When you sell services, you sell much more than knowledge or experience; you sell other essential, yet invisible commodities, like trust, security and integrity.
Most importantly, you sell credibility. Your own. Without credibility, talk of your valuable talents will ring hollow. Promises made will appear to be promises already broken. But how do you reflect credibility before you've had a chance to prove yourself? Especially when you're facing a skeptical, older audience? Here are a few suggestions:
It's okay to fake it. Self-confidence that is. You might have graduated and bought a few good suits, but you still feel like a kid playing pretend. Fortunately, people won't know unless you clue them in with your body language, attitude or appearance. Everyone feels like an imposter in the beginning. If your first big presentation is freaking you out, don't sweat it. The trick is to appear confident. If you have to be an imposter, be a great one.
Know your audience. To build credibility, it's important to know and respect the expectations of your audience. I've got a 17-year-old daughter who thinks tattoos are cool, but my dad equates them with prison or a low moral character, and I fall somewhere in between. Ideally, your credibility should span generations, especially when you're handling people's personal finances.
Look the part. When I was 33, I bought a pair of horn-rimmed glasses even though I had perfect eyesight. I called them my intimidators and I wore them to law firms because they fit the role I needed to play. Now I'm 46 and I can wear more artsy clothes and frames. My clients, law firms and CPAs, don't want a consultant in a three-piece suit but they do want their banker in one.
Don't fake what really counts: Smarts. Admitting the truth about your knowledge and asking for help are paramount to building credibility, especially with higher-ups. Other ways to demonstrate credibility and smarts include direct eye contact, confident body language, and asking the questions that allow you to uncover all the details of the job.
Admit your mistakes. Sometimes you have to step back to move forward. The only way to regain credibility if you've made a mistake is to be open and honest and to claim responsibility. Address the problem ASAP, even if it's something simple like wearing the wrong attire to a business meeting, and you'll be better off.
Find strength in numbers. Form alliances with co-workers and colleagues by talking highly of them, and asking them to do the same. Joining forces with a few like-minded talents in a class of 50 newly hired CPAs, on the premise you're going to promote each other's work, seems like a no-brainer to me. I wish I had done this when I was younger.
Know yourself. Credibility is about believability. It's important to be authentic so you can attract people who will authentically enjoy working you. This holds true for your promises, too. The threshold of credibility is making good on your word.
I would also recommend reading Harvey J. Coleman's, Empowering Yourself: The Organizational Game Revealed. While I didn't agree with his every suggestion, it's a good book about power, influence and credibility. You have my word on it.
by Wendy Nemitz