Marketing can be a walk in the park if you take the time to identify your strengths and learn how to leverage their powers. Everyone Can Market. You have your own unique talents and strengths, so our goal is to help you understand how to make them work for you as you are marketing yourself and your services. Remember this – your approach and strategy will be different than anyone else’s because of your unique combination of strengths. At PSM, we are big fans of using the Gallup StrengthsFinder™ test to identify your core strengths. After 40 years of research, Gallup developed a systematic method that can decipher which naturally occurring talents you possess. These abilities are a catalyst for personal development and professional growth. You can also watch this video for a brief outline of how we help our clients use their strengths in business.
Identifying your talents is half the battle – if you invest time and energy into developing these skills, you will discover that these talents have evolved into strengths. You will then be able to leverage these strengths in every aspect of your professional career. My journey, for example, began with the breakthrough that my talents are based in communication and activation. In the past, I thought I just had a compulsive drive to interrupt meetings with my random thoughts. However, in discovering my strengths I was able to harness my abilities and become leader – whether facilitating a meeting or delivering a presentation. The StrengthFinders™ results are categorized into four different quadrants. By establishing where your strengths commonly surface, you will be able to determine your leadership style. You can use this information to your advantage by leveraging your strengths in your personal marketing efforts.
The Four Quadrants
- Executing: If you fall into this category, you are reliable beyond words. You can leverage this strength by establishing a referral stream through your world-class responsiveness and excellent client service. You are also blessed with the ability to execute long-term marketing plans like social media engagement or consistent referral nurturing.
- Relationship: This collection of strengths is all about understanding the needs of the people around you and building long-lasting relationships. In a group, you are the glue that holds everyone together. You have a unique point of view and can often anticipate your clients’ needs before your clients even begin to realize it. To leverage this strength is to use your personal strengths to build and expand current relationships, whether that’s with clients, referral sources or prospects.
- Influencing: This category is home to the traditional “people-person.” Because you genuinely enjoy meeting new people and bringing them into the fold, you are often seen as the rainmaker or networking czar. You are often seen as the face of the firm, but may not have the predilection for continuing relationships or executing a project. Leveraging your strengths, you would focus on sparking new connections and establishing a pipeline for their continued attention.
- Strategic: This quadrant hosts the analytical thinkers and intellectual dreamers. With these strengths, you will find it easy to establish credibility through your thought leadership – from the boardroom to the podium. If you properly leverage this authority, your expertise will project onto the firm as a whole.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, different strengths position you on different paths to greatness. We recommend that everyone set aside some time to take the Gallup StrengthsFinder™ test to identify their core strengths and ensure that their marketing roles are aligned respectively. To learn more on how to leverage your personal strengths, take a moment to watch our webinar on “How to Build and Promote Your Personal Brand.”