Selling yourself short (or not at all)?!

Well, this is awkward.

I'm about to try to sell you some stuff for Christmas ??.

Brazenly. Upfront.

You see, generally I gently weave my offers into my emails or drop them into an ooh-just-one-tiny-thing PS., all shy and embarrassed that I have products or services I believe can help you, which I'm proud of creating and I really need to shout about.

And I bet you're the same.

Not wanting to talk too much about the stuff you do, what you're good at, why people should work with you.

Well, it's time we got over ourselves, you and I. Because how can people know what makes you brilliant, if you never tell them? Duh.

I'll start. (And read to the end for a few punchy questions about your relationship with promoting yourself.)

1) "The Career Change Guide: Five Steps to Finding Your Dream Job" (Penguin) - a perfect cheeky stocking filler for yourself or a loved one. Available everywhere from Amazon (￡14.15) to Waterstones (￡17.99), this will get you fired up during the lull between Christmas and New Year so that you start 2025 excited about building a new role or career!

It's packed with exercises, strategies, case studies and tools to help you decide what it is that really lights you up, how to actively explore your options and how to make your next move.

Don't just take it from me, here's Nicola:

"After a number of years of analysis paralysis and general career muddledom, I have finished this book with a career change action plan that I believe in. Even better, I have already set that action plan in motion and am "trying on" my three possible future selves in small, low cost (in time and money), manageable ways. Rachel writes with such a heartfelt lightness of touch that I even enjoyed the journey. At times I laughed out loud. I definitely can't say that about the other career change books that I have read" - Nicola ??????????

Or if you want something to accompany on your run or your dog walk, you can also get the audio book!

2) "Shine On LinkedIn" - my DIY online course to take your profile and your posting from dull to door-opening.

Binge watch or dip in and out of 35 bite-sized video modules totalling 7 hours, with examples, tech guides and templates that will help you write a fantastic LinkedIn page, create content and forge connections that move you forward with your career ambitions.

At ￡99 it's the perfect suggestion for a kind partner who you really want to stop buying you something utterly useless that you'll never use (yet again). Or a gift for friend who's always banging on about needing to "sort my LinkedIn".

Look at the results it got Elizabeth:

"At the start of the course, I was feeling daunted by the whole idea of LinkedIn. My profile consisted of my name, and I occasionally had a scroll but mostly felt overwhelmed. Within a week of writing my first post, I'd tripled my connections, was finding people throughout my industry to connect with. An added bonus was re-discovering former colleagues and finding out what they're doing now, and initiating a new work-related project. It's been a transformative experience" - Elizabeth

There, I did it. And I make no apology! ??

Because whether you're trying to sell a service or just sell yourself (which you absolutely need to do more of next year, by the way), sitting in the corner hoping someone notices you really won't cut it.

It's why so many of us get frustrated that we're not getting the work we want, the opportunities we dream of and the pay packet we deserve ??.

Well, maybe, just maybe, your own reticence to "sell" is part of the problem.

Say what you have to offer the world, loud and proud! Get visible. I dare you.

Here are 4 questions for you to ponder as you prepare for the new year:

??What do people not know about my career ambitions that I need to talk about more?

??Who are the specific people I need to target with these messages?

?? Aside from myself, who else can get the word out about what I have to offer?

?? What's stopping me "selling" myself and what would make it more comfortable?

Have a fabulous Christmas and let's make 2025 the year you really take control of your own career!

Happy holidays,

Rachel

PS. If you feel like Commenting on this newsletter with some feedback about what you like in my fortnightly missives and what you need more of, you would really make my Christmas ????. Or fling me an email me at [email protected].

(It's a weirdly teenage feeling regularly writing to over 2000 folks and wondering if they like you, or whether they just talk about how lame you are behind your back ??)