7 years ago
August 31, 2017

5 Marketing Tactics to Avoid When Selling Yourself

Selling yourself is just as important as the products and services you sell. As they say, people don’t buy from companies, they buy from other people. Your ability to sell…

Rhys Metler

Selling yourself is just as important as the products and services you sell. As they say, people don’t buy from companies, they buy from other people. Your ability to sell yourself and connect with prospects and clients can help you make inroads during the sales process.

However, it’s important to use the right marketing tactics to sell yourself effectively. Here are 5 marketing tactics to avoid when selling yourself:

1. Only talking about yourself

Getting to know your prospects and clients is important. You want to have a good relationship with them. They also want to learn about you. But this doesn’t mean you should spend the bulk of your time tooting your own horn. There is a fine line between telling others about how you can help and be a bit of a braggart.

2. Not knowing who you are

Who are you? What type of salesperson are you? What is your area of expertise? What experience and skills do you have that can help your clients? Effective sales reps are not a jack of all trades. They are focused and specialize in a particular area. They know who they are, and they stay in their lane. They don’t pretend to be something they are not.

3. Being something you are not

We all want to put the best foot forward and impress our clients, but trying to be something you are not will eventually catch up to you. And when it does, you can appear fake and that can hurt your credibility. Therefore, it’s more important to be honest and stick to who you are. People can appreciate this.

4. Being over-aggressive

Sometimes you will have to take “no” for an answer. While it may hurt on a personal level, you need to understand that you can’t close every deal or get along with every prospect. Avoid being over-aggressive or laying it on too thick when trying to establish a relationship with your clients. While you may mean well, it could backfire on you.

5. Selling to anyone

Selling yourself all the time will wear thin. Don’t try to sell yourself to everyone you encounter. Rather, it’s more effective to pick your spots, understand your market and audience, and choose the right time and place.

Learn More About Selling Yourself and Other Sales Advice

LinkedIn Hacks to Get You More Sales Leads

Fatal Sales Mistakes You Should Avoid

Effective Ways to Retain Customers


SalesForce Search is a sales recruiting company which specializes in the recruitment and placement of sales professionals. We recruit sales people in every sector of the economy including, software, manufacturing, financial services and medical devices. Find the right sales person for your organization, start your search here.

Rhys Metler

Rhys is a tenacious, top performing Senior Sales Recruiter with 15+ years of focused experience in the Digital Media, Mobile, Software, Technology and B2B verticals. He has a successful track record of headhunting top performing sales candidates for some of the most exciting brands in North America. He is a Certified Recruitment Specialist (CRS) and has expert experience in prospecting new business, client retention/renewals and managing top performing sales and recruitment teams. Rhys enjoys spending quality time with his wife, son, and daughters, BBQing on a hot summer day and tropical vacations.

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