There is one mistake that I made for years as an expert. I made it over and over again. I hesitated to change it even though I knew I was repeating the same non-useful behavior. It took me a long time to make this shift and when I did, it transformed the results I was getting. The funny thing was, that I deliberately avoided doing it because of the stories I told myself about what it meant.
This mistake I made was that I avoided promoting myself or selling myself too much. Instead, I would let my work do the talking. But that simply isn’t enough. In the times we live in today, you cannot let your work speak for you. You must also speak for your work. There are too many voices competing for attention. You must become a master of attention and you must use it to help others see it.
Where I come from, talking positively about yourself is a big ‘no-no’. It is seen as boastful and arrogant. Irish people are allergic to it. Growing up in this culture made me value humility which I’m grateful for but as soon as I found myself traveling, my humility would often be confused with me lacking confidence. The truth is I believed in myself but talking about it was uncomfortable. I created an online training back in 2011 called the ‘Charisma Training Academy’. I promoted it but it was so hard to say anything too good about it.
I have spent years learning to become an expert in persuasion. I can sell almost anything and influence really easily. But as soon as I spoke about myself and my training, I second-guessed myself. Over the years, I began to see marketing expert after marketing expert show how it was done and I noticed most of the successful experts out there were good at promoting themselves.
I knew the story I told myself ‘I don’t have to do it that way’ was flawed. I didn’t have to go over the top, but I did have to get on the train. People can’t believe in what you offer unless you believe in it and show them you do. I believed but I didn’t show it.
A few years ago, when I launched my Changing Minds Monthly Membership and Thought Leaders Mentorship, I worked on making sure I was offering ridiculously good value at a really good price. My aim is always to make sure what I am offering is worth many times the price of it. After spending tens of thousands of dollars on educating myself on all aspects of the expert business, I knew I could help fellow coaches, speakers, consultants, and trainers improve their businesses and become more known as experts.
If you are an expert and are looking for a group mentorship where I help you build and scale your thought leadership business, attract new clients, and make you more well-known in your industry, consider exploring my Thought Leaders Mentorship.
As an expert who has built my own business, it is a chance to be able to learn from what I did and ask whatever questions you have along the way. Also, you get the opportunity to join an incredible community of experts and thought leaders who I’m mentoring through the challenges of the industry so they can navigate their way to highly profitable businesses.
Find more information here.
