The Challenge of Self-Promotion
Self-promotion doesn’t come naturally to us.
In general, Americans have a distinctive mentality. Americans love the underdog story. The United States’ democratic tradition means that we have a natural predisposition toward egalitarianism and that it is somewhat taboo to set ourselves apart from others. Humility is a wonderful virtue.
When it comes to marketing and promotion, however, excessive humility becomes detrimental to one’s ability to touch and impact others. One challenge of new entrepreneurs is to how to resolve the conflict between one’s predilection for humility and one’s need to promote oneself and one’s business.
Of course, there are some people who never struggle with humility (often much to their detriment and to those near them). They have a natural gift for self-promotion and these people don’t have that psychological challenge to overcome. But many of us are uncomfortable with self-promotion.
We are afraid that we will come off as arrogant or narcissistic.
This concern is completely understandable. But if we are going to be successful in being an effective advocate for the value that we offer, we must find ways to transcend this challenge.
Overcoming Self-Promotion Resistance
Overcoming this challenge, however, isn’t as difficult as we might first think. It requires a change of perspective. The key isn’t to promote yourself. You must promote what you are offering. More specifically, you must promote the positive outcomes what you provide brings to those who buy it.
I become a fully aligned and integrated advocate for my business when I truly believe in my heart that when people choose to buy from me that I am helping to make people’s lives better by the help I provide to them. In this vein, self-promotion is benevolence. I have to believe that when someone buys from me, that it is in their best interest that they do so. Whether it be through my books, my talks, my educational activities, or my coaching, I believe that what I am providing to others is of great value and that the payment I receive for them is a portion of the value returned to me in appreciation.
Charlatans can sell stuff for their own benefit. People with integrity can only sell when they know that what they are peddling is worth more than the price being paid.
If you don’t believe that, then you either should work more on improving your products or you need to have an honest conversation with yourself about your self-esteem. The challenge of self-esteem is itself a challenge and will be the subject of a future post. For now, remember this. if you believe that what you are sharing with the world has value, then you should not feel guilty or self-conscious about advocating for it.
Be as worthy an advocate for your message as your message deserves.