Category Archives: Great posts from the industry

Don’t Forget To Play - by Matthew Oliver

28 June, 2016

We loved this article by member Matthew Oliver, all about not forgetting to take some time out to have fun even in the midst of wedding season. Over to you Matthew…

I’ve brought back the #fridayfeeling as I saw this quote today and knew I had to post it because it’s actually how I feel right now!

IMAGE CREDIT – MARC JOHNS

As you can imagine we’re entering into wedding season, for some they’re already inside and they won’t be coming up for air till later this year.

In this time it’s so important that we make sure we have time to play, even it’s it’s for a couple of hours, or if you’re lucky a weekend!

Being in this industry, is challenging and can be very emotional at times and been a planner you could be working on your own during the week, so I advise giving yourself some play time – play time could be anything like, shopping, catching up with friends, exercise, date nights, hanging out with family, or even playing with your favourite Star Wars figures (I did say play time)- or in my case my gold dinosaurs!

Having a weekly task list and adding this play time to it is vital because then you’ll know you have to make time for it, especially if you’ve made plans! I’m a sucker for making plans and then when it comes to the day of ‘play time’ I’m always worrying I’ve not got time for this! We should not be worried, we should be excited; but unfortunately this is the case for a lot of us, as regardless of what we do we feel we’re letting someone down, if it’s a client a boss, your partner it’s what we think!

This play time does not just go for wedding folk, it’s important you couples out there have time to play too! If you’re planning your wedding on your own or even if you have a planner, it’s so important you find time to play/relax and do something that does not involve wedding planning – though make sure not to even bring up wedding planning because it won’t be play time!

So what are you all doing this weekend or next week that let’s you put your pads down and turn your computers off? I’m going for drinks this evening followed by a Thai with the boy – this is my play time, what is yours?

I’m sure you all can relate to this, but I feel we all need to do this for ourselves because quite rightly we deserve it! In this day and age we work to hard and forget the play! Remember the saying work hard, play hard?!

Love you loads,

 

Matthew Oliver

 

International Wedding Planner xx

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Valuing your work as a Wedding Planner

10 June, 2013

Today we’d like to introduce you to Isabel of Isabel Smith Wedding Design who raises some very pertinent points about valuing our work…..

This is a topic that many a business owner who offers a service rather than a product has waxed lyrical over. How do you place a value on your time and knowledge?

There are many who feel that the lower priced planners (say offering full planning services at less than £2,000) undermine the planning industry as a whole – after all, why would a client pay £10,000 when another vendor purports to be offering the same thing for so much less?

On the other hand, most also agree that one has to charge prices in line with their experience levels – is it fair for a planner with 2/3 years experience to charge the same as someone with 8 years in the industry?

So how do you find the balance? That is challenge 1.

Once you have researched what your competitors are charging, assessed your own experience level in relation to them, thought through how many weddings you can take per year in and amongst your other home/work commitments and what you need to bring in from the business etc etc, you can set your pricing.

But what happens when that is done and the prospective clients still don’t want to pay? This is challenge 2!

The truth is, it doesn’t matter whether you are charging £1000 or £100,000 for your services – there are people at every price point pushing for a bargain – particularly in these straightened times.

I consider myself a pretty experienced planner with over 3 years working wedding sales and operations in hotels and over 4 years now as a freelancer. I am extremely lucky in that almost all of my clients fall arguably into the luxury market with budgets over £75,000 (although, those of us who were in the room with Sylvia Weinstock in New York last year know that ‘that is not luxury’). But it has taken me a long time to get here including 8 months at a hotel working 80+ hours a week for £13,500 a year and offering services for free through a ‘win a wedding planner’ contests and for friends.

So why is it that after all that, when chatting to a new planner, I can speak with complete confidence about my experience and pricing, but when a potential client pushes back, it is only within the last year that I have learned not to buckle?

It comes down to belief in your own value. If in doubt, try not to think about you valuing your own time and knowledge, but think about what value it offers the client:

Does your service save them endless hours researching etiquette and Googling suppliers. Yes! So what is that time worth to them?

Does your service allow the client to achieve their wedding day without stress or hassle. Yes! So what is that peace of mind worth to them?

If you still don’t see your value, then give some thought to the services you might employ day to day:

Does your cleaner save you time and effort at home? Yes! Do you resent or undervalue them? Hell no!

Does your accountant’s expertise save you from having to take an accountancy course and save you money and time on the long run? Yes! Any problems paying their bill? Nope!

In other words, yes you should consider your experience levels when setting your charges, but once that process is done, stick by those prices, because you are awesome!

UKAWP View

Here at the UKAWP we have seen many discussions about what to charge and frankly we’re shocked at how low some of those fees are. We always teach our students to work out how much work is actually involved in the service they are providing. Another very important factor is location: fair or unfair, location does play a part in what you can charge. By doing the proper research into the demographics in your area, and combining that with your skill set, you can come up with a realistic fee structure. BUT, at all times the fee should be realistic enough to ensure you are making a living, earning less than minimum wage is not smart.

For further reading, head to:

Preston Bailey - various posts

http://blog.prestonbailey.com/2012/12/05/dear-preston-clients-wont-pay-me-the-amount-i-feel-i-deserve/

http://blog.prestonbailey.com/2012/10/24/how-does-your-vision-of-yourself-impact-your-clients/

http://blog.prestonbailey.com/2012/04/05/name-your-price-the-bottom-line/

The Value of our Charges By Siobhan Craven Robins

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=584322898253005&id=546533268698635

English Wedding Blog

True cost of wedding flowers

Weddings for a Living

http://weddingsforaliving.com/how-to-price-wedding-planner-services

 

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FINDING THE RIGHT WORDS

12 April, 2013

When it comes to your website and other promotional material, great copy really can make a difference, says UKAWP guest blogger, Catherine Butler, a national magazine journalist and ghost writer for commercial blogs and newsletters.

WHY HIRE COPYWRITER?

Your website is your ‘Hello’. It’s the warm smile; firm handshake; pithy pitch, and unique flair with which you’d want to greet every prospective client. We all know that first impressions count, so if you want the next happy couple who land on your web page to call off the search, your web copy has to be every inch as slick and professional as the design. Choosing the right words matters - years of soothing a cathedral-load of jittery couples will have taught you that. And just as you can’t expect a bride-to-be to effortlessly craft her dream wedding without the help of someone who has done it a thousand times before, the copy for your website, newsletter, or blog, will strike the right chord with the help of a professional writer. Believe me, nothing can rack up a bounce rate quicker than lack-lustre or flabby copy, while a typo will immediately send your credibility plummeting.Hire the right copywriter, however, and they will make sure that all your company literature is not only concise, error-free, and easy to follow, but captures the unique personality and ethos of your business.

FINDING YOUR PERFECT MATCH

The right copywriter can help transform your business’s website, newsletter or blog in to a must-read that inspires, and most importantly, sells. If you’ve been deterred from outsourcing over recent concerns of copycat websites and plagiarism, think again. A professional will ensure that everything they do for you is 100% tailored to your business, and they will be willing to go that extra mile to understand what makes you tick, what your brand values are, and ensure that your company’s unique voice is projected in all your promotional copy.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

It’s not so different to a bride choosing a wedding planner really. Start off with a 15-20-minute face-to-face consultation (over Skype), during which time you can find out more about me, and so I can understand your business and establish exactly what you need, from developing a ‘house style’ or brand tagline, to figuring out an easy-to-navigate copy structure to best show-case your services. Because I want you to be completely happy with what you pay for, I quote by job rather than by time, meaning I can tailor packages to fit most budgets. Prices start from around £450 for the standard navigational pages (approximately 1000 words), up to around £1500 for a more detailed website, which may, for example, include time spent interviewing venues and past clients for testimonials and quotes.

HOW ELSE CAN A COPYWRITER HELP MY BUSINESS?

If your website is already top notch, a copywriter can take the stress out of writing press releases, brochures and other promotional material, transform a monthly newsletter, manage your social media, or even ghost-write your blog. In other words, you can have a personalised publicity machine working hard for you so you can focus on the parts of the job you really love. So, with wedding season upon us, perhaps it’s the perfect time to give it a whirl.

For the months of April and May, I am offering UKAWP members 20% off all new client copywriting services, and £79.99 (RRP £89.99) for one month’s social media management.

Get in touch; www.catherinebutler.co.uk.

 

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