My Approach to Marketing Myself…Authentically

523 018Being the people person that I am I have always understood the language of relationships much better than I ever understood the language of business.  In fact when I was dating in my twenties I met a few men who worked in the business field and no matter how hard I tried I could not understand what they actually ‘did’ for a living when they spoke about their job or profession.   I often sheepishly requested that they share with me what they did for a living in, what I called, a ‘people’ analogy.   Because it is in the language of relationships and relating to others that I make sense of my world.

So when it comes to me thinking about how to market my business, I often get all tumbled into knots.   I used to think this was because I did not know how to market myself or that I did not know or understand very much about business.   It was because of this thought that I hired a business coach to help me learn how to run my business.  I gained a lot from that experience and learned that running and marketing a business is actually very much all about building relationships.

That was reassuring to learn (although it was already something I had known in my gut.)  However, I still find myself fumbling when it comes to ‘marketing’ and ‘running’ a business.   But what I get all fumbled about is not that I do not know how to do these things.  Rather, what gets me stuck is trying to force myself to think like a ‘business’ person, when in actuality, I view myself as a ‘relationship’ person.  Forcing myself to think like a ‘business’ person always gets me stuck and thinking about all the things I should be doing as a business person.  I ask myself questions like:  What would a good business person do?  How should I be marketing myself?  Am I doing what I am supposed to be doing?  Is this right? Questions like these always leave me feeling stuck, overwhelmed, and inadequate.  Needless to say, I do not get very far in running my business when I think this way.

So instead of thinking like the ‘business’ person I think I should be, I think like the relationship person that I already am.  Instead of thinking about ‘how to market myself’  I think about all the ways I can ‘share my voice and my message.’   Thinking about my business in this way, which is more authentic to who I am allows me to listen to my own voice and think about all the things I already know how to do, and do well.    Approaching my business in this way opens me up and allows my creative juices to flow.  I feel excited and driven when I think about sharing what I am passionate about.  ‘Marketing’ stops feeling like a chore I feel that I have to do, and instead comes naturally and easily.  I just share what I know: my voice and my message.   The only thing I have to make sure of is that I am committed and being consistent in all that I am doing and sharing.  And I remind myself that this same rule applies to relationships.  Because, for me, it’s more than a business; it’s personal.

 

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Career & Relationship Coach | Leadership Trainer | Founder of UnleashingU!

Hi, I'm Jenny Sassoon, founder of UnleashingU! I guide professionals, students, entrepreneurs, and executives to move forward and thrive in their career, business, leadership and life in a way that is right and authentic for them. To schedule your complimentary consultation to learn more about how I can help you, click on the 'contact' tab above.

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