Designing Your Appeal
There are three levels at which you can shape your background to appeal to your target market:
- Direct experience: This is when you have an accomplishment that matched what they’re looking for (they want someone who has sold copiers and you have sold copiers)
- Similar experience: This is when you have an accomplishment that is comparable to what they seek even if it is not precisely what they are describing (they want someone who has sold copiers and ou have sold personal computers; the equipment is different but are in the same category of “office equipment”, so they target the same customer)
- Causational skills: This is when you have neither a direct nor a similar accomplishment, yet you can make the care that a skill set you have would help you achieve their desired result. (They want someone who has sold copiers, you haven’t, but you’ve successfully pitched people to buy your services as a consultant. Here you would make the case that your selling skills would allow you to sell copiers as well.)
IMPORTANT: Remember that your appeal should be designed to demonstrate that you can achieve the result your target seeks!
