Help with being able to talk to people?

I have an interesting conundrum. I have a lot of difficulty talking to people, especially women I'm attracted to, unless I'm comfortable around them. However, I used to work as a salesman and when I was in "business mode" I could talk to anyone comfortably and could sell a freezer to an eskimo. The big issue is I can't talk to people on a comfortable level very well until I've gotten comfortable around them. I'm sure that this is a confidence issue however I have no idea how to go about remedying the situation. Any help would be greatly appreciated.