8 Ways To Boost Your Confidence In Business

Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong. ~ Peter T. Mcintyre (Tweet this)

As a business coach, I can usually get a clear idea of how someone lacks confidence in business or is holding themselves back, pretty quickly…it’s part of my job! I work with people around the world on growing their audience and income and it’s pretty safe to say that most people who come to see me have two things in common.

• They have a positive message that can help other people
• They want to share that message with the world

As good as those intentions are, however, most people do not get the results they want in their business. One of the biggest factors in this, is a lack of confidence, now before you roll your eyes and think this is just another self help article….let me explain.

As I say in my first course, Be Your Own Publicist, “The way you think about yourself affects everything that you do, especially when it comes to promoting yourself and your business”.

I could give you fabulous ideas about how to promote your business, fast working and effective strategies to grow your audience and some proven ways to make more money – but if you don’t have the confidence in yourself and your work to take action on them, then they are useless.

When I first started writing articles and teaching classes, every single piece of self doubt and inner resistance came up (far too much to write about now!) and I am grateful for every perceived mistake, piece of self sabotage and for learning to deal with other peoples criticism – because it allowed me to develop my self confidence to a level I never thought possible. Now I am blessed to be able to teach others those same lessons.

Tips to improve your confidence in business

If you would like to feel more confident whilst promoting yourself and your business, keep reading because below are 8 simple ways you can boost yourself confidence and sky rocket your business!

1. Get clear on your higher purpose

OK, so I’m going to get a bit spiritual here. When you attach yourself to a higher purpose, promoting yourself and your work becomes much less about you and what people think of you and much more about how many people you are helping.

If you are reading this on Wisdom Times, then there is a good chance that you are a spiritually minded person, let that influence your work and the promotion of it and you will take on a confidence you never knew you had.

2. Stop waiting to feel confident

One of the biggest tricks that the mind plays on us when it comes to moving forward is the idea that we have to feel confident before we can move forward. This just keeps us very stuck.

A huge turning point for me was when I realized that I could take action in spite of fear rather than waiting for it to go away and I could act confident even if I didn’t feel it.

3. Focus on the benefits to the customer

When promoting your business, products or services always…and I mean always focus on the benefits to the customer.

People are surrounded by noise all day, people selling them things, telling them what they need etc. If you can make it very clear what someone gets from working with you then you are already half way there.

Another benefit of focusing on the benefits to the customer is that it takes you out of the equation, your focus is on them and how you can help which makes them feel heard and understood and allows you to act with a higher level of confidence than before.

4. Understand you are not your work

You are much more than the work that you do, when you promote your business and the services you offer – it is not about you personally and it’s very important to get clear on that.

People who are self employed often attach too much of their self image to their work and this can lead to

5. Learn to love NO

Afraid of people saying no to you ? Then you are going to find it really hard to succeed. Instead of fearing the word no, learn to love it!

I know this sounds crazy but think of it like this, every time someone says no to you it means you are one step closer to getting the big YES that you want.

Try and learn from each no you get, how can you learn and grow? Develop an attitude of looking forward and constantly being open to learn and grow and you will move forward in a way you never thought possible.

If a client says no, then just make a note to revisit them in a few months and move on to the next thing. Don’t dwell on the no’s, learn from them!

6. Get over your fear of rejection

Really, get over it. I’m really direct with my clients because that’s sometimes what you need when it comes to moving forward. Direct, no BS advice that can take you from where you are to where you want to be.

We all have a fear of rejection, it’s part of being a human – but it doesn’t have to keep you stuck or hold you back. Understand that it’s not about you, it’s just business and that you are far bigger than any perceived rejection.

7. Play “How would I act….”

A great exercise I use with my private clients is “How would I act if…”.  I ask them to write down on a piece of paper how they would act if they felt confident, ready, able, powerful etc. I ask them to describe how they would speak, act, talk, dress and “show up” in the world. Then I have them act that out right now, starting their day as if they already have what they want. Try this and you’ll be amazed at the results you get in your life.

Write down “How would I act if I felt confident?” and then read through that and start living it. (I’ve done this with money, new contacts, confidence etc. and it’s amazing)

8. Practice

Confidence is just like a muscle, it gets stronger the more you use it. Instead of only using your confidence when a need arises, practice being the confident version of yourself through out your day.

Ask yourself questions like “How can I practice my confidence now?”  It could be as simple as accepting an invitation to a networking event, reaching out to someone over e-mail or even following up with a prospect, the more you practice the easier it becomes.

Your Assignment: This week, I want you to apply at least one of these strategies when it comes to exhibiting confidence in business and promoting your business. Let me know how it goes! You can Tweet me @RyanJamesLock