There’s a common misconception Independent Business Owners must have a “sales” mentality to be successful. But it’s simply not true. Not every IBO started out with the confidence he/she may have now. True confidence comes with time, experience and happiness. Yes, happiness! It’s a critical element of confidence, because in order to be confident in what you do, you need to be happy with where you are in your life right this moment. Maybe you are in debt, going through a divorce or experiencing a health crisis. You are looking for a new path in life, maybe a supplemental income or even an entirely new career. But you’re uncertain you have the confidence to make a change and succeed. Well, you do!
A recent study conducted at the University of Melbourne in Australia showed that confidence and success are linked—confident people earn higher wages and get promoted more quickly than those who are not. As a LifePharm IBO, you should project confidence when representing LifePharm whether you’re sharing your personal endorsement of the products, explaining the compensation plan benefits or sharing videos via the LifePharm Connect app on your mobile device.
Model the following behaviors adapted from LinkedIn Pulse and you’ll find no goal is out of reach for you.
Be your own personal best
Healthy competition can push you to try harder, but comparing yourself to someone at a higher rank can leave you feeling less than secure. Maybe you can’t work the LifePharm Business full time, or it’s taking you longer to advance rank than it did a fellow team member. Don’t use someone else’s success to measure your own. Look for ways someone you admire achieved his/her success and maybe you can find something to emulate. Did he/she sign up for the Auto-Delivery Advantage program? Host a LifePharm event? Recruit others to join in a creative way?
Choose your time and commitments wisely
Confident people know how to say the word “no” without feeling guilty, apologizing or second-guessing themselves. Listen to the language they use. Do you hear confident people saying, “Um, I can’t, sorry”? Or “I don’t know, but I’ll try”? No. They speak assertively and so should you. Speak with conviction, not uncertainty. Confident people know how to avoid personal burnout and resentment towards others by saying yes only to commitments they want to do and they know they can.
Have the right attitude
There are important people and there are self-important people. It’s quite easy to tell them apart. Self-important individuals crave the spotlight and seek out attention because they crave approval and praise. Those with real importance have the confidence to share attention for an accomplishment with all who were involved with the success.
Embrace new opportunities
Change is scary, there’s no doubt about it. But confident people view change as exciting instead of worrying about what can go wrong. If you let fear hold you back, you’ll never know what you’re capable of accomplishing. If you think only outgoing extroverts can express confidence you should read some of the inspiring endorsements from LifePharm IBOs. Silver IBO Alena Bajtosova is one of the first IBOs to share the LifePharm Products and Opportunity in the Czech Republic. She knew nothing about network marketing when she started but found the more she learned, the more success she achieved. Her tip for others? Be brave.
Don’t be a know-it-all
Being confident doesn’t mean being right all the time. Confident people aren’t afraid to contribute their thoughts and opinions with the fear of being proven wrong. They are self-assured enough to ask for help when they need it (yes, even confident people need help!) and aren’t afraid of looking weak or dumb. Learning from someone with more expertise is a great way to become a well-rounded individual and—you guessed it—become more confident and knowledgeable.
The next time you are feeling insecure, hesitant or doubting your capabilities to succeed, remember the behaviors listed above. Confident people don’t have anything to prove. Everyone has weak and strong areas. The trick is believing you have it in you to be the best you can be, regardless of what other may think of you.