discussion and ensure that you lead with those intentions. Additionally, remember your responsibility is to make the offer, the person you are meeting with has the power to choose, if therefore, the time you have scheduled doesn’t work for the individual, they have the ability to decline or re-schedule for a time that works for them. Do your part, make the offer and allow them to exercise their power to choose, they are after all capable adults.
2 It’s not about you: Focus on bringing great value consistently and then talk about it!
Some of the hesitation that comes from selling one’s work has to do with a disbelief in the value that one is bringing. If you focus on bringing value and making the lives of others better through efficiency for example or even providing a much needed solution to their challenges, then you have no real reason to be afraid of wasting their time because you know that every second that you spend educating someone about the work you have done will reap rewards that will make their lives better. With this in mind, make the focus of your discussion not about how amazing you are (I am quite sure this is your main hesitation anyway with traditional selling) and ensure that the discussion is focused on the exciting success story of what outcome your efforts produced. It could be the story of reducing cycle time by days or weeks or saving thousands of dollars weekly in operating costs. The outcome is what the listeners care about, so focus on that and you won’t have to worry about getting caught up in speaking about yourself.
3 You don’t have to wait until your outcome is huge, little things make a big impact too
Another reason people hesitate in communicating the impact of their work is because they believe that they have to wait until they have some novel idea or grand solution and end up underestimating the impact of seemingly small changes. Sometimes it is the little shifts that make the biggest impact, so don’t think you have to wait for the next big breakout idea. Depending on your relationship with the stakeholder, their level, and their openness – you can frame the interaction as brainstorming all the options on the table, where you come in with a few ideas of your own to contribute to the discussion. This can be a great way to motivate yourself to have those interim conversations that can lead to bigger outcomes. This can also give the other person good insight into your reasoning skills and thought processes, which can build their trust in your capability and competence.
According to author Daniel Pink in his book “Selling is Human”, employees spend approximately 40% of their time selling something including those of us not in traditional marketing or sales roles. We may use selling to motivate others to take action. We are not merely selling objects, but are selling ideas, solutions and techniques. Most of all we are selling the value that we are adding to an organization. It takes political savvy to know how to promote the impact of our work in an effective way and if we don’t master this skill our glass ceiling will be set drastically lower than it should be. So, if we are spending so much of our time trying to influence by selling , and the stakes are potentially so high as it relates to the impact on our professional mobility then the sooner we reframe the idea into something that will inspire and motivate us rather than repel us, the better it will be for our careers.
Happy selling, ladies!
Coaching question:
What action can you take from the last two blog posts that will help you reframe the concept of selling your work?
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Ok, that's all for this week my dear treasured friends, don't forget that you are a light, so shine!
