Selling at a discount

SELLING AT A DISCOUNT

You are for sale. You sell a talking & living product; you. When you are in a job interview, you are offering yourself in the form of your qualifications & experience. A guy asking a girl out on a date is selling her a promise that he is the right partner for her. In each day of our lives we sell ourselves to someone. The key question to ask is; are you selling a good product?

The attractiveness of a product is in two parts; its presentation and the solution it provides. Similarly your appeal is hinged on how you present yourself and what you offer. While you can dress well and smell good, these can both be undone if your self-image is off the mark. Self-image is simply what you think of yourself with regards to your abilities, personality and potential. It is formed over time through the thoughts that others have of you as well as the ones that you have about yourself. You have the ability to form either a positive or a negative perception of yourself. Someone with a negative self-image will lack ambition, downplay their achievements and will settle for less than what they deserve. This internal view has a domino effect that will affect your self-worth, self-confidence and self-esteem. While the reasons for having a negative self-image will seem reasonable to you, they are often an over emphasis of your flaws and mistakes. So while you may be selling a great product, you may be offering it at a discount through undervaluing yourself.

The way to correct the position is to adjust your focus to the positive traits you possess. This is a process of being bold and objectively listing all your strengths, achievements and talents. Asking a close friend what their view is on your strong points can yield unexpected feedback and help you become more aware of good traits you took for granted. The aim of doing this is to shed some sunshine on the gloomy picture of what you think of yourself. Over time you train your mind to stay fixed on these positives. This is complimented by the conversations you have with yourself, while we generally tend to be harsh on ourselves it is key to remind yourself of the positive attributes that you possess. 

As you sell yourself, know you worth and never offer anyone a discount.

This article was originally posted in The Guardian, dated August 2018.