I don’t know if you’ve heard about it (you never know), but we’ll have to go and vote in a few weeks. In doing so, these days we see signs on poles, flyers in our mailboxes, newsletters telling us the day’s highlights for each party, and maybe you’ll be visited by one or more of the candidates in your riding at the door.

Regardless of party or region, candidates want to “sell” themselves to you so you’ll elect them. It’s only natural. Whether you vote for one party or another, or whether you go to the polls or not, is not the point of my text. Rather, it’s the fact that candidates have to “sell themselves” that’s the main thrust of my article.

Everyone has to sell themselves. Whether it’s to get elected, to get a job or to get employees, to get a loan or even to find your soul mate.

I have always said this. Everything is sales and sales is in everything! The advertisement you see on TV or Facebook, the interview given by the comedian on the radio, the policeman who tells you to drive slower next time, the doctor who suggests you lose weight to lower your blood pressure, and even you who tells your children to eat more vegetables; it’s all selling. Selling ideas, people, behaviours and attitudes, etc.

Let’s go back to my title. And if you were running for office, what would you do to sell yourself?

Here are some issues you should consider:

What qualities could you highlight? What experience do you have? What is your vision of what you want to bring to others? What are your human values? What arguments would you put forward? How would you appeal to the electorate? What strategies would you use to reach the most people? How much time would you invest to maximize your chances of being elected? What would people benefit from electing you? What will you promise them? What will you commit to? And so on.

That’s a lot of questions, I know. I also know that you’re probably not going to run for office on October 1, but no matter what field you’re in, when you have to “sell yourself” or “sell your point of view”, you’re going to have to ask yourself the same questions, because the people you’re talking to are going to ask them.

Happy elections and happy sales!