Wedding Professionals Blog

I don't know about you, but I love to people watch. Whether I am in a coffee shop looking out the window, riding the bus/train/metro/subway, or sitting in a waiting room I love watching how people interact with one another. That may be one of the reasons I went into marketing and communications at Purdue University, but that is besides the point. One thing I have learned watching people and their sales interactions, is you probably have no idea that you may be annoying the crap out of your client, but simply have no clue. 

Black Friday... it gives me chills just writing the phrase. The rush of people, and deals, deals, deals. Through the holiday hullabaloo, should your company be a part of the Black Friday madness? 

In my last blog, “Over the Lead Hill We Go,” it was all about the prep for the holiday leads that will soon come pouring in. I know with today’s digital environment, you’re experiencing emails, website platforms and even apps that are generating leads for you. For our company, we still receive anywhere from 15 to 20 phone calls a day inquiring about our services and business. Here are 3 steps to successfully book the biz over the phone.

It's that time of year and everyone's beginning to murmur, the holidays. Holiday season is prime time for engagement season and critical to book the biz for the coming year.  So what's on your business's prep list for prime time? Here is a list I find helpful to prepare for the busiest lead season. As always, please join the conversation in the comments below.

All of our wedding clients are wonderful, beautiful, sweethearts that invite the most gracious and enjoyable guests! Let's be honest for a second, this is not the reality. Although I wish this were true, we can secretly be honest with ourselves. Not all of our clients are angels, and no they don’t invite our city’s top business professional/socialite crowd.

As a local business in your community, you're built on the experience you give to your customers and the words they share about the experiences they had. As you begin encouraging your clients for reviews it's important to keep in mind a few steps for success. Here is what I have found works really well in gathering new reviews for the targeted sites that I may be focusing on.

With the most recent release and update to Instagram's algorithm users are seeing what is most important to them instead of every photo that was posted throughout the day. Instagram released an in-depth blog post about their update, but here are few ways to make the most of it and your marketing strategies.

There are several sales associates that I have worked with or seen in action who give up on a sale pretty easily, including myself at times. What is it about people saying "No" that frightens us the most? For one, just the fact that they turned us down, sets off an emotional trigger such as, "What did I do wrong?" Or "They must not like me and my product." Perhaps just the word itself is off-putting. I know whenever I am told no, it can be an automatic shutdown. But in sales, this is actually when the sale begins. If all of your clients came in looking for business and booked right away, this isn't selling at all, it's merely giving the client what they came in for. If your client hasn't signed and made a deposit with your competitor, then there's still time to "book the biz." 

One of my favorite TV shows right now is Chip and Joanna Gaines' Fixer Upper on HGTV. It’s always fun to watch Chip’s crazy silly antics when showing the client the 3 houses they have to choose from, and of course watching the overall process of a rough house transform into the neighborhood gem. If you haven’t watched an episode of this creatively inspiring show I challenge you to.

Joanna Gaines has always wanted to own her own business. With her background in communication, she dreamed up a décor market store in Waco, TX. After their first two children were born, Chip and Joanna decided to close the shop to focus on her family. A few years passed and she was ready to start up a new venture, Magnolia Homes, what we know as Fixer Upper.

Have you ever encountered a salesperson that just didn't get it, or have you heard of the old stigma that surrounds used car salesman? Ha, I know I have for both, and when I think of our current roles in the wedding industry, I surely don't want our clients walking away with that thought in their mind.What is it about a good salesperson that is both memorable, and closes the deal? Sure, they're probably charismatic, understanding and likely have a way with words, but the majority of sales people I have worked with in all industries that rock the close do 3 things to sell a solution rather than their product.