Attracting Brides for YOUR Wedding Planning Business!

In order to attract new brides for your Wedding Planner business, you need to be pro-active and positive 100% of the time. “Impossible!” you say? Well I’m here to tell you that it may take work, but it’s not impossible. I’m living proof. I run a successful Wedding Planning Business, teach, spend time with my wonderful family and, just recently, added a Décor Division. I’ve had to learn, over the last eight years, how to create and keep my energy. I’d like to share a little about how I’ve done that with you right now.

What’s the secret to staying positive and attracting new brides? It’s finding your spirit, keeping your energy, and staying focused. Brides want someone who is happy and excited about “their” wedding, so unless you FEEL all those feelings, they’ll leave and find someone else. The key is not letting all the time and energy stealers steal YOUR energy. This means being able to distance yourself from those around you who are stuck in a negative place.

People who are well-meaning, but never have a positive thing to say are the very people to avoid. This is easier said than done, because they may be very close to you and you don’t even see it. Try this, the next time someone comes to you with a problem, evaluate how you feel once you’ve helped them. If you notice that you feel worn out, a little depressed, lacking in motivation, etc. then you’ve just let an energy stealer have some of yours.

It takes a lot of self-motivation to be in business for yourself, and you have to keep talking yourself up, you don’t have the TIME to let others bring you down. Believe me; once you’ve given your time/energy to someone, your brides will know it and they will lose their enthusiasm for utilizing your business. They are PAYING you to make their wedding the most memorable day in their lives. They won’t want to do business with someone who isn’t as enthusiastic as they are.

So, take a tip from a VERY successful Wedding Planner, be positive, happy, interested, and excited to be part of every bride’s very special day. It works; you’ll attract brides like bees to honey.

One more thing, never, ever give up! There are going to be days that you don’t think you can face one more smiling, giddy bride. Shake it off; fake it, if you have to! Put on your best smile, concentrate on “sparkling” and pretty soon, you’ll feel it.

It’s when you are in a funk yourself, that the naysayers prey upon you the most. Don’t let them. Your dream is valuable, not only to you, but to those that you can help by starting their married life with the best wedding possible, planned by you. When you start feeling like it’s not working and wondering why you ever wanted to do this in the first place, close your eyes, take a deep breath and remember all those great ideas you have and how much you want to share your talent.

Center yourself by thanking your Higher Power for all the gifts you’ve gotten. Remind yourself why you pushed so hard to get here. Then put on that “glowing” face and get out there and be the best Wedding Planner you can. YOU CAN DO IT! I am, and loving every minute of it!

http://myweddingplannerclass.com

Secrets to Wedding Planning Success

Since the recession, there is not a day that goes by where people don’t ask, “So how’s the wedding planning business?” Most assume that brides are cutting back and that I am feeling the Wall Street sting, too. They are shocked at my answer when I say, “It could never be better, things are moving and shaking around here.” As businesses are closing, new doors are opening for me in the wedding industry. I believe in the motto: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going!” So along with tightening your budget during tough economical times as a wedding planner, you must also tighten your mind-set.

Last year I joined a group of fellow wedding planners and I have expanded my business thanks to my mentor, Ciara Daykin. Having a group to turn to held me accountable for my business agenda. I was able to share in my triumphs and mastermind with others that have the same passions as I. Along with securing a high contract with a premier event venue, I began to do what has always come natural to me-teach. Since I was a teacher before I became a wedding planner, I thoroughly enjoy being able to fuse the two together. I recently was a guest speaker at my mentor’s weekly meeting. My topic covered the core teachings I use in my own wedding planner course. Here are some of the tips from that meeting:

First of all, you need to forget about the competition. Instead of getting caught up on what others are doing, get caught up in what YOU are doing. The best way to set yourself apart from other wedding planners is to clearly define your niche. Your niche is your distinctive “calling card”. Write down what you enjoy most and then figure out how you can get paid to do it. For example, my niche is that I make weddings personal. I create events that have the couple’s personality on even the tiniest of details. So what happens? When a couple’s number one concern is having a wedding that is about them, they come to me. You too need to have a highly specialized trait that you are known for. Look at your surrounding market, what is lacking? How can you fill this void? Does anyone do destination weddings, eco-friendly weddings? As you grow, develop key alliances with vendors. This will enable you to offer exclusives or the best deal on certain aspects of the wedding.

Understand you are the wedding expert; couples have come to you for two reasons. The wedding is either too stressful or they simply don’t have time to plan it. They are hiring you to not only organize it and have all the details in place but they are also hiring you as a professional because they want your opinion. Be sure you tell your clients like it is, give them honesty and directness-that is how you earn their respect. Keep in mind your relationship with the vendor and express what is possible and what is not. You are the deal maker and you have to play both sides of the table. In the end of the day, you are there to make your couple happy. So you must remember you are representing them when you are making calls and negotiating contract stipulations.

The way you get business, is by getting noticed. You must be a leader, a trendsetter. Most of us have a problem with this, stepping away from the pack and developing our own unique brand. However this is exactly what you must do in order to catch the eye of clients. Be distinct with your marketing message. We are all different; however most of us try and conform. But if you notice, highly-successful people do not. They take the leap. This means instead of being afraid of new things or sticking to the safe way that “everybody” does, you discover new ways to get your name out there. For example, I have taken to the internet for bringing national recognition to my company and myself. I send out newsletters, have a Facebook Fan page, I tweet and I love teleseminars. This not only builds my brand, but couples find me that way too!


Most importantly, look at your wedding planning business as your resume. The more you do, the more opportunities you take-the more you build up your company’s track record. I hear the same “complaint” over and again from new wedding planners. “I just started my business; all that I have done is a few friends and families weddings.” I want to clap and say congratulations! Your abilities have caught the eye of those closest to you, this means you are on the right track. Keep going! I got started in this business by saying “Yes” to a friend. She needed help with her daughters’ birthday party and I came to her mind. I still do the Farther/Daughter dance at the local school every year. The budget is only $200, however the parents know me for it and I take pleasure in delivering beyond their expectations.

For anyone looking to break into the wedding planner business, I would suggest enrolling in a wedding planner education class-just like I did. Work with others to develop your business plan, confidence, niche and marketing strategy. Surround yourself with trusted colleagues and mentors. You will gain insider knowledge that will help you enjoy success as a wedding planner.

Wedding Love and Hugs,

Tonya
http://MyWeddingPlannerClass.com

So you want to be a wedding planner…..

Most people decide to become a wedding planner because they coordinated their own wedding or a friends and realized they had a flare and passion for helping others’ bring their “Big Day” dreams to life. They dream of becoming an elite wedding planner but they have no idea how to make that magic happen!


My name is Tonya Shadoan and I had that exact same desire. I remember what it was like taking that leap of faith and opening my own wedding planner business in 2001. After eight years of experience being the President of Circle City Planners, my team and I have coordinated over 200 events from the beginning to the end. Just imagine having 10-15 weddings in your head and the demand of creating a different, personal experience for each special client. Do you have what it takes to become a highly successful wedding planner, too?

There are many sites that guarantee they can make you a wedding planner by simply sending you a stack of course matter. I’m here to tell you, you don’t have to pay thousands of dollars to get “certified” to become a true, legit wedding planner. Don’t get me wrong, you do have to get some type of training before you go out and help someone orchestrate the biggest day of their lives. But it takes more than a piece of paper to make you an elite wedding planner.

I have found over the years there are four main character traits that you must have-or develop- to be a highly successful wedding planner.

Character Traits of a Great Wedding Planner

Image:
I know this sounds shallow. It is shallow. We judge a new acquaintance within the first 15 seconds we meet them. We have sized them up. We know everything about that person before they even open their mouth. “What? I don’t do that!” But you do, you just might not be aware of your quick judgments. So with that being said, brides are doing the same thing. They have this preconceived notion of what a wedding planner should look like. Your overall image needs to be sharp and up-to-date. If you want women to entrust that you can bring their wedding fairytale to life, you must have a bit of fairy Godmother (or Sister!) in your personal image.

Professionalism:
This is where you gain the respect of your peers and your clients. Keeping a calm demeanor and professional image at all times is very important to your reputation. I’m not just talking about during the event; I’m talking about all the time. When you are at the grocery store interacting with the clerk, holding a conference with your child’s teacher, or even spending the evening out with your friends; you must be calm, cool and collected. People take note when someone is professional and they clearly remember those who are not! You never know where you might get your next client, so you must develop the ability to “act the part” 24/7.


Organized:
This is one of the most important aspects of a wedding planner. If you have multiple weddings to plan, it is of the utmost importance to have a system for staying organized and use it. Every bride deserves to be special; every bride wants to be reassured that she is in good hands. It’s up to you to make her feel that way. This can't be achieved if you are unorganized. You will constantly be fighting an uphill battle with yourself and your clients if you don’t implement a fool-proof filing system and stick to it. Developing an iron clad system takes time and dedication but your clients will thank you and you will thank yourself in the long run.

Passionate:
I love my job! I’m in the FUN business. Yes, I have a flexible schedule; yes, I can take off and go to lunch with my husband at a moments notice. Yes, I can even go shopping in the middle of the day! BUT, I always put in tons of time working on my business. Even if there is no wedding to plan, I am still focused on building my business. I’m dedicated to developing it everyday by networking on and offline. I rarely take a Saturday off; I am either at a wedding or catching up on administrative duties. I do anything and everything for Circle City Planners because I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s not work, it’s what I love. Everyday is different. I am in the business of helping couples’ have the best “biggest day of their lives”. Every wedding, my team and I are committed to developing another unique, magical atmosphere. You will need this same passion, spirit and dedication when starting your own successful wedding planner business.

So I have given you the four basic skills all wedding planners need to possess. Now is the time for you to do some character analysis. Do you have these traits naturally or will you need to develop them while learning the wedding planner industry? Take the Wedding Planner Quiz and review your results. You will then have a better understanding of your wedding planner personalities’ strengths and weaknesses.

DON'T MISS IT: November 5th at 8pm, EST I am having a free teleseminar to give you "5 Secrets from a Real Wedding Planner, no one wants you to know!"

These Insider's Secrets will include:

1. Foundation, creating the base and watching it grow
2. Blueprint, Step by step on how I work directly with my clients
3. WOW effect, Bringing your true talent to the table & getting paid for it
4. Finding your Niche, standing out in front of the crowd
5. Professionalism, earning respect of others in the industry

If you are ready to break into the wedding planner industry-the right way-click the link and register for my free Insider's Secret Wedding Planner Teleseminar.

Register for The FREE Teleseminar

Visit the Education section on my company’s site to learn how I help develop people into elite wedding planners.

Wedding Love and Hugs,

Tonya