Corporate Real Estate Strategies - Specialize in Yourself

I recently completed a professional profile for some company marketing materials. I puzzled over how to fill in “specialty” because I’ve always considered myself a generalist, sometimes zealously so. Being a generalist gives you breadth of knowledge and experience as well as flexibility to adapt to your surroundings. Generalists can survive reorganizations and take on new and exciting challenges. Generalists are less fearful of change; they are usually resourceful and adept at the bob-and-weave techniques necessary to avoid political punches. Generalists are often called upon to fulfill a variety of roles, including HR, PR, marketing and sales.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve come to realize that while it is fine (and necessary) to be a generalist in practice, specialization is the key when it comes to self-promotion–you must know what you do and do it better than anyone else. And as I’ve recently discovered, one good way to specialize in yourself is by creating and living by a personal marketing plan.

Fresh from just such an exercise, I offer the following suggestions, but keep in mind that my personal process has been summarized for this format. My actual journey was very detailed and introspective. To get a more in-depth how-to, I suggest you research some widely available books and seminars on the subject.The first step is to define your business “self.” It is very important to know your personal drivers and motivating factors. By knowing what you want and how you wish to be perceived, you can make progress in creating that identity. Begin by answering the following–or make up your own related–questions: