In my article, The 5 (and a half) Traits of a Hustler, I wrote that “A hustler must be able to sell; and not just items. A hustler must be able to sell herself, her ideas, and her business propositions”. I also promised to follow that up with a more detailed posting on how to sell yourself, so here it is. If you enjoy it, tweet it up, bookmark it, and hit me with a comment!

You are a brand, whether you like it or not. When people look at you they automatically and subconsciously “brand” you as being professional, hoochie, educated, ghetto, or any number of other things. Most people think they have no control over how people see them, or they say things like “I don’t care how people see me”.  But how people see you may be more important than you think…

People saw John McCain as a grumpy old man. People saw Barack Obama as a fresh and modern alternative. Barack Obama controlled his image in the media, John McCain didn’t. Guess who won?

People saw Donald Trump as one of the most successful businessmen on Earth, even as his companies went bankrupt! Because of this, he was able to get millions in loans, despite the fact that he owed billions!

People saw American Idol’s Adam Lambert as being “weird”. People saw Kris Allen as the boy-next-door. Despite being far more talented, Lambert failed to iron out his image and lost.

You cant begin to sell yourself until you understand this very important point : How you are seen does matter, and caring about what other people think about you is all important. Every powerful man and woman knows this. Control your image, or others will control it for you. Heres how:

Identify your USP

A USP is a unique selling proposition. A good USP answers the following questions:

• Why should I buy your incense over the ones in the store?
• Why should I employ you over everyone else?
• Why are you a better barber than the one I usually go to?
• Why should you get a recording contract over her?

A USP doesnt just tell the buyer about you, it tells the buyer whats in it for them, and a USP is short – one sentence.

“Im detail oriented, what that means for you is less money lost because of careless errors”

“Im more than an entertainer, Im a people person. What that means for you is an artist thats better able to connect with a diverse group of listeners”

“My incense are made with pure acacia that produce a better smelling longer lasting scent than the cheap hand dipped ones, saving you money and giving your home a better scent”

Commit your USP to memory, and say it over and over again until it sounds natural.

Oh, and dont try to bullshit your way through this, because if you dont believe in what you are selling, others wont either. For 2 years I pedaled a product that I didn’t believe in: I was a recruiter for the United States Marine Corps. I failed more often than I succeeded. Evaluators would descend upon me from their perch at headquarters to figure out why I wasn’t performing as well as their other salespeople. “You are very intelligent, you work 12 hours a day, and you are the best public speaker in the state, so why aren’t you recruiting?” Because on a subconscious level, people can detect a bullshitter. If you’re trying to bullshit your way to closing sales, you will fail.

How To

Master the media – When you google your name, what comes up? Usually your myspace or facebook page, a few people that have the same name as you, and a few comments that you’ve left around the net.  Now google legendary author and marketer Seth Godin. Notice that most of his professional profiles are public ones, such as LinkedIn, TypePad, and Wikipedia. You can do the exact same thing and then once you’ve done that, you can tell people “If you wanna know about me, just google my name”.

• Go to godaddy.com, buy your name, and build your site. Its less than $10 for an whole year, and its alot more professional than myspace!

• Create public profiles on sites that get high google ratings, like
  • Delicious
  • LinkedIn
  • Digg
  • My Wikibiz
  • Youtube
  • Technocrati
  • Twitter

• Actually learn how to use these sites for more than flirting with the people with the best bodies. If you are a nurse, network with other nurses on LinkedIn to learn how to advance in your field. If you are an aspiring musician, tweet other local musicians and put together an event in your area. Get a cheap webcam and create a youtube video on a topic that’s important to you. Start a debate, leave comments, and get in touch with other people.Your network is your networth, and theres no better place to build that network than online!

Get “brand cards” –  Have you ever gone through your cell phone and found names and numbers you don’t recognize? Lets say you are a rapper and you bump into Dr. Dre walking down the street. You give him your sales pitch and he asks for your number, saves it in his cell phone, and you never hear from him again. Now lets imagine this same scenario and you give him a business card like one of these.

Dr Dre gets back to the studio, pulls your card out of his pocket, and “Oh yea, I remember this dude. We need to get him in here”

Just giving someone your number isnt good enough. Having a brand card acts as a reminder of a conversation or previous dealing that someone has had with you. If you supply a service or product, you should assume that everyone you meet is a potential customer, and give them your card. The fact that they have your card will stick in their memory, and you may be the first person they contact when they need your services.

Your brand card should have obvious info on it like your name, contact number, email address, and your website URL. You will want to also have a mini-USP underneath your name. For instance:

ARTHUR PLEDGER

“Award winning author and business consultant”

If you are on any social networks, you may want to include small graphics () on your card to let them know that you know your way around the web, just dont overdo it. Brand cards can be as cheap as $6.95 at zazzle.com, or as expensive as you can afford.

Change – Your image doesnt just include you, it includes everyone and everything that you let into your social circle. If your clothes, jewelry, and associations dont fit into your new image, you need to change. Do you think Kobe Bryant still kicks it with the same hoodrats that he grew up with? These people will work against your new interests. I know what youre thinking. All that mess about keeping it real and staying hood doesnt apply here. The only people in the hood are the unhappy and the unlucky, and if you have read The 48 Laws of Power, you would be wise to remember the 10th Law: Avoid the Unhappy and the Unlucky. Changing is the hardest thing to do, but its the most necessary.

This topic is so important to your success, expect this post to become part of an ongoing series. If you have read this far, know that I appreciate it! Its alot harder to write these things than it is to read them, and I value every single reader that I get. Till next time, hustle hard!

Popularity: 19% [?]