Own Your Business

Today, I bring in Julian Leaver, the Dapper Diplomat and owner of Julian Leaver Events.

Julian was on the podcast a few months ago for episode 123 to talk about the power of a strong personal brand. It was one of the most popular podcasts we’ve done over the past year, which got me thinking about how to dive even deeper into the knowledge he can share with the audience.

So I’m bringing him in quarterly, now, to talk about important topics like personal brand, grooming and attire, etiquette, communication, client experience, and how to handle difficult situations. 

I like his no-nonsense approach, and self-effacing take on what it means to work with luxury clients and vendors.

Today’s discussion is about networking, because it’s a) crucial for long-term success in the wedding industry, and b) a challenge for many, maybe even most people in the audience. Even if you think you’re doing a great job at networking, it’s quite possible - maybe even likely - that you’re messing it up and don’t even know it.

I’ve learned a ton from Julian over the years. I know you will too.

You listen to the podcast because you want to be a more successful business owner. You want to get better at selling your services. At creating a solid website. At making messages that connect with your ideal clients. 

I share information on the podcast, because I know how to do these things. And I love helping others like you who are open to the insights, the information, and most importantly, are willing to do the work to make the improvements.

While I might be good at sales, marketing and buyer psychology, I was not always a good listener. It's been a weak spot in my skill set, not just in business, but as a person. As a friend, as a brother, as a son. 

So 10 years ago, I decided to do something about it. Like you, I sought out a coach, an expert who could show me the way. 

I learned a ton, not just from my coach, Laura, but from the resources she shared, the books I’ve read over the past decade, and the mentors who’ve taught me the value of listening is often more helpful in life and business than being a good talker.

Today I’ll share a few techniques that will help YOU be a better listener. For people who inquire, for current clients, for friendors you collaborate with, and for everyone else in your life that wants to connect with you in real, meaningful ways.

Listening may seem like a soft skill, but there’s nothing fluffy about the content I’m going to share over the next 15 minutes.

I tend to focus on practical advice about strategies and tactics on this podcast. Sales. Pricing. Copywriting. Website design. Communication. I take general behavioral science insights and apply them to your work as a wedding professional.

However, don’t confuse my focus on these few areas with a belief that other areas aren’t important. They are the ones I choose to talk about, because I feel like there’s a gap in these topics in the wedding industry, and I’m uniquely qualified to provide expertise and advice in them. It’s my passion, and what I know most about.

But you have more responsibilities as a business owner or wedding pro than just sales, pricing, copywriting, websites and communication - which is why I bring on different guests to talk about areas they’re expert in, about topics you can benefit from.

This week I’m bringing in my friend and colleague, Gurminder Banga, to talk about mental health as a business owner - and as a regular human being. 

Although I don’t talk about mental health much in my professional work, I’m very interested in it outside of work. Both my parents were therapists. I’ve focused on self-development regularly since I was in college. I’ve used therapy for grief, marital counseling, and parenting over the years. And right now, as I record this episode, I’m involved in a 12-week program to recover my own vitality as a fully present man in a crazy, chaotic world.

Banga, which is how most people know him, has taken his own journey cleaning up his mental health - both as a business owner and human being. And along the way, he’s made it a point to educate himself in how to help others on their journeys to be a better version of themselves, particularly as it relates to full, whole success as a business owner.

I hope you enjoy this conversation. It’s a good one.

We’ve all heard about the “inquiry season” or “booking season.” But does it really exist? 

The digging I’ve done shows that it’s not as much of a thing as you might think.

I surveyed dozens of clients inquiries and bookings from the past several years, and what I discovered might surprise you:

There’s not a definitive bump in counts in the first quarter of the year compared to other times of the year.

If inquiries were evenly distributed throughout the year, that would mean about 25% would occur in every quarter. Here’s what I found:

Q1 - 26%

Q2 - 22%

Q3 - 28%

Q4 - 24%

Three things then:

It’s fairly consistent throughout the year

The traditional booking season is not really a big deal

Q3, which is when most wedding pros are quite busy, is when most inquiries come in

So what does this all mean?

You have to focus on sales and marketing all year long

You have to pay attention to next year’s couples when you’re servicing next week’s clients

If you’re down in bookings, you still have a great chance to fill in your calendar with clients who are inquiring right now - no matter what time of the year it is that you hear this

Today, I bring in Katy for a conversation on how you can generate inquiries with a few simple steps.

Let me tell you what I’ve learned after talking to hundreds of wedding pros who aren’t getting enough bookings or the right kinds of bookings.

Most of the challenges you’re running into are self-created. You’re doing it to yourself.

In the wedding industry, we tend to blame outside forces acting upon our business for the reasons why we’re not doing well, or not reaching our full potential.

The economy. The election cycle. Declining engagement rates. Wars overseas. Yes, these impact the macro conditions we all work in.

But how do you explain some people having banner years while others are struggling? Yesterday I had a call with a long-term coaching and copywriting client who’s fully booked for 2024 at her highest rates yet as a full-service planner, and then I opened my inbox to find an inquiry from a photographer who’s not booked anything in six months?

The economy, election cycle, engagement rates, and wars affect both of them equally. 

Both were getting enough inquiries, but only one was converting them. Why is one thriving with a full calendar and the other is trying to figure out how to get the next booking?

Much of it has to do with two things:

How the sales process is designed

Your sales skills

Here’s the good news: If you’re running into issues with a poorly designed sales process, we can fix some of it in this episode, because the first big issue to fix is the inquiry response. 

You’re going to discover four big no-nos, why they’re wreaking havoc on your conversion rates, and what to do about it instead.

Most wedding pros aren’t getting enough inquiries to feed their businesses - and the website is often the reason why. 

Yes, even for those of you in the luxury market.

My general rule of thumb for the luxury market is to get 10x the number of inquiries as you need bookings if you want to get the most from your bookings.

For those NOT in luxury, it’s more like 4x-6x as many inquiries as the number of bookings you want. 

It’s easier than ever for couples to inquire, but why does it seem like there’s not enough good ones in your inbox.

Today, I’m bringing in my business partner and better half to talk shop about how your website is making it harder to get the right kinds of clients to inquire.

You know the saying: It’s good to learn from your mistakes? 

I think it’s overrated. 

Yeah, sure, you should absolutely learn from what didn’t work so you can improve your chances of something else working in the future.

But it’s slow - and stressful - to go through life making mistakes. Why not learn from the mistakes others make? Let them screw up or screw around on the way to success.

You can observe what they’ve done from a distance and learn not just what DIDN’T work, but also what DID work.

This week, I’m sharing insights from a panel I hosted a few weeks ago as part of our Sway Mastermind promotion. It features a photographer, planner, videographer and DJ, all of whom have made it to places most wedding pros want to be: the elusive luxury space. 

If you’re looking to level up into luxury, this will fast-track your success.

If you’re already at those price points, well done. And you can STILL learn from others’ wins and losses, because it’s only getting harder and more complex to navigate the way forward in this coveted market.

Enjoy the episode. Lots to learn. I know I walked away with new insights.

I’ve featured some of the best in the business on my podcast. Abby Jiu, KT Merry, Bob Spiegel, Alex Le Roux, Shannon Leahy, Chris Jespersen, and so many others. It’s great to hear their insights and reflections on the route they took to the top of their fields in the event industry.

But I find it equally important - and even more inspiring - to hear from people who are in the middle of their journey. Who are seeing success, but haven’t come close to reaching their full potential. 

I try to bring clients who embody what it takes to find success every month or two to share their story, to talk about what it’s like to be in the midst of making it big, to give you a feeling for how they get as far as they have - and what they did to push through the obstacles.

Today’s episode is a conversation with Tara Blunk, one of our masterminders from 2023 who taught me a lot about what it means to work harder AND smarter. To fill her cup with knowledge, but know it is nowhere close to full. And to learn from a variety of instructors:

- Fear, uncertainty and doubt

- Past failures

- Creative mentors

- Technical masters

If you’re anything like me, you’ll get sucked into this story - because it could’ve been my own in so many ways. And it could be yours too. 

Enjoy the conversation…

Is it just me, or does the 2024 booking season feel a little different than other years? 

I’ve been in this industry for 17 years now. I’ve seen the Wedding Boom, the pandemic, the Golden Age,  and the Great Recession. But this year feels…flat.

I’m not saying it’s a bad start to the year. Oh no! In fact, many of our clients are having record bookings these past few months.

But many others aren’t doing well. It’s stressful, even scary.

On today’s episode, I try to explain what’s going on, why it’s happening, and how you can move from scared to psyched about the upcoming year.

What’s in store for 2024? 

The short answer is: Whatever you make it.

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a magic button you could push and all your dreams would come true? Or at least some of them? 

I was reading Arnold Scharzenegger’s recent memoir, Be Useful, and in it he says: “If there is one unavoidable truth in this world, it’s that there is no substitute for putting in the work. People have tried to cut corners and skip steps in this process for as long as hard work has been hard.” 

I love this, because it’s so true. If you want to see the results, you have to put the work in. And, no, you can’t cut corners. You can’t skip steps if you want to create long-term success.

It’s one of the biggest myths we see in the wedding industry - and it can be dangerous for pros like you hoping to make it to the top. Try jumping three rungs on the ladder at one time and you’ll likely fall flat on your face.

For instance, you can’t simply raise your rates by 30, 40, 50% at once because your work is great and a planner told you you should charge more…without putting in the work to create context and build value for that significantly higher price. But people do it all the time. 

And fall flat on their faces.

In this episode, Katy and I’ll talk about several other myths about getting into luxury that prevent hard-working pros like you from making the move to elevate your business. We’ll also discuss 8 proven steps that even Arnold would support on your journey to create success for your business and your life.

Quick note if you’re listening to this before February 7, 2024, our Sway Mastermind is officially open for enrollment. It’s a complete level-up for wedding pros interested in either a) moving into the luxury market, or b) trying to book more consistently at higher prices if you’re already on the monogrammed dance floor with affluent clients.

Check out the link in IG profile or go straight to www.ideactionconsulting.com/mastermind for more information on the ridiculous VIP offer on the table through Feb. 1, including a lifetime discount on Ideaction services.