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Effective Self-Promotion
“Tooting your own horn” is a precarious proposition as it can backfire and implode any well-meaning marketing program or business. Very few people can get away with it – not all of us can be a world famous self-congratulating Mohammad Ali. Even those who are famous can be seriously punished if they don’t operate with a sufficient degree of humility. So what are the rules associated with how you go about telling the world how good you are, or in convincing people of your accomplishments and expertise – without going too far?

Basically the following rule applies to almost all levels of business and social intercourse: “If you have to tell people how good you are, you aren’t!” People who are exceptionally good at what they do are usually rather naturally surrounded with the cues and clues that are rather easy for others to pick up on. However, even with this given, it begs the question of how one further distinguishes themselves in a competitive field where at least the public perception is held that all providers or suppliers are equally endowed or gifted.

So, this raises an interesting question: If you don’t or shouldn’t tell people how good you are – if you can’t convey that essential message – who else is going to do it? How else can it be accomplished?

However it is accomplished, if you can’t or don’t find a way to “sell yourself” in a way that is inviting and even endearing, people shut down, turn away, and find other sources and solutions to their problems. To survive and thrive in business it is essential to somehow get the word out about your accomplishments and expertise, even above and beyond the “natural” clues you may surround yourself with.

In a world that favors humility and punishes over-stated self-attention, a modern business owner or professional must be careful about how they convey their strengths and assets. There are several ways this can be done. There is a bragging “middle ground” that provides you with an artful and acceptable way of communicating with people and in effectively turning the spotlight on yourself, that will feel natural and comfortable to you and to the person on the receiving end as well. When it is done effectively the receiving person will never suspect that you have in effect “tooted your own horn!”

Shameless self-promotion is about how you get your name out on the front line. It is about how your showcase and broadcast your accomplishments, and have them recirculated over and over and in multiple forums – all in a manner that it doesn’t appear disingenuous or arrogant or self-important.
Here are five ways you can accomplish effective self-promotion.

1. Conversation. Casual conversation is an often overlooked opportunity for telling people who you are and what you do. This 30 second “elevator speech” must be well thought out and prepared, and then presented or worked into a conversation in a natural manner. If this can’t be done, it is better to wait for a more propitious moment than to bomb with an ill-timed brag.

Striking up a conversation with people you meet makes you friendly, inviting, and can provide wonderful opportunities to tell others about what you do. Friendly greetings, identifying something about them you have in common, commenting on the event, observing and commenting on their ‘world’ – all are great ways to break the ice and to engage in social interactions which open the door to deeper level conversations. Some might label this behavior as selfish schmoozing, which it can be if not maturely approached and managed in an ethical manner. However, from a self-promotion perspective, the ability to do so can make or break a career. It is not con-artistry, but effective communication.

There seems to be an unwritten social contract of acceptable behavior which makes the technique choice very important. When introducing yourself say your name and mention what you do – in general terms. At this point, avoid the temptation to go on about what you do and instead allow the other person to offer their name. Remember the rule of social reciprocity. If you ask them about them, they will likely return the favor and provide you with a natural opportunity to expand your introduction. If they don’t, or don’t do it right away, you can easily work into the beginning conversation a reflective listening technique which tells the other person you are listening to them while at the same time allowing you to introduce information about where you are coming from.

2. Biographical Sketch. Write a biographical sketch which touts your academic, entrepreneurial, scientific, and/or business accomplishments and expertise. In today’s society it isn’t considered good form to speak of yourself or draw undue attention to your own accomplishments. But you can easily and ‘legally’ place this information in special acceptable places and formats.

You can write a book, author an article or white paper, or prepare a booklet for dissemination to your client or customer base, and put the Bio Sketch on the back cover. The back cover is the ‘legal’ place where biographical sketch are considered normal and in fact expected.

This same sketch should also be placed on your company or personal web site. It usually works best in the About Us section. Even if the sketch here is somewhat strong in its listing of accomplishments and skills, it is very acceptable.

Biographical sketches should always be written in a third-party voice, as though someone else other than you were writing it.

3. Public Relations. An old Buddhist saying tells us that “Wherever you go, there you are”. This wise saying is the essence of public relations! Public relations provide a great opportunity for safely and comfortably drawing attention to you and your business purposes. The less self-serving the P.R. appears the more authentic it will appear and the more likely it is to be picked up by media who will run with the story on their own. Public relations promotions can be broken down into charitable and non-charitable.

Charitable ventures and projects which benefit the community or special needs groups or public service organizations, provide an excellent opportunity for name and brand recognition. Becoming involved in service organizations, sponsoring fund raisers, providing care for the disadvantaged, etc are all acceptable ways for charitable based public relations. From an ethical and moralistic perspective, these endeavors should be based upon a genuine desire to be charitable and not primarily motivated with self-serving purposes. That having been said, venturing into the public arena provides many acceptable opportunities to accomplish good and at the same time benefit from public exposure.

Non-charitable P.R. is usually primarily wrapped around public exposure and branding efforts. Associating yourself with big name commercial projects or events provides great opportunities for name exposure, brand building, and networking. Expect to part with some money to accomplish good branding P.R. exposure.

4. Compliments. Use compliments and positive recognitions wisely. Instead of saying “Oh that was nothing”, segue your response into something like “Oh – thank you! I’m glad you [noticed, feel that way], because [I’ve received other similar comments, we’ve worked real hard at…]. In fact [for the last couple of years we’ve…, I’ve already lined up a great…].” This is called ‘embracing a compliment’ and it avoids discounting the person who offered he compliment.

When a dental patient says “that was the most comfortable injection I’ve ever had”, don’t say – “oh it was nothing.” And don’t even just say “thanks.” Instead, say “thanks. I’ve been there myself and I know how important it is to be comfortable. That is why we invest so much attention into making sure our patients have a good experience here.”

This technique even works better when the response comes from another person in behalf of you. For example, in following the previous example, a dental assistant would brag up the dentist by saying “Oh, isn’t he just great! There isn’t anybody better. You’ll need to make sure to tell your friends.”

5. Third Parties. Help others to introduce you right. Whether it is in introducing you before a speech you will deliver, or in helping satisfied clients/patients know enough about you to recommend you to their friends, you need to prepare others with the right things to say about you. This often literally means putting the right words in their mouths so they will talk about you in the way you want them to. This can be accomplished by providing written information to those who introduce you, and to your clients and patients. This allows you to control the content and much of what is said about you.

This technique is another angle on third-part validation. It always sounds better and is more believable when coming from another person – even if you are the author of all that they say. A small step-sheet “share” folder is an excellent example of a marketing vehicle that offers a comfortable way for clients to tell others about you. Use your imagination on what can go inside. Because its dissemination is controlled by someone other than you, it provides an almost effortless way to spread information about you to other people and through other groups.

Added Value Dental Marketing
Most dentists are so busy rushing to get to the next patient, or learning about the next best composite adhesive system, or trying to cut a stroke from their golf game, that they are missing out on one of the easiest, least expensive and most effective methods for marketing known to mankind. It’s called “Added Value Marketing!” There are hundreds of ways of adding value – but we’ll focus on a big one, a free one, and one that is staring all of us in the face!

Summary: Use existing public and professional information along with your computer and copy machine, to add value to patient and professional referral relationships. It’s free – and ‘nobody’ else is doing it! It also qualifies as a “drip” in the MDReferrals’ physician marketing program. Here’s how…

The concept is remarkable simple and has a thousand-and-one permutations. Simply put - add value to any relationship by ‘going the second mile’, by giving the client/patient or referral source something extra that wasn’t bargained for in the normal course of the business experience or relationship.

To illustrate – let’s say that today you were reading your local newspaper, or a popular health magazine, or even a professional journal, and you read an article about the relationship between diabetes and periodontal disease. Thinking dentists and professional marketers (and maybe sadly, not many of them) would be asking the question: “What can I do with this information to grow my practice?” It’s probably safe to guess that 99.99% of dentists never form this thought in their minds – which is to say that for those who do, the marketplace is wide open for them.

This information is free and is presented in a believable and credible media. The question is - what could you or any ‘marketing enlightened’ dentist do with this information? Well – consider this….

Imagine tomorrow morning going to the office and having a staff person query your dental patient database for all patients with diabetes. To your ‘delight’, there were 49 patients who had marked down that they were diabetic. You open up MSWord and type a short memo like:

“Dear [patient name],
“I was reading in today’s paper about the problem of gum disease and diabetes. The writer of the article noted that …. He also referenced the study which described …. I just saw this article and thought of you and thought you would appreciate reading this – just in case you missed reading it in the paper today.
“I’m looking forward to seeing you at your next appointment. I hope you are having a great day! Warmest regards… Doctor Jones.”

Your staff person then performs a merge-field formatting of the memo and prints out 49 letters with the patients name, followed by 49 addressed envelopes or address labels. Next she photocopies 49 copies of the newspaper (or magazine) article and stuffs the letter along with the copied article into envelopes, stamps them and sends them out the door in the mail.

Staff person with computer skills - about 30 minutes of time; Doctor investment – cut out article and write 1 paragraph memo; Effect on patient relationship – priceless!

Now take this concept and think it in the direction of B2B marketing (i.e. other health professionals). Imagine that a professional journal or high-quality health magazine prints a great article this month on how bad dental bites can cause headaches, ear problems, and facial pain. What doctors, chiropractors, neurologists, and ENTs do you know or know about, who might be impressed with this information? Maybe even more impressed with you for thinking of them to share it with them? “Just ran across this and thought you might like to have this info. Have a great day!”

One of MDReferrals tips for marketing preparation is to already have an Excel spreadsheet developed (and updated) that is a master list of physician’s, dentist’s, chiropractor’s, physical therapist’s, etc contact information so you can mail or fax or email on a moment’s notice any information (patient or general info related) pertinent to that health professional and/or your mutual patients. Why not use that database for Added Value Information Marketing - also?

“I just ran across this and thought of you” is a powerful method for relationship marketing using neutral apolitical information that carries no agenda and no solicitation. The computer and copy machine sitting on your front desk along with a little staff time and marketing ingenuity - make it all happen – brilliantly!

To better illustrate - here is a real world example any proactive dentist can exploit, using the current dental magazine Compendium – September 2007. (If you don’t have this dental journal, you can substitute any current periodical and extrapolate this example to that publication.) When you are through reading the clinical and the science, look at it through your marketing glasses and ask “who would this information add value to?”

All this is out of one issue of one magazine that is likely sitting on every dentist’s desk or in their “stuff to read” pile. If it’s not there or you threw it away – dig a different professional periodical out from the “to read” pile, or go online and Google ANY of a thousand articles on a hundred web sites that would work just as well, or buy this months edition of a high quality health magazine from Barnes and Nobel.

“I was just surfing the net and came across this very interesting article on heart valve replacement and dental infections” or “I just saw this interesting article on oral sleep appliances and OSA – thought of you …”.

Soon, adding value will become rather automatic. From a marketing angle it is one more “drip”, one more reminder of you, one more opportunity to put your name in front of a patient or physician.

For me, birthday cards from my optometrist are okay. I suppose it’s nice to know that his computer remembered me on my important birth anniversary. But how about getting that – PLUS sometime randomly receiving an article about “Three things 50 year old dentists could do to protect their vision”, or “Dental vision & magnification tips and tricks?” I would read that stuff! And appreciate the sender! “Thank you very much!”

I’ll do business with, and send business to, those people who favor me with Added Value!

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