Own Your Business

Many of you are struggling to get enough bookings right now. Even inquiries are slow, which is always stressful.

The simple fact is there’s a lot stacked up against the wedding industry at the moment. Inflation. Pessimistic outlook. Fewer engagements. Uncertainty in the financial sector.

You can’t change the way people feel about the economy or how many people are getting engaged, but you can lean into a number of different activities to help create buzz about your business - and put yourself in the best spot for good things to happen to you.

In this episode, we break down:

- What’s going on with the economy and engagements

- What you can do to attract more interest

- How to convert more of what’s hitting your inbox

- Ways to keep a healthy, positive mindset

Do you want to charge more for your services? Of course you do! But how do you make that dream a reality?

Clients pay higher prices when they expect to receive more value. And you create that by sharing what you do. How you solve their problems. The services you offer. 

Unfortunately, many of you aren’t talking about that on your website. You talk about yourself, your work, and how to contact you. But you’re leaving out the thing that matters most.

How you help your clients.

In this episode of Own Your Business, Katy and I discuss:

The five stages of awareness, and what content to share at each stage

What role your Services page plays on your website

What NOT to put on the Services page

We all want to be successful. What does success look like for you? Is it lots of money? Recognition for your peers or industry experts? Ultra creative projects? Or maybe you’re like me, and you measure success by the number of vacation days you take rather than the number of clients you book for your business?

Whatever you have for goals, it’s important for them to be realistic. Every week, I talk with wedding pros who come to me for a path to success. You’d be surprised by how many set unrealistic expectations, and, of course, end up disappointed.

In today’s episode of Own Your Business, I’ll share:

- How hedonic adaptation plays a role in your goals

- What the 2022 boom did to our expectations

- How the next 6-18 months might look for inquiries

- What I learned on two recent experiences: Hiking 200 miles across England, and spending a day in a car with my ex-wife

Enjoy the show today. I feel like it’s already one of my favorites.

Also, if you’re interested in clarifying your own business goals, and setting up a strategy to reach them, check out our Shift Retreats. We’re actively accepting attendees for 8 or so more spots for both November and December. Check out last week’s episode with Romin Zandi to hear how it transformed not just his business, but also his life.

www.shiftbusinessretreat.com

I’m doing something new on this week’s episode of the Own Your Business Podcast. 

Over the past 90+ episodes, I’ve done a few different types of approaches:

Me talking about a specific topic

Having Katy, my wife and copywriting expert, on to talk shop with me about websites

Bringing on an expert, like Katelyn Magnuson or Sara Dunn, in a specific field to share their expertise where we can’t

Industry stars, like KT Merry and Shannon Leahy, to share their journey to the top

Today, we’re going to add a fifth type of episode, and that’s a client case study.

Done before on video lives over the past few winters, and even a couple times in early 2022 on the podcast, and we’ve had great responses from the audience.

I’m folding them into the content calendar over the next several months because it’s helpful to hear the transformation people go through to get from where they are to where they want to be.

Information is good. Don’t get me wrong.

But the hills people climb and hurdles they have to overcome make it interesting.

And show us that success doesn’t happen overnight. Everyone struggles. Including me! 

And my clients, when they first come to me. 

It takes courage to ask for help. The three hardest words for any business owner or boss are often, I don't’ know.

That’s exactly what Romin, today’s guest, said to me when he first reached out five years ago. Things were going well for him, but he know he hadn’t reached his full potential. He didn’t know what he didn’t know, but he knew that much - and that was all he needed when he first reached out.

Romin and I were on a call yesterday, in fact, and he said he’s the happiest he’s been as a person, and feels more fulfilled as a business owner than he’s ever been.

Enjoy the conversation about how he got there. It’s a good one.

If you’ve heard me talk about the four main buyer types, you know how important it is to shift your communication style to meet others where they’re at. 

Now flip the script, and instead of looking at buyer types, think of you and your natural selling style. How you sell makes a big impact on how successful your business will be.

In this week’s episode of Own Your Business, I share:

- Different superpowers business owners like you have

- How even naturally gifted salespeople hit a ceiling

- 4 primary selling styles - and which one is most successful

- Common problems each runs into

Have you heard all the buzz about Ideal Client Avatars lately? Yeah, so have we! Which is why we thought it would be a good idea to share more insights into:

- What makes an ideal client anyway

- The top component to a solid ICA that most people miss

- How to create your own

- What to do with the information in your marketing and sales process

I’m joined today by my wife and our head copywriter, Katy Taylor Jacobson, and we share a bunch of actionable ideas you can put to use today.

If you’re looking for more help than just a podcast, and want to have experts build your ideal client avatar (and a website around them), reach out to [email protected] or visit www.ideactionconsulting.com for more information on how to get started. 

It’s not easy to chart a course from where you are to a place you’ve never been to before. But that’s exactly what many wedding pros who own their own business do. Unfortunately, many of you end up in the wrong destination because you got started in the wrong direction to begin with.

In this episode of Own Your Business, I talk about:

- Why it’s so hard to create a solid strategy

- 5 big mistakes I see others make when creating a path for their business

- How to give yourself the best chance for successful future strategy

You’ll hear me mention our Shift Retreat a few times in the conversation. If you’re interested in attending or learning more, check out our version of an annual planning workshop meets luxury vacation at www.shiftbusinessretreat.com.

Enjoy the episode. I know you’re going to learn a lot!

One of the biggest mistakes I see on websites is putting up an entire page about your pricing. Why focus the conversation on the scariest thing you do for your clients (that is, take money from them)?!!

Instead you should feature all your amazing services. And in this episode, I sit down with my wife and our head copywriter, Katy Taylor Jacobson, to break down:

- Why pricing pages kill inquiries

- What goes into a solid services page

- What names work and don’t work on the main navigation

- Whether or not to include an FAQ on your website

If you want help evaluating your current website, here's a link to a half-off website review offer. For less than $150 we’ll comb through your site offering specific recommendations to convert more couples to your inbox starting immediately:

Click here to get your website review.

Enjoy the listen today!

I’ve looked at hundreds, maybe more than a thousand, proposals and pricing guides over the past 6+ years. Nine out of ten look the same. Trust me, your “I believe” statement, your bio, your images, and - importantly - your collections all look pretty much the same.

If you want to stand out, it’s time to present your proposals differently.

In this episode of Own Your Business, I talk about:

- 5 big mistakes I see all the time with proposals

- How to build desire early in the proposal

- What to include to make yourself stand out

- How you can make nervous buyer feel reassured you’re the best choice

Enjoy the episode!

https://ideactionconsulting.com/custom-proposal-template

I’ve read hundreds of books about business, marketing and selling over the past 20 years. In this episode, I share my top 10 to grow your business. The list includes:

- The best book you can read to be a better listener

- How to feel comfortable at networking events

- Lots of science on selling