Six Things Your Proposal is Missing

This article was originally published on Catersource.

Presenting a proposal can be a nerve-wracking experience. You know your work is great and you know you can give your prospects what they want—but you never know what your proposal is being compared to out there. Most clients are looking at a handful of proposals at once, so you’re likely up against some of your top competitors.

Thus, your proposal needs to push your prospective clients in the right direction so that they can see the full value of your services. In many cases, it’s your first impression which means it has to speak for everything you have to offer—not just your work, but also your client experience. What is it like to work with you? What have you done for similar clients in the past? How will you achieve their vision? All of these questions need to be answered not just adequately, but better than your competitors if you want to seal the deal.

Although you may never see a competitor’s proposal, you can still enhance your own to ensure that it’s doing as much as possible to attract your prospects. Here are a few things that may be missing from your proposal…READ MORE.

10 Roleplaying Tips to Enhance Your Sales Team

This article was originally published on NACE.

Roleplaying is such a powerful technique for training and motivating your sales team and I firmly believe that every company should be practicing real-world situations in this manner. One of the great benefits is that it gives your team new perspectives in responding to clients and you may find a great answer that can work consistently across the board.

For example, a client may ask about the reason behind an admin fee. In a roleplay situation, multiple people can share how they would respond to such a question. A senior producer can answer, then a junior producer may answer differently. Then, as a team, you can combine the two or pick one that is the best response, which can then be adopted as a company policy.

Now, the act of roleplaying is not easy for those in the hot seat. They may feel pressure, which is natural, but should also be encouraged since there’s often pressure in real-world sales settings. The true value of roleplaying is for the listeners — those who get to observe a situation play out will be able to say “I would have said something else…” or offer other suggestions.

Here are a few tips for coordinating a roleplaying session for your team to practice…READ MORE.

4 Client Retention Strategies to Keep Customers for Life

This article was originally published on Goodshuffle Pro.

Earning new business is exciting, but you know what else is great? Old business. Returning clients form a solid foundation for any company, but building this customer base can be tricky in an industry where special events can be few and far between. Most of our clients are booking us for weddings, bat mitzvahs, retirement parties, quinceañeras, and other one-time celebrations. Thus, the challenge is in client retention for future events.

This is your reminder that returning business is very much possible in the wedding and event industry, especially when it comes to rentals. Let’s explore a few client retention strategies that will keep them coming back for more.

The Top 4 Client Retention Strategies

1. Provide the ultimate client experience

2. Identify a client’s future needs

3. Collaborate with other partners

4. Keep in touch with clients post-event

Let’s go into how you can win in all these strategies…READ MORE.

The Keys for Event Pros to Stand Out from the Competition

This article was originally published on Special Events.

In the past decade, the special events industry has become increasingly saturated with new competitors entering the market regularly and taking up space. To thrive in a crowded market, we must set ourselves apart from others to stand out and reach our target audience amidst the noise.

However, it’s not as simple as tossing some advertising dollars on social media. While ads are certainly effective for increasing traffic, we need to be considering long-term strategies that will create a sustainable foundation for our businesses that don’t rely on third-party platforms.

Instead, you need to set your sights on how you’re presenting all that you have to offer to clients. Of course, a successful business starts with a great product or service; the quality of your offerings will determine whether your clients return and refer your business to others. Yet, even the best products and services will fail to be profitable if your sales approach is ineffective…READ MORE.

Navigating Postponements with Grace

This article was originally published on Catersource.

By now, you have surely encountered your fair share of concern surrounding the state of event planning amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Clients don’t want to cancel, but are understandably wary about postponing their events while the forecast for the rest of 2020 is still quite tentative. Of course, we all want to be producing events by the end of summer, but that’s not our choice — we must roll with the punches and adapt our businesses accordingly.

Part of this adjustment requires event professionals to get in the heads of their clients to help them navigate the decision to postpone. This is particularly important for engaged couples, as planning a wedding is already an emotional endeavor. Throw in a global pandemic and you’ve got yourself a ticking time-bomb on your hands. So, you need to understand how they’re feeling in order to defuse that bomb and guide them through the process with tact and grace.

Let’s start by considering some of the biggest concerns couples are facing when deciding whether to postpone their weddings…READ MORE.

Effective Leadership from a Remote Capacity

This article was originally published on Catersource.

When you think of effective leadership, you probably picture scenes of hands-on training and in-person evaluations. It can seem like a challenge to lead a team from a distance and rightly so; there is a lot of value in face-to-face communication that we don’t typically get from emails and Slack messages.

Still, there are times that distance leadership is necessary; for example, the current COVID-19 pandemic has us social distancing and, as a result, working from home. That’s not to say your businesses cannot keep running — you and your team just have to get creative in terms of expectations and communication. It’s not just crisis situations, though; leading a team remotely comes in handy when you’re traveling for business, sick at home, or simply out of the office for a day’s worth of meetings.

With that said, leading from afar is an important skill to build as you’ll never know when a situation calls for remote leadership and, if you want your business to be sustainable, you need to be effective no matter where you’re located in proximity to your team…READ MORE.

Your Branding and Your Sales Game

This article was originally published on Catersource.

As a creative entrepreneur, there are many factors that keep your business afloat. To name a few, there are your products and services, your social media profiles, your website, your team of employees, and so on — each of these contributes to the success (or failure) of your company.

However, if you take a step back, you’ll see that there’s one thing that encompasses all of these factors: your brand. Your brand is what brings together all of the pieces in your business plan and creates a cohesive and consistent experience for clients, partners, and team members. It should capture your personality, the values that your company holds, and, most importantly, the ideals of your target audience.

When all of these things come together, you are left with a brand that is uniquely yours — and one that sets you apart from competitors who may be offering the same products or services.

When it comes to the game of sales, your brand is what will draw in leads and build the know-like-trust bond that is necessary to secure new clients while maximizing your revenue. Here are a few ways to refresh your brand and ramp up your sales game to bring in the money in 2020…READ MORE.

4 Tips for Leading a Company When You're Offsite

This article was originally published on WeddingIQ.

Distance leadership can be challenging when you can’t directly oversee every little thing that happens in your company. However, it can be a necessary challenge for many different reasons. For example, if you’re inclined to start a new business or expand your existing company into a new market, you’ll likely need to spend less time working in the office and more time bringing your project to life. Or, perhaps, you’re heading off to a business conference and leaving your team behind to keep the ship running.

More recently, the coronavirus has sent people to work from home, which means many of us in leadership positions are having to do so remotely.

Regardless of the reason, leading a company remotely is certainly doable and can be highly effective when done in a strategic way. Let’s explore a few tips that will help you to be a stronger leader, no matter how far you are from your team…READ MORE.

Five Ways to Nurture Your Event Community from a Distance

This article was originally published on Special Events.

When we think about our communities, we can see the entirety of the impact they’ve had on our businesses, careers and personal growth. Look closely enough and you’ll see the rungs of the ladder you’ve been climbing since you started out: the referrals that built your client base, the partnerships that opened your brand up to media attention, the organizations that valued your ideas, and the associations that provided leadership opportunities along the way.

The faces, brands and groups that form your community are an invaluable, unique patchwork of support that has had your back since the start. Likewise, you’ve surely dedicated your own time and energy to lifting up your community as a whole.

Recently, COVID-19 has forced us to retreat to our homes, clear our calendars of appointments, and rely on technology to stay connected to our networks. By no means is this an ideal situation, but it’s important to recognize that a feeling of community is more important now than ever before. We shouldn’t be thinking of it as “social distancing” but more as “physical distancing”; we can and should still be social members of our communities. It’s one of the only things that will get us through to recovery.

Here are a few creative ways to continue nurturing your community, even from the confines of your home…READ MORE.

Events Industry Carries On Together Through COVID-19

This article was originally published on Special Events.

At this point in time, we are experiencing history in the making. As COVID-19 (the illness caused by the coronavirus) impacts people across the globe, the economy is seeing the impact of mandated isolation and shutdowns. Businesses are shuttering for the foreseeable future and, collectively, we are navigating this public health crisis one day at a time.

It’s natural to feel scared, confused and overwhelmed by this situation. But, let’s not forget that there cannot be darkness without light. If you look closely, you’ll see humanity playing out on small and large levels. 

Together, we are stronger and communities are growing closer each and every day…READ MORE.

4 Areas to Evaluate to Increase Sales in 2020

This article was originally published on Sage Wedding Pros.

The change of years is a natural time to step back and assess what has worked in your business and find new ways to learn and grow. However, it can be hard to know where to start when you’ve been running on what you already know.

It starts with your goals for the year ahead — get firm on what you want to accomplish and work your way back from there to find the right path to achieve those goals. If increasing sales is your target, here are four places to devote your attention to ramp up sales efforts in 2020…READ MORE.

How to Use these Six Vital Steps to a Sale to Your Advantage

This article was originally published on Catersource.

In theory, sales are easy. You have an excellent product or service, you tell a prospect all about it, and they are persuaded by your passion and ask to sign on the dotted line. Simple, right?

Yet, in practice, the sales process is never as cut-and-dry as that. Instead, it is a fluid and flexible process that can change depending on the person on the other side of the table. Now, that doesn't mean you don't have control over the conversation — you absolutely should – it just means that you'll need to adapt your sales approach for each prospect to appeal to their values and needs.

While you do need to be adaptable, it helps to have a framework of the sales process to guide you along the way. Here are the six steps of making a sale so you can be more productive and confident in your next sales meeting…READ MORE.

4 Strategies to Turn a Tasting into a Sale

This article was originally published on Catersource.

Sales can be tricky for anyone, but it can be especially challenging for caterers when their sales game and their culinary skill are on the line. Tastings are immersive experiences for prospective clients, and you need to sell with both your words and your food. 

It’s not just two chairs in a meeting room with paperwork on the table; it becomes about flavor profiles, plating presentation, food-and-drink pairings, quality of service, and more. A tasting should be the closest thing a client gets to the day-of guest experience — it has to win them over as much as they want to win over their guests.

Thus, it's vital to get the process right if you want to book more clients. Here are a few strategies to get your tastings into gear…READ MORE.

12 Components of Sales Excellence for Event Pros

This article was originally published on Special Events.

As event professionals, we all share one thing in common: We are committed to excellence in producing our clients’ events. Being a creative designer, culinary expert or meticulous planner is one thing—but, in this industry, you must also be skilled in the game of sales.

Not all creatives are natural salespeople; in fact, most pursue their career in special events out of a passion for their craft. Fortunately, sales is a skill that anyone can learn with the right effort.

Here are 12 traits that exemplify a great salesperson—and how you can hone these qualities to improve your sales game…READ MORE.

How to Make More Money from Every Client in 2020

This article was originally published on GoodShuffle Pro.

Making more money is such a common goal for business owners. I’d venture to say that every business owner wants to make more money. However, turning that dream into a reality isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Sales is a detailed process with a lot of factors, so there is always something that can be tweaked or refined to bring in the dough.

Sure, you could always increase your pricing, but you risk pricing yourself out of the market. You could take on more clients, but you then risk stretching your team (and yourself) too thin. These can both be great options when the situation is right, but they’re not always the best choices for every business.

If your prices are stable in your market and your calendar is already packed until eternity, here are a few ways you can earn more money without overcharging or overworking…READ MORE.

3 Ways to Fight Stress in the Workplace and Promote Rest

This article was originally published on WeddingIQ.

For most creatives, peak season flows right into the holiday season and sometimes feels like we hardly have time to breathe. Sacrificing rest and downtime, however, can harm your physical health, mental health, and even the health of your company. 

To prevent burnout, you need to set aside time for self-care. It may seem laughable when your never-ending to-do list is staring at you, but rest assured that your work will still be there when you get back. You, however, will be more refreshed and productive as you tackle your tasks.

If you lead a team, you must instill the value of self-care into your employees as well. Don’t expect them to work 60 hours a week so you can make it to your weekly massage. The most effective businesses are those in which every person feels healthy, empowered, and motivated — the opposite of burnt out.

If your company could use a level up in the self-care department, take note of these strategies for building an environment of stress-free rest and rejuvenation…READ MORE.

Time Management Strategies for a Team Setting

This article was originally published on Catersource.

Time management is a challenge for most people, but it becomes more significant when you have a team depending on you. Your employees can only be as efficient as your system allows. If you’re not finding time to delegate work to them in an organized fashion, they will struggle to reach peak productivity. 

As a leader, you set the example for organization and time management. Your performance within your business travels downward, so you need to start by looking at your habits and identifying places for improvement. 

Here are a few ways to manage time wisely within your company to ensure everyone is at their best… READ MORE.

2020 Culinary Trends & How to Sell Them

This article was originally published on Catersource.

Today’s clients want convenient yet sophisticated food experiences with fresh, natural, additive-free food. If you look at the food industry as a whole, you’ll see a similar shift towards transparent food sources and preparation. This isn’t going away, so it’s time to embrace it.

Younger generations, especially, are emphasizing the story behind the food. Millennials and Generation Z members are becoming highly aware of the social and ethical impacts of their consumption habits, so they want to know everything from how their meal was sourced to the values of the business or farm it came from.

Pair these values with an increased number of allergies and dietary restrictions, and it’s clear that transparency and clean ingredients are crucial to success in 2020.

Here are a few other trends that you can expect to see in the next year and beyond… READ MORE.

Six Steps to Proactive Prospecting (in 15 Minutes or Less)

This article was originally published on NACE.

Effective prospecting in 15 minutes may seem like a joke, and, at first, it may feel that way as well. This process may take an hour or more upfront while you figure out your way through the steps, but once you have it nailed, prospecting will become the easiest part of your week.

Prospecting is most often the task left on the backburner in favor of client work and business operations. However, what’s a business without new clients? When you turn the lead generation process on its head, and the clients start coming to you, you will no doubt settle into a comfortable routine of outreach and bringing in new work.

Here are the six steps that will lead you to prospect gold… READ MORE.

Boost Your Bottom Line by Promoting ‘Active Sales’

This article was originally published on Special Events.

When you’re running a business, your sales team is an instrumental piece in your success strategy. However, a team that is stagnant and uninspired is not going to take you where you need to go. Building an environment that motivates and encourages your sales team has the dual benefit of keeping employees happy (leading to less turnover) and bringing in new business (leading to more revenue).

Less turnover and more revenue are hard to argue with, but your sales team needs you to get them to that point.

Here are six strategies to guide you and your employees to a place of empowerment, growth and satisfaction… READ MORE.