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Spa Marketing Made Easy | Spa Business Growth
SMME #432 Replay: How to Build Rich Relationships with Selena Soo
00:23:55
Replay: How to Build Rich Relationships with Selena Soo
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- [00:00]
Daniela Warner
Welcome to Spa Marketing Made Easy, a podcast for spa owners who want to step up their leadership and business skills and step into the role as spa CEO. I'm your host, Daniela Warner, CEO of Atto Aesthetics and founder of the Growth Factor Framework program, where we teach, coach and guide spa owners in scaling their spas to the next level of growth and unlocking freedom in their life and their business. I'm so glad you're here now. Now let's dive into the show. Hey, welcome back to another episode of the Spa Marketing Made Easy podcast. I am so excited to share something very special with you today. So, a few years ago, I had an opportunity to sit down with my friend Selena Su and have an amazing conversation about relationships, personal growth, and building deeper connections, both personally and professionally. This was the second time that she was on our podcast, but this episode really stuck with me after we hit the stop recording button number one, because relationships are first and foremost for me, but also because I really had started being intentional maybe a year or two before this was recorded around really putting the same level of energy and effort into nurturing the relationships both personally and professionally around me as I did into growing my business. And I think for those of you that are entrepreneurs, that you have your own spas, you know that like so much of our time and energy and just mental space goes into our business. And I asked myself the question, like, what would change in our lives if we dedicated just like 10% of the time and money and energy into nurturing the relationships both personally and professionally with those around us? So of course I was super excited, incredibly thrilled that Selena's brand new book, Rich Relationships is coming out. It is packed with the same heart, wisdom, and actionable insights that made our original conversation so wonderful. So so in celebration of her upcoming launch, I'm going to replay that original interview today. And to make it even better, Selena so generously offered the first four chapters of Rich Relationships absolutely free. You'll find the link to grab those chapters in the show notes. And even if you listened to this episode when it first aired, I encourage you to listen again with fresh ears. I am somebody who I will read a book more than once. I will listen to an episode more than once. Because when you listen with fresh ears, when you listen at a different place in your entrepreneurial journey, you're going to get different things out of it. You're going to pick up more gems the second time around. So without further ado, let's go ahead and dive into that conversation with my wonderful friend Selena. All Right. Selena, welcome to the Spa Marketing Made Easy podcast. I'm so excited to have you for a second time on the show. You were on the show, like, years ago, back in the beginning when we were first getting this thing going. So thank you for that. I'm so happy to have you on again.
- [03:20]
Selena Su
Yes. I'm thrilled to be back.
- [03:21]
Daniela Warner
When I think of you, I think of someone who is just a master connector. You are so good at building rich relationships. What I also love is that you are an introvert.
- [03:36]
Selena Su
Yes.
- [03:36]
Daniela Warner
And so to be able to have this superpower of connecting people and building really authentic, deep relationships with so many individuals, being able to have that capacity, yet also still nurture yourself.
- [03:54]
Selena Su
Absolutely. Yes.
- [03:56]
Daniela Warner
It's a talent.
- [03:57]
Selena Su
It is, yeah. It is a bit of a juggling act.
- [04:00]
Daniela Warner
Yeah. I was thinking about you last night. We were both at a. A party where There were over 100 people, which was overwhelming for me.
- [04:08]
Selena Su
Yeah.
- [04:10]
Daniela Warner
But you, I think, had friendships with pretty much everybody in that room.
- [04:14]
Selena Su
It was so much fun. But I will say that after, you know, big parties, because that was like a four hour event and then there was also the after party. I did have to, like, rest a little bit this morning, but, yeah, that was so fun.
- [04:26]
Daniela Warner
So having this skill set of building rich relationships has helped you build your own incredible company, helped you build. Helped you with. Help others build their companies. Tell me a little bit about what you do and has this always been a through line for you or was this something that you developed? Absolutely, yeah.
- [04:52]
Selena Su
I'd love to tell you how I got started. So I'm a publicity and marketing expert. And I got into this world because when I was in my mid-20s, I had a quarter life cris. I found myself clinically depressed, having trouble getting out of bed in the mornings, trouble eating. And things got so bad that my mom flew from Vancouver, Canada to New York to be by my side. And she would, you know, accompany me on the subway, like, taking me to work. Like I was this school girl and it was just such a low point. And I remember, you know, talking to friends and saying, like, I just have to find a way to get better. Do you know anyone who can help me? And that's when I learned about this female life coach and joined her community, her group program, and got exposed to all these experts and authors and thought leaders. And I realized that when people are struggling and suffering, as we all do, whether it is we're struggling with our life purpose, or it could be a relationship issue, a money issue, a health issue that we don't just need more information. What we're really looking for is inspiration. And I think that there is nothing that is more powerful than a role model. So someone who embodies that message of hope and possibility, someone who has gone through hard times and come out the other side and has like a roadmap for people. Right. And so I just became really passionate about promoting these or telling people. My friends, have you heard about this person and that person? And they had no idea who I was talking about. So it just really dawned on me that sometimes the person with the most important message that someone really needs to hear can be that best kept secret. So I started doing this work in publicity because I wanted these people to get their messages out into the world. And so I think in terms of me being a connector, it's not because I am super extroverted, but rather I'm really driven by a mission. I really want, you know, these amazing people who are helping people's lives. Whether it's like looking better and feeling better or, you know, healing their body to get their message out, to connect with the right people, to make their biggest impact. So definitely driven, you know, by helping people get connected to the people who can really change their lives.
- [07:00]
Daniela Warner
But to create those connections, that's beautiful, by the way. But to create those connections, it's like, how do you know who to connect with? How do you know, like, how do you form those relationships in the first place? Because as you get older, it's hard to make friends, right?
- [07:17]
Selena Su
It is, yeah. So there's a couple things to keep in mind when you're thinking about, well, who do I connect with? So the first is you've got to get clear on what your goals and dreams are. Because influencers, and those are people that I call influencers, people who can help you reach your goals and dreams faster. They're gonna be connected to what's most important to you. So is your dream to build a six figure or seven figure business? Is it to write a best selling book? Is it to make an impact in a certain number of people's lives? But getting really clear on what your top goals and dreams are is number one. And then number two is also getting really clear on what your values are in relationships. Because there may be people who are successful and could potentially support you, but you might just not energetically resonate with them, just a different set of values. And so that doesn't really work for a relationship. And the third thing is understanding who are the types of people that can help you. Because I Think people from all walks of life and all stages of business can be helpful. From people who are mentors, who have kind of figured out the journey that you're on and can help you get there faster. So to people who are natural super connectors and have so much joy introducing people to one another or people with reach that you could build partnerships with and who could put you in front of more of your ideal clients. Super fans who could be your clients, who can't stop talking about you to your friends, family, colleagues who really believe in you. And so you want to get clear on who are all those different types of people who can contribute to getting to your goals faster, making sure that there's shared values and then starting to build those relationships.
- [08:57]
Daniela Warner
Now for spa owners, they're, you know, brick and mortar.
- [09:00]
Selena Su
Yes.
- [09:01]
Daniela Warner
How are they going out in their community? Like, I love the idea of the super fans. Like every spa is going to have some type of super fan, but what are you, like knocking on doors and be like, hey, we serve the same type of person, or let's be friends, let's build a rich relationship. We're, you know, we were talking a little bit before about the difference between like, hey, let's build a business partnership, which is great and valid.
- [09:28]
Selena Su
Yes.
- [09:28]
Daniela Warner
But how much better that business partnership actually works and functions when you have a real rich relationship with that individual.
- [09:39]
Selena Su
Yeah, no, I have so many thoughts coming up. Because when it comes to building relationships, like, we don't want to scare people by coming on too strong. Like, can we build a partnership is not a level one conversation. Right. There's usually like steps in between to getting to know someone. But one way that you can really accelerate relationship building is actually by building your personal brand. Way before it was what do you know? And then it's been like, well, who do you know? And I would say that today it's who knows you. Right? So you want people to know who you are and be attracted and curious about your work. And so building your personal brand, and there's so many ways to do it with your website, on social media, but really expressing yourself in different ways where even if someone hasn't had an in depth conversation, they can get a sense of who you are, what you stand for, what's unique about you. And that's also why I really love publicity, because I think that publicity is the fastest way to elevate your brand. You can share your story, ideas, why you started your business, why you're so passionate about this, what makes you unique. And so it's like, you're raising your credibility and profile, but you're also getting your message into all these places. And you can repurpose it on social media and newsletters and websites, but that would be a big part. Part of attracting rich relationships is having a personal brand and putting yourself out there.
- [10:59]
Daniela Warner
I love that. And I actually, I have never heard anybody say that before. And it's so brilliant. And it makes so much sense of the power of the personal brand. I mean, we're even seeing employees, like on LinkedIn and different places really cultivating their own personal brand to, you know, get job offers and things like that. So to really tie it in as the spa owner, as someone who wants to be a pillar of their community and wants to connect with others by you showing up and putting yourself out there and saying, this is what I stand for. This is what I'm about, you're saying that's going to attract other people to you to want to start those relationships.
- [11:40]
Selena Su
And it also creates trust when someone is consistently showing up, you know, online, you're being seen in multiple places versus, okay, this is someone brand new, who, I don't know. So, yeah, kind of like creating your brand, expressing yourself, right? Putting yourself out there. That's one of the first steps. And then another step is really getting clear on how you can add value to others. Because the truth is, every single person is incredibly busy with a full life with, you know, family duties and things happening in their career and for themselves that if they're going to make space for more people in their life, they have to be someone that adds value in some way. And there's so many different ways to add value. Like even being a person who is a good listener, who asks good questions, who's present, like, that's a way to add value. Another really powerful way is giving someone a compliment and showing them that you really see them and their brilliance or appreciate something about them. And there's countless ways to add value. People will say, well, how do I know what someone wants? Or, you know, I'm not a mind reader. And, you know, at the end of the day, like, as humans, there's only, you know, a few things that we all tend to want. And if you're connecting with other entrepreneurs, it's even, you know, a smaller number. But, you know, everybody wants to grow their wealth, right? They want to have abundance in their life. So that means, you know, new clients and referrals and growing their business, right? Creating new offers, services. So that's one thing that everyone wants. Another thing that People want is to make an impact, to be sharing their message and their ideas with more people, even if they're not like their clients at their spa. But maybe they're reading their beauty tips and it's transforming their lives. And as someone who's making an impact, maybe you're being recognized as the top of your industry and what you do. So there's also status there. Another thing that people really want is peace. Peace. Because as best I feel, I align.
- [13:39]
Daniela Warner
That with time also.
- [13:40]
Selena Su
That connects. Yeah. So there's time. Right. So everybody wants to save time. And so when you're building relationships, you also don't want to, you know, come up with ways to like, you're thinking you're building the relationship, but you're like, you know, I don't want to say wasting, but it's like three or four hours of someone's time that might not be like the first kind of way that you connect. Right. It's like you should be connecting in a way where you're actually helping them save time. Whether it's helping them find people that can support them with their business or get results faster. And then the peace thing, because you know, a lot of people are stressed, whether they're stress in their business or there's a family stressor or health or relationships. And so, you know, by being a sounding board, by connecting people to the right resources, by sharing our expertise, we can create more peace in other people's lives.
- [14:30]
Daniela Warner
So would you, would you. All those kind of step by step that you just shared, would you identify those as pieces of a rich relationship? Like as you're going out and building, like how do you define.
- [14:42]
Selena Su
Yeah, yeah. I mean you don't have to do all those things, but you want to be. A rich relationship is a relationship that contributes to your life. Right. It enhances your life, it fulfills you. It's something that brings abundance to you versus a relationship that is just like purely transactional short term thinking or just doesn't feel good. It's like a relationship that's like meant to last and really bring joy and fulfillment.
- [15:06]
Daniela Warner
I love that. So I want to pivot just a little bit and talk about a little more on the business side of building partnerships.
- [15:15]
Selena Su
Yes.
- [15:15]
Daniela Warner
We know that relationships are deeply important and building those rich relationships, it can take time.
- [15:21]
Selena Su
Yes.
- [15:22]
Daniela Warner
And you know, it does take time and energy and effort to be able to make sure that that person feels seen, heard, valued, that you're both providing value to the relationship, that it's not one sided, etc. But as you're building a business, creating partnerships with other businesses, creating relationships with other businesses can be a very, very valuable tool to help you grow, especially for brick and mortar. We're seeing that so much with spas right now that are, you know, like going to the Pure Bar or the Orange Theory or wherever that are these franchises where they're building relationships with those owners, they serve the same audience. But you are a master in that. That was one of the strategies that you used to grow your company to be so wildly successful. Talk to me about. And you had like 400 partners, right?
- [16:14]
Selena Su
Over the years. Over the years.
- [16:16]
Daniela Warner
So tell me about that strategy and kind of some suggestions that you would give to a brick and mortar spa.
- [16:24]
Selena Su
Yeah, so the great thing about partnerships is you're not just promoting to your existing audience. You're leveraging other people's audiences, people that have customers, know like, and trust them. So that's really powerful because instead of just marketing to one audience, you could be marketing to 10 audiences, 100 audiences simultaneously. But when you're getting started, you know, you want to keep it simple. You only need like a few key partnerships to make a big impact. And so with partnerships, you always want them to be win win, and you want to be putting yourself into the other person's shoes. Because, you know, every business owner, they are busy, they are overwhelmed, and so they want to say yes to something that feels easy and that is going to give them a meaningful return on their time and investment. And so really putting yourself in someone else's shoes, I think that when you're building a partnership, you have to really prioritize, like what's going to be important to the other person. And so with our impacting millions launch, which is our publicity program, you know, we make it because basically it's an additional revenue stream for people. People, but they have their own products and services to promote. Right? Every business does. And so thinking about, you know, how can you make it so easy for them to say yes? How can you offer like the best possible commissions or incentives, you know, marketing materials. So it's just very, very easy for.
- [17:45]
Daniela Warner
Them to win in spa. I mean, we have such an advantage in spa, because who doesn't want a spa treatment? I know you can offer that as like either earning, like for influencers that are posting about having a treatment at the spa or coming in. And, you know, there's so many different ways that we can do that. We, we usually call that a brand ambassador program, but it, it's very similar. And building relationships to get People to post and share and refer.
- [18:16]
Selena Su
I love that because, I mean, that's one of the keys to building a partnership. No one's going to promote you unless they feel like they can really vouch for your work. Right. And so in order to vouch for your work, they need to have an experience of it. So giving away something for free in exchange for them to consider sharing it in some way if it's an exceptional service. So, yeah, I mean, you definitely want to be leading with generosity in the beginning and people being just like, so delighted by the experience. It just feels natural and organic for them to want to tell others about it.
- [18:51]
Daniela Warner
Yeah. So what is your strategy or any tips on finding potential partners in a local area?
- [19:01]
Selena Su
Yeah, absolutely. So with your existing customers, asking them, you know, who are the other service providers that they work it with when it comes to, you know, beauty and health and lifestyle? So that could be part of a questionnaire. It could be a conversation that you have with people. You know, I've sent an email, you know, out to my list before asking things like, you know, when it comes to growing your business and your visibility online, who are some of your. Some of the top experts that you follow? What are the podcasts that you listen to? And so people are supplying you with all these names and all these people are potential partners.
- [19:35]
Daniela Warner
Oh, that's so. Have you ever heard of SparkToro? Have you ever heard of that? No.
- [19:41]
Selena Su
Well, I heard of it recently, but I'm not familiar with it.
- [19:44]
Daniela Warner
It's such a cool website. We'll link it up below. They have a free trial and then there's a paid version as well.
- [19:50]
Selena Su
Okay.
- [19:50]
Daniela Warner
But you can essentially put in estheticians.
- [19:53]
Selena Su
Okay.
- [19:54]
Daniela Warner
Put in. And it will go through and do all of this research of. These are the podcasts, these are the magazines. These are.
- [20:01]
Selena Su
Oh, my goodness.
- [20:02]
Daniela Warner
So we paid for a 30 day.
- [20:04]
Selena Su
Okay.
- [20:06]
Daniela Warner
Block and we were able to get hundreds of magazines, websites, podcasts, so you get to see where people who have that job title and there's all different. You can put in working moms, you can put in, like whatever you want. And I just found that to be so insanely valuable because it's cutting down the time of like. Well, if I am doing publicity.
- [20:30]
Selena Su
Yes.
- [20:30]
Daniela Warner
Then maybe these are the, the publications that I actually want to target and try and get into.
- [20:37]
Selena Su
I love that. Yeah. Who doesn't want a shortcut?
- [20:40]
Daniela Warner
I know, I know. So talk to me about your thoughts on what publicity can do for a spa.
- [20:47]
Selena Su
Absolutely. So, you know, when it comes to your business, it's one thing if you're telling everyone I'm the best at what I do, but it's a whole other thing if someone else is saying that and especially a media outlet that is endorsing you, that is saying like, this is one of the top five spots spas, or this spa has the best XYZ treatment. So it's really that stamp of approval and credibility. And a lot of people, they need this expert source to filter what is the best of the best. That's how people make their decisions. And the cool thing with media is you get that media hit and you can use that media logo, that name for the entire lifetime of your business that you've been featured in this place. So I would say ideally, as business owners, you want to have at least, you know, three strong media wins that we can use as a part of our branding to attract our ideal clients.
- [21:37]
Daniela Warner
Very good. All right. Anything else that I am not asking that would be valuable around publicity or relationships for spa owners?
- [21:46]
Selena Su
Yeah. So I think what also would be really helpful for people is just, you know, story ideas, thinking about, you know, how do I talk about my business, but not just have it seem like I'm wanting someone to like, you know, produce an advertisement, come to this spa. Yeah, yeah. Like, right. And so, you know, you want to come up with story ideas are going to appeal to the media and the story ideas that they're most interested in are ones that are service driven, that add value to their audiences. So even if maybe someone can't go to the spa, but what are some, you know, top beauty tips, right. From top estheticians and things like that, you know, how to mistakes to avoid. Those are really popular. And they're also really interested in story ideas that have emotional resonance. Right. Like big transformations or breakthroughs or big things to avoid. And then they are also really interested in timely story ideas. And so during different times of the year, whether it's Valentine's Day or Mother's Day or different seasons, winter, summer, you can put different angles on your stories to make them feel really relevant for right now. So I actually have this amazing resource and it's a 12 month publicity calendar. So it's just 40 pages full of story ideas, dates and hooks to really get the media's attention. And we have it, you know, just different ideas for all kinds of industries including, you know, health and wellness and beauty.
- [23:13]
Daniela Warner
Oh, that's amazing. Okay, so we'll be sure to link that up.
- [23:16]
Selena Su
Yeah. Impactingmillions.com calendar wonderful.
- [23:21]
Daniela Warner
All right, we'll link that up. Well, Selena, thank you so much. You just, like, packed so much information.
- [23:27]
Selena Su
We did?
- [23:28]
Daniela Warner
Yeah. It was like, boom, you know your stuff. Thank you so much. I appreciate your time. I appreciate your friendship. I'm so happy to share you with our audience. And for those of you that want to keep this conversation going, make sure that you head on over to the Spa Marketing Made Easy Facebook group. And make sure that you get that resource that is super, super valuable. And we'll catch you on the next episode.