Summary

The article addresses the common fear among creatives of not being good enough to market or sell themselves and their work, emphasizing the importance of self-belief and the value they can provide to others.

Abstract

Many creatives struggle with the idea of marketing themselves due to underlying fears of inadequacy and a belief that their work isn't valuable enough. The article argues that this mindset is counterproductive, as it not only deters potential clients or customers but also undermines the creator's self-worth. It encourages creatives to embrace marketing as a means of highlighting the usefulness of their work and to recognize that their unique experiences and knowledge are valuable to others. The text suggests that creatives should replace negative beliefs with empowering ones, understand that money is a practical necessity and a fair exchange for value provided, and acknowledge that perfection is not a prerequisite for helping others. It also advises on how to build confidence through free help, collecting testimonials, and learning from feedback, ultimately advocating for the ethical and essential nature of selling as a way to contribute meaningfully to society.

Opinions

Creatives often use disdain for marketing as a shield to hide their fear of not being good enough.
Marketing does not have to be deceptive; it can be an honest representation of the value and usefulness of one's work.
Money is a practical tool for living and should not be stigmatized when exchanged for valuable services or products.
The value of one's work is subjective and can be perceived differently by different people, justifying a range of pricing.
Perfection is not required to provide help or create value; human imperfection is acceptable and relatable.
Gaining experience, building a reputation, and collecting testimonials can boost confidence and prepare one for selling their work.
Asking for donations is not as sustainable or ethical as selling, as it does not guarantee a fair exchange of value.
Dealing with disappointment from customers is part of the learning process and can lead to improvements.
Procrastination or the feeling of not being ready may be a form of resistance that holds creatives back from achieving greatness.
Creatives are inherently sellers, as the creative process involves marketing ideas and visions to an audience.
Self-belief and confidence are key to successfully marketing oneself and turning creativity into a business.

You’re Pushing People Away by Saying You Don’t Want to Market Yourself

How to learn to be comfortable selling yourself as a creator

Sales. Marketing. Offer. Buy.

How do those words make you fell? Excited? Or uneasy?

Maybe you don’t care for them much. Maybe you want to ‘be different’, ‘not market yourself’ or even ‘not sell’.

I’ve met with many creatives like you. And when we start to scratch at the vocabulary, we always find the same thing hiding underneath : a fear of not being good enough.

You’re afraid to sell yourself because you’re afraid your product, service and maybe even you are not valuable enough. And you use your apparent disdain for marketing as a cloak.

If people don’t realise I’m selling something, they won’t be mad.

I know this because it was me. But here’s the thing…

You’re doing yourself a huge disservice. Because not only can people tell when you hide something from them, they also can feel it when you’re not confident in your offer.

So instead of attracting people, you’re pushing them away.

Before I could sell my services and my products, I had to replace those beliefs with more useful ones.

I don’t want to ask people for money.

Why not? Is it because you think money is bad? Is it because you buy into the myth of the struggling genius?

No. You need money to live. We have abandoned the idea of trading ideas for seashells and cows a long time ago. AND people need an incentive to act.

Money is just practical.

I don’t want to “market” myself.

That’s because you think marketing is some sort of scam. The truth is, you can make of marketing whatever you want.

You are the one in charge still. You can choose not to follow shitty marketing practices. You don’t have to use over the top language or make fake offers.

Marketing is highlighting the usefulness of what you sell. That’s it, that’s all.

And you have to believe it. You’re valuable. You have things to say. You have experience. Don’t belittle yourself.

I can’t make anything valuable enough.

No, you’re right. You can’t really make anything worthy of YOUR money. But you can surely make something worthy of other people’s money. Because those people don’t have your experience.

They haven’t achieved what you have achieved. And it might FEEL like something small, but it’s not.

You’re married? You have the experience of finding love. Do you have a side business? You have the experience of building a side business. Did you get over a breakup? You have the experience of that.

People PAY for that stuff. Because it’s valuable to them.

I can’t make anything for that amount of money.

Here’s something I’ve learned teaching French : sums of money are totally subjective.

I barely had a year of experience when I started charging 10 times the normal amount for my classes. Why? Because I was teaching people for whom that amount of money was not expensive at all.

The amount you can charge depends on who you are selling to, and how valuable what you are selling is to them.

For some people, one hour of French lessons is barely worth $10. For others, $100 is a bargain.

I’m not good enough to do that

Oh you’re not perfect? Good. Or I would have had to call the authorities and tell them we finally found a real alien.

Because not being perfect is human. You don’t have to be perfect to sell what you know.

I’m a French native. Do you think my French is perfect? No. Grammar is not my strong suit personally. But I’m good enough, so I can help many people.

Do you think the top singers never sing the wrong note? You should spend some time on YouTube watching people fail. Then you’ll realise you’re fine.

As long as you can help, you can help.

I don’t know what I’m doing

Ok, then don’t sell.

Help people for free for a while. Find solutions, get a reputation, collect testimonials.

Then sell.

I’ll just ask people for donations

I don’t get the appeal. You’d rather beg people for money rather than creating something they want to buy?

It’s not because there’s this one crazy lady who gave a TED talk once that asking for donations is a sustainable solution. Look around. How are people really making money online? Not by asking for donations.

Selling is the most ethical way to go.

You are not just asking for money, you’re giving something in return.

People will be disappointed

Yes, and you know what to do when that happens?

You deal with it. You open up the dialogue, you ask them why, you reimburse them, and thank them for their feedback.

And then you do better.

I’m not ready yet

It might be true. Or it might be the fog of resistance holding you back from achieving something great.

That fog kept me playing so small for such a long time. You’re totally more capable than you give yourself credit for.

And people need you.

Yes, they need you. Because you have something unique. And that something might be the thing that will help them do something great too.

Sales is not my job.

Actually, it is. As a creative, your job is to sell ideas and visions. The whole creative process is a selling experience.

When you’re retouching your painting so the main element pop out better? That’s marketing. When you’re editing your writing, so it’s more impacting? That’s marketing.

You’re already a seller.

Come on buttercup. Cheer up.

I believe in you. I believe in this whole business of making things useful for other people.

Imagine how wonderful it would be to be part of this.

Find your confidence. Believe in yourself, in your skills, in your ideas. Sell. Ask people to buy. Market yourself.

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