Here's a quick 30 second exercise for you. Let's create your ideal person. Close your eyes. Now in the next six seconds think of the smartest person you know. Now you have 6 seconds to think of the most powerful person you know. During the next six seconds, think of the best looking person you know. Now, for six seconds, who is most athletic person you know. Lastly, six seconds to think of the nicest/kindest person you know.
Do you have all five images in your head? Now what if all five of these people were combined into one person? What would this ideal person be like? Say this person be a perfect 10 in your mind. If they are a 10, what are you?
I did this exercise with a group I was speaking to about 10 years ago. I asked how many people thought of the ideal person as them? Not one person said they did. About 1/2 the group ranked themselves between a 3 and 4, 1/3 said they'd be a 5-6, and the rest said 7-8. Interestingly, nobody ranked themselves higher than an 8.
What does our self evaluation tell us about ourselves? If we don't believe in ourselves, should we expect others to?
Life is about confidence, a belief in ourselves. It's about improving everyday to stay at the top of your game, it's about knowing that you are just as good as everyone else, and it's about not selling yourself short. Life is about marketing YOU!
Why is it that we can market any product, service or any other person with ease, but when it comes to marketing ourselves, we can’t do it? Why should someone hire you? If we think back to the above numbers that the audience rated themselves, why should someone want to do business with you if you think you're half as good as other people?
When we ask ourselves this questions, more often than not, it is because we focus on the wrong things. We focus on material things like looks, social ranking, our track record. But does anyone care about those other than you? People care about how you can help them or satisfy a need or want that they have. If you walked into a job interview and told the interviewer how you'd be able to help them, would you get their attention? Of course you would! It's the same with when you're selling a commodity. If it satisfies a need or want, people will buy. Would they buy into you though?
There are Five simple steps, and if you follow through properly, you will have accomplished your goal by the end. These five steps can be applied to any aspect of your life.
The first step is to establish rapport. Break the ice! Say something nice. Show them that you care. Become a friend. Establish a comfort level. Be sincere; build trust, and be confident. You can't fake "care", nor can you move forward without a genuine level of comfort.
The second step is to find out the person’s needs and wants. Talk to the person and ask questions. If you’re going to a job interview, do some homework. Find out what is required, what are they looking for in an employee? Don't assume things because what you think is the issue may not be what the reality of the situation is.
Step Three is where you match your features and benefits to their needs and wants. This is the easiest of the five steps. Now that you know the person’s needs and wants all you have to do is match up your features and benefits to those needs and wants. Focus on satisfying the person’s needs before wants. Needs are “must have” wants are bonus requirements. Tell them about the features that would benefit them. Tell them what THEY need to hear, not what YOU want to tell them. Maybe Creative Accounting is your strong point, but if you’re at a bank interview – DON’T GO THERE! :)
Step Four is the Proving Yourself. This is where you PROVE your worth. Show them the money - not literally :). SHOW the person how your features and benefits satisfy their needs and wants. You have to believe in yourself. You have to know yourself. Nobody else knows you better than you. Show your confidence in your abilities. And going back to our example, don’t just say “I sell a lot of homes”. Tell them exactly how you would be able to sell THEIR home. Use actual statistics and demonstrate your action plan. PROVE IT!
That takes us to Step Five. ASK FOR THE JOB! This is where you ask for Buy In. You can do all Four previous steps perfectly. If you don’t ask for the Sale, you won’t get it. Most people will go through all the steps and then sit back and wait for the other person to make the next move. Ask for the job. Be Assertive, not Aggressive. YOU are the best person for the job. Ask for it!
You’ll notice the main focus of the entire process was on Needs and Wants matching up with Features and Benefits. It’s about satisfying needs and wants. Satisfaction is priceless. It’s all about making a difference. Be Confident. KNOW that you can make a difference. SHOW that you can make a difference. PROVE that you are satisfying someone’s needs, and YOU become priceless. YOU become their PERFECT 10! And, when you're confident in your ability to be a PERFECT 10, you will stop selling yourself short. From here on in, stop comparing and competing. Wake up everyday and be the "10" that you are!