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Your Lack Of Confidence Might Be Hindering Your Business Growth. Here Are 25 Tell-Tale Signs!
Confidence is crucial if you want to be successful at anything and that includes growing your business.
While it's absolutely normal to experience ups and downs on your entrepreneurial journey, the main red flag is when you find yourself stuck in a cycle of negative thinking and inaction and therefore become your greatest success blocker.
Over the years, I've encountered several entrepreneurs who couldn't seem to move forward with their vision despite there being no clear roadblocks. Through conversations, I've observed some common behaviours they usually exhibit which indicate their lack of confidence in either their business itself or in their ability to grow it. Even, just one of any of these behaviours can prove detrimental to their progress and ultimate success.
These behaviours include:
Not charging enough: You price your products and services too low, and you still end up losing business. If raising your prices makes you nervous, then increase them slowly. But it's important you know your worth and believe in the value you provide.
Apologizing about everything and anything: "I'm so sorry to bother you." is one of your go-to statements.I'm not asking you to be distasteful or pushy, but confident and assertive behavior is more likely to get you what you want.
Over-explaining and justifying your offerings: Always go straight to the point you want to make. If the other party wants a further explanation, they will certainly ask for it. If you over-explain things, it generally indicates and means that you don't believe in your offering or what you're charging.
Not handling objections well: If someone you consider an ideal client or customer insists that they can't (won't) afford your offerings, it's possibly because they haven't come to terms with what their problem is costing them. This creates an opportunity for you to ask the right questions and rephrase their answers to help them see the full picture.
Going off course: Entrepreneurs who don't believe in themselves often stretch for ideas that don't align with their core offerings and vision. Endeavour to not get distracted; stick to your plan and take action on the goals that make the most sense for your business.
Being afraid to pivot when necessary: If the market for your product or service doesn't exist, you can't sell what you're offering. Be open to the signs, and don't give up. Have the confidence to make required changes to your product and plan if you have strong evidence that it won't work as it is.
Overcomplicating your plans: The best plans are the ones that keep things simple; you can add the extras as you go and only when necessary.
Afraid of confrontation: In many cases, If you expect a conversation to become confrontational, it likely will. A confident entrepreneur will choose to initiate difficult discussions because they understand when something or someone is holding them back.
Believe the negative talk in your head: Biologically, we actually all have a tape of negative messages in our heads, and it gets very loud when we're out of our comfort zone. The hack is to ignore them. Those nagging voices are nothing more than your brain doing its job of trying to keep you safe from the things you're already afraid of.
Shunning or dismissing praise: I promise you that people don't usually dish out compliments or praise only to be kind. I want you to view every pat-on-the-back as an addition to your toolbox that boosts your confidence.
Viewing your achievements as "this is easy, anyone can do it!": it's easy to write off your natural abilities and the experience you have in your field because it can make things seem easy and uncomplicated to you. Your ideal client or customer can't do what you do; condition your mind to see it from their perspective.
Avoid asking for help: The most successful entrepreneurs didn't make it on their own. They took on mentors, coaches, helpful friends and family, and employees on their journey. It's all a part of the package that leads to success.
Not willing to admit to your mistakes. Some of the most valuable information we need to make progress can be found within our mistakes and failures. Adopt the mindset of learning from them rather than denying them.
Refrain from challenging others when necessary. Even the smartest people don't see the full picture every time. If your clients, or others, are being short sighted or missing the bigger picture, you can and should politely offer another viewpoint.
Refuse to invest in yourself. Many entrepreneurs lose money because they just won't spend money. Software and proper technology tools, education and personal growth investments, marketing collateral, and employees or freelancers all have incredible value. If you believe in yourself and your business, then you should plan for these investments.
Seeking outward approval. Affirmations and approvals are nice, but consider them the icing on the cake. You already know you're amazing; simply follow your inner compass.
Dismissing your wins. Rather than focusing on everything that still needs to be accomplished, make room to acknowledge even the smallest positive development. Everyone deserves to see evidence that they're at least heading in the right direction.
Forgetting your passion and your "why". You're probably in business for more than just an opportunity to make some money. When you stay focused on that reason and feel the passion behind it, others will respond to it. It will also recharge your batteries so you can keep going.
Sending unnecessarily lengthy pitches and proposals.The time you spend on a prospect before getting paid needs to match up with the worth of the job. Know your stuff and believe in yourself instead of sending wordy, multi-page documents explaining your worth.
Accepting clients that aren't a good fit. Your offerings should be clearly defined and you should really only accept clients who will benefit from them. If you redefine your offerings to fit every prospect's desires, no one will be happy. Think about all those who need what you do and have faith that your ideal customers will find their way to you.
Not delegating. I know we think no one can do it as good as we can but it you want real, sustained growth then you have to believe that you are capable of hiring the right people and then let them do their jobs. You'll make mistakes, and so will they. It's all a part of your growth as an entrepreneur.
Losing your temper or becoming anxious often. Of course, you're bound to feel anxious and irritable sometimes. In these moments, you'd do well to: focus on your breathing, the things you've achieved, and positive thoughts about the future. Intense outbursts and moods achieve nothing except to diminish your energy, creativity, and clarity.
Letting failure define you. You've lost a past business, or you've let a customer down. That's called "being human". Failure doesn't define you, but giving up will.
Struggle to envision a bright and prosperous future. Your thoughts are important because what you believe is what creates your future. Give your brain positive messages to work with by envisioning and feeling the rewards of your hard work.
Procrastinating often. When we procrastinate, it indicates that we are lacking clarity. If you don't have a clear vision and know the steps to get there, you'll never feel confident about it. It can be hard to see the forest through the trees; hire someone to help you get clear and to design the plan.
If these behaviors resonated with you and you're thinking you would like some support in making much needed changes, then it's a great time to work with a Business Coach.
We can help!
We are WNC aka "The Small Business Hospital". We provide entrepreneurs with the practical diagnostics, coaching and consulting services they need to build healthy small & medium enterprises (SMEs), so they can enjoy more life balance and personal freedom.
Book a 15-minutes no-fee consultation with one of our Associate Business Doctors to learn more about how we can help you and your business to move forward..
Alternatively, you could get started with a Business Health Assessment? Perhaps, you know your business needs to move to the next level but you're not clear on how it's currently performing across different business areas, let alone what needs to be improved, we can run your company through a Business Health Assessment for just ₦3,000 / $6.50 /£5. It's a quick and simple but detailed check-box questionnaire that takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. Once we have your answers, you'll receive your detailed results and prescriptions within 72 hours, via WhatsApp & Email.