1. Practice by approaching girls you aren't very attracted to, so you'll be less intimidated by them. This will get you ready for the more attractive girls.
2. Treat all girls like you would your bratty sister. Rib them gently about their appearance, their pretensions, or other short comings. Throw in a compliment here or there for balance. This should stop you from putting them on a pedestal.
3. If you are sexually active, you may consider not just 'practice dating' as above, but strategic one-night stands, or 'practice bedmates.' That is, not just sleeping around for the sake of it, but temporarily doing some targeted bedding of the gabbier women you have observed being part of a clique. Give them gold medal level sex, then dump them immediately. Girls talk, so word will get around you're a sexual stud, AND a bad boy. No way will you be 'friend zoned' if girls think of you initially as a player.
4. Get a 'wing girl,' such as one of your practice dates or practice bedmates, take her to clubs, parties etc, and have her introduce you to the target girl. The wing girl is your social proof you're a good guy to be with, since you already have a girl with you.
5. Create a mini-site or social media profile page hyping yourself up, and rank your own name using SEO and BH tactics. Girls may find your site on their own, or you might tell one you meet to google your name. If the page has been set up right, she should be impressed if she checks it.