…and with one click my opinion is validated. Ten & I’m coolio & OMG fifty+… I’m an expert! There are a LOT of experts amongst our networks these days, way more than there used to be when we were productive, sustainable & profitable. We’re privy to their profiles on LinkedIn robust with their ultra-ego’s, confirming the demand for their grey matter. If we need more, we can be wowed by their inspiring instagrams or humored by their twerky tweets. It’s a brilliant billion dollar self effacing multilevel marketing scheme.
My favorite? Paid workshops one can attend to learn how to better market themselves… when they already have a job. Translation: we’re marketing you paying money to us – to teach you how to better market an inflated version of you for….
Ah, what do I know. Maybe I’m in the wrong business.
What I can share is FIVE FREE, NO FRILLS solutions to better market ourselves.
- Be confident & comfortable with yourself. Your authentic self. If we’re really as cool as some of our projected self’s – there’s no 20BILLION/yr anti depressant play. People appreciate real.
- Establish a personal set of guiding principles / values. Doesn’t matter what those are – it matters that they’re yours and you’re consistently working them. People like consistency.
- Do what you say you’re going to do when you say your going to do it. In the tsunami of inconsistency, you will remain anchored. People gravitate to grounded.
- Commit to owning what you’ve agreed to be responsible for. Bank the blame, exorcise the excuses. Don’t just do it – OWN it. People recognize leadership.
- Work smart, work hard, work long & repeat. Make it your mission to become a student of whatever game you chose to play. Every play. Every day. People vaunt winners.
This may err on the side of old-school, but we have to be honest in asking; is new-school working for us?
Photo Credit
Thumbs Up by Bill & Vivki T on Flickr Some Rights Reserved
First published at swimupstream
Guest Author Bio
Matt Young
Matt Young has spent 25 years advocating preventative public & private healthcare. A UBC Kinesiology graduate, Matt co-founded Innovative Fitness in 1995 and helped build the business from a single member to a national franchise chain. In 2009, Matt also co-founded the 60 Minute Kidsclub charity to improve the physical literacy of Canadian children from 5-12 years old. He has published seven books, helped raise a staggering 5.9M dollars for various charities and holds a Guinness World Record for the fastest bike relay across Canada. For his accomplishments, Matt has been recognized as a Top 40 under 40 Vancouver and Canadian award winner.
Connect with Matt: LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
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I’ve never understood why “old school” is denigrated. New school, went to school on Old School. hard work,Reality,Leadership,and Reliability aren’t new! ( maybe not fashionable or trendy but they endure for a reason) Thanks for the comments, they are a propos.
Hey Matt,
Thanks for this. Totally agree. I don’t think it’s old-school at all. I think it’s ‘smart-school’!
And if I had a dollar for every ‘expert’ that e-mails me on a daily basis … I’d have a much better wine cellar 😉
Cheers,
Gil
Great article Matt, and I love the very important point that you make right up front – Why do we pay people to learn how to market ourselves when we already have the job? Madness!
Your 5 points are spot on the money, and a terrific “old school” reminder that what works, works… to be successful we need to apply hard core fundamentals rather than “cutting edge technologies” and other shiny gimmicks. A great read, and thanks again.