Is your career or business in a slump? Is it beyond time for a raise? Are you waiting for someone, anyone, to recognize your potential and give you the opportunity to shine?
Getting promoted in your career or your own business isn’t the result of doing quality work day-in-and-day-out. I’m sure there are some people who get promoted doing quality work, but most of the time it takes more than being good at what you do to get noticed and get promoted.
But don’t worry, I’ve got good news for you- you can give yourself a promotion! No, really, you can give yourself a promotion. I’ve done it, and I’m here to tell you how.
I was hired as a receptionist in my first professional job, and I was promoted to bookkeeping assistant in less than two months. At another job I was hired as an office assistant and was promoted to accounting specialist within six months. At yet another job I was hired as a payroll & accounting specialist and was promoted to a financial analyst within a year.
You see? It works! You can give yourself a promotion! This doesn’t only work for your career, it works for your business, too.
Okay, okay, so how did I do it? I’ll tell you.
7 steps to get a promotion
01. Understand your customer
Who are your customers, internally and externally? When you understand who you are serving, you can provide better service and place yourself a step above other people who are just doing their jobs.
02. Determine what your customers need
What do your customers want? What do your customers need? I’m not just talking about your external customers- don’t forget to consider your coworkers, your team, your boss/your staff, etc. Once you know what keeps them up at night, you can move on to step 3!
03. How can I meet my customer’s needs?
Do more than just your job- be mindful to add value and be of service to your customers as you do your work. Ask yourself, “what value am I adding? How can I increase my value?” Go above and beyond! Keep adding more value!
04. Quantify your value
Quantify your value by identifying your accomplishments and your success stories. Use numbers to back it up, for example maybe you increased sales by 20% or created processes that reduced errors by 10%. Have concrete examples ready to share during important conversations.
Are you ready to back up your awesomeness with proof? Oh, yeah!
05. Communicate your value
Be prepared to communicate your value in business negotiations such as job interviews, performance reviews, and sales calls. When you have several talking points prepared you will approach planned and unplanned business conversations with competence and confidence! Go ahead and toot your own horn!
06. Ask for recommendations
If a coworker or client praises your work, ask them to share that positive feedback! If you’re in a career you can ask your client to pass their praise along to your boss. If you’re a business owner, ask your client for a testimonial on yelp or to post on your website.
Let others talk you up. Why? Because YOU ARE AWESOME!
07. Ask for the promotion!
Let your boss know if you’ve got your eye on a certain promotion, or that you’re interested in growing in the organization. Ask your boss what it will take to get there. Show some initiative! You got this!
The same goes for business owners- let your clients know that you want to keep working with them and ask for the opportunity to continue working for them. Ask your clients for referrals. Your clients need what you have- don’t be afraid to give it to them!
Are you ready to stop waiting around and start taking charge of your career or business? Are you ready to get a raise? Join me for my Get a Promotion Webinar where we’ll delve deeper into each of these 7 steps and touch on 7 more steps to give your career the boost you’ve been waiting for. Get your ticket today!