The Immutable Laws of Successful Self Promotion
By: Peter Prestipino
The Immutable Laws of Successful Self Promotion discussed several principles and views on how to become successful using specific tactics. 1. The I am so busy! Principle When I was 19, I bought a
The Immutable Laws of Successful Self Promotion discussed several principles and views on how to become successful using specific tactics.
1. The “I am so busy!” Principle When I was 19, I bought a 1979 Fire Engine Red MG with serious rust problems. In an effort to make that car safe to drive it needed to be fixed, so I set out to find a good “body” man. The first man I called, we’ll call him Ed, took five minutes to get to the phone, hmmmed and hawed for another five, and then said (and listen to this) he would not be interested in taking on a project like that at this time. I was absolutely stunned. I called five other body shops and they all basically begged me to bring the car in. After reviewing a few of the estimates from those less experienced shops, I ran back and begged Ed to consider my MG again and that I would work on his schedule. He hmmed and hawed a little while longer but he took the job after five minutes.
THE PRINCIPLE: Tell everyone that you meet that you have never been so busy and that you are only looking for work that presents challenges or is unique in some way. (Clients want to hire those who are successful, not those who are hungry.)
2. The Don’t be Shy or Modest Principle a.k.a The Mark Twain Theory Mark Twain once said, “Don’t be so modest, you’re not that great.” I completely stopped being modest or shy once I heard that saying. What does it mean? Most of us will never be Bill Gates, Lee Iacocca or Alan Greenspan but it should not stop us from trying to sell our products or ourselves! Always put your name, address, and phone number on every piece of promotion you produce. Wear your picture on your t-shirt, get bumper stickers for your friends cars promoting yourself or your company, place your business card in relevant books at the Barnes and Noble (they don’t approve of this by the way). On top of that, make sure that you SELL yourself. What are your good points? How do you differ from the rest? Why should someone hire you? This makes it easy for potential new business to know you, reach you and hire you. So always have the elevator pitch ready!
PLUS -- Create a package of literature describing your services, back- ground, fees, methods, clients and so forth. Mail the package to people who request more information in response to your ads and mailings (or leave it at convenient locations!).
PLUS, PLUS -- Network. Don't be a recluse--be social. Attend meetings, seminars, and luncheons. Volunteer to work on a committee. Become visible in the community. Offer to speak and give seminars before trade associations and professional groups. Make sure potential clients will be among those in attendance.
PLUS, PLUS, PLUS – You can also let people know about your recent successes. If your job was a rousing success, send a notice to prospects and clients in similar fields. Include a cover note that says, "Here's what I've done recently--let me do the same for YOU!" If you have a website, you might want to consider saving any letters of praise you receive from clients and build a "kudos" file. Selected quotations from these letters--or even reprints of the letters themselves--can dramatically add to the selling power of your next ad or mailing. (Be sure to get per- mission first before you quote someone in print!)
THE PRINCIPLE: If you don’t sell yourself, someone else will sell himself or herself. The only way to succeed is to not be afraid, leave that shyness and modest demeanor at the door and exercise that ego!
3. The Expert Principle: During my first few years of work after college I regularly received calls from recent grads inquiring whether I knew anything about open Public Relations jobs. What happened was I forwarded someone’s resume once to a person who was hiring and that person got the job. Well, that person, told one person, and that person must have told ten, because the next thing I know, I’m fielding four or five calls a day from people looking for work. And not even in my industry! I got asked back by a professor of the University to speak to soon-to-be PR graduates and was published in a local newspaper article, titled “PR Guru Returns to Roots.” After that I had to unplug my phone. I became an expert in just a few short months.
PLUS - Teach a course in your chosen field of endeavor at a local college or university, day school or adult education facility. This establishes you as an "instant expert" in the field.
THE PRINCIPLE: “Find something you love to do, and you add seven days to every week,” says the proverb. It does not matter that you’re terribly good at something, but it does matter that people think you’re good at something. So be the self-proclaimed expert! Write a book, write an article, speak to your local chamber of commerce, speak to clubs at local high schools, volunteer your time teaching the elderly or try to get booked as a radio guest. There are infinite possibilities.
4) The Garbage Lid Principle a.k.a The Golden Rule of PR – Always portray yourself how you would like to be perceived. I grew up in the eighties and a big part of my life was the Cosby Show. During one episode, Vanessa had gotten engaged and never bothered to tell her family! She brought the fiancé home and introduced him without any notice! Cliff explained to her that it was not the fiancé that they did not like, but the way he was brought to their attention. He compared it to “serving your favorite meal on a garbage lid.” So how does this translate to those interested in self-promotion? There are several rules to PR; one of the most important arguably is “always portray yourself how you would like to be perceived.” So how do you apply the “Garbage Lid” principle? Here are a few tips: Don't skimp on letterhead, envelopes, and business cards. The letterhead design and paper quality can convey an image of class and success. Package your copy so that it looks expensive. Type on high-quality paper, mail flat, and protect copy with cardboard, tissues and so forth. You can charge more if the product looks better. Use a word processor. It will allow you to produce flawless manuscript as well as dramatically increase your productivity.
To understand how to self-promote is to understand how to be successful. Through positive thinking, confidence, tenacity and understanding can we realize that without risk, we are without rewards.
About the Author
Pete Prestipino is the founder and CEO of SCG - Swirling Circle Group, a consortium of online marketers, promoters, SEO's, web designers, and Internet consultants. For more information visit: www.SwirlingCircle.com
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