Is Poor Follow-up Cursing You?

By on May 5, 2008 in Articles


I remember when I first started my wedding planning business. I was so excited for my first Bridal Fair. And I had a great day and brides were emailing me like crazy afterwards.


But I didn’t get one new client.


I was shocked, sad, hurt, and doubting myself. I didn’t understand why no one wanted me to be their wedding planner. That was, until I figured out that I’d fallen under “The Poor Follow-Up Curse.”


 


What Is “The Poor Follow-Up Curse”?


When I fell under the spell of “The Poor Follow-Up Curse” I was blind to it at first. Brides were contacting me for my packages, I’d send them, but then I would never hear from them again.


You know why?


They forgot about me. I had no follow-up!


I mistakenly assumed that my wedding planning package would be enough to entice them to purchase. But it wasn’t! I’d made no connection with them.


So I decided that I would break free from the curse. Here’s how I did it:

  • I started an ezine- My ezine contained a resource based article that built a relationship with the bride rather than scared her off with sales talk. She saw me as an expert. (Not sure how to start an ezine? Click here for our call on this topic)

  • I created a follow-up schedule- It sounds so simple but follow-up is actually one of the biggest challenges that small business owners face. By simply tracking who was contacting me and creating a schedule for follow-up I saw my business increasing

  • I got creative- I used the actual post to send brides different things based on where they placed in my sales cycle. I split the Bridal Fair list into different segments and sent postcards prompting them to sign up for the free report I offer on my website. If I met a bride in person I would mail her a card saying how nice it was to get to know her.

Bye, Bye Curse, Hello Business!


I was really happy with the results after I put a follow-up plan into place. I realized that brides purchase because of emotions. By establishing a relationship with her there was no other choice but me.


 


Ciara’s Wedding Planning Advice


Take a look at how you conduct your follow-up? How can you make it even better? Is this a priority for you? Schedule a time each week that you dedicate to follow-up. You’ll see a big difference in your sales.

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Do They Read Long Copy?

By on April 22, 2008 in Articles


One of the more popular questions I get about copy from subscribers is, “Do people really read all that copy?” Of course they are talking about the online long copy sales letters you have to scroll all the way down to the bottom to find out how much it costs. These letters can be from 5-15 pages or more in length and they flat out bug some people.


The answer to the question is, “No. Yes. And maybe.” It all depends on where your prospect is mentally in the buying process. I’ll get to that in a minute.


First let’s take yourself as an example. Are you currently in the market to buy a car?If you’re not chances are you don’t pay a lot of attention to the car marketplace right now (unless of course you are a car aficionado). So it wouldn’t matter much to you if a certain car got better gas mileage over another or came with an Island Blue paint job. But when the time comes to get serious about buying YOUR car you will focus intently on every little detail. You will scour every word you can get your hands on about the specific make and model you want parked in your garage.


So back to them – will your target market really read all that copy?


1) No. Some people will not ever even find your copy in their universe. Billy Joe in Iowa is more concerned about his next day off from the construction site so he can party with his friends. Billy Joe is not your target market and there is no reason to waste time trying to reach him. I only bring up Billy Joe to illustrate everyone has some natural drop off of potential customers. Everyone can NOT be your customer.


2) No. Some people will simply not be interested in doing business with you for whatever reason. Jane is in the market for a water filtration system. You sell them. Unfortunately Jane will only purchase from Pygmy goat farmers in Norway and you don’t qualify. Go figure. You can’t do anything about it.


3) Yes. People read your copy when they begin to recognize a need for your product/service. This is called the peripheral interest stage. They may not be focused on buying what you sell today but on some level they are interested in how you can benefit them in the future. Say you sell a vitamin supplement for hair growth. Your prospect, Archie, has noticed some premature thinning but he’s not overly concerned about it yet. If he stumbles onto your sales page he will skim through your copy, looking for nuggets that will help him make a buying decision later. For now he may just buy a hat and continue to check out options as he comes across them. He’s just not urgently motivated right now.


4) Yes. People read your copy when they are ready to make a buying decision. This is called the deep investigative stage. These are the serious contenders. And they will read ‘all that copy’ because they are ready to trade dollars for your product/service. It doesn’t matter whether the purchase is for $37 or $397 or $3997. No one likes to make a bad investment. Veronica has been looking for a business coach. If you provide that service and she finds you online, remember you are not there personally to answer all her questions (but she will no doubt have them). That’s the job of your copy – to fully represent you when you’re not there. So you need to make sure you overcome all of her objections IN WRITING. She will have an internal dialogue in her head of frequently asked questions. Your copy had better anticipate and answer every one. Trust or mistrust is conveyed through your copy too. (As you know, no one will do business with someone they do not trust). She must visualize how her life will improve with your service.

Your copy can convey that by focusing on the benefits. Do you have a guarantee? Are there sign up bonuses? Who else have you helped? When you are thorough it doesn’t take long for the copy to get lengthy. There is a distinctive pattern to keeping your prospect informed while maintaining interest. As advertising front man David Ogilvy said, “The more informative your advertising, the more persuasive it will be.”


5) Maybe. If Betty stumbles onto your site out of the blue without a predisposed idea to buy what you sell. Your copy is informative, interesting, and entertaining. She finds herself mesmerized, pulling her credit card out of her wallet to rush and order your product. This is a rather rare, though not unheard of, action. Especially when the copy follows the proven formulas of the masters.


Long sales copy exists because it works. If it didn’t work it would go the way of the dodo bird. As it is, it shows no signs of losing its effectiveness. In test after test long copy outperforms its short copy brother. The Wall Street Journal has been sending out a four-page direct mail sales letter with great results for decades. Then just a few years ago they pit the four-pager against a longer letter to see which one pulled in more subscriptions. The longer letter won. In fact in every industry the long copy format has been introduced it has been a rousing success. Again to quote David Ogilvy, “If you tell, you will sell.”


Long copy can work in your industry too. But I have to let you in on a little secret. A long copy sales letter is the kingpin of your marketing campaign, but it does not perform on its own. By itself it is not strong enough to get the cash flowing for your business. There is also support copy that is often ignored in the copywriting process yet it is just as critical to the overall success of the sales letter.


 



Copywriting guru Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero has been helping entrepreneurs and copywriters get their marketing messages razor sharp since 1999. Get free access to 7 tips to turn your “blah” sales message into red-hot copy that ROCKS… at http://www.redhotcopy.com

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Time to Trash the Bad Text!

By on April 7, 2008 in Articles


Did you know that it takes on average 250 hours to plan a wedding?


Of course you did!!! Because it’s on your website!


I’ll admit it. At one point, I had this statistic on my website. But really why? So it takes 250 hours, what does that mean?


This statistic has lost all meaning to brides and I’ll tell you why:


  • We all say it! – We all tell a bride it takes on average 250 hours to plan a wedding. But she sees it so much on every single wedding planner website, it’s lost all meaning.
  • You must be joking – When she looks at how little you’re charging… 250 hours divided by x amount… she thinks you must be joking! There’s no way you’re working for that little. So it must take less time.
  • 250 hours means nothing to a bride – You tell her it takes 250 hours to plan her wedding but what does she care? That doesn’t mean anything to her without telling her what she’s missing out on.


You’re Not Maximizing on This Stat


So it’s 250 hours to plan a wedding… it means nothing to a bride because she hears it all the time and no one makes her feel the pain of loosing those 250 hours.


But why don’t you explain it to her?


You’re probably thinking, “I have no idea what to say!” “How can I make her feel the pain of loosing 250 hours of your life?” There is so much power in your words and you don’t even know it!


Copy Can Create a Clientele


Being able to write amazing copy (that’s the text on your website, in your emails, the articles you write) is one of the BEST things you can learn for your business. Good copy let’s you tell a story to your bride and attracts her into your world. She starts to understand why you’re charging the price that you’re charging and why you’re worth. All because of your story.


I want you to be able to tell your story to brides. I want you to banish the simple listing of your services you give in each pacakge. A point by point, blow by blow listing of your services that doesn’t make your bride think GREAT VALUE!


Quite honestly, it’s boring… and brides stop reading half way through. They skip to your price and start comparing you with all the other wedding planners in your area… because they just list out their services too. There is no difference.


Your Website Is Your First Impression


I have this saying:


“If you don’t have a website, you’re dead to me. And if you have a website but it’s terrible, I’ll leave cause I’m too busy for boring.”


I’m sooo into the internet (just like today’s bride). If someone has a bad website, I won’t buy from them. I’ll leave their site. But if they suck me in with a story… they’ve got me. And usually, I buy from them again and again.


Are You A Dorky First Date?


Why aren’t brides getting a great first impression from you? You’re the dorky guy with dandruff on a first date who lists off the reasons that you should like him… you’ve given a terrible first impression!


Brides purchase on first impressions. The best way to suck them in and make the sale is with a fabulous story. So how do you do that??


You knew I had a way to help…


Ciara’s Wedding Planner Advice


You need to sign up for our next “Become A Rockstar Wedding Planner” coaching call. My good friend and copywriting goddess, Lorrie Morgan Ferraro is the special guest on our next call and she is going to reveal how you can learn to write copy that will sell your high end brides with flare and personality. In fact the call is entitled “Land Your $10,000 Bride With Rock Star Copy that Works!” and you can sign up for it by clicking here.


I am sooo excited (and privileged) to share Lorrie’s genius with you. In fact, I’ll be hunkering down with a pen and a pencil myself to pick up great, money making copywriting tips from Lorrie. So I hope you can make the call. Click here to sign up!

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The Huge “AHa!” That You’re Ignoring

By on March 24, 2008 in Articles


Don’t you feel like the world is moving at such a fast pace these days? So much is happening all around us that time is in low supply.


Time is the one resource that we can never get back. But it is something that we can optimize. And I’ll bet you have that same nagging feeling that I did that if you had step-by-step processes you could use your time more efficiently and effectively… but you’re IGNORING IT!


 


It’s Something I HAVE To Do


I know that in my business one of the BEST things that I can do for myself and my staff is to create processes. At first I thought, “Well, it’s only me, why do I need processes?”


Having smart, easy to understand processes in place empowers YOU!


Successful rockstars are incredibly disciplined with their processes and they are consistent with their follow through. Otherwise they’d get distracted by all the cool stuff they have and never get anything done!


It’s unbelievable how one small process change can affect your entire operations. I know having effective processes in place helps me to:


  • Easily understand what’s expected of me from my clients

  • Train my clients on how we can most effectively communicate and work together

  • Go through a task step-by-step, confident that I’m being consistent and not missing anything

  • Be more efficient and effective when completing tasks because I have a map for what I’m doing.

  • Make adjustments and improvements within tasks that in the past I didn’t have time to implement because I was too caught up in how I was going to accomplish the “big stuff”.


Honestly, creating processes is one of the more tedious things I do. But, I HAVE to make time for creating processes in my job if I want to see my company running at the highest level.


PLUS, once I brought in an assistant, having processes became even more important.



Making Time To Improve Future Productivity


I know now that if I didn’t take the time initially to create processes so much of my productivity would have been lost. And I can’t get that time back. You can only look forward and strive for improvements.


Here are some of the steps that I constantly go through myself to create and improve my processes:

  1. What aspect of the company could benefit from a process? - Once I’ve identified this aspect I dedicate the time and energy needed to create a process that is effective and empowering.

  2. What process is going to need to be implemented to change the productivity in this area? – I have my goal and I take the steps needed to research how I can make this aspect of the company more productive.

  3. Who am I going to need to be involved in implementing this process so that it is a success? – I identify the key team members that are going to need to be involved in the development of this process for it to be a success within the workplace. I also look outside my company and figure out if I need outside assistance to enhance productivity that much more.

  4. What is my timeline for the implementation of this process? – If I didn’t give myself a timeline for implementing a process, it would never happen. It’s important to know when you want to see this process in place.

  5. Provide support and clear explanation to my team of the new process – It’s really important that my team understands my expectations of them. I want them to know how long I expect it will take them to learn and use the process I am implementing. I also want them to provide me with feedback in regards to the effectiveness of the process change.

  6. Evaluate the new process – I always go back and look at the change I’ve made in process and make sure that it is running smoothly and that nothing needs to be added or taken away to make it better. It’s important to evaluate the change and to see the benefits that are occurring.


Ciara’s Wedding Planning Advice


Creating processes that are effective and smart is not an easy task but it’s an absolutely necessary measure for your company to grow and succeed to its full potential.


I coach my “Become A Rockstar Wedding Planner” members about making changes to their business. On our call this week when I discuss ezines I’m going to teach them the processes they need to put in place to make the most of this marketing medium and how to make it run like clockwork. You immediately experience the benefit of creating and using core processes to run your business because good processes keep you in the entrepreneurial headspace (where you create money making ideas) for as long as possible.

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Leverage Your Adventures to Boost Your Celebrity

By on March 9, 2008 in Articles


In the competitive market of wedding planning brides are looking for planners who have innovative and unique ideas for them. This is a great challenge when so many of us are so ingrained in our own communities that we rarely look outside of our local markets for inspiration.


Vacations are a Time for Inspiration

Rockstars travel the world and gain inspiration from different cultures and locations. You see it reflected in their music and their style. I’ve taken a note from their books and I do the same.

When I travel I scoop up as many foreign wedding and fashion magazines as I possibly can (much to my husband’s dismay as he usually ends up carrying them all as including them in our luggage puts us waaayy over the weight limit). You have to learn to leverage the trips you take and bring back your own inspiration that will help you to give extra value to your brides.


One Trip, So Much Value

Last May my husband and I traveled to Australia. With our busy schedules we could only go for 2 weeks but we made the most of it. I didn’t spend the whole time looking at wedding stuff but I did make sure that I dedicated a significant amount of time gaining inspiration.



While we were in Sydney I visited the area with the most expensive and high end bridal boutiques and photographers. I wanted to see what they thought the big trends in their area were and what I could take back and use myself. These vendors were more than happy to spend some time with me showing me hot new dress styles, accessories, pictures from weddings they’d done, and point out which Australian magazines had the best ideas. I of course shared with them the trends in Canada so it was a win-win situation.

 



Increasing Your Celebrity Status

When I was getting all this information I didn’t have one bride in mind. I actually didn’t even know when or where I would use this new information. Upon returning home I quickly found ways that I could use it to add value for my clients:

  1. Something No One Else Has- I had a bride that was having a swing themed wedding. Boys in fedoras and wing tip shoes, ostrich feather centerpieces and a big swing dance band. The couple had even been taking dancing lessons. So I showed her a picture of a feather headpiece with a crystal incrusted veil. She loved it and wanted one. So I contacted a supplier that I had met at a open market on Bondi Beach. She custom designed a headpiece for my client and when she switched into it for the reception there were noticeable oooo’s and ahhh’s. Think she was happy? You bet!

  2. Something You Can’t Get Here- I have another bride getting married this summer in a candlelit ceremony outside at night. She has purchased a gorgeous Melissa Sweet dress and she wanted help with her jewelry. Where did I turn? To the websites of jewelry designers I’d met in Australia. We are now in the process of designing a custom piece for her wedding with an Australian designer.

  3. Something They Haven’t Done- It wasn’t just what I saw in Australia, it was also who I met. I took pictures of myself at the Mira Mandic bridal salon in Sydney and posted it on my blog and also told my readers about it in my Firefly Occasions ezine. I instantly had a bunch of brides telling me that when they were looking for a wedding planner they were really impressed that I’d been to Australia and immersed myself in the wedding culture there. My celebrity with them had increased and so did my business.

 



Ciara’s Rockstar Advice

Next time you go on a trip whether it’s to a place on the other side of the world or simply a few states or provinces away, I want you to remember this word- LEVERAGE. How can you leverage your trip to add more value to your business? Plus, it makes a part of your trip a write off and that’s good business sense. I am never without a camera on my travels, even if we think we’re just going to take a stroll. You never know when inspiration or the opportunity to leverage your trip will come up, so be prepared.

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Cultivate Your Rockstar Image

By on February 27, 2008 in Articles

Tabloids and blogger sites are filled with pictures of our favorite celebrities. Especially, rock stars. But they’re not all pictures of these people performing, they’re pictures of what they’re wearing, what bag they’re carrying, what restaurant they’re eating at. Rockstars cultivate an image that appeals to their fan base. Yes, they are real people, but they make image choices very carefully to attract the fan base that they want.



Why Aren’t You Cultivating Your Image?


You need to start cultivating your image for your fan base. High end brides want to work with high end wedding planners. So you need to start cultivating your image to attract the brides that you want.

Think about rockstars like Kylie Minogue. She glams herself up, dresses like a party diva to attract those into the club scene. Gwen Stefani is always dressed perfectly but with her own unique flare (because she knows that’s what her fan base is into). Imagine that every time you’re leaving your house you’re going to be photographed like these people. What difference would that make in the way you present yourself?


Do They Really Care?



I can tell you honestly that brides judge you and your services on their first impression. They are inundated with “wedding stuff” as you well know and they are going to go with what attracts them the most.

When you make a shift in your image, and cultivate it and your company’s branding towards a specific type of high end bride you’ll see big results.



 



Ciara’s Rockstar Wedding Planning Advice


Stop dying your hair with a grocery store box, toss out your ratty old purse, buy some new shoes and some great suits and really rev up your image. If you’re going for the high end bride then you need to be high end yourself.

But don’t loose your personality.

For me, I never loose the funky edge to my style (really interesting purses from foreign designers, handcrafted jewelry mixed with Tiffany’s, classic black suits with leopard print shoes and a hot pink camisole) but I do make sure that everything I do, and represent is high end so that I am perceived as a high end wedding planner. My image is key to my success.

Not sure who you’re cultivating your image for? That’s because you haven’t built a community of brides yet. Listen in to “Create A Community of Brides That Loooovvveeee You!” on Wednesday February 27th. The cut off for registering for this call is 9am MST on Wednesday morning. You Can “Become A Rockstar Wedding Planner”!

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3 Hot Tips for A Rockstar Wedding Planner

By on February 12, 2008 in Articles


You might be wondering why I called this new venture www.rockstarweddingplanner.com. Well, I started off my career actually working with rockstars! I assisted with the coordination of the Canadian Juno Awards (Canada’s version of the Grammy’s). And as I started my own business I thought, if I can deal with rockstars, I can deal with brides.

But it was more than that… as my business grew, I realized that I am a RockStar Wedding Planner!

Brides line up and wait to talk to me at bridal fairs, I have media calling me for appearances all the time (3 this week alone!), I am courted by all sorts wedding industry heavy hitters to join their circles, AND I’m charging $10,000 for my services and getting it!



What Can You Learn From A Rockstar?


When I was working at the Juno Awards I had the opportunity to be around people like Avril Lavigne and Shania Twain to name a few. I noticed that aside from their talent, there was a mentality that really made these people into rockstars. AND, this mentality can help YOU become a rockstar wedding planner!

I want to share with you 3 tips that I picked up from watching these real life rockstars in action:

  1. Rockstars don’t do everything themselves, so why do you?
    Aren’t you just swamped with work, couldn’t you use some help? You can bet that Celine Dion is not answering her own fan mail! Plus your time is worth so much more than you even realize! You could be paying someone to do the things that take you away from working on growing your business!
     

  2. Rockstars create a wall around them and only let in those who build them up, encourage them, and support them
    Do you have negative influences in your life telling you that you can’t do it, that you’ll never be a successful wedding planner? Kick those influences to the curb or tell them to just plain SHUT UP! You can bet Beyonce’s Mom and Dad weren’t negative Nelly’s as she was pursuing her dream!
     

  3. Rockstars work on their talent ALL THE TIME so that they stay fresh and up to date for their fan base
    Think about Madonna… she is the ultimate rockstar in my books! But she is always learning, studying and growing. She could never play guitar, so she took lessons. When she won the role in Evita, despite being a worldwide icon she still decided to take singing lessons to be even better! As a wedding planner you need to be pursuing ways to improve yourself and your business. And you need to be doing it all the time (once a year at a conference is not enough), you’re not staying current and you’re loosing your audience.


It’s Time For Your Rockstar Transformation!


I’m going to give you a BONUS tip that I picked up from being around real life rockstars:

BONUS TIP: Rockstars are confident that they will succeed, that their projects will be out of this world and that their fans will always be there for them.

It’ll bet you have a hard time with that one. It’s hard to be confident and sure of yourself when your bank account is drying up and brides are wishy-washy with their commitment to sign on with you.

But instead of getting down on yourself why don’t you start building yourself up and invest in yourself to grow your business and your career? “Become A Rockstar Wedding Planner” is the program that will change your life.

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