Confidence. Even the word congers up an element of fear. We sweat, we go red, we wobble and perhaps the worst of all, we stutter and the words come out wrong - not quite the image you want to portray to your future customers when trying to present to them your wares.
The nature of the Beast
Take for instance old Grandma here. Would you say she was confident? Perhaps. Scary? Possibly. Angry? Definitely. So what then is the difference between assertive and aggressive (women have been presenting this argument for years,) do you think? For us females it is simple - in business we either smile sweetly which gets us no where or we tell it like it is and then run the risk of getting pushed out, ignored or just plan told it must be the time of the month. Business is what it says. We get busy on being confident. That way we win customers, they trust us and what's more, we trust ourselves, so you can tell where this little nugget is going today, can't you? Yes, we are going to take a good long and hard look in the mirror...
Be nice your Yourself
Stand in front of the mirror and smile. You feel silly don't you? Yet this is the way your customers and potential business associates will see you. When you smile, objectively, would you trust yourself? Would you trust this person to get the job done/give you the service you are paying handsomely for? Ask yourself. I bet the answer is no.
Okay so we can't do much with the smile. We need to get back to basics. Remember the last time you went to a job interview? You may have felt that you got the job before they even hired you two weeks later. Can you remember how you felt at the time of the interview? Capture that feeling again and apply it to your business now. It's all fairly simply stuff if you can look back at the achievements you have made in your life and relate that feeling to your business once again. When you shook hands on something which you were going to benefit from immensely, did you shake hands firmly and look that person straight in the eye? No? I bet you did! It works, it distills confidence in you. They can see it - you can feel it. No one has to be an old Granny when it comes to business. Someone who is aggressive in any way is soon out of business. Generate a feeling in yourself that you KNOW you are on the right track, that your business CAN'T fail and you are doing the RIGHT thing by being in business.
Depending on the nature of your work very much depends on the way you are going to approach your clients/customers/marketplace. Remember we talked once about defining your market and shaping the way you market your product/service will attract similar like minded customers? The principles here are pretty much the same. You look at the way you are conducting your own manner/your own being and it will attract 'like' back. Getting a particular group of people or section of the community to trust you and have faith in you is a tough process and one that needs patience, above anything else. In my business, I aim to provide services to sections of the community who have certain social challenges. Perhaps they can't get around as easily as you or I, maybe they can't read too well or even quite like talking to other people that much. Enabling trust in me from these people when, up until now, they have felt that there is very little to trust in the world has been the hardest job in my life. Getting authorities to hear what I have to say about how I would like to change certain systems put in place in this country has been even harder, but I have learned this much - trust never came at once, or especially overnight. If you wish to communicate with your customers/clients who may feel threatened by you, for want of a better term, keep a continuous momentum with them. Try, try and try again and keep your marketing regular, unaggressive and friendly, but not over friendly.
Adding your name to the Volunteer list
It might not feel like your cup of tea but it is worth considering especially if your market is going to be your local community. Put your name down for the local CAB, if a fair or some description is happening locally, get involved. Even if it is making fairy cakes for the afternoon. It will get your face recognised around town and people will start to get to know you. Hiding yourself away in the shadows never did anyone any favours, not unless you're a ghost in your spare time. Be brave - make the step - besides, it all looks good on the CV at the end of the day and it even makes you good friends, and that can't be bad!
onemum 2009
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