Design a Powerful Portfolio: Make Them Want to Do Business With You
Consider yourself as a professional portfolio because you actually are one! Your verbal, nonverbal, and written collection of characteristics and personality traits create a limitless span of perceptions and observations that determine your future direction, relationships, and degree of success.
***Become THE ONE. Be all that you want to see in others—courteous, continuously learning, exhibiting a professional appearance. It is in being a dynamic listener who has such excellent conversational skills that your lines of communication are beyond compare!
Create a promotional portfolio that demonstrates your accomplishments, education, experience, and awards into one convenient and efficient package. Such a portfolio is a highly effective marketing tool that gives prospects a complete picture of who you are—your experience, education, achievements, skill sets, and what you have the potential to do for them. Use it to display a point, illustrate the depth of your skills and experience, or as a tool for a second interview. Include anecdotes about how you got something done, against whatever odds may have been encountered and what the outcome was.
When creating your portfolio, determine what is something you do better than anyone else you know. What are some examples that verify this? Include news articles featuring something you achieved, white papers, photos, reference letters—whatever gets the job done in a positive manner. Who can you ask to give you references? You can show a history of many years to verify how you have built upon your skills throughout the years. Creating this portfolio can help guide you with what steps to take next and will add another accomplishment to your list.
Figure 7.1 Confident communication
First, do a self-assessment. List what is interesting about you that you can share with others. Yes, you do have many interesting (business appropriate) things to share! Put pen to paper and begin listing them. Include your passion for writing, fundraising, organizational skills, creativity, dynamic focus on a particular sport, love of speaking in front of others, and so on. It is not all about “what“ you do but “who” you are as a person!
What specifically are you are doing, or have done, that will make you interesting? Engaging? Or that validates your experience, knowledge, and why you stand above your competition?
Work on the script until it flows, sounds confident, and depicts the true nature of your business and capabilities. As you meet new clients and build new business relationships, be intent on presenting yourself in a positive manner, upbeat, and confident about your work and life. If you are in the early stages of building a portfolio, just finishing school or switching careers, pull in all of those skills and positions you held that still apply.
• What is the primary value you provide? Are there any additional benefits you could add to your basic services?
• Is it possible to offer more surprise value? Helping clients in unexpected ways, identifying issues, and solving problems they did not even ask to be addressed can very favorably enhance your business relationships. Nothing can impress a potential or current client more than someone who has gone beyond the call of duty and exceeded expectations!
• What about investing more personal value to clients by coaching or counseling them in ways that will help them further develop their business? This act alone could reap tremendous benefits!
Increasing Resources That Build Stronger Relationships
Take adequate time to dig into this one. What will further set you apart professionally and personally from competitors in the marketplace? Could it be a new idea that saves time and money, or increases productivity? For instance, were you responsible for a memorable, profitable event, or helped launch a new product? Did your awesome gift of showing potential customers all of the benefits they would enjoy on their new computer put you at the top of the customer service representatives?
What will you do next year to be even more memorable and more distinctive? Is it possible to provide something that is ultimately more appealing to clients? This is part of a successful business plan. Ask those who already do business with you what would be most beneficial to them in the coming six months, then determine if you can do it.
Recommendations and Referrals
Ask others to give you an endorsement of your product or service. Seek testimonials, referrals, and references to verify your talent, product quality, or exceptional service. Create a portfolio of written and videotaped recommendations to share with prospects; build your reputation; and to gain new and happy clients, employees, participants, or readers! Ensure the pages have consistent headlines, type styles, and colors.
What specifically are you are doing, or have done, that will make you interesting? Engaging? That validates your experience, knowledge, and why you stand above your competition?
Work on the script until it flows, sounds confident, and depicts the true nature of your business and capabilities. As you meet new clients and build new business relationships, be intent on presenting yourself in a positive manner, upbeat, and confident about your work and life.
Write out and practice introducing yourself to a variety of individuals from various industries. What are the key points you will mention?
Following is a checklist to use for your visual portfolio until these habits become second nature. Record your thoughts on each point. What can you do to make your professional image even better?
• Stand in a front of a full-length mirror before leaving home and take a close look at your appearance. It is the only way to be sure that the look you have achieved is the one you want to project to the world. Are there any areas that need improvement?
• Remember that clothes reflect your personality and commitment to doing a good job. Are they simple, tailored, and attractive without being distracting? What is the message you are projecting? Does it say you are serious, yet friendly and professional, or does it say you are seriously thinking about meeting friends after work?
• Your hairstyle and clothing choices really do send out messages. Start looking around. What do you see?
• Are accessories more appropriate for a date or party than for the workplace? Switch out pieces for other events after work if need be.
• Carefully listen to your voice whether speaking in person or on the phone. Record it for a day or two and then listen to yourself. Is it strong and clear or is there a nasal sound? Does it have a deep, rich quality or sound high-pitched, thin, or weak? Would you like to listen to this voice? If the answer is no, practice controlling your pitch, rate, tone, and overall voice quality until the answer is yes.
• Are you at your best, ready to do business with anyone, no matter who they are or what position they hold? If not, what steps can be taken to get there? Write them down.
Again, ask yourself, “If I were viewing myself from another person’s perspective, would I want to do business with me?” Why or why not? Would my appearance, manner, and speech exhibit the kind of characteristics that would prompt you to do business with myself? Why or why not? Have your discovered areas you would still like to change? What behaviors are you now confident in? Smile!
Bottom line, technical skills are not the only requirement for new or continued business opportunities. Good soft skills are critical for taking us where we want to go in life and in business.
You are the architect of your life and career. Every day, think and see yourself as an indispensable powerhouse, more than capable of shining in this global economy!
Action Plans to Initiate
Now that you have read the book, what changes have you made along the way? What did you learn? How and what will you shift? What are 10 things you can change to walk in your new destiny?
List life circumstances and the feelings you discovered that needed to be altered in order to create your dream and unleash your destiny. Include
1. Why the change was necessary
2. When it happened
3. How did you react
4. Your outcome!
See your beautiful new life’s picture developing right before your eyes!
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Your new mantra for the rest of your life: I am Indispensable—I am Unshakeable—I am Unstoppable!!
When you fall, fall forward! Why? Because when you raise your head, you are facing your future. Advance forward into new territory. Invite others to come along beside you! Lead with your strong, pliable heart!
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