I’m working with a client at the moment who is extremely good at what he does but, like a lot of us, he has moments when he struggles with “putting himself out there”.
It’s much easier to reach your target audience if you stand up and shout about what you do, but sticking your head above the parapet can feel horrible.
It’s a challenge for almost everyone I work with on some level, and it’s a challenge for me too.
Many of us were raised on a diet of these phrases:
Don’t blow your own trumpet
Don’t boast
Don’t be a show off
So on a very deep level we think we need to stay quiet about our talents.
And even if our parents DIDN’T stop us from celebrating our achievements, it’s likely that at some point during our childhood our peers will have shot us down in flames when we did well at something (or was that just what happened at my secondary school?)
We watch successful people getting knocked back down every day in the pages of our newspapers and on our laptop screens, so it’s no wonder we don’t fancy putting ourselves out there.
So how do you get past this fear of sticking your head above the parapet?
I write blogs, website copy and email campaigns every day for my clients, and I have no qualms about hitting “post” or “send”. But when I’m putting myself out there it’s still tough occasionally – usually when I’ve shared a personal story or given an opinion that I think people might judge me for. Sometimes I have a sick feeling as I click the send button.
But what’s the worst that can happen? A few unsubscribes or an unpleasant comment from someone who doesn’t agree with you. No matter what you do, you can’t please all of the people, all of the time, and you shouldn’t try to. Write for your tribe – the people who get you and who want to hear from you.
If you can get past the fear of rejection, then the benefits that come from putting yourself out there are massive. More people get to hear about you, meaning more people can potentially benefit from what you do.
You might not be quite ready to stick your head above the parapet, and that’s fine, so why not let other people do it for you? The best place to start is with consistently asking your clients for testimonials.
Getting other people to shout about what you do is much easier than doing it yourself, and it also gives you more credibility. And if you struggle with asking for testimonials, then outsource it to someone else.
Be who you are and shout about what you do, and you can pretty much guarantee that good things will happen for you and your business.
Start today!
If you need help to get better results from your marketing efforts, especially with website copy, blogs and email campaigns, please don’t hesitate to give me a call on 0121 405 0071, or contact me here.