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Poll on the use of wedding planners

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

Today we thought we’d share with you the results of a recent poll on the website of You and Your Wedding which was conducted with the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners in mind. 

The poll was conducted at the start of February 2011 and there were 239 responders.

 

Would you use a wedding planner?

 

  • No, I want to do it all myself
  • 55.23%
  • No, I don’t think we can afford it
  • 33.89%
  • Yes, I want help with the whole event
  • 3.77%
  • Maybe, for help with some of the plans
  • 3.77%
  • Yes, I don’t have to time to do it myself
  • 3.35%

 

So looking positively at this, almost 11% of brides will consider having the help of a planner. Whilst we’d all like that percentage to be higher, it’s a step in the right direction. And let’s face it, with 231,490 weddings going on per year (figure from Office for National Statistics in 2009) , that’s a potential audience of 23,149 weddings. Through our research and activity at UKAWP, we believe that there are no more than 200 committed and professional wedding planning companies operating across the UK, so sharing that out amongst them all, that’s 115 weddings each.  A great deal more than most wedding planners can handle annually. Encouraging don’t you think?

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What kind of planner are you?

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

It might seem an obvious question and the answer could well be, I’m a wedding planner, what other kind?

 

Of course, we all have the same job title but “wedding planner” can mean so many different things and, with over 8 years in the industry and being in the fortunate position of training so many new entrants to the sector, I see so many individuals with a totally different approach to planning.  And it’s what makes our field so special, dynamic and forward thinking.

 

My big thing is the organiser versus creative. I talk about this a lot on our UKAWP training courses, as we go through the mix of business and logistical topics. Many students worry that they aren’t as creative as some of the planners they see (or blogs that they follow) and others have bags of design ideas but worry about how they will stay motivated when self employed and organise to get everything done. Of course none of us are perfect and we all have our strengths and then our not so good bits. As a wedding planner we need to know a lot about an incredible range of topics  (anyone who’s done our Step by Step training course will tell you that) yet not be an expert in any of them. In the same way we can’t all be fabulously creative and innovating at every turn, nor organised in an OCD-like manner – I say play to your strengths.

 

And you should find that your client base selects you on your strengths. If you are genuine in what you put out there marketing wise you will get back by way of clients what you specialise in and generally like best.  It’s really important to keep your branding and image consistent and reflective of you; so if you’re an organiser type of wedding planner, there is no need to absolutely fill your blog with mood boards every week; that probably isn’t your thing; you’d be better off imparting your knowledge in budgeting or timetable planning or similar. On the other hand,  if you’re passionate about styling and design and really want to push that side of things, then this is a fabulous way to show your talents and we know some very successful wedding planners who have built their profile from zero to hero on the basis of sharing their passion.

 

My forte definitely lies in carefully managing a project, being super organised, working to sometimes tight timeframes, with logistical issues and often with clients from overseas or those who are incredibly time short; I help them with their wedding look and design but for many of them, that is the slightly less important factor, than getting everyone there, laying on a great fun party, and keeping themselves sane in the process!  For another wedding planner, a big part of their work will be about the styling and design and the focus of their efforts will go in that direction. And that’s also why we don’t always get every job; couples are often very perceptive and will just “get a feel” for who will suit them best.

 

So keep on being you, whatever you is great at.

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Your Life Script Needs Changing!

Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

Those of you who have been subscribers to our blog for some time will be familiar with Ray Hutchin of Cloud 9 – our highly inspirational business coach. Today Ray talks about what he describes as our ‘Life Script’. Read on…..

Following presenting at WPE’11 last month I thought I’d follow up one of the presentations that I did with a reminder and a bit more detail on the Life Script that I spoke about. As I am sure you will notice we have made some improvements to our model.

 

So what actually makes us make the decisions that we do, there is a theory that we all have a life script that has been formulated over the years. Everything that we hear, learn etc from our parents, teachers, peers and friends all have a big impact on us and more so in our earlier years. This forms our beliefs and values and helps decide the decisions we make, so to make changes and get different results we need to make changes and break away from our life script.

 

So therefore there is a pattern to what we do, we are pre-programmed, if you like, so we tend to continue to do the same things as we always have done and to also stay in our comfort zone. If we want to get different results we therefore need to do things differently, change our habits and get out of our comfort zone.

 

So as coaches, we belief there are certain things that a success person will do and work on to break away from their current life script and do things differently. So here they are:-

 

Life Script (areas to work on)

 

L  Love what you do or Love why you are doing it

I   Increase your Knowledge & Understanding

F  Focus on your Goals and Your Team

E  E=MC²  – Energy (motivation) = Mindset * Confidence²

 

S   Self Discipline to do the required Activity

C   Communication Skills

R   Review – every week, month and quarter

I    Inspire others with Great Leadership

P   Plan & Perseverance

T   Take Ownership, Responsibility & be Accountable

 

We think this is self explanatory, as if these areas are worked on (and to be honest most people do not work on improving these areas) then you will add new skill and an improved mindset and change your life script and do things in a better way.

 

If you have any questions or are not sure about any part of it, please drop us an email and we will be happy to explain in more detail. Just to let you know our first book, based in the LIFE SCRIPT, is well underway and will be out later this year.

 

 

As I mentioned at WPE’11 our website has now been launched please take a look and let us know what you think www.cloud9businessspecialists.co.uk

 

All current workshops and dates are on the website and our new Mastermind Group dates and details will be added very soon. Remember to ask for your UKAWP discount of £50 on any of our workshops.

 

Until next time here’s to more success and continued work on your life script!

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Sales meeting tips

Monday, February 14th, 2011

 

Today we hear from Ray Hutchin of Cloud 9 with some practical tips on holding the perfect sales meeting or consultation with potential new clients.  Over to you Ray:

Now I don’t claim to be an expert on Sales Meetings for Wedding Planners, however I believe the best way to learn and change something for the better is to get a better understanding and to do that, what better way than asking yourself some questions.

So here are some questions to ask yourself about your sales meetings and it may just help you, to find a way to get better results:-

1)      Where do you hold you Sales Meetings and do you know where you get the best conversion rates?

2)      When you know where you get the best results ask yourself, why do you get the best results where you do?

3)      How do you deal with distractions during the meeting if any?

4)      Do you help them to buy or do you sell?

5)      Do you know the benefits from buying from you, over your competitors (your USP and guarantee)

6)      Do you have a purpose statement script (to frame up the meeting and therefore stay in control of the meeting)?

7)      Do you know your 10 biggest objections (and have all the answers off pat)

8)    Are you comfortable with your close and do you spot buying signals?

9)       When was the last time you read a book or attended a sales workshop?

10)   Do you have a complete and up to date sales pack with you at the meeting?

11)   How many times have you spoken to, emailed, and phoned the prospect before the meeting to build rapport?

12)   Do you always get permission at the end of the meeting to contact them again if they haven’t made a decision?

 To gain even more insight into the Sales Process book today for Wedding Planning Excellence where I will be presenting on the Sales Process on Saturday morning.

Cloud9 run regular half day and day workshops, covering all aspects of business and as well as offering a money back guarantee, also UKAWP has negotiated a £50 discount for its members on each workshop. For more details please email sam@cloud9businessspecialists.co.uk or visit our website which will be launched later this month.

 

 

 

 

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Reviewing and planning for your business

Friday, February 4th, 2011

Today we are delighted to hear from Ray Hutchin of  Cloud 9 Business Specialists.

A regular contributor to our blog, Ray sheds some light on reviewing and planning. If you’re like us at UKAWP, January has gone in a flash but there is still plenty of time to plan for the months and year ahead. Over to Ray:  

How do you measure?

It’s at this time of year we start to reflect and wonder where on earth the last year went! I don’t know about you, but I also rate the year, based on what I have actually achieved during the year. So how do you measure whether you have had a good year or not? Do you just measure your turnover, or maybe your profit, or the money you took out of the business, maybe your personal growth (your increase in skills, self confidence, self belief, knowledge and understanding) or do you measure a combination of these or other things? However you measure it is ok, as long as you are honest with yourself. So I suggest you spend some time reviewing the last year and don’t just focus on the negatives (most people tend to) ensure you spend time listing the successes you have had.

Comparing year on year

By reviewing your previous year it will help you plan the next one, as you will have a yardstick to measure the coming year by and an understanding of what worked and didn’t for you. For me reviewing is an important part of improving ourselves, it gives you an understanding of what you have achieved and how  you faced challenges and how you dealt with them, from here you can then make changes and improve things in the future.

What now?

So once you have reviewed what is the next step? Everyone will plan differently and that is fine (you need to find what works for you). For me, as I have regular clients and workshops, I look at my diary and draft out how and when I want to run workshops and see my clients (of course doing it efficiently as I can, taking into account where I am and travel times). Then I drop in my sales and marketing time, this includes when I will do my sales meetings and follow up calls. This enables me to make sure I have times to offer that suits me so I don’t waste time going all over the place, yes I have to be flexible sometimes, but it is surprising how people will fit around me when I offer them choices.

What do you need to do?

I also ensure I know what I need to sell to achieve the turnover I require (which leads to my gross profit and my net profit), all my activity is based around the results I want to achieve. So how many weddings do you need to do at your average fee to hit your turnover target and what do you need to spend (in time and money) on marketing activity to achieve the results you require? So many business owners just hope to hit their targets and don’t even know if it’s realistic, when you have planned your activity you will then have a focus for your activity.

Keeping on track

For me planning should be done for at least a year as an outline and this should then be done in detail for the next quarter. The detailed plan should then be followed day by day or week by week and reviewed at least monthly. Most plans are not achieved as they are left on the shelf after being written and not even looked at – so it’s not surprising that they are never achieved.

Using the plan

So what planning are you going to do to help you achieve your goals for 2011 and more importantly are you going to follow the plan and review it – no one is perfect and plans are just a guide line and we need to be flexible and adjust them as we go along. So many people give up trying to achieve their goals when they fall behind the plan early on. So have some discipline and work the plan and remember failing to plan means you have planned to fail.

Cloud9 run regular half day and day workshops, covering all aspects of business and as well as offering a money back guarantee, also UKAWP has negotiated a £50 discount for its members on each workshop. For more details please email sam@cloud9businessspecialists.co.uk or visit our website which will be launched later this month.

And don’t forget, Ray will be speaking at the forthcoming Wedding Planning Excellence Seminar taking place on 4th and 5th March in London. Do take a look at the website for full details.

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Events 2012 Overview – 1st Quarter

Tuesday, January 4th, 2011

As always the UKAWP are going to be incredibly busy with events throughout 2012 so we thought we better start telling you about some of the plans for the first few months of the year!

WPE ’12 – Wedding Planning Excellence

WPE ’12‘Wedding Planning Excellence’ was first established in 2009 and in essence is a training seminar for wedding planners. The directors of the UKAWP along with our members devised a specialised programme designed to inspire and educate you with your business, there are 2 days of intelligent, inspirational speakers for you to learn from.

WPE is held over 2 days Friday 2nd & Saturday 3rd March 2012 at the fabulous 51 Buckingham Gate in Central London. There will be a Friday night dinner off sire which again is optional, more details to be published on the dinner in the New Year.

UKAWP member rate – for one day £170, for both days £320 / non member rate – for one day – £180, for both days £350 / Dinner is £45

We suggest you visit the beginners guide to WPE and will leave you with just one testimonial:

Testimonial

UKAWP “did WPE inspire you for 2011?”

WPE Delegate “Hell yes – thank you” & “Yes, yes, yes”!

Training Webinars

Following our successful webinar launch in November we will be running a series of additional ones throughout 2012. The webinars will be a combination of topics designed for new planners and for more advanced learning by already established planners.  We hope that the flexibility of being able to join a webinar online will appeal to many who cannot travel easily to other training we organise or have missed a previous session.

Please keep checking our blog and website for details as and when we announce them.

Title:  ‘The basics of organising a marquee reception‘ - based on the presentation given at WPE ’11

Tutor: Bernadette Chapman, UKAWP Director

Date: Wednesday 8th February 2012

Time: 6pm-7pm

Cost: £60

How to book your place:  go to our booking form here

Technical details:

You will need internet access with speakers and will be sent an event invitation which will require you to set up a password. At the relevant webinar time you will need to log in. You will be able to hear the tutor deliver the session as well as be able to see a slide presentation on screen. You will be able to ask questions online via a chat page. Further notes will be posted to you following your registration.

Testimonial following our “marketing your business” webinar

“I think it’s an excellent way to offer a bite-sized training course as it means it’s easily accessible. This is really important for those of us that are trying to juggle other responsibilities such as jobs or children, as it’s often difficult to get away for a full day. I really liked it that you talked around the slides/course notes rather than just reading them verbatim. The discussion gave some really valuable insights into starting your business.”

Workshops

We held various workshops in 2011 both in London and Wimslow. Topics have included: Floral Emergencies, Fixing the Bridal Dress, PR Basics

We plan to run the London workshops again from April 2012, if there are any topics you would like us to cover let us know!

In the meantime save the date for the 9th February in Manchester for a Northern PR Workshop hosted by Julia from Bridesup North

Training Courses

The successful training courses run by the UKAWP start again in February 2012.  See below for the planned dates. To find out more information, to download the brochure or indeed to book please visit our training page

Business Practicalities: 18th & 19th February (Northamptonshire) and 21st & 22nd April (London)

Step by Step: 24th & 25th March (Northamptonshire) and 19th & 20th May (London)

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FEAR by Ray Hutchin

Monday, January 3rd, 2011

The UKAWP love Ray Hutchin a well respected business coach and highly rated presenter at our events (inc. WPE). Today he is sharing his views on FEAR ….

So what actually is one of the major causes of us not achieving our potential?

I believe one of the reasons is fear -

It can a fear of showing ourselves up, of being rejected, of standing out from the crowd, of looking stupid, a fear of failure or even a fear of success, a fear of being found out, or one of many other things we fear.

To change and overcome our fears, I believe we need to ask ourselves some questions, such as:-

What are our fears?

Why do we have these fears?

So what could we actually achieve if we managed to overcome these fears?

We need to be honest with ourselves, because a lot of us actually don’t want to know ourselves very well (another fear) and we actually run and hide from ourselves!

When we know our fears, we can then start to work on them and start to remove them, which will then help us to achieve our potential.

So what does fear stand for – Fear stands for False Evidence Appearing Real.

And it is the False Evidence that we give/tell/collect ourselves that we dwell on and then create a False outcome in our minds before we even start performing the task.

Having been a business coach, for 8 years now, I have come across many business owners who are under achieving due to having a fear. This fear is there in the subconscious stopping the business owner from achieving the results that they are perfectly able to achieve if they didn’t have that fear.

In many cases it is more than one fear. I have also worked with and alongside many business coaches and they suffer from the same problem, myself included, so you are not alone.

The top entrepreneurs’ that I have met and read about have also had to overcome their fears and for them it normally happens (in my opinion) when they are at rock bottom. How many very successful people have been at rock bottom (been bankrupt or been very, very close, losing everything, or similar) and I believe it is at this point that they realise that nothing can ever be worse and it is not as bad as they thought it would be – because they haven’t actually died. They then no longer have their fear and do what is required.

Now I’m not saying it just the removal of their fear which enables them to achieve amazing results, there are other factors as well, such as having a belief and passion in what they are trying to achieve, as well as perseverance, but I believe removing or dealing with you fears is also a key factor. I’m not suggesting that you go bankrupt or close to it to overcome your fears, I suggest you explore them now before it is too late, for me this is just part of what should be you continual growth and development, to help you achieve your full potential.

Earlier I mentioned the fear of success and below is a great quote from a great film (if you haven’t seen it, please do).

 COACH CARTER (2005)

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light not our darkness, that most frightens us

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine as children do; it’s not just in some of us it is in everyone.

And as we let our own lights shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

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Last Chance for WPE

Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010

Today is the last chance to buy WPE tickets at the reduced rate – prices are due to increase on the 23rd December. To purchase your ticket go to our booking form.

WPE '11

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Events Overview

Tuesday, December 21st, 2010

Floral Emergency! – Workshop

The first in our new quarterly workshops is taking place on Thursday 20th January from 6:30-8:30 at a training facility by Victoria Station. As wedding planners there are times when we need to use our initiative and fix possible disasters and we hope to cover some of the possible scenarios in our workshops. This workshop is being led by Euphoric Flowers, Simon and Victoria will be showing us how to make an emergency bouquet and buttonholes as well as discussing trends for the coming season. Please note this event is limited to 10 planners and as of writing this article, we only have 2 spaces remaining.

Tickets for this workshop are just £50 and you can book here

WPE ’11 – Wedding Planning Excellence

A round up of events for 2011 wouldn’t be complete without a mention on WPE !

WPE ’11‘Wedding Planning Excellence’ was first established in 2009 and in essence is a training seminar for wedding planners. The directors of the UKAWP along with our members devised a specialised programme designed to inspire and educate you with your business, there are 2 days of intelligent, inspirational speakers for you to learn from.

WPE is held over 2 days Friday 4th – Saturday 5th March 2011, this time after listening to feedback you have the option of attending just 1 day if you are unable to make the full session. We have chosen a central London venue, the Radisson Kenilworth Hotel on Great Russell Street, WC2 3BL. There will be a Friday night dinner which again is optional, more details to be published on the dinner in the New Year.

The investment we ask from you for the 2 days + dinner is minimal compared to similar events in the US who charge $2,200! The prices will go up after the 22nd December so we advise you book early to make your pennies stretch even further.

Early bird UKAWP member rate – for one day £150, for both days £290 / Early bird non member rate – for one day – £160, for both days £310 / Dinner is £40

For more information visit the beginners guide to WPE

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AIDA for wedding business advertising

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

Recently we posted an article by Claire from English Wedding on marketing strategies for the wedding business, we hope it was useful? Today we are discussing advertisements and in particular AIDA – read on for more info.

When it comes to advertising your wedding business, whether online, in print or in person at a wedding fair or exhibition, the AIDA model is an easy and handy guide that will help you get it right.

Used by marketers in the biggest corporations around the world and great for small business owners even without a marketing background, AIDA is a handy tool for everyone.

What does AIDA stand for?

AIDA is:

  • Attention: people notice your wedding business ad
  • Interest: people stop and look at your ad
  • Desire: people want your product or service
  • Action: people do something e.g. click an internet ad to visit your site

These are four stages of perception, if you like; steps on an imaginary path your ad will guide a potential customer along.

Ideally you want a potential customer to see your ad and make a decision to buy from you. AIDA makes it happen!

Stage 1: Attention

Your ad needs to attract the attention of a potential customer. This could mean a big, bright, flashing banner on a website, a high ranking on Google or a sweet-smelling stand at a wedding fair. (I’ll never forget doing a wedding fair alongside Made With Love wedding stationery a couple of years ago – Clare’s stand smelt gorgeous, she had bath bombs to decorate the table! The funniest things can make the best impressions!)

Be wary of over the top attention-seeking ads though: whether in the wedding press or online, a gaudy ad might not work. This is down to targeting. If your brand targets the budget end of the wedding market, a bright, bold add will work: we’ve learned to identify brash ads with offers and discounts… but also with cheap goods, so be careful. Very good point Claire

Strange as it may seem, we’re also learning to ignore bold advertising banners (on the web) so again, be wary of this. Create an ad that will appeal to your target customer, whoever that may be.

Stage 2: Interest

Once your ad has the attention of a potential customer, it quickly needs to generate interest. Do this by creating an ad that’s relevant to your potential customer.

Imagine you’re planning your wedding. You’re flicking through the local paper and you see a half page ad in bright red with a picture of a fairy on it. It’ll probably grab your attention.

But if it’s an ad for accident claims or high interest loans, your interest won’t last long. However, if it’s an advert for The Wedding Fairy you’ll probably read on to find out more. The ad has successfully attracted your interest by being relevant to your current situation!

Stage 3: Desire

This is where your ad really needs to work hard. Getting a potential customer’s interest is pretty easy with a beautifully designed, appropriate ad and an intriguing headline. But the next step is to make someone want your product or service – and here you have to plan carefully.

Market segmentation and targeting comes into play here. If you know a little about your potential customers it will be easier to plan an ad which will be persuasive. Will they respond to beautifully written product descriptions, or to offers of freebies? Are your product features or benefits more important?

An ad which is overly wordy can quickly become dull. You need to choose your words carefully – so make sure you’re only saying the right things! In the same way, use the right images. A customer reading your ad in Cosmo Bride may have very different tastes to the one reading your ad in Wedding Ideas magazine. To create that essential desire for your product, you need to show the right product to the right people. I think sometimes we can forget that brides may not know our brand thus don’t know we are wedding planners, we need to tell them that fact in the advert – but quickly, it’s not the time for an essay on what you do!

Stage 4: Action

The final step in AIDA is action. Your potential customer has seen your ad, its message is relevant and has their attention, your persuasive copy has made them say “ooh that’s exactly what I’m looking for, for my wedding!” … and then they think, “I’ll speak to Dave and place an order later” but they forget, and you never hear from them again.

You need to stop that happening. An ad should have an effective Call to Action: a great reason to order now / enquire straight away / sign up for your newsletter. This is so true and we totally agree, sounds obvious but tell them to call for their free consultation…

Examples of calls to action are:

  • discounts with deadlines (order TODAY to save 10% – Debenhams blue cross sale ring a bell, anyone?)
  • order by 2pm to qualify for next day delivery – office supplies stores tend to do this
  • a free pair matching earrings with the first 5 of your new necklaces sold
  • call now (freephone) to check availability for your wedding day
  • get regular offers in our newsletter – just click the button

Any of the above methods will help get an order in quickly or get potential customers’ details. You can then follow up either with your generic newsletters or with a personal email or phone call – where the personalised approach is very likely to gain you an order.

Using AIDA for your wedding business

If you have existing ads in the wedding press, have a look at them now. Do they meet all four of the AIDA criteria?

Critique your ads: what could you improve, if anything, with the help of the AIDA model and tips in this article? The UKAWP are going to review ours and get back to you!

Next time you design an ad or promotion, read through this article. It will help you get a feel for how effective your ad will be. Apply it to your print ads, to your website, and to your stand at wedding exhibitions. And do get in touch to let me know if you find it’s helped you!

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