Taking the Stage: How Women Can Speak Up, Stand Out, and Succeed

Chapter SixPromote Yourself

My husband jokingly says that if I ever write an autobiography, it should be called Always Selling. As a young girl, I remember going door to door in our small New England town, selling packets of seeds, greeting cards, and potholders I had made on a small loom. Sure, I was scared when I rang each doorbell, looking up at the little window in the door where a woman peered out to see who was knocking. I gulped when I saw her face. But once she opened the door, somehow I knew it would be worth it. I walked away from each encounter with something—not always a sale, but often with a cup of hot chocolate, some kind words, and most important a heightened sense of self-worth. Everybody took me seriously when I was selling! ...