How to Sell Yourself Without Selling Out

Throughout history, artists have always had a special place in society. It was recognised that their contribution to society went beyond the financial and people were willing to support them so that they would have the space to create their masterpieces. Let’s face it, it made the rich patrons feel good to have an artist around, so they could show all their friends they weren’t just about the money. And if an artist was dirt poor and had no financial support, it didn’t matter – they were an artist.

Unfortunately, or so it seems to me at least, that mentality is now gone. Artists are expected to fit in with society. That means they usually have to do another job with their art to make ends meet. Grants are getting scarcer and scarcer. When an artist finishes a piece of art, they’re is expected to treat their work as a product and promote it. In other words, they have to sell themselves, a concept that fills many of them with curdling resentment.

Shouldn’t an artist’s work speak for itself? Well yes, but only if there are people to listen. The world is increasingly fragmented and people’s attention is getting harder and harder to hold. If you want them to know about your work, you have to tell them about it. That’s the secret to selling work as an artist – selling by telling.

You don’t need a fancy campaign. You don’t need to spend a lot of money. You don’t need to be in people’s faces. You just tell them about your work, the thing you are most passionate about.

When you’re finished your work, the ink or paint is dry, the last note written, the last line learned, have a brainstorm with yourself. Think about what inspired you to create the work, what process you went through to finish it, what message you wanted it to portray. In other words, tell the story of your work.

When you’ve done that, there are some wonderful free tools you can use to tell your story. You’ll be familiar with these already. The social media tools: Facebook, Twitter, blogs. Then the good old traditional media. Your local newspaper or radio station will be your greatest champion. Make sure you accompany your words with good pictures. That’s what’ll really speak to people.

You’ve worked hard to get to this point.  Wouldn’t it be a shame if that work went unrecognised. This is where artists have lessons to learn from the business community. Business people aren’t afraid to put a value on their work. If artists do the same, their status will rise and they will get the following they deserve.

 

Elevate Your Business with an Elevator Pitch

This week, I was at a networking event run by South-East Business Network. It represented a growing trend I’ve noticed in networking events – people sit at tables of 10 and each person is required to give a two-minute elevator pitch. In case you’re not familiar with the term, an elevator pitch is a mini-presentation of your business designed to be given in a very limited space of time – the time it takes to travel in an elevator.

The reality is that in our fast-paced world, we literally have seconds to make an impression. So it’s important to be able to capture the message of your business in a nutshell. A good elevator pitch will help you make the most of the golden opportunities life sometimes throws your way. Here are the ingredients of a good elevator pitch.

Who you are. Begin with a simple description of your business, what it’s called and what it does. Sometimes you only have 10 seconds to make an elevator pitch, so it’s a good idea to begin with the most important information.

Goals: Tell the person what you aim to do for your customers ie, them. Maybe you can solve their tax problems, or help them find that perfect gift for their friend’s wedding.

Services: Give them a flavour of the services you offer that help them achieve that goal. Tailor it to your audience – concentrate on the services you think are of most relevance to them.

Doing all that should bring you to 30 seconds, or if you include all your services, one minute. But if you have the luxury of a two-minute pitch you can also include.

Origins: Show your passion and originality of thought by telling them what made you come up with your business idea.

Future goals: Tell them how you’ll be expanding your business in future.

A good finish. It can be easy for your elevator pitch to taper off, so drive your message home with a good slogan or tagline. I came across a cleaning business whose tagline was Fighting Grime.

The good news is that an elevator pitch doesn’t have to be fancy or elaborate. The simpler your description of your business is, the easier it is for people to grasp what it is you do and ultimately to buy from you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Writerly Year

As this will be my last post for 2010, I thought I would share my year’s highlights, lessons learned and hopes for the future. This is a time of year when people reflect on where they are, so I think this post is timely.

So here are my writerly highlights

Creative Writing

• Finishing my novel and being in a position to send it out to agents
• Delivering creative writing classes in schools
• Delivering my first-ever creative writing workshops for adults.

WriteWords

• Fruitful collaborations with Samantha Clooney of The Virtual Office and John Jordan of Next Chapter.
• Proofreading the bestselling book Blow it Up Ref! for Brian Kennedy
• Helping Vince Doherty of Adikat, a mobile-phone marketing company, to secure media coverage twice in the Sunday Business Post, in the Irish Examiner and on 4FM.
• Securing local media coverage for Karen Frampton of Frampton Career Solutions, Peter Jones of Foot Solutions and Claudio Cavaliere of Espresso.
• Helping John O’Connor of Red Oak Tax Refunds get a 25% increase in the hit rate to his landing page.
• A successful marketing campaign targeting wedding businesses.

Journalism

• Continued articles in Irish Medical Times and Irish Skipper
• A new column with the Munster Express, in association with Home Instead Senior Care.

Lessons Learned

• There is no substitute for hard work
• My work for businesses is at its most effective when combined with the work of other professionals who have similar skills.
• Other people have different ways of learning, so it is important to be flexible to accommodate those
• To take a more methodical approach to my work and pay more attention to detail.
• Persist, persist, persist in securing media coverage.
• It’s okay sometimes to fake it until you make it.

Hopes for 2011

• To expand the number of creative writing classes I offer, in schools and to adults.
• To find a publisher for my novel.
• To further my existing collaborations and to build new ones, particularly with Bryan Corden of Hedgehog Video Productions, who plan to launch in January.
• Conrad Howard of Market Lane Restaurant in Cork has approached me to write a blog for his restaurant. When his new website has been fully revamped, I will ensure that his blog will win many followers.
• To continue delivering service in style to my WriteWords customers, my editors and my creative writing students.

Feel free to share your own highlights for 2010 and hopes for 2011.

Despite the downturn, this has been a year of growth for me. For those of you who found 2010 tough, you have my deepest sympathy and here’s hoping 2011 is a better year for all of us. Meantime, I would like to thank all my customers and students for their custom throughout the year and to wish them a Merry Christmas.

 

Top Tips for Successful Speechcraft

Last Monday night, I emerged from my snow-clad isolation to give a presentation-skills workshop to a women’s business network in Dungarvan. The workshop gave people the opportunity to morph into crazed queue jumpers, dead celebrities and cartoon characters. But in the middle of all the mayhem, there was a serious message. Here are 10 of the tips I shared about one of the core skills of presentation – actually writing your speech.

1. The goal of communication is to figure out what you want to say and put your message across in a way that your audience will understand.

2. Once you have figured out what you want to say, preparing your presentation becomes a whole lot easier.

3. As well as deciding what to say, decide what shape your speech will take. Will it be a debate, a story, or a fund of tips and advice?

4. Create a structure that will act as your roadmap when you are writing your speech.

5. To get yourself past those nervewracking seconds before you start to speak, pick a spot, plant your feet hip width apart, look around the room and take a few deep breaths. This will anchor you and silence your audience.

6. Reel your audience in by asking them a question or sharing an anecdote.

7. Don’t be afraid to borrow from others and inspire your audience with a quote.

8. Aim for one point per paragraph/section. This avoids clutter and ensures your audience understands your message.

9. Slow down your voice as you’re coming to the end, to signal to the audience that you’re ending and to add resonance to your ending.

10. Remember that no-one really cares what you’re saying. Chances are, they’re daydreaming, thinking of their to-do list or checking their phone. This is actually quite liberating. It means they won’t notice the quake in your voice or the slide you missed.

What’s Your Networking Style

Are you frustrated by the slow return you’re getting from going to networking events? It could be a question of style. Everyone has a networking style and if you can spot the style of the person you’re talking to, it could help you to win the business you’re after.

The DISC personality profiling system identifies four different styles that people roughly fit into. We’re all a mix of the four styles, but one style usually dominates. See if you can spot which style you are.

D – Go-Getter. This person wants to get straight down to business. They want to know exactly what return you can give them. They’ll swoop in with a firm handshake and proffer a business card immediately. When you’re talking to them, get to the point, explain exactly how you can help them. Set up a meeting immediately and stick to it.

I – Promotor. Described by some as the Labrador puppies of the networking world, the promoter is chatty, informal and views networking events as social occasions. They’ll greet you with a friendly hi, pump you hand – and look over your shoulder to see what other conversations are happening. Be friendly back and arrange for a cosy lunch. While it may appear as if you’re talking about nothing, the promoter will think you’re a marvellous person and will want to do business with you.

S – Nurturer. The nurturer is anxious to ensure that everyone else attending the networking event is comfortable and isn’t left on their own. They dress in unobtrusive clothes, so they won’t be noticed. They prefer one to one conversations and hate feel they’re being sold to. If you want to do business with a nurturer, don’t talk business at the event. Set up a one-to-one and they’ll eat out of your hand.

C – Examiner. Examiners are task-oriented, thorough and focused on getting the job done. That’s why they hate networking events. When you meet them, they often stand back because they want to get a good look at you. Put them out of their misery and say you;ll send them an email. This will give them time to give you a measured response.

This theory helps explain why some people’s networking behaviour seems pushy or unfriendly. It will help you play to your own strengths as a networker. Once you have an idea of another person’s style, you can match your approach to their style. And you’ll be in a better position to forge relationships that are beneficial to you both.

There’s No Such Thing as Can’t

This post was originally published on www.bloggertone.ie and featured in their recent Sugartone Ebook.

Recently, a well-known motivational speaker was asked in The Irish Examiner newspaper what his pet hate was. His answer was. ‘People who say they can’t. There’s no such thing as can’t.’ I’m sure many people admired his upbeat attitude. I felt alienated by it.

As a writer, I know that human beings are far too rich and complex to be labelled in terms of can and can’t. If you are to have any hope of motivating others, you need to figure out where people are coming from. You need to find out why they feel they can’t and convince them that they can.

Why do people feel they can’t? There are many powerful reasons for it including:

• A discouraging family environment. Parents, family and friends may have made people feel that they can’t, even though they may not have intended to.
• Illness or disability. Society often gives people with disabilities the message that they can’t. People may also have latent depression, which saps confidence.
• Disappointments and setbacks. If people often encounter obstacles to success despite theirbest efforts, they may not have the heart to try again.

If you’re in a position where you need to persuade people to do work for you, you may have little patience for excuses. And that’s as it should be. Figuring out why people can’t doesn’t mean condoning bad behaviour. But if you’re an employer in particular, you literally can’t afford not to figure out why people can’t. Firing people is a lot of hassle, with unfair dismissals legislation and the expense of recruiting and training someone new.

If you’re teaching and one of your students is disruptive, it could be because they feel they can’t. Helping them turn can’t into can will enable them to tap into their potential. Even in a voluntary organisation, valuing people’s efforts and making them feel their skills are of use will help them feel their contribution is of value.

Here are a few simple tactics for turning can’t into can.

• Find out why people feel they can’t. If people know that you understand where they’re coming from and that you have compassion for them, they’ll open up and it will be easier for you to help them.
• Show them that they can. Share with them what you think their strengths are. Nobody is immune to a bit of flattery and it gives people confidence.
• Give them strategies to move forward. If they’re having difficulty completing tasks, give them the resources they need, whether that’s mentoring, help from a trusted friend or colleague or literature to read up on.

It may seem like a lot of hassle, but if you take the time to turn can’t into can, your relationship with the people around you will be far more harmonious.