One of the biggest arbiters of success is self-belief. Not arrogance, but a quiet knowing that you provide real value to your market.
But for most people, this form of self-belief doesn’t come naturally. We all doubt our own value at times and therefore sabotage our success.
We see this a lot when working with clients.
Here’s a common scenario.
You provide a service. Could be anything from plumbing, bookkeeping, financial planning to real estate investment.
When you first started out you probably knew very little about your field. You didn’t even know what you didn’t know. You were unconsciously incompetent.
You then moved up the competency ladder.
From unconsciously incompetent to consciously incompetent. Then you study and become consciously competent and finally achieve mastery and become unconsciously competent.
If you drive a manual car you’ll know exactly what I mean.
You went through all these stages of coordinating arms and legs, kangaroo hopping with the clutch, accelerator and gear stick. You had to concentrate really hard. Until it became automatic and you can have a conversation while driving.
Which is exactly why you could now undervalue your competence and the subsequent value you provide in your business.
You do things now without realising how much you know. You think “it’s easy”. You just do it. But it’s not easy for your clients. They can’t just do it. They don’t have your background, education, skills and experience.
And therefore they need to pay for your help. Don’t undervalue yourself and “give it away”. You’re not doing yourself or them any favours.
You lose revenue. They won’t value the advice as it’s free.
So if you worry you don’t know enough or can’t bring value to the table, go back over everything you know and can do.
And if you’re just starting out in business after a long corporate career, think back to all the experiences you’ve had and lessons you’ve learned. Stuff you can bring to the table which adds value to your current clients.
And no, you don’t need to know it all. No one can be an expert in everything. And you certainly don’t want to be a “Jack of all trades and a master of none”.
Pick an area or niche where you are competent and package your services around that.
Believe in your own value, communicate it and stand tall.