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Assert yourself: Winning new business
Selling your products and services to others isn't easy. Learn from those who have already discovered what works for them. Find out how to put your point across using the quotes below.
"In the early days, I wasn't always an extrovert but I've learned that shrinking violets don't get anywhere and I've had to work to get myself heard. If you always pitch yourself as a cottage industry, or as a one-woman band, then that's where you'll stay."
Joy Nichols, Nichols Employment Agency
"When I've got a difficult meeting or a discussion where I know I've got to be on the ball, it all has to start when I get up. Being positive from the start. I always make a point of dressing with care, knowing that certain things will make me feel better about myself. It all gives you a good springboard."
Stephanie Manuel, Stagecoach Theatre Arts plc
"As a child, I was painfully shy, I couldn't talk to people at all. When in business with my husband, I kept in the background - I always said 'I'd rather clean the loos than talk to the customers.' But when my husband died, I had to become assertive to survive. The first thing I did was to sign up for an assertive course and the key thing I learned was the big difference between assertiveness and aggression."
Avril Owton, The Cloud Hotel
"You've got to make the time for yourself and your own self development. I went to business school for a year. Not everyone in a small business can afford the time to do that. But whatever you need, you've got to expose yourself and take that step out of the business. Learning by doing and leading by example is key."
Dawn Gibbins, Flowcrete Group plc
"Know your onions! You cannot bluff it. It's so difficult to get an appointment with people these days, so when you do, you have to know what you're doing. You can't leave anything to chance. Know your limitations, too. Problems start when you overstretch yourself and get out of your depth. In my employment agency, if I can't supply a brain surgeon, I have to be honest enough to say, 'Sorry, I don't do brain surgeons'."
Joy Nichols, Nichols Employment Agency
"My assertiveness has really come from experience. I also get a great deal of inspiration from books. I once read 'Secrets' by Joan Collins, who herself claims to be quite shy deep down. She says when walking into a room of people, look your best, take a deep breath, throw your shoulders back and hold your head high. Your confidence really comes from inside you - knowing your business and knowing what you want and what you're trying to achieve."
Avril Owton, The Cloud Hotel
"When you enter what is traditionally a male domain, there is still an issue about women having to be formidable just to match men. For example, in a financial domain or in the political arena, I know I have to be assertive and have to work hard to convince male counterparts that I'm not a risk. But I always try not to compromise my personality. I suppose I've learned to use a bit of psychology. And if you do your homework, learn a bit about the person you're meeting, you'll quickly engage them in some way which makes you look confident and they have confidence in you."
Joy Nichols, Nichols Employment Agency
You don't have to be an extrovert to win new business, but you do need to get the right messages across. Find out how to use your body language and apply your confidence with everywoman best selling business guide: Assert yourself.
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