One of the biggest challenges we face in the wedding world is selling to multiple people. 

I know, sometimes it feels like we’re selling to people with multiple personality disorder. We’ve all run into the prospective client who feels like your best friend when you’re on the phone with her during the discovery call, and then you get that email and you’re like,...

Over the past 25 years of selling things to people, I’ve learned a thing or two (well, actually about 439 things) about what potential clients want during the buying experience.
 
Sure, every client is different from the next, but most can be grouped into a handful of different buyer types. I’ve worked with a model based on four communication styles learned through my executive...

Last week I reminded you what you already knew: Blogging is crucial for your business. Especially now that summer proposals are culminating and newly engaged couples are looking at 2021 options – and even 2022 dates!

Regular and well-done blog posts attract an audience to your website where you move them through the buyer’s journey. Let’s remember, sales is about...

Everyone wants to know how to charge more for their services. I mean EVERYone. Let me put that another way: I don’t know anyone who wants to charge less. Especially now with COVID-19 wreaking havoc on 2020 clients who are now taking all the 2021 dates!

I’ve talked with many event pros who are considering charging less to make sure 2021 fills in. First, don’t...

I recently read about Carter Racing, a case study presented in business schools across the country over the past 30 years. Students have to decide whether or not to race a fictional car with recent engine problems, but may give them big sponsorship money if they finish in the top five. Do you greenlight the race car knowing it might blow up?

I’m not going to dive into the case...

The best way for two humans to connect, build trust, and uncover needs is the same as we’ve been doing for 10,000 years: face-to-face around a fire outside of a cave. No, really, it’s by having a simple conversation. With everyone’s busy schedules, though, in-person is hard. Phone calls are a good way to meet the discussion needs without wasting time driving all over town.

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Most event pros conduct awful first meetings with prospective clients. Sorry, but it’s true. Many even skip over the meeting altogether, which is the worst thing you can do to mess up the sales process. Another bad way to start is to do most of the talking. 

Don’t start the meeting out with a pitch about you and your services. You are there to listen and learn, so shut up and...

Getting to know your potential client’s needs is crucial if you want to convert leads at a higher rate. It helps uncover their real needs while you learn what’s important to them in the decision-making process. Perhaps just as importantly, it allows you to develop trust that will become the foundation for them to feel fully comfortable choosing your services over someone...

One of the most important – and overlooked – parts of the sales process is the discovery meeting. More than a fancy sales term, it’s the conversation you have between the initial inquiry and the proposal you send out to a potential client. It’s also the part that most sales people skip over too quickly.

When people ask me how to stop getting ghosted, the first question I...