The idea of impostor syndrome came up in a conversation this week, and I immediately knew that was what I wanted to write about for this week’s marketing tip. Whether you were familiar with this term or not, it’s something that a lot of business owners deal with. Impostor syndrome is a pervasive doubt of ourselves and our accomplishments. It’s the nagging feeling that somewhere, somehow, someone’s going to realize you shouldn’t be where you are. It’s the opposite of good marketing. Today, I want to talk about why impostor syndrome undermines you and why it isn’t fair to your clients.
At their core, marketing and sales are all about connecting your products or services with people who need them. If you are talking to the right people, you are HELPING them by telling them about what you do. Or maybe you are providing reassurance for them that when they need what you have, you’ll be there at the ready.
Isn’t that just a nice thing to do? Flip this around for a moment. When you have a problem you need solved, and you tell someone about it in a conversation, how would you feel if you later found out that they had a way to help you and never told you about it?
Often, impostor syndrome is framed as self-sabotage. It means we are ignoring everything that is valid and proven and great about our experience, our learning, and our background. We are doubting our capability to do things that we probably have no reason to doubt. Impostor syndrome is usually referenced as a way we hurt ourselves and try to prevent ourselves from succeeding.
But that’s not the whole story. Impostor syndrome isn’t fair to your clients. It hurts them and all the prospects who could have been helped by you. Having confidence in ourselves is part of serving our customers.
Having confidence in ourselves is part of serving our customers. #confidence #marketing #business Share on XI remember a time when I was rewarded for overcoming my own impostor syndrome feelings. Many years ago, before public speaking was a part of my business, someone approached me and asked me to lead an advanced marketing workshop for a business class he ran. I had no idea why he would ask me to do it. I said yes tentatively. I decided to manage my doubts by working hard to create a solid plan for the workshop. I outlined, I researched, I practiced.
On the day of the workshop, I delivered the material, and I spent the last hour going around the room and helping the entrepreneurs work through the examples for their own businesses. When the class time officially ended, a line of people formed to talk to me. They all wanted MY marketing advice. Some of them had just had breakthroughs that they wanted to discuss. It was a pivotal moment for me. Seeing that line of people not only validated that I SHOULD have been teaching that class, but that all of these people would have MISSED OUT on their breakthroughs if I hadn’t been there.
I now do speaking engagements regularly, and it is one of the most rewarding things I do.
Having confidence in myself helped me serve my leads and my clients better. Having confidence in yourself helps you serve your clients better, too.
If you have expertise in some area, you are a resource. Not a fraud. Withholding your expertise from the world helps no one. Leaving people out there struggling when you could have helped them with your product or service is cruel.
Withholding your expertise from the world helps no one. #marketing #business #smallbiz #smb Share on XBe nice to your clients. Be fair to your clients. Be confident in your support of them. Don’t let anything stop you – including yourself.