Lessons I Learned from Paris Hilton

I can already hear you thinking 'What can an entrepreneurs like you and me learn from Paris Hilton, Christi?'

Shameless self-promotion!

Self-promotion comes in many forms and you can use different tactics to get your name out there. Look at politicians! Talk about self-promotion and in some not so discreet ways, at that. But, seriously, consider some of the major superstars we all know. Madonna, Donald Trump, Howard Stern and Bill Clinton, just to name a few.

We all self promote. Did you raise your hand in class to show the teacher you knew the answer? Of course! That’s self-promotion as well, and this is the kind of self-promotion that I want to talk about today.

We're not just going to copy straight out of the celebrity playbook but we are going to look at 3 major traits that natural self-promoters have and how we as entrepreneurs can use these to build our brands and businesses with class and the knowledge to back it all up. After all there's nothing more damaging than self-promoting and having nothing to back it up (like an amazing product or service)

1/ Position

You need to position yourself around people who can make a difference in your life. You need to do this frequently. You need to wake up every morning and ask yourself “Who can I meet today who will make a difference in my success?” In fact, go a step further, write it in big, bold letters and tape it on your bathroom mirror.

Also consider: Who can help me meet my goals? Is it a prospective customer/client? A colleague with contacts? An association with key members who may become prospects?

Don’t settle into interacting with the people who are the easiest to access. You need to reach outside your comfort zone and there you will find a wealth of new connections that will bring you great success.

2/ Style 

Now this doesn’t mean you need an Armani suit to bring in more business instead what this really means is how are you different from your competitors and others in your industry. What makes you memorable with customers?

If you are meeting a lot of people and they don’t remember you once you leave the room, you have a serious problem! This means you have an opportunity to present yourself in a more memorable way.
There are lots of little subtle changes you can make that can have a really big impact. Maybe it's time to reassess your:

• Business cards
• Company message
• Your picture that you use on social or your website
• Your wording
• Maybe even how you are presenting yourself physically when you meet clients.

You get the idea. There are lots of little ways you can work on making your image and business more successful. Also, consider how you sound on the phone and how you greet people at meetings or other events, is your 30-sec elevator speech clear and concise so that people know exactly what you do, how you could help them and feel confident that you're the expert in what you do?

3/ Repetition

The third trait of natural promoters is repetition. You can’t say it once and leave it at that. Successful self-promoters say it as many times as they need until they get a response. Would you remember a commercial for Coca-Cola if you only saw it once, no! You see it over and over and eventually you head out to the store.

In the same way you have to make multiple impressions on those you are networking with in order to build brand awareness. Repetition is in direct connection with positioning. If every time someone meets you or comes across you online they hear the same messaging from you, i.e. I'm a florist for big hotels then in their mind you will automatically be the go to for that particular thing and that creates a special kind of magic when it comes to creating an easy flow of referrals for your business.