The Hindu Business Line : Be more of a `hard sell' artiste

We struck up a conversation and discovered that we were actually distantly related. It was a pleasant morning and we were happily chatting away about living in Chennai vis-à-vis Trichy when I asked her, "So, what is it that you do?" "I'm an insurance advisor," she replied.

She didn't continue, so I tried to engage her more by asking, "How long have you been working?" "Four years," she responded, followed again by dead silence. Given my profession, with its natural curiosity about people and careers, I went on, "Which company do you work for?" She named one of the many insurance companies, then stopped cold. I was just about to ask another question when something inside me snapped. I thought to myself, I'm not asking a fourth question. I fired up my computer and worked away on my inbox.

The chasm was broken by the friendly cabin crew who smilingly queried if we wanted to buy any refreshments. My airplane friend turned to me and said, "Please don't mistake me, It's not that I'm protecting confidentiality or something, its just that I am not comfortable talking about my work. I feel people will immediately assume that I'm trying to hard sell an insurance policy to them."

Aha moment!

`Hard sell' - two dirty four letter words! Bringing with them the strong odour of feet-on-street, hustling and aggressive self-promotion.

My airplane friend went on to talk earnestly about how the entire insurance industry is accused of being a gobbledygook factory.

And continuing with self-justified pride, she disclosed that even within her family circle she does not talk too much about her work so that she does not appear abrasive.

She got me contemplating on the state of many young professionals of today who know so much that they sometimes miss the obvious. That hard sell is not bad. It should not be misused or over-used, but, why miss an opportunity to create a contact? A contact is a contact is a contact.

An art form

I guess the problem is deeper than it seems to be. Several of us who have been egged on to excel, have also been fed the staple diet of the cautionary note: Don't go around tooting your own horn, don't brag, it's so crass. Yes, I do agree that the sound of the trumpet can sometimes be quite shrill to the unreceptive ear. But, how do you get on in your career if you don't get noticed?

Many of us presume that if we personalised our message or got too excited about what we do, we are not being professional.

One very senior industry veteran whom I know has always impressed me with her smart self-promotion. Not that it is going to take her to wherever she has not already reached. But it just proves the efficacy of years of practised selling, that it is almost an art form. She always shows up prepared, valuing face time with others, and always ready with stories about herself that break through the verbal clutter.

Self-promoting is not a sin; it is pretty much a necessity. Given the constant changes in corporate topography, I argue that you simply must let people in the organisation know who you are and what you are accomplishing.

Let's assume you are an ace shooter when it comes to boss management, but hello, he or she might be gone tomorrow. (Ouch!) You need to manage all fronts, stand out in the eyes of your boss' boss and that boss' boss and all the biggies right up to the head honcho. And when you consider what the information age has wrought, nobody has any time to pay special attention to you when confronted with the onslaught of e-mails, voice mails, VC's and con-calls.

I submit: Performance alone will not support you in your time of need. To plant seeds for the future, it is critical to sell your way into the heart of your contacts. And by this I mean any contact. And those on the outside of your company are as important as those on the inside: industry associates, personnel consultants, trainers, acquaintances, and even your own competitors.

Very few of us ever learn how to reconcile the virtue of humility with the need to promote ourselves.

A neighbour of mine, who is in his second year MBA, was telling me about a course being offered: Organisational grooming! On how to pay attention to your wardrobe, your hair, your hygiene and, of course, your résumé.

Interesting, especially if this course makes an impact upon the several thousands of "freshers" who wander about aimlessly trying to get their first break.

But, is there a course that provides instruction on selling ourselves with ease and sincerity? I don't think so, but I bet you could work on creating one for yourself. It could well be your insurance policy against future uncertainties!

(The writer is CEO, Avtar Career Creators)