Social Media Reality

May 30, 2022

So we all have heard the positive and negatives of Social Media and I can tell you 1st hand I do have a love/hate relationship with it.  It takes sooooooo much of my time that I already feel is extremely limited and I really haven't out sourced this yet and when your starting out your business, financial resources can make it difficult to hire a professional to do it for you.  This means you need to do it yourself for now. 

To make sure you are able to continue to manage your Social Media in the future, I think it is important to limit the types of platforms you are continually engaging with. Don't stretch yourself too thin by creating accounts for each one of them.  Look at they type of people you are trying to reach and what you want to communicate to your audience.

Are you going to try to get new clients from your posts, use it as a brag board, or a networking platform or all of the above?

It can be a challenge as a planner to post on Social Media that...

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Living In The Moment

May 23, 2022

So, I am definitely a checklist person. I love to make lists and then check things off. This is a great attribute to getting things done, but on the flip side, looking back, I tend to loose a lot of the moment and live life moving from one thing to the next. 

Now you might think this is a little too much but I found I need to schedule my fun time. I actually take out  a calendar and look over the next year and schedule times for enjoyment, unwinding, regrouping, and times I just kickback and do nothing. I have to look ahead and say, okay, over the next few months I am going to be super busy, or  I am not taking events on these days or at least events my staff can handle without me.  

This process helps me with a couple of things. First, when I am getting a little burnt out or over worked, I have something to look forward to and secondly, I shouldn't get burnt out because I have planned times that I know I will be able to recharge. 

Are you a "planner"...

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Selling To The Emotional Buyer

May 09, 2022
 

Do you provide service to an emotional buyer?

I am continually surprised when I meet vendors or a new venue and they communicate to me that they don't care what the client wants.  They say, this is what I offer and if they don't like it, that's their problem.  I really want to say, no that's your problem.  Mainly because they just told me they are having trouble getting sales.  Do you want to sell your product or service or do you just want to do what you want to do and hope someone will buy it from you?  That philosophy only really applies to the Art world and honestly, why do you think the term "Starving Artists" came from? Do you want to run a business or be an artist?   

If you want to run a business, you actually need to focus on the opposite philosophy, what do people need and can I provide it for them to the point that they would pay for it?
 
With this in mind, you are most likely selling your service to an emotional buyer....
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Know Thyself

May 02, 2022

Have you ever heard the expression, "Know Thyself"?  Have you ever given it any real thought?  What does it even mean? 

I have adopted this philosophy both in my personal life and my business.  Our entire team begins their experience with us by taking several personality tests.  There are a variety of benefits from this. We get to see deeper than what an interview will reveal, we understand motives, natural talents and abilities, and learning styles. 

We use these tools to help them develop their skills, talents, and abilities as well as a resource for them to draw on and then talk about in a way that helps them to not take corrective criticism in a more objective way. I can tell them that because they are an "INTJ" or a "Blue" Or a "High D" ( all references to personality test types) their type has a tendency to look at the situation this way, and the person they are dealing with who has a different personality type may look at it this way. 

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Getting The Business You Want

Apr 25, 2022

Can you identify the customer's problem

One of the 1st things you need to discover about your business is to know who you are trying reach. You may be thinking, if you advertise to everyone you are sure to get plenty of business. When you do this it is easy to send mixed messages to a wide range of people, you are more likely to get less business because you are not representing what you do and who you serve and how you can help those who need a Coordinator or Planner.

 You have to think about it from your customers perspective. They are usually interested in a business's service because they have a problem or concern that needs solving. Your potential customers are looking for someone to solve their specific issue. 

You may have beautiful photos, but they want someone to help them because their time is limited, or they have plenty of time to do DIY projects but wants someone to set it all up. What if they are just looking for an inexpensive...

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Marketing Resources

Apr 18, 2022

Sometimes I forget that understanding marketing and sales is not something that comes naturally to everyone. It actually didn't come naturally to me either, but I have been studying it for so long that it does seem to be easier for me now than in the beginning.  

It is like anything else in business, you need to put time and effort into the subject to become good at it. Just because we are business owners doesn't make us good at accounting, administration, leadership, sales, marketing, customer service, or anything else that comes along with being successful in business.  

Early in my business, when I realized I didn't know something, the first thing I thought of was to take a course, read a book, or find someone who specialized in it and learned how to be better, not to an expert level, but enough that I could get it done for my business. 

If you want to get business, you really need to find a good avenue to learn what type of marketing will work for you....

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Importance of Following a Timeline

Apr 11, 2022

Planners and Coordinators are known for following a timeline to the "T".  

Making sure we are on time for an appointment, we don't miss a deadline, following up on others to make sure they are getting things turned in on time, this is what we do. Planners and Coordinators are focused on time management and when it comes to the wedding, it is easy to carry this thought through to the scheduled event. 

Is there another option?

When I am planning my timelines, I do indeed calculate how much time everything should take. After thousands of events, I am pretty good at figuring everything out. Putting time into thinking about how many people will give a toast and how long each one will take, the time it takes a specific caterer to provide a complete dinner service, knowing the photographer and how long they like to take photos, it all comes into play when I am planning my timeline. However, I don't like to stick to the timeline really. I don't always stick to the order of...

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Key Business Principle [Active Listening]

Apr 04, 2022

 In our team training, for all positions, this is one of the very first lessons we cover.  Why?  If an individual doesn't have good listening skills, I genuinely feel like basically everything I say is a waste, because I am not sure if they heard me or not.

For most people, when we introduce this study it is a new concept.  Typically it is something they never even thought of or considered as a real "thing".  We hear all types of reactions to the study and what I find interesting is during our presentation, it is easy for people to point out other peoples lack of good listening skills and a little more difficult to admit that they themselves do not have as great of listening skills as they originally thought. 

Listening is a Skill?

What about you? Have you ever thought of listening as a skill or is this the first time you have ever really thought of listening as a skill?  The word skill is defined as; the expertise or talent needed in order to do...

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Free Advertising Ideas pt 2

Mar 28, 2022

 Today we will continue our creative process in thinking about ways to do guerilla marketing that could bring you more business or at the very least more exposure to your business.

1. Volunteer

Connecting with your community by giving back not only helps you build valuable connections but can also help to build awareness about your business too. Local non-profits are normally happy to give you exposure for the donation of your services. You yourself or if you have a small team can volunteer for setup, clean up organizational or administrative tasks, or you can just donate a product or service as an auction prize.

2. Conduct a workshop or webinar

This is one way I got a lot of leads and was able to work in a sales presentation into the actual workshop. Just being able to get people in the door (in person or virtually) can go a long way towards building brand awareness. By providing a useful educational session that helps your ideal...

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Creative Free Advertising Ideas pt 1

Mar 21, 2022
  •  
    Guerrilla marketing is an older method of marketing and is defined as an unconventional method to boost sales. These methods are often low- or no-cost and involve the widespread use of more personal interactions or through viral social media messaging.
     
    Often we think of traditional ways of marketing and advertising and get stuck thinking we don't have enough in our budget to carry out the type of advertising we need to get business.
     
    When you are in a position of needing business without the money in the budget, guerilla marketing is a great option to consider. 
     
    To help you get started here are a few ways you can consider adding to your plan.

     

    1. Opportunities to get listed

    Look for opportunities to list your business on any directories or review sites that you’re not already using.  Weddingwire, the knot, and the wedding guide are just a few you can consider. 

    2. Google your business

    ...
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