Is your website just sitting pretty instead of driving inquiries? In this episode, Sam and Katy walk through seven quick fixes that instantly improve your site’s performance. These tweaks are easy to make and can have a big impact—no redesign, no developer, no stress.

You’ll learn how to:

• Guide visitors through your homepage like a sales conversation

• Use testimonials the right way (and avoid the carousel trap)

• Write a services page that actually sells your work

• Simplify your contact form to get more inquiries

If you want a website that books better clients faster, start here.

Today we’re diving into a conversation I know so many of you in mid-size and mid-market regions have been craving. Because while Instagram might make it look like luxury only happens in New York, LA, or destination hot spots, the truth is that real growth, real demand, and real opportunity exist everywhere — including the places where the industry often assumes it doesn’t.

And few embody that better than today’s guest: Kate Turner of Kate & Company. If you’ve been in the wedding world for any amount of time, you’ve likely heard her name — or worked with someone she’s impacted — because Kate has built something remarkable out of St. Louis, Missouri. She’s grown a planning and design firm that serves high-end clients, produces destination events around the world, and still leads with an unapologetic honesty about what it actually takes to make it in this business.

This episode isn’t just about design or pricing or scaling a service. It’s about what happens when you’re building a business in a mid-market that’s under-resourced, under-estimated, and sometimes flat-out resistant to change. We talk about being the first in your market to raise your prices, the confidence gap so many wedding pros struggle with, the messy reality of striving for more, and how vulnerability — real vulnerability — can become the thing that finally unlocks deeper connection with clients and peers.

I've worked with Kate for years now, and she’s generous, candid, and incredibly grounded. And if you’ve ever felt alone in your market, or unsure if you can build a luxury-level business where you live, this conversation is going to feel like a breath of fresh air.

Let’s get into it.

In the wedding industry, your clients don’t get a test drive. They have to hand over control, spend a lot of money, and trust that it will all work out. That means your real job in the sales process is not to impress people. It is to make them feel safe.

In this episode, we talk about what actually builds trust fast. It is not perfection. It is proof, transparency, and humanity. You will learn how to use both direct and indirect trust builders to help clients feel seen, secure, and confident saying yes. We cover how to show credibility without sounding salesy, how transparency builds trust faster than polish, and why consistency across your website, calls, and emails matters more than you think.

By the end, you will have a clear framework for building trust in every step of your sales process so clients feel at ease choosing you.

Takeaways:

• Clients do not buy perfection. They buy trust.

• Trust comes from empathy, authority, and consistency.

• Direct trust builders include testimonials, press, metrics, and clear process steps.

• Indirect trust builders include calm confidence, active listening, and transparent communication.

• Transparency builds trust faster than polish ever will.

• Every interaction should communicate, “You can trust me to take care of you.”

Most websites don’t fail because of bad design. They fail because the pages don’t have jobs.

Every page on your website should do something specific to move the buyer forward — build trust, create clarity, or drive action. In this episode, we break down the six essential website pages that actually sell. You’ll learn how each page fits into the buyer’s journey, what kind of content belongs on it, and how to design your site so it guides visitors naturally from curiosity to commitment.

We also look at how to use social proof strategically across your site, why the Services page is often the missing link between interest and inquiry, and how your full site should tell one clear story instead of six disconnected ones.

Takeaways:

• Most websites fail because the pages aren’t built with purpose or strategy.

• Each page has a specific job: empathy, connection, clarity, proof, or action.

• The six essential pages are Home, About, Services, Portfolio, Case Studies or Blog, and Contact.

• Every page needs proof points that build trust and reduce risk.

• Your website should tell one cohesive story that leads buyers toward a confident yes.

Your website isn’t where people find you. It’s where they choose you.

By the time most couples visit your site, they already know who you are. They’ve seen your work, heard your name, or followed you online. They’re not discovering you for the first time. They’re deciding if you’re the right fit. In this episode, we talk about how to turn your website into a true decision-making tool instead of a simple marketing brochure. You’ll learn how to meet buyers where they are in their journey, what content actually belongs on your site, and how to build the confidence that turns interest into inquiry.

Takeaways:

• Most couples arrive on your website already interested. Your job is to help them confirm, compare, and commit.

• Your website fits between “solution aware” and “product aware” in the buyer’s journey.

• Focus your site on clarity, proof, and empathy instead of broad education or inspiration.

• Design for return visitors who want reassurance after a call or proposal.

• Remember that your website is not a discovery tool. It is the decision tool that helps buyers say yes.

Most people think the magic of Engage happens once you arrive, but the truth is your success starts long before the welcome party. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the idea of showing up to a major industry event, this episode will help you feel prepared and confident from the start.

After attending eighteen Engage events and coaching dozens of clients through their own experiences, I’m sharing exactly how to plan ahead so you can show up intentionally, connect authentically, and make every conversation count. From refining your online presence to setting goals and mapping out follow-ups, these strategies will help you get the most out of your investment — and actually enjoy the experience while you’re there.

Takeaways:

• Define your “why” for attending so you stay focused and intentional

• Update your online presence before you step into the room

• Prepare your talking points to make networking feel natural

• Plan your follow-up strategy before the event even begins

If it feels like couples are taking forever to book right now, you’re not imagining it. Across the industry, wedding pros are seeing the same thing: inquiries come in, great conversations happen — and then everything slows down. Couples wait weeks, even months, before making a decision. Some ghost. Some circle back at the last minute ready to move.

What’s happening isn’t just procrastination — it’s buyer behavior shifting. Today’s couples are juggling busy lives, endless choices, and a constant stream of content that makes every option look good. Planning a wedding has become a second job, and decision fatigue is setting in fast. When people are overloaded, they don’t make confident choices. They stall. They scroll. They default to “not yet.”

That’s why, in this episode, we’re unpacking what’s really behind the slowdown — and how you can adjust your process to match the way modern buyers actually make decisions. Because the reality is, you can’t sell to this year’s couples the same way you did even a few years ago. Their brains are working differently. And if you want to keep momentum in your pipeline, your sales approach has to evolve too.

We’ll talk through the three big behavioral forces driving the delay — ego depletion, analysis paralysis, and loss aversion — and show you how to design your client journey to guide couples forward with less friction and more trust. It’s about removing obstacles, simplifying choices, and creating an environment where the “yes” feels easy and natural.

And while this episode first aired last year, it’s one worth revisiting. The challenges we talked about then have only intensified — and the insights are even more relevant now. So whether you’re listening for the first time or the fifth, take notes. Because understanding what’s really going on in your buyers’ heads is the first step to helping them move from “thinking about it” to “booking it.”

Every wedding pro wants more bookings and higher prices, but too many are chasing the next quick fix that promises overnight results. The truth is there are no silver bullets. Growth comes from learning, applying, practicing, and improving. 

In this episode, we break down why shortcuts fail, what they cost you in the long run, and how to commit to the real path that builds confidence, sales skills, and a stronger business.

Takeaways

• Why quick fixes and silver bullets never deliver long-term growth

• The hidden costs of relying on templates, scripts, or copycat strategies

• How learning, practicing, and improving leads to more confident sales

• Why steady, consistent effort is the fastest track to higher prices and better bookings

Most wedding pros are treating AI like a shortcut for captions, blogs, and emails, but that’s not what gets clients to say yes. The real opportunity with AI is using it to sharpen your sales game. In this episode, we dig into how AI can help you read your clients better, position yourself against competitors, and keep momentum alive in the sales process. Instead of saving time, you’ll learn how to use AI to close more bookings.

Takeaways

• Why treating AI like a content machine is keeping you from stronger sales

• The real risks of relying on generic captions, blogs, and emails to win business

• How to use AI for smarter sales insights drawn from feedback, competitors, and your own notes

• What it looks like to shift from busywork to bookings with a Sales IQ approach

AI is everywhere, and wedding pros are feeling the pressure to use it. But most are jumping in without a real plan. They’re grabbing tools, copying templates, and hoping it saves time. Instead, they end up with content that sounds bland, robotic, or totally off-brand. 

In this episode, we’re calling out the biggest mistakes creatives make when using AI and showing you how to shift from “get it done fast” to “make it work for me.” If you want to use AI without sounding like everyone else, this one’s for you.

Takeaways:

• Why using AI just to “save time” actually wastes it

• How to spot misaligned, off-brand AI content before it hurts your business

• The right mindset shift to use AI as a creative partner

• Strategic ideas for weaving AI into your workflow without sounding generic