How to Sell Yourself - Arch Lustberg

How to Sell Yourself

The main emphasis of the book is being honest with your audience. Arch presents that people are often most honest when talking to their friends and family, however, when in front of an audience, they fake who they are to be the person they think the audience believes they should be. However, being yourself is the secret to communicating with an audience. When you are yourself, you are relaxed and open about what you are talking about. This influences your audience to like you, and likeability is what sells you to the audience.

Below are some key takeaways from each chapter of the book:

Chapter 1 (Selling Yourself)

We need three things to sell ourselves: Competence, Likability, and Luck. Likability is the most important in that the perception of others on who you are is what influences their decision on you. To be likable, you need to present an honest version of yourself and not lie about who you are by being a different person on the stage and with your friends. It is easy to stand on the stage when you are yourself because the audience can sense you are not trying to fool them.

When selling yourself, do not focus on those who already buy what you say or those who do not, focus on those undecided and convince them to be on your side.

Chapter 2 (Selling your competence)

Competence is about showing the audience that you know what you are talking about. It entails believing that you have the information you are sharing with the audience. Avoid using competence-defeating words such as 'umm' or 'uh' in the middle of a speech because the audience starts thinking you may not know what you are talking about. Get to the point: make your message short and straight to the point. Giving long stories make the audience lose the focus point of the message. 'When you are finished talking, stop.'

Chapter 3 (Selling your likability)

'Get rid of the artificial person you think you are supposed to be. Become the person you really are.'

Becoming likable is all about ensuring you maintain an open face and smile when appropriate. In other words, be your usual self around your audience.

Chapter 4 (Selling with confidence)

Confidence comes from how relaxed you are with your audience. Use the breathing technique to relax before you give the talk. The audience perceives your message based on how confident you present yourself to be. Confidence is the awareness that being audience-friendly is how you can sell yourself. Audience friendly is achieved through the breathing exercise. In this exercise, you take in a deep diaphragmatic breath, not the usual one that makes your shoulders move. The breath should be natural and not strained in a way you move all parts of your body. You should only feel your diaphragm moving.

Chapter 5 (Selling with the right signals)

Body language is important when selling yourself. Using the right signals, keeping the right amount of eye contact, standing in the right position are important. Ensure you stand in an upright position and make your hand movements natural, not forced.

Chapter 6 (Selling yourself as a speaker)

Before you accept to be a speaker, understand what you are being called to talk about and why you were picked. Ensure your speech leaves an impression on the audience by giving a short and simple speech. Before giving the speech, prepare. The audience deserves the best.

Chapter 7 (Selling yourself in media confrontation or interview)

In confrontations, people are not trying to get information rather make someone look bad. You need to learn how to turn a confrontation into a positive answer. Make sure you get your point through despite what turn the interview takes.

Chapter 8 (Selling yourself in the classroom)

'The secret to really good teaching is good communication, the ability to get information from your mind into the student's mind.' Don't be dull during the process and make the classroom as lively as possible.

Chapter 9 (Selling your product)

need to know your product, believe in it, and know your buyer.

Chapter 10 (selling yourself in a job interview)

'Whatever you do, don't panic.'Likability wins, so ensure the person conducting the interview perceives you positively.

Take control of the interview; make sure you present yourself as you want, not in how the interviewer structures their questions. Remember your worth and value are in you, not in how much you are paid or what you are doing.

Your interviewer is not superior to you, they are normal human beings like you are so don't panic.

Chapter 11 (Selling yourself when testifying)

When testifying, take a short pause before answering questions. This will help you think thoroughly of your answer and prevent prosecutors from tricking you into blurting out answers. Be honest and direct with your answers.

Chapter 12 (Selling yourself in meetings)

It takes skillful and dynamic presentations to get interested in your audience. Remember not to call a meeting when unnecessary otherwise people will feel like you are wasting their time. Start meetings on time; don't punish promptness. When introducing a speaker, make it short and interesting to capture the audience's attention.

Chapter 13 (Selling yourself in negotiations)

Negotiation is all about conferring with the other party, not arguing to get your point across. In negotiations, both sides should get a fair time to express their ideas and exchange information. Remember to allow your opponent to get their points across fully before you interfere.