Last week, I shared practical strategies for capitalizing on the time period before Thanksgiving and Christmas, holidays that inevitably make an entrepreneur’s already demanding schedules even busier. I unpacked the importance of networking, helping others get ahead, following up, asking for referrals, acknowledging referral partners and working with a business coach in order to finish the 2017 year strong.

But there is one quality you need in order to successfully implement these strategies and generate new business: Confidence.

Self-confidence is a feeling of trust in one’s abilities, qualities, and judgment.

How strongly you believe in your ability to learn new skills, perform at a certain level, or reach the goals that you set for yourself matters more than you may think. On a psychological level, confidence has a direct impact on our performance. You can have tremendous skills and capabilities, but you can’t use them to reach your full potential without confidence.

Confidence Affects Sales Outcomes

As a business entrepreneur, I know the fundamental role confidence has played in determining my own success in sales. When I felt unsure of myself, business suffered. But when I felt self-assured, I generated more leads and referrals and sales blossomed.

So many of the entrepreneurs I have worked with at Celeste Giordano Coaching came to me because they felt stuck in their businesses. Too often, a lack of confidence was holding them back from breaking through barriers to success.

Confidence affects the way you carry yourself at networking events and on sales calls. It infuses everything from your posture and handshake to your tone and volume. As an example, let’s examine how confidence can impact your ability to successfully handle objections in a sales conversation. If you have low self-esteem, you will likely address an objection meekly, reinforcing your prospects’ belief that you’re not a safe or worthwhile financial investment.

But when your respond to that same objection with self-assuredness and confidence, you give your prospect the information and reassurance they need to invest. Because after all, when a prospect makes a purchase decision, they aren’t simply buying your product or service. They’re investing in YOU. Your confidence is part of what gives them the confidence they need to invest in you.

With just a few months left in the year, it is worthwhile asking:

Could a lack of confidence be limiting my success?  

If the answer is “Yes”, don’t despair. While it’s true that some people are naturally more confident than others, confidence is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. If you work at developing self-confidence, it will grow – and so will your business.

Here are three areas in which developing confidence will take your business to the next level:

1. Confidence in Yourself. I don’t have to tell you how important first impressions are. In today’s competitive marketplace, you have to make your first impression count in order to capture the attention of your target audience before they are pulled in a different direction. Whether you’re delivering a sales presentation to a prospect, distributing marketing materials or networking at an event, it’s important to be confident in your professional image.

If you aren’t confident in yourself, you won’t instill confidence in others. For that reason, it’s important to invest in authentic ways to improve your self-image. This can include joining a Toastmaster’s group to work on your public speaking skills, building a sharp professional wardrobe, or investing in professional photography for your bio and branding materials.

2. Confidence in Your Game Plan. While professional image is key, it’s only part of the equation. To reach your goals and overcome obstacles, you need effective sales strategies and a strong business plan. Without these in your toolkit, it’s difficult to feel confident at networking events and sales presentations.

At Celeste Giordano Coaching, I help business owners build self-esteem by mapping out an easy-to-follow game plan they can feel confident in following every day until their goals are realized. The entrepreneurs I work with feel secure knowing that when they “work the plan,” they will succeed. It’s important to maintain confidence in your master plan and stick to it even as you face obstacles and setbacks — they’re a normal part of the journey.

3. Confidence in Your Team. In order to achieve true confidence and succeed as a business entrepreneur, you need to spend the bulk of your time doing whatever it is you do best. Do you thrive at sales? Is marketing your area of expertise? You know what your strengths are – and what they aren’t. Surround yourself with a team so you have the support you need to focus on your core strengths. Choose your team wisely, and then give them the resources, guidance and support they need to perform their responsibilities so you can perform yours.

It’s equally important to have confidence in your personal support system. Spousal support or lack thereof has a huge impact on your ability to grow a thriving business. The same holds true for friendships. Surround yourself with positive and supportive friends and mentors and you’ll be that much closer to building the legacy business that dreams are made of.

I’m honored that so many business owners and entrepreneurs in 2017 have invited me to be a valued member of their team. As a master sales strategist with four decades of real world experience, it has been a privilege to be able to share the proven strategies I’ve learned along the way.

Confidence Has No Competition

If you’re an entrepreneur who offers value and is committed to putting a proven system in place to continuously generate and close new business, you will have every reason to be confident at each stage of business development. Confidence will ignite your business like fuel to a fire, and there will be no stopping you.

Contact me today at celeste@celestegiordano.com to make 2017 the year that you develop the confidence it takes to achieve outstanding results and ‘Double Plus’ your income.

Celeste Giordano’s mission is to help business owners develop the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to “double-plus” their income and become effective and inspirational leaders in their fields. Whether it’s taking your successful business to the next level or starting a new venture, she will teach you the exact skills and strategies you need to enroll more quality prospects, build a rock-solid team, and break through obstacles to achieve real profit and lasting success. Celeste is a professional business growth specialist, a master sales strategist, and dynamic speaker with almost 40 years experience in direct sales and managing high-performing teams.

To learn more about Celeste, click here.

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