Although the development of the internet has made the professional world much more digital, social marketing through face to face interaction is still a common and important part of business! Selling yourself through all platforms of marketing is vital to the survival of your business, making sure that you are a well-rounded speaker and engager will make all the difference.
So how do you sell yourself without coming off annoying? The key is to sell yourself in a way that doesn’t seem like sales. How do you do this? Here are a few tips to help you market yourself without sounding self-absorbed or desperate.
First, let’s talk about what makes someone sound “sales-y.” Talking too much about yourself and what you do, always bringing the conversation back to work, and trying too hard to get a commitment are the main ways that people portray themselves as sales-y. It follows, then, that if you don’t want to be perceived as a sales lunatic, you wouldn’t do those things. If your goal is to make sales, though, those are the things you want to talk about! You want to talk about your skills, what you do, and you want some form of a commitment at the end!
Here is how you make connections that don’t annoy people but ensure that you’ve made a solid contact. The word that you need to remember is the word “genuine.” The underlying problem with the salesy tone is that people feel like you’re faking being nice to them. They feel like anything you say is just a way to please them to get into their pockets. This is absolutely not how you want anyone to feel!
People want to feel heard and valued for more than their money and business. Even if they know it’s a professional relationship, they still want to be seen as a person. So see them as a person. Talk to them as if you were talking to someone you already made a sale with! What we mean by this is be confident that you can make a good connection without throwing yourself at someone. Let them talk about things besides work! Get to know them as a person, and then bring it back to work!
What you need to do is find ways to work your occupation into the conversation sparsely. Take it slow and drop hints. Then come in with the work chat in a gentle way that doesn’t put any pressure on them. If they’re interested, they will continue the conversation. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and let them know that you are interested in their business, but don’t try to pressure them into a sale. No one appreciates that.
The bottom line is be genuine and let them be genuine with you. You both know that you’re there to make a business connection, so be genuine with that as well. Don’t be afraid to ask what their intentions are, but remember to be calm, cool, and confident as you make connections that will help your business grow.
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