Let’s face the facts!

It’s basically taboo in today’s politically correct culture to practice self-promotion.

Self-promotion comes in many forms and there are multiple ways you can use to promote yourself. Look no further than today’s politicians! Or consider some of the major superstars we know and read about daily… Madonna, Donald Trump, Bill and Hillary Clinton… just to name a few.

Did you ever raise your hand in class to show the teacher you knew an answer? Of course, you did! That’s self-promotion. That’s an excellent example of the kind of self-promotion I’m talking about… self-promotion with dignity, class and the knowledge to back it up.

If you self-promote only to prove you don’t really know what you’re talking about, you’re going to fail to attract prospects and lose business. Natural self-promoters are the former. Let me help you join their ranks.

I want to tell you about the three major traits they have and use to promote themselves and their businesses.

1. The first is the position. Position yourself around people who can make a difference in your life and do so frequently. Wake up every morning and ask yourself “Who can I call/meet/email today that will make a difference in my success?”

Also consider: who can help me reach my goals?

Is it a prospective customer/client? A colleague with contacts? An association with key members who may become prospects?
Don’t settle into interacting with the people who are the easiest to access. Reach outside your comfort zone and you will find a wealth of new connections that will bring you greater success.

2. The second trait is style. How are you different from your competitors? What separates you from them? What do you do or offer that makes you memorable?

If you’re meeting a lot of people and they don’t remember you once you leave the room, you have a serious problem! Find a way to present yourself in a more memorable way.

Consider these options:

• Business cards
• Company message
• Your picture
• Your marketing messaging

There are lots of ways you can work on making your image and business more successful. Consider how you sound on the phone and how you greet people at meetings or other events. Evaluate your 30-second elevator speech. And remember… no one cares what you do! They care about what you can do for THEM!

3. The third trait of natural promoters is repetition. You can’t say something once and expect it to stick. Successful self-promoters say it as many times as they need to until they get a response. Whether you like or dislike Donald Trump, you must admit the guy can promote what’s important to him. Listen to EVERY speech he gives and counts the number of times he repeats his most important points. You should be doing the same thing when you’re around your prospects.

And since we’re all bombarded with massive marketing messages daily, you have to make multiple impressions on those you’re networking with in order to build awareness. Repetition is in direct connection with positioning. Once you find people to network with, reach out and find hundreds more who can help in your success as well.

Bottom line promote yourself because no one else will!