Destination weddings are the perfect mix of business and pleasure. Not only are they often fun to do, but they can be very lucrative as well. The markets in Mexico, Caribbean, Hawaii, and Europe are sizable - and getting bigger. But how do you tap into them?

In this week’s episode of Own Your Business, I talk with Destination I Do founder and editor, Jennifer Stein, to share insights and perspectives that will:

- Get you more inquiries from destination clients

- Build content to attract couples in locations you want to work

- Show you who to reach out to for referrals

- Give insights into a post-pandemic destination wedding market

No one wants to sound sales-y when they’re selling their services to couples. So how do you close deals without being aggressive, or cheesy…or clumsy? It’s easy if you have a simple approach that leverages buyer psychology.

In this week’s episode of Own Your Business I’ll share with you:

- The number one competitor for each and every inquiry

- Ways NOT to close deals

- Three simple strategies to get to yes - and feel totally comfortable making the ask

Discovery calls are complex - and crucial to your businesses success. It’s when you find out if the client is a good fit, when you build value to charge higher prices, and when you learn what triggers their deepest desires for your services.

On this episode of Own Your Business, I give you six must-dos on every discovery call. Tune in to hear more about:

- A simple trick to mirror clients and get them to like you

- Good and bad question types, including which questions backfire

- My top way to dig beneath the surface for deeper-seeded needs

- How to end the discovery call with a lasting impression

This week’s episode is the first in what will be many many interviews that dive deeper than usual. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have recording them.

My first guest is KT Merry, one of the most recognized and celebrated photographers in the industry. Over the past three or four years, I’ve heard more of my clients - mostly other photographers, but also pros from other fields - tell me they look up to KT as their role model more than any other wedding pro.

Why KT? Here’s what others told me they admired about her:

Her professionalism.

Her mindset.

Her personal brand.

Her creativity with the camera.

Her sophistication.

Her leadership.

Her values and conservationism.

Yes, KT’s in the top echelon of her field. And you’ll hear that it didn’t happen through luck. It took hard work. Grit. And a deliberate focus to turn then-current weaknesses into future strengths.

What you’ll find in this interview is how she took her raw talent and creativity, and then redefined what winning looked like.

You’ll find it’s the practice and preparation before the wedding that makes her so successful.

And you’ll find she’s built on her individual success to create a community filled with photographers who want to learn how to thrive in the luxury market. Who want to become, well, the next KT Merry.

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A quick note if you’re listening to this before Oct. 13, 2022. KT is offering free workshops for wedding photographers who want to learn more from her about thriving as a business owner in the luxury space.

Click this link to register for free and access live learning or video replays.

Most wedding pros think couples buy their services because of a strong personal connection. Or their portfolio. Or the awards they’ve won or publications they’re featured in. Or how beautiful their branding is. All these are important, but they only get you so far.

At some point, you have to move them from the “I’m interested” stage to the “I know what I want and you are the one to help get it for me” stage. And that happens on the discovery call.

But so much more does too. That’s why I’m breaking down discovery calls on this episode of Own Your Business, where I’ll talk about:

- How my most successful 1:1 clients reach their goals

- 3 things you must do to convert more couples

- Why a good discovery call will help close more deals

- And, finally, 5 big mistakes most pros make on their discovery calls

Finances are one of the most important parts of owning your own business. And they’re also one of the scariest, too. But like most things in life that we’re afraid of, it's because we don’t know how easy it can be to do.

In this week’s episode of Own Your Business, I sit down with finance expert, Katelyn Magnuson, to discuss:

- What holds you back from feeling confident about managing your business’s finances

- 3 big mistakes owners make with their money

- What you can DIY, and what you should outsource

- Ways to get your books done without stressing yourself out

We all talk a lot about “ideal clients.” Wouldn’t it be nice if they were all ideal? Too bad they’re not, because, let’s be honest: Those who inquire run the gamut from perfect fits to completely awful. Some couples are dream clients. Other people are good…just not good for you.

In this episode of Own Your Business, I’m going to share with you:

- 4 different buyer types

- What motivates each one

- What you have to change to book more than only your “ideal” client

- What clues to pay attention to if you can afford to be more selective about who you work with

A great way to make more money is to sell more services to each couple who hires you. Unfortunately, what most people do is either a) stuff their packages with more services, or b) offer a la carte options on top of the packages. But both of these options consistently backfire with your buyers.

On this week’s episode of Own Your Business, I’ll tell you:

- How to get more from every date on your calendar, including couples who already booked

- Three psychological principles that encourage couples to spend more

- What NOT to do on your proposals because it’s causing interested buyers to ghost you

It’s tough for couples to pick all the vendors they need for their wedding. It could be 20, maybe 30 or more. And that means a ton of research to find the right ones. Reviews and other forms of social proof help potential clients cut through the noise and reduce the risk in choosing you over others.

But it’s not easy to get clients to take the time to leave you a review. And even if they do, it’s not always meaningful. In this week’s episode of Own Your Business, I dive into:

- What keeps couples from leaving you a review

- Why it’s so important to get them in the first place

- 8 practical tips to get make it easy to get them to fill out the form and post the review

Humans make 35,000 decisions every day. Most of them are made automatically without even thinking. The very small percentage that use conscious thought require lots of energy, and, if too many need to be made, can lead to decision-fatigue.

Is your sales process making it easier or harder for couples to decide on your services? My guess is you’re sabotaging your own success in ways you didn’t even know. In this episode of Own Your Business, I’ll tell you:

- How our brains are wired to make choices

- 2 ways of thinking about decisions

- 3 common mistakes that lead couples to analysis paralysis