Does anyone else feel weird about self-promo? Should I get over it?
For reference, we just launched our company (https://www.producthunt.com/posts/qrono). I'm really proud of what we built, and I want us to succeed, but I have a hard time promoting my own work.
It feels like the work should "speak for itself", and I should just be "so good they can't ignore me".
I know that realistically this doesn't make sense, but how do you draw the line successfully?
This also applies to sales, which I consistently get blocked on because I feel weird about asking people to use my product, even if I genuinely think it would save them money!
What are some strategies you've used to walk the tight-rope between self-promotion and level-headed marketing? How should I get over my anxiety about self-promotion? Any relevant war stories I should read?
I definitely do.. that said, from what you’ve described you’re not really self promoting.
So, if you internalize that it’s not about you - it’s about how you can help people, it might become less challenging.
Maybe if you remove the word “self” from the language you use, the internal monologue, and externally when talking about it, it might become easier to reframe the overall situation.
For example, if your product really does help people then maybe you just need to “discuss it” with potential customers rather than “promote it”.
Talking to people vs selling to people.. if it’s more conversational than salesy it might make it easier to ask them to “give it a try” 🤷♂️
Anxiety is usually about something that might happen in the future - if you stop imagining the future outcome, then there’s no anxiety.
I used this strategy when I had to do some public speaking (public speaking is not my thing). I had three weeks to prepare my talk. I completely side stepped all of the anxiety by spending 2 days preparing, and then went on holiday to Bali until the day before my talk.
I flew back to Melbourne, gave my talk the next day. I did not think about the talk at all after the initial two days prep, right up to actually standing at the mic. It worked really well.
Bottom line is, I think this is just about how you frame it and how often you imagine possible future outcomes. The “what ifs”.
I’m rambling a bit, but hopefully something I’ve written helps.
Good luck! 🍻
PS: google: “self-distancing”.
thanks, this is helpful! I think imagining it as trying to have more conversations about the product instead of trying to do more sales is a really helpful frame shift!
If you cannot sing the prices of your product, no one else will! So don't overthink about this.
I am guessing you are the solopreneur trying to run these sales calls. So, to put yourself at ease, You can create a Sales Playbook that will make you feel less weird about selling.
Your Sales playbook can be a running document that can include the following
✔️Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ): Combining all of your customer's questions will help you present yourself as an informed and confident salesperson.[Ex: How does this product work?].
✔️Sales Call Scripts: A few carefully worded pitches to get customers excited about your product.
✔️Anticipate and document all the common objections: Handle objections like a pro by keeping a list of common concerns about your product. Just like FAQs, this list can help you answer the most common complaints about your product.[Ex: Why should I buy this product over X?].
I hope you find this helpful. Happy selling!