Guest Post: Remember Who You Are!
This is a guest post by Barbara Lopez, The Elevator Pitch Coach. I like to say that Barbara elevated my elevator pitch as a Direct Sales Consultant so that I became much more effective at networking events. I chose this article by Barbara because she wrote it so well that I did not need to, and it is so easy when you are new to internet marketing to want to try to be like the ‘gurus' in order to cover the fact that you are relatively new.   The downside to this is that you would not be authentic and people can see through pretense. Instead of building the know, like and trust factor this is more likely to alienate the very people you want to attract.
“There is only one you for all time. Fearlessly be yourself.†–Anonymous
Have you ever received some advice, but it didn’t really “click†or resonate with you until many years down the road? When I was a teenager, and I’d be getting ready to head out with my friends, as I’d get to the door to leave my father would always say, “Remember who you are!†At the time, as a naive yet typical teenager who thought she knew everything, I’d always think to myself that it was such a weird thing to say – of course I’d remember who I was! How could I forget? I know who I am! I’m Barbara!
It wasn’t until many years later, when I became an adult, that I really understood the meaning behind those words, “remember who you areâ€. I realized that my father wasn’t telling me to remember my NAME, but to remember who I am as a person. What he was trying to advise me at the time, very gently, was to remember who I am as a person, and to be true to it. That, no matter what activities I’d be up to that evening, no matter whose company I was spending time in, that it was important for me to be true to myself – and to not stray from that – ever.
As I’ve grown older, I think that is actually the best piece of advice I’ve ever received. It’s great advice for a teenager, but I’m also seeing how applying it to my adult self has done great things for me both personally and professionally.
Reflecting on this advice of “remember who you are†recently, I also realized this is SO important when making a first introduction. There are a few reasons for that; allow me to explain.
You are more relaxed. When meeting someone for the very first time, if you just remember to be yourself, you’ll automatically relax a bit and enjoy the introduction more. Plus, if you’re attending a networking function where you’re meeting a lot of people at once or giving your elevator pitch to an entire room of people, you’ll feel more at ease. (more…)
