On the 4th of July (Independence Day), many Americans think of  Baseball, Hot Dogs, and Apple Pie. They have barbecues, set off fireworks, and consume large amounts of beer. I think of the good fortune of United States citizenship.

I didn’t have to acquire mine. I had the good fortune of being born in New York City. My parents, on the other hand, both made the trip from Europe.

My dad, Martin Ebon, made the edgy move from Hamburg, Germany in 1938, moving the rest of his immediate family, shortly there after. My mother, Koutsie Ebon, met my dad in her native Athens, Greece, in 1948. They married in 1949, and returned with him to New York City.

Both of them became naturalized citizens the old fashioned way. They came here legally, applied for citizenship, and completed the process. From a very early age, through high school, I traveled with them, over much of Europe. I came to believe that many people born into United States citizenship didn’t have a full appreciation of the good fortune of being born here.

Over time, I have come to appreciate both the variety of cultures and countries around the world, and the regional individuality of states and cities across the United States. I have only South Dakota to visit to complete my travel to all fifty states.

Enjoy today and if you are a United States citizen, pause awhile to think about how lucky we are.

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Blog

written by Andy Ebon \\ tags: 4th of July, Andy Ebon, apple pie, baseball, citizenship, hot dogs, Koutsie Ebon, Martin Ebon, United States, Wedding Marketing Authority

Say no to lowering your standards

When I think of standards, I think of  how cleanliness is maintained at a Disney Theme Park. The grounds are spotless. If someone drops a candy wrapper or any piece of trash, it is swept away in moments by a Disney crew member. They appear to be everywhere. Of course, keeping the grounds spotless tended to minimize how many people would carelessly drop trash.

I think of Ray Ford. He was the entertainment wizard at Bobby McGees Conglomeration, a chain of  extremely successful restaurant-discos in the 70’s and early 80’s. In 1986, both Ray and I were speaking at the Nightclub and Bar Conference in Las Vegas. I attended a seminar Ray presented. One particular statement he made has stayed with me, all these years. “If something in your business is broken and affects the guest or if the guest can see it, get it repaired or fix the problem, without delay.”

Ray would go on to give examples:

In your business, what is or is not, open for compromise?

I’ll give you one of mine, from my years as mobile disc jockey. In every situation, our company would be set up, road cases put away, cables neatly taped down, sound check performed, changed into formal wear, and in the wedding reception room, 30 minutes before the doors opened. Period! Not negotiable. Nada.

Under no circumstances would we allow a scenario where we would set up during cocktail or dinner hour. It did not matter whether the client was trying to save money by skipping cocktail and dinner music or they had hired a classical trio for those two hours.

One would think the reasons are obvious. They are probably obvious to you, as a wedding professional. However, more frequently than I care to remember, I had to softly work through the explanation of the absolute necessity of being set up in a timely manner.

If a prospective customer indicated that another company was willing to make that compromise, I would flat out tell them that they should run in the other direction. The issue was not money, for me. The issue was simple: Only an unprofessional slob would roll in equipment, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, while guests arrived in their wedding finest. At my company we respect the client, guests, and the entire event.

I don’t remember losing any jobs due to me intransigence on this issue. I do recall having to explain the reasons for timely (I didn’t consider it  early) set up and the necessity to pay my staff for those two hours.

Did I ever compromise on this issue. Only occasionally, and only on the money. I may have reduced the fee for those two hours or rarely, thrown in that time for no charge.

Sometimes a prospective client just follows your lead. Other times they need to understand why. Often, that can happen in the context of conflicting information from various sources.

It’s up to you to communicate that your standards exist for their benefit. Explain the factors, clearly, and the client will see it through your eyes.

Now, I ask you. In this challenging economy, what have clients been asking you to compromise on? And where are you compromising?

Are you compromising on dollars? Are you adding demonstrable value in services?

Whatever you do, don’t compromise your standards? Before you know it, you won’t be worth a nickel. On the flips side, if you firmly, rationally provide service with high standards, people will notice the difference between your company and others.

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Authority

written by Andy Ebon \\ tags: Andy Ebon, Bobby McGee's Conglomeration, compromising standards, Disney, quality, Wedding Marketing Authority, wedding reception

I first met Sam Day (Wedding Painter) online. He contacted me through LinkedIn to be a part of my Wedding Marketing Network on LinkedIn. He became part of that group and I took a look at his website.

Sam has an unusual skill. The ability to pain a wedding reception, live, in oil. It inspired me to write a post about him on September 29th. The last line of my post proved prophetic: “When someone asks you for something ‘new, cool or different’ for their reception, send them to Sam. There’s photography, videography, and then there’s Sam Day. He may be based in Seattle, but I’m sure you can fly him wherever the big event may be taking place.”

Fast forward: A couple of weeks ago, my friend and wedding consultant, Juliet Douglas (Green Orchid Events) had a last minute client request for an unusual service for a wedding at Reflection Bay, Lake Las Vegas. She needed someone to paint a wedding, live, so she posted a request for a referral onto Facebook. Within minutes, one person made a suggestion. Within the first ten minutes, I chimed, emphatically recommending Sam. I sent Juliet and Sam an email, introducing them to each other. A few days later Juliet let me know that the client had hired Sam. The event was last Saturday and I spoke to Juliet last night at a Las Vegas NACE meeting. I asked her how it went, and she gave me two thumbs up.

Two thumbs up, not only because his artistry was great, but because for the first time, ever, Sam painted both a wedding and reception.

I spoke with Sam, prior to the event, and unfortunately, our schedules didn’t match up to meet face-to-face. Nevertheless, I was excited about having made a qualified referral of a great talent to an excellent local wedding consultant, all made possible by Online Social Media.

All too often, people ask about the specific ROI (Return On Investment) from Online Social Media. I prefer to talk about is impact. I assert that when one has a quality online presence, with clear goals and strategy, connections and referrals occur, and the cash register rings.

Here are samples of Sam’s brilliant work on Saturday, June 6, 2009.

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Authority

written by Andy Ebon \\ tags: Andy Ebon, Green Orchid Events, Juliet Douglas, Sam Day, Wedding Marketing Authority, wedding painter