Personal Marketing: Why Clarity Matters More Than a Résumé

In 48 Days to the Work and Life You Love, Dan Miller was talking about personal marketing long before the term became popular. In Chapter 7, “Show Me Your Promo Materials,” Dan makes a compelling case that finding meaningful, fulfilling work isn’t just about what you can do—it’s about how clearly you can communicate your value.

Today, that message is more relevant than ever.

Personal marketing isn’t about hype, self-promotion, or pretending to be someone you’re not. It’s about clarity. When you understand your strengths, your message, and the problems you solve, opportunities begin to align around you.

Personal Marketing Starts with Clarity, Not a Résumé

One of Dan’s most important insights in Chapter 7 is that the process of creating a résumé is often more valuable than the résumé itself. Why? Because it forces you to articulate your strongest areas of competence and the story behind your experience.

If you don’t have clarity about your skills, passions, and value, no document—or platform—can compensate for that lack of focus.

Dan notes that when reviewing résumés, those that fell flat were from people who were willing to “do anything.” The candidates who stood out were those who could clearly express who they were, what they did best, and where they added the most value.

That’s personal marketing in action.

Personal Marketing Goes Beyond Paper

Dan also reminds us that a résumé is only one small part of how we present ourselves. Long before LinkedIn, personal websites, and digital portfolios became standard, he recognized that your overall presentation matters just as much as your credentials.

Today, personal marketing includes:

How you talk about your work
How you show up in conversations and interviews
What others find when they search for you online
The consistency of your message across platforms

If your message is unclear—or nonexistent—you’re invisible in today’s marketplace.

Why Personal Marketing Feels Uncomfortable for So Many People

Many capable, values-driven people resist personal marketing because they equate it with being salesy or self-focused. Dan addressed this tension directly by reframing promotion as stewardship.

You are not promoting yourself for ego.
You are communicating your value so others can benefit from it.

When your work is meaningful, hiding it helps no one.

Personal marketing is simply learning how to tell your story in a way that serves others and honors the gifts you’ve been given.

The Marketing of Me: A Modern Application of Personal Marketing

This is where The Marketing of Me workshop fits so naturally into Dan Miller’s framework.

Many people assume marketing comes after clarity. In reality, marketing is often the tool that creates clarity.

In The Marketing of Me, we take the principles Dan laid out in Chapter 7 and apply them in a modern, practical way by helping participants:

Clarify who they help and how they help
Identify the real problems they solve (in language others recognize)
Translate experience into a compelling personal message
Create consistent language for résumés, bios, LinkedIn profiles, websites, and conversations
Build confidence in talking about their work without feeling self-promotional

This is personal marketing rooted in authenticity—not performance.

Personal Marketing Is About Being Understood

One of the biggest frustrations people experience is feeling overlooked, underpaid, or misunderstood. Often, the issue isn’t ability—it’s communication.

When your personal marketing is clear:

Employers understand where you fit
Clients know how you can help
Referrals come more easily
Opportunities find you instead of the other way around

As Dan reminds us, understanding your areas of competence—and learning how those abilities transfer into new opportunities—is essential for meaningful work.

If someone asked you to show them your promo materials: