Wedding Business Solutions

Every time I travel, I have a choice between a cab and an Uber (or Lyft). Often the cabs are sitting right outside and yet I’ll wait for an Uber. Why is that? What did Uber do to disrupt their industry and what can you learn from it so you can do the same in yours? Listen to this new, 7-minute episode to get some ideas how you can make your business indispensable to your clients. If you have any q...

Every decision we make involves emotions, some more than others. When it comes to your business, and life, there are forces pulling you to stay where you are, don’t change, and those are competing with your desire to move forward. It also can affect your business, in that when people trust you more, they will want to do business with you more. Phil Johnson has spent the last 20+ years studying and...

One of the big complaints about our education system is that we’re just teaching our kids to pass tests. What about when you’re out of school and choosing to study a new skill. Are you trying to get to the end of the book/course, or are you trying to achieve a level of mastery? Over the years, I’ve changed the way I approach learning. Have you? Listen to this new, 6-minute episode for some perspec...

This is another episode influenced by a conversation I saw on Facebook. Someone had posted a meme about people who’ve never attended a conference, implying that those people were elitist, know-it-alls, and they didn’t think there was any value in them going. What was interesting was how many who were commenting said they had never attended a conference. How can you say there’s no value, if you’ve...

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the pressures of marketing your business? There are so many forces, pulling or pushing you to try the latest social platform, or are you blindly following the crowd? Heidi Thompson wants to help you Squash the Overwhelm and she shares her 5-steps for doing that in this episode. Listen to this new episode for some actionable steps on how you can feel less overwhelmed...

Having just gotten back from a short vacation, I was struck how two simple things made, or didn’t make, our experiences better. They cost nothing, but can mean everything. It’s not about price point, either. Some of the best experiences were with inexpensive restaurants. Listen to this new 6-minute episode to see what I’m talking about and how easily you can implement these into your business. If...

Does the fear of failure prevent you from trying new things, personally or professionally? The greatest successes in this world were almost always preceded by lots and lots of failures. It’s learning to look at failure as a stepping stone to success that helps us succeed. If we don’t try anything new, we can’t experience new and better results. Listen to this new 9-minute episode for some ideas th...

If you’re like me, you are texting every day, whether to friends, family, co-workers or customers. If you’re like many people in business, you’d rather not use your personal cell phone, for various reasons. And if you have employees and they use their personal cell phone number to text customers, those texts go away when they do. So, is texting right for your business and what are some of the curr...

When things are busy, it’s easy to take your eye off other parts of your business and life. But what’s making you busy now is a result of past events and actions. Are you making time to prioritize working ON you business, among the busy-ness? Listen to this new 5-minute episode for a quick reality-check and, hopefully, some inspiration! If you have any questions about anything in this, or any of m...

Whether you own your business or work in it, having an owner-mentality is a recipe for success. Some people do this naturally, some need to be shown the way. Which one are you? Listen to this new 9-minute episode for inspiration on having an owner mentality for you and your team. If you have any questions about anything in this, or any of my podcasts, or have a suggestion for a topic or guest, ple...

We’ve had many discussions about social ads and other marketing, but I’ve never had anyone on to talk about Google Ads. So, I asked my friend Mark Chapman, from The I Do Society, to come on and school us on what we should know about Google Ads (and SEO and lots more). Listen to this new episode and get a better understanding, and perspective on how and where you can look for a better ROI (Return o...

I’m a Digital Immigrant! This is not a new revelation, but what may be new to you is to understand how today’s Digital Natives, and the generation coming next are communicating. Are you adapting to them, or are you trying to get them to adapt to you? Listen to this new, 11-minute episode for a combination dose of reality and rays of hope! If you have any questions about anything in this, or any of...

How is it that two people can look the same thing, and see totally different things? Each of our perspectives come from our collective experiences. People born in different cities, or into different cultures, will often view the same things very differently. Each of us has the Curse of Knowledge, and it’s the same knowledge that can hinder us in the sales process. Listen to this new, 7-minute epis...

I saw an article recently on The Knot that was talking about how couples are now asking for a pay-over-time feature for their weddings, similar to how they can get that for so many purchases these days. So, I started thinking about who I knew that had expertise in this area, and my friend from my days at The Knot, Anja Winikka immediately came to mind. Her company, Maroo, offers this (and other pa...

When you’re designing your website or a marketing piece, are you designing things that you would personally like? Or, are you designing things that your target audience would like. Unless you are the same demographic as your target customer, you may be heading in the wrong direction. And, asking your friends and industry peers may just be looking for “confirmation bias” – learning that what you al...

When I’m doing sales training, very often I find that some salespeople have trouble asking for a higher price, or an upsell, because they wouldn’t buy those things themselves. Or maybe they’ve never spent that much money on an event, or anything, in their personal lives. They’re selling with their own wallet, instead of letting the customer buy with their wallet. Listen to this new 10-minute episo...

I was at a conference and needed help bringing in supplies for my trade show booth from my car to the expo center. So, I rang up my friend Rob Ferre, and minutes later 6 people were carrying my supplies a long way to my booth. That’s an example of Social Capital, and Rob suggested that we have a conversation this for you. So, what is social capital, or social currency, and what is yours? Listen to...

The Rolling Stones got it right when they sang: “You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometime, you’ll find, you get what you need!” Very often we, or our customers, are asking for something because we know what’s possible. We can’t ask for what we don’t know is possible. Apple was really good at selling us things we didn’t know to ask for.  Listen to this new 9-minute episode f...

No, I’m not channeling Brittney Spears. I went shopping for a sports jacket and came home with shoes and pants as well. The store did Top Down Selling… good for them! It’s a lesson for all of us on showing what’s possible, not only what’s been asked. Listen to this new 9-minute episode for some ideas on how you can sell more, and have your customers and couples be happy about the outcomes! If you...

Many wedding and event pros made pivots during Covid. Some out of necessity and some through opportunity. Rod Baker pivoted to DFW Neon after an unexpected response to a sign he had on his DJ façade. That has turned into a whole separate business that’s thriving. Listen to this episode and hear how you can learn to see the opportunities around you. If you have any questions about anything in this,...

Do your customers ask you for things that you can’t or won’t do? When you can’t give them what they ask for, how do you say No without antagonizing them? Should you always just say Yes? Or, is there another way to handle the situations when you can’t say Yes, but still want to please the customers? Listen to this new 13-minute episode for perspective on whether more leads is better, or worse. If y...

There’s a difference between Top-Down Selling and Up-selling. Do you know the difference? How and when should you be upselling to bring unexpected results to your couples and customers. How can you go about offering new and better experiences to your customers, event after they’ve formerly said, No? Listen to this new 11-minute episode for ideas on how and when you can upsell, without being pushy....

Many of the businesses I come across are looking to grow, whether they’ve been in business months or years. Every so often I come across someone who’s in a different stage. My friend and client, Adam Tiegs grew his business and then decided it was time to scale back. I’m sure many of you can relate to feeling that it’s time to scale back.  Listen to this episode and see whether scaling down is in...

Very rarely do I come across businesses who don’t get enough leads. Most wedding and event pros I work with or speak with complain about getting too many inquiries. Which one are you? Do you really want more inquiries, or do you want better ones? Do you have enough time to follow up the way you know you should (or the way I recommend in my books)? Or, do you know that you could follow up better… i...

Do you clear your mind before you have a call, meeting or send an email or text? Or, do you bring the baggage of your prior conversations with you to the next one? Learning to be more present and staying open to the unexpected can lead to unexpectedly wonderful outcomes. Listen to this new 7-minute episode for some ideas on how to hit your own reset button. If you have any questions about anything...