Women are starting businesses in the US and beyond at twice the rate of men. So, why are businesses owned by women still often not taken seriously? I believe it's because marketing and selling is such a big obstacle for many women that they avoid it and never build the business they had in mind when they originally started as a business owner.

Some women take to marketing and sales effortlessly. Most avoid it like the plague. In "Testosterone-Free Marketing" I reveal that we often don't market and sell effectively because we don't understand how marketing works. Plus, some of our programming as girls holds us back. The result: we end up selling less so we enjoy less financial freedom.

Women have great relationship-building skills. However, as important as these skills are, they don't always result in garnering new clients or customers unless at some point you actually say that you want the business.

Business Ownership Requires a Shift in Skills

Maybe you started with years of skill honed from a previous career. Or, you became a distributor for a product you love. You probably brought characteristics to your businesses that make you a wonderful mother, wife and friend. Some of those characteristics don't always serve us in business. When you discovery how easy it is to shift becoming more confident and pro-active your business can finally take off.

For example, many women feel uncomfortable ?tooting their own horn.? You probably were taught growing up ?good girls? don't do that. Or, you may have been told to wait for people to come to you. You may even feel making a profit is wrong or is taking advantage of customers. These beliefs make it almost impossible for you to succeed.

Who Else Wants to Say Goodbye to ?Testosterone-Heavy Marketing??

Many marketing books and ?experts? use a very traditionally masculine approach that puts most women off. The ?scorched earth? and ?damn the torpedoes? attitudes found in marketing and selling probably makes you feel uncomfortable. As women we are about relationships, not clobbering the competition. Women didn't grow up playing ?war.? And even if you played sports, the friendships were often more important than the score.

It's time to take a fresh look at marketing and selling and view it not as clobbering but ?creating.? ?Testosterone-Free Marketing? helps women do that. After all we create the entire human race. We can conceive, give birth to, nurture and raise a successful business. It's also about helping you to have more fun, feel more confident and make more money.

Women at the Crossroads in their Businesses

Katherine's website business was a confusing hodge-podge. Nothing led visitors to believe her information had value. Katherine wouldn't call herself an expert though she was extremely knowledgeable. Her site was loaded with freebies, so the only people who visited were freebie-seekers, not buyers.

Her family scraped along.

One year later with my direction her business creates much more income. She's raised prices and gives away less. She charges for her expertise rather than giving it away. As more money came in her family life became improved. As a result of her increased income from the business, Katherine and her children recently moved into a larger, newer home.

Lana is a copywriter who worked with non-profits. She's bright and computer-savvy. She cut her rates because she was constantly worried how to pay her bills. Lana needed to build her value with better marketing instead of cutting rates. When people tried to chisel down her rate it wasn't because they couldn't always afford her ? they just wanted to make sure they were getting the best deal. She discovered how to attract clients willing to pay without discounting. In six months she stopped working with non-profits and quadrupled her rates. Her life is totally different and she is free of the stress of bills and money pressures.

Discover Beliefs that Hold You Back from Success

I've coached over 1,200 people in marketing. I mentor women helping them understand the automatic behaviors that don't serve us in business. Knee jerk reactions instead of savvy marketing can prevent you from enjoying the success you deserve.

Marketing and selling using your style as a woman will help you get new customers and clients easily. Once you understand the minor shifts necessary, marketing and selling becomes easy. You'll look at owning a business differently. Marketing is not about being tough, pushy or manipulative. It's about knowing your value and stating it with confidence so people want to say ?yes? happily.

Grow Marketing Savvy or Accept the Crumbs

You may be skilled and well-educated at what you do. However, if you are unable to get enough clients you have a hobby not a business. You can discover comfortable ways to market and sell that will also help you increase your confidence. You'll have a business you love and you'll come to enjoy marketing, too.