Are you uncomfortable with self-promotion? I think most people are, even those of us with “healthy” egos.
According to this inc.com article, “How to Self-Promote–Without Being Sleezy,” we feel this way in large part because of what we believe our friends will think.
Of course “being sleazy,” as the author (or her editor) words it, and “feeling sleazy” aren’t necessarily the same thing. It’s not per se sleazy to promote yourself, yet we may still feel that it is.
Why? It comes down to our sense that when we promote ourselves, our friends will be jealous and stop being our friends. Or something like that.
I say, stop worrying about what your friends think. If they are truly your friends, they will support you even if they are a bit jealous. And if they’re not your friends, it’s okay to let them go.
Okay, that’s easier said than done. Let’s turn to the article for some suggestions on how to lesson the impact:
- Tell the story of the struggle behind the success.
- Be excited, but be humbled.
- Give credit where credit is due.
- Enlist the help of your friends to get the word out.
Okay, good ideas. But nobody wants to listen to your broken record about how great you are, not even your mother. So if you really want to do a good job of promoting your services, and not turn anybody off or feel sleazy about it, here’s what you should do:
Don’t talk about yourself.
Talk about your clients and prospects. Talk about their problems and the available solutions. Talk about the law and the procedure. And talk about your other clients and what they have been able to achieve.
Do this with intelligence and grace and you won’t have to promote yourself.
