Description:
You have a natural ability to connect with people, particularly one-on-one. People tend to see that you are warm, sincere, caring, kind and genuinely interested in others. And that is very true, you are. It should not be unusual for you to meet someone and in a very short time he/she is telling you his/her life story. The person may catch him/herself by saying, “I don’t know why I am telling this to you.”

You are extroverted in the sense that helping others can energize you, that is, listening, assisting and encouraging others. Too much of this, though, can prove to be a detriment that drains you. You are passionate about helping others to grow, change and improve themselves or their lives. You find it natural to teach, inform, support, enlighten and heal (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually). You tend to be devoted and loyal, going the extra mile for others. You’re not so interested in promoting yourself, but you’re eager to reach out and be of service.

Strengths:
Your desire to help others, in appropriate ways, can be a breath of fresh air for many. Others tend to quickly feel relaxed and comfortable with you. You are a very good empathetic listener, hearing not only what is being said, but also what is not said. Your intuition allows you to hear between the lines, as it were, and get the person’s unspoken feelings. With your communication skills others see you as capable, trustworthy and influential. This can be a great advantage to you in marketing.

Because of your innate tendency to want to help others to be their best, you are a natural teacher, counselor, and advisor. Much of your desire to learn and grow yourself can be motivated by how it will allow you to help others.

Areas of Concern:
You tend to be self-effacing and probably find it hard to accept a complement graciously. It is easy for you to underestimate yourself, your abilities, talents and gifts. Because of this tendency and your strong desire to help others, you can easily undercharge or give away your products and/or services.

Because you are such a “giver” it is easy for you to surround yourself with “takers” – people who take from you and do not give back. In severe cases, you can surround yourself with “vampires” – people who will suck you dry of your time, money, energy, ambition, desires, goods, etc.

In your desire to help others, and unwillingness to say no, it can be easy for you to get sidetracked leaving your responsibilities undone or incomplete. Because of your tendency to not bother others, you might not take the initiative to contact those who could use your services/products. You then can get caught in procrastination, rationalizing they will contact you when they are ready.

Success Strategies

Playing to Your Strengths
* Use your communication skills to build relationships of trust and mutual benefit.
* Channel your passion to make a difference into your business.
* Bring your desire for excellence into your business and your life.

Strategies to Improve
* You must learn to say “No” to others without feeling guilty and beating yourself up.
* You must learn to ask for help when you need it and stop believing you should do it all yourself. This means you must get over your concern of “interrupting,” and “bothering” when you need others’ assistance.
* Learn to set a limited number of clear, specific goals and stick to them.
* Rid yourself of the “takers” in your life who do not return value.
* Give yourself time (and take it!) to write in your Business Journal daily. Not only will that activity help you create greater clarity, you will find that time you give yourself very refreshing.

Offline Marketing

Beginning:
Your strong suit is doing one-on-one problem solving with other people, reaching out, listening and communicating. So doing free introductory private consultations will be one of the easiest, most natural ways for you to market yourself.

You can offer these through flyers, coupons, gift certificates, charity donations, or at trade shows and exhibits. Establishing relationships with gatekeepers and mentors will also be easy for you, because they will trust referring to you. Volunteering can be a natural way for you to do this. You should also cultivate referrals from past clients.

Intermediate:
Because of your strong communication skills, as your confidence grows, you can boost your business by meeting more people through networking, giving speeches and teaching seminars and classes where people can meet and come to trust you to help them further. You can also do well at getting business by writing and sending out news releases related to your work.

Advanced:
As your confidence grows further, you need not shrink from the idea of doing direct sales. Although it may feel somewhat uncomfortable at first, by thinking about sales as a consultant process through which you can build relationships and help people, you may well soon find yourself quite at home with selling. You might also consider having your own radio show or cable television call-in or talk show.

Marketing Vehicles

Walk:
Trade Shows
Exhibits

Talk:
Free Consultations
Direct Solicitation
Mentors
Gatekeepers
Networking
Referrals

Show:
Demonstrations
Publicity
Volunteering

Tell:
News Releases
On-line Networking
Your Own Radio Show
Your own TV Show

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