3 Big Mistakes Self Promoters Make (& how to fix them)

When a prospective client wants to learn more about what you do, how do you direct the conversation?

Most people make the same big mistakes. Fortunately, they’re easy to identify and transform into a great formula for simple self-promotion.

To emphasize my point, I’m going to share a personal story that illustrates how “not” to promote yourself. The irony of the story is that I experienced this faux pas while attending a networking event.

It all started last Thursday when I went to a “meet and greet” gathering for a national networking organization. A client and close friend suggested I check it out, so I did.

As it turned out, in addition to the two hosts, I was the only one who showed up, at least at first. They were expecting between 10-20 people, so we waited for thirty minutes to see if anyone else would arrive.

Fortunately, another woman came a half hour later, so we were able to have a small, intimate gathering over lunch – just the four of us.

Considering the size of the turnout, the hosts, a man and woman, had the perfect opportunity to connect with me. They could have asked me all sorts of questions to later demonstrate how their organization could serve my needs.

But they only asked me two questions: 1) “What do you do?” and 2) How did you hear about us? (I’m not even sure they asked me the second question. I only remember talking about the answer.)

Oh, and after they talked for an hour they asked me if I had any questions.

And in between questions they made a lot of erroneous assumptions about why I was there.

So, instead of connecting with me, instead of having a conversation with me, they talked at me for an hour and a half.

Granted, they were nice people. It wasn’t that I didn’t like them. It’s just that they missed an incredible opportunity to demonstrate how they could help me grow my practice. I left feeling uninspired and exhausted.

Unfortunately for them, they made the

Top 3 biggest mistakes most self-promoters make

• They talked about themselves (their organization) the entire time
• They made erroneous assumptions
• They didn’t ask me what I hoped to accomplish

I see these mistakes often on websites, in brochures, and in conversations.

But all prospective clients, no matter what the industry, have one thing in common: they always want to know, “What’s in it for me?” And unless you know what they want, you cannot possibly answer that question for them.

So what do you do instead? If you turn the top 3 biggest mistakes around you get

The perfect formula for self-promotion conversations:

• Ask questions and listen, get the other person talking about their life and needs
• To the best of your ability, do not make assumptions. Ask clarifying questions so you can address the real problem.
• Find out what the person hopes to accomplish and address their biggest issues. Be sure to dig deep enough to find out the real problem and desire. Their initial response may only be the tip of the iceberg.

These steps need to be observed in varying degrees in every promotional piece you create: print, online (website, email, blog, facebook), in person conversations, public speaking, etc.)

I intended to elaborate on the 3 steps mentioned above, but the article got to be way too long. So instead of including the details in this ezine I’ll focus on them in the next one.

In the meantime, I suggest a review of your promotional conversations:

If you have a website, what is the focus of your content? What percentage is about you? What percentage is about your prospective client?

When someone calls or emails you directly for more information, how do you direct the conversation?

If you do public speaking and teaching for promotional purposes, how much do you focus on your prospective clients’ needs?