The Art Of Selling Yourself Comes Down To One Quality
Embody the ideal version of you.
Thomas Kilbride | Unsplash “A sale is made when your conviction about something is stronger than the potential buyer’s.”
This is something I recently read in a book on selling. A large part of the art of selling anything — products, services, ourselves — is about our ability to communicate belief. If we can show that we believe in what we’re selling, buyers will buy. Having a good product that produces results is vital for authentically believing in it, and wanting to get out there and sell things.
This was an issue I found with many of the creative freelancers I coached. Many would create beautiful art but failed to be motivated to sell because they lacked conviction in themselves, and their work. They couldn’t see why it held value for other people.
What’s interesting is that you can have the greatest product, but if you are not convinced of its value — even if it isn’t perfect (and of course, it won’t be), you will have trouble promoting and selling it.
What caught my eye when reading this book was how this idea applies not only to products and services but also to our self-belief. Products and services are never going to be perfect, but if you can be convinced of their value for the customer, and demonstrate that conviction, the product will sell, more so even than other products that aren’t as good.
So think about this in the sense of your conviction about yourself. None of us are perfect — far from it. But we can be convinced of our value and the impact we can have, and we can act like it. When we do, we sell others, and we sell ourselves in a self-feeding loop.
This is not faking it till you make it. I’m talking about being the embodiment of the person you want to become and marrying that with who you are right now, blemishes and all.
Most of us embody the person we used to be. The person we are ashamed of. We walk a little hunched over. We act with resistance. We aren’t fully committed to our decisions.
But think of it this way: we only have right now, and who we can be. Sell the world on your value as the embodiment of who you want to be and the results that person can create, even if you have made mistakes. Even if you haven’t achieved anything you’re proud of in the past. There can be pride in your imperfections. Even the lessons learned from your past can feed into your self-respect.
But, most importantly, bring the ideal version of you right here into the present. Just like you bet on the results that a particular product will bring a customer, you bet on the results that you can bring to the world, from this point on. Visualize who that person is, and make it real today. Slide out of the snakeskin of your former self. You can do it. You have permission.
This feels good. You aren’t anchored to your past. Your actions face forward. It’s simply a choice to make: be the person you were, or be who you want to be.
This conviction is persuasive, will help others believe in you, and make you attractive. It will help you walk tall, and confidently, with less fear of rejection. Be the present-day embodiment of the person you want to be.
Alex Mathers is a writer and coach who helps you build a money-making personal brand with your knowledge and skills while staying mentally resilient.