The worst of times
If you had met me in the summer of 2010, you would have found me under-booked, underpaid and manically marketing in a desperate attempt to win wedding business. I had to in order to support my two girls and two boys.
It was the worst of times because I didn't have a dependable system that guided brides into my funnel, so enquiries were few and far between, and when they did come, couples price shopped me because I did not know how to articulate my value in a way they understood.
I was stuck in a cycle of being under-booked and underpaid with no idea how to break out. Have you ever felt like that?
Tired of the struggle, I remember sitting in my home office next to the family room wondering:
“Why can't I get booked by high-paying brides and grooms like the successful wedding suppliers?”
I knew until I could answer that question, nothing would change.
I can remember my son Brandon who was 16 at the time leaning against the office wall saying:
“Dad, why don’t you just offer your services to people who will pay more?”
I told him I would if I knew where they were.
“SO WHY DON'T YOU GO AND FIND THEM?!” - Kids can be such smart-Alecs' right? Lol.
With nothing smarter to come back with I replied, "It wasn’t as simple as that." And left it alone.
Brandon went off, probably to antagonise Jordan, his 11-year old brother. But his canny question kept rebounding in my head.
“So why don’t you go and find them?"...
It was years before I uncovered the answer, but little did I know it would change my life and the lives of wedding professionals in 10 countries across 19 different wedding industries.
The best of times
Fast forward 6 years to today and my prices are 8-times higher than many in my industry, yet I'm able to turn away more than 50 UK and destination wedding enquiries each year due to already being booked, and other people send me leads on autopilot while I do other things.
The change-maker
When I think back, I wonder what made the change for me?
There were other wedding professionals more talented than I, with better industry connections, and much more handsome :).
So what was my catalyst for change?
Two things:
- I stopped chasing every bride that moved and focused on booking my avatar.
- I learned how to position myself in a way that I was not seen as expensive to brides, instead as essential to the success of their wedding.
How this helps you
High-paying brides and grooms are motivated to book through '5 Buying Triggers'. When you identify and employ and all 5 through your USPs and marketing, you will be on your way to creating a want for your signature wedding experience that makes getting booked by your avatar predictable and inevitable. And this is just one of the frameworks you will learn on my free training: 'WEDDING MARKETING THAT INSPIRES BRIDES TO BOOK'. Click the button below to watch it.
Photo credits;
www.johnnassari.co.uk
www.ambassadorhotelsantorini.com
www.mitheoevents.com