As one who has dwelled in the corporate world for my entire 30+ year career, either consulting to senior executives, selling to senior executives, or packaging and positioning them, I am fascinated by the question of "What's the secret to executive success?" Is it in the DNA, like a Jack Welch-type success gene? Is it an educational credential (Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, MIT)? Is it political skill (Daniel Goleman, author of the book Emotional Intelligence, might say so)? Or is self-promotion and personal marketing the magic sauce?

Growing up in a business family in a community of accomplished professionals, I presumed that being smart and working hard is the recipe. But I have learned, over the years, that there's more to it. Frankly, as far as I'm concerned, it's a combination of all the above, with self-promotion and personal marketing the most influential among them. All across America every day there are millions of people doing great work and making significant contributions, but unfortunately much of it will go un- or under-noticed because the person doing the work is missing the opportunity to let it be known.

No one likes a show off, but everyone applauds those who make a difference; it's up to you to make sure others, especially the "right" others, know about it. With virtually unlimited avenues of communication available, from the most basic résumé to viral-based social media, everyone has a fair shot at it. In today's business world, successful careers don't just happen, they're made.

I have worked with colleagues who prefer to keep their activities "under the radar" to avoid being scrutinized, but they do it at the expense of garnering points for the work they're doing. That's an expensive trade off.

Are you transparent in your working style, providing an opportunity for others to notice how you're making a contribution? Are you consciously making a note of the skills you're using to do your work, so you begin creating a mental inventory of your unique capabilities? When you finish a successful project do you let those outside your immediate circle know? Are you documenting your successes and accolades so you can add them to your personal marketing materials or résumé?

Think of everything you do as a chance to create perceived value for yourself. Here's a simple but easy example: Instead of having a voicemail greeting that says you're "away from your desk" or "on another call," use that greeting as a way to build value by saying you are "working with clients to help them solve their transaction processing issues," or whatever it is you do to deliver value to others. That's what successful personal marketers do.

As someone once said, "If you put a small value on yourself, don't expect the world to raise your prices." Quite simply, there is no secret to successful career building; to the contrary, it's making sure those who matter know what you do and how you make a difference.

What a great day for those who understand and embrace the notion of personal marketing as the driving factor in building a successful career. If you are one of them, what examples of successful personal marketing strategies and tactics can you share with the rest of us?

David Topus
David Topus leads ExecuNet's personal marketing services group, and is a nationally-recognized consultant and trainer who turns reputations into revenue by helping individuals and companies articulate their value propositions more effectively. He has been cited in national media for his communication and networking techniques.

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