I was sitting at my desk trying to think about what I wanted to write to you today. Do I talk about the economy? Do I talk about mindset? Do I talk about bridal fairs? As I sat here pondering about my topic choice one of my bichon shih tzu’s came into the office. His name is Chayse and he’s got attitude. When he wants me to pay attention to him he’s not subtle at all, he just sits and looks at me and starts whining (he’s the black and white spotted one).

And of course I picked him up.

Soon my other bichon shih tzu Kohl was toddling up and he wanted attention too, but he’s got a different approach. He gets as close to me as he can and he looks up at me with big brown eyes and his little tail wagging (he’s the all black one).

He gets picked up too.

So you’re probably wondering, “Where is Ciara going with this?”

Well, as they sat on my lap, happy and content I realized that they both got what they wanted by doing one similar thing. And that it’s one of the hardest things for entrepreneurs to do.

They were authentic, true to their nature and they (in their own little way) asked for what they wanted.

Are You Authentic With Your Brides?

Are you truly being yourself with your brides? Or are you trying to fit into this mold that you think that they want? When we do that we don’t attract the brides that are going to be good for our business because they are a fit for the fake you… not the authentic you.

And guess what? You’re happier and easier to connect with when you’re being yourself!

I had a meeting with a potential bridal couple tonight. I used to get really nervous about meeting couples, impressing them, selling them. But I learned that by being myself, by being authentic and real with them they sign with me. In fact, this one couple actually mentioned how “real” we were and that they hadn’t had that experience with other planners they’d met.

I told them that we really liked them and wanted to work with them and they signed on with us. I was authentic and I asked for what I wanted.

Why Is It So Hard To Be Ourselves?

Do you ever feel like there are so many “rules” for wedding planners out there? Guidelines of how we should act and dress? What we’re really feeling is the burden of putting made up expectations onto ourselves.

I think the reason facebook and twitter are becoming such hot hubs for attracting new business is because you actually see what someone is like on those social networking sites. And the most successful people using social networking for business are not the ones who are updating their status all the time about their upcoming promo…

It’s the ones who tell you what they had for lunch and share pictures of their latest vacation.

So How Do I Sell Brides & Grooms On My Services?

Planners are asking me all the time,

“Ciara how do you sell couples on your services when you’re fees are a lot higher than other planners in your area?”

Well, the answer is that I’m authentically ME. I’m not selling them on what’s listed in the contract, I’m selling them on working with me. Other wedding planners out there can all provide to some degree what I’ve got in my list of services, but the big difference is who’s providing the service.

You are selling YOU to each bride and groom you meet with. Once you come to terms with this it’s really easy to make sales.

Ciara’s Rockstar Advice

When I was in New York recently with a bride wedding dress shopping we went to 4 different salons, but at Mark Ingram Bridal Atelier the experience was amazing and we connected with both Mark and his salon manager. They were super authentic with us (as was not the case elsewhere). And that’s where my bride bought her dress. All the other stores had dresses that looked great on her too but it really came down to who she wanted to deal with, who she felt she connected with the most.

You are the face of your business and YOU are what you’re selling to brides and grooms. Remember that you are selling the experience of working with you and in order to do that you MUST be authentic and establish a real connection with the couples you want to work with.

Like many around the world I have been blessed with an accessory, glasses. When I was little and in school I remember not being able to keep up with the notes the teacher was writing on the board and always coming up closer to the board to write them down. I’m sure the teacher talked to my parents about this as I was soon on my way to the optometrist with my Dad. And sure enough, I needed glasses.

I’ve since graduated to contacts but my glasses still get a lot of use as I live in one of the driest cities in the world and I work on my computer a lot. So my glasses are pretty important to me.

I noticed that I was getting headaches recently and I figured it was probably time for a trip to the optometrist. But I kept putting it off. I’ve been really busy and I just kept putting it on the long finger. I finally went and sure enough it was time for a new prescription. I bit the bullet and paid for new lenses and new contacts.

I picked up my glasses just before I left for my trip to California and WOW. I had no idea what I was missing.

Things are sooo much clearer now and I feel so silly for putting this off!

Are You Seeing Clearly In Your Business?

Just like I put off getting new glasses, business owners often put off investing in themselves. Sometimes they don’t even realize that it’s something that they need (like me all those years ago as a girl in the classroom). But investing in yourself makes things sooo much clearer for you as a businessperson.

So Why Are You Putting Off Clear Vision for Your Business?

If you’re not investing in yourself you don’t have a clear vision for your business. You may be putting this off for several reasons:

1. You Don’t Have the Time- Just like me you just don’t feel like you have the time to do this. You probably think you’re too busy working IN your business (planning weddings and trying to get more) to work ON your business (work on your marketing and implement a system for attracting brides).
2. You’re Worried About the Cost- Walking into the optometrist I was totally worried about how much this was all going to cost. Investing in yourself always costs something because you get so much out of it. No matter how you invest in yourself the benefits are always more than the initial cost.
3. You Don’t Think You Need It- You may be denying that your business vision is poor. You think that everything is fine but you don’t even know what’s on the other side of the door because you’ve never considered going through it. What are you missing out on? Could investing in yourself skyrocket your business and you haven’t even realized it?

What Can You Do About It?

Well the first step is probably obvious and it may be happening right now for you. Just like my Dad told me that I needed glasses I’m telling you that you can improve your business vision. That’s the hardest part to get over but once you do it’s easy to fix the problem. Now you’ve just got to figure out how you’re going to improve your vision and actually follow through and do it.

Ciara’s Rockstar Advice

Take a look at some of the biggest Rockstar celebrities out there. They invest in themselves to have clearer business vision. They work with the best people, team up for joint ventures with other celebrities, and find gurus and mentors to bring clarity to their big dreams. So why don’t you find some clarity? Really think about how you can invest in yourself, even if it means you start small. The enhancement in your vision will let you see things that you never noticed before and what you’ll start seeing is ways that you can grow your business and gain more success as a wedding planner.

Need a new business vision prescription? Check out Become A Rockstar Wedding Planner here.

The response from my blog posting about what I love about the world was awesome. We got so many responses from awesome planners that really do love this world. That’s why I decided I’d do something to help the world. I’m giving $25 from each Rockstar Wedding Planner LIVE ticket sale to an entrepreneur on Kiva. Kiva is a micro-lending website that empowers individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world. These are real people that we can help by providing them with a loan and supporting their businesses which in turn helps the world economy as there are more people participating in the economic system creating jobs.

Being a wedding planner you know what it’s like to run and operate a business. It’s not always easy. That’s why I think it’s cool that we’ll be entrepreneurs helping out other entrepreneurs around the world.

Rockstar Wedding Planner LIVE is an event that I designed to help you grow your wedding planning business whether you’re just starting out or have been at it for awhile. The event has been designed so that wedding planners at all levels will reap the benefits of meeting with me one on one. I can help design a plan for your next year of business and beyond at Rockstar Wedding Planner LIVE.

Meet me in Manhattan Beach, CA on February 19th and 20th for Rockstar Wedding Planner LIVE. Together we will go through my step by step Rise to Fame Guide for building and growing your business to new heights.

You need to claim your seat NOW as we’re already 45% sold out! We also have a 3 payment plan option open to you. Click here for details.

I don’t know if you’ve seen this commercial yet but I LOVE IT. It just goes to show that the world is made up of so many amazing things and that our passions make the world a better place. I sing this song around the house all the time, except I make up my own words like “I love weddings, I love diamond rings. I love my puppies and Martha Stewart’s magazines. I love the whole world, and all it’s craziness….”

What do you love???

xoxo

I just got back from my Platinum Group meeting which is run by Ali Brown.  Ali has hand picked this group of strong solopreneurs to spend the year together masterminding to grow our businesses. The meeting in Santa Monica was our last meeting of the year until Ali’s big Online Success Blueprint Workshop in November.

 Ali Brown’s 2008 Platinum Mastermind Group (I’m in the front in the purple beside Ali)

I had a really great time at this meeting seeing all of my friends again and getting new ideas for my business. Being a part of a mastermind group is amazing and something that has helped me achieve great new success this year.

Ali Brown herself has been a big inspiration to me. I think it’s really important to have a mentor and I know that I hold that role for a lot of you Rockstar Wedding Planners and I’m deeply honored by that.

This is me and Ali Brown

We just got to Santa Monica and we are having a fantastic time already. We met my friends Sandy Grason and Patrice Dickey at the airport. Sandy had booked a limo for all of us to travel in style to the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica. The driver overheard me talking about weddings and he mentioned that he drives Mindy Weiss! Of course I was a bit star struck, she’s my hero! I felt like it was very good karma to be riding in the same limo that Mindy Weiss rides in. Hopefully I’ll get to meet her someday soon.

When we got to the hotel my husband Simon and I decided to go do a little bit of shopping and relax. We found this really neat cupcake place called Vanilla Bake Shop

It’s been toted as the best cupcake in LA and I can see why! I had to try one for myself and it was delicious! I just love how their cupcakes are mini and just the perfect amount. I’ve had my fair share of cupcakes so this was the perfect delicate treat.

After our little shopping trip we relaxed in the hotel for a bit. We’re staying at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel and it’s stunning. Definitely a perfect spot for this Rockstar Wedding Planner to relax her head.

This is the view from our room… now for the ocean view.

I just finished the Calgary Bridal Expo and now I’m off to Santa Monica for the week to my Platinum Mastermind group. Our booth was a big hit and we were packed with brides and grooms inquiring about our services.

Here are some pictures from my booth:

We decided to set up lounge seating so that brides and grooms could rest and relax with us and check out all our portfolios. I went with the berry pink and lime green combo but I mixed it with chocolate brown and earthy products like moss to make the booth feel bright and fun but also earthy and comfortable.