Bridal Business Academy Comes To Southern California

www.EvansSalesSolutions.com

Are you leading or just managing your bridal company?

Leadership is about taking risks and overcoming obstacles. When Chris Evans, top speaker in the wedding circuit, left the wedding industry as a major bridal show producer, he decided to use his skills and teach wedding merchants ‘how to sell’ through workshops, seminars and more. However, there were a lot of obstacles in his way. This included a massive brick-and-mortar system of getting the word out to those in the wedding industry via direct mail and advertising costs. But he left his safe job and founded ‘Evans Sales Solutions, LLC,’ and stepped into the training and speaking circuit, changing the way many in this industry look at ‘sales and marketing.’

What is the key to assessing big decisions and overcoming obstacles that he used? He didn’t want to waste his ‘God-given talent’ of teaching and then regret not doing it. He would have regretted not joining the ‘speaking circuit,’ where he has met and trained thousands in the wedding industry to grow their businesses.

He had a clear vision of what he wanted to do, he knew the obstacles involved, set out to overcome them, knowing the whole time that there was a high failure risk. He didn’t want to be 80 years old and regret what he could have done for this industry. His theme every morning? ‘It’s a Bright New Day Filled with Possibilities!’

Will you look back with regret at what could have been in your wedding organization? Maybe you’ve owned your bridal business for a long time or been in an executive position for a few years, but are you leading or managing?

Leadership is about making the hard choices and living with the outcomes, good or bad. Managing is more about ‘not doing the hard things-keeping all running smoothly’ thus making sure employees, vendors and customers are all happy.

Sometimes though, the path to a greater success requires you to ‘rock the boat,’ to the point of tipping it over.

The first step is to: Know where you are going in this industry. Too many bridal companies start with a ‘passionate idea,’ and then ‘just survive the ride.’ They are not plotting their growth plan; they are doing what they’ve always done, hoping that it’s enough to get by for another day. If you are a leader, you won’t go for that.

Second step: Make a list of how you are going to make it happen! List the easy steps, and list the obstacles. By listing the obstacles, you can then go around them, through them, over them or simply get rid of them. Most obstacles are going to fall into the category of people, products or the structure you have in place. Ask yourself: Is this the right management team to get you where you want your company to be? Is your product on the ‘edge’ of what 18-36 year old brides are looking for? Is your company structured to handle the challenges that lie ahead (yes, they are there) on your path to growth?
This is where leadership comes in. Do you have the DISCIPLINE (consistency plus perseverance) or SELF CONTROL (the ability in the heat of the moment to take a specific action in the right direction) and COURAGE (Strength of purpose, to do your best and not swerve from your path) to grow your business?

None of these changes are easy. But that’s the difference between a leader and a manager. A leader says, ‘we are going a different direction and that means things are going to have to change.’ Your other option is to leave things alone and play it safe. But get ready, Chris won’t be standing next to you at 80, when you declare, ‘I could have done so much more!!’

Evans Sales Solutions/ Bridal Marketing Concierge, leaders in the wedding industry with support products, business training, sales & marketing techniques to grow your business. As a solutions-based and results-driven concierge we create opportunities to grow your bridal business sales and increase your profitability. Reach us by calling: 805-322-4446 or go to: www.BridalMarketingConcierge.com

Wedding Social Marketing Blue Print Surprisingly Simple?

Creating a social marketing blue print for your company can be incredibly hard for the #wedding business owner who is working constantly 'keeping the doors open,' and doesn't have the time to be on the computer and grow their business.  It's important to stay on top of the daily changes and updates in social marketing, so that your company is found easier.   Here are a few quick things to note when you are working on your blue print: 

1) Write click-worthy titles and descriptions for the bride to be

When it comes to writing titles for search engines, the first thing you have to know is this…you only have 65 characters to write your headline.  You could write the greatest headline, but if it’s over 65 characters, it will get cut off.   Try to create something that you know will interest the clients you want to come knocking at your door.

• Front-load your titles with keywords – Since most people only scan the first 2 words in a title, try to a keyword in the front as much as possible.
• Meet the expectations of the reader – Your title should click to a page that meets the expectations of the user.
• Emotionally writing – Try to make your title an emotional call to the brides.   Use adverbs that will pull them in: Emotional words are; killer, FREE, amazingly, surprising, uncommonly, tempting, astoundingly  (make up your own?)

2) Keywords 

When you want to attract attention when it comes to ranking above the fold is with Google+

• Google looks for the word you typed in, but sometimes also looks for synonyms or related terms. Any words appearing in boldface type in your search results are terms Google associates with your search terms. For example, if you search for [kittens] you might see the word cats in boldface in your results.
• Adding pictures, creating a blog with keywords, add friends-- all support your going higher on the search engine.

3) Meta Tags 

These ideas are from Google.  The quality of your snippet (a small piece of brief extract: 'snippets of information') is important.  Using identical or similar descriptions on every page of a site isn't very helpful when individual pages appear in the web results— the short text preview Google displays for each web result — can have a direct impact on the chances of your site being clicked (i.e. the amount of traffic Google sends your way).  Google wants snippets to accurately represent the web result. They (Google) will frequently prefer to display meta descriptions of pages (when available) because it gives users a clear idea of the URL's content.

• The meta description doesn't just have to be in sentence format; it's also a great place to include structured data about the page. Google limits meta descriptions to 160 characters or less.
• For some sites, like news media sources, generating an accurate and unique description for each page is easy: since each article is hand-written, it takes minimal effort to also add a one-sentence description.
• Finally, make sure your descriptions are... descriptive.  Front load keywords that are relevant to the article. If you like formulas, ask “Who? What? Why? When? Where? How?” That’s a formula journalists use to report. It works equally well writing descriptions.

Remember, that you are in business!  While it may have started from your 'passion' and that should still be part of the business, you must continually take the steps to bring your company up to speed on social marketing.   Bridal Business Marketing Concierge is one who can help with that day-to-day social marketing.  Learn more about our internet marketing solutions 

Recent blog posts about bridal business marketing strategy:   (From Evans Sales Solutions)

• Where Do Your Leads Come From?
• Day by Day-Steps to Growing Your Business
• The Formalwear Business works hard to grow their business
• Is it really SPAM or does it cost you wedding business?
• What makes a good salesperson?
• Five Ways to Grow Your Business

Contact us: 

805-322-4446

Evans Sales Solutions, LLC

www.EvansSalesSolutions.com

Five Ways to Grow Your Business

Are you feeling stalled out in your business? Get to work this week, formulating your plan for growth. Take a look at these five suggestions to get started.

Customer Service Get a leg up on the competition by making excellent customer service your number one priority. If your client feels like you are doing everything you can and more to take care of them, they will want to tell everyone how great you are!

Expand Take inventory of your most popular services and add on accessories that make them even more attractive. Then add more services that are becoming popular in the marketplace. If you are not constantly growing and improving your product, you will eventually go backward as your competitors move ahead.

Quality Every product or service you put out there reflects on you, so make sure it is your best work every time. Attention to detail can seem like a dying art. Perfecting the little things goes a long way with clients, and word of mouth will spread quickly.

Team Put your goals in writing, then communicate them with your team, updating everyone weekly on the progress. You won’t believe how motivating this will be. Also, ask your team for ideas on ways to grow. Often, the best ideas come from those who are in the trenches.

Referrals Always ask your client if they know of anyone who needs your services, and ask them to contact them for you. This can be the quickest way to get new business. A warm contact is always more open than a cold one.

Now it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work. Business growth is possible; sometimes it just takes some rethinking, imagination, and hard work.

To learn more about growing your business, check out my book How to Double Your Wedding Business in 12 Months.  Find me on the web at EvansSalesSolutions.com for more tools to improve your business. While you’re there, sign up for a Bridal Business Boot Camp in your area!

This week, put on your thinking cap and strive for more!

Sincerely,

Chris Evans

Evans Sales Solutions provides support for those in the wedding industry with training, seminars, products and wedding marketing concierge team.  For more information call: 805-322-4446 or go to EvansSalesSolutions.com

The ESS Team

• Chris Evans - CEO, Motivation, Sales & Techniques Training

• Rebekah Evans - Marketing & Sales, PR & Social Media Manager

• James Mitchell - Internet Expert, Web & Design; Database Design

• Vanessa Carroll - Copywriter & Marketing Content Manager

Resources To Grow Your Wedding Business

At the ‘Bridal Business Boot Camp,’ which takes place all over the country, or as the speaker at a wedding business conference, Chris Evans, wedding business guru, shares top secret techniques to support the growth of your company.  The resource page on the website:  www.EvansSalesSolutions.com is set up to give you ideas (mostly free) to be the best in the wedding industry that your company can be.

www.EvansSalesSolutions.com

The first selection by Chris to support your company is:

Aweber Autoresponder:  This autoresponder puts an online OR offline business on Auto-Pilot, by sending emails to your mailing lists.  It is used to automate my response to my mailing list, saving your company valuable time.

An auto responder is a very cool software program that allows you to enter a series of newsletters, e-mails or informational snippets, and then it delivers that information in whatever order and schedule you choose.  Autoresponders have helped many businesses is that it simplifies the follow-up of its mailing list members, even just to remind its members of their products or services. 

Evans Sales Solutions uses the Aweber Autoresponder, to send out messages every few days. When someone subscribes to our website, they will get an immediate response, after they have subscribed. Then it is set up to reach out to those interested at an interval of 2 to 7 days.

Within months of having our Facebook up, we have over 1000+ members.  Our blog is starting to ‘multiple’ by reaching out with the autoresponder to help branch out with our services.

It is used to remind our clients of our latest posts as well as to remind them of my offers of products and services, such as the new ‘BizEBride Mobile app, or the Wedding Watch Newsletter.’  Our team at Evans Sales Solutions, uses it to guide my 1000+ clients to the right resources that they want.

Aweber Autoresponder has been advertising for me, tirelessly, 24 hours a day / 7 days a week/ 365 days a year. It is always on Auto-Pilot.

The first step is to contract with an auto-responder service and set up an account. You can do that by clicking the link below.

Example: Once your account is set up (a five-minute process), you can begin creating a series of e-mails to send to the bride after the show. It’s best to keep each e-mail short and to provide some information about your company. Always close the e-mail by providing a way for the bride to link to you, call you, or register on your page. You will want to create 10 separate e-mails that will be sent to the bride after the show.

My experience shows it’s best to schedule your e-mails as follows:

• One each day for five days
• One every other day for the next six days
• One e-mail 15 days after the show
• One final e-mail 20 days after the show

When you meet a bride at the show, part of the registration process will be to record her e-mail address. On your registration form you should have an opt-in box where the bride can give you permission to send her e-mails. Be sure to keep these registration forms on file in the event that there is a question later. There are specific laws that govern sending e-mails to lists. The auto-responder service you choose will provide all the information you need, and by following its guidelines you will be in compliance with the laws.

After the show, simply enter the brides’ e-mail addresses into the system and they will receive the e-mails you set on the schedule you created. The final e-mail in the schedule should tell the bride-to-be that it is the final message she will receive. It’s amazing, but many times that’s enough to stimulate the bride-to-be to respond.

There are many different Autoresponder companies, however, we like Aweber best.  Aweber’s user-friendly user interface works well for newbies and even the experienced marketer. It is easy to maneuver between the options.

If you get your Aweber now, you will be able to:

• set up unlimited campaigns
• unlimited messages
• spam checker
• text or html-based messages
• manage your subscribers

As an added bonus, Aweber has a referral compensation program as well, so you can benefit by promoting your Aweber, so when you sign up use Evans Sales Solutions, or CLICK LINK BELOW: 

 

1. Identify a target group you want to market to

 

2. Come up with at least 10 follow-ups emails

 

3. The first email is always to welcome your subscriber and with the download of freebies e.g. free report or e-Book

 

4. Write down the time intervals you want to send these emails

 

5. Once you got your Aweber account, copy and paste the emails into the message boxes

 

6. Remember to on the “click-tracking” so that you can know how many of your members have clicked on the links

 

7. Let it run and you go to sleep

Be sure to use the Chris Evans Link below and check it out for yourself or go to http://www.evanssalessolutions.com/Resources.html

Wedding Business Expert given mission ‘Bridal Business IMPOSSIBLE’ in Orlando on July 9

Wedding Business Expert-Author, Speaker, Trainer--Chris Evans in Orlando!  Chris will teach you how to 'Double Your Wedding Business in 12 Months' at the Bridal Business Boot Camp! Join us on Monday, July 9 @ the Fairfield Inn by Marriott -Orlando Airport Hotel.

www.EvansSalesSolutions.com


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Chris Evans
Bridal Business
IMPOSSIBLE?

July 9, 2012-Orlando:  Chris Evans, America’s foremost Wedding Business Expert, is given the "mission" of making the impossible-possible by teaching, training and motivating local wedding industry businesses to take their businesses to the next level on July 9, 2012 at the Fairfield Inn-Orlando Airport.

Chris Evans, speaker, author, business coach and master presenter uses the 30 years in the bridal industry to help thousands of wedding businesses, grow their companies—even in these uncertain times. On June 18-Chicago will hear speaker, author, business coach and master presenter, Chris Evans, who uses the 30 years in the bridal industry to help thousands of wedding businesses, grow their companies—even in these uncertain times.

The full day Bridal Business Boot Camp was created to help those in the bridal industry to learn skills to increase their bottom line.  Wedding Professionals will learn:

• How to stop chasing the bride and have them chase you with Attraction Marketing!

• Why Social Networking doesn’t work-and what to do about it!

• ‘There’s an App for that!’ Websites and techniques that save you time and money!

• Mission Impossible?  How to remake your bridal business for the new economy!

Chris Evans is a fearless entrepreneur and top sales trainer. He's never met a challenge he wouldn't take. Chris’ new mission: fix America's most desperate bridal businesses.... ready to change & grow…..Is it a Bridal Business: Impossible?  Never!

His background in the wedding industry includes top wedding entrepreneur, author, sales trainer and key note speaker and Chris entertains and trains companies with a hint of comedy from writing for the 'Jay Leno' show.  

Chris created the wildly successful Bridal Business Boot Camp in 2008, training thousands of wedding professionals to exceed their expectations in sales, grow their companies and learn valuable business techniques.' This intense business workout, will take them to the next level in sales and more!  Chris is also the Author of, 'How to Double Your Wedding Business in 12 Months!' and, 'The Secret of Sales Success.'

The Bridal Business Boot Camp is a full day event at:

Where: Fairfield Inn by Marriott Orlando Airport

7100 Augusta National Drive, 7100 Augusta National Drive, Orlando, FL

Date:  July 9, 2012, Monday

Time: 9:00 am -3:45 pm

Registration is available by going to: www.EvansSalesSolutions.com  or call 805-428-3851. Tickets increase in price after: June 15, 2012, Seating is limited!

Day by Day-Steps to Growing Your Bridal Business

by Chris Evans, National Bridal Sales & Marketing Expert 

What would your business look like if you made even minor changes to how you think and do business so that you can grow your business? It’s not how much you do in your day, it’s what you do in that day that can make or break your business.

Growing your business can be broken down into easy, doable, bite-sized activities. It’s simply about focusing on what matters.   Do you rely on your ‘self-control,’ so that you choose the correct activity or can you ‘discipline’ yourself to make the correct choices? 

Self-control is the ability in the heat of the moment to resist temptation or embrace that which will move to in the right direction.  Discipline is consistency in addition to perseverance.  It is about setting a goal and sticking with it repeatedly through obstacles, setbacks, disappointments and frustrations.  It is the ability to take SPECIFIC ACTION day in and day out-and it ultimately leads to the results you are hoping for.  What would your business look like if you did the following steps:

Created a plan for each day? Instead of waking up wondering what you had to do that day, how would it feel to wake up energized and empowered because you had clarity and confidence in knowing what the most important tasks for that day were and how they fit into your overall business strategy? By having a plan, uncertainty, procrastination and overwhelm are eliminated, enabling you to reach goals faster. 

If I planned for the 3 hours where I work consistently in the day? Nothing helps you prioritize better than knowing you have a limited time in which to accomplish tasks. Will organizing your desk again or sweeping the office floor--generate revenue or visibility for your business?   Or if you spent your time on the development of a new product or connecting with a media campaign help you to reach your goals? As the saying goes, “Time is a related thing. The more you have, the more your tasks expand.” The key is not to fill up the time you have, but to maximize it. Chunk out the hours (by tasks) and use a timer to keep you mindful of time spent on those tasks.

Make only 3 things your TOP PRIORITY for the day? “Not possible!” you say? Look through your To Do list now and cross off everything on that list that will not generate revenue, visibility or credibility for your business.  

Did you break the China Egg? From the new book: ‘The Secret of Sales Success,’ Author Chris Evans, teaches you how to ‘sell more-by doing that which is hard.’  These include doing follow-up calls to recent or existing clients or up-sell a new product, sending text messages to brides to touch base, asking friends or clients for referrals, reaching out to people you’ve recently met at networking activities, etc. If you figure most of us work 5 days a week for a total of 50 weeks a year (taking out a few weeks for holidays), that means you’ve made 500 sales presentation in a year. Trying to make 500 sales presentations is daunting, making two per day is doable.

Attend a Networking Event a Week? Networking is a necessary tool for business growth.  Focus on events where “your people” (colleagues, potential clients and referral partners) congregate. If you attend just 1 networking event a week, 4 a month, that totals 50 a year!  Even doing just two a month means 25 events a year. Be targeted and attend frequently so you become known among those groups. Familiarity makes referring you to new brides an easier connection.

Grab 20 seconds of no fear? Are you nervous about calling that editor, that new bride-to-be, that successful bridal shop that you’d like to get referrals from?  Great! That means you’re pushing the envelope, getting out of your comfort zone and growing your business.  My kids & I adopted the new motto, ‘It only takes 20 seconds of bravery or no fear,’ from the new movie, ‘We bought a zoo.’  The more you challenge yourself, the more confident you become in selling yourself and your product or services. Bigger risks = bigger rewards.

I used Discipline today? What if you acted with discipline, daily, on the above recommendations? What if you honored your time, your priorities and your goals and focused only on what mattered–really mattered–so that your business became successful?  It is a series of ‘self-controlled’ moments that lead you to repetitively engage in behavior that will lead you to your ultimate goal for your business. 

You can learn more on how to grow your business by going to a Bridal Business Boot Camp, signing up for the new ‘Bridal Business Coaching Series,’ at Evans Sales Solutions or by reading the book ‘How to Double Your Wedding Business in 12 Months,’ by Chris Evans.  Available on Amazon.

6 Ways Your Business Can Benefit From Exhibiting A Bridal Trade Show

Bridal trade shows and exhibitions are a great way of getting your service out there to the new ‘brides-to-be and grooms,’ planning their weddings. You need to know what you want before you go in order to get the most out of exhibiting.

It is one form of advertising that is far and above your best source of face-to-face visits from brides. This type of advertising allows you to meet every bride-to-be in person, build rapport and ask for an opportunity to schedule a more appropriate time to learn more about the vision for her wedding. (The wedding industry exceeds $ even in this down economy.)

If wedding magazines, newspapers, radio or television could offer what this single form of advertising offers for your business, they would charge you 20 times more that they already do. In fact, it’s the only form of advertising that allows you to do more than simply wait around for the phone to ring. Excerpt from the book,’ How To Double Your Wedding Business in 12 Months,‘ by Author & Sales Trainer, Chris Evans. You will need to make sure you attend the right events to match your objectives.

To find a list of ‘professional & highly beneficial Bridal Trade Shows, ‘ go to: www.EvansSalesSolutions.com

Here are 7 ways your business could benefit from exhibiting at a trade show, and how you can make sure you achieve them.

1. Prepare Ahead of Time The main benefit of bridal trade shows and events should be that you’ve got a ready-made audience. The people (bride-to-be, grooms, family members) attending are likely to be those most interested in your product or service. Prepare what you are going to say to these attendees, hand to them to showcase your business, and how you are going to ‘book a presentation’ with them. A pre-show mailing is very useful and is a feature most promoters can help you with. Post on your blog, Twitter, Facebook pages. Send out an email to your contacts list letting them know you’re going to be there, with a map of the venue and your location in the hall.

2. Meet Other Vendors Exhibitions can be really good places to generate new leads and/or referrals from other ‘like-minded’ service companies. Prior to the show opening (once everyone is set up) Talk to as many people as you can. Ask your staff to wander round the venue and introduce your company to the other exhibitors. Make sure you take business cards, good literature and a calendar. Remember, this doesn’t end with the event: follow up. Send a thank you letter, fliers and more to those you have met.

3. Build Your Sales Plan & Goal Before every show, write down a specific number of visits, contacts and new networking partners your expect to generate from the show. Keep it realistic. Setting a goal is useless if you know it’s impossible to reach when you set it. Share your plan with everyone working in your booth, so that they are on the same page as you. Your literature, booth design and outreach from staff should let attendees know what you do in a glance. Remember to design a ‘qualified message” for your staff to say to every attendee,(sum up your business in 30 seconds or less and asking for a visit). More information on how to do this is in the book, “How To Double Your Wedding Business in 12 Months,’ by Author Chris Evans, available on Amazon.