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Personal Selling: How To Build Better Customer Relationships and Close More Deals

Successful sellers need to make personal, emotional connections with prospects.

Marcus Chan

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People don’t buy things — they buy feelings. And while the world has become comfortable making purchases without any human interaction, the personal touch is more important than ever for making a successful sale.

Consumers often don’t consciously know why they make the purchases they do, and 95% of purchasing decisions are subconscious, according to Harvard professor Gerald Zaltman . This means that emotions drive consumers to pull out their credit cards, not a list of product features.

Tapping into how customers feel is the key to stellar sales and the basis of personal selling. (Think about the marketing of a full-service resort that elicits feelings of status and self-worth.) And making human connections are essential. Once you meet a prospect in person and develop a rapport, it becomes a relationship instead of a transaction.

Read on to learn everything you need to know about personal selling — and how to sell the sizzle instead of just the steak.

What you’ll learn :

What is personal selling, why personal selling is important, advantages of personal selling, disadvantages of personal selling, the heart framework: 5 steps for personal selling, personal selling skills, examples of personal selling, level up your game with ai conversation insights.

Sell smarter using Einstein Conversation Insights — with customer signals and next-step guidance to help you close.

Personal selling is selling directly to another person or to groups of people. It’s often used in industries where the products or services are complex and require detailed explanation. Personal selling requires a salesperson who understands everything about the products or services they’re selling — and who can build genuine trust and rapport with customers.

In personal selling, a sales rep will meet with potential customers and guide them through the sales process by uncovering their biggest challenges and providing solutions to solve their problems. This can take place in person, over the phone, or with video calls. During the meeting, the rep will also address any objectgions the prospect may have. If they’re successful, the rep will negotiate terms to close the deal.

Successful sellers need to make personal, emotional connections with prospects. A seller must have a deep understanding of the customer’s needs in order to influence them to make a purchase.

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Salespeople are often hyper-focused on one thing: closing the sale . This can happen pretty quickly when people click to buy something online, or when people go to an auditorium to watch a presentation. But personal selling requires a bit more time and care to finesse.

In sales, a lot of people try to build relationships using superficial things they have in common. For example, let’s say you’re in a place where a football game is on TV, and you say to the prospect, “Hey, I see you’re here to watch the game.”

Cheesy, right?

When you build relationships in personal selling, you are positioning yourself as someone of high value who can solve the prospect’s problems as a trusted advisor. That means you’re coming to the table prepared. You’re asking questions. You’re genuinely curious and looking to solve problems. That’s a much better business relationship than asking a prospect about a key fourth-quarter penalty.

Addressing problems and relating on a personal level is powerful. Now, the prospect trusts you both logically and emotionally. If you want a sticky business with minimal churn, the experience the client feels with you is a big part of the process. When you can carry that feeling all the way through, the client feels a personal connection. And over time, that personal touch will increase upsells and the lifetime value of the sales opportunity.

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This type of selling brings a lot to the table. Here are a few of its advantages:

• Customization: Sales reps can tailor their approach to each individual customer, addressing their specific needs, preferences, and concerns. This kind of customized service is in demand: 71% of customers expect a personalized interaction from companies, and 76% get frustrated when one isn’t there, according to McKinsey
• Building relationships: With direct, one-on-one interactions, sales reps are in a better position to build strong relationships with customers. They won’t just remember your facts and figures; they’ll remember you . And these relationships can foster loyalty, repeat business, and positive word-of-mouth referrals.
• Immediate feedback: Sales reps can instantly gauge customer reactions, address objections, and adjust their sales pitches on the fly. This allows reps to tweak their sales strategies for better outcomes in the future.
• Demonstration and explanation: Live demonstrations can help customers better understand the benefits of the product or service being sold. The rep can also offer customers detailed explanations and answer questions in real time.
• Overcoming objections: Most customers hesitate before buying. And if their concerns aren’t addressed immediately, it may mean losing the sale. With personal selling, reps can address objections directly and have a better chance of closing the deal.
• Building trust: Credibility counts with customers. Reps who build trust with buyers are more likely to persuade them to make a purchase — especially with high-value products or services.
• Higher conversion rates: Personal selling often leads to higher conversion rates . And addressing customer concerns directly can significantly increase the likelihood of closing a sale.

While it offers many advantages, there are a few disadvantages. Some of these include:

• Time-consuming: Building relationships with individual customers and guiding them through the sales process takes time. Potentially, this can limit the number of customers that a sales representative reaches.
• Inconsistent results: Depending on the personality, communication style, and biases, the success of the sales rep may vary wildly. This may lead to inconsistencies in the sales process and customer experience.
• Limited availability: For products or services with low profit margins or mass-market appeal, personal selling may not be a great match because of the investment of time and human resources. Other sales channels, such as mass marketing, may be more efficient and cost effective.

In personal selling, one of the biggest roadblocks any seller faces is when a prospect hesitates to close the deal. But objections are actually an opportunity to show prospects that you and your product or service are worth the investment. Sales need a personal touch. And by following the HEART framework — hear, elaborate, acknowledge, re-clarify value, and transition to close — you are in a position to address any objections and save the sale.

An example of a typical stall objection might be a client saying, “Hey, this looks amazing. We love the program, and the pricing is right. But we want to delay the purchase by a month.”

Here’s how to systematically eliminate objections using the HEART framework:

• H: Actively listen to — or hear — the client’s objections.
• E: Ask the client to elaborate on the objection. “Can you help me understand what you mean specifically when you say you want to wait a month?” The client might explain that they’re wrapping up another program and that they have a lot on their plate. They suggest that once everything is done in a month, they may sign.
• A: Acknowledge the client’s concerns. Then, ask them if there are any other reasons for their reluctance. They might respond with, “No — not at all.”
• R: Ask them to re-clarify value. “Remind me again. What did you like most about the program based on what we discussed?” They’ll run through a list, saying, “I love this” and “this is great.” They’re basically selling themselves. You’re just verifying their beliefs.
• T: Then, transition to close . Tell the client, “Your biggest worry is that you want to wait a month so that you can wrap up this other program. But if it wasn’t for that program, you’d say, ‘Let’s go!’ Is that right?” The client agrees, so you continue, “What I’d be willing to do is give you access for a month at no extra cost. This way, your team can preview the program, you’ll get support — and it’ll save both you and me the time of having to hop on another call a month from now.”

Using the HEART framework, your client is more likely to say “yes” to the deal because you did your homework up front.

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As I said earlier, personal selling is all about building relationships and earning trust. Here are some of the fundamental sales skills you’ll need to succeed:

• Active listening: Ask your customer high-value questions and focus on what they tell you. The aim here is to understand their needs and offer tailored solutions.
• Product expertise: Know your product inside and out. You need to clearly understand the customer’s problems and how your product or service can resolve those issues.
• Trust-building: This requires frequent communication and follow-ups. If a customer isn’t satisfied with your product or service, you’ll need to come up with an alternative solution.
• Value focus: Understand how to demonstrate your product or service’s value to your customer. Even if it costs more than the competition’s, know how to make your case for why it’s worth a premium.

Personal selling works in both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) operations. Common examples include:

• Transactional selling: Typically has a very short sales cycle and requires quick decision-making. The prospect may not need much of a sales pitch. The buyer often enters the transaction ready to make their purchase. Think Black Friday sales during the holiday season.
• Consultative selling: Focuses on a deep understanding of customer needs and is more solution oriented. This type of sale requires more of a conversation. You’re asking the prospect questions to learn about their needs and finding a solution for their problem. An example of this would be when a customer goes to an appliance store to buy a stove.
• Strategic selling: This is the most complex type of personal selling, involving multiple stakeholders and a longer sales cycle. The process may involve other members of the team, all coordinating to close the sale. For example, a startup that offers a Enterprise SaaS platform needs a strategic selling approach.
• Solution selling: Zooms in on identifying the customer’s specific problems and offers comprehensive solutions. Sales reps work closely with customers to understand their pain points. Then, they present their product or service as the ideal solution. Door-to-door is an example of solution selling.
• Relationship selling : Prioritizes building strong, long-term relationships with customers based on trust, loyalty, and mutual respect. Salespeople focus on understanding the customer’s business and personal preferences, staying in regular contact, and providing ongoing support and assistance. An example of this would be a client who goes to the same hair salon every six months and has a chummy relationship with her stylist.
• Social selling : Leverages social media platforms to engage with prospects, build relationships, and drive sales. Salespeople use social media to share valuable content, engage with prospects and customers, and establish themselves as industry thought leaders. Think of LinkedIn Thought Leaders as an example.
• Cross-selling and upselling: Cross-selling involves recommending additional products or services that complement the customer’s original purchase, like the classic example of a waiter suggesting fries with a shake at a fast food restaurant. Upselling involves persuading the customer to upgrade to a higher-priced product or service, such as when a sales rep suggests buying wireless earbuds instead of wired headphones.

Prioritizing the human touch in sales

In a world increasingly dominated by virtual transactions, the importance of the human touch in sales is more vital than ever. Personal selling requires effort. But ultimately, you want to treat people how you want to be treated. The key to success in personal selling is thinking that way and using the platinum rule: You have to truly believe that your solution can sell a product. It’s about finding a good balance of emotional intelligence and working with your customer’s timeline.

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Marcus Chan is the Founder of Venli Consulting Group. He helps account executives sell and earn $100,000+ each year through his coaching and training programs. Marcus is an official member on the Forbes Business Council and has also been featured in Forbes, Yahoo! Finance, MarketWatch, and more. He ... Read More is a 3X Salesforce Top Sales Influencer and Wall Street Journal Best Selling author of Six-Figure Sales Secrets.

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Personal Selling: Definition, Real-Life Examples, and Strategies

Melissa Williams

What Is Personal Selling?

Personal selling advantages & disadvantages, types of personal selling, how to piss people off: the opposite of personal selling, personal selling process, how to get started with personal selling, 5 personal selling examples that are endorsed by prospects.

It’s hard to give a personal selling definition when there are so many out there.

You can browse online for a minute — or ten — and it’s still very unclear.

Let’s look at the best answer plus real-life examples, processes, and how to get started.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• The Opposite of Personal Selling
• 5 Personal Selling Examples

Personal selling is an approach where sellers humanize themselves and show they’re there to help prospects, not sell at them. The approach involves one-on-one interaction between buyer and seller and can be via email, phone, video, or in person (face-to-face).

So instead of taking a megaphone to share features far and wide, you take a step back and turn your head to listen.

This applies to both in-person and virtual meetings. When you don’t have your prospect there to tell you what they want, you can still take a first step.

Read on for 5 examples of personal selling that take place over email. All of them involve the action you need to take when you haven’t spoken yet: looking them up online.

When you identify their responsibilities, interests, and needs, you take one giant leap for sales kind.

Although there are immense benefits of personal selling, there are some disadvantages to this type of selling. Let’s look at both the advantages and disadvantages below.

Personal Selling Advantages

• Creates two-way communication which helps you resolve objections easier
• Builds rapport and forms lasting business relationships
• Helps you convey more information and value

Personal Selling Disadvantages

• Takes more time, effort, and is ultimately more expensive
• Your reach is more limited and you talk to fewer prospects
• Contributes to a longer sales process

Personal selling can typically be categorized into three types of sellers: order takers, order creators, and order getters.

• Order Takers: Order takers serve as the point of contact for customers; they handle customer requests and inquiries. Their primary responsibility is to identify customer requirements and help fill their needs. An example of an order taker is a retail sales rep.
• Order Creators: Order creators don’t complete the transaction themselves; they persuade customers to promote the business’s offering. Examples of order creators include pharmaceutical reps and brand reps working with retailers.
• Order Getters: Order getters reach out to potential buyers directly in hopes of persuading them to buy their product/service. Examples include B2B sales , telemarketing, door-to-door sales, and consultative sales.

We’ve all been there.

Something that, by its nature, irks you happens again, and again, and again — but you brush it off because you can just focus on other things.

Until someone totally calls it out for you, and you’re like, “YES!”

The bad news: You might be the thing annoying your prospects right now (whoops). We get it, you have a quota. But there’s a person on the other end of that email, and your “respectful persistence” is actually pissing them off. To the point that you’re hurting your chances of getting them to take a meeting with you.

The good news: You can actually become the person who identifies what’s annoying them and shows them that there’s a way to totally eliminate it. More on this later.

What to Avoid When Personal Selling

For right now, just remember that you need to avoid these sources of frustration :

• Leading with who you are and what your company does instead of their situation.
• Telling them that you want to talk rather than asking them if they are interested.
• Personalizing a line to them while still being pushy — that’s just putting lipstick on a pig.

With each of the scenarios above, your recipient reads your email the same, no matter what it actually says: “Hi faceless prospect, I have a quota and am worried about me. Confirm a meeting time or else.”

Not the most appealing, right?

We already spend 35% of our workday in meetings that we schedule and we are required to attend. Why would we add another?

Getting to “yes” with a meeting request requires two things: 1) that they agree with you that their time is worth it, and 2) their preferred mode of communication to gather info is to have a call.

Studies show that introverts make up one-third to one-half of the population, and they dislike having meetings where they haven’t info-gathered on their own first. Booking a meeting just to tell them more is not their cup of tea.

What to do about it:

• Read over any professional email before you send it, and ask yourself: If I were the person receiving this email, would I say “yes” to this request?
• If you do ask for a meeting, be specific about what they would get out of that phone call that they can’t learn on their own.
• Think through your tendency to ask for a call. Is there a more engaging way to ask, or a better way to start a conversation that qualifies the match for both of you?

1. Prospecting

Prospecting involves identifying and qualifying ideal buyers for your product/service. This can be done through networking events, referrals, cold outreach, social media, and more. Lead qualification is essential here to narrow down your pool of leads to the prospects that are most likely to turn into paying customers.

2. Pre-approach

Next, research is necessary before contacting/meeting with your leads. That way, you’re entering the conversation prepared with knowledge of their background, business, and market.

3. Approach

The goal of the approach stage is to understand the prospect’s wants, needs, and pain points. You should ask open-ended questions to gauge as much information as possible about the prospect so that you can tailor your pitch to their specific needs.

4. Presentation

Now it’s time to show the prospect why you’re the right fit to solve their problems and help them succeed. This is where you show them your product/service and demonstrate its benefits and how it can help solve their specific pain points .

5. Handling Objections

Sales objections are inevitable. This is where you should be ready to alleviate any concerns they may have and address them head-on. This may include answering unresolved questions, providing further information, and offering tailored solutions.

If all has gone to plan, you’ve built rapport with this prospect and developed a relationship. Now, it’s time to close the mutually beneficial deal. This step involves finalizing contracts, payments, and invoices.

7. Nurturing/Following Up

Last but not least, always follow up with the customer. This is where you ensure the customer is happy, is receiving an effective onboarding process, and is satisfied with the product/service. This step is important to show the customer you still care, even after the sale has been closed.

How can you stop nagging your prospect and become a friendly, useful note in their inbox?

Personalization — Find an interest or need to create affinity bias and remove negativity bias.

Benefit — Show them the end picture; don’t just spell out your features.

Request — Doesn’t have to be their time. It could be a question to open up a conversation.

As emailing individuals, we’re trained to 1) have a disdain for sales emails and 2) like people who are similar to us.

Turn 1 into 2 by showing them that you aren’t just a seller; you’re a human being who is just like them, and you recognize their needs.

This brings us to 3: our brains are wired to love talking about ourselves . Use this to your advantage by focusing on them to start a conversation with your prospect.

Personal Selling Strategy: PBR Approach

How to get started with the PBR approach right now :

Third — Relate this back to your value prop.

Here’s how it works in an email:

• Start from where they are. (Ex. “I noticed XX” — where XX is where they are).
• Add context. (Why you bring it up)
• Connect the dots. (What’s in it for them?)
• Get to the point — make your ask.

Hint : It’s a waste of time (and sabotage to your email) to make an unwarranted request. Yes, your goal might be to book a meeting, but sometimes it’s worth nurturing with questions first. Because their silence to repeated requests to book time isn’t really silence, is it? It’s them saying “Nope, I’m good.”

To help you get started, below are five real personal selling emails that booked meetings.

Tip: Perfect your sales outreach with these data-backed findings.

1. The Candid Close — Give Them a Reason Why

Nothing’s worse than being invited to a meeting without an agenda that truly applies to us.

It’s estimated that we spend 31 hours in unproductive meetings every month. And in every meeting, 73% of people do other work because they don’t relate to the content.

When we’re in control of deciding whether or not to go, we’re going to say no.

Unless we’re given a good reason why it’s worth our time.

In the email below, a Yesware account executive adds two clear reasons for a meeting that help him transition from his Benefit to Request:

Email tracking revealed to this sender that this email was opened multiple times and the link was clicked. So he probably wasn’t surprised when he got this back:

Pro Tip: If your recipient published anything on LinkedIn recently, reference it, link to it, and show you read it with a connecting statement (all in the first paragraph above).

2. Crash My Calendar (Seller Turned Singer-Songwriter)

Hearing our favorite song makes us feel good. Neuroscientists at McGill University discovered that it releases dopamine, a chemical that controls our reward and pleasure centers.

“These findings provide neurochemical evidence that intense emotional responses to music involve ancient reward circuitry in the brain,” says Dr. Robert Zatorre, neuroscientist at The Neuro. “To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that an abstract reward such as music can lead to dopamine release.”

Which is why emailing a prospect with lyrics from a favorite song — adjusted to them and their business needs — puts a smile on their face and a reply in your inbox.

Here’s an example from one of our account executives:

And what Luke got back:

How to do it: Find their favorite band (try Facebook). Look up a song by said band, then tweak the chorus to your value prop.

3. Everyone Has the Same Achilles Heel: Competitors

We’re all constantly working to meet the needs of our target market and stay ahead of competitors at the same time.

It’s a difficult task, and it comes up on all teams across all industries.

Because it’s universal, you can use it for any prospect you’re emailing.

Give their pain point a nudge, then show them how you can fix it.

Here is a good example of personal selling from a Sr. Business Development Rep at Influitive:

There are two important things that Josh does well:

• Goes beyond simply naming a competitor by pointing out a very specific weak spot. This is what delivers true value, along with a very specific way to solve the problem.
• Asks a question instead of requesting my time. This is a good technique to use if you’re creating a drip campaign that you’ll automate. Work up to asking for a meeting.

How to do it on your own:

• Find their competitor.
• Identify one weak spot where you can help, and make it specific.
• Ask a question that is relevant, would likely be answered by a “no,” but should be a “yes.” If it’s clear you have the intel to get them to “yes,” boom – there’s their incentive to answer.

4. Connecting on a Human Level — What’s Bothering Them?

Some days, it can feel like the world is out to get you.

Personal selling lets you turn this around for someone by showing them you’re on their side.

Check out this email from our Account Executive Clare Durkin:

How to do it on your own: Find something that’s been bothering your prospect (ideally outside of work), then use a high-level connecting statement to tie it to a pain point on their team. Here, the connection is wasted time. In this case, it’s okay to ask for a meeting, because:

It’s the fastest way to help them solve the problem.

Here’s what Gloria replied back:

5. Bringing In Their Favorite Movie

What’s your favorite movie?

Think about it.

Now, how would you feel if someone acknowledged your love for this movie and geeked out with you about it?

You’d probably be impressed, and if it came through your inbox, it would be a welcome reprieve from typical business emails.

Here’s an email sent by our sales consultant Alex (and the reaction he got back):

How to do it: Find their favorite movie (try Facebook and Twitter). Identify a character and at least one well-known attribute that you can relate back to your own product or service (through metaphor). What end benefit do they both share?

Here’s how it works in Alex’s email:

Character : Jedi → Salespeople at JBX

Attribute 1 : Lightsaber → Sales enablement tool

Attribute 2 : Mind tricks → Engagement data

Shared end benefit : Success (whether it’s conquering the sith or scaling and growing a team).

Note: This technique works best for movies where there’s a clear protagonist and antagonist.

That’s all for now. Do you have any examples of emails that worked for you? We’d love to hear from you!

• “Personal selling” = Finding out who they are & what their needs are, then catering your initial outreach to that. Your first email should start a conversation where you listen .
• Move away from features and identify your value prop. What’s the end benefit?
• Lead with them, not you.
• Use a tool like email tracking to see when they’re opening your emails.

This guide was updated on October 10, 2023.

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Personal Selling: Definition, Techniques, and Examples in 2024

• March 4, 2024

Once upon a time, sales was 100% personal selling. But now, thanks to globalization, advances in technology, and the rising cost of travel, personal selling is just one of many techniques available to salespeople to warm up a lead and close a deal.

Personal selling should be part of a wider sales mix, alongside telesales, email marketing, sales promotion, advertising, and public relations. But personal selling must not be overlooked: it remains an extremely important part of a salesperson’s arsenal and is a skill every good salesperson must master.

What is personal selling?

Personal selling is when a salesperson meets a potential buyer or buyers face-to-face with the aim of selling a product or service. The most traditional form of sales, many salespeople are lured to the industry by the adrenaline rush of high-stakes personal selling; picture those whisky-swilling Mad Men, or the ultra-driven salesmen of Glengarry Glen Ross.

These days, there’s a lot more to sales than attending meetings.

Why? Simply put – the expense.

Think about it: each face-to-face meeting requires significantly more investment – from both sides – than just contacting a prospect via email or phone. Suddenly, you’ve got travel expenses. And the time it takes to prepare for, travel to, and take the meeting only adds to the cost. This is why it’s vital to consider the value and type of product you’re aiming to sell – as well as the likelihood of closing the deal – before automatically opting for personal selling.

But face-to-face meetings certainly still have their place. Consider this: 68% of B2B customers are lost due to indifference or perceived apathy rather than mistakes. Attending a sales meeting is a prime way to combat this issue by showing you care enough to invest time and money in your prospect on good faith.

Fifty-eight percent of buyers state that sales meetings are not valuable, and that there should be a greater focus on the value businesses can deliver to them. On the face of it, this doesn’t sound like great news for salespeople who shine in meetings. But it does mean that over 40% of prospects are open to sales meetings. The other 60% may just need convincing that a meeting will help you add real value to their business.

Personal selling Techniques

1. focus on the right leads.

With the extra time and monetary investment required for face-to-face sales meetings, it’s essential businesses lock down ROI by choosing the right prospects to meet in person through a comprehensive lead-qualifying process.

Not every meeting will lead to a sale, but you can get yourself closer to hitting those sales stats by asking yourself:

• What is the value of this potential sale?
• What is the size of the business you’re selling to?
• Is your product or service genuinely going to serve the business well?
• Could building a strong relationship with the DM lead to more business down the line?
• Is a sales meeting actually going to help close the sale? Perhaps the DM is extremely time-poor and prefers email or telephone communication?
• What value can you add in a sales meeting?

2. Exceed expectations through preparation

Salespeople who turn up to a meeting without preparing properly are a serious irritant for buyers. In fact, 82% of B2B buyers think sales reps are unprepared. This suggests that many prospects have been deterred from sales meetings – which they may consider a waste of time – due to negative past experiences.

It’s your job to change their mind.

Buyers don’t want to work with pushy salespeople. For buyers, a positive sales experience involves a sales representative who:

• listens to their needs
• is invested in the success of their business
• provides relevant information

Yet, just 13% of prospects believe a sales rep can understand their needs – suggesting salespeople have a reputation for not listening properly and just pushing ahead with a boilerplate pitch.

Active listening is of course vital for sales reps – not just in the meeting, but ahead of it. Note down every piece of information you receive via call or email and use this to your advantage in the meeting to prove you understand the business’s real needs. And practice active listening outside of meetings – when your mind is racing, it’s not as easy as it sounds.

Put yourself head and shoulders above the competition by over preparing. Don’t just research the company so you can show off by reciting stats or dates in the interview – learn about their pain points, their budgets, and what they’re trying to achieve. You can then position your product or service as a solution that helps them achieve their wider goals.

Your presentation should never be boilerplate: use the information you’ve gathered through research and listening to tailor it specifically to the company’s goals and how your product or service slots into their strategy.

3. Add value in the meeting

These days, it’s drummed into sales reps that they must add value in meetings, demonstrating that they’ll continue to provide useful assistance should the client sign on the dotted line. Doing this successfully demonstrates that you know what you’re talking about, and also that you care about working with the company long-term to help them achieve their goals, thereby building trust.

But what are the best techniques for adding value in that initial meeting?

Sixty-nine percent of buyers state that providing primary research data that’s relevant to their business is the best way for reps to add value. Furthermore, 95% of customers choose to buy from providers that offer relevant content at every stage of the buying process.

The amount your company is willing to invest in research or content ahead of the meeting will no doubt vary depending on the size of the potential deal. But there’s always some level of research salespeople are able to do ahead of the big date.

Use your company’s tools to pull data surrounding the business and its competitors that the organization hasn’t gathered itself. Give an analysis of the top-level findings in your presentation, explain how your products and services can help with the challenges you’ve uncovered, and then send the DM the data and your analysis. Ask your content team to create a bank of assets surrounding regular FAQs and industry pain points – whether blogs, infographics, videos, or ebooks – so you’re able to send links to additional helpful information during or after the meeting.

4. Make it clear you’re in this together

The best-performing sales reps use collaborative words like “we” or “us” instead of words like “I” or “me.” This is a simple method for making the prospective buyer feel like you’re on their side and want nothing more than to see their business thrive.

Asking intelligent, in-depth questions surrounding their business challenges, and coming back with potential solutions related to your products and services, takes this a step further, as does turning up to the meeting with the research and data outlined above.

However you do it, make sure your client leaves the meeting seeing your relationship as a partnership.

5. Tell a story

An important stat to remember when crafting your pitch: following a presentation, 63% of prospects remember stories, but just 5% remember statistics. Storytelling hooks in prospects significantly more than a bunch of dry numbers.

Turn how you can add value to your client into a story, with a clear beginning (now), middle (how you’ll work with them) and end (the results they can expect).

Ensure case studies are told in story form, too. Where relevant, you can also tell the story of your company to gain buy-in: you’ll be seen less as a faceless entity, and more as a friendly brand.

When to Use Personal Selling?

Although personal selling can be used in most business scenarios, it is especially effective when you have a:

• Highly specialized offering: Personal selling is an effective way to introduce a specialized product, as it allows you to explain and demonstrate how the product is specifically tailored to your prospect’s needs. It also allows for more personalized conversations with potential customers, allowing them to ask questions and learn about the benefits of the product.
• Small market with a few large buyers: When there are only a few buyers in the market, you can reach them all through personal selling. Your sales reps can visit each buyer directly and provide detailed information about your product, convincing them of its value.
• High-end/complex product: Personal selling is especially useful when selling high-end or complex products. It allows you to explain why the customer should invest in this product, rather than settling for cheaper options available on the market. You can also demonstrate how the product works in detail, which is often necessary with more complicated items.
• Highly competitive market: You’ll need something to make your product stand out from the rest if you’re in a highly competitive market. This can be done through personal selling. Your sales rep can demonstrate how your product is different and has features that other products don’t.
• Lack of funds for other advertising channels: There are times when your company isn’t doing very well. But even if you can’t afford other advertising channels, such as TV or radio advertisements, you can still use personal selling to market your products.
• Trade show or an exhibition to leverage: Personal selling is perfect for leveraging trade shows and exhibitions, as you can use these events to introduce your product to a large group of people at the same time. Your sales reps can also go ahead and engage with each interested customer individually, explaining why they should choose your product over the competition.

Personal Selling Examples

An example of the importance of genuinely making your customer feel like you’re on their side and building trust comes from Andrew Peterson, CEO of Signal Sciences. While at college he worked at The North Face, and says his favorite customer interactions were always those where he’d recommend the customer go to another brand to find the product they needed.

Speaking to Inc , he said: “Don’t get me wrong, I loved The North Face and all of their products! But I was always more intent on getting the customer the best product for what they were looking for. When that wasn’t something from our company, I’d tell them what they should get instead and where to get it from. Funny thing was, they always ended up buying at least something from me because they were so shocked I wasn’t just pushing our products on them. A great lesson I learned from this is that the best salespeople are the ones you trust.”

When working in sales, Richard Nieset, chief customer officer at Pixlee, found a unique way to tackle one of his employer’s toughest clients in a brilliant example of personal selling. Having been warned that the contact was a “pain in the butt” who led on salespeople but never committed, he went to a meeting armed with a toy gun filled with six bullets.

Speaking to Inc, he explained: “Here was my deal: He could ask me for anything he needed from us and anything we could possibly do, we would do. But each time he asked, he had to give me one of those bullets. When I got all six bullets, I would get to ask for something in return. And you can probably guess what that was going to be. Eventually, I got him to agree, leading to one of the largest deals in our company history.”

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Essay Examples 21 Personal Statement Examples That Stand Out + Why They Work

This is your ultimate list of Personal Statement examples.

In this post, you'll learn:

• What makes a successful Personal Statement
• How to write an irresistible Personal Statement
• Ivy League personal essay examples

If you're looking to read and write Personal Statement essays, you've found the right place.

In this post, I'm going to share everything you need to go from zero to having a Personal Statement essay you can be proud of.

This guide will help you get started writing an engaging Personal Statement essay. Or if you already have one, how to make it even better.

What is a Personal Statement Essay?

A personal statement, also called a statement of purpose (SOP) or personal essay, is a piece of creative, personal writing.

The purpose of your personal statement is to express yourself and your ideas. Personal statements usually aren't piece of formal writing, but still should be thoughtful and planned out.

For undergraduate applications, your personal statement is often referred to as your Common App essay , because it is the main essay for your Common App.

21 Personal Statement Essays That Worked

It can be difficult to understand what makes a great essay without seeing some for yourself.

Here's 21 of our favorite personal statement essays that we've chosen for being unique and high-quality.

There essays were all accepted into some of the most selective schools. And while it isn't the only factor in admissions that matters, having outstanding essays can help tip the scales in your favor.

Table of Contents

Prompt: Any Topic of Your Choice

• 1. I Want To Be a Billionaire

Prompt: Background, Identity, or Interest

• 2. Uncomfortable Truths
• 3. Romanian Heritage
• 4. Film and Theater
• 5. Person of the Woods
• 6. Beautiful Walks

Prompt: Lessons from Obstacles

• 7. My Father
• 8. Self-Determination
• 9. Game Design Music
• 10. Speech and Debate

Prompt: Questioned or Challenged a Belief

• 11. Finding Answers

Prompt: Accomplishment, Event, or Realization

• 12. Connecting with Others
• 13. Summer Confidence
• 14. First Impressions
• 15. Law Career
• 16. Growing Up Asian

Prompt: Engaging Topic, Idea, or Concept

• 17. Secrets of Riddles
• 18. Rubik's Cube
• 19. Narrative Diversity
• 20. Search for Dreams
• 21. Recipe for Success

Personal Statement Example #1: I Want To Be a Billionaire

This is an amazing, risk-taking personal statement that worked for Stanford last year. It is a stand-out essay for many reasons, but especially because of its creativity, passion, and authenticity.

This essay was written by Khoi Lam ( @khoikimlam on Instagram) who is a Computer Science major.

Khoi is originally from Missouri, USA, and he had an impressive 1510 SAT, 34 ACT (superscore), and 3.932 unweighted GPA (4.581 weighted).

Khoi was heavily involved in extracurriculars, including placing 7th overall in the international ElevenLabs Online AI Hackathon and the National Winner of the Congressional App Challenge in 2023.

Khoi identifies as an Asian-American student, with no legacy or family connections to Stanford.

With that, let's read Khoi's amazing Common App essay that helped get him into Stanford.

Common App Prompt #7: Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design. (250-650 words)

I want to be a billionaire.

Vietnam's busy streets, heavy with tropical heat, filled with horns blaring, scented with the aroma of freshly cooked street food—starkly contrasting the harsh reality of homelessness that burrowed in the city. From the backseat of my mother's well-worn motorbike, I observed the hardships of many—the homeless, the hungry, the struggling masses. As we drove past a disheveled man on the sidewalk, I asked my mom if we could give him some money. She replied that we could barely afford our own needs. Still, her eyes held a sadness, knowing she couldn’t help.

I envisioned a future where basic needs are met for all, where humanity could leave the lowest level of Maslow's hierarchy behind for good. How could I play a part in making that vision a reality? I want to become fortunate enough to lend a helping hand to every person I pass.

I believe every human who has ever existed, or will ever exist, is part of a larger, reincarnating soul—and the cosmos is just... an egg . This concept comes from Andy Weir's short story The Egg. In another life, it could have been me on the streets. I could be that homeless man, that struggling mom, that starving child.

My first job as a waiter allowed me to take a small step toward my dream. I shared some of my modest earnings with the homeless I passed by on the streets. It felt right. It felt human. It warmed my heart.

Yet, I began to question the real impact of my donations. This nagging doubt led me to William MacAskill's Doing Good Better, where I discovered Effective Altruism—a philosophy of maximizing impact. The book mentioned the infamous case study, the PlayPump initiative in Africa. This project aimed to use children's play energy on a merry-go-round to pump clean water. However, it backfired because the children tired quickly, leaving women to push the heavy merry-go-round themselves, far less efficient than traditional hand pumps. I learned an invaluable lesson: empathy alone isn’t enough; it needs to be combined with analytical rigor—"to have the head of a serpent and the heart of a dove," as the Bible puts it. While giving direct cash to the homeless eased my heart, it was unlikely to provide lasting solutions.

I took action on my newfound philosophy and pledged 10% of my income to the Giving What We Can nonprofit to effective evidence-based charities. To find lasting solutions, I co-organized [Redacted] Effective Altruism to build a community focused on analytical and empathetic giving. I partnered with local nonprofits to improve their funding effectiveness through the Local Impact Evaluation project. Beyond dollars, we helped reshape our city's culture of giving by inspiring heart and mind, where empathy meets evidence. Our collective efforts to tackle local issues through rigorous analysis and compassion were born from a desire to make an impact far beyond one individual.

"But, how can I improve this research on a larger scale?" I want to develop AI systems that evaluate charities’ effectiveness. However, AI’s power to revolutionize humanity, as highlighted in Mo Gawdat's book Scary Smart, comes with ethical responsibilities. This understanding led me to explore the intersection of AI and Philosophy. I aim to combine technical skills with a strong moral compass to ensure that AI not only enhances efficiency but also upholds moral values. In the future, I want to research this topic alongside the Effective Altruism community around the world.

I want to be a billionaire—not for the sake of wealth, but to touch a billion lives. When my journey on this Earth ends, when I find myself back to our cosmic egg, I hope to be greeted by a human- sized entity, but grander than life itself, fist bumps me and smiles.

You did a great job.

Oh, and I'll leave with zero—in my bank account, but not my soul's ledger.

• Improve your essays in minutes, instead of hours
• Based on lessons from hundreds of accepted applications & essays.
• Easy and actionable strategies

The student who wrote this essay, Khoi Lam, also offered some powerful advice and insight into his successful Stanford application.

Here's what he said:

Why do you think your application was accepted?

Khoi: I try to have a voice in my writing, authenticity, provocative/bold, and focus on the academics as much as I can (ideas, books, etc.) to show my intellectual vitality.

How much do you think your essays were a factor?

Khoi: I believe they do play a big factor because I honestly didn't have great stats.

Was there anything you would've done differently (with your essays or application)?

Khoi: I would say to put more effort into the other schools because except for Stanford, I just lazily recycled my essays and didn't put in much effort for the other schools. I wish I could've put more effort into them :((

What do you want other students to know about applying to college?

Khoi: In my opinion:

Be bold in your essays. If you're an underdog (like me), then taking risks in your essays is worth it. It only takes 1 school to like your essays. If you write safely and mediocre, then you're not unique enough.

Do some research on interesting academic ideas that are related to your essays and put them in. Mentioning books (or any other ways you pursue your academic pursuits, like articles) is my fav way to show intellectual vitality. It's a great way to teach the Admission Officer something new.

Thanks to Khoi for showcasing his amazing work! If you enjoyed reading his essay and insights, consider checking out his website .

Now let's read some other amazing personal statements that worked for top colleges.

Personal Statement Example #2: Uncomfortable Truths

This is a personal statement that worked for Princeton . It is outstanding for many reasons, but most of all because of its ideas and the thoughtfulness put into organizing them.

This is one of my personal favorites because of how well-written and thought-provoking it is, while showcasing the student's achievements humbly.

Common App Prompt #1: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. (250-650 words)

Why This Essay Works:

Having a unifying idea is key to successful personal statements. Find your deepest idea or realization and focus your essay around that.

Find a way to showcase your achievements while connecting to broader, more universal ideas.

Connecting your ending to your beginning is a powerful way to bring your essay full circle. A great conclusion expands on your ideas introduced earlier, while leaving some room for more to be said.

• Make a Strong Impression
• Capture Your Unique Strengths
• Write Outstanding Essays
• ...and Apply Confidently!

I hope you found that essay as amazing as I did. It's a fantastic example of how to write successful college essays .

Personal Statement Example #3: Film and Theater

This student's essay was accepted to USC , among other top schools. It's topic is seemingly simple—taking walks—but the author brilliantly shows how even in the mundane there can be meaningful reflections.

This essay has lots of moments where the author's character comes across vividly. By using conversational language and interjections like "I want to—no, need—to...", the author has a clear "voice" and you can easily imagine them as if they were speaking directly to you. This student also showcases self-awareness and a sense of humor, by using slightly self-deprecating phrases like "some chubby, nerdy girl" and by recognizing how the social approval of sitting with the "popular girls" was enthralling at the time. Self-awareness is a highly valuable trait to portray, because it shows that you're able to reflect on both your strengths and weaknesses, which is a skill needed to be able to grow and develop.

This author manages to tie in their activity of producing films and reference them specifically ("Cardboard Castles") by connecting them to their main point. Instead of listing their activities or referencing them out-of-the-blue, they show how these accomplishments are perfect examples of a greater message. In this case, that message is how meaningful it is to connect with others through storytelling. To write about your activities and achievements without seeming arbitrary or boastful, make them have a specific purpose in your essay: connect to a value, idea, or use them as examples to show something.

In the intro of this essay, there are some descriptions that seem fiction-like and are ultimately unimportant to the main idea. Sentences that describe Mrs. Brewer's appearance or phrases describing how their teacher stood up after talking to them ultimately don't contribute to the story. Although these provide "context," the only context that admissions are interested in is context and details which have a purpose. Avoid writing like fiction books, which describe all the characters and settings, and instead only describe exactly what is needed to "go somewhere" in your essay.

What They Might Improve:

This essay has a strong hook which captivates the reader by making them ask a question: "What are these lunch-time horror stories?" By sparking the reader's imagination early on, you can draw them into your writing and be more engaged. However, ultimately this is somewhat of a letdown because these intriguing "lunch-time horror stories" are never described. Although it may not be completely necessary for the main point, describing one example or hinting at it more closely would be satisfying for the reader and still connect to the main idea of storytelling. One idea is to replace the conclusion with a reference to these "lunch-time horror stories" more vividly, which would be a satisfying ending that also could connect to filmmaking and storytelling. In general, anticipate what the reader will be looking for, and either use that expectation to your advantage by subverting it, or give them what they want as a satisfying, meaningful conclusion.

Although this conclusion could work as is, it could be stronger by seeming less arbitrary and less "fancy for fancy sake." Often, a good strategy is to connect your conclusion to something earlier in your essay such as your introduction or specific wording that you used throughout. In this essay, it could work much better to end by revealing one of those "lunch-time horror stories" in a way that also emphasizes their main point: how storytelling is a powerful tool to connect people.

Personal Statement Example #4: Romanian Heritage

This personal statement worked for UMichigan , among many other top schools like MIT, Rice, UNC at Chapel Hill , University of Pittsburgh, UW Madison, and more.

This author is able to vividly bring you into their world using cultural references and descriptive writing. You can practically taste and smell Buni's kitchen through her words.

This essay starts off by posing a challenge, which is typical of essays. But rather than showing how they overcame this particular challenge of speaking Romanian without an accent, this reader shows how something unexpected—baking—came to satisfy what was missing all along. By the end, this creates a conclusion that is both surprising, connected to the beginning, and makes perfect sense once you've read it. In other words, the conclusion is inevitable, but also surprising in content.

This student uses Romanian words to help exemplify the culture and language. If you're writing about a culture, using foreign language words can be a compelling way of adding depth to your essay. By including specific terms like "muni" and "cornulete," it shows a depth of knowledge which cannot be faked. Always use specific, tangible language where possible, because it is "evidence" that you know what you're talking about.

This student exhibits strong self-awareness by noting characteristics about themself, even some which may not be the most glamorous ("can be overbearing at times, stubborn in the face of offered help"). Rather than telling the reader flat out about these personal attributes, they are able to discuss them by connecting to another person—their grandmother Buni. Using another person to showcase your own character (through comparison or contrast) is a literary "foil," which can be an effective way of showing your character without stating it outright, which generally is boring and less convincing.

This student doesn't focus on surface-level ideas like "how they got better at speaking Romanian." Instead, they reflect in a creative way by connecting the Romanian language to baking. Revealing unseen connections between topics is a great way to show that you're a thoughtful and clever thinker. Ultimately, having unique ideas that are specific to you is what will create a compelling essay, and this essay is a perfect example of what that could look like.

Personal Statement Example #5: Person of the Woods

This essay was accepted into Dartmouth College . It is a brilliant example of showing how any experience, even those which originally may have been unpleasant, can be the topic of meaningful reflection.

Using visuals, like descriptions of scenarios and environments, can help bring the reader into your world. However, make sure that all of your descriptions are relevant to your main point, or else they could be distracting. For example, in this essay it would be unnecessary to describe what they're wearing or the appearance of canoes, but it makes sense to describe the nature as it relates to the main topic.

People are not isolated units. Instead, everyone depends on and is defined by those around them. By showing how you relate and connect with other people, you can provide insights into your character. In this essay, the student does a great job of delving into their strong friendships, particularly what they've learned from their friends.

Admissions officers love to see self-growth. Showing how your perspective on something has changed (in this case, how they went from disliking to loving an activity) conveys a development of your character. Ask yourself: what preconceived notions did I have before, and how did they change? This student reflects in a humble way, by first emphasizing what they've learned from others, before offering up what they might have contributed themselves. Always try to have a tone of gratitude in your essays because it makes you more likeable and shows strong character.

Personal Statement Example #6: Beautiful Walks

Personal Statement Example #7: My Father's Death

This personal statement was admitted to Michigan in recent years. It is an outstanding example of how you can write about topics that are often cliché if done poorly, such as the death of a family member.

But unlike other essays, this one works because it has a unique take and genuine approach to the topic that makes it come off as heartfelt.

Common App Prompt #2: The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? (250-650 words)

Writing about a tragedy like a loss of a parent is a tricky topic for college essays. Many students feel obligated to choose that topic if it applies to them, but it can be challenging to not come across as trying to garner sympathy ("sob story"). This student does a graceful job of focusing on positive elements from their father's legacy, particularly the inspiration they draw from him.

This student does a great job of connecting their educational and career aspirations to their background. Admissions officers want to understand why you're pursing what you are, and by explaining the origin of your interests, you can have compelling and genuine reasons why.

In this essay, the student writes from their hypothetical perspective as an infant. This doesn't quite work because they likely wouldn't remember these moments ("I have no conscious memories of him"), but still writes as though they do. By writing about things you haven't seen or experienced yourself, it can come across as "made up" or inauthentic.

Personal Statement Example #8: Self-Determination

Some of the best essay topics are dealing with challenges you've faced, because difficulties make it easier to reflect upon what you've learned. Admissions officers ultimately are looking for self-growth, and showing how you've handled personal challenges can demonstrate your new understandings as a result. However, avoid talking about "tragedy" or difficulty without a clear purpose. Don't write about it because you think "you should," only write about challenges if they are true to yourself and you have something meaningful and unique to say about them. Otherwise, it can come off as trying to garner sympathy (i.e. "sob stories") which admissions officers generally dislike.

More convincing than telling admissions officers, is presenting them with "evidence" and allowing them to come to the conclusion themselves. If you want to show the idea "I couldn't learn due to this condition," it is far more effective to do what this student did and say, "I'd just finished learning complex trig identities, and I now couldn't even count to ten." When drafting, it is normal and okay to start off with more "telling" as you get your ideas on paper. But as your essay progresses, you should transform those moments of "telling" into more powerful and convincing moments of "showing."

Having meaningful reflections is a critical part of having compelling essays. But make sure your takeaways are not surface-level or generic. Each admissions officer has likely read thousands of essays, so they are well aware of the common ideas and tropes. Avoid cliché ideas at all costs, because it comes across as forgettable and unoriginal. Instead, it is okay to start with surface-level ideas, but keep asking yourself probing questions like "Why" and "How" to push your ideas deeper.

This essay tells a nice story of overcoming their physical impediment, but ultimately lacks meaningful reflections in the conclusion. Too much time is spent on "the problem" and not enough on how they overcame it. Your conclusion should have your best, most compelling ideas in your entire essay. Try ending your essay by connecting to the beginning with a new perspective, expanding on your idea with a new takeaway, or connecting to broader, more universal themes. Avoid having a conclusion that "sounds nice," but ultimately is lacking in meaningful content.

Personal Statement Example #9: Game Design Music

This essay was admitted into Cornell University . It discusses a common conflict of ideology that comes with pursuing the arts. What the author does brilliantly is show how that conflict was reconciled, as well as how it changed their perspective.

My mom used to tell me this a lot. She’d always disapproved of my passion for the arts.

In this essay, the author does a fantastic job of showing how they are thoughtful in considering the perspectives of others, even though they may disagree. Showing that you can entertain ideas that you may disagree with is an admirable trait that admissions officers love to see, because intellectual discussion is all about trying to see other people's views. When writing about things that you may disagree with, try to play devil's advocate and see things from their point of view. Doing so will make you come off as thoughtful, understanding, and inquisitive, and it will strengthen your own viewpoint if you can identify arguments against it.

The best essays help admissions officers understand how you think about things. One strategy is to offer up questions to explore. These can be questions that arose during a particular moment or questions that you're reflecting upon right now. By using questions in your essay, you'll also present yourself as a thoughtful and curious thinker. Ultimately, you want to help the reader see things from your perspective by showing your thought process.

A good starting place for reflection can be in comparing and contrasting different topics. This could finding the similarities and differences in an extracurricular and an academic class, or any other number of things. By finding the similarities in things often thought of as "opposing," or finding the differences in things thought of as "similar," you can get to interesting ideas. Comparisons are useful because they force you to think from a different viewpoint. For example in this essay: How does "programming" relate to "song lyrics"?

This essay ends on a note that feels somewhat off-topic and not as interesting as their main idea. The conclusion leaves more to be wanted, as the reader ends up thinking: Are you simply seeking the approval of your parents? Or are you carving your own path in life? Or does the answer lie somewhere in between? Avoid ending your essay with a tangential idea. Instead, a strong conclusion is often closely related to the main point of your essay, but with a slight twist. By planning out your essay before writing, you can make sure that each point (from start to finish) connects the way you want it to and that your conclusion ends on a strong, well-connected note.

Personal Statement Example #10: Speech and Debate

I was still high off the competition, poring over ballots by the soft streetlights as we drove. “Are you sure you want to do this?” My Dad was worried about me. Worried about my world crashing down around me, losing friends, being crushed by hate. Scarred by controversy. I laughed it off, and we rode in silence.

Fast forward to my second or third year in the league. I wanted to have some fun. I emailed the regional coordinator, asking if there’s a rule against a speech advocating for same-sex marriage.

This essay has lots of interesting ideas about having discussions between people of different viewpoints. This student is able to reflect sincerely about what the benefit of that dialogue is ("iron sharpening iron") and able to draw meaningful conclusions ("hope lives in that laughter") that express deeper ideas. By focusing on these compelling reflections, this student shows themself as a brilliant and thoughtful thinker, while demonstrating what they value: discourse between opposing viewpoints. Rather than focusing on the literal happenings (i.e. giving a speech to their club), the student reflects on what that experience represents more broadly, which allows them to connect to deeper ideas.

This essay is full of details, without being wordy or drawn out. Even small details like naming the show "The Daily Show" or giving a number of "40,000+ theologies" makes their writing much more engaging and compelling. By avoiding broad and vague language, this student paints a fascinating picture that allows the reader to enter their world. It is always better to be specific than to be generic, but make sure that the specific details are always relevant to your point. This essay is a great example of how to do both.

This essay does a fantastic job of creating a "voice." That is, you can easily imagine the student as if they were speaking to you while reading it. To craft this voice, this student uses small moments of more informal language and interjecting remarks that show their thought process. Using parentheses can be a good way to show your voice by jumping in when you have a small remark to add. This student also demonstrates a sense of humor and lightheartedness while still discussing meaningful ideas. The sarcastic remark "because controversy has no place in a debate club!" demonstrates their values (of dialogue between differing viewpoints) as well as showing their sense of personality.

This essay's weakest point is its intro or "hook." In fact, it could work much better by excluding the introduction paragraph and starting off with the second paragraph: "Forgive the melodrama: this is a story..." That short phrase is much more captivating and immediately draws the reader in. The introduction paragraph in this essay is too much of a meandering and vague story: you don't know what they're talking about, and ultimately it doesn't matter. Rather than using a fancy story or descriptions to introduce your essay, try jumping into the "meat" of your essay immediately. Consider using a short, declarative sentence or phrase like "Forgive the melodrama" as a hook, which is more impactful and draws the reader immediately into your essay.

Personal Statement Example #11: Finding Answers

Common App Prompt #3: Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? (250-650 words)

My grandmother’s concern faded rather quickly as sirens fell distant and time passed.

After about 30 minutes, my grandfather’s friend ran toward the beach. My grandfather was not next to him. He was not there at all. At that moment, my grandma knew.

“Burt...he was with me...he slipped...he fell...I ran down the side of the mountain, off the trail, but I couldn’t find him. The park rangers are looking...” She stopped listening. She could see his lips moving, yet she heard nothing.

This essay repeats a lot of the same ideas or information, just using different words. Rather than "getting to the point," this repetition makes the essay feel meandering and like it is going nowhere ultimately. When drafting your essay, it is okay to have repetition (your drafts shouldn't be perfect, after all). But when editing, ask yourself with each sentence: does this add something new? Is this necessary to my main point? If not, you should exclude those sentences.

This essay starts off with a drawn-out story of the tragedy involving the author's grandfather. Most of this story is unnecessary, because all that really matters for this student's main idea is the fact that their grandfather passed away from a tragic accident. Details about his grandmother or his grandfather's best friend are unnecessary and distracting.

An important "rule" in college essays is to only write from your perspective. That is, don't describe things that you couldn't have seen or experienced. In this essay, the author spends a lot of time describing their grandfather's incident as if they was there to witness it. But we later learn that the author was not even alive at this point, so how could they be describing these things? On a smaller level, don't describe yourself from an outside perspective. For example, instead of, "I grimaced when I heard the news" (how did you see yourself grimace?) you could say, "I felt my stomach pang when I heard the news."

Your ideas are most valuable in your essays. Admissions officers want to see how you think, and having interesting ideas that are unique to you is how you demonstrate that you're thoughtful and insightful. Avoid surface-level ideas at all costs, as it comes off cliché. It is okay to start with more generic ideas, but you should always delve deeper. To get at deeper and more unique ideas, the key is to ask yourself questions. For example: Why is this the case? Why don't things work differently? What does this mean for other people? What does this represent? How can I apply this to other areas of life?

Personal Statement Example #12: Connecting with Others

Common App Prompt #5: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. (250-650 words)

It's important to create a "voice" in your personal statement, so that admissions officers can imagine your character and personality. Try to write as you would speak, but refined and polished. In this essay, natural-sounding phrases like "...let me admit, I was awful..." humanizes the author and makes the reader feel like they're being spoken to.

This essay is a perfect example of how effective essays don't need to have a super unusual story to be compelling. What makes this essay's story compelling is not necessarily the topic itself (meeting distant relatives), but instead how the student reflects and makes interesting connections to broader ideas. Even seemingly mundane experiences can make for meaningful personal statements topics.

This conclusion works well by connecting to the main story of the essay. However, certain phrases like "As a global citizen" and "I am hoping to forge relationships" are potentially too generic. Instead, try taking your main idea (in this case forming connections with others) and broaden it or connect to more universal ideas.

Personal Statement Example #13: Summer Confidence

This essay has a heartfelt moment where the author connects deeply with a camper and feels a sense of genuine gratitude. By showing their newfound connection with a person they were mentoring, this creates a sense of humanity and also tells a lot about the author themself. By talking about other people in your life, you create a literary "foil" which in turn describes something about yourself. Showing how you interact with others can be telling into your character, such as showing your empathy, sense of humor, friendliness, or how you draw inspiration from others.

This essay does a good job of expressing vulnerability, specifically the author's fears about the future and "deteriorating friendships" after going to college. By being vulnerable, these moments feel more relatable to the reader. Showing your struggles (especially emotional ones) can also make your later "successes" feel more impactful when you show how you've overcame them or persist in face of those struggles. By recognizing your flaws or insecurities, you also show self-awareness, which is a positive trait because you need to be self-aware in order to improve the areas of yourself you want to fix.

Although this essay does reflect upon the lessons learned during their time at this camp, the takeaways are ultimately surface-level and not delved into. Rather than saying things like "I had more confidence," it would be more engaging to show how that confidence made an effect and what exactly that "confidence" meant. This essay touches upon some meaningful lessons, but ultimately they fall flat because the nuances of these lessons are glossed over. Phrases like "upon further consideration it no longer fills me with...apprehension" don't delve into the most interesting part: How and why did that fear go away? What changed about your perspective and why? Instead, these are explained away with "confidence and maturity," which are too broad of terms and feel meaningless because they are overused in essays.

In your personal statement, it is completely OK to reference people by their first name. Using names makes your essay more vivid and engaging, while showing a deeper connection that you have with others. Rather than saying "other people" or "one of the older campers," it would be more impactful to use their first name. There are some caveats, however. Don't use their name if you're showing them in a negative light (which you probably shouldn't do anyway) or if you're revealing something personal about them. If you are revealing something personal, you can substitute their name for another name, or ask them for their direct permission.

Personal Statement Example #14: First Impressions

It had a nice ring to it, but I wasn’t a fan. Unfortunately, that’s what I imagined everyone saw first, and first impressions stick.

A caveat of my surgery was that the hair would grow, then one-third would fall off. My scar will never be completely gone, but I no longer feel defined by it like I did in elementary school.

An effective hook doesn't need to be complicated. Often, the best hooks are simple, declarative sentences. By using a short sentence, you'll immediately draw the reader into your essay and create a point of emphasis. In general, avoid long and meandering sentences to start your essay, and save those for later in your essay. Clear and succinct phrasing is often the hallmark of a strong hook.

To convey your ideas more strongly, show them using concrete examples. In this essay, the author does a great job of that by not saying "classmates only saw me for my scar," but instead showing that idea through the memorable image of "I learned about my classmates through their lunchbox covers...they saw me as the boy with the scar." Using tangible imagery makes for a compelling way of expressing your ideas, as it allows the reader to come to the conclusions you want them to, without just "telling" them.

Avoid exaggerating or "fluffing up" experiences in your essays. Instead, be realistic and tell them for what they are. This essay does that perfectly by using phrases like "I didn't have a sudden epiphany about my scar." Avoid using phrases like "suddenly, I..." which are often overused and unrealistic. Most new understandings aren't acquired in one moment in particular, but are developed over time.

This essay touches on some compelling ideas, such as how people can distill down other people into their physical attributes or ailments. However, it would be even stronger to delve deeper into these reflections by asking further questions: Why do we gravitate towards "categorizing" people based on surface-level attributes? What is the impact of only be acknowledged for surface-level characteristics by others, but knowing that you have much more depth to your character? This essay has some meaningful ideas, but other ideas such as "I can be whatever I want to be" feel surface-level and somewhat generic.

Personal Statement Example #15: Law Career

One great way to have interesting ideas is to show things that you find fascinating that other people may find boring. This essay describes how a judge mandating "reprimands for speeding tickets might be dull for some," but how they find it interesting. Everything, even the seemingly mundane, has interesting aspects if you're willing to look closely enough. When brainstorming, ask yourself: what do I find fascinating that others find boring? What do I think is "fun" while others may think it is "hard" or boring? By following these threads, you can often find unique and compelling ideas that allow you to bring the reader into your world and show them how you see the world uniquely.

A common trap when writing a personal statement is to use a descriptive, fiction-like story to start your essay. Although this may sound like a good idea, it is often ineffective because it buries what is most interesting (your ideas and reflections) and can easily be long and drawn out. Short, concise stories with a focus can be effective introductions, but in general avoid overly descriptive storytelling to start your essay. Also, avoid describing things that aren't critical to your main point. There is little to no benefit in describing things like "I smoothed my skirt and rose slowly from the chair." Focus on why your stories matter, rather than telling stories in a descriptive manner.

This essay does have some reflections, particularly about how the author discovered their passion for law by joining the Youth Court. However, most of these ideas end there, and there aren't any deep, unique ideas. The closest the author comes to having a unique and compelling idea is the final sentence where they write "the value of prioritizing the common good above individual success." This could be a fascinating topic to explore, but ultimately is cut short because it is tagged onto the ending. Your focus when brainstorming and drafting should be to have specific and original ideas—ideas that are not generic, not cliché, and not surface-level. To get to those ideas, ask yourself probing questions like "Why" and "How" over and over.

Personal Statement Example #16: My Asian Experience

Personal Statement Example #17: Secrets of Riddles

Common App Prompt #6: Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? (250-650 words)

As I was going to St. Ives, Upon the road I met seven wives; Every wife had seven sacks, Every sack had seven cats: Cats, sacks, and wives, How many were going to St. Ives?

The riddles of life were not as straightforward as the puzzles in my books and websites. In fact, they were not straightforward at all, like winding mazes of philosophical quandary.

One of the most thought-provoking subjects that preoccupies my mind regards the existence of aliens. Initially, my mind was settled on the possibility of intelligent life. A universe so big could not possibly be lifeless.

As for the solution to the riddle at the start:

How many were going to St. Ives?

This essay does well by having a unique central topic—riddles—which allows the author to draw out interesting ideas related to this theme. Your topic doesn't necessarily need to be profound or hugely significant, because this author shows how you can take a seemingly unimportant topic and use it to make meaningful connections. In this essay, riddles grow to represent something greater than the activity itself, which is something you can do with almost any topic.

One of the most effective ways to "show, not tell" is to use specific and tangible examples. This essay does a great job of exemplifying their ideas. Rather than just saying "I enthralled my friends with questions," the author also shows this: "Over peanut butter and sliced ham, I assumed the role of story teller..." Examples are always more convincing because they are proof, and allow the reader to interpret for themselves. Don't tell the reader what you want them to think. Instead, set up moments that guide the reader to come to those conclusions themselves.

This conclusion connects back to the beginning, which is generally a good idea as it creates a cohesive structure. However, this ending doesn't quite make sense in the context of the riddle. Rather than creating new meaning, it comes off as arbitrary and contrived. Make sure your conclusion isn't creative just for creative-sake, and instead also has significant meaning attached to it.

Personal Statement Example #18: Rubik's Cube

Personal Statement Example #19: Narrative Diversity

If your cultural background or identity is an important part of who you are, then writing about it can make for a compelling essay. Often times in college admissions, Asian-Americans in particular are advised to "hide" their ethnic background, because it can be perceived to hurt their application. This student embraces their Asian heritage by recognizing ways in which they faced societal barriers. As this essay shows, regardless of your identity, there are unique aspects you can delve into that can make for compelling topics.

This essay does a great job of reflecting upon previously held beliefs, such as "I unconsciously succumbed to the 'reserve and quiet' Asian stereotype," and challenging them. Questioning your beliefs and where they came from can often be a good starting point for interesting reflection. Showing your new perspectives over time also conveys self-growth. Ask yourself: what did I once believe (in regards to myself, an activity, other people, etc.), what do I believe now, and how has this changed?

Rather than starting off with an activity and then reflecting upon it, this student takes a different approach. By introducing an interesting idea (the representation of underrepresented groups in media) and then later connecting to their activities, it makes the incorporation of those extracurriculars seem more appropriate and natural. The last thing you want to do is list your activities plainly, but it's still important to reference them. One strategy to naturally talk about your activities and accomplishments is to attach them to interesting ideas, as this essay shows.

Personal Statement Example #20: Search for Dreams

The diamond leaves of gnarled oak trees throw spectrums of color onto mounds of frosty snow that gleam melancholily under the moonlight. The leaves chime as wind violently rustles them in a haunting melody. I splinter a leaf off its branch and inspect the shard of my illusion, eyes dancing with amusement.

As I dwell in my worries, a cold hand reaches from behind me and taps my shoulder.

I jerk away, fear bubbling in my amygdala as I look into the nonexistent eyes of my intruding visitor.

The moon illuminates a blob of pink squish as it draws back slowly, points its spindly hands towards my drink and asks: “Could I have some of that?”

The blob wipes its invisible mouth with its nonexistent sleeve. I ask: “What are you?”

The blob tells me to stop looking at it so suspiciously. “I can prove it,” It says. I tell it, please, go ahead.

Suddenly we are back in the glowing forest. “Diamonds? Pah!” The blob dismisses them. Instantly, the leaves turn solid gold, the snow melts, and the wintry world is thrown into a blistering summer.

The blob laughs heartlessly. “Your cortex is under my control,” it says smugly.

“I heard you had a question for me?” It taps its invisible ears knowingly.

The blob wriggles its invisible brows as it waits.

It smiles that wicked smile. It laughs that sinful laugh. Then that insufferable blob wakes me up.

As I sit up in the dark and rub my bleary eyes, I am vaguely aware of the deep­set unfulfillment settling itself inside me. I yawn and plop back into bed, the soft red glow of my alarm clock indicating that it is still before midnight.

One thing is for sure about this essay: it has a unique idea that has surely not been written before. Regardless of your topic, you want your essay to be unique in some way, even if it isn't as fantastical as this essay. You can use a unique structure, such as having central symbolism, metaphor, or being structured as a recipe, for example. But this can easily become "gimmicky" if it doesn't have a clear purpose. In general, the most effective way to have a unique essay is to focus on having deep and unique ideas and reflections. By focusing on interesting takeaways and connections that are ultra-specific to you and your experiences, your essay will standout regardless of the structure.

This essay uses a lot of fiction-like writing that is fantastical and "flowery." Although moments of this kind of writing can make your essay more vivid, it is quite easy to end up with dense storytelling and descriptions that ultimately don't share anything interesting about you. The purpose of your essay is ultimately to learn about you: your values, your ideas, your identity, etc. By using dense story-like writing, it can be easy to lose focus of what admissions officers are looking for. In general, avoid writing "fancy" stories like this essay, unless you have a clear and distinct purpose for doing so. Everything in your essay should have a purpose in "going somewhere" (i.e. reaching interesting ideas and takeaways).

This essay is definitely creative, but lacks meaningful takeaways and ideas. By the end of the essay, we don't know much about the author besides the fact that they have an affinity for creative writing and are "on a search." Although the content is unique, the end result comes off as quite generic and surface-level because no interesting thoughts are explored deeply. The most interesting part of this essay is "I open my mouth and ask it my most crucial question," but this is super unsatisfying because the question is never divulged. Instead, the reader is teased by this fantasy story and the essay goes nowhere meaningful, which comes off as gimmicky and "creative for creative's sake," rather than deeply personal and interesting.

This essay ends on the idea of "continuing my search," but for what exactly? It is never explained, elaborated, or even implied (besides one reference to painting earlier). That makes this conclusion comes off as somewhat surface-level and uninteresting. Admissions officers won't care about "your search" unless they have a reason to care. That is, unless it tells something specific about you. On it's own, this idea of "exploring" and "searching" is meaningless because it is too broad and unelaborated.

Personal Statement Example #21: Recipe for Success

Step 1: Collect the ingredients

Step 2: Marinate the meat

Step 3: Wrap the dumplings

Step 4: Boil or pan-fry?

Step 5: Share and enjoy!

This essay has a clearly unique format in that it is structured as a dumpling recipe. By walking the reader through each step of dumpling-making, the student is able to explore various ideas and use the dumpling process as a metaphor for their own self-discovery. Having a creative structure like this can be beneficial, so long as you also have compelling ideas and the structure isn't unique just for the sake of being unique.

This whole essay is one big metaphor: the student compares their self-growth to the process of making dumplings. In doing so, the student introduces their heritage, while also having a creative literary device that they can use to explore various topics. By having a "central theme" such as this essay does, it makes it easier to explore a variety of ideas and activities, without seeming like you're listing them.

Struggles are one of the most defining aspects of self-development, and admissions officers are interested to see how you have overcome challenges. These difficulties don't need to be extreme tragedies or insurmountable obstacles, but everyone has faced difficulties. By reflecting upon those difficulties, you can draw out interesting ideas, showcase vulnerability, and express your personality.

How to Write a Personal Statement Essay

While there are no rules or guidelines for writing a personal statement, the best ones often have these in common:

Have Strong Ideas:

Having compelling and interesting ideas shows you are a strong thinker.

It isn't necessarily about having all the answers, but asking the right questions.

For personal statement essays, the quality of your ideas matters more than your writing level. Writing interestingly is more important than writing beautifully.

I’ve stopped tripping over my own feet, and it’s led to me not being afraid to connect and interact with patients and customers or present in front of large crowds. Life is just one long Carioca – you might stumble at first, but if you keep pushing, the right feet will find themselves in the right place. From an accepted essay to UNC at Chapel Hill →

Be Authentic

Writing authentic essays means writing from the heart.

The best personal statements tend to come naturally, because the writer is excited about the topic.

Choose an idea that makes you feel excited to write about and start writing.

As you begin drafting, ideas will naturally arise related to your original idea. Exploring these tangential ideas is what leads to even better reflections for your essay.

That's why it's so important to be genuinely passionate about your subject. You can't just have an interest "in the topic," but there has to be something deeper you're writing about that moves you.

Use Narratives and Story-Telling:

Humans are naturally drawn to stories.

And often the best insights and ideas come from real life experiences.

Telling a story, or many, is the basis for developing your analysis and ideas. Remember, all stories need conflict in order to work.

It can help to think about the different types of conflict.

• Character vs. Self
• Character vs. Character
• Character vs. Nature
• Character vs. Society

And so on...

Once you've written a meaningful story, getting insights is as simple as answering the question: What did your experiences teach you?

The sounds of my knife striking kale unnerves my cat asleep in the corner. He quickly runs over to examine the situation but becomes instantly uninterested when he sees green and smells bitterness. Unfortunately, my family has this same reaction every day of every week. From an accepted essay to University of Southern California →

Showcase Your Values and Identity:

The purpose of a personal statement is to tell about who you are.

Personal statements are your opportunity to showcase what your values are, and how you would contribute to the school, scholarship opportunity, etc.

Good writers are those who write authentically. Write about your unique ideas and ask interesting questions, even if you don't know the answers.

How Long Should a Personal Statement Be?

A typical personal statement can range in length from 500 to 650 words or more.

For applying to colleges, the Common Application essay personal statement has a word limit of 650 words.

For graduate school programs, the application essay will vary in length, but most schools require a personal statement essay of at least 500 words.

What You Can Learn From These Personal Statement Examples

With these 21 Personal Statement examples, you can get inspired and improve your own essays. If you want to get accepted into selective colleges this year, your essays need to make you stand out.

These 21 examples show how real students got into highly selective schools and teach us several lessons for writing your own successful Personal Statement essay:

• Write a compelling first sentence that grabs the reader
• Be specific and reference things by name
• Tell a meaningful story
• Reflect on your life and identity. Be self-aware.

If you enjoyed these personal statement examples, check out some of our top Common App Essays , which are also personal statements essays, but for the Common Application.

Which of these personal statement examples was your favorite?

Meet the Author

Ryan Chiang

I'm Ryan Chiang and I created EssaysThatWorked.com - a website dedicated to helping students and their families apply to college with confidence & ease. We publish the best college admissions essays from successful applicants every year to inspire and teach future students.

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Personal Branding: What It Is, Why to Do It, & How I'm Building Mine

Updated: August 14, 2024

Published: June 04, 2015

“Personal branding” might sound like one of those ambiguous, done-to-death buzzwords thrown around by tech companies and influencers — but having a grip on how to develop yours can be huge when it comes to your advancing your career and gaining professional visibility.

In the age of social media, the soundness of your virtual identity can influence your ability to reach prospects where they are and enhance your internal standing at your company — so a well-constructed, actively maintained personal brand can be a major asset for any professional, especially in fields like sales or marketing.

Plus, as I found out, building your brand can actually be fun (I know how that sounds, but I'm serious.) Read on for a look at the what, how, and why of developing a personal brand — along with an overview of my ongoing, desperate, scorched-earth journey of building one of my own.

Table of Contents

What is personal branding?

Why is personal branding important, 5 personal branding essentials, personal branding strategy, personal branding examples, how i built my personal brand, personal branding resources.

Your personal brand is the external-facing, (mostly) online representation of your personality, skill set, and experience — a way to convey your identity in the age of social media.

Developing a strong, prominent personal brand is an excellent way to get more eyes on your work, draw attention to your company as a whole, distinguish yourself from others in your space, and establish yourself as an esteemed thought leader at the forefront of your industry — but for all of its benefits, putting that kind of online presence together isn't all roses.

In fact, it can really suck.

Crafting and projecting a distinct online persona can be nerve-racking, frustrating, awkward, and embarrassing at points — especially if you're a bit more introverted than most.

Want to know how I know that? Well, I‘m in the process of developing my personal brand via LinkedIn right now, and getting there sure as heck has its gosh-darn ups and downs. We’ll dig into that a bit more later.

Anyway, a personal brand is exactly that: personal . It‘s a chance for you to project your individuality in a professional context — the sum of all of the public-facing content you’ve either posted or presented publically, so the more personal content you push out, the more opportunity you have to guide the narrative around who you are to the world.

So why, exactly, is that worth the effort?

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I just said this like 30 seconds ago, but I‘ll say it again: Personal branding can really suck. I didn’t want to commit to developing my personal brand at first, but after some careful consideration and pressure from management, I started to see the value of it.

Here are some of the key selling points that sold me on the concept.

You can differentiate yourself from competitors.

Honestly, my professional space — sales-related and sales-adjacent content curation — might not be as tight or cutthroat as your sales vertical. Still, I wanted to establish myself as the big dog in the B2B blog editor community. Developing a personal brand was one of the better ways to get there.

It offered me a chance to flex my personality and establish myself as a unique voice among the notoriously merciless cesspool of chaos and competition that is the broader content writing community.

That need to stand out might even be more crucial in sales. It's an inherently self-driven practice, so standing out from your competition is key — developing and maintaining a personal brand can be a big asset to helping you get there.

You can set yourself up to start and promote your own business.

Entrepreneurship is extremely brand-driven. Startups need to differentiate themselves as they get their feet set — so if you have entrepreneurial aspirations, developing a strong personal brand can help smooth that process.

If you develop your personal brand effectively, you can set things in motion with a differentiating presence behind you. You'll also acquaint yourself with the brand-building process — that experience can be extremely valuable, down the line.

You can increase your authenticity and, ultimately, sell more.

According to sales expert and author Jill Konrath , the rep is the primary differentiator in sales today. No matter what they're buying, prospects know they can get a similar product or service from another vendor.

What they can't get from just any provider is the same sales experience with the same salesperson. And since consumers are twice as likely to say user-generated content is more authentic than brand-created content, they‘re looking for people who create content that’s representative of a person, rather than a company.

By presenting a distinct personal brand, you'll make it easier for your buyers to choose your company (and you) over another vendor.

So you've set aside some time to work on personal branding. Where to start? Here are the five essential components of an effective personal brand.

1. A Complete LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn is generally the center of your personal brand — especially if you‘re trying to make a name for yourself in a space like sales or marketing. Your target audience will research you on the network before deciding to work with, hire, or refer you. So it’s crucial to fill out your profile and make it compelling.

Pressed for time? Address these key areas before anything else:

• Choose your picture deliberately . A high-quality, professional picture is a must-have. Depending on how you're trying to differentiate yourself, choose a picture that shows you in a certain light. Seeking a training gig? Post a picture of you speaking or teaching others. Attempting to attract buyers in a buttoned-up industry? A suit, tie, and direct, confident gaze will do the trick. Your profile photo is the first glance people have of your personal brand, so make sure it gives the right appearance.
• Optimize your headline . Don't just list your title and company. Consider using your positioning statement as your headline or trying out these headline tips from job search expert, Jenny Foss.
• Enhance your summary . Your LinkedIn summary offers you the most reliable opportunity to flex your personality for everyone who stumbles across your profile. It's a staple of your personal brand, so you need to craft one that has a compelling hook and some concise perspective on who you are — all backed by a distinct voice.
• Feature visual content . Whether you create content or curate it, you should include eye-catching visual content in your gallery that will interest your target audience. Select pieces that reinforce the vision set out in your positioning statement. For example, if you are a firm believer in the power of recruiting technology to source high-quality candidates, post a SlideShare or infographic on the topic.

If you need a full profile makeover, check out this guide to optimizing your LinkedIn page.

2. A positioning statement.

If you‘re in sales, you’re no stranger to positioning statements. Smart reps always have a succinct statement on hand about their product or service to combat the inevitable “What is this about, anyway?” buyer brush-off. A personal positioning statement should answer the slightly amended question “What are you about, anyway?”

When crafting a personal positioning statement, keep your target audience in mind. Your value proposition might be about you but it's not for you. Express to your target audience what makes you different from others in your industry, profession, or role. If you're not sure what makes you different, spend some time researching your peers and reflecting on your individual beliefs and passions.

Consider these LinkedIn personal branding statement examples from influential leaders:

Sara Blakely : Founder of SPANX, who has nearly 1.6 million followers.

I am the founder and CEO of SPANX! I started SPANX in 2000 with $5,000 in personal savings and I’ve never taken any outside investments. I am a big believer in following your instincts and taking unique approaches to business.

Richard Branson : Founder of Virgin Group, who has over 19 million followers.

Founder of the Virgin Group, which has gone on to grow successful businesses in sectors including mobile telephony, travel and transportation, financial services, leisure and entertainment, and health and wellness. I'm a tie-loathing adventurer, philanthropist, and troublemaker, who believes in turning ideas into reality. Otherwise known as Dr Yes!

In terms of format and structure, stick to these guidelines:

• Shorter is better. A few concise sentences are ideal.
• Instead of using nouns to explain what you do (title at company), use verbs to illustrate how you do it.
• Avoid overused words such as “motivated,” “strategic,” and “driven.”
• Avoid industry jargon and acronyms.

3. An SEO-friendly profile.

Equally important as defining and capturing what makes you different is ensuring that you can be easily found online. After all, there's not much point in writing a positioning statement if no one reads it.

For this reason, cursory keyword research is an essential part of any personal branding initiative. Again, instead of thinking about the keywords you most associate with yourself, think about the words or phrases your target audience might search for to find someone like you. Keyword phrases could be industry-related (“human resources”), role-related (“talent acquisition manager”), or results-related (“cut hiring costs”). If you're struggling to think of keywords, check out the free app Keyword Tool.io for inspiration.

Once you‘ve decided on a keyword or two, insert them into your LinkedIn profile, Twitter bio, blog, resume, website, and any other online or social media spaces you’re involved in. Just make sure to do so naturally. Inserting a nonsensical sentence chock full of keywords onto a web page is called keyword stuffing and will send you to the bottom of Google in a hurry. A good rule of thumb is to include your keyword in your LinkedIn header and two to three times in the “About” section.

4. A unique point of view.

What you say and how you say it defines your personal brand. If you sound and look just like everyone else, your branding won‘t stand out—and it definitely won’t be memorable. That‘s why it’s crucial to develop a voice that sounds like you and shares your unique opinions.

To understand what point of view you have to offer, ask yourself the following questions:

• How would I describe myself in 3-5 words?
• Is my tone formal or casual?
• Do I use certain words or avoid certain words (ie. swear words or industry jargon)?
• What do I do better than anyone else?
• What value can I offer to my community/industry/network?

To help, you can try honing in on your personal brand with our free persona tool .

When you know what sets you apart, you'll be able to create posts and articles that share your point of view and build your personal brand.

5. A consistent posting schedule.

Once your profile is optimized and your point of view defined, it's time to start posting.

One of the best ways to explain how your approach differs from your peers‘ is to write it down for all to see. Use LinkedIn status updates to share your thoughts on an industry or workplace trend, or write an article about a new product you’re selling, your most helpful sales tactics, or how you got started in your industry.

While your posts shouldn't be blatant self-advertisement, you can use your LinkedIn as a personal branding vehicle by taking the right angle. Make sure each post adds to the larger conversation while differentiating your point of view from others.

Here are a few article examples:

• Everyone‘s Saying X about Trend Y. Here’s Why I Disagree
• Y Mistakes Most Professionals Make When Doing Z
• The Unique Way I'm Planning to Address X at My Organization

First-time writer? No problem. Check out these free HubSpot blog post templates to get off on the right foot.

While it‘s important to share your thoughts through posts and articles, it’s also essential to be consistent. Posting three times per week for a month, and then stopping for two months, hurts your credibility and growth. It's better to develop a habit you can maintain, like posting twice per month, than pushing out a mass amount of content before going cold for a long period of time.

Figure out a posting schedule that works for you, and stick to it.

Your personal branding strategy will ultimately be specific to you — hence the term personal — but there are some key strategic elements you‘ll want to consider when putting yours together. Here’s a quick look at what those are.

You can‘t put together a focused, thoughtfully structured personal brand if you have no idea what you’re hoping to accomplish with it. Are you doing this for career development? Better visibility with internal leadership at your company? Brand exposure? Something else entirely?

Whatever your endgame might be, make sure you have a clear picture of it. Your ideal outcomes will be pivotal when you start developing your virtual identity.

Effective personal brands are tonally consistent. Know how you want to be perceived and keep your content threaded accordingly. For instance, if you want to come off as a more serious, consultative resource for followers, keep things tactical and don't get too hung up on trying to be silly in your posts.

A Personal Appeal

This point is kind of similar to the previous one. You want your personal brand to be distinct — again, personal is the operative word in the term personal branding. You need to identify the ways you can distinguish yourself from others in your space.

Cliche as this sounds, understand what makes you you . Find the specific qualities that set your personality and professional identity apart. Once you've pinned those down, lean into them as much as possible.

Now that you have a sense of what goes into a personal brand, let's take a closer look at what those elements can look like in practice.

Need some personal branding inspiration? Look no further than the following professionals.

1. Katie Burke

Katie, former Chief People Officer of HubSpot, is incredibly active on LinkedIn. Not only does she share her own content, like when she‘s invited to speak at industry webinars, but she also consistently engages with HubSpot employees and customers. By sharing other people’s posts and celebrating their wins, she reinforces her role as a leader and builds her personal brand.

2. Liz Ryan

With nearly 3M followers on LinkedIn, Liz built a personal brand around providing helpful HR advice to job seekers and leaders. Her posts focus on advising her audience and gathering insights, which draws people looking for career advice or a coach — and to her books and business. But even if you don't buy, she still provides extremely valuable advice to her followers.

3. Cristina Mittermeier

Cristina is a marine biologist, photographer, and the founder of the ocean conservation organization SeaLegacy. Her personal brand highlights her abilities as a scientist and educates people on conservation through visual storytelling. She shares relevant articles, podcasts, images, and campaigns that interest her followers to raise awareness for the various causes she supports.

Let me start by offering a link to my LinkedIn profile , in case you're curious about how all of this has come together.

Okay, now that that's out of the way, we can lock in.

I‘m going to preface this by saying I’m relatively new to personal branding. I‘m not the guy on LinkedIn with millions of followers, plugging my most recent TEDx talk — so I think it would be more appropriate to entitle this section "How I’m Building My Personal Brand."

Still, I like to think I‘m doing a pretty solid job so far. Here’s how I've been going about it.

1. I swallowed my pride.

Admittedly, I really didn‘t want to develop a personal brand at first, especially via LinkedIn. I have a lot of respect for LinkedIn influencers, but I’m pretty reserved when it comes to my online presence (I have maybe 150 Instagram followers.)

It honestly took a push from management on HubSpot's Media Team — who told me they liked my zany, delightfully kaleidoscopic personality so much that I was required to share it via LinkedIn — for me to even consider developing a personal brand.

I resented it initially, as you might be able to tell from my first post:

Image Source

Ultimately, I‘m glad they made that push. Building my brand has been a surprisingly good time, and it’s gotten me some valuable exposure and professional traction — but figuring out how to approach the process was, well, a process .

2. I settled on a voice.

When I started on my relentless, scorched-earth personal branding journey, I was kind of lost. I didn't really have a sense of the kind of content I should be posting nor the best tone to back it with.

I had seen a lot of LinkedInfluencers post short-form videos and discuss professional lessons they pulled from non-professional experiences, so I figured I might start there — but after giving it some thought, I realized that those strategies probably weren't going to work for me.

My camera presence is kind of trash — as you can see from this godforsaken TikTok I made where I explain why salespeople should never say the phrase “Trust me” — and I generally try to keep my non-professional life as non-professional as possible.

So yeah, I was pretty lost.

One day, I was tasked with updating a post about LinkedIn summaries that required me to post a screenshot of mine. I didn‘t have one at the time, so I put one together that covered some key bases that were referenced in the article — here’s what it looked like:

I showed it to some people, and they liked the tone. Later that day, I was eating lunch with some co-workers, and I mentioned that I was frustrated with the new " Be LinkedInfluential" aspect of my job description.

One of my colleagues joked that I should pick random activities and say what they taught me about sales like, “I just ate a rotisserie chicken — here's what that taught me about objection-handling.”

I never made that post, but I liked that concept of “anti-influencing,” so I just started running with it.

3. I identified the value I could add.

Your personal brand is a vessel for you to project thought leadership — but I'm kind of in a weird spot as far as that goes. I write for sales professionals, but I see myself as less of a bonafide thought leader in that space and more of a facilitator who helps sales experts articulate and spread their ideas.

The value I can offer doesn‘t really lie with me personally giving the sales audience a spiel about how to do their jobs better. Instead, I’m better suited to shed light on the thought leadership content I helped sales leaders produce — all with a distinct, engaging spin.

Here's an example of what that looks like:

With that post, I didn‘t try to say anything I wasn’t qualified to say and I understood where my experience was. I stayed in that lane, and I tried to make my content as entertaining and thoughtful as possible without straying too far from it.

4. I (try to) publish regularly.

I promise I do my best on this front. I try to push content out at least once a week. Admittedly, that sometimes falls by the wayside — but I understand how important it is. A consistent publishing schedule can be a big help when it comes to effective personal branding.

You develop a personal brand by establishing expectations and constantly delivering on them — that's why having some sort of editorial cadence for your content can keep you top-of-mind with your current and potential followers.

Again, this is an area where I have some room for improvement. I often get too caught up with other responsibilities to buckle down and push my more “me-specific” content out. Still, I can recognize that this is something I need to work on, and I'm going to try to push more content out, going forward.

5. I kept at it.

It might be more appropriate to say “I'm keeping at it.”

As I said, I‘m still pretty green when it comes to personal branding, so it’s a little early for me to be patting myself on the back and reflecting on how I built my personal brand like it‘s something I’ve been doing for years. Still, I‘m persisting — even when the posts I make don’t really hit.

For instance, I was pretty bummed out when this post didn't get the traction I wanted it to:

I was kind of embarrassed that I put an inordinate amount of time and effort into that graphic … only to put it on the Internet only to get 36 likes — but such is life for us LinkedInfluencers. You hit walls sometimes, but you have to keep your feet moving.

I have a ways to go before I can really say that I‘ve developed a robust, totally productive personal brand — but I like to think I’m on my way. I hope that my approach is fresh and engaging enough to have a lasting impact with my target audience, and I think I can make at least some headway if I keep publishing consistently.

Creating a strong personal brand requires getting to know yourself and putting in the work to create consistent, unique content. These free personal branding resources can help you get started, with templates for writing a professional bio, defining goals, and so much more.

Developing a personal brand is a tricky process — one that involves a lot of effort, persistence, and growing pains. Still, if you can identify and project a distinct voice that adds legitimate value for your target audience, you can at least start to get yours off the ground.

And who knows, maybe one day your brand will be recognizable, memorable, and unique enough for a stranger to say, “Oh, I've heard of you. You're the [insert what sets you apart] person.”

Editor's note: This post was originally published in June 2015 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Personal Selling: Everything You Need To Know

In this sales guide to personal selling, we’ll cover everything you need to know and explain who should be using it and why.

We’ll also go through topics like:

• The pros and cons of personal selling
• How you can make sure you’re successful at personal selling
• When you should not use personal selling
• How to set up your personal selling strategy.

By the end of the article, you’ll not only know what personal selling is, but you’ll also know how to succeed at it.

Let’s get started.

Quick Links:

What Is Personal Selling?

Why is personal selling important, how to set up a personal selling process, personal selling examples: the 5 best practices you should follow, summary: pros and cons of personal selling, frequently asked questions about personal selling.

Personal selling is a type of outside sales that involves selling face-to-face or in person. With personal selling, you rely on the salesperson’s abilities and techniques and capitalize on them to persuade a lead to buy a product or service.

With personal selling, the salesperson’s job is to talk to the lead in person using a personalized pitch and approach to make sure the lead understands why they need the salesperson’s solution.

Since personal selling always happens face to face, it can be a time-consuming but very effective marketing approach to sell high-ticket items to customers.

Personal selling is incredibly important because of its unique, old-fashioned, and proven approach to selling.

Nineteen percent of people want to connect to a salesperson during the awareness stage and sixty percent want to connect during the consideration stage of their customer journey. Personal selling gives them the ability to talk with someone face to face and makes them far more likely to purchase the product.

This is because personal selling allows you to convey more information. Whereas less than a quarter of all sales emails are opened, with personal selling, you can see the lead, talk to them, connect with them, quickly find out their pain points, and discuss how to solve them.

This personal approach is far more effective than any digital approach because it involves the most personal interaction a lead can get from your salespeople.

Here’s how to set up a personal selling process:

Laying Out a Personal Selling Strategy

Before thinking about personal selling, you must know what your sales strategy will be about.

To do this, start with your customer persona. Consider the following:

• Who are they?
• How do my salespeople get in contact with them?
• What are their pain points?
• Why are they talking to my salespeople?

Once you have that information, look into your salespeople’s abilities. Find out if they need training or refining. This will allow you to better target your sales.

Once you have the general idea of the layout of your personal selling strategy, you can start planning it step by step.

The 7 Personal Selling Steps to Follow

Here’s a scientifically-proven way to set up your personal selling strategy in 7 steps:

Step 1: Identify the Prospective Buyer

The first thing you need to do is to identify where your buyers are. Start by using the user personas you defined in the previous step to better understand where you can find them through account-based marketing.

Not all of the prospects you find may end up being proper potential customers. That’s why you need to find the best prospects with the highest chances of converting.

To do this, you can set up in-person methods of connecting with your prospects, like setting up a booth at an expo or asking your current customers for referrals.

However, a better way of doing this is through a lead generation platform like UpLead . With UpLead, you can simply buy leads by inputting your ideal customer persona’s information into the platform. Then you’ll immediately receive a list of all the leads that match your description.

Simply download them and get started with the next step.

Lead generation doesn’t have to be all that painful. With UpLead, you can easily connect with high-quality prospects and leads to grow your company.

Step 2: Pre-approach your leads

Next, you’ll want to pre-approach your leads. This means you conduct enough research to figure out more about your prospects.

With this research, you can further segment your prospects into groups based on how likely they are to convert, like:

• Unqualified leads
• Qualified leads
• Highly qualified leads
• Nutruting leads

This will not only let you know which leads you should approach as soon as possible and which leads can wait, but it can also influence your pitch, ensuring you’re personalizing it as much as possible.

Step 3: Approach your leads

You want to approach your leads by setting up a meeting or showing up for a sales pitch.

During this step, make sure your pitch leaves as big of an impression as possible with proper cold calling scripts and approaching.

You can start by introducing yourself and making an effort to get to know them. You don’t have to sell right away. Instead, make the best of your time to establish a relationship and a rapport with your leads.

To do this, you can use one of three common approach methods:

Premium approach

Approach your lead with a gift. This can be as big or small as you wish and can range from a small souvenir or piece of merch to a business lunch at an expensive restaurant. If you want to take it one step further, you can even personalize the gift (for example using one of these print-on-demand products .)

Question approach:

Start by asking a question to spark their excitement and curiosity. The question should ideally lead to a positive answer. For example, you could ask: “Are you frustrated with your current sales process?” or “Don’t you wish there was a better way to do (fill in the blank)?”

Product approach:

In this approach, you let the product do the talking for you. You can do this by giving your client a free trial or a sample of your product so they can test it out and ask questions about it.

Step 4: Present and demonstrate your solution

Once you’ve approached your prospect and established a good rapport with them, it’s time to get into selling.

Take advantage of the attention of your prospect that you worked so h  

However, don’t make it into a boring, one-sided conversation. Instead, find ways to interact with your lead, asking them probing questions and letting them lead you toward the features they want to know more about.

Step 5: Handle objections and concerns

After you’ve done your initial pitch, your prospects will typically have some concerns and questions.

If you want to close the sale, you need to address them or circumnavigate them in the most convincing way possible. To do this, make sure you’ve prepared in advance to answer the most common concerns that your prospects have.

The better you can handle them, the closer you’ll be to making the sale. On top of that, it’s important to be equipped with strategies on how to handle angry prospects as their objections can sometimes stem from dissatisfaction or frustration.

Step 6: Close the sale

Finally, all you have to do is to close the sale.

This part may be the trickiest part of the whole process. You don’t want to seem too eager to close the sale, but you also don’t want to wait too long before closing either.

The best way to lead into the sale is by making sure all customer questions are answered, all objections are cleared, and that your prospect has fully understood why they need your solution in their lives.

If you need some aid in getting to the closing stage, you can offer your customer two options. You can also create urgency by having a special offer or sale with a limited time.

Make the transition to the closure as seamless and natural as possible.

Step 7: Follow up with your customer

Once you’ve closed the sale, you should approach the customer once again after some time has passed to ensure the customer is satisfied with their purchase.

This step can be crucial to getting a loyal customer, making another sale, or even getting referrals.

Make sure the customer is fully satisfied, and if they aren’t, do everything in your power to help them.

Common and proven personal selling techniques

Here are a few personal selling techniques to implement in your personal selling process:

Show how your product can change the prospect’s status quo

You may think that your prospects will either buy your solution from you, or they’ll buy it from someone else.

However, that’s not always the case. Sometimes, the prospect may not buy the solution from anyone and remain with their pain points unresolved. 

Because of the Status Quo Bias . The Status Quo Bias is the natural aversion to change. We all have some resistance to change and may avoid it unless we absolutely know our life will improve with it.

That’s why a great personal selling technique is to confront change head-on, clearly showing how your solution will not only change your prospect’s life but drastically improve it.

Finally, inspire the urgency to further create the need to change and ensure the prospect converts.

Say “you” instead of “we”

Source: Close

You may often wish to create rapport by showing your lead that you are in the same boat by using “we” phrasing. It makes it seem like you and your prospect are in the situation together.

But, if you’re in that situation with them, you’re also saying it’s your responsibility to take action.

This can lead to your prospect not fully understanding their need to take action themselves, knowing that it’s only up to them to make a change.

Instead, avoid the temptation to use “we” and switch to saying “you,” especially when talking about your prospect’s pain points and how your solution can address them.

Take advantage of their “yeses”

The more expensive or complex your product is, the harder it will be to sell. So, why should you try to sell it all at once?

Instead, break it into obvious pieces, and lead your prospects into agreeing about how they need them. You don’t have to sell the product separately, you just have to break it apart into manageable chunks that your prospect will agree they need.

If, for example, you’re selling an expensive vacation package, you can start by showing the most attractive parts of it, like describing how little they’ll pay for the hotel and how much they can save for the things they’d already be needing when traveling.

That way, the prospect can start agreeing with how they need your product from the beginning, instead of you having to try to get them to agree with a bit of a compromise at the end of your pitch.

Take your customer on a journey

If you want to sell a product, you can take your customer on a journey where they come out as the hero of the story.

Start by showing them how they’re struggling with a problem. Then you can position yourself as the mentor whose guiding them to solve their problem. Finally, show them how they can use your solution to realize their potential, confront their problem head-on, and come out victorious.

This will allow your prospect to envision themselves using your solution, fully adopting it, and changing their lives, all in one pitch.

Here are the best practices you should follow when using personal selling:

1. Focus on building a strong relationship first

Finding someone who already wants to purchase your product isn’t that common. You will usually have to knock on many doors until you find someone interested in what you’re selling.

That’s why you’ll want to capitalize on that by focusing on establishing a good relationship from the start.

Use small talk, and get to know your prospect to generate the good rapport you’ll need. If the prospect likes you, they’ll be far more willing to listen to your sales pitch later.

2. Foster a good selling culture among your salespeople

If you want your salespeople to thrive, you’ll need to foster a culture that helps them thrive and keeps them motivated with things like:

• Tools : Make sure your salespeople have all the tools they need to succeed. Give them access to lead generators, CRMs, and anything else that can make their jobs easier.
• Training : If you want successful salespeople, make sure to show them how to become successful. Don’t just give them their initial training, supplement it constantly with focused training to help them develop the skills they need.
• Work environment : Create a positive work environment that allows your salespeople to feel relaxed and comfortable, and that rewards success while keeping less successful salespeople motivated.

If you keep your salespeople informed and trained, they’ll be far more likely to close more sales.

3. Align your solution to your prospects’ pain points

If you try to sell your products to just anyone, you’ll be far less likely to succeed.

Instead of approaching people and then finding reasons why they need your solution, focus on finding people who need your solution first, and then tell them why.

Source: ClearVoice

To do this, start with a strong, data-driven ideal customer persona. Make it as detailed as you can, defining who they are, what they do, and why they need your product. Work your way backward to find them.

4. Learn from your successes and your failures

Once you have your sales team, it’ll be easy to identify who is doing the best out of all of them. What’s harder is to understand why they’re doing better.

Similarly, it’s easy to see how many customers stop doing business with you, but it’s hard to know why.

To do this, make sure you always test back on why you got the results you did. When something succeeds, make sure to study what worked. If something fails, always do a post-mortem to learn why it failed. Take the time to learn from both, so you can increase your successes and decrease your failures.

5. Hold your managers accountable

Your managers and team leaders are in charge of the success of your salespeople. That’s why it’s very important to hold them accountable for their performance.

Instead of granularly focusing on each teammate’s performance, focus on their leaders and hold them accountable when they fail or succeed on coaching your salespeople and tracking their metrics.

That way, you can establish a very simple hierarchy of responsibility, keeping you in control while delegating tasks properly.

Here are the pros and cons of personal selling:

Pros of personal selling:

Personal selling has many advantages, like:

• Better communication : Since personal selling is all about selling face to face, you can easily talk to the prospect, convey more information, and hear what they want and what they don’t want.
• Builds trust : Making sales in person lets the prospect know who they’re dealing with and helps them feel heard and in control.
• Far more effective : It’s harder to lose focus or interest when you’re in a conversation than when you’re seeing an ad on Facebook. Personal selling is far more persuasive and leads to more sales.

Cons of personal selling:

• More expensive : Since your salespeople can only handle one person at a time, and since each pitch will take a while, you’ll end up having salespeople dealing with, at best, only a handful of people per day, making it more expensive in the long run. Plus, you may need to hire experts to further optimize your sales efforts.
• Very time consuming : Your salespeople not only need to spend time listening and convincing one prospect at a time, but they also need to spend time getting the training they need to become good at selling.
• Very limited reach : With personal selling, you can only reach prospects you can talk to in person, which extensively narrows your reach.

For these reasons, personal selling is better when your salespeople are selling expensive items, or when you have an influx of prospects coming in already.

Here are the answers to common questions about personal selling:

Does personal selling increase the costs of promoting a product or service?

Yes. Personal selling increases costs because you need multiple salespeople occupied for a longer time with individual customers. The salespeople must also be properly trained and have the proper tools and budget to succeed at personal selling.

What sales skills are required to do personal selling effectively?

The best skills to succeed at personal selling are listening skills, to help your salespeople know your prospects’ pain points; interpersonal skills, to help them establish a relationship with the customer; and problem-solving skills, to help them navigate among the obstacles your prospects may have.

Have technology and social media tools affected personal selling? How?

Yes. Tools like UpLead can get you leads as quickly and accurately as you need them. You can also use social media to find your prospects and promote get-togethers, and you can use multimedia to show your prospects more about your product.

What is the difference between direct marketing and personal selling?

Direct marketing involves direct emails and other messages with your prospects, whereas personal selling communication happens exclusively face to face.

When properly implemented, personal selling can easily take your marketing efforts to the next level. It can quickly become a powerful selling tool that allows you to reach better prospects and sell items that are harder to sell.

If you use the right tools and train your salespeople properly, you’ll be converting more prospects face to face and meeting your sales goals in no time.

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The Uni Guide has a fresh new look

• Teacher training
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• Personal statements
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How to write an excellent personal statement in 10 steps

The ucas personal statement is changing in 2025.

• Teacher secrets for writing a great personal statement
• How to write your personal statement in an evening

How to write your university application

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By Nik Taylor (Editor, The Uni Guide) | 18 August 2023 | 22 min read

Stand out from the crowd: here's how to write a good personal statement that will get you noticed

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Your personal statement forms a core part of your university application, and the sooner you get going, the better you can make it. You may think that your personal statement won’t matter as much to unis as your grades and experience but a great personal statement could make all the difference between you and a candidate with the same grades. Sure, your application might not reach that deal breaker stage. But is it something you want to leave to chance?  Here we’ll take you through the process of planning, writing and checking a good personal statement, so you end up with something you can submit with confidence. And to make sure the advice we're giving you is sound, we’ve spoken to admissions staff at loads of UK universities to get their view. Look out for video interviews and advice on applying for specific subjects throughout this piece or watch our personal statement playlist on YouTube .

• Are you looking for personal statement examples? Check our library of hundreds of real personal statements, on The Student Room

Personal statement deadlines

You'll need to make sure you've got your personal statement written well in advance of your application deadline. Below are the main university application deadline dates for 2025 entry.

2025 entry deadlines

15 October 2024: Deadline for applications to Oxford and Cambridge universities, along with most medicine, dentistry, and veterinary courses.   29 January 2025: Deadline for applications to the majority of undergraduate courses. After this date, universities will start allocating places on these courses –   but you can still apply after the 29 January deadline , as this article explains . 30 June 2025:  Students who apply after this date will be entered into Clearing .

• Read more: Ucas deadlines and key application dates

What is a personal statement?

A personal statement is a central part of your Ucas application, where you explain why you’ve chosen a particular course and why you’ll be good at it. It's your chance to stand out against other candidates and hopefully get that all-important offer. You only write one personal statement which is then read by each university you apply to, so if you are applying for more than one subject (or it's a combined course) it's crucial that you include common themes or reference the overall skills needed for all subjects. Personal statements are especially important if you’re trying to get on a very competitive course, where you need to do anything you can to stand out to admissions tutors. Courteney Sheppard, senior customer experience manager at Ucas, advises that your personal statement is "the only part of the application that you have direct control over. Do lots of research to demonstrate your passion, curiosity and drive to pursue your chosen subject." There’s a limit on how much you can write: your personal statement can be up to 4,000 characters (including spaces) or 47 lines of 95 characters (including spaces); whichever is shorter. This may appear generous (read: long) but once you've got going you may find yourself having to edit heavily.

• Read more: teacher secrets for writing a great personal statement

1. Plan what you want to cover

The first thing you need to do is make a plan. Writing a personal statement off the top of your head is difficult. Start by making some notes, answering the following questions:

• What do you want to study?
• Why do you want to study it?
• What is there about you that shows you’re suited to studying this subject at university? Think about your personality, as well as your experiences.
• What are your other interests and skills?

These few points are going to form the spine of your personal statement, so write them in a way that makes sense to you. You might want to make a simple bulleted list or you might want to get all arty and use a mindmap. Whatever you choose, your aim is the same. You want to get it clear in your own head why a university should offer you a place on its course. Getting those details down isn't always easy, and some people find it helpful to make notes over time. You might try carrying a notebook with you or set up a memo on your phone. Whenever you think of something useful for your personal statement, jot it down. Inspiration sometimes comes more easily when you’re thinking about something else entirely. It might help to take a look at The Student Room for some sample personal statements by university and sample personal statements by subjects , to give you an idea of the kind of thing you want to include. 

• Read more: personal statement FAQs

2. Show off your experience

Some things are worth adding to your personal statement, some things are not. Firmly in the second camp are your qualifications. You don’t need to mention these as there’s a whole other section of your personal statement where you get to detail them very precisely. Don’t waste a single character going on about how great your GCSE grades are – it’s not what the admissions tutor wants to read. What they do want to see is: what have you done? OK, so you’ve got some good grades, but so do a lot of other applicants. What have you done that’s different, that shows you off as someone who really loves the subject you’re applying for? Spend some time thinking about all the experience you have in that subject. If you’re lucky, this might be direct work experience. That’s going to be particularly appropriate if you’re applying for one of the more vocational subjects such as medicine or journalism . But uni staff realise getting plum work experience placements is easier for some people than others, so cast your net wider when you’re thinking about what you’ve done. How about after-school clubs? Debating societies? Are you running a blog or vlog? What key skills and experience have you picked up elsewhere (eg from hobbies) that could be tied in with your course choice? Remember, you’re looking for experience that shows why you want to study your chosen subject. You’re not just writing an essay about what you're doing in your A-level syllabus. Use this checklist as a guide for what to include:

• Your interest in the course. Why do you want to spend three years studying this subject at university?
• What have you done outside school or college that demonstrates this interest? Think about things like fairs/exhibitions, public lectures or voluntary work that is relevant to your subject.
• Relevant work experience (essential for the likes of medicine, not required for non-vocational courses such as English )
• Skills and qualities required for that career if appropriate (medicine, nursing and law as obvious examples)
• Interest in your current studies – what particular topics have made an impression on you?
• Any other interests/hobbies/experiences you wish to mention that are relevant either to the subject or 'going to uni'. Don't just list your hobbies, you need to be very selective and state clearly what difference doing these things has made to you.
• Plans for a gap year if you’re deferring entry.

Read more: 6 steps you need to take to apply to university

3. Be bold about your achievements

Don't be bashful about your achievements; that’s not going to help you get into uni. It's time to unleash your inner Muhammed Ali and get all “I am the greatest” with your writing. Do keep it focused and accurate. Do keep your language professional. But don’t hide your qualities beneath a layer of false modesty. Your personal statement is a sell – you are selling yourself as a brilliant student and you need to show the reader why that is true. This doesn’t come naturally to everyone, and if you’re finding it difficult to write about how great you are it’s time to enlist some help. Round up a friend or two, a family member, a teacher, whoever and get them to write down your qualities. Getting someone else’s view here can help you get some perspective. Don’t be shy. You are selling your skills, your experience and your enthusiasm – make sure they all leap off the screen with the way you have described them.

• Read more: the ten biggest mistakes when writing your personal statement  

4. How to start your personal statement

Type your personal statement in a cloud-based word processing program, such as Google Docs or Microsoft Word and don’t copy and paste it into Ucas Hub until it’s finished.  One of the benefits of doing it this way is that you can run spell check easily. (Please note, though, that Word adds "curly" quotation marks and other characters (like é or ü) that won't show up on your Ucas form, so do proofread it on Ucas Hub before submitting it to ensure it is how you typed it.)  Another big benefit is that you'll always have a backup of what you've written. If you're being super careful, you could always save your statement in another place as well. Bear in mind that extra spaces (eg adding spaces to the beginnings of paragraphs as indentation) are removed on Ucas. In your first sentence, cut to the chase. Why do you want to do the course? Don’t waste any time rambling on about the daydreams you had when you were five. Just be clear and concise – describe in one line why this course is so important to you. Then, in the rest of your intro, go into more detail in demonstrating your enthusiasm for the course and explaining how you decided this is what you want to do for the next three or more years. However you choose to start your statement, just avoid the following hoary old chestnuts. These have been some of the most used lines in personal statements over the years – they are beyond cliche, so don’t even think about it.

• From a young age I have (always) been [interested in/fascinated by]…
• For as long as I can remember, I have…
• I am applying for this course because… 
• I have always been interested in… 
• Throughout my life I have always enjoyed… 
• Reflecting on my educational experiences… 
• [Subject] is a very challenging and demanding [career/profession/course]… 
• Academically, I have always been… 
• I have always wanted to pursue a career in… 
• I have always been passionate about…   

5. Focus your writing on why you've chosen that subject

So you’ve got your intro done – time to nail the rest of it. Bear in mind that you’ve got to be a little bit careful when following a personal statement template. It’s easy to fall into the trap of copying someone else’s style, and in the process lose all of your own voice and personality from your writing. But there is a rough order that you can follow, which should help keep you in your flow. After your opening paragraph or two, get into any work experience (if you’ve got it). Talk about extracurriculars: anything you've done which is relevant to the subject can go here – hobbies, interests, volunteering. Touch on your career aspirations – where do you want this course to take you? Next, show your enthusiasm for your current studies. Cite some specific examples of current work that you enjoyed. Show off your relevant skills and qualities by explaining how you’ve used these in the past. Make sure you’re giving real-world examples here, not just vague assertions like “I’m really organised and motivated”. Try to use examples that are relevant.   Follow this up with something about you as a person. Talk about non-academic stuff that you like to do, but link it in some way with the course, or with how it shows your maturity for dealing with uni life. Round it all off by bringing your main points together, including a final emphasis of your commitment to studying this particular course.

• Read more: how to write your personal statement in an evening  

6. How long should a personal statement be?

You've got to work to a very specific limit when writing your personal statement. In theory you could use up to 4,000 characters – but you’re probably more likely to be limited by the line count. That's because it's a good idea to put line breaks in between your paragraphs (to make it more readable) and you only get a maximum of 47 lines. With this in mind, 3,500 characters is a more realistic limit. But when you’re getting started you should ignore these limits completely. At first, you just want to get down everything that you feel is important. You'll probably end up with something that is far too long, but that's fine. This is where you get to do some polishing and pruning. Keep the focus of your piece on the course you’re applying for, why you want to do it and why you’re perfectly suited to it. Look through what you’ve written so far – have you got the balance right? Chop out anything that goes on a bit, as you want each point to be snappy and succinct.

• Read more: universities reveal all about personal statements  

7. Keep it simple

Editing your statement isn’t just about hitting a character count. You need to also make sure your writing is doing its job: explaining why you want to do the course and why you’re right for it. Simplicity is the key here. Aim for short, punchy sentences that get your point across. Keep reminding yourself that you are not writing an essay. What matters are the facts – get these across clearly and avoid the temptation to embroider your writing with flowery language. As a guide, spend around 60% of the space talking about your course, why you want to do it and how you’re suited to it, 30% on your work experience and any other activities that are relevant to your subject and 10% on your career aspirations. Exactly how you write your statement depends on your subject – generally people write more about work experience for vocational subjects like medicine and law than they would for subjects like maths or English where work experience is less important.   

8. Smart ways to end your personal statement

Writing a closing line that you’re happy with can feel as tricky as coming up with your opener. What you’re looking for here is a sign-off that is bold and memorable. The final couple of sentences in your statement give you the opportunity to emphasise all the good stuff you’ve already covered. Use this space to leave the reader in no doubt as to what an excellent addition you would be to their university. Pull together all your key points and – most importantly – address the central question that your personal statement should answer: why should you get a place on the course?

• Read more: universities explain how to end your personal statement with a bang  

9. Make sure your personal statement has no mistakes

Now you’ve got a personal statement you’re happy with, you need to make sure there are no mistakes. Check it, check it a second time, then check it again. Once you’ve done that, get someone else to check it, too. You will be doing yourself a massive disservice if you send through a personal statement with spelling and/or grammatical errors. You’ve got months to put this together so there really is no excuse for sending through something that looks like a rush job. Ask your teachers to look at it, and be prepared to accept their feedback without getting defensive. They will have seen many personal statements before; use what they tell you to make yours even better. You’ve also got another chance here to look through the content of your personal statement, so you can make sure the balance is right. Make sure your focus is very clearly on the subject you are applying for and why you want to study it. Don’t post your personal statement on the internet or social media where anyone can see it. You will get picked up by the Ucas plagiarism checker. Similarly, don't copy any that you find online. Instead, now is a good time to make your parents feel useful. Read your personal statement out to them and get them to give you feedback. Or try printing it out and mixing it up with a few others (you can find sample personal statements on The Student Room). Get them to read them all and then try to pick yours out. If they can't, perhaps there's not enough of your personality in there.  

10. Don't think about your personal statement for a whole week

If you followed the advice at the very start of this guide, you’ve started your personal statement early. Good job! There are months before you need to submit it. Use one of these weeks to forget about your personal statement completely. Get on with other things – anything you like. Just don’t go near your statement. Give it a whole week and then open up the document again and read through it with fresh eyes. You’ll gain a whole new perspective on what you’ve written and will be well placed to make more changes, if needed.

• Read more: how to write your personal statement when you have nothing interesting to say  

10 steps to your ideal personal statement

In summary, here are the ten steps you should follow to create the perfect personal statement.  

Personal statement dos and don'ts

• Remember that your personal statement is your personal statement, not an article written about your intended field of study. It should tell the reader about you, not about the subject.
• Only put in things that you’re prepared to talk about at the interviews.
• Give convincing reasons for why you want to study the course – more than just "enjoying the subject" (this should be a given).
• For very competitive courses, find out as much as you can about the nature of the course and try to make your personal statement relevant to this.
• Be reflective. If you make a point like 'I like reading', 'I travelled abroad', say what you got from it.
• Go through the whole thing checking your grammar and your spelling. Do this at least twice. It doesn’t matter if you’re not applying to an essay-based course – a personal statement riddled with spelling mistakes is just going to irritate the reader, which is the last thing you want to do. If this is something you find difficult then have someone look over it for you.
• Leave blank lines between your paragraphs. It’s easier for the reader to get through your personal statement when it’s broken into easily digestible chunks. Remember that they’re going to be reading a lot of these! Make yours easy to get through.
• Get someone else's opinion on your statement. Read it out to family or friends. Share it with your teacher. Look for feedback wherever you can find it, then act upon it.
• Don’t write it like a letter. Kicking off with a greeting such as "Dear Sir/Madam" not only looks weird, it also wastes precious space.
• Don’t make jokes. This is simply not the time – save them for your first night in the union.
• Don’t criticise your current school or college or try to blame teachers for any disappointing grades you might have got.
• Be afraid of details – if you want your PS to be personal to you that means explaining exactly which bits of work or topics or activities you've taken part in/enjoyed. It's much more compelling to read about one or two detailed examples than a paragraph that brushes over five or six.
• Just list what you're doing now. You should pull out the experiences that are relevant to the courses which you're applying to.
• Mention skills and activities without giving examples of when they have been demonstrated by you or what you learnt from them. Anyone can write "I have great leadership skills" in a PS, actually using a sentence to explain when you demonstrated good leadership skills is much rarer and more valuable.
• Refer to experiences that took place before your GCSEs (or equivalent).
• Give explanations about medical or mental health problems. These should be explained in your reference, not your PS.
• Apply for too many different courses, making it difficult to write a convincing personal statement which supports the application.
• Write a statement specific to just one institution, unless you're only applying to that one choice.
• Copy and paste the statement from somewhere else! This means do not plagiarise. All statements are automatically checked for plagiarism by Ucas. Those that are highlighted by the computer system are checked manually by Ucas staff. If you’re found to have plagiarised parts of your statement, the universities you apply to will be informed and it could jeopardise your applications.
• Use ChatGPT or another AI program to write your personal statement for you. Or, if you do, make sure you thoroughly edit and personalise the text so it's truly yours. Otherwise you're very much at risk of the plagiarism point above.

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