Not Michael James Slattery

In the last month, industry ethical and business industry issues have been front and center on The Wedding Marketing Blog. There have have been a number of posts related to Bella Pictures, its overall business model, changing personnel at the top level of the company, questionable public relations, bad bridal advice, and philisophical differences in their leadership ranks.

Today, former Bella Pictures photographer, Michael James Slattery, launched a blog lambasting the company. Slattery did not just arrive on the scene. He has shot over 500 wedding events for Bella Pictures; first as a contracted freelancer, then as an employee.

The change in his relationship with Bella Pictures begin in April 2008 when George White, co-founder, VP Photography was replaced by Tahra Makinson-Sanders. Suffice it to say, the relationship between Makinson-Sanders and Slattery became frosty, over time, resulting in his termination about a week ago.

Comment: The curious issue for me is how a veteran of 500 wedding events could suddenly become so easily discarded. You’ll find his emails to be both angry and aggressive. His tone reached this level in emails, essentially because he could found no satisfaction in phone calls. It is his belief that he was not getting straight answers or explanations, and. well….. he went off.

Draw your own conclusions by reading Slattery’s blog which posts his overview and an extensive exchange of emails.

Why I’m still interested in this issue:

Please read Slattery’s blog post, and post your comments here.

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Blog

written by Andy Ebon \\ tags: Andy Ebon, Bella Pictures, bridal advice, Jenny Lefcourt, Michael James Slattery, propaganda, Public Relations, Tahra Makinson-Sanders, Wedding Marketing Authority

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

About a week ago, I posted the item: How to benefit from fewer: Email subscriptions, connections, friends, and followers. It dealt with idea of diminishing the clutter of unnecessary information and dormant relationships.

If you’ve begun the effort to prune the excess, you should consider the greatest by-product of that task: Rediscovery

Face it, we’re in a warp-speed world. People move through jobs, and make career changes at an incredibly rapid pace. We’re a mobile society. Business contacts not only change jobs, they transfer to new locations. Friends have kids. All of it seems to happen in the blink of an eye.

Reflexively, it appears that one gets most excited about making new connections. Emotionally, it’s view much the same as making a sale to a new client. Too often, the excitement subsides quickly, and these connections fall into dormancy.

As you moving through your pruning process, you might experience a  few thoughts, such as these.

There will be many variations on the same theme. Now act on those thoughts.

Email is fine as a starter, but if you really want to revive a relationship, get on the phone. If the person (friend or business) is local, go get breakfast, meet for coffee or have lunch.

Don’t think forward about ‘business possibilities.’ Just reconnect. Friends often becomes business contacts and vice-versa. One thing is certainly true: Past clients can often become clients, again. And quickly.

Then, institute a maintenance program for all your relationships. Develop a plan for ’staying in touch.’

Time flies… Staying in touch is good for all kinds of relationships.

It’s good for the soul.

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Authority

written by Andy Ebon \\ tags: Andy Ebon, business contacts, connections, personal PR, Relationship Marketing, Wedding Marketing Authority