As a small business owner, your most important and best marketing asset is YOU. You need to be willing to open your mouth and let people know what you do. How is your business going to grow if you are not actively growing it? Unfortunately, we tend to be quiet about our businesses because we are afraid — afraid of rejection or afraid of judgement. If your business is something that you do on the side, it may be even harder to find the courage to talk about it. If you are afraid of talking about your business, use the tips below to help you overcome your fears and help you be the secret to your company’s success.
Practice
If you are planning a sale’s pitch, or just have a hard time talking about your business in general, practice! Rehearse what you are going to say first in front of the mirror, until you are comfortable talking about it with yourself. Then reach out to a close family member and friend, and practice talking about your business. It may be helpful to do a small role play. Have them pretend that they are someone you are trying to sell to, and have them give you critique on how you can improve your pitch. The next step is to just get out there and start talking to people! The more exposure you can get, the higher your chances are of getting a sale.
Remember Why You Do It
When you become discouraged, remind yourself why you do what you do. Every business is started with a dream, so sit down and remember why you started your business. It may be useful to create a vision board that you can refer to when you begin to lose sight of your goals. There are plenty of people out there who will tell you that you can’t do it, your job is to tell yourself (and them) that you can.
Stop Fearing Failure
If you fear failure, you won’t be able to get very far. Instead of seeing failure as the end of the road, see it as an opportunity to learn. Failure is a temporary condition. Mistakes are meant to help us grow, not stop us in our tracks. Change your definition of failure, and you will change your outlook on life. Learn to think positively, continue setting goals, and remember to ask yourself “What can I learn from this?” rather than “Why can’t I do anything right?”