The one thing that holds most of us back from fully pursuing what we want is a lack of confidence in the value that we can bring to whatever we are pursuing. When you can see your value points clearly, you can believe in your value and step forward to offering you value with confidence.

Many people struggle with how to identify their value points. I believe this is because many don’t recognize that your value points vary on a case-by-case basis. The value you bring is heavily driven by what is missing in the scene you wish to sell yourself into. Selling yourself to an organization or client becomes much easier when you understand clearly how you can complement what has already been built.

Steps to get confident with your value points:

1. Identify who you are selling to. Think of yourself as a targeted marketer, not a mass marketing machine. To best understand your prospects’ needs, you must look at them individually.
2. Define the service you are selling. If you are a job seeker, focus on your skills, expertise and passions rather than job titles. Have a general understanding of where you wish to fit in, but keep an open mind. The next step may identify opportunities you might not have considered.
3. Research the skills and expertise your prospect already has covered. Your research will enable you to identify the holes. These holes represent your prospect’s needs.
4. Define your value offer based on the needs you have identified. Remember that you are target marketing and your offer will change with each prospect. If you are unable to define your specific value, the relationship may likely not be a fit for current needs. If this relationship is important, keep current on your prospects needs as things can change tomorrow.
5. Offer your value with confidence because you know that what you are selling is genuinely of need to your prospect. You’re not selling yourself; you are fulfilling a need.

For more ideas on how to define your value, read Defining How You Stand Apart.

One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is that challenging times are actually opportunities that lead you to what fits you better. Thirteen years ago my husband left me for another woman. I felt like the framework of my life had been ripped out from underneath me. My need to overcome my pain led me to study teachings that I would never have explored on my own. I’ve come to recognize that this experience laid the foundation for much of the work I now do.

I share this personal story because I know that so many of you are feeling the hard times. I encourage you to look at whatever might feel fallen apart in your life and see the opportunity to approach that something differently. So often we keep on trying to force something to happen in the same old ways, without considering that it’s not working because it no longer fits.

If you’re not getting the results you want in your career right now, ask yourself this question:

Why is this not working for me?

Then give yourself permission to look honestly and trust your instincts to point you in the right direction.

If what you’re doing right now isn’t working, what do you have to lose to try something different, or at least a different approach?

If this message speaks to you, yet you don’t know how to begin to experiment with something different, please feel free to contact us. Dean and I want to do whatever we can to support you.

Linkedin is the #1 Business niche networking site in the world with 28 million users in the network. Your best tool for exposure, to create opportunities and tell your story is a well written profile about you.

These tips will help you create a more powerful profile:

Focus on Your Summary: This is your “billboard” and “calling card”. Imagine a 30-second description that highlights who you are, what you do, and clearly communicates your goals. This is the first information a person reads when they land on your profile. Avoid the temptation to sum up your entire career and past accomplishments. Focus on now.

Highlight Your Specialties: This field allows you to list your skill sets, areas of expertise, and your knowledge base. Potential partners or employers will find you when they are searching for your qualifications. Think of your specialties as services you have to offer.

Feel free to contact me if I can answer any questions you have about Linkedin.

I haven’t met a single business person recently who isn’t looking to define how they stand out from the crowd. Today’s buzzword is personal branding. Whether you’re competing for a job, protecting your business from getting hit in these challenging economic times, or trying to get your arms around the right next career path, standing apart first requires that you define your professional assets.

What are professional assets?

Think of your professional assets as all the skills and experiences you’ve gained along the way. Your training, skills and experiences are the pieces of thread that have weaved the tapestry you have become.

How do you define your assets?

1. Make a list of your major areas of study, job skills and experiences. Don’t discount anything, even if you don’t think it applies right now. It is a part of your tapestry and it may carry more value than you realize. You may discover that training or experience that you had many years ago has contributed to your strengths in ways you take for granted.
2. Review each asset with an eye towards understanding how it contributes to your professional value. For example, I earned a business degree with a concentration in computer programming. After college I fell into the business of direct marketing and dismissed the programming background for many years. It wasn’t until I became an entrepreneur who wanted to save money by building my own web sites did I recognize the value of my programming background. Web 2.0 training is now an element of our offerings.
3. Take a step back and think about how what you love to do fits into this picture. Most people make the mistake of believing that their passions have no place in the hard world of skills and expertise. Yet when you separate heart and mind you’re not working with the whole of an individual.

By bringing all of who you are into the exercise, you will truly arrive at how you stand apart.

A reduction in your income may impact many things, including how you perceive yourself, whether you are conscious of it or not. If you have prided yourself on financial success, your ability to feel good about yourself may be impacted as you battle a tough economy.

How to manage this challenge:

1. Remember that a successful life is not all about the money. Look for other non-monetary ways to define success.

• Are you helping people?

• Are you growing as an individual?

• What are you contributing to your community or to the world that does not involve money?

2. Look back on your life to periods when you weren’t making as much money as you are now. Believe that you have the capability to increase your income level once again.

• Is this an opportunity to start something new that could lead you to a better place?

www.innerarchitect.com