Design fault can be fixed!

We undersell ourselves. We are conditioned from when we are born that ‘ladies don’t brag’, that we should be modest and not talk about ourselves. Why? We all know that our personal brand is what attracts and retains our clients. We have to sell ourselves daily.

There are many ways to self-promote without coming across as self-centred. Here are 3 simple ways:

Emphasise your team’s achievements – People expect women to be community-oriented, which is why there’s often a backlash when they call attention to their individual achievements. One way to get around this prescription is to call attention to your team’s achievements, while making sure it’s clear that you played an important role in their success.

Call on your network – A network of like-minded people to support you can come in handy when it comes to raising your profile. Having other credible people trumpet your achievements for you is a great way to make sure others know your value, and because you’re not actually promoting yourself, it’s less likely that you’ll end up triggering stereotypes about how women should behave. Make sure that if you’re relying on other people to give you a boost, you do the same for them!

Be helpful – Offer your experience as an example to other women business owners. Say, for instance, you’ve signed a great deal to export products – instead of e-mailing your database about your success, you can write letting them know what worked for you, so that they can be better prepared the next time they are negotiating a deal.

Do you have other tips to share about promoting yourself without a backlash?