We are all somewhere on the scale of confidence and people will think we have too much or too little depending on where their level of confidence lies. Let me start out by defining what confidence is:
full trust; belief in oneself and one's personal power or abilities, trustworthiness, self-assurance or reliability of a person or thing
perhaps it is also important to understand what confidence is not doubt, fear, hesitation, uncertainty, timidity or boastfulness.
When I work with an Entrepreneur coaching client I'm often asked why I start with YOU when working through The Business Workout. Most programs start with the business and perhaps the customer but it isn't often that a program starts with the YOU. I think that as an Entrepreneur it's the most important place to start. When an Entrepreneur isn't passionate about their business or fully engaged it inevitably becomes a problem for both the business and the Entrepreneur.
I'm not saying that if you're not confident you shouldn't be in business but I am saying that working on your confidence is essential. Think of it this way. If you are not confident, you're not likely to express yourself confidently and when you do this in business that's a problem. Would you buy a car from someone who didn't make you feel like you were making the best buy ever. I'm also not saying that we should all be car salesmen in our approach but you get the point, if the salesman was not sure about the car, confident in his approach to you, uncertain about why the car would be good for you then youre absolutely not going to buy from them. It's the same with your business.
If you're in the service business you need confidence even more than ever, after all they are buying YOU and perhaps your team. Your confidence tells the potential client that you know what you're talking about and that you are the best solution for them. When you are not confident, even when you're practicing 'fake it to make it' the problem often is that the client can pick up the disconnect in your non-verbal communication.
So how do you get confident if you haven't got it already?
VALUES - I always believe that it starts with values, do you know your top values? Your values are always your guide through everything that you do and knowing the Top 5 things that you could not and would not give up - things like - honesty, integrity, value, etc. Values will also guide you to the business that is right for you and when these align with your values you'll feel more comfortable and in turn, more confident.
KNOWLEDGE - If you don't know your business inside out and the types of questions your customers are likely to ask you, so that when they do you have the answer at hand. When you don't know your business well enough it's going to be hard to convince someone to spend their money with you.
PRACTICE - Do you practice what you're going to say to a potential client before you go meet them? Do you think of the questions they will ask, your answers, your pitch, the handshake, your smile? You will be surprised how much this type of practice can help you build confidence. Most people are nervous when meeting a new client or even an old one but practice, while you're dressing, in the shower, while you're driving ... anywhere but your confidence will grow as you practice.
The question is, if you were buying from you would you consider yourself to be confident enough to invest in?
So the question is would you buy from you ?
