In recent few weeks, I’ve given a great deal of thought to the dynamics of the wedding industry. Here are just five that came to mind.

One can like or dislike any item on the shortlist. With a little thought, the list could grow by 10 or 20.

If you want to be on a preferred vendor list in Las Vegas, building a great relationship with the Director of Catering is a nice thing, but that person doesn’t make the decision. The discussion and final decision is typically made a couple of levels higher up, by a regional manager for several of a company’s hotels.

Reality Check: Things are as they are. not as you would like them to be. Instead of taking on the massive task of changing an entire industry, why not just become a force in your sphere of influence?

Everyone  has been told by a parent that ‘Life is not fair.’ When you’re a business owner or manager, it’s annoying to remind you of a conversation you had with one or more parents, decades ago. But it’s important.

Changing an industry, or one slice of an industry is like getting an elephant to roll over.

If you are not one of the absolute business leaders in your segment of the wedding industry, then all the annoying unfairness applies to your business, too. You can complain about the referral food chain, commissions and kick backs, or uninformed brides. Doesn’t make a damn bit of difference.

Actually, you don’t have to change the whole industry, just your immediate wedding world. Make your business the absolute best it can be, build and renew rock solid relationships with more people in all walks of the wedding industry, tighten up and focus your marketing, and then stand back.

This should not be a news flash, but somehow, when you’re feeling overwhelmed, it is important to press the pause button, and look around. It’s not 10 or 20 years ago, it’s today. In the words of the great baseball player, Satchel Paige, “Don’t look back, something might be gaining on you.”

Go get ‘em!!

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Blog

written by Andy Ebon

To be memorable, be clear and concise

If you have been in any organization or networking group, you’ve been asked to voice your 30-second commercial or elevator speech. Those critical few seconds determine what other people remember about you.

Recently, while working with a small group of business leaders, we worked on the 30-second commercial. I was genuinely surprised at the look of panic on some people’s faces when asked to do a brief self-introduction. It’s well documented that more people fear public speaking than death. Looking around the room, that was clear.

After everyone did a self-introduction, we examined the disconnect between what one says and what people hear, and then further worked on the necessary precision for self-introductions.

Key elements of our discussion included these tips on what works and what doesn’t.

Start and end with your name, title, and company. Use your title, only if it clearly expresses what you do. Avoid first person, singular or plural, whenever possible (I or we). Ideally you should be talking about your company, as a separate entity from yourself. If you’re a micro-business of one, you can use first person. Don’t give a laundry list of everything you do. If you are in a wedding networking situation, stay focused on weddings. If you are in a convention situation, focus on corporate and convention services. Pare it down even further by not listing all your possible upgrades. Concentrate on the services that you are asked for most often (80/20 rule applies). Define your market area, clearly. Each market has its own unique boundaries, bridges and natural divisions. If you have elected to work within a specific portion of a Greater Tibuktu, state it. Smile! A purposeful smile puts warmth and authenticity into your voice. When one gives a deadpan delivery, the message comes across board and disinterested, as though your self-introduction is something you just-want-to-get-through. Look people in the eye. Even in a short segment, one can engage two or three people directly, for connection. If it looks like your speaking to the light features, the connection will not be there. Why do people hire or refer you? If there is one standout comment you hear, frequently from client feedback, feature it (if you can fit it in). “Most often, customers ask for the Chocolate Heart Attack, made with 11 varieties of chocolate.” or “Venue managers say that our disc jockeys are well prepared and always work as team players on events.” Rehearsed, but not memorized. Just like putting a fresh announcement on  your voice mail, your self-introduction should flow, with ease. As you wordsmith your 30-second commercial, put it in writing. When you see the words, it’s typically easier to cut away the fat. After you’ve trimmed it, rehearse until you are able to do it off-the-cuff. If you’ve mastered the introduction, it will never be phrased exactly the same, two times in a row. It will always sound fresh. If it sounds memorized, your words will lack sincerity.

Let me give you an example:

“I’m Andy Ebon, The Wedding Marketing Authority; writer and publisher of The Wedding Marketing Blog-dot-com. I assist wedding industry businesses connect with the bride, more effectively through seminars and presentations and my blog, as well as business and marketing coaching. Andy Ebon, The Wedding Marketing Authority.”

Alternate Version

“I’m Andy Ebon, The Wedding Marketing Authority. I’m a public speaker, trainer, and educator of wedding industry businesses. I help wedding industry business connect with today’s bride through business and marketing coaching, as well as my blog, cleverly titled: The Wedding Marketing Blog -dot-com. Andy Ebon, The Wedding Marketing Authority.”

I could go on… but I won’t… for now. At some point I’ll publish a Part 2. For the moment, see what you can do to improve your 30-second commercial. If you find any tips, particularly helpful, please comment.

And remember, if you can’t clearly express what is you do, and who it is you serve, how can you expect other people to make really good referrals.

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Authority

written by Andy Ebon \\ tags: 30-second commercial, Andy Ebon, concise, elevator speech, impactful, networking, organization, public speaking, Wedding Marketing Authority

I only have $500. Will you take it?

A couple of days ago, I posted an item about the differences between money (price), value, budget and result. It generated lots of traffic, a comment or two, and plenty of direct email.

It also caused me to consider the phrase, ‘budget bride.’ Along with DIY Bride, these are two of the most annoying and poorly used descriptors in the wedding industry. To a great degree, I lay that at the feet of my friends in mass media for the wedding industry. Mass media tends to be a popularization tool as much as an information source. If you repeat a phrase, such as ‘budget bride,’ often enough, it becomes part of the wedding lexicon, for better for worse.

The problem with these phrases is they paint the bride’s resources with the grayest of brush strokes. So, at the risk of being more precise, I’ll break it down from my experience.

A budget is not:

A budget is:

A line budget item is not:

A budget is:

Budget does not necessarily mean low budget. A budget can be…

The Wedding Report publishes ongoing data about spending in the wedding industry. It consistently reports that brides spend close to 50% more than they had budgeted for the wedding, with an average wedding expense running  just under $30,000. This shows a major discrepancy between the original money allotted, from reality of their desires.

I would assert the reason for this is that their original money allotment was not a budget at all. It was dart throwing at a bank book.

Here’s the challenge from every wedding professional, wedding media outlet, and industry trade association:

The naked truth about satisfaction vs. money spent: When a wedding day is over, either the bride and groom are happy with a particular product or service or they are not. A vendor is not wearing a price tag around their neck. There is not a dollar cost at your place card, showing the price of each dinner. There is not a little flag in your slice of cake, showing its cost plus a cake cutting fee.

In retrospect, most wedding couples can point out decisions they made, that were off-the-mark. There are hundreds of decisions, big and small, involved in a wedding. Amazingly enough, it only takes one or two really bad decisions to create an unhappy outcome. And, amazingly enough, a really bad decision is often not related to money.

It would be outstanding if all wedding industry professionals would embrace educating the bride to realistic and exciting expectations, rather than than just fanning the flames of fairy tale dreams. It is true that if the wedding budget is spent disproportionately, bad things usually happen.

A bride with $12,000 to spend, should be able to experience as much happiness on her wedding day as one with $50,000. But that supposes she has enough information, common sense, and critical thinking to make consistently good decisions, and then does so.

Come to think of it, that’s a pretty good operational mission statement for the wedding industry.

Don’t you agree?

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing

written by Andy Ebon \\ tags: Andy Ebon, bridezilla, budgeing, budget bride, DIY Bride, luxury, wedding industry, wedding marketing blog, wedding planning