Most freelance trainers I know are very confident and outgoing people - when they are in the training room. However, the minute you mention the word 'selling' they are much less sure of themselves, in fact many trainers I know freely admit that they hate this part about being freelance. If only they had to just be in the training room and deliver life would be a lot easier wouldn't it?

I used to feel like this, in fact fear of 'selling' myself and my services was one of the biggest barriers to going freelance in the first place. I probably would have made the leap a lot sooner if I'd have felt a bit more confident about it.

But once I got to grips with it I soon realised that it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be and I actually started to enjoy it.

Here are my tips for overcoming your selling gremlins:

1. Don't make it out to be more than it actually is. Yes, there are some specific sales techniques that you can learn and develop to increase your chances of success but mostly selling is just about building relationships with people - which all trainers are naturally good at.

2. Try and identify specifically what your fears around selling actually are. For example it could be a fear of rejection, a feeling you're not very good at it, or worries about appearing too 'pushy'. Once you have really pinpointed what's getting in the way it's much easier to start working on a solution.  

3. Observe and model what other people are doing when they try and sell to you. Note the words and behaviours that make you feel inclined to buy. Also record the things that turn you off! Try this exercise over a specific period of time - a week or a month - and see what patterns emerge.

4. Don't put unnecessary pressure on yourself to achieve targets. Don't beat yourself up if people don't buy from you the first time around. People buy from people who they know like and trust and that process takes time.

5. If people don't return your calls or emails don't assume they are not interested in you. I've been there so many times myself and beaten myself up unnecessarily. A great NLP tip I learnt was to stop mind reading and in this situation ask yourself 'What else could it mean?' There are plenty of other reasons why people don't always respond as quickly as you would like them to such as holidays, pressure of work, budgetary constraints and shifting priorities. Try focusing on the positive and see what difference it makes!