Evangelism for yourself: Marketing yourself in a group

 

 

 

I have been learning many more things in life the hard way, which people tend to pick up very early in their careers, & one of the things which I have come across is the art of marketing yourself in a group or in a public setting.

This article has taken inspiration from an article by Guy Kawasaki where the author is trying to put forth the key arguments of being a good product/service evangelist. The same logics apply to individual marketing as well, where the importance of a being can only be stressed upon when the focus is not on yourself but on making the discussion/network more efficient & fruitful.

A professional shall be deemed crucial for a discussion, or to a process if he/she is able to change the lifecycle of the entire product/service or a significant part of it. This essentially means that the suggestions & participation in the group and contribution in the group is much more important and significant than the actual product and service, or the Cause for which the group or the Network has come together to jointly work .

The relevance of various different leaders from public domain was higher because of their contribution in making a difference to the society, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Aang San Suu Kyi and many more such people.

I my opinion, following are the key cogs in effectively changing the course of discussions while working on different products/services, thus leaving an impression on the group about “how passionately or sincerely you think/feel about the product/service”

Make it great.

It's very hard to evangelize crap. It’s much easier to evangelize great stuff. I learned that the starting point of evangelism is a great product or service. Great stuff embodies five qualities:

• Profound. This means that whatever you say in the discussion, has lots of different points of view, because you are trying to foresee the how the product/service shall be perceived by the customers, when it goes out commercially.
• Relevant. The network should reflect upon your contributions as genuinely relevant and important in transforming the product/service
• Complete. A successful product/service is only possible, when all the possible facets/modalities have been completely thought through and stitching things end to end is super crucial. Thus cross functional dependencies and their engagement in the process is super important.
• Empowering. Pushing yourself to the fore shouldn’t be the only agenda in a team, and thus Empowering others in the network to speak up and contribute is just as important as portraying yourself in the discussion.
• Elegant. This means that you shouldn’t be perceived as too pushy and your maneuvering in shaping up the product in the final acceptable format should be such that other contributors should take the suggestions in their stride while recognizing your contributions.

Help others to discover the “Soul” or "cause"

A discussion about a product or service, no matter how great, is a collection of parts or snippets of points of view. A “cause,” by contrast, changes lives. It’s not enough to make a great product or service—you also need to position it and explain it as a way to improve lives. Thus, making the group connect with the higher objective of changing the lives of the end consumers by identifying with the “Soul” of the product which ultimately shall help in evolving an amazing product/service.

Harp on Humility.

Don’t describe your suggestions as “revolutionary,” “paradigm shifting,” and “curve jumping.” Conveying your thoughts in a more subtle and humble but assertive tone, shall earn some extra points. People don’t buy “revolutions.” But look forward to quick solutions to fix the pain or “vitamins” to supplement their lives, so stay humble and keep it simple.

Non Users vs, Pre-occupied Patrons.

It is very hard to convert someone to a new religion when he worships another god. In order to successfully see your suggestions go through in the group, you must garner support of team members in the group. Those who are either neutral or have no point of view are easy to convert to your way rather than those, who have their opinions and dispositions.

If a person doesn’t “get” your product or service after fifteen minutes, cut your losses and move on and focus on those who are more interested in what you say and profess.

Demoing the Scenarios

“Evangelist who cannot give a great demo” is an oxymoron.Demoing should be as second nature, even involuntary, as breathing. Try to showcase the various scenarios as to how would the product look like if implemented the way you want to put it across. Let people figure out the various merits in the proposition rather than only you talking in person.

 

Minimalistic Changes in the existing processes.

The disruptively new thoughts and value systems shall be perceived well, only if they are not asking the users to fundamentally change their use cases. Thus, the new product/service in the making shouldn’t demand the users to put in lot of effort by expending their efforts and resources to adapt to the new environment. This may also not find favours with other stakeholders.

Everyone’s important.

If you want to succeed as a Significant contributor, ignore people’s titles and pedigrees, accept people as they are, and treat everyone with respect and kindness. Thus, garnering the support from different strata of stakeholders is as important as it for the CXOs or other senior management.

Conclusion

Don’t try to be a hardwired salesperson who is obsessed with his or her own best interests at heart: commission, making quota, closing the deal. An evangelist has the other person’s best interests at heart: “Try this because it will help you.” Keep this difference in mind, and you’ll be on the right track.

Thanks!