At Appletree all our clients have one thing in common – they are REALLY great at what they do.

Most of them have been running their businesses – delivering coaching, consulting or training – for many years and they have built up great reputations for being experts in their fields. They really know their stuff.

OK, so that’s more than one thing that they have in common, but who’s counting? There is one more trait that most of our clients share with each other. They are rubbish at blowing their own trumpets! One of them actually told me that last week, using those exact words. Others tell me “I don’t like blowing my own trumpet; I find it difficult to tell people that I’m really good at what I do.” Or they say that they feel embarrassed about shouting about how great they are and how much experience they have. Luckily for my clients, they have Appletree to do that shouting for them.

But what if you do your own marketing and promotion of your business? Are you worried about blowing your own trumpet and what people might think when they hear you telling the world how good you are at what you do?

Here are a few ideas to help you:

• You’re not an expert until someone else says you are. I see too many coaches, consultants and trainers claiming to be experts. Firstly I believe that you need to have been doing what you do for at least 5 years before you can build up enough experience to be an expert. Secondly, I don’t believe people who call themselves an expert or guru. When someone else calls you their ‘Marketing Expert’ then you can use their words to blow your trumpet.
• Recommendations speak volumes. How many recommendations do you have on LinkedIn? How many video testimonials from happy clients do you have on your website? What other people say about how great you are is what potential clients want to read or watch. Enlist the help of your delighted clients to blow your trumpet for you. (And as an aside, every time you ask for a recommendation, give one to someone else you know.)
• Share your knowledge. I wrote in a previous blog in this series about how to use Generosity when promoting your business. Rather than just writing a sales pitch about how great you are, you can build up your reputation by sharing your knowledge. Write a book and give it to anyone who might find it useful. Write newsletters and send them to people you know. Write blogs and share them on your website. Write helpful tweets and LinkedIn updates for everyone to use. Don’t hold back on sharing your expertise and prospects will get to see how great you are, without having to put up with any badly played instruments!

These are just three ways in which you can blow your own trumpet and promote your business, without coming across as pushy or ‘salesy’. Give them a go and let me know how you get on.

If you need any more help with blowing your trumpet and telling the world how great you are at what you do, give me a call on 01635 578 500 or click here to email me.