Set the Stage to Gain Buy-In.

Your Raving Fans...

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of training a group of female leaders at Allianz Global here in NYC and livestreamed across their Texas and California offices with a program that is really at the core of leading with influence. It’s self-promoting with ease and authenticity and is a non-negotiable in your career. It’s how you create your constituent base of RAVING FANS as an intrapreneur within a company or small business owner.

3 Reasons why you need to promote yourself regularly

  1. It creates a space for you to showcase your value whether you are at a company conference, sitting on a panel with other experts or sharing what you’re up to casually in the hallway. It’s a platform, virtually and physically and where you can weave in your expert value with confidence creating opportunity at every turn.
  2. It builds your pipeline for referrals and endorsement. People do not refer on people they do not like and trust. End of story. You’ve got to be visible so they don’t forget you. Even if years go by, they will always remember how they felt around you.
  3. It allows others to walk through your thought process.  In other words, it helps others learn how you think. Someone I was coaching recently once shared that when she began working this marketing muscle, she likened it to carrying a little whiteboard strapped to her shoulder where she can easily walk others through her ideas as a thought leader. On top of that she shared she also uses the gutsy marketing strategies as a sounding board so she can process others’ feedback before she goes mainstream to more people. I LOVE this analogy.  It’s like letting someone get in your head so they can relate to what you are proposing, not necessarily agree with you at every turn and then based on their reaction you can massage it a little or pull it back. Wingmen and wingwomen are great at this btw and why pulling in those you trust is so key if you’re feeling a little unsure about making a pitch.

But ultimately, (and this may make you feel uncomfortable) it’s your job as that leader of influence to create your stage of RAVING FANS.

 

Your clients want to be reassured and reminded of the RESULTS you and/or your team will deliver on. It’s not about you versus them. It’s about your RESULTS. What can you do for them which will reassure them that you have their back and allow them to rest easy from whatever is keeping them up all night? As a reminder, you are a service provider and gathering business partners, management, peers, even your team who understand what you’re trying to achieve is part of the role;  Therefore, self-promotion is simply getting buy-in as you communicate what you deliver. Don’t take this the wrong way, I say this with love. Your clients don’t care about you as much as they care about what you can do for them through your RESULTS.

This applies even when you don’t yet have those raving fans and you are sitting in an interview answering questions. I can recall a few times I met someone for an interview and after they left, I became a fan. You see it’s not about you, although I get how easy it is as humans to make it all about us. It’s about the results you promise to deliver.  Everyone wants the guarantees right? Your soft skills do just that, sharing what you can do and what you can’t do.

Let me explain how this works on any given day when you too are seeking those guarantees from others. The other day I was at the pharmacy and picked up a bottle of contact lens formula because I noticed my eyes have been feeling dry. Lo and behold, I noticed a new brand that promised a little extra – it said in big bold green letters that my eyes would enjoy HOURS of MOISTURE and comfortable viewing. I literally can hear myself having a conversation in my head saying “Oh Marisa, that’s a no-brainer, buy that one you really NEED this!” and so I did.  Now I know that my eyes could hate this new saline formula or they may love it. But I still bought into it, because it felt good in that moment, the label on the bottle made me a promise and I felt like I was taking care of myself.

Now, does it matter that your services and results will appeal to everyone? It would be great if it did, but that’s not reality. When you are self-promoting, in that moment you are not selling yourself, you are being yourself by speaking to what you believe and standing behind your personal brand and products as that intrapreneur.

So when you’re speaking to what you do brilliantly and what you and your team can promise on, don’t sit on the fence halfway. Go gutsy with both feet all in and speak with purpose and passion. The world doesn’t need more people who talk about what they know, are we not drowning in that daily through social media?  The world needs more people who are alive and ultimately aren’t tone deaf. Show your clients you get them, and that you are listening AND appreciate where they are. Understanding their position is why you can support them!  That’s how you form your raving fan base and that’s why self-promotion is a gutsy non-negotiable.

Gutsy Leadership at Allianz Global

 

Whew! Made it to the top! This is the upper New York State region and is absolutely breathtaking. Have a great week and keep me posted on how well you are marketing your personal brand with meaning.

With guts and grace, you’ve got this.

Image

Image

Can your organization’s Employee Resource Group, Women’s Network Committee or Learning & Development department, benefit from a motivational and experiential leadership program for its employees?  Topics delivered for professionals at all levels – new hire, middle management, executive, returning to the workforce and so much more. Reach out  here to learn more about  programming which promises leadership edge and impact.

Marisa Santoro, Leadership Trainer and Career Coach.

CEO and Founder:  www.inrshoes.com

+1.844.626.3410 | Marisa@inrshoes.com

Marisa Santoro
Marisa Santoro