How To Sell Yourself

20 How to Sell Yourself

I wrote to the vice president, saying that Milt told me he was
warm, witty, and wonderful, but unfortunately for him, I’d never
seen that George Bush. I urged him to get professional training so
that the public would see him the way Barbara, the grandkids, and
Millie, the granddog, saw him.

Here’s the letter I got back.

Dear Mr. Lustberg,

Milt gave me that very nice letter from you dated March

10th. I read it carefully and I also looked over the book-

lets. Heaven knows I could learn a lot from you. The

problem is I am now working with a couple of other pro-

fessionals in the field. I know that there is plenty of room

for improvement in my speech making. That you were

interested enough to offer to help really counts with me.

Most Sincerely and Gratefully,

George Bush

The right versus the wrong direction

I was really pleased to hear that he was getting help. But I
watched. And I watched. And I never saw any sign of improve-
ment. I’m convinced his coaches said, “Look, you’re fighting the
wimp factor. Take the gloves off,” and worked on the wrong things.
The reality of his warmth and caring never replaced the percep-
tion that he was angry, uptight, and uncomfortable communicat-
ing with the public.

My point was demonstrated perfectly on the Friday night af-
ter the 1996 election. Bob Dole, the defeated candidate, appeared
on the Letterman show. He took off what I call his “Leadership,”
or “Presidential Mask,” and said these magic words with a warm
glow he’d never displayed in his entire political career, “Now I
can go back to being myself.”

Exactly! Where was the real you during the campaign, Bob?
Why did you refuse to let us see the “real” you? He never realized
that the “act” he’d been putting on for us was the main reason he
lost the election. He’d have given anything to win the presidency.
He’d waited all his life for the chance. But he never learned how
to show us the real Bob Dole, the one Elizabeth saw.

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