Connecting With Ourselves!
Happy Memorial Day Weekend , to my USA readers! To my Canadian friends, some of you also celebrate Memorial Day but I believe more of you will enjoy Victoria Day! No matter what the celebration, a holiday "pause" provides a moment to appreciate what we have and where our lives have taken us - - - give thanks to our families and friends - - - and reflect upon how both the good and the bad have combined in bringing us to the “place” or “result” we are currently experiencing.
In the midst of all this, I encourage “communications” to be in your heart and in your mind. During your holiday or daily events, strive for quality interactions with those you visit. Go beyond the social chit chat of the moment and strive to “connect” with those around you. If with long time relatives, explore to find something new in their lives that warms their heart to be encouraged to share. Look for opportunities to congratulate or praise a young one in your midst, a co-worker, etc. Look for the openings … don’t let them slide by you.
ALSO, when was the last time you “communicated” with yourself? Really got beneath “surface” conversation with yourself? Re-connected with your purpose, your goals, and the reality of a timeline for achieving all your intentions 100%.? Really connected to your “inner” being vs. your surface being?
If you are unsure as to how you might go about experiencing all of the above, here are a couple of ideas to try for making a "serious" connection to one's self:
- Focus on the present - who you are and what you are doing. Then think of the last experience, result from circumstances, etc that got you to “today.” Continue going backwards but as you go, connect all to your inner growth …. where, who, and what was your inner core as you traveled through time?
- Map out your journey - its amazing what you’ll discover! Start with your birth and reconnect with how much “living” you have done! It can wake you up to who you truly are and what you bring to the conversations and world surrounding you today. Too often we look at our life in “today’s” terms, forgetting all the unique experiences and chapters that got us here. (The discoveries are amazing ... the last time I did this I actually forgot an entire chapter of my life ... just got lost in the many other memories!) Mapping out the what, where, who and why of your entire life … birth to today, reconnects you to YOU! Who you are and why! All your decisions and choices for going forward will become so much more meaningful and able to connect you to your BEST future!! NO slipping up … No chance of a future moment where you say, "how did I forget this is what is important to me?" And so on.
A BONUS! Becoming comfortable connecting with ourselves, provides insight for how to connect with others! Understanding our own layers enables us to easily create conversations that encourage, trigger, inspire, others to access their own internal layers of connectivity. Communications will begin to flow more smoothly and naturally …. and may quality bequest quality!
Happy holiday weekend... Memorial Day, Victoria Day, or make it be a celebration of YOU!!
Be #communicationsstrong
Here's to your communications success!
margie
I am a communications consultant and developer of T H E, my 7 step "signature" process for creating & delivering targeted communications that achieve your goals. I inspire you to take charge of your communications with 1) communication strategies 2) messaging that connects to your buyers 3) use of the right mediums for your needs, and 4) an igniting of your success. Connect with me here on LinkedIn. Visit my website www.todaysway.net. Ask for a complimentary conversation!
Conversation Rules!
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Conversation Rules! In business and life, conversation opens doors, lets us through doors and then helps us understand the paths taken from these doors! Conversation identifies needs & solutions; can sooth grief; convert conflict into agreement; deepen joy; extend authentic empathy; close sales; create surprises and miracles! Conversation has no software upgrades nor does it require a financial investment. It is available to all with immediate access!
With all its greatness, conversation is bypassed by many - those who are lost for how to open a conversation and sometimes by those who don't know how to continue and deepen a conversation. It doesn’t matter where - in business, out and about, in the grocery store, anywhere --- opportunities, for whatever the reason, are missed.
If this is happening (or not happening) to you, an easy “go to” for opening and enriching conversations are the tried and true 5 interrogatives, “who, what, when, how & why” … the 5 W’s we’ve been taught to address when we write or talk about a subject, i.e. who are you talking to, what are you saying, how do you want the audience to receive/respond to your info and when, and lastly what is your “why,” your purpose, for what you are saying. With a small bit of tweaking, the 5 W's are great “go to’s” when lost for words to open and/or deepen our conversations. Use them for “opening” conversations with strangers, with employees and/or with friends to discuss sensitive situations, create engagement with prospects & clients, deepen relationships, explore differences, and more!
Let’s look at each one:
WHY: Why is used when curious! If you’ve lived with a 2 -3 year old you are very familiar with “why?” However, it works! Why is also used as an exchange for one’s purpose. “What is the “why” of your speech, what is it’s purpose?” Why can be a bit invasive, so sometimes it needs to be softened. Be sure to use the right delivery, as it can make the receiving end become defensive.
Opening with WHY: “It would be great to know the “why” behind this event!“ and “Forgive me, but is it ok to ask why you appear a bit sad today?"
Deepening with WHY: “Why do you say that?” and “Your “why” for this solution would be?”
HOW - How is great for showing interest. Tone of voice is very important …. You must be authentically interested or “how” can come across “doubting” … Use it to reflect interest & wonder, not doubt.
Opening with HOW: “How was the event last night?” “How are you feeling?”
Deepening with HOW: “ How did you accomplish that?” “ How do we go about contributing more to this situation?”
WHAT - Another great opening for both interest and curiosity! Tone of voice plays a role , for example, there are multiple ways to say, “What in the world?” Delivery is always important.
Opening with WHAT: “What brought you to this event?”
Deepening with WHAT: “What was it that inspired you?” “What’s the objective here? “
WHEN – When can create a reply, but be careful. It can create a simple short answer. Be prepared to follow it up with a how, what, why, etc..
Opening with WHEN: “When did you arrive?” “When did the meeting start?” and/or “When the meeting began I was on the phone, can you tell me what I missed?”
Deepening with WHEN: “When was that?” and/or “When I arrived, I was doubtful of this event, what did you think of it?” “When I was young we couldn’t do things this way … your thoughts?”
WHO – Who is kind of an inquisitive opening and sometimes needs a follow-up.
Opening with WHO: “Who are the creators of this event? Would you know their backgrounds?” “Who are the decision makers here? Anyone I might know?” or “Who are you?”
Deepening with WHO: “Who would respond to the message delivered in that speech? What type of professionals? and/or “Who benefits the most from these services? “Who are we targeting?”
Each one of these triggers have multiple ways they can be used based upon where you are, what the situation is, and all the surrounding elements. Remember to watch your tone and delivery. If using the 5 W's in an email, explain your intended tone or recipients will apply their own tone to your words. Also always, always, always use them authentically. Wait for the answers and respond accordingly. One of the most abused phrase is “How are you?” Think how many times you've been asked that question without the person asking even waiting for your reply! Do not turn the 5 W’s into just figurative terms… use them authentically. Be authentic with all your communications.
Know, the next time you see an opportunity to open dialogue with a stranger, take on an uncomfortable situation at work or home, want to just be more social and interactive with fellow workers or community members …. go to these easy to remember triggers of “who, what, how, when and why. One of them, for sure, will be useful in opening up a dialogue and/or adding value to continuing dialogue.
Be #communicationsstrong
Here's to your communications success!
margie
How Tightly Connected Are Your Business Communications?
How tightly connected are ALL the pieces of your business communications? When we think business communications our thoughts often go to our outgoing marketing communications. And, usually we can say they are effective and in good shape. That said, let me ask,
- Are your marketing communications created from a strategy and/or directive for achieving a targeted goal? .
- Is there a process you use to create marketing communications that will connect you to your prospects at all stages of their interest in your products & services?
AND then … what happens when your market responds to your outgoing marketing messaging?
- Do you have a communications flow for replies to your marketing messages?
- What happens when they say yes, no, and/or maybe, tell me more?
Now let’s review the rest of your business, even if you are a one person business.. What happens ….
- When people make a payment?
- After people buy?
- Department to department? And you do have departments, again … even if you are a one person business.
If you sell products, what are the communications for their manufacturing, ordering, packaging, billing, delivering, training, etc.
Now for the fun part! After reviewing all your communications internally and externally … going out and coming in … see if you can lay it out on paper in a drawing where you can see all and ask yourself,
- How well are you communicating within your business.
- Is all linked together in a smooth operational flow?
OR are there gaps, duplication, no communication at all? Reach out for help if you like. You will have a wonderful feeling of connectivity to your business after doing this exercise, no matter what the results. You can identify just what it is you want/need to do as your next steps … what to eliminate … what to add, ... and provide tightness to your business communications.
Another incentive for doing this exercise can ALSO be to identify all of your intellectual property – your courses, trainings, books, logos, and your communications processes and systems. You can legally add an immediate copyright © to all of it! And along the way be adding value to your business.
Intellectual property can also be converted into saleable items, especially your courses. Convert all your courses and trainings into products that can be purchased on demand. Enable your intellectual property to earn money for you while you sleep. This process is referred to as scaling your business .. no more trading time for money!!!
So are you ready to dive into your business and explore your communications? I guarantee you it is a fun project. You will gain insight into your business you have not previously enjoyed. And obtain a dollar value for your business, how cool is that?? And I am here to help if you need it!
Here's to your communications success!
margie
The Importance Of Staying In-Sync!
Good communications are in-sync! It's a term that is sometimes tossed around lightly, i.e. "in-sync" or "out of sync" ... but it's a term that has so much significance for successful communications. Just as the above image depicts, when our communications are in-sync, all flows through each layer, from beginning to end, with a successful connection. Should a disconnect occur anywhere within the flow, from beginning to end, the end result is one of confusion. The connection falls out of sync and the true meaning of the communication is not understood.
Just like our with our computers, a disconnect can happen anywhere between the beginning and the ending of each communication. Probably the worse place to have the disconnect is at the very beginning! If It happens there, the chances of a successful communication is really slim to of course, none! And, I believe we all know the results of “getting off on the wrong foot” in a conversation? That can be considered a disconnect at the very beginning.
As odd as it may seem, many conversations, written and spoken, get started off on the wrong foot. It’s just so easy to create what we want to say from our own mindset and emotions, send it off and upon its arrival at its destination, the receiver listens/reads from their own mindset, emotions, and opinions. Disconnect!!
Here are 6 tips for beginning your communications in-sync and on the same page:
- Set The Stage: This means that you state the topic of your communications up front, like in an announcement. Example: "Regarding last week’s proposal request.” You have set the stage. Your recipients all take their minds to last week’s proposal and are waiting for your next words!
- Get Agreement: It can be as simple as asking for agreement to be in-sync. Example: “Before I begin, can we confirm we are agree that _____.” Or, “Before I begin, can we confirm agreement that we need to hire new employees next week?” When getting agreement you are getting everyone “specifically” on the same page with you.
- Ask A Question: Example: “Do you know what the capital of Nebraska is? The reason I ask is ……. “ Asking a question brings people in to the topic you want to address. People are naturally curious and usually want to try to answer questions so its a way to harness their attention and continue from that point!
- Take Them To Where You Want Them To Be: Example: “Picture This! A beautiful lake with a boat at the dock waiting for you.” Using this technique you have taken their minds to where you want them to be. It’s a good technique for help with getting emotions in-sync as well!!!
- Tell A Story: Similar to the last technique you can begin with, “Let me tell you a story.” People of all ages, young to old, enjoy listening to stories. The story puts everyone on the same page.
- Silence: This works for “live” communications only. Pause before you begin to speak. In front of a group and 1-on-1. People eventually all quiet down and wait! Silence is very powerful. It can be annoying 1-on-1, so use it in good taste. Its success lies within your communications when you do begin to speak … but at least you have everyone’s attention up front!
The more you can focus on being in sync with the recipients of your communications right from your very first words, written or spoken, the more you will pay attention that you are remaining in-sync throughout the communication. Think we all know how good the feeling of “right on” is? High-five material? That’s what you are going to be feeling when all your communications are flowing in-sync!
Here’s to your communications success ….
margie
Keeping Communications Flowing Through All Obstacles
Many of us begin our day with a plan of action … off we go, we’re into it …. and then, something happens. A client calls with an emergency --- you realize you need to learn how to use a resource that your want/need to use in your planned activity for the day ---- your creative juices just aren’t working, etc. etc. etc. The day ends without the morning’s vision of the day being accomplished!
Sometimes we suddenly find ourselves in a Zoom breakout room with a new contact who is an ideal prospect and we get tongue tied or worse we hear ourselves going on and on with information overload!
A favorite moment for us all is an “out of the blue” phone call from a new prospect asking us how they might work with us. We don’t have our questions organized in our head and we lose control of the conversation … sometimes costing us the opportunity. Sometimes getting lucky with the deal but it’s off on a wrong foot.
All of the above are what I refer to as motivation zappers. They can get in our way and rob us of our forward movement. I believe they are situations we can all relate to in one way or another. Situations that take the joy out of our work and our day.
Having strategies can keep our day on track WHILE allowing for disruptions and interruptions. Much like the above photo of the stream, all keeps flowing even when obstacles show up. The streams of water adapt and adjust accordingly and continue on there way. There are interruptions but they don’t stop progress.
You might be questioning what I'm saying for multiple reasons. One of these might be that you believe that strategies are for projects, not for when a new prospect calls out of the blue, etc. You are partially correct, Strategies are for projects, but they ARE ALSO EXCELLENT to have in our pockets for that phone call, for a chance encounter, etc.
Let's first just talk about strategies and their five wonderful traits:
- They are created by ourselves and/or with others in meetings devoted to the purpose.
- All the pieces of applicable communications are identified, gathered and harnessed together.
- All the thinking and decisions are made upfront, especially for what to do upon obstacles appearing.
- Those who implement the strategy know what they are doing and why.
- They allow 100% of energy to be fully applied to the implementation.
AND …. YES, strategies may be created for ANY purpose! Create a strategy for introducing your business. Create a strategy of questions for when a prospect call arrives out of the blue. Create a strategy for your online communications for a targeted sales accomplishment. Create a strategy for developing your business. Create a strategy for any purpose you desire! BUT, isn't that total confusion, you ask? NO, because ALL strategies include the same steps......Upon becoming very comfortable with the same steps it is easy to apply them to different purposes for short term results, long term results, online and offline!!
The meetings for creating strategies, even with ourselves, are fun and rewarding The joyous difference you will experience upon implementing your strategies will excite you! You will have so much more focus on what you are doing in that moment vs having your brain busy doing parallel thinking. Having all the thinking done ahead of time is the HUGE difference for me personally.
IF you need some help, choose an actual goal that you need a strategy for and create it with me as you learn the steps!! If that sounds good, lets have a conversation..
Be #communicationsstrong
Here's to your communications success in 2021!
margie
How Communications Flow …
| HOW COMMUNICATIONS FLOW ... |
Communications … marketing, sales, networking, socializing, personal … ALL communications, follow a natural flow that comes within our natural instincts as human beings. It’s possible (and very easy) to overthink this flow… make it complicated, confuse the issue, and just make it so we get in our own way for having our communications be successful. I believe the easiest way to describe this flow is with stages that have applicable labels to all assigned styles of communications, i.e. marketing, sales, networking, socializing, personal. These labels are very simple: Trust, Credibility, Expertise, Loyalty.
I hope you see how easy this flow can be applied to ALL your communications. If you would like guidance on applying its simplicity to your sales & marketing communications, let’s have a conversation. I integrate it into my trainings and it is a core piece of my "7 Step Formula For Achieving All Goals." T.H.E. Learn it once and you can apply it to all your communication goals and more!! Be #communicationsstrong Here's to your communications success in 2025! margie |
What Does “Digging Deep” Mean?
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“BEFORE & AFTER” FUN WITH WORDS1
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ENJOY SOME "BEFORE & AFTER" FUN WITH WORDS --- To keep you connected to the importance of WORDS, i.e. your choice, placement & delivery of the words used in your business communications, you are invited to experience several "Before & After" communications! In each example, the BEFORE lines were modified into AFTER lines for better connectivity with their targeted readers. Notice how just a small tweak, an added minute of thought (in many of these examples), a reversed placement of words, etc. can make a huge difference in the experienced strength of connectivity.
Note: The BEFORE “lines” were seen real time online and were modified into an AFTER for the purposes of this mailing. You are being invited to “play” with them as well, and see how you might modify them!
Here we go!
BEFORE: “Limited time offer! Get 50% off today!”
AFTER: TODAY ONLY - 50% Savings for New & Existing Customers!
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BEFORE: “Our company is the best in the industry. Trust us!”
AFTER: Work with us and join our family of satisfied clients who have chosen us as their trusted partner.
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BEFORE: “Our new product is amazing, buy it now!”
AFTER: Tired of stubborn stains? Discover exceptional results from the transformative power of our NEW stain removal product, XYZ.
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BEFORE: "Upgrade your outdated software and increase productivity!"
AFTER: Watch productivity immediately increase with an upgrade to our new “cutting-edge” software - tailor designed for the unique demands of your business.
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Are you seeing some differences? Learning is also by "doing" so It's now your turn! Have some fun with your own modifications & gain some further awareness. Remember to focus on:
- Highlighting the benefits
- Addressing specific needs
- Bringing the reader into the message
Develop a curiosity about your business communications by asking yourself: What words are you using? How are they being placed within your sentences and paragraphs? And how are you delivering them, i.e. are the resources you are using the same resources your buyers are using?
MOST IMPORTANT -- Move forward by creating a habit of “pausing” before hitting that send or post button to sync yourself with your message. Here is a message check list to review during that pause:
► Is it making an immediate connection to the mind receiving my message.
► Will the topic and/or intention catch their attention.
► Is it written to achieve your targeted purpose?
► Have you assigned it a targeted purpose?
► Is it easy for the reader “get” your intention?
► Are their gaps between words & sentences allowing a loss of connectivity?
► Is it being sent to where your prospects are located?
Enjoy! -- Have some fun creating your AFTERs! --- Learn!
Here's to your communications success in 2025!
#communicationsstrong
margie
GOT A FEAR OF SELLING?
ARE YOU COMFORTABLE SELLING? UNCOMFORTABLE SELLING? ...FEARFUL OR NO FEAR? - - - - Who doesn't love an automatic sale? The phone rings and you hear, "I'd like to purchase your xyz product, can you tell me how?" It's like a ray of sunshine arriving into our office! No sign of any "fear of sales" in this scenario right?
So if most of us can feel just fine in the above example, what creates a "fear" of selling? Are we afraid of rejection? Afraid we don't have something that is wanted? Afraid we're being rude?
Just what is "IT" that makes us fearful of selling? You are probably listing off a bunch of reasons ... probably All that I mentioned and more? BUT what is the deeper "IT?" Often it is simply a lack of knowledge, i.e. knowing what contributes to a successful sale - beginning with what will place us physically or verbally where we need to be so that we are WELCOMED!! Approaching the wrong people isn't going to do it for sure! But there is much more to explore.
Other helpful pieces to know for "easy selling" include:
► Who needs our offerings? ...and why? What is THE BUYER'S purpose for buying what we provide. This knowledge makes it much easier to open sales conversations. Remember, it is always about them!
► What are the individual matches of our solution to our buyer's need/want? It is fine to know the overall need/solution, but dig deeper and know why, for example, the shelf life of a loaf of bread matches a need to not go to the store often and/or not wanting to throw bread awry prior to having time to eat! My point .. break down the individual pieces & layers that provide multiple matches to the multiple pieces & layers of the buyer's need.
► What mediums are used and liked by our market? Which online platforms are your market demographics using? Where will you find the "right" people? Verbally & written ... what phrases, expressions, slang, etc , are understood and OK with your market. For example, the use of "hey!"... i does this offend or build rapport? "Hey" works both ways "depending" upon who you are talking to! Be careful with it all including emoji and acronyms,
Once we know ALL the pieces of what makes "that ray of sunshine" happen, THEN we can be comfortable and have no fear ....
- finding the locations that welcome us.
- introducing our contribution to businesses
- exploring matches between us & our prospects.
- transparently asking for the sale AND/OR having the prospect ask us how to purchase!!!
"YES" will show up more often and when we do have a "NO" show up, it is perfectly ok in these conditions. My bet is that the "no" is an honest "not now" ... but mark my words, one day in the future they will show up in a call saying, "I'd like to purchase ______ can you tell me how?"
If you'd like assistance in knowing all the pieces of a successful sale for your offerings, I have a program that dives into all of it. It is an eye-opener for sure and we have lots of fun while we work together exploring, identifying & implementing! You can review an introduction to it by clicking here: After reviewing, if you like, send me an email to schedule a complimentary conversation about it. I welcome your questions.
Here's to your communications success in 2025!
#communicationsstrong
margie
PURPOSE
PURPOSE - such a powerful word. That said, how much purpose are you putting into each of your verbal & written communications? Do you give it any thought? Are you ever asked, “So what’s your purpose?” and really have a purpose to answer with OR is you answer simply .. “none! No purpose!!”
An interesting exercise to try is to pay attention to all you say and/or write within a span of a few hours. Be aware of any “purpose/intention” you apply to the words you say or write. THEN, take the next few hours to consciously apply “purpose/intention” to the words you say or write. Take note of any differences in the results of your communications and in how you feel about your own communications. Let me know what you discover.
Usually we think of applying “purpose” to an overall goal - what is the objective, what is the target we are trying to reach or achieve. Then we apply everything to that one longer term purpose. But, when you start to apply “purpose” to individual actions, amazing things can happen!!
Take the example of setting a purpose to be more supportive of one’s staff, fellow employees and/or friends! We might set a general goal that sets up activities, invitations, etc. This is all good. However, the weakness in just setting a general goat is that the purpose can just subliminally be forgotten in an immediate interaction, conversation, correspondence. When we start consciously setting a purpose to show/provide support within each & every individual interaction/engagement being spoken or written, our tone, our patience, our words, our results, our satisfaction with ourselves ALL improves.
I challenge you to take this on. In these present times where emotions are raw, miscommunications take place daily, and many steps forward seem to come with more steps backwards, we can do our part to contribute value to this world with our immediate interactions.. It simply begins with remembering, i.e. being 100% conscious of our purpose/intention for each and every individual communication we speak and/or write.
Be #communicationsstrong
Here's to your communications success!
margie
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