Introverts & Marketing
No time to read right now? Click below to listen to this blog.
This may surprise some of you but generally I’m very shy. Oh, I put on a good front but it has taken me (and still does) a fair amount of courage to enter a room with a group of people. I suppose to some I may come off as aloof but it’s not you, it's just me feeling uncomfortable.
Although I was born into a crowd (the youngest of six) I prefer to be by myself. That doesn’t always work well when you’re building and maintaining your business. All those Business-After-Hours events, presentations, and hob-nobbing with fellow entrepreneurs - Ahhh!
I remember the first time I had to stand up in front of a crowd and give a speech. It was for my first BNI 10-minute presentation. I had practiced it so much it was on autopilot - Thank God!
I got up, spoke the 10 minutes of material, sat down, and turned to the person beside me.
“How was it?” I asked.
“Great!”, she said enthusiastically.
"Oh good”, I replied, “I don’t remember a thing. Once I stood up everything went black.“
After that I really pushed myself to get out of my comfort zone and get more comfortable. It worked to a degree but I still prefer to hang out in the office creating stuff.
One technique I use is called my 'Doorway Trigger'. As I enter a new space, I actually pause for a moment or two and consciously decide how I want to show up going into that room. What’s my energy going to be? How do I want to show up?
Doing so sets the stage (pun intended) for not only my level of comfort but also how people will approach and react to me.
Visibility is a major and critical element of marketing, especially as an entrepreneur. Being visible doesn’t have to be painful though. There are ways to be seen, have your Me-Time, and Prosper!
In my ebook - Marketing for Introverts I define 7 marketing techniques.
Check it out!
Best, Janet
“I am thankful for my struggle because without it
I wouldn’t have stumbled on my strength.”
- Alex Elle