Speak To Their Needs
When people ask you “What do you do?” it can be tough if your profession has a stereotype that is not true for who you are. Surveys show that some professions are perceived as more trustworthy than others – regardless of how trustworthy you as a person are. However, there are few things you can do to help.
I was interviewed this week by journalist Nina Hendy about this topic for the THE AGE and The SYDNEY MORNING HERALD newspapers. Here are some snippets of some of my comments in the article “Breaking Through The Stereotypes”:
Anyone working in professions that stereotypically aren’t well liked shouldn’t take it personally if they get a bad reaction when they tell someone what they do, executive coach and author of The Confidence Workout, Michelle Landy says.
“Some professionals just aren’t liked because the industry isn’t seen as trustworthy. But this is just a stereotype and people working in these professions can quickly turn this around by developing their skills to break stereotypes,” Melbourne-based Landy says.
Anyone working in sales, for example, should listen to the other person and speak to their needs, rather than using a sales pitch, she says.
“Trying to understand the customer’s needs and finding a great solution for them instead of just selling, will also help you get return customers and loyalty,” she says.
“And believing in your product and choosing to sell products you like will help you naturally come across as more genuine.”
In Roy Morgan’s Image of Professions survey, conducted this year, nurses were the most liked and honest professionals.
This is the 19th consecutive year that nurses came out in top position, since nurses were first included in the survey. Doctors, pharmacists, engineers and school teachers followed, in that order.
