How can you avoid overselling yourself?

There's a thin line between selling and overselling. Again the line is drawn based on the mood, place, situation, urgency, needs of the person sitting in the front. One needs to gauge these basis his / her own experience and decide when to stop. For gauging this appropriate moment, some primary study of 'corporate body language' also helps.

I once oversold myself, and it resulted in an almost comical facepalm. I had "Conversational Italian" on my resume. And I could...when I wrote it on my resume...years ago. I had long lost the ability to speak Italian in anything beyond Tarzan-like barks. Besides, its wasn't going to be relevant to any job I had, so why worry? Reader, I should've worried. My interviewer was so excited. She taught Italian. She wanted to speak Italian in the interview. I immediately confessed. I was honest that it was a skill that I had lost. She laughed it off, and I got the job. She eventually became a mentor and friend. I'm lucky I learned the lesson early in my career. I now regularly review my resume skills and make sure to pursue ongoing education.

Do your homework but make it clear that you would like to find out more from them about their needs. You'll build stronger relationships by focusing on other people's needs. You have two ears and one mouth for a reason.

The best advice I'd ever received what to talk about how you made something better, in simple and honest terms. Everyone talks about what they did at a job, which allows you to be incredibly creative with your words, but also can lead to boasting and overuse of a thesaurus. Instead, lean on numbers, percentages, talking about increase and decrease, measurable elements that directly explain who you are, without hyperbole.

Too many sales people drive straight for the pitch, barely caring if the offering is a good fit for the customers needs - their focus is on throwing sufficient 'stuff' against the wall of prospects, hoping that some will stick. The worst outcomes result from an ill-matched solution that is 'oversold' and not fit for purpose. So the first stage is to leave your ego at the door - you have one job - to listen, and understand, to explore, and to give value where appropriate. No-one wants to be sold to - they want to be heard, understood, feel safe (from your sales tricks) - and to collaboratively build a picture of a potential roadmap to achieving their goals. Humility demands that we accept that the roadmap may not include our solutions.

Tell a story that delivers insight based on something you did and learned: - I was facing this problem - So I did this - And this happened - This part surprised me - Which made me realize - Next time, I would also - If you'd like to collaborate on projects like this, here's how to contact me Six out of seven of those aren't self-promotion. They're just giving others the benefit of your experience. The warm glow of being so helpful reflects back on you. It's both helpful and good for your personal brand.

Since we are talking about 'Overselling Yourself', Don't be boastful in your marketing material. If you position that you can walk on water, then expectations are high. Rather come in understated and then show you value. Eg. When I worked with xxx company, they had this problem, and this is what we co-created together to solve it. This was the result. And, here's what the client said. Testimonials are the best way to show your worth. Rather let your clients talk you up than you talk you up.

As an Executive Coach specializing in experiential and subjective practice, people often equate what I do with money over meaning. I learned early on that if you sell your services based on finances you will often lose the conversation regarding value. If you approach your services from the place of value and what value you bring you to others then it becomes a question and conversation for the other whether they wish to value themselves enough to make the investment.

Self-glorification may becloud a thought leader in his attempt to make a bold statement about his authority and expertise in his field in order to command respect from the audience. The irony of that is, the real respect and appreciation is unlocked when value is delivered to the audience from the wealth of a thought leader's knowledge and practical experience when shared with the audience. Value is the focus, accolades, appreciation and respect are earned afterwards.

Even more important than focusing on value, is focusing on the result. Paint a clear picture of the future, what the audience can achieve. Once they see where they are, and where they can go, the value will be obvious, and then you can focus on how to help get them there and they will be more willing to listen.

Dont' sell someone on something you aren't. Plain and simple. People are often times smarter than you think and it's quite easy these days to trust but verify. Don't get caught up in something you could have avoided. Be honest and transparent about who you are, what you do and what you don't do. Leave it on the table and let the other person decide if they wish to pull up a seat or leave.

"Be honest and transparent" is not enough when it comes to thought leadership. You have to know how to be honest and transparent. Many would-be thought leaders start with a name drop or title drop before everything they say: "As a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, I am often asked to blah blah blah." You're on LinkedIn, dude. Your bio is right there under your name. You don't have to remind us. The audience knows the difference between transparency and bragging. Make sure you do, too.

Being honest is so important. I would rather 'under promise' and 'over deliver' than the other way round, any day. It makes managing expectations so much easier too and there is less juggling when you know you are only ever doing what you said you would.

A thought leader should be far from painting scenarios beyond how they really appeared. Be honest and truthful in your delivery and presentation. When you are wrong, admit and improve to be better, it is a rare quality of a thought leader. Embrace learnability in all dimension and do not be tempted to hide information. Be original and unique as a thought leader.

I always like to say "think self-expression over self-promotion." It helps keep us humble, as well as get over the fear of feeling "baggy." It's all about sharing your ideas and expertise that can help others with a problem or challenged they might have.

Asides knowing what to say and where to say it as a thought leader, having a high level of confidence and humility is a core attribute of a thought leader. Express that with gentleness and respect. Be clear and about your delivery, do not act as lord of all over your audience. Be relatable and accessible as much as possible.

You must express your opinions and thoughts with confidence, but there might be differences. However, you should know your boundaries very clearly so that you navigate through the discussion. Always be humble, and approachable make sure you are taking a genuine interest in the discussion irrespective of whether something is not going in your favor. It’s not a sign of weakness or underconfident but rather shows strength of ability to maintain composure and patience even in challenging situations.

Arrogance can impress the uninformed, because they can't see the limits of where you might be wrong. But thought leadership isn't about influencing the uninformed. It's about influencing the informed. So mix in some humility with your confidence. An informed audience knows where you might be wrong.

You are only overselling, if you haven't built goodwill with your audience. The recipe is 8 parts value & authority, 2 parts sales. Think of promotion as a privilege and not a right, you have to bring your audience into the right state to be receptive to your offer. When you don't lay the seeds and sow the soil, then you can't expect to have any harvest.

Life is a constant game of selling. We sell internal to our companies and we sell externally to customers and clients. Feedback is critical in bother scenarios. Yet, in order to receive feedback we need to set our defenses down and be open. Internal feedback: welcome and embrace both peer and manager feedback. Use these discussions to broaden your perspective and understand how your contributions are impacting the team. If there is critical feedback, sort through the emotion before responding. Both security and worth may be activated and you will want to respond appropriately. External feedback: this is a gold mine, where products, marketing and messaging can all improve. Understanding the pain points of the end user are critical!

At any given time, only 2% of your audience is ready to buy - this statistics is so important to set the right expectations. Your audience can't get their by themselves, so you must sell enthusiastically and go out of your way to support them. There is no white or black when it comes to overselling, you have to embody the right state of mind, of service and of value creation. When you come from that space - you will sell right, not oversell.

Feedback, especially constructive criticism, is a gold mine for continuous improvement. It can reveal blind spots in our knowledge, gaps in our strategies, and opportunities for enhancing our delivery. Ignoring or dismissing this feedback is akin to sailing past a treasure trove. Instead, we should actively seek it, even if it challenges our current beliefs or strategies.

Something I've picked up was balancing and showcasing strengths, while maintaining authentic interactions. Sometimes you've got it, but all you need is someone to bounce ideas. It's easy to get stuck in a rut alone but you learn so much more in asking for a secondary opinion.

Be clear not to be timid and shy away from responsibility and action when trying to be meek and soft. Being humble is not about being a "yes-man" and being arrogant is not about saying "NO" Understand the premise and borderline between humility and arrogance, confidence and pride while selling yourself.

Firstly, know your audience inside out. Tailor your pitch to what matters most to them. Next, focus on delivering real value rather than flashy promises. Honesty and transparency are your best buddies; be upfront about what you can and can't do. Strive for that sweet spot between confidence and humility – showcase your strengths without overshadowing the team. Always seek feedback; it's like a reality check for your pitch. As for the "what else," stay adaptable and open to change. Projects are dynamic, and so should be your approach. Cheers to keeping it real and rocking those projects!

Nobody sees everything you publish except you. So you can sell yourself a little more than you might otherwise think is appropriate. Confidence is good, but avoid arrogance. Arrogant people never acknowledge their limits or admit to the possibility that they might be wrong. While confident people are comfortable discussing what they know, what they might know, and what they don't know in equal measure.

Innovation is not just about embracing change; it's about driving it. This requires experimenting with new ideas, methodologies, and tools. It's about having the courage to step out of our comfort zones and try something untested or unproven, knowing well that every attempt is a step towards refining our expertise.

Overselling or desperate pitching is a scarcity tactic. You're a true expert, embody that spirit, step into your lighthouse self and ideal clients will get reeled into towards you. You have to believe, deep inside, that you're going to thrive and make it work. Cement that every day AND take ownership to make it come true. You can't lead others unless you first lead yourself.