ASTERI PURSUIT ™
  • Home
  • About
  • Store
    • Digital Products >
      • Free Time-Saving Email Campaign Templates
      • Magnetic Power Words: Free Swipe File
      • Website Self-Audit Checklist
      • FREE Lead with Core Values E-Book
    • Copywriting >
      • Asteri Brand Story ™
      • Asteri Website Audit ™
      • Asteri Email Series ™
      • The Asteri CMO ™
      • A Là Carte Copywriting
    • Connective Communications Coaching
    • Consulting Services
  • Library
    • FREE Class: The Human Side of Marketing
    • Asteri Affiliates
    • Empowered Entrepreneur Reading List
    • Exclusive Resources in your Inbox
    • The Blog
  • START NOW
THE ASTERI PURSUIT BLOG
LEADERSHIP, PSYCHOLOGY, PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, LIFE

EMPOWERING SALES

1/13/2021

0 Comments

 
 Wanting to be a better salesperson does not make you:
  • Less Relationship Focused.
  • Less Compassionate.
  • Less Amazing.
  • Less of ANYTHING.

We all know that No sales = No business. 

Fostering strong relationships will absolutely grow your business, but NOT if you altogether avoid sales. My last post was about how relationship building is more important than a quick sale, but NOT an effort to label sales as bad. 

If you can’t or won’t sell yourself and your business, you’ll end up with a lot of friends, you’ll give away a ton of free value, but you won’t be able to pay your bills. 

I like to think of sales like food. 

We need it to survive. It’s not inherently bad or good. Almost all of us have a complicated relationship with it. 

Some food we eat a lot, some we only eat once in a while or on special occasions. 
 
It can taste delicious and makes you feel instant gratification. You look forward to it, savour it, and when it’s over, you can’t stop yourself from wondering when you’ll have it again. 

Or, it can taste terrible, leave you with a stomach ache and feeling sick. 
 
Sales aren’t bad. 
Selling isn’t bad. 
It’s an essential component of building a healthy, balanced business. ;-)

So why do sales feel so icky sometimes?
Because we don’t know if the person selling us cares beyond the sale. 


Relationship focused business is NOT about avoiding sales. 
It’s about fostering strong relationships, seeing the human behind the sale, and creating a safe, trusting and open space where sales happen naturally without the icky feeling.

When you care about the person behind the sale, you care beyond a yes or a no. You want to help, offer your services, and see them succeed. But you also see and nurture the strength and resilience in the other person, knowing that your relationship is essential regardless of the sale.

0 Comments

EVERY BUSINESS SAYS THEY HAVE ‘COMMUNITY’ -  SO, HOW IS YOURS DIFFERENT?

1/5/2021

0 Comments

 
We all want to be a part of a community that is a positive space and filled space with people who embody the qualities we believe in and bring out the best in us. 

As a business, having a strong community is an incredible tool for building and maintaining culture, improving brand reputation, increasing brand awareness and visibility, and attracting and retaining clients and employees who embody your company values. 

Many challenges can arise when both building and maintaining a community for your business. Toxic members, miscommunication, ignored boundaries, awkward silence. 

One challenge that is SO common and yet rarely discussed is how you can stand out from the mass of other ‘communities’? 
How can you define and differentiate your community from every other community out there? 

The most common strategy business owners and marketers use is to ask their members to describe it in their own words.

“I love this community because it’s so positive and welcoming; everyone is awesome!”
Not super helpful - everyone says that about their community. 

So, how do you explain your culture with enough context that outsiders can see how it’s different? 

The same way you go about describing how your business is different from the rest of the competition. 

Picture

ASK MORE QUESTIONS.

  • What problems do your competitor’s businesses solve, and where does their community come into the process?
  • Ask prospective clients what it is that they are looking for in a community? 
  • Ask current and past clients what it was that made yours different?
  • What problem do you solve in the market, and what role does your community play in solving it that others on the market do not? AKA What gap does your community fill in the market. 

This isn’t a 5-minute project. 
Learning the right words to describe your community and the culture it upholds takes TIME.
BUT, if your community is a crucial aspect of your business, you can and should use it to market your business.


Community is something we all crave and is a MASSIVELY powerful marketing tool when used correctly. 

If you’d like an audit of your community ‘pitch,’ post it in the comments, and I’ll help you nail it! 

​
0 Comments

our neurobiological wiring is relational.

1/5/2021

0 Comments

 
We, and our businesses, grow and flourish in connection ⚡️.

The word connected has taken on a different meaning in recent history. Phones, social media, and a constant need to be “connected” is NOT what I am talking about🙅‍♀️. Often, we are so attached to our phones and social media when we feel the most disconnected.
Picture
Genuine connection, brought forward through mutually meaningful relationships, has four specific components.

1. Mutual engagement and empathy: mutually involved, committed, and sensitive to the relationship with a willingness to impact AND be impacted by another.

2. Authenticity: the freedom and capacity to be ourselves with an awareness of how we impact others.

3. Empowerment: The sense of personal strength that emerges from the relationship.

4. The ability to express, receive, and process diversity, difference, and CONFLICT in the relationship in a way that fosters mutual empowerment and empathy.

If I’ve learned anything through this time of global crisis, it is that mutually meaningful relationships directly impact: the healthy development of our sense of self, our resilience, AND the success of our businesses.

We are wired to connect 🧠.

“We do not use nurturing or loving people to fill us up or prepare us to separate and then stand strong alone. There is not a cutoff on our need for connection - ever!” (Jordan, 2017).

🚫 It’s time to stop the cold DM’s, generic email campaigns, and manic feast-or-famine social media marketing strategies.

✅ It’s time to step up and take ownership of our communications authentically and take back REAL connection.

I’m here to help. 🙋‍♀️

If you are ready to build real connections and foster mutually meaningful relationships that empower, influence and lead, I’ve got news for YOU!

Strategic Communications & Marketing Consulting.
Connective Communications Coaching.
Done-for-you Marketing Services.

2021 HERE WE COME!

Get to the heart of what matters most to your clients and team so you can empower, influence and LEAD 💕.

Interested in learning more?
Click the link in my bio or send me a DM.
0 Comments

The loaded question

1/5/2021

0 Comments

 

Yes. Some questions are loaded.
No. It's not always the other person doing the loading.

The loaded question 🙅‍♀️.

Has anyone ever asked you a question that you think they already know the answer to?
They ask anyway.
You feel triggered.
The internal battle begins 🧠.

Why are they asking? Shouldn't they know? Do they want me to justify myself? I shouldn't have to answer this! 🙇‍♀️

No matter what is said, it feels...disappointing.
You feel misunderstood.

You go home and recite different ways you could have ’won’ the conversation in front of the mirror 🤦‍♀️.

Yes. Some questions are loaded.

No. It's not always the other person doing the loading.
Picture
If you notice a particular person, topic or question that continually feels loaded, it may be time to start doing some ’unloading.’

🙋‍♀️ “I need to take a pause real quick; I’ll be right back.”

*shuts the door, takes deep breaths, looks in the mirror and asks - what unwanted thoughts or assumptions did I bring to that conversation?

...minutes pass more deep breaths, feel a bit better, return to the conversation.

”I have to admit I started to feel _______ when we were talking; I feel ______ now and can see how I was bringing _________ to the conversation. I'd like to [start over/talk about something else/ whatever you want to do at that moment].”

🚫 There's no need to fake it, hide it, or bury it.
🚫 There's also no need to shame it, discredit it, or judge it.

Acknowledging how you feel without judgement is a crucial part of developing self-empathy ✨.

Mutually growth-enhancing, healthy relationships require both empathy AND self-empathy.
No shame. No self-judgement. AUTHENTICITY.

Let me know if you've ever felt this way in the comments and what's been working or not working for you!
0 Comments

Lost in Translation

1/5/2021

0 Comments

 

Challenges of Digital Communication

Tone, body language, facial gestures, and personality can be easily lost in written communication. 

Have you ever read an email or message and wondered: 
Are they mad? 
Do they care? 
Do they have any idea what I’m going through? 
How can they expect me to understand this?

The reality is, life is only getting more digital, and our ability to lead is directly impacted by our ability to communicate both verbally AND in writing. 

So what can you do to ensure your written communications are working in your favour?

Picture
  1. Be CLEAR - Ambiguity is the killer of effective communication. It turns on our internal dialogue and stops us from listening or absorbing what is actually being said or written. Read your text out loud and take your time.
  2. Give Specific Directions - What do you want? Be specific, and don’t ever assume someone knows what you want. They cannot read your mind. 
  3. Be Concise - No one wants to read an unnecessarily long message. The longer it goes, the less reading actually happens. Keep it concise. Time is precious. 
  4. Empathy is EVERYTHING - Always make a point to lead with empathy. Put yourself in their shoes, and then ask for confirmation that you understand what they are going through, need and feel. The more the other person feels heard and understood, the more open they will be to the rest of the conversation.   

These four simple steps can massively improve your written communication and help you genuinely connect with your reader. 

Bonus Tip: Use the newbie test - if you were sending this to a brand new team member on their very first day, would they understand it, feel empowered by it, and be able to list exactly what you are asking of them?  

Let me know if you found this helpful!
0 Comments

INVITATION SKILLS

1/5/2021

0 Comments

 

HOW TO INVITE OTHERS INTO THE CONVERSATION ONLINE.

Engagement. I really HATE that word. 
Engagement is the most commonly used word for soliciting interaction from followers on social platforms.

Engagement on social platforms is used like fishing. 
Bait. Hook. Catch (ie. click, comment, DM).

Toss into the boat or back into the water (ie. pitch a sale).
Start over. 

Over time, the social platform rewards you with a small net.
Repeat. 
The social platform rewards you with a bigger net. 
Repeat. 

The thing no one wants to tell you about this process: those ‘catches’ are HUMANS.

There IS a better way. 
​
Picture
Instead of getting caught up playing the fishing for Engagement game, you can instead work to develop relationships that will grow the metrics that actually matter in your business.

There is a simple tool you can use to start developing connections and nurturing REAL, HUMAN relationships.

Door Openers. 
Door openers are an invitation to a conversation that allows the other person to determine the depth of their response. More than just a simple greeting or passing social response; they signal that you are genuinely open and available to connect (not just sell) and encourage exploration, and discussion.

“You mentioned in your stories that you just started working from home. How’s the transition been?”
“Oh, you like to cycle? I just started. I’d love to know more!” 
“I see you prefer podcasts over physical books too. I’d love to know more about why?”

The KEY to door openers is that once the door is open, you have to KEEP IT OPEN, regardless of a pitch or sale. 
You don’t use door openers to get Engagement. You use door openers to start developing Relationships. 

Some of these relationships may turn into
- direct sales; 
- word of mouth; 
- answer to questions you have; 
- referrals;
- friendships; or 
- a conversation. 

I’m NOT saying to drop all of your personal boundaries and spend all of your time online talking to everyone. 
I AM saying that we need to ditch the “what am I getting out of this” attitude and remember that business is about serving HUMANS. You are Engaging with Real People - so let’s treat them that way.

I’d love to know what you think about Engagement in the comments!

​
0 Comments

Trying to Solve Before Truly Listening

1/5/2021

0 Comments

 

Why pitching or throwing your services at someone before truly listening shuts down the conversation.

Selling before Listening. 

The truth is, most people don’t want you to solve their problems for them; they want someone to listen to them and have a chance to listen to themselves. 
Think back to a time when you were trying to open up to someone about a struggle you were having, but they immediately threw solutions at you. 

How did you feel?
  • Unheard.
  • Frustrated.
  • Misunderstood.
  • Ignored.
  • Angry.
  • Resentful. 

​I’ve been there too. 
Picture
As a helper, regardless of your title, the first step to developing any relationship, making any pitch, or making any sale is LISTENING. 
​

TRULY LISTENING.
​

Not to stock up on opportunities to overcome objections or to solve their problem. Just to listen. 

Feeling the need to help can be distracting; we want so badly to ease their pain and solve their problems. 

When you think about it, most people have already had their fill of ‘advice’ and need a moment just to feel heard. 

Contrary to popular belief, listening is not passive.

It is HIGHLY ACTIVE as you take in the facts, the person’s feelings, and understand their perspective. 

Our job as the helper is not to solve their problem or throw our offers on the table any chance we get. It’s to give them a safe container or space to discover their own power, merely offering tools and guidance that empower them. 
So, how can you help the other person feel heard?
  • Eye contact
  • Relaxed and attentive body position
  • Attentive Silence 
  • Confirming what you heard (“you felt angry” or “you felt helpless”)
  • Summarize what you heard (“So let me make sure I got it right…”)
  • Don’t jump into solving their problem; instead, ask them what you can do to help and let them tell you if they are ready for a solution. 
*If not, have faith that your listening was appreciated, and you will be rewarded with a sale, a referral, or great word of mouth. 

When someone feels truly heard and understood, something incredible happens.
Trust begins to develop. 

Trust is the most essential part of marketing, sales, and business. When you have a person’s trust, you will likely have their business, their friends and family’s business, and you’ll KEEP IT. 

Now, tell me in the comments whether you agree! 
0 Comments

    Categories

    All
    Adaptability
    Business
    Communications
    Community
    Company Culture
    Connections
    Content Marketing
    Core Values
    Direct Communications
    Discomfort
    Email
    Email Marketing
    Free Training
    Indirect Communications
    Leadership
    Marketing
    Motherhood
    Outdoors
    Poetry
    Psychology
    Recommendations
    Relationships
    Sales
    Social Media
    Social Media Marketing

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    November 2018

    RSS Feed

Picture
Website Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
Copyright  © 2018
  • Home
  • About
  • Store
    • Digital Products >
      • Free Time-Saving Email Campaign Templates
      • Magnetic Power Words: Free Swipe File
      • Website Self-Audit Checklist
      • FREE Lead with Core Values E-Book
    • Copywriting >
      • Asteri Brand Story ™
      • Asteri Website Audit ™
      • Asteri Email Series ™
      • The Asteri CMO ™
      • A Là Carte Copywriting
    • Connective Communications Coaching
    • Consulting Services
  • Library
    • FREE Class: The Human Side of Marketing
    • Asteri Affiliates
    • Empowered Entrepreneur Reading List
    • Exclusive Resources in your Inbox
    • The Blog
  • START NOW