It’s not enough to be great. You have to look great.
In my 22-year career, I have spoken to professionals at every level—from janitors to CEOs. I have walked through countless factory floors, traveled across different countries, and interacted with people from diverse ethnicities and cultures. And through all these experiences, I have observed one fundamental problem: most people don’t know how to sell themselves.
No matter what your profession is, you are a salesperson. Whether you are an engineer, a director, or a factory worker, you need to know how to communicate your value. One phrase I have carried with me throughout my career is: “It’s not enough to be great. You have to look great.”
Brilliant professionals, top executives, skilled engineers—they all make the same mistake. They fail to persuade others of their worth. They think their skills and experience alone will get them ahead. But the truth is: if you don’t know how to sell yourself, someone else who does will take your place.
The Capitalist Reality: Money Talks
One of the most crucial lessons I learned early in my career is that we live in a capitalist world. Business owners, board members, and investors care about one thing above all else: their return on investment (ROI).
Forget about long presentations filled with technical details and elaborate strategies. Investors don’t care about your fancy charts or your deep knowledge of industry trends. What they care about is simple:
💰 How much money are we losing?
💰 How much money can we gain?
This is the magic formula for persuasion. If you want to sell an idea, a project, or even yourself, talk about money.
Why Many Professionals Fail to Sell Themselves
Most professionals spend years perfecting their craft, getting advanced degrees, and accumulating experience—yet they remain stagnant in their careers. Why? Because they don’t understand that being competent is not enough. You must also be able to sell your value.
Here’s what unsuccessful professionals do wrong:
❌ They talk too much about processes instead of results.
❌ They fail to communicate financial impact.
❌ They present technical details instead of a clear business case.
❌ They assume that hard work alone will get them recognized.
The hard truth? No one gets promoted for working hard. People get promoted for delivering results that impact the bottom line.
The Formula for Persuasion in Business
The next time you pitch an idea to your CEO, executive board, or investors, structure your presentation like this:
1️⃣ What is the problem? (Define the issue clearly.)
2️⃣ How much money is the company losing because of this problem?
3️⃣ What is the proposed solution?
4️⃣ How much investment is required?
5️⃣ What is the ROI (return on investment), and how long until the investment pays off?
This structure ensures that you are speaking the language that decision-makers understand: financial impact.
Persuasion is the Key to Career Growth
Executives, managers, and business owners make decisions based on numbers, not emotions. If you want to move up in your career, stop explaining what you do and start explaining how you impact the company’s financial success.
✅ Want a promotion? Show how you have increased efficiency, reduced costs, or driven revenue.
✅ Want to get buy-in for a project? Demonstrate the potential ROI in concrete numbers.
✅ Want to stand out from your peers? Learn to communicate your value in financial terms.
When you learn to sell your ideas with financial clarity, you stop being just another employee—you become an asset.
Final Thought – Sell Yourself or Stay Stagnant
The ability to sell yourself is not optional—it’s a necessity. If you don’t communicate your value, someone else will take the opportunities meant for you.
💡 Are you positioning yourself as a valuable asset, or are you just another worker waiting to be noticed?
Drop your thoughts below—what’s holding most professionals back from selling themselves effectively?
By Anderson Waldrich Nunes | Attitude Feelings Co.
Attitude Feelings 