Wedding Business Solutions

After reading “The Go-Giver” for the second time, and then reading “Go-Givers Sell More”, I just had to have the author, Bob Burg, on the podcast. There are so many great lessons and nuggets that we can all apply to our businesses and lives in these books. I also just started reading “The Go-Giver Influencer”, and I’ve already been making notes. These books are so easy to read, using parables (short stories) which make it easy to r...

Very often I see wedding and event pros trying to educate your customers on why they should choose a professional for your product or service. Or maybe it’s educating them on your actual product or service. Is that your responsibility? By the time they get to your website or marketing, are they looking for that education? Or have they already decided they want your product or service and now you need to educate them on something el...

One of my presentations at the Wedding MBA conference this year was on Secret-Shopping. We inquired with over 200 companies throughout the year, and around the country, pretending to be an engaged couple, asking for pricing and package information – as so many real couples do. We filled out the contact form on these company’s websites and then waited and tracked the results. Hint: it wasn’t pretty!

Listen to this new 14-minute episo...

When I saw that my friend in New Zealand, Elias Kanaris, became CEO of the Customer Contact Network New Zealand, I just knew that I had to have him on the podcast to talk about the customer experience. There are so many things about customer experience and customer service that transcend borders. We had a great conversation that has so many applications to your business, no matter whether you’re a solopreneur or run a team.

Lis...

This is another listener suggestion, this time from Meg in Las Vegas. They asked if I could do an episode on working cold leads. For this episode, I’m going to assume they mean wedding expo leads, or lists you might get by being referred by a venue or another industry partner. They send you a list of the people they’ve booked, and you get a chance to reach out to them… but they haven’t yet asked for you to contact them. As I starte...

Whenever I do sales training for businesses like yours, large and small, one of the things I like to stress is that the person talking isn't learning anything. Everything you say, you already know. That’s true for me and for all of you. While we might occasionally come up with new phrasing or a new twist on an idea, we still started with the underlying knowledge. The only way we can learn something new is by listening. That, o...

I’ve spoken about raising your rates before, and this time I invited my friend Eric Rhodes (you might know him from his Tik-Tok and IG videos) to talk about his journey to raising his rates higher than he’d ever imagined. And he’s not in a big city, he’s in Boise Idaho! Hear how he grew and then scaled back his business, and was already getting much more in his market than most others before his videos went viral.

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I recently had a problem with a product that ended well, with the company replacing the damaged one, but I was left with a bad taste in my mouth. But why? I got what I wanted in the end. This was a great lesson to share because we have to realize that our goal is more than just to get the customer what they want and need. It’s to make them feel great about the process and interaction.

Listen to this new 12-minute episode for the res...

This is another listener suggestion. I got an email from Scott, asking if his closing rate was good. He had good stats on his conversion from inquiry to conversation to sale. That already puts him ahead of most wedding and event pros. What I explained to him, and to you in this episode, is what stats you’d want to have, and whether or not you need to know what your closing rate is. You’ll hear how I have stats that I pay to more at...

I was watching an Instagram post by my friend Vanessa Joy where she was discussing the wedding gap. It intrigued me as I had heard some rumblings about it, but hadn’t had a chance yet to discuss it and find out more. So, I invited Vanessa on for her take on it and what it means to you.

Listen to this new episode for some clarity on what the wedding gap is, and what you can do to prepare and thrive through it.

About Vanessa Joy

Since 2...

This is another listener suggestion. A friend of mine noticed that many wedding and event pros are asking their couples and customers to fill out questionnaires before they get to have a real conversation with them. While this is easier for you, because you get more information before your meeting/call/Zoom, it also adds friction and effort to the process. The thing is that in doing this, you may be missing out on good prospects. Y...

I’ve done episodes about reviews before, so this time I want to address why so many wedding and event pros still aren’t replying to your good reviews. Many of you are replying to the less than stellar reviews, but not every review. Why not? You’re missing a great opportunity to stand out. Don’t worry, you don’t have to reply to every review you’ve ever gotten… just some. I spell that out in this episode as well.

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Every so often I read a book and think “I need to have them on my podcast!” I’ve known David Newman for years through the National Speakers Association, and I just finished listening to his book “Do It! Selling”, and while his target client is different than yours, there are so many takeaways and useful ideas for you. Listen to this episode and be sure to have your pen or keyboard ready to take notes.

Whether you’re a seasoned weddi...

This is another listener suggestion, this time from Brian in South Florida. He had a couple in to his venue for a wedding and they weren’t responding to the questions that seem to work with other couples. He wanted to know what to do in situations like that. What are some different questions? How do you get the quiet ones talking?

Listen to this new 9-minute episode for some questions you can use when your customers aren’t being res...

I was doing a sales training for a small group and the question came up about figuring out who the decision maker is when you’re dealing with a group of people. In this episode I expand on this topic to figuring out who the decision-maker is when you’re on the phone, or when you don’t get to meet with everyone who will be involved in the final decision.

Listen to this new 8-minute episode for some tips to help you figure out when yo...

There are so many analytics that you can get for your business, but which ones are going to make a difference for you and your bottom line? To help bring clarity to this I invited my friend Christie Osborne to join me for a conversation about business insights. This isn’t about Google Analytics, at least not very much, and you’re going to want to hear the business metrics that you really do need to know.

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If you’ve heard me speak, read my books or had me do sales training, then you certainly know about the power of the choice of two. If you want someone to make a decision, you need to give them the perception of choice, while at the same time limiting their choices. That’s a balancing act, for sure, but not as difficult as it sounds. Once you can get their choices down to one or two, you can ask for the sale, and it won’t feel pushy...

This is another great listener suggestion, from Marylee, who was having issues with a demanding client and wanted to know when and how it’s OK to fire them. This is certainly a tough situation and I’m sure it’s happened to many of you, as it has to me. There’s more to this than just saying “You’re fired”, and timing will affect this.

Listen to this new 8-minute episode for some ideas and perspective on situations like these so you’l...

Being intentional about your inclusion – Kirsten Paladino

You’ve no doubt been hearing a lot about DEI – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and maybe you’re a little confused as to what to do in your business. I was so fortunate to have my friend Kirsten Paladino, Co-founder and editorial director of equallywed.com, join me and help us understand better how we can all be intentional in how we show our customers and prospects that we’r...