Contrary to what you might think because you might ‘see’ me everywhere, being visible in my business has been a challenge for me. I knew that if I wanted to get my name out there I was the only one that could do it, but truthfully I would much rather be at home, hiding behind my computer.

I’m an introvert – I’m quietly confident but I’d much rather observe from the sidelines than put myself out there for everyone to see. I felt that people would be judging what I said, thinking I was a fraud. What did I have to say that others hadn’t already said? Who was I to call myself an expert in anything? I’m normally a fairly confident person but all of a sudden I realised I’d hit this whole new world of self-promotion and my introverted side was kicking and screaming. Fear, procrastination, overwhelm and self-doubt all started to bubble up.

If you don’t know me, I’ve been running my own coaching business for 3 years now, more recently as a Visibility Coach for service-based Solopreneurs. Prior to coaching, I was Head of HR of a jewellery company. To cut a very long story short I suffered a back injury, I was unable to walk more than a hundred yards without being in extreme pain and wanting to cry. Unable to work for about 18 months, I spent a lot of time reflecting on where my life was heading and decided to retrain as a Coach and run my own business.

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Working in the corporate world is very different to running your own business

As a Solopreneur, each new area I go into with regards to visibility still freaks me out. Last year it was hosting my own Telesummit, co-authoring chapters of a personal development book and setting up my own podcast show. I won’t let that stop me though – I want my business to be a roaring success, it’s my passion. It’s in my bones! If you’re a passionate Solopreneur running your own business you’ll know what I mean.

Being more visible in your business is scary. We know we’re running a business and need to get out there and shout about it, but the gap between knowing what we need to do and actually doing it can be really massive. I know I let all sorts of things get in the way. I didn’t want to be judged, what if I didn’t have the right thing to say, what about all of those other people being so much better than me, so much further ahead with a lot more to say?

We know we need to ‘sell’ our services, but we worry that we will come across as pushy or salesy, or that people won’t engage with us when we make the effort and do put ourselves out there.

Sometimes we have to step into areas we would never normally have even considered as part of being a business owner

Hey, I’m an introvert, remember, so understand what it’s like when you know you are the only one that can spread the message. It’s not completely comfortable. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like doing all of that ‘hustle’. I just know I can help people, and that’s the bit I’m passionate about.

Here’s what someone said about it;

“Wow! Just downloaded to my phone. It’s incredibly thorough. A fantastic free download. It’s given me an idea for a blog post and download for my business.” Kevin Oubridge – Director – Blue Chip Coaching.

So, what are my top tips for boosting visibility? There are so many, it was a challenge just coming up with 7, but here are some of the key things that helped me to raise my profile.

1. Make the decision to be more visible

I had to choose to make the decision to get more visible TODAY. Less talk, more action! I found that surrounding myself with great support and then declaring my intention to others really helped, it’s amazing what accountability can do when it comes to pushing through new comfort zones. I wouldn’t have done half of what I’ve done if it hadn’t been for declaring it.

2. Work on your mindset

In my Rock Your Visibility Bootcamp, we work on both business and mindset simultaneously because it’s so important. I realised quite quickly that if you don’t work on your mindset as a business owner everything will be so much more challenging. You need to push through your comfort zones and it’s tough doing that when your mindset isn’t in the right place. The more you push through those comfort zones though the braver you become. Build your confidence, work on those limiting beliefs and get a strong mindset that serves you well.

3. Get to know who your ideal client is

You don’t want to work with everyone – ‘Yeah, yeah’, was my usual response to this. ‘It’s alright for them to say that, they have a stream of clients coming their way.’ Despite folding my arms and stamping my feet, resisting this one on every level, it actually turned out to be true. To be more visible you want to stand out from the crowd, to be different. When you get really clear on who your ideal client is you can start to tailor your services/content to be relevant to them. You have clarity. All of your marketing messages are clearer, your ideal client knows you get them and they are much more likely to want to stay connected with you. Everything is SO much easier.

4. Be consistent with your marketing

Once you’ve cracked who you want to work with, and then what your messages are, be consistent. There’s no point just showing up one month every day and then nobody hears from you for a few months. Whatever method you choose keep showing up. I just kept showing up and showing up. Even in those times when I felt like giving up and now I have that steady client base, people connecting with me that have been following my work for a while. That took time and consistent marketing.

5. Build relationships

Relationship building is VITAL. Business happens when people connect with you, when they can relate to you. When you start to connect with people, both on and offline you enjoy it more, and you get more clients. Make it your priority to engage with people on a daily basis; in online groups, face to face, via social media, email etc.

Don’t expect overnight success with this though – relationships take time to build. I wish someone had told me how long it might take in the early days. I maybe wouldn’t have felt like giving up on occasion. I would have trusted that the results come when you keep going.

6. Pull together a visibility plan

Think about the areas you’d like to get more visible in and start to work out how you could uplevel your business. You might already be doing lots of great things, so think about what might be the next step up for you. Could it be going along to more networking meetings, setting up a podcast show, maybe doing some chats on Periscope or doing some YouTube videos?

Try out my free Visibility Quiz – it’s a great way to help you identify what you are / aren’t doing. Focus on one or two areas to start with and do them well.

7. Become the Go-To Expert

If you had problems with your sight, would you prefer to go to your GP, who can give you generic advice or would you prefer to go to an Ophthalmologist, an eye specialist who’s an expert in that field? I know which I’d prefer. The same applies to being an expert in business.

Ooh, this pushed my buttons when I first heard this – an expert – me? Yeah, right! How could I call myself an expert when I’ve only just started out? My mentors and coaches reminded me that it wasn’t just about the business I’m in now, but my life and work experiences.

I spend time perfecting my skills, through books, coaching and mentoring, training. If you don’t feel ready to call yourself an expert yet, start to really perfect your trade, put in the work to become that expert. You want people to automatically think of you when they want to work with someone because you’re that go-to guy or gal.

So a quick recap of the 7 top tips to being more visible in your business;

1. Make the decision to be more visible
2. Work on your mindset
3. Get to know who your ideal client is
4. Be consistent with your marketing
5. Build relationships
6. Pull together a visibility plan
7. Become the go-to expert

So what action are you going to take NOW to boost visibility in your business?

It’s your time to stop hiding your fabulousness now too and Rock Your Visibility!

The world needs what you have to share!

PS. Like motivational quotes? Check this post out over on All Happy Quotes

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• Business mastery (i.e. selling, launching, pricing, boundaries etc.)
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