Home - Recruitment Techniques - Management Techniques - Online Computer Training


 Free Photography Contest
 Enter Now! Win $10,000! Are you a Winner!

 Is your credit non-existent?
 All American Credit can help you build your
 credit! Even if you have bad credit, they can help.

Please click here to visit our sponsor

Please click here to visit our sponsor

Greasing the Path to Success: Finding the Confidence to Step Up to Key Moments


Whether it's making a prospecting call to a promising business contact, giving an informal "elevator speech" to a networking group, or attempting to close a transaction, there are certain key moments when putting your best-dressed foot forward really matters. Some of life's fortunate people seem to be naturally at their best finding confidence under pressure. The rest of us have to learn.

Confidence matters.

Few would argue that developing confidence is a good investment. You'll be more comfortable and therefore more motivated in your marketing efforts. It's difficult to sustain an effort over the long haul a requirement, for successful networking and marketing if we're miserable doing it. Furthermore, marketing and branding experts tell us that confidence is the #1 reason people buy what they buy. Where do they get confidence to try the product or service for the first time? From you, from your confidence in what you offer.

Confidence on command.

Let's say you have to make an outreach call to someone who can potentially refer you business. Stomach butterflies are on a rampage. You've scripted the call, but your voice is still flat with anxiety. How do you suddenly summon confidence? Confidence is like one of the body's involuntary muscles. You can't make it fire on command. It either fires or it doesn't. But the smaller muscles around it, contributing to its tone and strength, are voluntary. You can help yourself build confidence by doing the small things. You probably already have a repertoire of quick-fix confidence-builders that work for you. From my years of helping people grow, here are some of my favorites.

Practice

Talk about your product or service, with strangers as well as acquaintances. Do it again.

Do it frequently, whether "successful" or not. Keep the interval between short.

Don't let being awkward stop you

Create a temporary "no fault" zone, where you goal is to do it, not do it right.

Remember: the pool of potential contacts is infinite. There's plenty of room for practice.

Let timing help

Capitalize on confident or successful moments to create more of them.

There will be days when you are under a cloud. Don't try then. Letting yourself off the hook today breeds confidence that tomorrow will be better.

Tough love

Act "as if"

Just do it

Protect your environment from negativity: call a temporary moratorium on friends or family who may be envious or skeptical of your endeavor

Seek inspiration

Rub shoulders with someone who has exuberant confidence in you

Read some inspiring quotations

Read testimonials from your own clients

Watch a squirrel leap through space from a secure branch to an untested one

Quit being mean

Make a quick list on paper of the 5 confidence-sabotaging voices in your head. Quote them verbatim, and give each one a name.

Send them all out for a beer, and while they're gone, make the call

All of these suggestions are simple and even simple-minded. They're ways to develop the internal muscles that in turn will support the success we're reaching for. After all, if you are to grow into a new level of success, you will need more than good ideas and hard work. You'll need the internal muscles to support it. Confidence is one of those qualities that can seem to vary with the weather. Very few of us are born for success any more than we're born to bench press three hundred pounds.

For most, the daily work-outs, coupled with an attitude that gives generous credit for perseverance, are what qualify us to have that golden ring. I'm cheering for you!

About The Author

Nina Ham, certified coach and licensed psychotherapist, is principal of Success from the Inside Out, providing individual coaching and teleseminars to build the skills, attitudes and habits for sustainable success in your career or business. Mail to: Nina@womenssuccesscoach.com, subscribe in subject line, for free monthly e-zine, or visit http://www.SuccessfromtheInsideOut.com.

Nina@womenssuccesscoach.com


The Associated Press

Unemployed? More help for you
CNNMoney.com - 48 minutes ago
For example, In Washington you need to have 680 hours of employment in your base year - which is the first 12 of the last 18 months of work. ...
Meltdown 101: Some tips on collecting unemployment The Associated Press
all 70 news articles


Pennsylvania's Employment Situation: October 2008
MarketWatch - 15 hours ago
Resident employment fell by 2000 for the month, while unemployment was up 4000. The labor force was up 157000 since October 2007, with employment and ...


Reuters South Africa

China: Preserving Employment at a High Cost
Stratfor - 2 hours ago
20 that the employment situation in China is critical and could get worse. Vice Minister Zhang Xiaojian added that unemployment levels could reach 4.5 ...
China says employment situation "critical" AFP
China Pledges Faster Labor Mediation as Employment Turns `Grim' Bloomberg
China fears grow over job losses BBC News
Financial Times - Reuters
all 289 news articles


Reuters

Milwaukee employment drops, but not as badly as some neighbors
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI - 9 hours ago
Although Milwaukee has had year-to-year employment declines for 14 months in a row, its ranking among the 50 largest US cities has improved as the economy ...
Congress OKs 2nd extension of jobless benefits San Francisco Chronicle
Putting Americans to work Las Vegas Sun
Jobless get new way to track benefits Greenville News
OCRegister - Washington Times
all 2,377 news articles


Minnesota jobless rate rises to 6 percent in Oct.
Forbes, NY - 16 hours ago
McElroy, commissioner of the state Department of Employment and Economic Development, announced the updated jobless rate Thursday at the South Minneapolis ...
Minnesota loses 7500 more jobs in October Bizjournals.com
7500 more Minnesota jobs vanished in October Minneapolis Star Tribune
Unemployment rate falls to 5.9 percent Alexandria Echo Press
Coon Rapids ECM Publishers - WDIO-TV
all 59 news articles


Ohio Employment Report: Employee Confidence Dips Despite Fewer ...
MarketWatch - 46 minutes ago
Interestingly enough, the workers surveyed for our latest Ohio Employment Report indicated that although they believe the economy is getting weaker, ...


Crain's Chicago Business

Construction losses push state unemployment to 7.3%
Chicago Tribune, United States - 7 hours ago
The state's jobless rate surged to 7.3 percent in October from September's 6.9 percent reading, the Illinois Department of Employment Security said. ...
Illinois unemployment at highest rate in 15 years Galesburg Register-Mail
State unemployment on the rise The State Journal-Register
Illinois Unemployment Climbs Chicago Public Radio
Forbes
all 39 news articles


Workers Seek Second Jobs to Make Ends Meet as Holidays Approach ...
MarketWatch - 16 hours ago
According to the US Department of Labor, overall employment has fallen by 1.2 million so far in 2008, with more than half of that decrease occurring in the ...


Report vindicates equal-employment officer
Columbus Dispatch, OH - 2 hours ago
By James Nash The equal-employment officer for a state agency complained of racial discrimination in employee pay and failure to recruit minorities, ...


OKC Business

Oklahoma Employment Security Commission say bye to jobless ...
NewsOK.com, OK - 8 hours ago
1, the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission will begin issuing unemployment insurance benefits electronically, either via direct deposit or a debit card. ...
Oklahoma to begin paying unemployment benefits electronically OKC Business
all 3 news articles

Employment - Google News

home | site map Distance Education at ICS
© 2006 www.elearn-university.com