{Photo by Sarah Hagerty, with Hagerty Photography}
Wow. What a difference a week makes. So many unbelievable business opportunities are in the works for J.Starr {stay tuned}! I'm feeling oh so grateful. In the past month I have been rethinking so many things about the way I run my business. Life is funny....the moment you're feeling like you know everything...you are so quickly reminded of how much you don't know. How does that quote go? Something like..."The older you get, the more you realize the less you know". So true!
You see, for many years (approx. 7) I was a Catering Director at a few different Country Clubs and Event Venues. The number one goal of my position was to sell the venue. The venues I worked at were gorgeous {some, more than others} million dollar properties. They were designed and built by very high end companies, and they were very well maintained. In addition, I had sales plans and marketing plans to follow...and an amazing corporate advertising budgets to work with...I had big glamorous offices, I had assistants, I had banquet teams...in a nutshell....I had a lot. I also had a lot of pressure to hit my numbers, long hours, and several deadlines.
Now, I'm in a totally different place in my professional life. JUST ME. Just me and my experience...and that's what I'm selling now. I'm selling ME....and everything in my head and in my heart...and sometimes that can be SUPER awkward.
You see, it's nearly impossible to be able for me to fully grasp how much experience I have because it's now a large part of simply who I am...and that's kind of weird. It's usually not until I'm in front of a client that I'm reminded of why I do what I do, and how much I know about what I do. It's times when the mother of bride shakes my hand at the end of our consultations and says to me "Wow, I'm really impressed and relieved" sometimes I have to stop my silly self from blurting out " You Are???".
I ended my "corporate career" at the end of November 2012, about three weeks prior to having my twin baby girls...and since then, I've been on my own....building, branding, marketing, my name and my business. It's mind blowing how many steps are needed to do this.......it's really a never ending process. But it's something that I've wanted my whole life...and now I'm here...and now I have to continue growing and taking the next needed steps.
I'm so incredibly thankful for all my professional mentors and friends who have embraced me and loved me. I'm thrilled for the upcoming opportunities that lie ahead. I have so much more to learn....although I confidently say that yes I'm a very experienced Event Planner I'm still a newbie as a business owner.
So these are some tips I found on Forbes.Com that I want to share with you if you are in the business of "selling yourself"....these are also some tips I need to tattoo to my arm to reference every time I start second guessing myself....
"Tips for Selling Yourself"
TIP #1: It’s not you, it’s “you.”
One of the biggest challenges for those who are selling-themselves is an inability to separate who they truly are from who they are as a product. There’s you — imperfect, conflicted, fallible — and then there’s the “you” you’re selling — awesome, cool, superhuman.
Don’t sell yourself well? Think of “you” as a superhero version of yourself. Make a list of your best qualities. Dress the way "SuperYou" would dress. Talk the way "SuperYou" would talk. Be SuperYou. Role play. It’s a part. Experiment. This is play.
TIP #2: Annoy others.
It’s not enough to just be. There’s too much competition. You need to network, communicate, and engage with people as the “you” you want to be, and you won’t get there by hiding.
TIP #3: Be a unicorn.
What is original? What is unique? What does it mean to be a unicorn? Do something nobody else is doing. Create a service you provide that did not exist previously. Be that new chimera the rest of the world is too afraid to dream is real.
Cheers All! I look forward to "annoying" you more soon :)
Love this! Thank you honey!
ReplyDelete