Confidence is a gal’s best friend, and yet it seems to be so fleeting among women in business today. We don’t want to appear too confident because that can seem egotistical and if we aren’t confident enough, we are told to step it up. How frustrating! Yet the benefits of bringing your personal confidence to your work are endless—powerful selling, marketing opportunities, useful networks, and who doesn’t want to be a “go to girl”?

Let’s take a look at some things you might not have known about confidence:

Confident business ladies are actually pretty quiet. Their confidence is not in their lavish talk or how they strut, it’s in the pride they share for their work. And unless asked, they are probably too humble to say so first. But if you get them on a kick about why they love what they do, just watch the excitement pour out of them.

Confident business ladies listen with intent. They are confident in their abilities because they have taken the time to really listen. They listen to their customer, their employees, their colleagues, their vendors, and their hearts. They listen to what people say or need and what they might not say but want.

Confident business ladies are not afraid to fail, some may even look forward to it. Why would someone look forward to failing? Because when we are succeeding at something we do not look for blind spots. When we fail, we learn a lot and gain insight for new or better directions. Continuing to gain insight gives you confidence that you aren’t missing something.

How can you bring confidence to work with you every day? Here are 7 ways to shed a light on what is already there, it might just be a matter of trying something new.

#1: Get rid of all the “should”
Allowing “should” to creep in can create self-doubt and confusion for you and your
business. These are things you may not think you are designed to do, or even want to
do but you think you should. These are energy drainers and will keep you from being
great at what you already love to do. For example, this past year I thought I should work
with all types of businesses, but my real love was with creative women. The moment I
let go of my “should,” my business grew.

#2: Make some proud friends
Keeping in mind the three things I outlined above, make friends with confident
businesswomen. They may not even know how proud they are because they could be
quiet! These are women who easily share their passions for their work, or who enjoy
giving credit to those who have helped them get where they are. You might already
admire them, so let them know, and ask if you can pick their brain about how they carry
themselves. They will be flattered, trust me.

#3: Practice makes perfect
It may sound silly to practice your confidence, but it can really help! Mimicking real life
situations like sales, customer interactions, press, or marketing can help you in the
moment. Ask a friend to play a faux role, then interact with them and gather feedback. It will be far more difficult than in real life so by the time you are using your new awareness, you will be natural!

#4: Always lead with the benefit
When in doubt, lead with the benefit. Benefits are the reasons why what you do will actually fit into someone’s life. We are emotional beings and we tend to let our emotional side do the thinking, talking, and buying. To confidently appeal to other’s emotional side lead with the biggest benefits for buying what you do. For example, a feature of my work is that I coach; the benefit of coaching is confidence and clarity. The benefit of confidence
is a more profitable business. That tends to grab other people’s attention more than what I do as a feature does.

#5: Note when something goes really well
Next time an interaction goes well, be it at a network event or just casually talking with
friends, make a note of it. Maybe you practice using benefits and get a different reaction or you have people following up with you the next day. This is a time to reflect on what you did well! Then you know what to do in the future—what events were best, what people responded well, and what you said. Do more of what alreadyworks because it will work again!

#6: What you love most will sell itself
You will sell with the most enthusiasm and genuineness if it’s something you truly love.
I truly love helping clients get unstuck. I could talk about this all the time, and when it
comes from my heart, that shows. That emotion I put into how I talk about my work sells far more than me trying to intentionally sell to a new client. If it’s not something you truly love, then return to no. 1 and clean out some of that “should”.

#7: Remember, customers are lost without you
There are numerous potential customers out there who want or need what it is you
create. They are hurting and suffering because they have yet to find you. Put them
out of your misery and offer up the best version of what you love to do! You might be
thinking, “But I make jewelry!” And I would respond, “Yes! And your jewelry can make
your customer light up like she never has.” Remember, there is always a benefit to what
you do.

Confidence is powerful, but more than anything doesn’t it feel good to be proud of who you are and what you do?

With pride and joy,
Andrea