What I thought was holding me back from being promoted ended up being completely false.

When I interviewed for two promotions in the same year and didn’t get either, I thought it must have been:

– good politicking by the people getting promoted

– senior leaders not understanding the needs of their team

– favorites being played

– teams not knowing the support they really needed

It turns out, all of those things were wrong. Also, it wasn’t about other people at all.

It was all about me.

During my first three years at the company, I had branded myself as a great sales person, a cool guy to have a beer with, and someone who had a few good ideas about the business.

Nothing bad, but also nothing that made me stand out as someone they wanted to turn the keys of the company over to.

Without knowing it, I was building a brand.

But it wasn’t the brand I needed to be building.

Once I figured this out, my career took off, almost instantly. I realized that how people perceived me had more to do with my success that anything else.

Chapter 2 of my new book is titled “Intentionally Build Your Brand”. It goes way into the weeds of why this is a key element of self-promotion, and offers several keys for building the brand to get yourself where you need to.

If this sounds like something you may need, click the link in my bio, and pick up your copy today! 🔥 🔥 🔥 

Bret Barrie was a Hall-of-Fame and President’s Club-winning sales rep and has been a top-producing sales leader in multiple industries. He is also the author of The Selling Edge: How to Reach the Top in any Sales Industry. His newest book, Promoted: The Proven Path to Career Advancement, is available now. A baseball enthusiast and fitness junkie, he is happily married with three children and lives in the greater Sacramento area. For more information, visit bretbarrie.com.