Posts Tagged ‘marketing’
Is your BRANDING stopping you?
There has been increasing discussion about branding; your company’s professional image so you may attract your target client. Very important strategic part of your business, I’m not suggesting otherwise.
However…. what happens when branding our biz becomes our obsession? Hey, this is a creative industry … we can all spend A LOT of hours lamenting over what font to use or how to round the corners of our blog photos. Or is it just me that does that?
Not having the right or perfect brand can easily become an excuse for a business owner. “I didn’t sell that new client because I didn’t buy letterpress business cards.”
Ask yourself, is it becoming an excuse for you not to move forward? To getting off your butt, heading out the door to look for new ways of networking and finding new clients?
My latest business crush has been with the UnMarketing guru Scott Straten (you should follow him on Twitter). His schtick? Stop marketing and start engaging. Isn’t that so simple?
People buy from people, not things. Especially when you are talking about the uber personal business of weddings. You will not miss your next sale because the loop on your logo isn’t perfect.
Quit worrying. Quit making excuses. Quit belaboring your branding decisions. And, in the words of a formidable brand, Just Do It!
Happy Selling!
Don’t FRET about what other vendors CHARGE
My blog post yesterday created a stir. It’s a problem that I hear about at every convention, gchat, tweet, telephone conversation and personal emails from other vendors. With a down economy and the high rate of people losing their jobs, it is natural to see an influx of newcomers in EVERY industry, and that includes the event & wedding industry.
I say they are mostly newcomers because I don’t find the veteran vendors charging mere hundreds for many hours of service. They know they cannot sustain nor make a living as a self-employed business person. With that said, I understand that we are not all “luxury, service providers”. My business does not cater nor market to, the “luxury bride”. Frankly, I think that term is overused and should be rolled up and put away, for good.
So, do not fret. Here are a few thoughts to keep in mind:
- Quit worrying. Look if they are grossly (which is the word I used) undercharging their services, they won’t be around long. It’s non-sustainable and they will fizz/burn out. Also, and more importantly, the clients that hire a $500 photographer, would not of hired you anyway. They don’t see the value, they see a very low price point.
- Educate them. Some newcomers to this industry may turn out to be stellar players at a later date. That’s right! We all started somewhere. But they may not KNOW how to go about it. So call them, send them to iWed.org or let them know about an industry event coming up. They may just need some education.
- You are NOT competing. If you have been in business for many years, you are not in competition with these new players. You have a different clientele and a different market share. Does it muck up and devalue the industry standards? Yes, a bit. But it’s okay, it will all shake out in the end. Worry about what makes you unique and finding your client that appreciates and values your services.
- Understand your value. It’s time to stop and re-address what makes your services so great and why you can charge what you do. Take inventory, write down the key points of what makes you unique (and saying you’ve been in business for 10 years is not enough nor makes you unique). Once you have done this exercise, it will make it clearer and easier for you to explain your value, worth and expertise to your potential clients.
Happy Selling!
Yellow Page Advertising: DOES IT work?
I talk a lot about sales (cause that what you want to hear), but if you have read my bio you know that I have a long background in (selling) advertising and creating marketing campaigns.
Around this time of year, many of us are getting calls from all potential advertising mediums. It is difficult to be able to decide where to put your (hard earned) advertising dollars to attract your potential client. I wrote a two-part synopsis about this on The Smart Planner which is now Think Splendid.
However, this blog post is about Yellow Page advertising. Instead of me giving you advice on how to spend your dollars with this medium, I would like to instead poll YOU for discussion.
So, please add a comment with your personal experience on this type of advertising. I’m sure it will be a good read for all of us. Please answer the following questions in your comment:
- What is your profession?
- Have you used Yellow Page advertising before?
- Did you purchases print and online?
- If yes, what type of ad did you take out (display or just your company name/number listing)?
- How did it work out for you? Did you track your calls and were they qualified potential clients or something else?
- Are you still incorporating this medium in your current advertising program?
- OR… you’ve NEVER done YP advertising and if so, why not?
You can answer anonymously or with your company information. I think the feedback will help others in our industry. Let’s find out if the “fingers do the walking” is working for our businesses!
Happy Selling!
Working a Wedding Bridal Show :: part 2
- Promote your blog. Remember that “Bridal Wars” giveaway I mentioned above? Well we decided to take photos of brides/friends and put it on the blog to VOTE for the best photo. Our blog traffic went through the roof that week and several months afterwards. So simple, and it totally worked. We now hear from brides that show up at our booth that they faithfully read our blog. Which is a great form of marketing for our business.
- Bring your Calendar. Depending on your type of wedding business it will depend on whether you will actually BOOK new clients at the show. DJ’s, bakers, some photographers and other vendors that offer package pricing can book clients at shows. As wedding planners, we do not bring one single contract to the show. We want appointments. Usually we ask the bride (if the conversation is going well) if we can contact them later to set an appointment or schedule the consult on the spot. EVERY vendor is vying for their attention so our approach is a “soft one”, not pushy at all. We ask to contact them. I will carry a notebook and may write down their name so I can flag them later for follow-up or at least remember the conversation. It’s really your choice, but I find that being respectful of them and their time is a much better approach.
- Discounting. Not a huge fan of this concept. For one, we have many clients that will walk through the show and come to see us. (Which is awesome, by the way. Nothing like an excited bride running up and hugging you in FRONT of other potential brides.) I would hate to see a full-priced client walk in and see a published discount. But again, for some vendors this works. If you are going to offer a show discount, be very specific with a limited time frame. I think the best way to discount is wait to send out personalized information to brides after the show when you have collected the attendee database.
- Show Follow-Up: We have found that direct snail mail marketing is “zzzzzzzzzzzzzz” and costly. So we use email marketing. Be sure that you have permission to email the show attendees. A good idea is to create your email campaign while you are preparing for the show. How many times are you too tired after a big bridal show or you are moving on to the next big project, that the email campaign gets lost in the shuffle. If you are interested in getting more business, be sure to have a sales “hook” in the email campaign otherwise you should simply look at it as a branding campaign.
Happy Selling!
Working a Wedding Bridal Show :: part 1
I received some questions from a reader who is about to embark on her FIRST Bridal Show. Sweet!
This blog post won’t get into the controversy of whether you should actually participate in bridal shows or not. EVERY market is different. For us, a few of the elite bridal shows work well. Yes, they are exhausting but the way we go about it, people (vendors and clients) remember our booth FOR YEARS. We closed the deal with a bride this year who visited our booth 2 years ago! We can work a bridal show….
So here are a few best practices that we have found work well if you decide to participate in a bridal show:
- Create a dramatic affect. I think that most event professionals concentrate so much on their booth collateral that they skimp on the actual “booth decor”. You have seconds to capture someone’s attention. You want them to stop and say “Oooooohhh” and walk into your booth. Use color, texture, unusual seating arrangements. Make the most of your space and make sure it is open to draw people in. NEVER stand behind a table. Put your visuals behind you and talk/meet/greet your new client. Create your own banner with your logo. Rent linens to cover the white skirted table. BE DIFFERENT and plan ahead!
- Staff your booth. Do not work your booth by yourself, even if you are a single person operation. When first starting out, I actually paid friends who were in the “sales” field to help me at my booth. I didn’t care whether they knew about event planning or not. They knew how to talk to people and draw them in. You must have 2-3 people. Remember there are bathroom breaks, food breaks, etc. You never want your booth to be empty.
- Show up early. Take the time to network with other vendors before the show starts. This is an opportunity to get face-to-face time with many vendors, which is priceless. Help them with their setup if you are already completed. Don’t miss this easy networking opportunity.
- Offer a giveaway. But hopefully the giveaway can lead to more business. For instance, we gave away a “head table decor” once…. with the thought that the design consult would lead us to designing the whole event. Or just giveaway something fun! We offered tickets to see “Bride Wars” when the movie was just coming out. It went over so well!!! Talk to local businesses and see if they will give away a free night at a hotel in *trade for a promotion at your booth. *Be sure to talk to the bridal show producers, sometimes they won’t allow this.
Come back tomorrow for FOUR more tips on working Bridal Shows.
Happy Selling!
2009-10 Copyright Get Real Sales Coach Saundra Hadley
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