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In the past 24 hours, it is amazing how much material I have come across about self-branding and self-marketing, in one form or another. From conversations with people, to listening to the Managing the Gray podcast (which totally rocks, in case you didn’t get that impression from my last post), to sitting in on a lesson for photographers and a link to David Jay’s blog.

“a life in marketing confirms the wisdom of to thine own self be true. Ultimately, it will feel more comfortable for you; you don’t have to think about how you want to be seen…you have a brand. Make sure yours is honest.”

That is one thing that I have always believed in. Back when I worked for the web design firms in sales, I never believed in selling something just for the sake of selling it if I knew it was not what the client needed. I always worked hard to determing their needs and to make sure I was honest with them.

And for both companies that I worked for, I rocked the sales. Every single month that I was at ScamaTech (who were far from honest in the end, writing hot checks to most of the employees), I was the top salesperson with the exception of one single month. That month, the project engineer actually sold a site simply because I knew it was too good of a client to pass up, and I knew they needed the engineer in on the deal at the very beginning. I was happy that the company got the sale, and I felt that I did the right thing. But every other month I was there, I outperformed everyone. When they tried to bring in “salespeople”, I outperformed all of them combined.

So many sales positions are not about sales at all. They are about service. About talking to people, knowing what they need, getting to know them on a personal level even. Sharing of yourself, sharing your knowledge. Giving them the best value. Making them HAPPY.

As my photography career takes me on a new adventure, I hope to always remember to stay true to myself. That will get me further than anything else – not only in photography, but in life in general.

Zig Ziglar once said, “The quicker you help other people get what they want, the quicker you’ll get what you want.” So true, so true.

Books I Must Make Time to Read:
Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith
You, Inc. by Harry Beckwith

Sites worth noting:
Steve Pavlina – Personal Development for Smart People (His articles on 30 day self trials is very interesting!)
DIY vs. Right-Sourcing