Wedding Industry Biz

How to Use Technology to Create a Better Brand Experience

Creating a better brand experience is at the forefront of most business operations. After all, clients who enjoy working with you are more likely to leave five-star reviews and send referrals your way. With the event industry continuously changing, it’s essential to stay on top of the experience you provide clients and use tools that will allow you to do so.

The one thing you need to stay ahead of the curve? Technology.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an even greater shift into the digital world, with events taking place over Zoom and client communication remaining completely online. As a result, being tech-savvy is no longer a bonus for those looking to work with an event professional. Now, it’s a must-have.

Luckily, you can use technology to create an outstanding brand experience for your clients, from booking to onboarding.

Here are five ways your tech solutions will help you stand out.
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Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 106: Gain Control of Your Business One SOP at a Time, with Irene Tyndale

To gain control of your business, you need to map out your standard operating procedures (SOPs). Today’s guest explains where you can start.

Irene Tyndale is the Founder and CEO of Irene Tyndale Weddings & Events, an award-winning and full-service boutique event planning firm based in Atlanta. With a background in corporate event planning, Irene has over 20 years of industry experience. Her work has been featured in publications such as Modern Luxury and B Collective. Additionally, she is a leading industry speaker, author, coach, and educator.

In this episode, Irene challenges you to gain control of your business. Specifically, she highlights the importance of building relationships that later yield invaluable referrals, getting clear about the details of your procedures, and knowing your goals.

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Wedding Industry Biz

3 Workflows to Automate in Your Event Business

Automation this, automation that. We often hear automation touted as the be-all and end-all, but many event pros excitedly sign up for software like Zapier or IFTTT only to realize they don’t know what to automate. When you’ve been in business for so long, your usual routines and processes are just par for the course. Your manual workflows become muscle memory, so you might not even realize that there are easier options.

But with technology rapidly evolving, there are many solutions at your fingertips — you just need to know where to look. And while your first thought may be to head over to Google, your starting place is actually right inside your business.

Here are three key business workflows to automate and how they will free up your bandwidth for work that fills you up.

Sales Workflow

To be clear, you can’t put your whole sales process on autopilot. Prospective clients still expect to meet with a human, so there’s no getting around that. However, there are plenty of transactional touchpoints you don’t have to handle on your own! For instance, if a contract hasn’t been signed, there’s no need for you to open up your inbox and write a follow-up email. Instead, see if your contract software allows for automated follow-up emails and let it do the heavy lifting for you.

Outline your sales workflow and identify any steps that don’t require a human touch. Perhaps your email marketing platform can auto-drip a welcome campaign to every new inquiry. Maybe you can set up a payment schedule template in your invoicing software to send invoices whether you’re at your desk or on the go. Use the tools you have or find new software to support your needs!

Client Onboarding Workflow

New clients come with lots of questions and even more backend to-dos, but that doesn’t mean it’s all on you. You can likely leverage tools you already have—like your website, CRM, or email platform—to save valuable time and treat clients to a consistently impressive onboarding experience.

Think about the steps of your onboarding workflow. What is the first thing that happens after they sign your contract and pay the deposit? Do you send a welcome guide in an email? Is there a kickoff call involved? You can automate most of these steps! 

Don’t worry if none of your systems allow for trigger-based automated emails. You can still leverage good old-fashioned Gmail to save time! Find the emails you send the most and save them as templates in your inbox, so you never have to rewrite them over and over. You can also pre-schedule emails, allowing you to batch a whole set of emails at once. It’s not 100% automated, but it will save you time and energy!

Invoicing Workflow

Nobody likes manual invoicing, but even worse is having to chase down outstanding payments. So don’t do it! Look for invoicing software that supports payment schedules, so you can set it and forget it. Clients will receive invoices like clockwork, and if they’d like, they can even set up auto-payments so nobody has to think about it.

Better yet, find a system that allows for automated reminders. No more awkward email reminders every few days – let the software handle that for you! A streamlined invoicing workflow lets you step away from admin and helps your clients pay quickly and more reliably, so it’s one of the best things you can do for your event business.

Beyond these three workflows, there are likely plenty of other small tasks you can simplify to save more time in your day. And rest assured, once you set up a few automations, you’ll start noticing other tasks you don’t need to do so you can continue offloading all of that unnecessary work! 

 

Elizabeth Sheils is the co-founder of Rock Paper Coin, the first software platform to bring together wedding planners, couples, and vendors into one system for managing and paying contracts and invoices. Elizabeth is also a lead wedding planner with award-winning firm Bridal Bliss, where she manages the Seattle team. In addition to recognition by Special Events in its Top 25 Event Pros to Watch series, she also earned a spot in The BizBash 500 for 2021.

Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 101: How to Become the CEO of Your Business with Brandee Gaar

Ever feel like your business appears successful on the outside but on the inside it’s chaos and weighing on your shoulders?

There’s only so long you can sustain juggling way too many balls. Staying up all night. Working all day. Working seven days a week. The weight of never getting to the bottom of your to-do list. That’s not sustainable long-term.

That’s why this guest explains when she realized she needed to change her business and how she did it.

Brandee Gaar is the founder and CEO of Blush by Brandee Gaar, which offers full-service planning for weddings and events in Central and North Florida. She is also a business coach, speaker, and consultant for wedding planners. Additionally, and with over fifteen years of industry experience, she is the host of the Wedding Pro CEO podcast

In this episode, Brandee talks about what you should do to move from overwhelmed and underpaid to a thriving business owner. Specifically, she explains how you should remove yourself from the day-to-day processes of your business.

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Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 098: Peggy Kelley Shares How to Create Work-Life Integration

Ever feel like your business owns you and not the other way around? 

If you want to flip it, tune in: today’s guest empowers you to first design your life and then adapt your business to fit it.

Peggy Kelley is the owner of Timeless Celebrations, a full-service design and production company. Based in South California, Peggy has over 34 years of industry experience in hospitality, production, non-profit development, and entrepreneurship. Her background includes restaurant management for the Hamburger Hamlet chain and catering management for both Walt Disney Studio and The Huntington. Additionally, she is a frequent speaker and educator for The Special Event and The David Tutera Experience. She is also the creator and host of Late Nite Bride.

In this episode, Peggy draws on her industry and entrepreneurial success to share what you can do to practice an abundance mindset, get clarity about your desires, and develop community over competition.

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Wedding Industry Biz

5 Ways to Develop Your Leadership Skills in 2022

A well-rounded leader does more than keep a business running. Ultimately, they have the power to influence and teach dozens of budding event professionals. Most entrepreneurs look back on their success and think about the mentors who helped them get to where they are today. And as a leader, you can become a significant figure for industry newbies.

Though leading others comes with its fair share of responsibilities, it also presents an incredible opportunity for you to cultivate meaningful relationships and bring in additional business. Your talents may take you far, but to grow as a professional, you need to focus on developing strong leadership skills.

If you’re looking to widen your reach as a leader and continue to stand out in the event industry, here’s what you can do to develop your skills in 2022.

Focus on flexibility

Rolling with the punches became a regular occurrence when the COVID-19 pandemic came around. As a result, live events worldwide were canceled, postponed, or rearranged, throwing a wrench in industry professionals’ plans. Luckily, the businesses of leaders who practiced flexibility continued to turn a profit.

To become a better leader, it’s essential to be open-minded. Of course, your way may not always be the right way, so listen to feedback and don’t be afraid to make changes that benefit you and your team.

Those who pivoted (like offering catering curbside pickup or virtual wedding packages) were able to provide an exceptional client experience during a tumultuous time. So if you’re serious about developing as a leader, be flexible and optimistically approach each curveball thrown your way.

Prioritize transparency

Strong leaders aren’t afraid of a little tough love – and they know how to accept constructive criticism. To sharpen your leadership skills in 2022, be transparent with yourself, your team, and your clients. There’s no need to sugarcoat things!

Being honest goes a long way in gaining respect from others within the event industry. Great leaders understand they’ll run into a few speed bumps, but by being open with others, they can find innovative solutions that work for all.

Practice empathy

The past few years have undoubtedly altered the landscape of the event industry. So if you want to become a better leader as times continue to change, you’ll need to focus on being empathetic towards others. 

The best industry pros know clients appreciate feeling seen and heard. This goes for employees as well – your team will be grateful as you tune in to their needs and support them as a leader!

With the industry catching up from the pandemic, think about how you can lend a hand to those who might need extra help. For example, offering advice or a free 1:1 call with a growing professional or simply letting your team members take a day off to focus on their mental health. Small moves like these will go far in polishing your leadership skills.

Learn to delegate

The most productive leaders aren’t afraid to loosen the reins, which means they know how to delegate. Moreso, they understand that delegation isn’t something that harms their business but allows it to grow instead. So let 2022 be the year you ask for help and lighten the load you carry.

Of course, onboarding a new team member can be a time-consuming process. But once they get into the swing of things, they will help ease the burden of your responsibilities. The result is that you can take on more clients or put attention toward other projects. If your business is growing beyond what you can handle, then you need to delegate in order to thrive in your leadership role!

Tap into your creativity

When asked to envision a leader, some see suit-clad professionals sitting at a desk or rushing to their next meeting. But those in the event industry understand that this isn’t always the case. Some of the best leaders continue managing client work and finding creative solutions to new problems.

This year, think about how you can tap into your creativity more often. It might mean spending less time at your desk and more time getting to know your audience. Maybe it’s following inspiration to create offers that meet their needs. Or perhaps it’s about picking up an old hobby outside of work to get the juices flowing. Whatever it may be, don’t be afraid to do things differently!

The event industry is ever-changing, but one thing that remains constant is the potential anyone has to become a strong leader. So no matter your number of clients or social media followers, start taking steps to become a better leader in 2022. There’s always room at the table here!

 

Elizabeth Sheils is the co-founder of Rock Paper Coin, the first software platform to bring together wedding planners, couples, and vendors into one system for managing and paying contracts and invoices. Elizabeth is also a lead wedding planner with award-winning firm Bridal Bliss, where she manages the Seattle team. Additionally, Special Events recently recognized Elizabeth in its Top 25 Event Pros to Watch series.

Wedding Industry Biz

How to Level Up Your Networking Strategy in 2022

As we start to find our groove again in 2022, it’s time to put networking back on the forefront of our small businesses. While we may have gotten comfortable pairing nice jewelry with our finest pajama pants for the next Zoom event, it’s safe to say that most event professionals are ready and raring to get back to in-person opportunities.

So, if you’ve missed the social setting and are ready to get back to mixing and mingling, use these techniques to make networking a top priority in 2022.

Set Clear Goals

If you don’t view networking as a way to achieve your business goals, it will always feel like a backup plan to “more important” tasks. It’s true — there will always be another client deliverable to send, another lead magnet to write, and another email to answer.

Yet, by setting goals for your networking efforts, you are effectively saying: “This is important to me and my business.” Such a mindset will help you shut down your computer on time, get ready, and head off to build new relationships.

Consider what you hope to get out of networking and how it fits into your big picture. Are you looking for potential hires to bring into your business? Do you have a collaborative idea sitting on ice until you find the perfect partner? Are you trying to increase your referral business? Networking can accomplish all of these goals, but your intention will determine the type of event you attend and how you approach it.

Build Your Strategy

You know the “why” — now, you need to map out the “how.” Write your goal down and start brainstorming the steps you can take to reach it.

For example, if you’re looking to find new team members, you may need to bring a few copies of the job description with you. You’d also need to set your sights on networking events that attract younger folks who are still in the early stages of their careers.

Your strategy should define the types of networking events you need to attend, the icebreakers you bring to introduce yourself, and the elevator pitches you use to tell your story. How you approach a seasoned planner with three businesses would likely look different than the newly-hired catering manager of your favorite venue.

Revisit How You Present Who You Are

If it’s been a while since you’ve dusted off that side of your closet, take a moment to pull out our networking duds and give them a run-through. Do they still fit? Has your style changed? Do you need to repair your go-to shoes?

Effective networking is rooted in your confidence and it’s hard to be your best if your attire makes you feel otherwise. The last thing you want is to find out your favorite dress’ hem has frayed, just hours before you’re supposed to attend an event.

Discard (or store) anything that doesn’t make you feel like a rockstar — because that’s the type of energy you need to bring! If desired, treat yourself to a few new statement pieces to freshen up your wardrobe and step into your next networking event feeling like a million bucks.

Ease Back Into It

Feeling rusty when it comes to talking about your business? You’re not alone. Recognize that most of the people you see will be in a similar boat, wondering how they were able to float around a room with such ease before virtual events took over.

If networking is giving you stage fright, do what you need to do to ease into it. You don’t need to go back at 100 miles per hour (unless that’s your rhythm!). Start with small group settings with your local chamber or association chapter. Memorize a few opening lines. Practice in the mirror before you leave to mitigate the nerves.

Don’t worry — it won’t take long before your networking muscles are firm and toned again! Give yourself grace as you step out of your comfort zone and do what’s best for your business. You’ll be running the national conference circuit before you know it!

 

Jennifer Taylor is the principal of Jen Taylor Consulting, a consulting firm that works with creative businesses of all sizes to implement streamlined workflows and organized systems to find more time and space for business growth and personal development.

Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 088: Lynne Reznick Brings the Heart of an Educator to Crafting the Client Experience

When we think of weddings, we often think first of the wedding planner. Yet we know that many other vendors likewise contribute to the smooth production of a wedding. In this respect, collaboration is not only key to overall success but also reveals insight from other industry professionals. For example, another person who plays a critical role in how a couple will experience their wedding is the photographer.

And the vantage point of an experienced photographer – regarding what helps planners succeed and best supports couples – is exactly what we’re exploring today.

So, be sure to tune in for this podcast episode!

Lynne Reznick is the owner of Lynne Reznick Photography, a wedding photography company serving couples across New England and Upstate New York. As a former high school history teacher, Lynne draws on her educator’s heart and love of photography as she captures each couple’s unique story.  In addition to launching an online course for wedding professionals, she is a featured speaker at Wedding MBA. Her work has also been showcased in numerous publications, including Rangefinder, The Knot, and Amber & Muse

In this episode, Lynne talks about the way that she uses education to serve couples and to cultivate better client experiences.

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Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 087: Nora Sheils Gives You a System for Building Your Team

Do you know the business strategy tip that we hear time and again? It’s having the right people around you supports your success.

That’s why we’re kicking off 2022 with a re-issue of one of our top episodes on team-building (plus an exclusive code for Rock Paper Coin)!

Enjoy!

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