What will experienced wedding and event planners do to be successful in 2012?

Special Event magazine published the results of their survey of what professionals thought this year would look like for them and what they planned to do to be successful.

Here are 4 of their answers with tips on how you can use their ideas for your wedding planning business:

1) They feel a need to be ready to deliver a lot at a low price

Brides will negotiate with you and other vendors to get the most for their money. In fact, many bridal magazines tell brides to do this. Be prepared, don’t blurt out a low price off the top of your head during a consultation! Decide in advance what services and products you can offer, and what extra services you can add, while still making a profit.

2) They anticipate a huge increase in the gay wedding market

If your state has recently allowed gay marriage, you may have many opportunities to plan gay weddings. If this interests you, take the time to understand the needs and concerns of gay couples so you can serve them well.

3) They plan to form relationships with other event professionals

Don’t underestimate the power of a good vendor network. Get out and meet other event professionals and form relationships that may not only bring you referrals but also professional support when you need it.

4) They plan to market aggressively

They know they can’t get a steady stream of clients without agressively marketing their businesses. This is especially true if you are a new wedding planner. The brides in your niche should see you everywhere, both online and off, and see you as an expert in your niche.

When I speak to new wedding planners, I always ask them if they have a niche, a group of brides they target market, and many of them say they do. But when I look at their marketing, I often don’t see any evidence it. Their marketing is very generic. They basically just list their services, most of which seem like they can be offered by any wedding planner, so we work together at making them stand out.

Here are 3 tips to help you make sure you appeal to the brides in your niche:

1) Create services and products that fill their specific needs

Every niche needs something different from their wedding planner. For example, brides who have established careers and are planning their wedding in their “spare” time have different needs than those who may just be completing school, or from brides who are getting married a second time and already have children. Find the unique wedding planning problems of your brides and create services and products to fill those needs.

2) Communicate the benefits of working with you in their “language” and communication style

Once you know your niche’s problems and needs, speak to them about the benefits of hiring you using the medium that they use. Your brides might like to communicate via Facebook or Twitter, so speak to them there. Or, you may need to get out and join their social and business groups because they prefer hiring people they know personally, or have heard about from friends. Determine what works best and use that marketing channel.

3) Keep your marketing focused and consistent

Brides should know, when they read your marketing, your area of expertise and specialization. If, for example, you specialize in “day of” coordination, your marketing messages should convey your expertise in this area. Your website, blog, and articles should explain the benefits of having a “day of” planner. If you offer a free report on your website, write a list of the most important things a bride needs to do on the “day of.” The last tip, of course, can be to hire you to relieve them of handing these last-minute details.

Many successful wedding planners will tell you they were struggling until they decided to select a niche and target their marketing efforts towards specific brides. So if you have done the research and chosen the niche that you believe will bring you success, take the time to create the services and products that they need and the marketing messages that will tell them that you are the expert who can best help them plan their weddings.

When you attend wedding fairs and bridal shows you can pick up many ideas, not only for planning weddings but also for planning your own booth when you are an exhibitor at a fair or show in the future.

When you become an exhibitor, your main goals will be to attract potential clients to your booth, sign up them up for appointments, and collect contact information so you can market your services to brides after the show is over.

The San Francisco Zoo had a fun way to accomplish these goals at the San Francisco Wedding Fair. They asked brides to provide their contact information for an opportunity to spin their prize wheel (you can rent one at a party rental store or prop house). The wheel had small prizes, such as a nail file and a plush toy, in addition to bigger prizes such as 15% off venue rental and a free ceremony. Because every bride who provided their information would win something, more brides were interested in providing contact inforamtion than booths that offered only one prize. Now the zoo has grown their list of brides they can market to in the future.

The other side of the exhibit booth was a large screen featuring a slide show of photographs of weddings that had been held at the zoo and two staff members who were talking to attendees about the benefits of their venue.

Take a cue from this busy booth and find a creative way to attract brides and have them willingly provide their contact information to you. (Be sure they know you’ll be sending them emails or you’ll be considered a spammer.)

Absolutely do not think you can get clients by renting an exhibit booth and sitting or standing behind a table with a stack of brochures and a small laptop with photos from your weddings. You will not attract many brides this way. Get out from behind the table and engage with attendees. Set up your space in a way that shows off your style. If you need a centerpiece, ask a florist to provide a striking arrangement in exchange for placing a sign in your booth. If you want to show a video or slide presentation on a screen, use a large one that will draw attention from across the aisle.

And you can get more help with exhibiting with my downloadable Action Guide, Exhibiting at Bridal Shows and Wedding Expos. It includes the information you need to market your services successfully and an exhibit-day checklist so you’re prepared on the day of the event.

Wishing you a healthy, prosperous, and successful year

 filled with an abundance of your ideal clients.

Happy New Year!

Sharon

As a wedding planner, the best time of year to meet potential clients is now through Valentine’s Day. Many engagements take place during this time (“engagement season”) and you have the ability to meet these newly engaged couples and their friends and relatives at holiday parties and networking events in December. Also, if you can keep your blog or website up-to-date during this time, the new brides in your area will easily find you when they search the Internet to get wedding planning help.

Unfortunately the holidays can also be filled with personal responsibilities and commitments.You might be considering putting aside working on your business “ for now” because the tasks you want to accomplish, such as building up your website or blog or putting together a marketing piece, seem too daunting.

But don’t put your business aside!

Each day that you delay working on your business leads to you delaying another day and another. Eventually you might not even be motivated to do the work you need to do to have a successful wedding planning business in 2012.

Take your tasks and break them up into small, manageable steps that can be done in 15 minutes a day. In 15 minutes you can do things such as brainstorm new ideas for your website, find and select a photograph or testimonial to use in your marketing, Tweet wedding planning tips that will help brides find and recognize your expertise, or write a list of the benefits of your services that you want to speak about when you meet a potential client.

Completing at least one short task every day will  help you stay connected to your target market and give you the sense of accomplishment you might need to help you stay motivated.

When you’re a wedding planner, some wedding websites, print advertisers, and wedding professionals will add you to their wedding vendor lists for free. It gives you an opportunity to have some extra exposure but be aware that it doesn’t mean it will bring you lots of  business. In fact, there may be a chance that you will end up spending more money than it might bring you.

Here are 5 things to watch for when you are given a opportunity to be on a list for free:

1) Advertisers often list your name then offer you the “opportunity” to add a description and a website link at a “small” additional monthly cost. If you want to consider this, first add up the cost per year and make sure it is what you want to spend on advertising with this particular company. They should be a company that has a lot of success reaching the brides in your niche.

2) Review the names of the other vendors on the list. Are they people you would want to work with and recommend? You don’t want to be on a list with vendors who do not offer the same high-quality services that you do.

3) Is the list really of wedding and event planners and/or wedding professionals? Years ago, without my knowledge, I was listed as a party rental business. I still get calls requesting chairs! If asked, make sure the people who will see and use this list are clear about what you do and have a need for your services.

4) If a staffing agency tells you they will add you to their list, ask if they will charge you or the client any fees when you are hired. You need to know up front if you will have to pay them a percentage of your fees and if they are charging your bride for finding you, you may want to take that into consideration when you set your fees with her.

5) Venues and wedding vendors also have lists and may offer to add you to their lists. If you have worked with them before, they may be a source of good referrals for you and you may want to include them in your vendor network. Just check if they have any expectations of you when you get a referral from them.

Exhibiting in bridal shows, advertising on wedding websites, blogging, posting on social networking sites, and participating in business networking groups are all great ways to market and sell your services.

However there are small things that you can easily do that will make you stand out with brides, and fellow wedding vendors, that will make them want to do business with you:

Here are 5 small things to consider doing:

1) Always be on time

Whether it’s an appointment with a bride, a meeting with another vendor, or a group meeting or event, plan to arrive early, or at least on time. This shows you are organized, reliable and also respect the time of the people you are meeting.

2) After a meeting, write a thank you note and send it in the mail

It’s easy to dash off a quick email after meeting with someone but it takes more effort to sit down, hand write a note, and mail it – so most people never do it. You will stand out from the crowd if you take the time to write a few short sentences telling the person how much you appreciate them for spending time with you.

3) Always dress appropriately

Whether you are meeting with a potential client, a current client, or a business partner, remember that they will notice what you are wearing. Dress in formal business attire or casual business attire, whichever is appropriate, whenever you meet to do business.

4) Remember to be polite

Be well-mannered, and don’t speak ill of anyone else ( nothing is ever,”off the record”). And, of course, refrain from using any words that others might consider inappropriate in a professional business situation.

5) Do what you say you will do

Whether it is calling a bride when you say you will, sending a link to an article you told her she would enjoy, or telling a vendor you would contact them to have coffee, if you have told someone you will do something, keep your word and follow through with your actions.

As a wedding planner, you probably write and follow a lot of “to-do” lists. The October 2011 issue of Inc. magazine suggests that business owners learn the importance of having a list of things you “don’t do” and asked business leaders to share their “don’t do” lists. I’ve selected 4 “don’t do” items that make sense for wedding planners and added some explanations:

1) Don’t meet with a potential client and say, “here’s what I’m selling”

When you meet with a bride, don’t just repeat what is in your brochure and on your website. Listen to her, learn about her wedding, and find out why she wanted to meet with you. You’ve got to get her talking before you can figure out how you can help her and get her to hire you.

2) Don’t close the door if a potential client doesn’t hire you right away

It could be that the timing may be wrong or a bride might not believe she has the money right now. Stay in touch with your her through your ezine or an occasional email or postcard that includes some wedding planning tips so that she remembers you. She may decide to hire you later, or give your name to a friend to is ready to hire a wedding planner.

3) Don’t try to follow everyone’s advice

When you start your wedding planning business, a lot of people are going to give you their opinions and feedback, many of whom have never been in the wedding and event planning business. Some of whom have never even had a business. Listen to experts in your field and do your own research. Then follow what you believe will work for you.

4) Don’t put off evaluating how your business is doing

When your business is up and running, don’t keep doing the same things over and over if they’re not working for you. Take the time to figure out different ways to be successful. For example, if you run ads on wedding websites, take a look at your statistics and see if your investment is really working for you. If it is, you might want to find other sites that can bring you similar success. If it isn’t, you might want to spend more time and money exhibiting at bridal shows, keeping up your blog, or finding new wedding professionals to network with.

To read all of the “don’t do” lists, visit the Inc. magazine website.

Whether or not you are in a formal wedding planner certification program there are subjects you can and should study that will help you be more valuable to brides, and perhaps even help you develop a niche business.

Here are 5 subjects that you can study on your own:

1) Food

You might never be a caterer but the more you know about ethnic food, organic food, vegan selections and the latest food trends, the more you can help your brides when they are working with their caterers. Visit gourmet stores and ethnic supermarkets, try new foods, take time to browse through farmers’ markets, watch the Food Network channel, and take cooking classes.

2) Beverage

Learn about wine, champagne and cocktails. Visit wineries and attend tastings and try some of the mixed drinks. Of course, drink responsibility. If, like me, you don’t drink alcohol, you can still visit wineries, learn from professionals and talk to friends who enjoy their glass of wine and occasional cocktails.

3) Classic Literature

Celebrity wedding planner David Tutera did a “Great Gatsby” themed wedding for a bride. Preston Bailey designed Joan Rivers’ daughter, Melissa’s, wedding with a “Dr. Zhivago” theme. Your brides might want to capture the feeling of a Jane Austen novel or one of Shakespeare’s love stories. If you are well-read, you have the knowledge you need to help brides develop interesting themes and weave details of  them throughout their weddings.

4) Cultures other than your own

You don’t have to belong to a specific ethnic or religious group to help plan a wedding for a bride who belongs to the group, but you do need to study and learn as much as you can about their traditions and customs. Even if you aren’t going to market your services to others, it’s worthwhile to learn about many cultures. You will be able to help brides who want to incorporate a few ideas from other traditions into their weddings to make them unique.

5) International Travel

Many brides today are well-travelled, or they wish to be, and want to incorporate ideas from other countries into their weddings. Although world travel is the best way to learn about another country, you can also learn by reading travel magazines and watching travel programs on television. Check if you can get the Travel Channel in your area.

Continue to learn and always strive to be the best you can be for your clients and yourself.

When I asked a recent bride why she didn’t hire a wedding planner, I was surprised to hear that she had actually met with one but was scared-off when the planner only talked about the weddings she had planned then tried to push the same services on her. She barely had a chance to talk at all. She was afraid she was going to have to have the wedding the planner wanted, not what she wanted. Fearing all wedding planners would be pushy like this, she never even interviewed anyone else.

Don’t scared off potential or current clients by appearing pushy and self-centered.

Here are 5 things you don’t want to do if you want brides to hire you and be happy you are their wedding planner:

1) Don’t ignore the bride’s ideas

One of the most important things you can do at a meeting is listen to a bride tell you about her dream wedding. Based on your experience and creativity, you may well have ideas of your own, but your job is to first find out want she wants.

2) Don’t ignore the bride’s budget

When a bride tells you she only has X amount of money to spend, pay attention. Don’t make her feel bad that she doesn’t have the money to do something bigger. When a bride is your client, find vendors who can work within her budget.

 3) Don’t talk endlessly about yourself

You do need to give the bride information about your background, offer testimonials and give examples of what you have done, but make sure the information you share is relevant to her. And refrain from giving a lot of examples from your own wedding. Brides want to hear about your success planning weddings for brides like her.

4) Don’t just pitch your services and products

After listening to the bride, describe your services in terms of the benefits they would give to her. For example, if she has said she has no idea what to do first, you could tell her you can work with her to create a personalized timeline. Don’t just hand her a list of what you offer and tell her that she needs to hire you.

5) Don’t bully the bride into hiring you

Never belittle the bride and make her feel bad about herself in order to get hired. This is not the way to do business and it will not help you get clients.

Treat every bride with respect, listen carefully, establish yourself as a professional, and offer them the services and products that they need.