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Introverted Business Owners: Don't Believe These Three Myths About Introverts' Marketing Abilities
by Marcia Yudkin
Business Skills
Published on this site: January 4th, 2011 - See
more articles from this month
An introvert is someone who needs to recharge their energy alone
rather than with other people. An extrovert is someone who gains
energy being with other people and loses energy being alone.
These definitions come from Carl Jung, whose work formed the
basis for the Myers-Briggs personality test. If you're not sure
whether or not you're an introvert, I encourage you to take that
test.
If you do know you're an introvert, you may believe you're at a
huge disadvantage when it comes to marketing. Many experts define
the "shoulds" of marketing in such a way that introverts seem
to need a personality transplant in order to do the outreach
needed to get their business known. At the same time, much of the
stigma attached to being an introvert in business for oneself
comes from misconceptions about introverts, and that's what
I'll be tackling in this article.
Watch out for these three myths that are harmful to a lot of
introverts when it comes to marketing.
- Introverts are shy and don't like to be around other
people. True, introverts can also be shy, but not all shy people
are introverts. These are two different phenomena. Shy people
wish they were better at being around other people and want to be
around other people. Introverts who understand themselves are
content to be by themselves. Shy people are the ones who wish
they were invited to the party, wish desperately to be invited to
dance or talk but hold back. Introverts are often not interested
in going to the party to begin with.
The harmfulness of this myth comes about when you think that
because you enjoy being by yourself, you're shy and therefore
socially incompetent, and then you convince yourself that you
shouldn't pursue any form of marketing that involves social
contact. Keep reading to learn more about why that's wrong.
- Myth #2 is related to #1: Introverts have poor social skills and
poor relationships. In fact, introverts can be very good at
getting along with people. They may just have a different style
of getting along with people. Instead of using small talk as
all-purpose social grease, they may be better at having quiet,
meaningful conversations. Introverts tend to relate better one
person at a time than to a group of people. They can be very good
salespeople because they tend to listen well and be interested in
getting at what matters instead of more superficial things. They
may have a smaller circle of friends and clients but have more
intense, loyal relationships with people who matter to them.
In business, this myth is damaging to introverts because it may
get them to discount the less obvious social skills they have.
They may therefore put someone in charge of sales and marketing
who seems to have the right personality but doesn't have the
ability to get down to brass tacks and nail the sale. That's
exactly what happened to me in an ill-fated business partnership
early in my career. It took me nearly two years to figure out
that I, the back-room person, was actually much better at
marketing than my front-room partner who could talk up a storm
but not much else.
- Myth #3 is that introverts lack leadership ability. They're not
rah-rah kinds of leaders, but they can certainly inspire the
troops and keep followers committed to the right path. Again,
their leadership style may be different. Introverted CEOs include
Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Andrea Jung of Avon, Vic Conant of
Nightingale Conant and many others, by one estimate about 40
percent of CEOs.
Yet in an informal survey on the job site TheLadders.com, 65
percent said introversion is an impediment to climbing the
corporate ladder. That's a matter of perception, not reality.
Introverted leaders may not be the life of the company party, but
they may have vision that gets broad buy-in, integrity that earns
respect, smarts that run rings around the competition, discipline
that gets things done and marketing savvy that attracts no end of
customers.
Socrates said it best: Know yourself. Use that knowledge to
pursue success regardless of whether or not other people think
you have the right stuff!
Marcia Yudkin: A bookworm as a child, Marcia Yudkin grew up to discover she
had a surprising talent for creative marketing. She's the
author of more than a dozen books, including 6 Steps to Free
Publicity, now in its third edition, and Persuading People to
Buy. She also mentors introverts so they discover their
uniquely powerful branding and most comfortable marketing
strategies. To learn more about the strengths and preferences
of introverts, download her free Marketing for Introverts
audio manifesto: http://www.yudkin.com/introverts.htm.
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