Do your colleagues know what you are "selling"?

In every role in life, you are a salesperson - as a parent, as a colleague, as a partner, as a boss, as an entrepreneur. When you speak the language of your “buyer”, you can get them to “buy” because you are speaking to what motivates them. But so often we fall into the trap of speaking as the seller, speaking in a way that makes sense to us, but not necessarily to the person receiving the message.

Do you ever feel like everyone else should know what you know? And should know what you are thinking, and think the way you think? Please say yes! Because I do, and I would hate to be alone out here on this topic!

I have often been caught short in the assumption that I have defined what I want/what I am thinking/what I need from someone, only to find out that apparently, I hadn't explained myself well enough. What I wanted and what I got were two different things.

I was reminded of this a week or so ago when I met with someone who I just assumed knew what I did! That was until she said to me:

"So I am not 100% clear on what you do".

"Sorry, what??"

I was a bit confused by this statement until she explained to me how I come across in my social media communications. When I saw my social media from her perspective, I laughed out loud! Here was a confused strategy, a lot of mixed messages and someone trying to show a lot of personality, but not articulating clearly (read: at all!) what she does.

I had been communicating from my perspective, but I had not been thinking too much about what would be useful to my audience.

I was fascinated and very amused. Here I was thinking I was communicating well, being engaging, being authentic - and perhaps I was. But I was clearly not "selling" myself... which probably explains my current struggles with social media.

So how is this relevant to you?

Well, the relevance is that so often we think that just because we know something that others will somehow know it too. Well, the truth is THEY DONT!

We all think differently to each other, and every single day we experience life differently to each other, despite sharing an office or working on the same projects for months.

But if you find that your colleagues, your clients, or your friends have pigeon-holed you into a particular role, and you know you have more to offer, then perhaps you need to reflect on how you are communicating about this.

Do your colleagues, clients, boss, friends, know what else you have to offer? Just because you know, does it mean that they know! Have you told them?

Or perhaps you have been telling them, and they just don't get it!

Ever wondered why you keep being misunderstood, and why you feel unheard? Maybe try changing the language that you use to communicate. We all think differently, which means we all like to communicate (and be communicated with) in different ways - some people like facts and detail, some like processes, some like visualising how this could be useful in the future, and some like to understand how this will help them or others.

So if you are in any doubt about how effectively you communicate your ideas to "your buyers", perhaps reflect on what you are communicating and how you get your message across.

If you want to know more about thinking preferences, let me know. I am certified to do Thinking Preference Assessments using the Neethling Brain Instruments.

Your thinking preferences influence the way you communicate, make decisions, solve problems and manage those around you. Understanding your thinking preferences can give you a new perspective on yourself and those you interact with every day. More importantly, when you understand thinking preferences, you start to see things through different lenses and appreciate the impact of communicating, solving problems and managing in different ways.

Interested in learning more about your thinking preferences?

If you would like to learn more about how you think, and how to use your whole brain to communicate better with your audience, then connect with me and let's chat.

I believe "managing your career like a business" means having insight on where you want to go in your career, the agility and resilience to change track when necessary, competence to navigate transition points, and self-awareness to manage yourself.

I help you do that through one-on-one coaching, CV and LinkedIn profile writing, topic-specific workshops and a suite of blogs and other materials available on my website. Want more information? Drop me a message and I will get back to you asap.

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