The Art of Selling yourself

from the book You, Inc. by Harry & Christine Beckwith

A Book Review by Michael C. Gray, 06 June 07, enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4.biz 7/12

You, Inc. is a collection of ideas about how you can sell yourself more effectively. Whether we admit it or not, all of us have been selling from the time we were small. We sold Mom & Dad on why we should have that a toy or cool clothes. We sold Grandma & Grandpa on why we should spend the night at their house. (An easy sale!) We might have sold a teacher on why we deserved a better grade. (You never did that?) We sold ourselves for that first job and later promotions. We sold our mate on why we were great marriage candidates. We sold our children on why they should avoid drugs and premarital sex.

Rather than a detailed explanation of the selling process, You, Inc. is a series of very short lessons to improve your selling effectiveness. Each morning you can read one lesson and work at putting it into action that day.

The Authors, who happen to be married, are interesting in their own right, and certainly qualified to write on this topic. Harry Beckwith is the author of “Selling the Invisible”. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University, and got into Marketing after being a lawyer. He became the Creative Director of an Advertising Agency, and now is the strategic director of his own Marketing Consulting firm, Beckwith Partners. His wife, Christine is the Sales Director of Beckwith Partners, and CEO of The Cancer Club, which produces humorous and helpful emotional support products for people with cancer. Christine was the Senior Executive VP for SPAR Marketing Services, and the top salesperson in the retail services industry for over eight years. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1994, and wrote about her experiences in several books, including: “I’m Having a No Hair Day”.

Here are a few “Capsule Summaries” of lessons in this book.
· People value – and pay more for – the way your make them feel.
· The first thing to plan for is your first impression.
· Tricks & shortcuts: There are none.
· Simplicity gives people certainty that they can deal with.
· In your sales story, put the audience, not you, in the Hero’s shoes.
· After you write something, be sure to hear it. (Read it out loud.)
· Listening makes you captivating.
· Don’t impress them. Move them to action.
· Be yourself. It is easier to remember, for one thing, and works dramatically better.
· Never try to fool anyone.

There are many different approaches to self-improvement. If you try to implement too many at once, you probably won’t accomplish much. Make the You, Inc. Lessons your “motivation for the today”, and it will work for you in selling yourself to who ever you want to. Give You, Inc. a try. I think YOU will be pleased.

Comments: What do YOU think of this? Anything to add?