People are always asking me how a woman can be successful in business. My short answer is “plan for it.”

Any successful person doesn’t just happen upon it. They prepare, work hard and are open to learning and adjusting along the way. And, the most successful professionals all have one thing in common: They know how to market their accomplishments.

Marketing yourself is a key way to control your career destiny.  It isn’t rocket science, but when you focus solely on projects and daily tasks, it’s easy to overlook personal career management. But personal career management is critical for long-term success.

Not sure where to start? Here’s a framework to get you well on your way:

Don’t Assume
Many times professionals, disproportionately women, believe if they work hard, people will notice and appreciate their work. But often, this isn’t the case.

It isn’t about bragging. It’s about setting the record straight and ensuring others understand the role you’ve played. If no one knows it happened, it didn’t happen.

A mentor of mine once said: “What and how you communicate is my perception of who you are and what you have done.”

You’re in control of people’s perceptions of you. Don’t let them believe you’re in the background.

Understand and Utilize Stereotypes
Understanding stereotypes doesn’t mean you have to accept them. But understanding them does mean you acknowledge their existence and then you can use them to your advantage.

For example, as a woman, some customers are skeptical of my knowledge about tires or cars. But this is an opportunity. It can be easier for me to over-deliver against their expectations than my male peers.

It isn’t about believing it’s OK or that I am victimized by the stereotype. It’s the recognition that knowledge is power.

There is strength in working hard to bust stereotypes. Flip them. Use them to motivate your actions and leapfrog.

Shape Your Story
Every interaction has the opportunity to signal something about you to your peers, managers, customers and employees. Be conscious about what you want them to believe about you and your capabilities.

Write down the persona you’d like to be known for, ask yourself what actions would demonstrate those characteristics to people and let those traits shine in your day-to-day activities.

Want people to understand how creative you are? Share ideas regularly. Have fun with it.  Email or verbally share your idea as your “idea of the day.” It will tell people that new, creative ideas are important to you and that you’re passionate about the business.

Want a customer to know you’re eager and willing to work hard for their business? Jog to their car. Open the door for them.

In the reverse, also be aware of what “bad habits” you have and what those actions can signal to people.

Don’t just stop those actions because others want you to stop. Stop them because it’s communicating a different story than what you want people to believe about you.

For instance, I used to be a very bad nail biter. It was subconscious. Despite seeking to communicate confidence, I would unknowingly communicate that I was nervous because people commonly associate that action with nerves.

A past co-worker of mine liked to chew gum. She would chomp it in a way that signaled to others a lack of manners or disregard for those around her.

In both scenarios we believed we didn’t need to change for anyone else, but what we failed to understand was that we needed to change for ourselves because it wasn’t communicating our true stories and personas.

Know Your Points of Differentiation
“Points of differentiation” is a marketing term referencing what makes your product unique amongst its competitive set. In this case, you are your product. Ask yourself:
•    What makes you unique amongst your peer set?
•    What are you better at than the majority of your functional or company-wide peers?
•    What unique perspective do you have because of your unique experiences?
•    Do you have a sixth sense for people’s feelings?
•    Are you able to instantly disarm upset customers?
•    Does your natural OCD cause team organization to be second nature?
•    What makes you different from the pack?

Write it down. No matter how silly it will feel, even small differences are important.

Tailor To Your Audience
Not everyone needs to hear all about you, every time. All marketers tailor product messages to different types of consumers.

Benefit A could mean one thing to one consumer and represent an entirely different benefit to another.

The same applies for marketing yourself. Profile those individuals you wish to influence or whose perceptions you wish to change.

What do you want them to go “from → to?”

What would he/she have to understand, learn or observe about you to change their perception?

Marketing is commonly known as the “fun job,” and all of us are marketers for ourselves. Now go have fun!

Editor’s Note: This article was written by Clarissa Niese, chief marketing officer and executive vice president of Tire Discounters.

Article courtesy of TIRE REVIEW magazine.