The Craft of Selling Yourself.pdf

The Craft of Selling

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The Craft of Selling “YOURSELF”

Ashraf Chaudhry Published by: TRCB Media Networks LLC http://www.TRCB.com

The Craft of Selling "YOURSELF" available now at http://www.TRCB.com

TotalRecallPress.com This Book is Sponsored by TotalRecall Publications, Inc. The sponsoring editor is Bruce Moran and the production supervisor is Corby R. Tate.

Copyright © 2009 by: Ashraf Chaudhry All rights reserved. Printed in United States of America, Europe and Canada. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical or by photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. Worldwide exclusive Book and eBook publication and distribution by TRCB.com. Soft Cover ISBN: 978-1-59095-831-5 UPC 6-43977-86607-3

eBook: Adobe Acrobat ISBN 978-1-59095-832-2 UPC 6-43977-68322-2

First edition, November 2008 (Pakistan) Designed & composed by Farida Ashraf The views expressed in this book are solely those of the Author, Co-Authors, Contributors and do not represent the views of any other party or parties.

Disclaimer Notice: Judgments as to the suitability of the information herein for purchaser's purposes are necessarily the purchaser's responsibility. Author(s), Publisher, and Sponsors extend no warranties, make no representations, and assume no responsibility as to the accuracy or suitability of such information for application to the purchaser's intended purposes or for consequences of its use. This publication is designed to provide accurate information as of the date of this printing in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the copyright owners are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person who specializes in that particular field should be sought. While due care has been exercised in the compilation of this guide, we are not responsible for errors or omissions. This reference material is intended to assist in providing information to the public, and the information is delivered as accurately as possible.

No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording, nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise copied for public and private use, without written permission of publisher and author except in the case of brief quotations.

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The book is dedicated to my mother who‘s an endless source of guidance, inspiration & prayers for me, Fari, my wife, without her being at my back, I can‘t succeed in life, and my four years old son, Rahnuma, who practices ―The Craft of Selling‖ to get his toys and cartoon movies.

Obtain your copy of The Craft of Selling "YOURSELF" from http://www.TRCB.com

The Craft of Selling "YOURSELF" available now at http://www.TRCB.com

Captains of Industry Speak... ‚This is NOT just a book about getting a job. This book is about building a foundation of success for your entire life. The priceless wisdom sits in each chapter like your own private mastermind group of personal coaches and consultants that exists only for the purpose of making you a success. Don’t just think about buying this book. BUY IT NOW. Don't just buy this book. READ IT. Don't just read this book. PUT THIS POWERFULLY EFFECTIVE ADVICE TO WORK FOR YOU NOW! AND WATCH YOUR LIFE BECOME SUCCESSFUL.”

MASTER TRAINER Stephen Reynolds Stephen Reynolds Seminars International "If you are the kind of person who loves to serve others, you will be well served by reading this new book. When you sell yourself, you are selling a promise to serve other people well. Keep that promise and watch your business grow.‛

Ron Kaufman Author, UP Your Service! Founder, UP Your Service! College ‚Packed with meaningful information to grow your professional career, this book is worth a thorough read.‛

Dr. Nido Qubein President, High Point University Chairman, Great Harvest Bread Co. ‚No one should remain jobless after reading this book‛.

Murtaza Hashwani Chief Executive Pearl-Continental & Marriott Hotel chains, Pakistan

Obtain your copy of The Craft of Selling "YOURSELF" from http://www.TRCB.com

The Craft of Selling "YOURSELF" available now at http://www.TRCB.com ‛I’ve had the good fortune of working with Ashraf and always believed that his huge reservoir of talent would shine in every endeavor. His insightful book is a very useful guide making executives realize and market their true potential in the highly competitive world.‛

Aftab Tapal CEO, Tapal Tea "A brilliant handbook for all professionals! Packed with invaluable advice and techniques, this book will help you build value in the most important piece of the sales equation - YOU. Highly recommended!‛

Mike Brooks Author of, The Real Secrets of the Top 20% ‚Ashraf has clearly articulated the first step to selling success. Once you understand the importance of ‘YOU’ in the selling equations, everything is possible.‛

Barry Siskind Author of, Selling from the Inside Out & Powerful Exhibit Marketing ‚Reading and applying the principles written in this book will help save the job-seekers of months of effort and load of frustration of rejections. It’s completely new and unique approach to enter the job market with the power of branding. It’s packed with ‘how-to’ tools. Extremely inspiring!‛

Dr. Ahsan Hameed Malik Director Marketing & Commercial Pakistan Cricket Board ‚The book is practical without fluff of exotic theories. Universities should make The Craft of Selling ‚YOURSELF‛ a part of their syllabus.‛

Siddique Shahid Noor Islamic Bank, Dubai

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The Craft of Selling "YOURSELF" available now at http://www.TRCB.com ‚Ashraf Chaudhry in his book The Craft of Selling ‚YOURSELF‛ has not only put in his professional life’s experiences but has also shared his academic learning which he acquired through the years due to his passion for reading. He has narrated only those experiences that he successfully tested during his career. I’ve in my life seen and browsed at a few self-help books. I've found them to be very academic in nature and have never had the desire to apply any of the suggestions given in the books, this book however is such that you’ll want to try all the recommendations made with the confidence that they’ll work. This book is a must read for all professionals who’re in the job market whether they’re starting their career or are in the middle of their careers, for those who’re close to retiring they should read to learn how to extend their career by putting together a Big Bang Letter ensuring an audience with the top man. The Craft of Selling ‚YOURSELF‛ is a good resource book which should be part of every library, personal and commercial‛.

Mohammedi Miabhoy COO, Tapal Tea ‚For me, this is not just a book based on information but there’s a whole lot of practical aspect to it as well. It very much shows that the author has had hands-on working experience in sales and marketing.‛

Muhammad S. Sajwani Director OSS, Telenor Pakistan ‚In today’s competitive job market, you really need to master the craft of selling your services. This is an excellent book on preparing young graduates for making a roaring entry in the job market.‛

Farooq Ahmed, Head of Sales UBL Funds, Pakistan

Obtain your copy of The Craft of Selling "YOURSELF" from http://www.TRCB.com

The Craft of Selling "YOURSELF" available now at http://www.TRCB.com ‚The Craft of Selling ‚YOURSELF‛ comes from the core of Ashraf’s heart and is the real essence of his experiences through which he morphed from being a loser to an extremely successful professional in the shortest possible timeframe. Knowing Ashraf for the last sixteen years and especially during the years of his bewilderment, I couldn’t point out a bit of exaggeration in what he has said in this book. I remain confident that this book will prove to be one of most invaluable contributions to the well being of young graduates – more specifically, business graduates.‛

Ihsan Ullah Ihsan, Head – Corp. Banking Pak Brunei Investment Company ‚Ashraf has provided a powerful tools kit to young aspiring graduates as well as corporate executives to catapult themselves to their ideal jobs.‛

Abdul Mateen Khan General Manager, Saudi Pak Bank ‚The Craft of Selling ‚YOURSELF‛ will help and inspire young graduates as well as senior executives to land on jobs they had been aspiring in the past.‛

Rizwan Munir Emirates Insurance Company, UAE ‚Ashraf has touched upon a very important subject which most of the experienced professionals often forget! It’s an exceptionally valuable guide for career professionals from internship to retirement and beyond.‛

Parvez Abbasi, Chief Executive, Mobilezone ‚This book will help you take the high road and transform your overall frame of reference - your attitude and assumptions towards ‘selling’ your most valuable product that is YOU. A must to own. A must to read. It is a shield in current recession.‛

Tosheeba Sarwar Entrepreneur, Trainer, Headhunter COO, Experiences – www.experiences.com.pk

Obtain your copy of The Craft of Selling "YOURSELF" from http://www.TRCB.com

The Craft of Selling "YOURSELF" available now at http://www.TRCB.com

Obtain your copy of The Craft of Selling "YOURSELF" from http://www.TRCB.com

The Craft of Selling "YOURSELF" available now at http://www.TRCB.com

CONTENTS Captains of Industry Speak... .................................................................................................. IV Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... XIII Introduction........................................................................................................................... XIV

Chapter 1: A ‘Loser’ Catches the Train Chapter 2: Job Hunting and Selling

1 13

Job hunting is nothing but selling ........................................................................................... 13 You’re the CEO of YOU, INC. ................................................................................................ 14 Navigating the turbulence ...................................................................................................... 15 The idea of personal branding ............................................................................................... 15 SWOT analysis....................................................................................................................... 15 How to undertake SWOT analysis2 ............................................................ 16 Strengths .................................................................................................... 16 Weaknesses ............................................................................................... 16 Opportunities .............................................................................................. 16 Threats ....................................................................................................... 17 Do your own SWOT analysis ..................................................................... 17 Determine possible actions. ................................................................................................... 17 There’re four types of actions you could take: ........................................... 18 Selling is the 2nd oldest profession ............................................................. 18 Take it as your flight manual ...................................................................... 18

Chapter 3: Product Launch hitting the bull’s eye

19

Creating the mastermind ........................................................................................................ 19 What’s mastermind?............................................................................................................... 19 Highly effective people are inter-dependent .......................................................................... 21 Mastermind group will meet regularly to conduct: ...................................... 22 Product development ............................................................................................................. 22 Functional versus symbolic benefits ...................................................................................... 22 Branding is seduction ............................................................................................................. 23 What’s brand? ........................................................................................................................ 23 Positioning .............................................................................................................................. 24 Lessons from movie Troy ....................................................................................................... 24 Product versus brand ............................................................................................................. 25 Now the question is how ............................................................................ 26 Unique Selling Propositions (USPs)....................................................................................... 26 USPs are differentiators ......................................................................................................... 26 Building your brand equity ...................................................................................................... 27 Decomoditize yourself ............................................................................................................ 28 Toot your own horns............................................................................................................... 28 Packaging ............................................................................................................................... 29 Managing image ..................................................................................................................... 29 Young lady or an old woman?................................................................................................ 30

Chapter 4: Dress for Success

31

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The Craft of Selling "YOURSELF" available now at http://www.TRCB.com Chapter 5: Big Bang Letter

35

Big Bang Letter is a rifle shot ................................................................................................. 35 Big Bang Letter is a hooker .................................................................................................... 36 Conventional wisdom built frustration in me........................................................................... 36 The story of my Big Bang Letter ............................................................................................. 37 My Big Bang Letter ................................................................................................................. 37 The beauty of Big Bang Letter is three fold: ........................................................................... 39 The bang of Big Bang Letter .................................................................................................. 39 Kill with WORDS and not with SWORDS............................................................................... 40 Writing a Big Bang Letter ....................................................................................................... 41 Big Bang Letter that gave 100% result................................................................................... 41 Tips to script Big Bang Letter ................................................................................................. 45 TNT power of P.S. (Postscript) .............................................................................................. 45 Harness the divine power of repetition ................................................................................... 46 Target of Big Bang Letter ....................................................................................................... 47 Caution!!! ................................................................................................................................ 48

Chapter 6: Résumé

51

Winning résumés.................................................................................................................... 53 Résumé isn’t a one-size-fits-all document. ............................................................................ 53 Crafting the value addition statement..................................................................................... 53 Law is: job-hunting = product launch ..................................................................................... 54 Achievements, Achievements, Achievements ....................................................................... 55 Window dressing .................................................................................................................... 57 Résumé is your product brochure .......................................................................................... 58 Three secrets of irresistible résumés ..................................................................................... 59 Don’t-operate-machinery-after-reading-it ............................................................................... 60 Common résumé bloopers ..................................................................................................... 62 Personal is NOT Professional ................................................................................................ 63 Résumés from recycle bins and lessons they teach us ......................................................... 63 Laughing-stock résumés ........................................................................................................ 64 Two Résumés, Same Person ................................................................................................ 65

Chapter 7: Cover Letter

71

A Cover Letter isn’t a clone of résumé ................................................................................... 72 How to finish a Cover Letter ................................................................................................... 72 Just to summarize .................................................................................................................. 73 Eighteen common mistakes ................................................................................................... 74 Example of re-modeled Cover Letter ..................................................................................... 75

Chapter 8: Networking

79

Networking is the key to success ........................................................................................... 79 Networking is about giving ..................................................................................................... 80 Life is boomerang ................................................................................................................... 81 Networking is a way of life ...................................................................................................... 82 Networking nerd ..................................................................................................................... 82 Island mentality ...................................................................................................................... 83 4 P’s of networking ................................................................................................................. 88

Obtain your copy of The Craft of Selling "YOURSELF" from http://www.TRCB.com

The Craft of Selling "YOURSELF" available now at http://www.TRCB.com Powerful networking is all about............................................................................................. 88 Requirements of powerful networking .................................................................................... 88 Sample letter for harnessing the power of networking ........................................................... 90 People are more than what they look..................................................................................... 91 Tools of Networking................................................................................................................ 92 Ten Commandments of networking ....................................................................................... 93 Final word on networking ....................................................................................................... 93 Intelligence on potential employers ........................................................................................ 94 Internships .............................................................................................................................. 95 The six terrific habits of interns .............................................................................................. 96 The seven terrible habits of interns ........................................................................................ 96 Developing & maintaining a databank.................................................................................... 97 Word of caution ...................................................................................................................... 97 Idea Bank ............................................................................................................................... 99 Checklist ................................................................................................................................. 99

Chapter 9: Distribution Channels

103

Networking group ................................................................................................................. 103 Un-solicited Big Bang Letters ............................................................................................... 105 Placement bureaus of educational institutions ..................................................................... 107 Responding to newspaper advertisements .......................................................................... 107 Why responding to job advertisements is ineffective way.................................................... 108 Headhunters ......................................................................................................................... 109 Referrals from trainers and consultants ............................................................................... 109 A specimen referral letter ..................................................................................................... 110 Alternate sales channels ...................................................................................................... 111 Lessons from the movie The Pursuit of Happyness ............................................................ 112 Secret to double your chances of interview ......................................................................... 113

Chapter 10 Interview Management

115

Before Interview ................................................................................................................... 118 First secure private victories ................................................................................................ 118 Training mental muscles ...................................................................................................... 119 Necessary areas for preparation .......................................................................................... 120 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ................................................................................... 120 No science of getting clicked................................................................................................ 123 Akio Morita on preparation ................................................................................................... 124 The 17 irrefutable laws of successful interviews .................................................................. 124 Fears of interviewers ............................................................................................................ 125 Absolute don’ts of the interviews.......................................................................................... 125 Victor Kiam on interviews ..................................................................................................... 126 Checklist for the winning interview ....................................................................................... 127 Last moment advice ............................................................................................................. 127 Science of first impressions ................................................................................................. 127 Hiring a candidate versus choosing a mate ......................................................................... 128 Interviewer must fall in ‘like’ with you ................................................................................... 129 How the interviewer gets turned-off ..................................................................................... 129

Obtain your copy of The Craft of Selling "YOURSELF" from http://www.TRCB.com

The Craft of Selling "YOURSELF" available now at http://www.TRCB.com Tipping the balance .............................................................................................................. 130 Will you marry the one……..? .............................................................................................. 130 Questions to be asked by the interviewee ........................................................................... 131 Telephonic interview............................................................................................................. 132 Thank-you note .................................................................................................................... 133 Follow-up: keep the ball rolling ............................................................................................. 135 What to do when you’re maltreated by the interviewer ........................................................ 137 Factors that spin the interviews out of control ...................................................................... 138

Chapter 11 Salary Negotiation

139

Ace of the negotiators .......................................................................................................... 139 The 6 myths of salary negotiation ........................................................................................ 140 Important factors of salary negotiation ................................................................................. 141 How can a fresh graduate negotiate? .................................................................................. 141

Chapter 12: Dealing with Rejections

143

Rejection letters for famous books ....................................................................................... 145 Learning from cockroaches .................................................................................................. 146 Fixing rejection targets ......................................................................................................... 146 Ultimate formula for sales power23 ....................................................................................... 147

Chapter 13: Thrilling Ride of Transformation

149

Sense of Pride – basic ingredient to be successful ............................................................. 150 Formula to maintain healthy self-esteem ............................................................................. 150 Traits of highly self-esteemed person .................................................................................. 150 Breaking away from the crippling chains.............................................................................. 151 Say good-bye ....................................................................................................................... 152 Persist and keep pumping until you succeed ....................................................................... 153 Chunking .............................................................................................................................. 153 Activate your filters ............................................................................................................... 154 Story of a deaf frog ............................................................................................................... 154 Get off the bandwagon ......................................................................................................... 155 Think out- of-the-box ............................................................................................................ 155 Associate with smarter people than yourself ....................................................................... 156 Principle of 212 degree Fahrenheit ...................................................................................... 159 Ideas for creating an exceptional 212 life............................................................................. 160 Apply 80/20 rule to get better Returns on Energy (ROE)..................................................... 160 Strengthen your mental muscles. ......................................................................................... 162 Life has seasons .................................................................................................................. 162 Develop the lingo of success ............................................................................................... 163 Multiply your brand equity with ingenuity ............................................................................. 165

Chapter 14: Life Long Mentoring

169

Further Reading ................................................................................................................... 171 References ........................................................................................................................... 172 Index ..................................................................................................................................... 173

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Acknowledgements

‘L

ife isn’t a solo-flight; it’s a joint venture and a teamwork’ is one of the beliefs that I’d been espousing since childhood. I felt the ultimate need of this belief when I decided to write down The Craft of Selling ‚YOURSELF‛ and set a challenging deadline of three

weeks.

The credit of pushing me to my ultimate limits goes to my mother, motivator of all motivators, who would barge into my room many times a day just to prod and remind me about the deadline. My wife contributed a lot in terms of designing, composing, proofreading and improvising the manuscript. In addition, she kept my morale high and regularly woke with me until past midnight sacrificing her personal time. My youngest sister-in-law, Kishwar, took a special pain to scan the manuscript for proofreading and improvising despite her own hectic schedule. ‚Here, I can’t help acknowledging the ‘contribution’ of my seven years old nephew, Sahil, who kept on pestering me with only one question: ‚Chachu*, have you completed your book?‛ I’m grateful to my IBA† Class of 1992, who’re now scattered all over the world, for their valuable comments, advice and suggestions. Special thanks must go to my friends Dr. Ahsan Hameed Malik, Director Marketing & Commercial, Pakistan Cricket Board and Farooq Ahmad, Head of Retail Sales, UBL Funds, for their candid and blunt comments whenever I shared material with them. I’m indebted to captains of corporate Pakistan who took time to read the manuscript and gave their valuable comments, suggestions and endorsements. Special thanks for my friends, Ahmad Hussain Kaisrani and Saleem Gurmani, who helped me a lot to publish 1st edition of the book in Pakistan. This goes without saying that they’re a constant source of inspiration and guidance in all matters. Getting The Craft of Selling "Yourself" published in the US is my life's milestone. Credit goes to Muhammad Siddique of TRCB Media Networks,LLC., without whose sincere support, I could have taken many years to achieve this success. I am thankful to sponsoring editor Bruce Moran and production supervisor Corby R. Tate of TotalRecall Publications, Inc. for their contributions to make the international edition a living reality today.

* †

In local language of Pakistan, chachu means uncle. Institute of Business Administration is Pakistan's top-notch business school.

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Introduction ―The future never just happened. It was created.‖ WILL & ARIEL DURANT The Lessons of History

D

uring our entire life, we’re engaged in one of two sorts of activities; either we’re selling something or we’re sleeping. The Selling in life starts with first ‘cry for milk’ of the baby and it continues till