Business Marketing Magazine Summer 2017 Do It Yourself SEO Tips and Tools | Page 15

that he might have joy. Finding & using & defined by Abraham Maslow himself,
creating your STRENGTHS is one way we “What a man can be, he must be. This
need we may call self-actualization...It
bring rich joy and meaning to life.
refers to the desire for self-fulfillment,
I am using a lot of quotes, because these namely, to the tendency for him to bepeople say it better than I can. I’m draw- come actualized in what he is potentialing on their strengths (which is another ly.” Sounds like identifying and developing my strengths!
secret to success…for another article).
I learned this concept from a friend and
mentor who introduced me to Marcus My friend and mentor Kristin Abbajay
Buckingham, famous for his passion for taught me we are not “human DO-ings”
helping people do just what I am advo- but “human BE-ings”. This is why a talent
itself is incomplete. It is merely the DOcating herein.
ing. But a strength is BE-ing.
Marcus says that our strengths are not I obviously cannot identify your strengths
just things we are good at (talents) but for you – but then again, if I know you,
things we enjoy. He identifies 3 key fac- I can aid you in doing so. Marcus Bucktors that make something an individual’s ingham points out that those close to us
“strength”: (ask yourself, “What in my will likely be able to assist us in identifying our strengths.
life and being fits these factors?”)
1) There is a yearning for it, I look forward to and anticipate it
2) I am naturally inquisitive about this,
and I find it easy to focus on this even for
long periods of time
3) This is restorative and sustaining to
me, it “fills my bucket” so to speak
So, now that you know what makes a
“strength,” what are yours? Identify
them granularly, as Marcus says, and
rock your world!
Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs places
Self-actualization at the peak of human
being experience. Self-actualization is

How does all this apply to selling? Depends what your strengths are. Maybe
you shouldn’t be selling. Maybe you are
great at and enjoy selling to long-term
customers you’ve developed a relationship with. On the other hand, maybe your strength is selling in a retail or
day-to-day setting, quickly and efficiently and then moving on to the next deal.
As you identify your strengths and play
to them, you will know what aspects of
selling you should focus on to excel, and
which to phase out or share with others
who have that strength.