The First Steps in Marketing Yourself to a prospective employer or a client are: Knowing your Skills and Knowing your Market. Any Marketing expert will tell you these are the critical questions:

1. Define your product – i.e. who are you, what do you offer, what have you accomplished?
2. Who will buy your product – what prospective employer or client needs you?
3. Why do they need you – what need do you fill?
4. What’s the catch – what is your value proposition?
5. How will you find them?
6. How will you approach them?

Finding answers for the first 4 questions is half the battle. It is like the dreaded job interview question: Tell Me about Yourself. Tell the employer or client who you are with confidence and be taken seriously. If you don’t know who you are, how can you expect others to know and hire you?

Mala Subramaniam, President, MKTinsite LLC

I considered myself a Marketing Guru – now I had to practice what I preached. Jumping into job search without the 6 Steps is like driving in a new country without a map. I am reminded of a meeting I scheduled with Kim, a former colleague, in the city.

Kim and I made an appointment for lunch on a Friday in the city. She emailed me her address and contact information. I entered it all in my cell phone. On Friday, I parked the car in the station, ran like an Olympic runner [untrained and panting, though] to catch the train and reached Penn Station at 11am. I reached into my pocket book for my cell phone. It was not there! I panicked.  I remembered her street address, but not Kim’s floor or telephone number. I am ashamed to say I did not know her employer’s name or her most recent last name. The doorman of this multi-story building restrained himself from dialing Security.

So, don’t go looking without knowing what you are looking for!

Some research and introspection led me to define myself. Here’s looking at ME:

1. Who am I? - I am a trainer, an instructor, and a coach.
2. What can I offer? – leadership, marketing, communications expertise
3. Who will benefit?– anyone who needs skills to succeed in a business environment, particularly in the IT outsourcing market, where interactions between Americans and Asian Indians need help
4. Why ME? Am I different?

Why Me? YES, I definitely can claim:

• Experience in diverse industries, including IT – So can a Million others
• Expertise in highly-specialized areas as research – So can a Million
  
• Skills in writing, platform, research etc… So do a Ton of other MBAs
• Training certification – Market is flooded
• Passion for Teaching – Just look at Academia
  

BUT, where will you find an Asian Indian corporate executive, with all of the above, and the ability to establish a rapport with both Asian Indians and Americans?  I GOT IT!

Try to remember these 5 tips the next time you find yourself in a Q&A setting:

1. Pause and take a breath
2. Answer the person and not just the question
3. Respond – do not react
4. Don’t start the answer with – “that’s a good question…”
5. Bring the focus onto your key message

Hope this is helpful. Please share your tips with us, too!

Get Business Marketing Intelligence Training from MKTinsite

Sometimes, in a market research presentation, the audience feels like a patient in a doctor’s office. The doctor looks grim while reading out a bunch of medical reports and telling his patient, “Your BP is high, your cholesterol is well above normal, sugar is borderline, you failed the hi-tech stress test. your weight and eating habits leave much to be desired.” The patient is in panic wondering, “What does this mean? Am I dying?” How refreshing it would be, if the doctor started out as follows:

• You are lucky, you now have an opportunity to get back to good health, and prevent heart problems. Here are test results that have raised some red flags
• Do you have any ideas of how you can restore your good health? Shall we brainstorm some ideas?
• Here’s some thoughts: a healthy diet including low salt and low sugar foods, exercise routine and some relaxation techniques.
• Would you be interested in nutritional guidance? Hospital X offers some free programs – would you be interested?

The patient walks out with a key takeaway message and knows what to do about it. Similarly, if market research presenters translated data into intelligence, and brainstormed with clients/audience to arrive at the insights, then the recommendations will be a natural outcome. If audience is not involved from the very start of the study and if the researcher does not take an interest in the business, then the recommendations are done in a vacuum and of limited value to client. There are some very interesting techniques like, Decision Pyramid, Patterning, that facilitates the process.

Research without insights is like medical readings without a diagnosis and a collaborative treatment plan. Learning to tell their story is the most critical skill for any market researcher – this is what will influence decisions.

Managing people implies goals, deadlines, reports and constant monitoring – a fine-tuning and maintenance fit only for machines. All these are time-consuming. You are creating the “I am paid to do what I am asked to do. I am a limited being,” persona.

Specific class exercises and team games can illustrate this distinction, and help make the transition, among training participants, from a people manager to a people leader.

Read my Special Report for details: Are you a leader or a manager?

Learn Consultative Skills Training from MKTinsite

• Your client industry
• Your client goals
• Your work in the context of client goals, problems and needs
• Your past success with the client
• Your value-add

Please feel free to send your comments.