Why Advertising Fails

There are many reasons advertising fails, but I believe one of the biggest reasons is because it's not purchased correctly in the first place.

Quite often, a wedding professional will hear about an advertising opportunity and the first question they ask is, "How much does it cost?" While I understand price is a consideration, I believe that being concerned about price before all else is one of the major reasons most advertising fails.

It's even more perplexing when wedding professionals focus on price because I've had many lament the fact that the first question a bride will ask is about price. They want the bride to focus on quality, or experience and they find it frustrating that the first question she asks is, "How much?"   Yet, they do the same thing when they’re presented an advertising opportunity.

We know that statistically speaking 74% of brides have never planned a wedding before, so it’s a bit more understandable that a bride would focus on price first. The average bride can’t compare the difference between a photographer with 20 years experience and professional equipment to the Craigslist amateur just starting unless it’s explained. However, for business owners that invest in advertising all the time it’s a bit more disconcerting. Just today I saw a Facebook post where a photographer took offense that a bride asked if he could do a ton of work for half his normal rate. He was mad that she didn’t realize his value, but how could she unless it’s explained to her? Or the professional DJ's who complain that the bride decided to use an amateur from Craigslist or a relative with an iPod.  The bride decided to save money and the DJ’s upset she isn’t using a professional, yet that same DJ will design their own literature, create their own website and do things for their business that are better suited for professionals.

Most of the DJ’s I’ve met are not website or literature designers, yet they want to save money so they do it themselves. They view the cost of creating literature and a website as an expense. The truth is, having a professionally designed website or sales literature is an income generator not an expense. Yet many business owners are comfortable cutting corners.

Joining other wedding professionals in a mad dash to the lowest price bridal shows has negatively affected the bridal show market across the country. From 1980 to 1999 we produced a series of shows called California Bridal Expos. By early 1990, we were generating 3800 brides and 13,000 people at our two-day events. Our flagship show was at the Disneyland Hotel and featured over 200 wedding professionals who invested $1350 for a booth in the show. The number of bridal leads participants received always overwhelmed the wedding professionals who attended the show. Our policy was to always strive to under promise and over deliver. There is a long list of wedding pros that started with us in the 1980’s, as small single operator business and grew to major wedding businesses based on their show success at the California Bridal Expos.

About 1992, the bottom dwellers started to appear. A show at a local athletic club popped up and their biggest claim to fame was booths that required a $400 investment. They only drew a couple hundred brides but it didn’t matter. Many wedding professionals focused on price and $400 was less than $1350.  Before you knew it there were three promoters producing six shows, then six prompters hosting twelve shows, and then fifteen producers trying to host sixty shows. Within a year or two, Southern California area had five shows every weekend all year round and the bridal show market in Southern California became challenging for quality wedding professionals.

Today, you can rent booths in some Southern California bridal shows for as little as $150 but the old cliché, “You get what you pay for” rings true. This same scenario has repeated itself across the nation. Wedding professionals’ keep focusing on price, not value and it’s had a very strong impact on their business. Now, in Southern California you may have to have a booth in six shows at $400 each just to see 1500 brides face-to-face and of course you have the time commitment of six shows.

We would not let the golden goose - the Disneyland Show - die a slow painful death or become anything less than perfect. We stopped producing the event in 1999.  Competitors jumped in and attempted to recreate the Disney magic but their commitment to dollars first, quality second showed. Since 2000, there hasn’t been a quality bridal show in the best place on earth to have one, the Magic Kingdom.

Advertising Focus

If it’s wrong to focus on price when buying advertising, what should you focus on?

I suggest, "How much business will this bring me?" or “What type of opportunity does this advertising offer?” 

After all, the reason we buy advertising is to increase sales, correct? We invest our dollars in exchange for an opportunity to have qualified people see our advertising and respond.

We invest in advertising to have qualified people see our message and respond, yet we sabotage ourselves by not analyzing the opportunity that each advertising medium provides. There are some advertising opportunities that give a faster ROI than others.

PUSH vs. PULL

First we need to understand that there are only two ways to advertise, and almost all advertising fits into these two categories. The categories are PUSH and PULL.

Push advertising is any form of advertising where you broadcast your message and wait for a response. You have no control over the message or experience once it’s sent and you must wait for a response. Push advertising is the most common form of advertising. A message is crafted and then released to the world.  Magazines, radio, television, social media posts, direct mail pieces and brochures are all forms of push advertising.

Pull advertising is any form of advertising where you meet the prospect one-on-one. You completely control the message and the experience as it’s being delivered. Pull advertising is less common but by far, when done properly, will offer the fastest ROI.  Bridal shows, mixers and networking events are all forms of pull advertising.

The reason pull advertising is superior to push advertising is because you have the one-on-one experience with the prospect. A magazine may offer many hundreds of times more “impressions” of your message, but one-on-one always gives you the best opportunity to secure the sale. You don’t have to call, email or reach out to the prospect because you are standing in front of them face-to-face.  Pull advertising equals huge opportunity.

I sometimes receive questions about Bridal Shows. If “pull” advertising is so good, how come I didn’t book any business from the last show?

The answer is easy and it’s a bit like saying, “I had a car that I didn’t ever maintain. I didn’t change the oil. I didn’t clean it out and I ran the engine at 150% of capacity whenever I could, and it died after just 25,000 miles.  I’ll never buy that brand again… The truth is, you screwed it up. You did the wrong things in the wrong ways and you destroyed a good car.  It’s not the car manufacturers fault.

It’s the same for most wedding magazines. We know that over 95% of all brides buy a wedding magazine yet many wedding professionals report that they invested in a magazine add with little or no response. So the question is, if 95% of your brides buy a wedding publication and you have an advertisement in the publication, doesn’t it make sense that you would receive some response?

Every time I teach a Bridal Business Boot Camp I ask the attendees if they have ever purchased magazine advertising and not received the response they expected. At virtually every Boot Camp there are a ton of hands that shoot up and people tell me about magazine advertising that didn’t work for them. They typically say things like:

• ·      I didn’t get any calls
• ·      I don’t think the publisher distributed enough copies
• ·      There were to many competitors
• ·      The brides are only shopping for price

And while these are all real concerns, I believe the reason your magazine advertising doesn’t work is much simpler to understand. The reason most magazine advertising doesn’t work for wedding professionals is that their ads are just bad. They are horribly produced, horribly laid out and sell the wrong thing. The add looks like every other add. It says the same thing as every other add and it typically features a link to a website that the bride soon discovers is as bad as the magazine add.

It’s pretty much the same for bridal shows. You don’t get the response you expected because you screwed up and did the wrong thing. I’ll bet you took a beautiful opportunity for face-to-face interaction (pull) and replaced it with a brochure you stuck in their hand (push) and then made some type of vow, commitment, and promise to reach out to them later.

That’s a huge FAIL. In a future post I’ll explain why your bridal show and magazine experience failed. I’ll bet we can fix both and help you book a ton of wedding.

We All Struggle To Get Our Message Out

Let me give you an example of an advertising struggle we have everyday:  

We have mixers with wedding planners that we call Bridal Business Academies. I'm not going to go into the details because I want to stay focused on why your advertising fails, but as way of example, here are a few features of our Bridal Business Academies.

•    Hundreds of wedding planners apply to attend free training.

•    We bring in top-notch trainers and provide training, free lunch and a mixer.

•    We typically have over 150 planner applications for the 60 available spots.

•    At the mixer 50 wedding professionals reserve tables and meet the planners

Understanding that 72% of all high-end brides have wedding planners, it's not much of a stretch to think that if I'm a wedding photographer and I meet and get to know 60 high-end wedding planners, I'm going to book some business.

The truth is if I'm a wedding photographer and I knew 60 wedding planners at ANY LEVEL, I’ll book some business. 

We also know that:

•    Wedding planners NEVER refer to people they don't know.

•    Wedding Planners NEVER refer to people they don't trust.

•    Access to the high-end bride almost ALWAYS comes from a qualified planner.

So, in short, meeting and getting to know 60 quality-wedding planners is a very good thing and for the most part is a “no brainer I should always want to do.”

As a wedding professional, there’s simply no good reason that I would not want to have an ongoing relationship with great wedding planners.

When we announce that we are hosting a Bridal Business Academy and solicit for wedding professionals, we receive hundreds of inquires from wedding professionals asking how they can participate AND one of the first questions they always ask is, "How Much?"

The problem is, they completely focus on the money and many miss the OPORTUNITY.  They have an opportunity to meet 60 Wedding Planners. They have the opportunity to book a ton of business. If I’m going to get 10 – 20 weddings from one source of advertising does it matter if the investment is $800 or $1800? Of course it doesn’t!

Let's think this through. I want to give you a hypothetical situation: 

I'm a wedding photographer with an average wedding package of $3800 and a high-end package of $8500. I participate in an $800 bridal show.

At the show I meet 500 brides and because I bought Chris Evans book "How to Double Your Business In 12 Months", (Kings Hill Publishing on Amazon – shameless plug) and I do everything correctly, I book 35 visits with brides and ultimately sell 26 weddings at an average of $3800.  

I understand, if you booked 26 wedding from a single show you would have heart palpitations but this is my hypothetical so let's use really high numbers and make the show a killer success.

500 brides / 35 Visits / 26 Bookings - 26 x $3800 = $98,800 gross.

$800 Investment = 1235% ROI. 

Bottom line, invest $800 and make $98,800

Now let's compare a Bridal Show against a Bridal Business Academy

I meet 60 planners but I only hit it off with 16.  Over the next year each planner ends up booking me for 1 wedding but because the bride has more money, I sell my $8500 package.

16 brides / 16 Bookings - 16 x $8500 = $136,000 gross.

$525 Investment = %2590 ROI.

Bottom line, invest $525 and make $136,000

Or we can look at Failure.

I only meet one planner and I only book one wedding and it's my lowest end package.

1 Bride / 1 Booking - 1x $3800 = $3800 gross.

$525 Investment = 732% ROI.

Bottom line, invest $525 and make $3800

Even with failure, I'm getting my investment back over seven times!

I understand that the average wedding professional doesn’t book $98,000 in business off a bridal show but the truth is, you should.  Don’t let the simple fact that most wedding professionals do the wrong thing; in the wrong way taint your opinion about the value of face-to-face communication with the brides at a bridal show. Even with multiple shows in each markets face-to-face communication offers incredible opportunity for a great ROI.

In Los Angeles we had a wedding professional that owned a chain of tuxedo shops.  Exhibitors would walk in the door of the show and always be amazed that he bought six booths at the front of every show. He had a staff of 12 people all highly trained and ready to go. He spent thousands of dollars on his display and across all our shows he invested about $58,000 in booth rental every season. The other exhibitors would say, “Look at that, he has so much money he can buy six booths up front.” 

But if you asked him he would say, “The reason I have so much money is because I buy six booths up front and staff the booth with a trained staff.” You never found him at Kinko’s at 3am making copies because the show he registered for 8 months ago some how snuck up on him.

There were many formalwear companies that exhibited at the bridal shows but there was only one that you had to pass on the way in and the way out. He had a great display and a full staff and while he invested many times what his competitors did, he made far more sales than all his competitors combined. He always knew the opportunity for success at every event and had a plan to maximize it!

When it comes to advertising many wedding professionals make three basic mistakes.

1. They focus on the investment, not the opportunity
2. They don’t follow-up and follow-through and make it great
3. They follow the pack and do not lead.

I think we’ve done a fairly good job of discussing having the wrong focus of your advertising so let’s discuss poor follow-up and follow-through.

Poor follow-up and follow-through is an epidemic in the wedding industry. Sometimes reaching a wedding professional can be the hardest part of a bride’s day. Having worked in this industry for over 30 years I can say that getting wedding professionals to talk on the phone is one of the hardest things we do. I challenge you to take any list of more than 25 wedding professionals whom you do not know and do a test. Sit down some morning and call every wedding professional on the list. I will bet that 99% of the time you get an answering machine and unless you leave a message like, “Hi I’m Susan, I have $500 and I want to hand it to you,” you won’t get a call back.

If you have your business line ringing through to your cell phone and you can’t answer the phone because little Tommy is throwing a fit, at least call back within an hour or so!  Every call is an OPPORTUNITY for your business. You may not want to avail yourself of the opportunity but how do you know until you call back? You’re not going to close every bride that phones you but the truth is, you’ve invested money in advertising but if you don’t answer your phone, you’ve wasted your money.

The same goes for email and calling out to the bride.  We routinely send emails to wedding professionals and quite often we receive a return email from some spam guard company they have signed up with that requires us to submit a CAPTCH form and prove we are human.

Typically the message is something like, “Hi, I’m protecting myself from spam so please resubmit your information.”  REALLY, you think a bride is going to chase you down to get information? I think it’s more likely she will simply contact one of the other 350 florists on The Knott? You’ve spent money to get the bride to contact you, you should be available.

Did you know that the average bride makes a buying decision after seven contacts yet the average wedding professional stops following up after two contacts? That’s a statistical fact and if you want to know the wedding professionals who are following up more than twice, simply look for the busiest wedding professionals in your market.

It’s also time to stop worrying about what everyone else in your networking club says and do what’s best for your business. We continually work with wedding professionals who are part of a group or association and they want to have their advertising the same as some of their friends. The only issue is their friends are broke all the time and their advertising doesn’t work either!

I once worked with a wedding reception facility that invested a significant sum of money with us and we revamped her literature, presentation, webpage and marketing plan. The number of brides who called in each week went from 3 or 4 to 15 – 20 within a few months. She booked over 20 weddings in 90 days once her advertising took hold. Then she went to a NACE meeting and another facility owner in her group criticized her new look and said he didn’t think it was professional enough. She immediately came back from the meeting and cancelled the service. Within a few days she had the old web page posted. Within a few months she was back at the same spot she was when we started. To her, the opinion of a respected competitor was more important than growing her business. It didn’t make sense to me but we honored her wishes.

You can’t follow the pack and have more success than everyone else.

The fact is I’ll bet you can think of a competitor who’s successful and when you truly think about what they do to be successful, you will find several things they do that others don’t. It’s just the way it is. Leaders do not follow a pack - they lead it. You need to be a leader in your advertising.

Advertising Must Generate Face-To-Face Visits

The first step we need to take to start advertising correctly is to understand that we must see brides face-to-face. Now I know, there’s always a small minority of wedding pros who handle destination weddings or book online. If that’s you, God Bless You. Keep at it. Don’t change a thing. Don’t send me an email complaining…

For the other 99.8% of wedding professionals who need to meet the bride to book a wedding, your advertising and promotion MUST focus on generating visits, not selling your product. Once you have the visit, you can sell the product.

Your advertising must sell the opportunity to make their wedding dreams come true by meeting with you. It’s just that simple. It’s a bit like my latest Book “How To Turn Likes Into Sales.” (Kings Hill Publishing / Amazon)  Tons of people are furiously working to get as many likes or friends as they possible can but at the end of the day if you have 10000 friends/fans/likes and I have 5 customers, guess who has more money in the bank?

While the world goes crazy for likes on Facebook, the successful wedding professional stays focused on meeting potential customers face-to-face and telling their story. That’s why we feel the Bridal Business Academy is so great. Wedding Professionals meet 60 qualified planners face-to-face and have an opportunity to build a relationship!

How Do You Fix Your Advertising?

The fastest way to fix your advertising is to understand that; face-to-face advertising (pull) ALWAYS generates the best ROI. 92% of all brides know - and have met, EVERYONE that’s providing services for their wedding. We are in a face-to-face, belly-to-belly business as explained earlier, bridal shows, mixers and networking events will always generate the best response - if you work them properly.

To a certain extent, advertising is a state of mind but it must be based on a solid foundation of real opportunity!

Do you want your advertising to excel? Simply invest in advertising that puts you face-to-face with the people who can use your service.

• ·      If your website doesn’t deliver a solid stream of leads EVERY week.
• ·      If your advertising doesn’t deliver a solid stream of leads EVERY week.
• ·      If your phone doesn’t ring with new prospects EVERYDAY.

It’s time to change your advertising so you’re not just spending money but investing in opportunities that generate face-to-face, belly-to-belly contacts with the people who need your service.

Your advertising needs to sell the visit, not the product and you have to build a solid network of quality professionals who will refer you and you can refer. When an advertising opportunity presents itself, look at the potential business it will bring. Analyze the realistic response you can achieve and decide if it fits your mission, goals and message. Then, if you have positive response for those key factors, go ahead; take a look at the price…

Chris Evans

PS.  - Is there any reason you shouldn’t jump at the opportunity to be one of 50 people in your market who can invest in advertising that puts you in front of 60 qualified planners? One-on-one relationships with high-end planners can make your business rock!

Don’t wait, call us NOW at 805-852-5384 or email Chris at chrisevansint@me.com

www.BridalBusinessAcademy.com

Highlights from the 2013 Idea Factory | Event Solutions

Hundreds of event professionals from around the world flocked to Las Vegas this month for a week full of learning, discovering, networking, and fun!
The 2013 Idea Factory was packed full of new ideas, fresh trends, business lessons, exciting events, and networking with event pros from around the world. From the dozens of sessions at the Mirage Hotel to the thousands of products on the Expo floor, the show set to rejuvenate and prepare attendees for the year ahead in the industry.
Here are highlights from the week’s events!
Sunday

• Advisory Board members Lenny Talarico and Laura Schwartz, and SEARCH Foundation chairman Rick Turner welcomed attendees to another exciting year at the Idea Factory before inviting David Tutera to the stage to welcome our keynote speaker, Dina Manzo. Dina enlightened attendees with stories of her journey in the event industry and the lessons she has learned along the way. “You need to use both sides of your brain (Right for creative design; Left for logical decision-making) and your heart to excel in your designs,” says Dina. “By bringing meaning to the events you produce and inspiring your clients, you will stand out”. Joined by her assistant Luke, the two lightened the environment with back and forth banter, helpful suggestions and highlights from successful past events.

• Platinum show sponsor CORT Event Furnishings introduced their new line of “Into the Wild” products at the Idea Factory, providing furniture for the Attendee Lounge. The lounge was turned into an exciting jungle themed event on Sunday night, complete with champagne, industry professionals, and even a live snake! Dina Manzo entered the party for a book signing and was quickly joined by fellow Lovegevity Wedding Planning Institute instructors Cho Philips, Richard Hallmarq, of Project Runway, and Naima Mora, of America’s Next Top Model.

• After the festivities in the Attendee Lounge subsided, attendees headed out to the Mirage Pool for the annual Welcome Reception. Event Solutions attendees gathered in the warm Vegas weather to meet and network with the Advisory Board and other event professionals before heading in to prepare for the days ahead.

Monday


• The biggest day of education (with wedding & event business expert Chris Evans) taught us about sales techniques, setting price structures, creating large scale events, collaborating with suppliers, building amazing centerpieces, décor trends and much more!
Hundreds of event professionals from around the world flocked to Las Vegas this month for a week full of learning, discovering, networking, and fun!
The 2013 Idea Factory was packed full of new ideas, fresh trends, business lessons, exciting events, and networking with event pros from around the world. From the dozens of sessions at the Mirage Hotel to the thousands of products on the Expo floor, the show set to rejuvenate and prepare attendees for the year ahead in the industry.
• After the festivities in the Attendee Lounge subsided, attendees headed out to the Mirage Pool for the annual Welcome Reception. Event Solutions attendees gathered in the warm Vegas weather to meet and network with the Advisory Board and other event professionals before heading in to prepare for the days ahead.
Tuesday

• The first day of the 2-day Expo invited attendees to wander the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center to discover hundreds of suppliers with thousands of new ideas and products on display. View products from the show floor here

• The highly-anticipated AFR Design Challenge put industry icon Lenny Talarico against rising star Jessica Ziedler for a fast-paced design challenge in front of a live audience on the show floor. The final creative designs were judged by attendees throughout the tradeshow. The competition was steep, but this year’s award went to newcomer Jessica Ziedler with her beautiful Green and Black Zebra Print concept!
• A year of hard work culminated in one exciting event for the entire industry as attendees gathered to celebrate the Event Solutions Spotlight Awards at the Tapis Rouge event. To see more from the event click here.
Wednesday
• Celebrity planner David Tutera returned to the Expo floor on Wednesday to judge the Tabletop Contest. With the coveted Tutera’s Pick award up for grabs, David interviewed each contestant to decide which display would walk away with this year’s votes.

• After the Expo doors closed, attendees traveled back to the Mirage Hotel to gain some final tips and techniques from our exciting lineup of speakers before heading to the Closing Session, where Colin Cowie would close the conference with an outlook on upcoming event trends. David Tutera began the session by announcing the winners of this year’s AFR Design Challenge, Buffet/Boxed Lunch and Tabletop Contests and then introduced our Closing Speaker, Event Solutions Hall of Fame inductee Colin Cowie. Colin discussed new trends, as well as ideas that can be retired in 2013.

taught us about setting price structures, creating large scale events, collaborating with suppliers, building amazing centerpieces, décor trends and much more!
• At the Buffet/Boxed Lunch, attendees viewed innovative displays for buffets and boxed lunches while enjoying a trendy buffet lunch. Guests were able to network with other attendees while discussing and voting for their favorite designs.

• After a day full of classes, attendees relaxed with a trip back to the time of Peace, Love and Rock & Roll! The Harmony at Hard Rock Monday Night Party allowed attendees to see new trends in action from vertical buffets to new entertainment to eclectic designs; the event, produced by Cade Nagy and Dan Smith of Catering By Design and By Design Event Décor, was nothing short of impressing. Three levels of exciting features including a lava lamp ice wall, interactive picture making, a mixed drink wall, interactive spin art plates and groovy entertainers allowed guests to roam freely through the event and discover trends at every turn.
Tuesday

• The first day of the 2-day Expo invited attendees to wander the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center to discover hundreds of suppliers with thousands of new ideas and products on display. View products from the show floor here

• The highly-anticipated AFR Design Challenge put industry icon Lenny Talarico against rising star Jessica Ziedler for a fast-paced design challenge in front of a live audience on the show floor. The final creative designs were judged by attendees throughout the tradeshow. The competition was steep, but this year’s award went to newcomer Jessica Ziedler with her beautiful Green and Black Zebra Print concept!
• A year of hard work culminated in one exciting event for the entire industry as attendees gathered to celebrate the Event Solutions Spotlight Awards at the Tapis Rouge event. To see more from the event click here.
Wednesday
• Celebrity planner David Tutera returned to the Expo floor on Wednesday to judge the Tabletop Contest. With the coveted Tutera’s Pick award up for grabs, David interviewed each contestant to decide which display would walk away with this year’s votes.

• After the Expo doors closed, attendees traveled back to the Mirage Hotel to gain some final tips and techniques from our exciting lineup of speakers before heading to the Closing Session, where Colin Cowie would close the conference with an outlook on upcoming event trends. David Tutera began the session by announcing the winners of this year’s AFR Design Challenge, Buffet/Boxed Lunch and Tabletop Contests and then introduced our Closing Speaker, Event Solutions Hall of Fame inductee Colin Cowie. Colin discussed new trends, as well as ideas that can be retired in 2013.

Movies that will inspire wedding business professionals today

The wedding business can be a grind.  There are days that all the proposals or hard work that you've done for someone else, is just not enough.  Days where they've invested $100, but want a return valued at $10,000.  There are the days when you’ve made countless phone calls and accomplished nothing other than having someone hang up on you in mid-sentence.  Or you’ve gone a long stretch of time without picking up any new business and you wonder if you’ll ever close another sale again.
It’s good, during times like these, to have some inspiration to help you keep pushing. When we're struggling with the grind we will sometimes go to YouTube, Red Box or Hulu.plus and pull up clips from some all time great motivational movies. Here are three of our favorite movies and movie scenes to watch during those tough days.

My wife loves the movie, Baby Boom, with Diane Keaton.  Why?  Whenever she's feeling down or struggling with business--for some reason this movie helps her get back in the game and motivates her!  I asked her 'what it was that motivated her in this movie?  Her reply, "I love that she's down and out--taking care of her new baby--(spoiler alert)  creates something from nothing--making millions.  Most of all, I love that she finds herself, finds love and is a true success in all that she is.'   She also loves the movies:  'Wedding Planner, You Got Mail, The Holiday...and other movies like that....(if you know what I mean!)

The Pursuit of Happyness with Will Smith. I asked a guy one time, when he drove up in the most incredible Ferrier,  'What do you do?!'  It reminded me of this movie....one of the best sales movies of all time. Will Smith is phenomenal in the true life story of Chris Gardner who, through a combination of risk and persistence, overcame huge obstacles to become a successful stock broker. My favorite scene is the climactic close (spoiler alert) when Gardner finds out that he is the one broker, hired on trial basis, who will be offered a permanent position. The combination of joy and relief on his face as he leaves the office to share the good news with his young son is something that all sales people will find inspirational.

Apollo 13 with Tom Hanks.  Overcoming adversity, flying, determined to see that 'It's a bright new day filled with unlimited opportunities.'  I’m fascinated by the courage and competence of the men who flew the Apollo missions. As I watch the astronauts and the crew at Mission Control, overcome every obstacle and challenge to bring the Apollo 13 team home alive, it reminds me how small and manageable my problems are in comparison. The recovery of the space capsule when it lands and the excitement of the men and their families, would have to rank as my favorite scene.

So, we encourage you today to keep your heads up, stay in the fight....and maybe, take some time to watch a movie....
-Chris Evans

Are You Ready To Make Changes To Get Sales In 2013?

"I want to make more sales, what more can I do?”
We hear over and over again how wedding business organizations need to make more sales and are struggling to keep up as the technology and marketing techniques are changing.  How do you stay on top of your marketing outreach?
Many ask ‘what’s the best way to close a sale,’ before they even know what the ‘game plan’ is.  In the wedding business many ‘voice’ how they get overwhelmed with all the changes and feel that the ‘sales industry’ has changed.  They want to confirm that they are on the edge of the changes.’
Comments & Questions we hear at Evans Sales Solutions:

• “Am I doing the right thing in my marketing to the bride?
• “The new technology comes faster than I can keep up.”
• “The amount of change taking place, especially on Facebook. You think you have a system down and then they update the pages and we have to teach everyone all over again.”
• “How do I close the sale when talking to a bride?”

You get the picture, it’s a 'tug 'o war,' all different, but then...all the same thing!
Even if a wedding business dedicates itself to understanding something in the ‘Social Media Marketing’ area, (say the new Google+ platform,) before they know it, it does a major upgrade and much of their hard won knowledge becomes obsolete!  So, do you think that when it changes all the time…does the end result (A SALE) change too?
As wedding business and sales experts, we feel that the consumer is just increasingly savvy, in the technology area—so that you have to stay in the game in multiple ways.  Consumers (brides to be) are not just more tech smart, but they also expect more and they want it quickly.  We also feel that another thing the internet has done-is broken down the pricing barriers and everyone has your (and your competitors) pricing in the palm of their hands.
What can you do about it?
First, we will have to get over it. Constant, relentless change is now a fact of life. We are going to have to adapt to it because the world won’t adapt to us and our needs. We will need to embrace this constant change and turn it to our advantage.
What do I mean? How do we do this?
I mean embrace continual learning and do it at a higher level than you may have planned. This means listening to CD’s or podcasts (audio recordings) as you drive or work out. It means watching less TV in favor of reading a book each week on marketing, sales or another type of business help.  It means watching webinars and going to seminars on a more regular basis.  It means following your favorite wedding business blogs each and every day so that you can keep up with, or even get ahead, of your competition. It means watching YouTube videos about things you don’t understand, but know you need to.
We believe that you can actually turn this whole thing to your advantage! The vast majority of people are not self-starters. By taking the bull by the horns here, and determining that you aren’t going to sit by idly as the wedding industry changes, you actually become much more valuable to your client, as you become the expert!  Many will fail to adapt and become less relevant, are you going to be one that suceeds ?
There are multiple things you can do today…… (and some are COMPLIMENTARY!!) click for more information!

• Hook into the FREE ‘Business Coaching Phone Calls’ on Thursdays @ 10 AM with ‘Wedding Business Expert-Chris Evans.
• Watch for the new ‘Bridal Business Boot Camp WEBINARS’ that you can participate in your own office!
• Get the FREE book ‘Discover your strengths and rise to the challenge!’ (Send an email request today!)
• FREE Social Media Marketing Consultation –just set up a (20 minute visit today!)

Evans Sales Solutions is a team of wedding & sales experts that work to support those in the wedding industry grow their business!  As a solutions-based and results-driven 'Bridal Marketing Concierge,' we look forward to working together when you call: 805-222-5946 or email to: WeddingBiz@EvansSalesSolutions.com Chris Evans is a Public Speaker, Sales & Business Trainer, Author,  and trusted advisor to many organizations around the world. He has over thirty years of experience in creating, expanding, and running organizations with an unsurpassed success record. www.EvansSalesSolutions.com

Wedding Expert Chris Evans At Bridal Business Boot Camps Nationwide

Portland, OR on February 18

Sacramento, CA on March 4

Seattle, WA on February 25

Buffalo, NY on February 18

Wedding Confidential....The Real Stories

Click here for complete interview on 20/20

Several weeks ago, ABC's investigative reporter, Elizabeth Vargas interviewed wedding professionals from around the country on 20/20.  From the comments since, the 'wedding industry' as a whole' did not feel that the report was by any way true and did not showcase the true essence of the hard work that is done to create a 'dream wedding.'

"Watching the negative press and the discussions that have ensued since the report--has been very 'eye-opening,' and interesting," said Chris Evans, of Evans Sales Solutions, (who was also interviewed to showcase his 'Bridal Business Boot Camps,' ) said,  "I think the easiest way to overcome bad publicity is to flood the internet with good publicity.  Anyone who has been in the wedding industry-for any length of time, knows that there is thousands of wedding professionals--doing GOOD  every day!" 

The new website and blog 'Wedding Confidential,' (named after the show on 20/20,)  is dedicated to spreading the stories of success made possible by true wedding professionals.  Knowing that the vast majority of wedding professionals are hard working, dedicated individuals in companies that work each day to make the brides ‘dreams to come true,’ we want the world to know these incredible stories.

We encourage all wedding related businesses or (couples) those who have seen the good in our industry to showcase it on this website!

Click here to go to blog

Please either POST your stories, add pictures or send this to the email below if you need help.  Once approved, your story & pictures will show on the website!  At the end of each month, we will forward these incredible stories to all media and ask that you add this link to your website and send it on as well!  Check out: www.WeddingConfidential.org -- and share this great information! 

If you need help to post this story, please send submissions to: submit@weddingconfidential.org

Responding to the ABC 20/20 segment on 'Wedding Confidential'

Log onto 'Wedding 101-Internet Radio,'  Thursday, January 24 at 10:00 am, with Anchor David Rothstein and hear what 'Wedding Expert Chris Evans,' of Evans Sales Solutions, says about the interview he was part of-- on the show 'Wedding Confidential' on ABC, 20/20 with Elizabeth Vargas.    Chris stated, 'When I was asked to participate in the show, showcasing the 'Bridal Business Boot Camps,' and how I teach across the country-I was surprised to see the outcome of the final cut-portraying the wedding professionals--in a bitter light.'

Wedding Expert Chris Evans Interview with Elizabeth Vargas ABC

Wedding Expert Chris Evans Interview with Elizabeth Vargas ABC

Chris will discuss the controversy that has been sparked by the show and offer his unique perspective and what wedding pros should do to go forward.  Click here to join:  'Wedding 101 Internet Radio show' with David Rothstein,
Join them on Thursday, January 24, 2013 @ 10:00 am. 

Chris will also be on #WeddingMarketChat (CLICK HERE) for a twitter interview on  "Stop Selling Products & Start Selling the Visit with #ChrisEvans of  'Evans Sales Solutions' @Wedding Market   
Join them on January 30, Wednesday @ 1:00 pm

Weddings are big business for many professionals - ReviewJournal.com

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A wedding photographer takes pictures of newlyweds with the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign in the background. » Buy this photo

By SUE NEWBRY HAYNIE

Posted: Jan. 13, 2013 | 2:05 a.m.

Despite the recession, the wedding market has not taken as big a hit as other industries. The Wedding Industry Report, published by The Wedding Report and available at www.thewweddingreport.com, tracks wedding spending, including everything from the ring to the last photograph. Las Vegas plays host to an average 10,000 marriage ceremonies a year. The average spending per wedding is estimated at more than $26,000.
Where will all the money go? The report's category summary includes attire and accessories, beauty and spa, entertainment, flowers and decorations, gifts and favors, invitations, jewelry, photography and video, planner/consultant, transportation, venue, catering and rentals.
Anyone who has a business that provides these services will want to take advantage of this market, and employment seekers need to be aware of where the jobs are. Chris Evans, a former resident of Las Vegas, now operates Bridal Business Boot Camp, which provides the data in the report. Similar data are gathered for other locales nationwide. Evans, whose business also can be found at www.bridalmarketingconcierge.com, travels from city to city, taking his "boot camp" strategies to local wedding planners across the nation.
According to the Wedding Industry Report, the average expenditure for attire and accessories is about $1,700. Obvious sources for these dollars are the bridal stores: David's Bridal, Celebrations Bridal, Alfred Angelo and Jessica McClintock, to name a few. Stores that sell or rent dresses and tuxedoes or suits employ salespeople who need to be service-oriented, dressed well and know how to measure for size and basic tailoring. The stores also require tailors. A person with some documented sewing experience could start as an assistant tailor in one of these stores and learn on the job.
If you are artistic, you may consider making jewelry or accessories specially suited for weddings. Tiaras have become more popular recently for brides, and unique tiaras can be handmade. Add a veil if the bride prefers one. Handmade jewelry given as gifts for the wedding party would also be a unique addition to the wedding market. The stores that provide apparel also handle accessories, but enterprising jewelry makers could contact wedding planners with photos of their work.
Invitations are usually purchased from a specialty store like Alligator Soup, with two locations in the valley. Alligator Soup at Village Square was named Best Wedding Invitations 2012 company by Las Vegas Bride Magazine.
There are also departments for invitations at many of the other wedding vendors. A growing trend is to have a photographer take pictures of the couple and make the invitation from these pictures. A person who knows how to use picture and text software might find employment with an invitation or photography vendor.
The valley is home to many jewelry stores. If you're looking to become employed in a jewelry store, you'll be wise to learn about gemology. You certainly should know the four C's of diamonds: cut, clarity, color and carat. The Gemological Institute of America offers classes worldwide on campuses or delivered to your computer through www.gia.edu. While it is wise to know the basics before you interview, you can learn quite a bit online absolutely free. A person does not have to be a gemologist to sell jewelry, and you can learn more on the job after you are hired.
The beauty and spa expenditure is estimated to be about $125 per wedding in the Wedding Industry Report. Since most wedding hairstyles are formal updos, a stylist would be wise to learn how to do them and to advertise this skill. Brides frequently have to go to an unfamiliar stylist on their wedding day if their usual stylist is not experienced with more formal styling.
Entertainment is an area wide open to people with vision and knowledge of how to operate the equipment. An investment in disc jockey equipment and the ability to work with people may be all a person needs to create his or her own business. Most weddings include a DJ. In addition to music, the DJ may provide additional mood lighting, a video made from photos of the couple and selected music, and even more.
Some DJs even become something of a master of ceremonies. They arrange the timing of events with the couple in advance, and they announce these events, such as the cake cutting and bouquet toss, as they occur, queuing preselected music to the event. The events themselves may be as creative as the couple. The DJ may provide props as gags, including music to add to the humor. Or things may be kept on a more sophisticated level, depending on what the consumer likes.
Flowers and decorations usually bring another $1,700, according to the Wedding Industry Report. These can be purchased from any of the hundreds of floral businesses in the valley. These jobs are opening right now, as flower shops pick up business around Valentine's Day and in the spring and summer for Mother's Day and weddings. A person willing to learn quickly and to work with customers well might find this kind of work interesting.
Decorating is another area where there is the possibility of creating your own business. If you know how to work with flowers and have an eye for decorating, there are wholesale floral businesses like this one at www.wholesale flowerslasvegas.com, where you can buy the supplies and make the arrangements yourself.
A wedding decorator needs to keep flexible hours to be available for set up on the wedding schedule and will likely need to hire assistants to get the job done in the allotted time. If you do not want to set up as an entrepreneur but you have skills in this area, look for listings of decorators at sites like www.wedalert.com.
It is also wise to ask who decorated any wedding you attend for which you like the atmosphere. You may hire on as an assistant.
Photography and video are estimated in the report cost about $2,800 per wedding. Photography and video equipment is expensive, so it is less likely that a person could start his or her own business with a small investment. But knowledge of photography and willingness to work well with clients go a long way toward getting hired by one of the existing businesses in town.
A growing trend in wedding photography is location-based prewedding pictures. The bride and groom or the entire wedding party are transported, sometimes by helicopter, to a visually exciting area for spectacular pictures. One person with photography training and another with a helicopter license could find business by connecting with wedding planners.
The Wedding Industry Report estimates that a wedding planner will earn about $1,600 per wedding. A planner needs to be extremely organized, have flexible hours, be available to the client, be on top of deadlines and have many contacts in the various businesses that are involved in weddings.
Most businesses that cater to weddings are husband and wife enterprises, and they have cut back during the recession, doing all the work themselves, according to Debra Hansen, director of operations at Bridal Spectacular, Las Vegas' largest bridal event. This year's Bridal Spectacular is Friday and Saturday at Cashman Center.
For a schedule of other events this year, visit www.bridalspectacular.com.
Hansen advises those who want to get into the wedding business to get appropriate education first. The International School of Hospitality, known as TISOH, has courses available at a Las Vegas campus or online. Information is available at www.tisoh.com. A student can take a specific course like "wedding planning" in less than three months or can continue to take courses for a more comprehensive diploma.
Many people start out at the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. There are various degrees available at this school, with a wide variety of choices for future employment.
With a background in event planning, a person can become a convention planner, a wedding planner and many other possible positions. Event planners with training and experience can apply for positions at certain venues or venture out on their own. There is currently considerable turnaround in this area, according to Hansen.
Transportation costs are estimated at about $400 in the Wedding Industry Report. This number likely represents the cost of renting a limousine for the couple, although there are weddings that involve travel for the entire wedding party. Limousine drivers need a special driver's license, they need to be personable and courteous, and their hours must be flexible. The pay is not likely to be at the top of the hourly scale, but tips can be excellent.
The most expensive category in the report is venue, catering and rentals. Since Las Vegas is a destination for weddings, there are many possibilities for a wedding venue, some of which need to be booked months - even years - head..
The small wedding chapels will likely contract with a preferred photographer and cake baker, as well as any other services they offer. They are not likely to have job openings for these services. They are more likely to offer jobs in sales, where the employee on the phone books the wedding and arranges for any services the location provides.
Locations may offer catering, food and drink service, rental of tables and chairs, and other extras. Some locations even have wedding packages that include wedding cakes and photography.
Search the Wedding Wire at www.weddingwire.com for a list of many venues. There are many styles to choose from. That means there are many employment opportunities. A person trained in food and drink service should look for employment at locations providing this service, but there is more. Consider the options for transportation , host and hostess, floral and decorating, cleaning, maintenance, and more.
And if you don't have much experience, consider starting at the bottom, like delivering chairs for a rental company or washing dishes at a bakery. You can move up from there if you show promise.
Las Vegas is home to several specialty cake shops. Las Vegas Custom Cakes, Freed's Bakery and The Gourmet Cake Factory are just a few. These shops employ professional cake bakers and decorators, but they also make less fancy items, and they get plenty of business. An experienced baker could look for employment at these shops as well as at any of the hotel bakeries.
Most businesses that cater to weddings keep lists of contacts that also work in the field. They do this because when a bride goes to order her cake, she may mention that she is also looking for tables and chairs to rent. The cake shop will give the bride a referral to a rental business, and in the future, the rental shop will recommend the cake shop. A job seeker should be aware of this and pick up referrals wherever they may be found.
A new entrepreneur needs to research the market effectively, according to Hansen. In any business that caters to weddings, connections are a must and knowing how others in the field work is essential, so all services can be coordinated. In addition, in every category, more purchases are made every year online. Any business looking toward the future must have an Internet website and be able to book occasions and accept payments online.

Weddings are big business for many professionals ReviewJournal.com