Intuition:Optimize YOUR Brain Power Part 2

As a child, relying on my intuition was second nature. The sun was my watch, I knew what mood my mother was in by the sound of her footsteps, and could smell the rain before it came.

Yet as I grew older, I relied on it less and less.  I educated my intuition away.

Now, as I stare my forties in the eye, it has become a priority to reclaim that powerful relationship with myself I had as a child.

How can I return to the awareness I once had?

First I must understand what I'm reclaiming.

How do you define intuition?

You might define intuition as a gut feeling, or leading with your heart, but it's much more than that.

Ancient Polynesian navigators were able to map most of the Pacific Ocean without the use of  tools.  They used all five senses to gain knowledge of the waves, clouds and stars. The navigators were able to read the state of the ocean and traveled hundreds of miles on small canoes without getting lost.

Polynesians aren't the only people to achieve extraordinary accomplishments without the use of tools or technology.  Yet their story reveals 2 fundamental truths:

1. How we relate to the world builds intuition.


2. Intuition is an experiential intelligence.

More than 95% of your brain doesn't use language.  It relies on data collected from your 5 senses. All that information is translated into language and emotions for us to plan and take action. In other words, the majority of our brain is used to relate and understand the world while less than 5% is used to manipulate it.

Yet, we spend the majority of our bran power to manipulate our world.

No wonder we are overstressed, burned out, and in a hurry.

If you want to use more of your brain power, strengthening your intuition is the answer.

How can you become more intuitive?

Building intuition requires being fully aware of your environment and self awareness. Here are 4 daily exercises to improve your 6th sense.

1. Reflect on your emotional state. Understanding what triggers certain emotions will help to improve self awareness, control reactions, and become more proactive.


2. Breath deeper. It may sound too simple to be true, but most people take shallow breathes. Breathing deeper will give the body more oxygen, keeping you calm, and relaxed. This will make it much easier to slow down, be observant and notice patterns.


3. Take in your surroundings. What does it smell, touch, taste, sound, look, feel like today? Asking yourself these questions daily will help you become in tune with yourself, and your environment. Once it becomes a habit, you'll notice patterns will start to emerge and you'll be able to tell if something's off.


4. Go for a walk. Fresh air does the mind good. Experience beauty of nature and slow down.

Intuition is an internal compass that help us make sense of the world.  It grounds us, keep us safe, and bonds us to each other.  Strengthen your intuition and watch a new world unfold before you!

THANKS FOR READING MY BLOG!
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Peer Networking: Creating Strategic Alliances

What does Mark Zuckerberg, Issa Rae, & Bill Gates have in common?

I’ll give you a hint: think strategic networking…

That’s right, they all collaborated with their peers to grow their business. When well established companies would not give them the time of day, their peers offered them opportunities.

Horizontal networking is a powerful strategy most business owners over look.

I was certainly guilty of this and questioned this strategy.

What do two entrepreneurs in the same stage of business have to offer each other?

Asking this question opened the flood gates of creative answers and transformed how I network.

Just like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Issa Rae transformed their businesses, you can too.

True BOSS ladies know the value of horizontal networking and use the power of peer groups to grow their business.

Here are my top 5 ways to leverage your peer group.

1. Honest feedback.  It’s a huge advantage to have a group who'll test your branding, products, and marketing.  A large company would pay thousands of dollars to a marketing research company for the feedback your peer group would gladly provide for free.


2. Support.  It's challenging talking about business to loved ones. Often times, they're tired of hearing about it, they don't understand, or it's boring to them.  No matter if it’s to celebrate or vent, your peer group will understand your victories and pain. They can also help plot your next move.


3. Project Opportunities. Peers are more willing to include you in proposals  for joint opportunities such as workshops, webinars creations, conferences etc. If your business offers adjacent services/ or products, it’s a win-win situation for you, peers and clients.


4. Marketing. Marketing opportunities are abundant in peer groups.  Guest blogging, podcast interviews, and event sharing are just a few inexpensive ways peers help one another gain visibility.


5. Build life-long relationships. Experiencing collective emotional highs and lows build strong, lasting bonds.  It's amazing fun making money with people you enjoy being with.

Building strategic alliances with your peers can make all the difference in the world when growing your business.

THANKS FOR READING MY BLOG!
Are you looking for ways to stay top of mind?
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How to Prevent Clients From Having Buyer's Remorse

Have you ever had buyer's remorse?

You know, that sinking feeling of regret after a purchase.

I’ve experienced buyer's remorse plenty of times and still do from time to time.

That feeling of regret is a red flag signaling you've over spent, there’s a lack of value, or little to no trust of the product/service will meet expectations.

As a business owner, buyer's remorse can be the kiss of death for your business.

Often times, customers hold the business responsible for their negative feelings and this can lead to no repeat business, and bad reviews.

Although buyer's remorse can be the result of the consumer's actions or emotional triggers, the business can suffer the backlash.

Take my old man, Ryan and his recent car purchase for instance. Old Betsy, his 12 year old Kia Optima, has been on her last leg for a while. A week ago we found out she needed over $2,000 of repairs.
Instead of sinking more money into fixing Betsy, he decided to get a new-to-you car.

After all was said and done, he paid $100 more in monthly payments for a 4 year old Honda and they gave him less than $500 for Betsy. In addition, his car insurance increased $40 dollars.
Don’t get me wrong, the Honda is a sweet, sleek, sexy thang. It drives better than Old Betsy, it's safer, and has the latest tech features.

So is the Honda worth the extra $140.00 in monthly payments? Was it what Ryan intended on buying? Was he treated fairly?

All of these questions invaded my mind when Ryan brought the car home.
I wasn’t there when the wheeling and dealing went down and Ryan’s starting to display buyer's remorse behaviors.

Clearly he went over budget and that’s the core reason he’s feeling regretful.

So what is he doing about it?
For starters, Ryan’s renegotiating his insurance plan.  If it isn’t reduced, he‘ll search for a new insurance provider.
Secondly, he's driving in silence to listen for any unusual sounds in case there’s a slight chance he could return the Honda.

That's pretty much it.

If you’re wondering if my old man will make a second purchase from the dealership or refer someone, probably not.

He's more likely to give a negative review than refer someone and doesn’t even remember the salesperson's name he worked with.

Ryan’s scenario is so common in business that many entrepreneurs either try to avoid doing business with the "Ryans" in the world or cut ties from them after the purchase. Very few business owners would attempt to satisfy a remorseful customer.

Yet wise BOSS LADIES know customers like my old man have advocate potential. With a few tweaks in customer experience and support, clients like Ryan could be raving fans.

What can you do to avoid buyers remorse & build customer loyalty?

Loyalty begins in the sales cycle.
Educating clients on who you are and how you work is the first step in creating a transparent sales cycle. When you make the unfamiliar familiar for prospects, they know what to expect which builds the first stage of trust.

Putting the relationship before profit by doing right by  your client is another key element in building deep trust and staying top of mind. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should lose revenue serving your client. It does demand consideration when offering your solution.

For example, if the car salesman would have noticed Ryan’s uneasiness and reassured him of making a great decision or offered an alternative, Ryan would’ve came home excited about his hot new car. He would’ve also been appreciative of the salesman's thoughtfulness.
With one simple act of putting the relationship first, the car salesman could’ve become memorable, increased word of mouth buzz, and received a referral.

How does your business measure up?

What gets measured gets improved.
Do you know your client retention rate? Established companies that focus on customer retention will grow their business faster and more efficiently by tracking their customer retention rate. For a simple way of measuring your client retention rate, try this formula:
E=# of existing customers at the end of given period.
N= # of new customers during given period.
S= # of customers you had at start of period.
Customer Retention Rate(CRR)
CRR= ((L-A)/S) X 100

Knowing your client retention rate will take the guesswork out of growing your business.

THANKS FOR READING MY BLOG!
Are you looking for ways to stay top of mind?
Contact Us for your client engagement blueprint!
Or check us out on Facebook at TamaraBurkett