Stop Yelling at Potential Buyers

Every year I talk with hundreds of wedding pros. They all tell me the same thing. You’ve probably heard it too. Maybe you’ve even said it to someone out loud. Chances are you’ve at least thought about it and even considered believing it.

What is it I hear over and over and over again?

Some version of, “I want to make more money.”

You’re right. But it’s hard. It’s really hard. The marketplace is crowded and you’ve got a lot of competition. People say there’s enough business out there for everyone, but those people are usually at the top of the pack and doing just fine. You? No, you’re out there hustling every day, every week, 60-70 hours at a time.

But what are you actually doing to get the business you want so badly?

I put a simple poll on Instagram a couple weeks ago. I asked, “When you work ON your business, what do you focus on?” Nearly 100 people responded. 80% said they direct their attention to improving the client experience. Only 20% work on getting more clients.

The second question I asked, “When you work to get more clients, do you focus on marketing or sales?” About the same percentages: 80% focused on marketing and only 20% geared to getting better at sales.

So, out of 100 wedding pros who want to sell more of their services only four are actually doing activities to get better at selling their services.

If your jaw hasn’t hit the ground, read that last sentence again.

For those who are focused on making the client experience better, you should keep in mind – now more than ever – the client experience starts the moment they push send on their inquiry. (I’ll spend more time in a later blog post about that…) Ignore the sales process at your own peril.

Now, I’ll give a bit of a break to those who are focused on marketing. Social media, website and referrals are essential to any good revenue plan. But at some point, you’re getting diminishing returns from your investment. If your feed, stories and website are not BAD, then they’re probably good enough. Throw a bunch of money at incremental improvements, but the small amount of improvement you make is unlikely to yield big returns.

Stop trying to yell louder than your competition. You’re just getting drowned out in all the noise wedding couples hear.

No, in a crowded event space, one of the biggest marketing tools you have is an extraordinary sales process.

When wedding couples reach out for a conversation with an inquiry, stand out by doing things differently than everyone else. Form a connection. Build trust. Communicate with them in a way that puts them at ease. Learn where they’re at in their journey and help (not educate) them get where they want to go.

I assure you that if 96% of the people out there are all focused on the same two things, big improvements in something only 4% are even working on is what’s going to set you apart.

Till next week...good luck with your inquiries.

-Sam