Monthly Archives: June 2009

Wed Chat 6/16/09 - Delegation

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Posted by eliana on June 16, 2009 – 4:48 PM
Filed under iWED News

Join our weekly Wed chat as we discuss all topics relating to time management for small business owners.  So we know things need to be done! But who does what?  Is it the intern, the employee or the virtual assistant?  During this chat we hope that you are able to find ideas that you can adapt to your unique business.  Some of the topics will include:

· The proper use of a virtual assistant and interns

· Are employees right for you?

· How divulge proprietary information without giving too much?

The chat is open to all wedding industry professionals. We would love to hear the prospective from planners, photographers, venues and all other categories.

Just log into i-wed.org on Tuesday June 16, 2009 at 8pm EST to join the discussion.

Please note that Wed Chats are hosted every Tuesday evening at 8pm EST. Stay tuned for the schedule of upcoming chat topics.

End of the Day Buffet Service

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Posted by Terrica on June 12, 2009 – 10:59 AM
Filed under iWED News

When I was 14, I got my first job as a cashier/waitress at a very popular country style buffet restaurant.  I got to see the ins and outs of the buffet restaurant business, and for that reason, I cringe when my father wants to eat at places like Golden Corral.

Yet I digress.

At any rate, I hate going to a buffet towards “the end of the line”.  That was our code for the food that goes out before we close or change the menu.  When a shift first starts, the food is fresh, good and aesthetically appetizing.  However, when it gets closer to menu change or closing time, the food is older and not that appealing.  Ever run into that with your business? When your office hours start, you are fresh, motivated, ready to take on the world!  But one hour or so prior to closing time, things start to drag, the sheen has worn off and you are ready to run from the phone.

How can you put out fresh “food” on your buffet before closing time?

* Take a break from work 30 min prior to your end of day hours. Focus on refreshing yourself:  drink water, have an apple.  Recenter yourself.  Come back ready to take on the last hour as if it were your first.

* When you respond to your emails or answer your phone, do so with a smile on your face.  You can hear it over the phone and you can tell in the tone of the email.

* Don’t focus on or start a new project at the end of the day.  Focus on giving the best experience as possible.

We Made You

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Posted by Terrica on June 10, 2009 – 4:35 PM
Filed under Motivational Arsonist

When you walked through the door
It was clear to me (clear to me)
You’re the one they adore, who they came to see (who they came to see)
You’re a … rock star (baby)
Everybody wants you (everybody wants you)
Player… Who could really blame you (who could really blame you)
We’re the ones who made you


I never thought I would quote an Eminem song when talking about  business, but hey– it is what it is.

Our industry is a creative one– from photographers to florists, planners to musicians and designers, we sell our personalities and talents.  Some of us become insanely successful and popular, and in high demand by doing so.  But it takes you back to that old saying “you’re not good until someone else says you’re good”.

So when someone says that we’re good–do we begin to believe our own hype, or do we remember the focus and motivation for our work:  clients, colleagues, raising the bar for the industry, etc.?  When you’ve “made it”, you can’t cherry pick your fans, supporters, or clients, because all of them have helped you get where you are.  To remain cold, indifferent or utterly ignore them  in favor of others who have “made it” is a sure fire way to get “unmade”.

The same thing goes for our clients– we’ve seen it before:  a client comes in with a wedding that we simply adore.  Another one…not so much.    They both helped you pay your mortgage, buy that new gizmo or new pair of shoes.  They deserve equal treatment. I really feel this is true when  it comes to industry colleagues supporting each other.  Our industry is already competitive enough– support and compliments do not come easy. If we are to change the climate of our industry, we need to appreciate them as well as the people they come from:  not just from the successful industry vet, but also from the person that just started their business two minutes ago.

People not only pay attention to how well you do, but also what you do (and for that matter, what you don’t do).  The ride up front is always better when you’ve been in the back.  Remember where you are and where you’ve come from.  Know that you stand on the shoulders of others that worked very hard to make our industry and services mainstream.  Thank and engage those that support you– they don’t have to.  But also take time to support someone else.

Wed Chat 6/9/09 - Time Management

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Posted by eliana on June 9, 2009 – 12:23 PM
Filed under iWED News

Join our weekly Wed chat as we discuss all topics relating to time management for small business owners.  Having a tough time getting your “To Do List” done?   Join our open forum as we discuss different techniques that have worked or failed in the past. During this chat we hope that you are able to find ideas that you can adapt to your unique business.  Some of the topics will include:

· Different time management techniques

· Balancing professional and personal time

· How to keep true to your OFF days

The chat is open to all wedding industry professionals. We would love to hear the prospective from planners, photographers, venues and all other categories.

Just log into i-wed.org on Tuesday June 9, 2009 at 8pm EST to join the discussion.

Please note that Wed Chats are hosted every Tuesday evening at 8pm EST. Stay tuned for the schedule of upcoming chat topics.

Avoiding Marketing Myopia

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Posted by Terrica on June 8, 2009 – 10:20 AM
Filed under Minding Your Business

 

my·o·pi·a (m-p-)

n.

1. A visual defect in which distant objects appear blurred because their images are focused in front of the retina rather than on it; nearsightedness. Also called short sight.

2. Lack of discernment or long-range perspective in thinking or planning: "For Lorca, New York is a symbol of spiritual myopia" Edwin Honig.

Marketing myopia is a term coined by economist Theodore Levitt.  It is defined as management’s failure to recognize the scope of its business. Becoming product oriented or product defined instead of customer oriented threatens to stunt the growth of any business—especially those in our industry. Our industry is one that deals with several people, emotions and expectations.  Understanding that there is something much bigger than a day-of-coordination service keeps the focus on the client and your company’s impact on that client. 

To stand out from our colleagues and competition, as well as avoid marketing myopia, we need to ensure that our companies’ goals are oriented towards our clients’ needs. Several other companies such as AT&T and Revlon have undergone intense transformations to allow them to service their clients and meet their needs.  Try broadening your marketing oriented business ideas to focus on the client’s needs.  In other words, don’t market as if your existence is based on your product, target your actual demographic and their needs.  Instead of telling your  story, show them your place in their story.   Avoid pigeonholing yourself into a myopic description:  e.g., “we are a wedding coordination company”. What happens when your potential client doesn’t want a coordinator—but someone to assist with full-service planning or event design?  You risk becoming obsolete by defining yourself by your product, instead of how your product can service fill the needs of your clients long term.  By continuously re-evaluating your business, you can find yourself a constant in the changing times and economy.  Focus on your core competencies and position yourself to sell them.  Simply:  find a need and fill it.  

How do you define your business?  Ask yourself, seriously, “What business am I in?”

 

 

 

Photo :: Richard Kittel

The Power in Saying Someone Else is Good

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Posted by Terrica on June 5, 2009 – 9:30 AM
Filed under Motivational Arsonist

This post is something the ladies will be able to understand more than men (even though from my own personal observations, men suffer from this, too…only worse)

Sometimes, women have a nasty habit of giving a compliment with a smile and taking it right back with a snide remark that immediately follows.  For example, one woman will say “I love her jeans…but she’s too big for them”. We place ourselves, our likes, dislikes and insecurities in the other person’s shoes.  Instead of giving a genuine compliment—appreciation for something well done, we look for something wrong to feed our own natures. 

There is nothing wrong with saying someone else is better or is doing well.  Woman A will not tell Woman B (or even Woman A’s friends) that she is beautiful.  To do so would mean that Woman A would have to acknowledge that she herself is not as pretty or is inferior.

Wrong.

To notice and appreciate the good in others means you recognize the good within yourself.  Sometimes there is no hang up, no negative flaw, etc.  Sometimes a person is just that good or better.  Our desire to find something wrong with others says more about us than it does about the person we choose to criticize.

Our industry is demanding and it is tough.  I encourage and challenge you to recognize the good in someone else today.  You never know where a person is within their lives or struggle—your word of encouragement or appreciation could mean the world to them…and to you.

Meet iWED’s Featured Member : Jennifer Ramirez-Jasiczek

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Posted by Terrica on June 4, 2009 – 7:04 PM
Filed under Featured Member

We are so happy to have Jennifer Ramirez-Jasiczek as June’s Featured iWED member.  Jennifer has been an active and supportive member of iWED, and I am so happy to feature her.  With an undeniable heart of gold and chic sense of style to match, Jennifer’s A Regal Affair in San Antonio, Texas creates gorgeous events that begin with the clients’ story and ends with an event experience that leaves guests saying “Oh my gosh—I can’t believe they did that!”

 

Having worked with the crème de la crème in our industry, Jennifer takes her vast knowledge of different cultures, design and industry experience and applies it with her tenacious attitude to execute flawless events.  In addition to being a superior planner, Jennifer has a a dedication to educating and supporting future and current wedding planners.  With so many great things in the works (stay tuned!), Jennifer is definitely the one to watch.

 

 

 

 

Read our interview with Jennifer

Follow Jennifer on Twitter

Connect with Jennifer on iWED

I Heart iWED Contest!

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Posted by Terrica on June 3, 2009 – 4:30 PM
Filed under iWED News

How much do you love iWED?  Share your love for iWED and win big!  If you love iWED, here is all you have to do:  let us know by holding a sign at some point in your daily life and send it to us.  It can be as funny, wacky, serious as you would like.  Email it to info{at}i-wed.org and we’ll post them here on the blog for everyone to vote on.

 

EVERYONE is invited to participate:  Current members, former members, non-members, blog/twitter stalkers, planners, photographers, florists, the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker– everyone!

 

The person voted to have the best I Love iWED picture will receive all of the following:

 

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A 2 hour consult with Saundra Hadley, sales coach to event professionals, to sharpen your sales methods. You will review, your strengths and weaknesses and your current selling methods via telephone or web consult. In addition, you will  review current sales collateral and suggestions on how to improve. Consult hours may be split up to include a follow-up session. 

 

 

 

 

A free seat at an upcoming Blogging Bootcamp hosted by Liene Stevens of The Smart Planner.  

 

Topics covered will include:
*How to discover and leverage your blogging voice
*How to maximize your blogging ROI
*How to develop killer content - consistently
*How to set short term and long term goals for your blog
*How to effectively analyze your stats and blog traffic
*How to increase your readership and keep them coming back for more
*Specific strategies and techniques to use your blog to improve your main website’s SEO or "findability" on Google
*How to promote your brand through your blog’s design and content
*Maintaining professional boundaries while still being personable
*And more!

Workshop fee and lunch included, travel and/or transportation are not.  See the next available dates and cities on The Smart Planner Workshops site.

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A copy of the Perfect Table Plan software from Oryx Digital Ltd.  With Perfect Table Plan, you can manage multiple event floor plans, assign seats, manage guest details, work with different table shapes and sizes, and so much more.  Andy has been a wonderful member of iWED and has always been helpful with providing his insight.  So many rave about this wonderful product! (Yes, it works on both PC and Mac)

 

 

 

 

A logo design by Dawn Rodriguez of Beloved Designs.  Dawn designed my fabulous cards for Fabuluxe as well as other marketing materials for countless other wedding professionals.  Her work is awesome and she does not hesitate to get it right to enhance your brand!

 

 

 

 

 

 chic wedding geek :: tech resources for wedding planners

 

Google Apps set up for your business courtesy of the Chic Wedding Geek.    With Google  Apps you can do so much more with your wedding business:

  • Streamline all of your email in one place.  That’s right– a website for all of your staff to login to check their email.  Also, you can get all of your email in one place. Great if you have  multiple accounts, but would rather floss with your laptop cord than to check them separately.
  • Share and work on documents, presentations, and spreadsheets with colleagues, vendors and clients.
  • Keep a detailed calendar for yourself and your staff that is easily shared and integrated with your email.  It’s very intuitive– you can talk about a  date in an email, and it will ask “Would you like to add this to your calendar?” Really. Could it get any easier?
  • Create project management sites to collaborate with members of your staff and clients.

You will also get a seat at an educational webinar to learn how to use it to maximize its benefits for your business.

 

 

 

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An iWED membership if you aren’t a member or a renewal of your current membership for next year. iWED is one of the largest and most active private online communities for creative wedding professionals.  Home to several hundred wedding planners, it is still an intimate, educational and social community that believes in the adage “each one, teach one”.  All vendors are invited to share their craft,feedback, insight and more on the wedding industry.

 

A $50 gift certificate to Nordstrom to pamper yourself or someone else!  (We think you deserve it, though!)

 

 

 

This is over $800 in prizes!  What a great way to kick off the summer!  Again, everyone that reads our blog or follows us on twitter is welcome to join in the fun!  Thank you so much for following us, participating in our community and supporting WEDCHAT every Tuesday night.  Be sure to spread the word and retweet or post on Facebook by clicking the “Share This” button below!The contest starts today and entries need to be in by 11:59 PM on June 17.  

 

Have fun and show us your love!

 

 

 

****The fine print*****

*Prizes are not redeemable for cash

*Prizes are transferrable at the discretion of the sponsor

Wed Chat Recap: 6/2/09 Pre-Qualifying Leads

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Posted by eliana on June 3, 2009 – 9:49 AM
Filed under iWED News

We do these recaps of the chat so that you may always have a reference of what was discussed since the chats are not saved.  It also serves as an opportunity for those that may have missed the chat to get a glimpse of what advice or strategies were offered.  Here are some things we have learned and discussed:

  • We all weighed the pros and cons of listing pricing on our websites to weed out non-target clients, the synopsis is that it will depend on what your market will tolerate
  • Search clients information BEFORE the meeting via Google, Twitter and Facebook.  As I type this I realize we forgot one very important social media site, LINKED
  • Asking key questions in the initial meeting can also be another way to “feel” the prospective clients out

For those that attended the meeting, I encourage you to leave a comment for anything else I may have left out from above.  Remember each one teach one!

 

See you all next Tuesday.

Wed Chat 6/2/09 - Techniques on Prequalifying Leads

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Posted by eliana on June 2, 2009 – 2:08 PM
Filed under iWED News

Join our weekly Wed chat as we discuss all topics relating to pre-qualifying leads. As small business owners we often struggle on which technique is best to get the client YOU want.  Join our open forum as we discuss different techniques that have worked or failed in the past.  During this chat we hope that you are able to find ideas that you can adapt to your unique business. Some of the topics will be:

 

·                  What exactly is pre-qualifying?

·                  What others do to pre-qualify their potential clients

·                  Other tried and true methods

 

The chat is open to all wedding industry professionals. We would love to hear the prospective from planners, photographers, venues and all other categories.

 

Just log into i-wed.org on Tuesday June 2, 2009 at 8pm EST to join the discussion.

 

Please note that Wed Chats are hosted every Tuesday evening at 8pm EST.  Stay tuned for the schedule of upcoming chat topics.