Facing Setbacks Head On!

Are You Facing a Setback?

Setbacks are a part of life, ans definitely part of the special events industry. We can have a great month, then a not so great month, and cancellations happen so quickly it can make our head spin. The trick is to keep your attitude positive, get up when we fall, and learn the lessons from the rejections we are faced with. Did you ever notice that if you don't take time to learn the lessons, that the same type of problem keeps resurfacing in your life? Hmmm. . . what does that tell you?! The next time you’re facing a setback, keep in mind these stories about people who used a setback as a set-up for a comeback:

Lucille Ball: She began studying to become an actress in 1927 and was told by the head instructor of the John Murray Anderson Drama School, “Try any other pro­fession. Any other profession.”

Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds: In 1959, a Universal Pictures executive dismissed them at the same meeting with the following statements. To Burt Reynolds: “You have no talent.” To Clint Eastwood: “You have a chip on your tooth, your Adam’s apple sticks out too far, and you talk too slow.”

Alexander Graham Bell: When he invented the tele­phone in 1876, it didn’t ring off the hook with calls from potential backers. After making a demonstra­tion call, President Rutherford Hayes said, “That’s an amazing invention, but who would ever want to use one of them?”

Chester Carlson: In the 1940s, this young inventor took his idea to 20 corporations, including some of the biggest in the country. They all turned him down. In 1947 – after seven long years of rejections – he finally got a tiny company in Rochester, NY, the Haloid Company, to purchase the rights to his electrostatic paper-copying process. Haloid became Xerox corpora­tion, and both it and Carlson became very rich.

Abraham Lincoln: He entered the Blackhawk War (1831-1832) as a captain. By the end of the war, he had been demot­ed to the rank of private.

J.K. Rowling: Author of the Harry Potter series, Joanne was an aspiring writer and single mother living on welfare with her young daughter in an unheated, mice-infested flat. Her first book was rejected by 12 publishers before the world met Harry Potter in 1997.

And then there was the young man who submitted a paper to his Yale University management professor, and got this response: “The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a ‘C,’ the idea must be feasible.” The young man was Fred Smith, his paper proposed reliable overnight delivery service, and Fred went on to found FedEx Corp.

Failure is not falling down, but staying down! So get up, learn the lesson, change your behavior and say "thank you" for another chance!

Wedding & Special Event Blogs - My Faves!

In the special events industry, we are always looking for the trendiest new everything - we need inspiration! Funny thing is, the brides and our clients are looking at the same thing, and with the incredible amount of info on the internet waves, brides get tons of great ideas, then it's the job of the industry professionals to bring it all together and make it all happen! Brides rarely know what all those great "looks" will cost them, though, so it is our job to also be an educator as well as someone who can help them prioritize. And remember what I always say - "trends = upsells"! Think about how every trend can translate into an upsell for your business or service.

I'm often asked about my favorite blogs, or where I think brides are getting all these wild and wonderful ideas. . . wow. . . there is no lack of great blogs, but here are a few of my "faves". . . I threw a few in that are not specifically for "inspirational looks", but also just great info for anyone in this field.

www.stylemepretty.com
www.junebugweddings.com/blogs/what_junebug_loves/
www.thinksplendid.com
www.greenweddingshoes.blogspot.com/
www.juliannesmith.wordpress.com
www.pinkinitiative.org
www.kissthegroom.com
www.thebusinessofbeingcreative.com
www.ilovelolliblog.com

2009 Meet the Masters

What an honor! ISES, Greater Los Angeles Chapter has selected me to be one of the "Masters" for their 2009 "Meet the Masters" program at the Pasadena Convention Center on November 18. I am thrilled and can't wait to meet everyone! www.ises-la.com

Destination Weddings – Are You a "Destination"?

With the special events industry taking our financial "knocks" this year, we have heard (and rightly so) a lot of buzz about weddings being the "recession proof" market to target. Absolutely correct! But let's get a little more specific about one market in particular...

We have been saying all year that brides today may be trying a skimp a little on their budgets (cutting the guest list being the first place they try to save). A survey conducted for Destination Weddings & Honeymoons magazine forecasted that the average budget for a traditional wedding fell 7% in the past year to $20,398 as a national average. Where is the good news here? The fact is that they are all still hosting the event, and multiple wedding related events at that. That in itself is good news. More pointedly, the same survey also revealed that the destination weddings market will grow to $16 billion this year from $13 billion in 2008, extending a streak that has seen the market boom from just $3 billion in 2001. Now that's the kind of news we like to hear!

When talking about destination weddings, most people automatically think tropical or exotic locales – Mexico, Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii, etc. Destination weddings are defined as a wedding taking place outside of a 100 mile radius from the bride & groom's home town. The "destination" does not have to be a beach or island location – just "away". In a recent Beverly Clark survey of our brides, for those stating that they were having a destination wedding (56%!), Florida, California, Arizona, New York and Georgia all made it into the top ten as to where the event would be held!

So, have you ever considered yourself a destination wedding venue? Here are a few things to think about when trying to break into this booming market:

1. Do the work. Take time to speak to industry destination wedding experts to determine if your location is destination wedding friendly, and what you could do to attract and book more events
2. Becoming known as a destination wedding hot spot is all in the knowledge of your sales team and the marketing of your property. Become keenly aware of all the local area cultural points of interest and things that would be attractive to out of town guests. Market your property as a destination by showcasing all that you have to offer as well as the surrounding area
3. Build relationships with event planners and travel agents who specialize in destination weddings and events – they will bring you the best events!
4. If brides contact you directly, also refer them to a great event planner (one that you have built a relationship with in #3, above) who can handle all aspects of the destination event that you cannot handle – guest travel, invitations, welcome amenities, event design and décor, activities, etc.
5. Market (advertise) your business on a wider scale – not just to local markets. Research to determine where your "pull" market is from and advertise to specific, targeted areas.

For wedding industry vendors outside of hotels, resorts, event venues, country clubs, wineries, etc., the same theory applies. Determine if your business or service "can travel" and if you actually want to! Then, do # 1 – 5 above as well as researching what the local vendors have to offer so you see what you are competing against and why you are better. Why would a bride pay to transport you to her event when she could book local? You MUST have a great answer to this question. Trust me, the brides will be asking the same thing.

Never thought of yourself as being in the destination wedding market before? Well, maybe it's time to re-think it!

Special Event Industry Price Wars – Making Your Sales Approach NOT About the Price!

In the hospitality/special events industry, we are not immune to price wars. As in any industry, they can kill your margins, not to mention making the “closing” process of your sale more difficult. Focusing on a “value-based” selling strategy seems to be a good alternative, but before we talk about that, let’s explore and evaluate the problem a little more closely.

When costs increase, they do so across the board for you and all your competitors. Unless your cost structure is wildly inefficient (compared to your competition), one of the major problems is that competitors wait to raise prices until they see if everyone else is as well. They do not want to be the first one to raise prices, and then run the risk of losing business due to what appears to be price gouging. What happens, though, is that if you do not raise prices when all of your costs have increased, you are not being financially responsible with the profits of your business, and run the risk of putting yourself in an unhealthy financial position that can lead to reductions in staffing levels, services and experiences provided, and eventually bankruptcy. When necessary, taking reasonable increases at appropriate times of year is a step to ensuring the financial health of your business. Clients understand this as well - everywhere they turn, costs are increasing around them, and you are no exception to that rule.

While no one wants to “over pay”, customers are always looking for the best value and cost without sacrificing everything that they want. In this type of economy, service standards and experiential touches can be the differential between closing the sale and losing the sale to your competition that is still operating under last year’s prices. In the sales process, the ideal goal would be to present your product and service in such a way that your customer realizes how much they want it without even knowing the price. If a customer has already made up their mind about you, your product, the reliability, and the overall experience, price almost becomes incidental.

Especially in our industry, we have one chance and one chance only to get it right. You cannot have a “do-over” of an event if you make a mistake. You cannot just return the product for a new one as is the case with a tangible product. If your clients know that you realize this, and the importance of getting it right the first time, you have just elevated the trust factor in your relationship and made big points in getting to the final “close”.

Price wars are only possible when the product, service and experiences from different competitors/vendors are so identical that the client doesn’t care who provides them. So make yourself different. Make it all about service, host and guest experience and relationships. And, make sure that in your sales approach, you highlight the DIFFERENCES rather than how you are similar to your competition. This will allow you to stand out from the rest, and when comparing you with your competition, your client will remember YOU and how you made them feel.

Price factor shrinks as clients decide that what they want is the differences that you provide. We all have something unique to offer. By taking the time to determine what that is, what your sales approach will be and how you will not focus on price but on quality of service and experience, you shield yourself and your business from the “price wars” that we all want to avoid.

The Not So "Back to the Basics" Sales Approach

I'm always just a little surprised when I hear people talking about getting "back to basics" with their sales approach. Exactly what does this mean? I'm sure it means many different things to every sales person out there. For seasoned professionals, sales skills are continually honed and polished so that strategies become more focused and targeted, all while creating a better experience for the client all the way through the prospecting phase until the sale is complete and then beyond. To say that you would scrap all of those finely tuned skills and go back to basics seems a waste of years of experience in "right" and "wrong".

Maybe a better way of looking at it is not to focus solely on the "sales tactic flavor of the week". Sales tactics can be trendy, and some sales professionals make the mistake of drastically changing their approach every time one of these new trends hits the sales airwaves. Your sales approach must always contain your core strategy, but the real magic comes in the personalization for each client and their needs. Let's highlight a few of the sales "must-haves":

1. Inspired Passion in Your Words – Sometimes it's not 100% about what you are "saying" when you're talking with your clients, but the manner in which you are relating the message. Truly believing in your product, service and your skills as an expert comes across clearly in your presentation. Clients know immediately when they are speaking with a sales person who really loves their job and the product or service they are selling. When you are happy and exuding good energy, your clients will feel this enthusiasm and respond in a very positive way.
   
   
2. Interact, Be Accessible, Exceed Expectations - Most of us have heard the phrase "living in the present" or "be present". This means that you are focused on what is happening right now, right here, in front of you, and are not dwelling on the past or trying to think 10 steps ahead in the future. You are "present". This could not be more important than when speaking with or meeting with a client. You may have 50 voicemails to return, but when you are in front of or on the phone with a client, 100% of your attention must be right there, listening and attentive. The interaction will be infinitely more positive, and your client will not only feels that you are accessible, but your focused attention to detail will remind them that they truly are a V.I.P. in your eyes and that you will be treated as such. This is when people start feeling comfortable referring you to their friends and colleagues. People love to share something good – a recipe, a fabulous tip on travel, the name of their favorite masseuse – and likewise, professional sales people who will listen and care for their needs.
   
   
3. The Power of Personalization – Line up 10 brides in a row and what do they all have in common? They are all planning a wedding. Yet, each one could not be more different than the next. Identifying individual concerns, visions and priorities helps you to see what truly excites than about their wedding planning and allows you to focus your presentation to fit their needs exactly. How do you do that? You ask focused questions and then you LISTEN! Engage them in conversation to allow them to speak freely. No generic sales presentation here!
   
   
4. Adapt on a Moment's Notice – In the event industry, we are all used to make last minute changes, putting out fires, "saving" the event! How often to we apply that approach to our sales presentation? Being prepared for every meeting and appointment is a must, but you never know the exact direction of your presentation until to start the conversation with your client. If possible, ask a few questions and do a little "pre-work" before your appointment so you have a little more information about your client. Adapting your sales approach to match the needs of your client further personalizes the presentation and the client feels as though you are a perfect match. For example, you're talking with a meeting planner about planning a corporate event. If this planner is a novice (maybe new to the event planning world, or maybe he/she is an in-house planner for the corporation he/she works for), then y our approach should be slanted toward showcasing your skills as a meeting planning expert, who will guide this client every step of the way, so that the prospect feels confidant that they will be able to pull off planning such a meeting and look like a hero. When meeting with a seasoned meeting planner, however, who can plan a corporate meeting with the grace and ease that only comes through years of experience, you may wish to focus on how you can save the planner time and energy.

Aside from your actual approach or presentation, always remember the aesthetics as well – conduct your meeting in a professional, comfortable environment; dress professionally; offer a beverage; and, never forget one of your most important assets – your smile.

Wine Sales Education for Special Events

Join us for another revenue increasing webinar on August 19, 2009
Increasing Banquet Wine Sales and Wedding Upsells

Discussion to include:

• Wine Trends
  
• Building a Proper Banquet Wine Menu
• Pairings with Menus
• Conducting Proper Tastings
• Upselling to the Next Tier (or two)!
• Wedding Upsell Opportunities
  

11:00 AM PDT / 1:00pm CDT / 2:00pm EDT (approximately a 1-hour duration)

Building on the success from Webinar #1-Building Perfect Marketing Plan, and #2, Maximizing the 2009 Holiday Season, Lynne LaFond DeLuca and a panel of wine experts walk you through strategies to increase your wine sales and wedding upsells through increasing your knowledge of wine pairing techniques, creating a user friendly banquet wine menu, tasting protocol and upselling the next tier.

Above and beyond wine, additional wedding upsell opportunities will also be discussed.

Who should attend?
*Directors of Catering
*Food & Beverage Directors
*Catering Managers
*Wedding Event Coordinators
*Anyone looking to increase their wine knowledge

Register at www.beverlyclarktraining.com/learning-center.html

Special Event Professionals - What's Your Passion?

Every great salesperson in the special events industry,

whether new or seasoned, has passion!

Passion for the industry

Passion for the event

Passion for the outcome

Passion for creating unforgettable experiences!

What drives your passion?

Post it here

Engage!09 - A Wedding Event!

In June, I was fortunate enough to attend Engage!09, Something Blue, an educational industry wedding event. Wow, what a line-up! Speakers included Preston Bailey, Darcy Miller from Martha Stewart Weddings, Simon T. Bailey, Marcy Blum, Sylvia Weinstock. . . the list goes on and on! As I always look to take away as much as I can from opportunities such as these, I did learn quite a few fun, creative and clever things that I will share with you in my newsletter and blog. Take a look at a few photos. . . the beautiful place setting, me with Sylvia, the famous cake lady, Preston Bailey speaking to the group (wow, that man has energy!), me and Simon T. Bailey, an incredible speaker, and a great idea on how they served lunch - the 2 smaller plates with salad and dessert, served on a large square charger along with the entree. Great idea when you are on a time crunch for meetings!

Have a great week!
Lynne

Feeling the Pressure

Being at the mid-way point of the year causes a lot of reflection on year-to-date financials, market positioning, and forecasting. Remember the definition of insanity? "Doing the same things over and over and expecting different results"? It's a good time to think about this. The special events/hospitality industry is still feeling a major squeeze on our business. No doubt, things are tight. Now is the time for action and being a little more creative.

A good start is to evaluate your first half of the year and plan on 3-5 things that you will change or do differently for the second half. Think about marketing, positioning, prospecting, etc. Try something new! It certainly cannot hurt and it just might create some breakthrough in the way you think about your business. Here's something you can try - participate in my Webinar next week on June 17 at 11am PST on "Maximizing the 2009 Holiday Season". Register on the website at www.beverlyclarktraining.com in the "learning center" tab. It's a positive step in the right direction for your business!

Lynne

Staying Motivated

I've been talking with lots of friends in the industry these days, about their mental frame of mind when business is slow in our industry. It's so funny, everyone has something different they do in order to stay "up" and motivated about their work. I've always said that the most successful people in our industry are those that really have a passion for this crazy business because if you don't, you could never put up with it! But, for those of us that live for it, we love it! When times are tough, it is usually our relationships that get us through, and this is no different. We commiserate, we laugh, we brainstorm, we collaborate. We tell stories about funny events, hysterical brides, ideas we thought would never work but did. We read "thank you" notes from happy clients, we take the opportunity to do some educational activities that we never get to do when times are crazy busy. You have to admit, we have THE BEST stories in this industry! So, let's hear them! Let's make each other laugh a little and remind each other why we stay in the special events industry through the good, the bad and the ugly times! Click on "post comments" below and start telling your stories. . .

Lynne

Wedding Season Upon Us

It's the end of May, half way through the year, and we've officially kicked off "wedding season". It's the time of year where statistically, most of the wedding will take place worldwide. What fun! Yes, I know, "fun" means different things to different people, and in this industry this type of "fun" can only mean one thing - more work! But afterall, isn't that a good thing? It's what we have all been waiting for - it's what we're passionate about, right? RIGHT! Like I always say, you have to LOVE this business to be in it. The most successful people are the ones who truly love what they do.

The other fun thing about this time of year is watching all of the "trend" information become reality (or not!) What colors DID end up being hot this year? Was the look rustic and natural or ultra luxe? Well, so far, we have seen what most of us have predicted - rich colors, deep plums, navy, caramel, wine, paired with metallics such as platinum, copper and gold. As for the "look", just as brides have many different tastes, so have our weddings so far. The outdoor, rustic, tented events (or in barns, meadows, wineries) have arrived as we anticipated, along with smaller, intimate, posh events that dazzle with touches of bling.

What have you seen so far that you want to share? Let me know!

Lynne

Catching Up

Hi everyone,

Well time in 2009 seems to be flying by and all of a sudden here we are in April. Wow! The beginning of the year has been exciting for Beverly Clark Training. In February, I flew to San Antonio to speak at the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists Conference. Wow, it was great - an amazing niche industry within our wedding industry. For more info on them and to find a wedding gown specialist in your area, visit their website at www.weddinggownspecialists.com.

Right from San Antonio, I flew straight to Atlanta to speak at the American Rental Association National Conference. It was HUGE! Great time, great people. . . and, we were surprised with snow in Atlanta! To check out their website, go to www.ararental.org

One of the most exciting things this year, though, is the new webinar series. We launched the first one on February 25th, with over 1,200 people registered from all over the world! All 50 states were represented and many different countries. What a response! We were overwhelmed with enthusiasm. Our second webinar is coming up next week, on April 22nd at 11am PST/2pm EST. The topic will be "Building the Perfect Marketing Plan". Every segment of our industry can benefit from this one hour webinar. You can register in the "Learning Center" on the website at www.beverlyclarktraining.com. I'm really excited about this one! Hope you all can join me!

Lynne

Kickin' Off 2009

Well, what better way to kick off a new year than to start a blog! You asked for it, you got it! I do love the "personal" feel that a blog allows you to have with your readers - it's more like a conversation with a friend. So let's get some good "dialogue" going this year!

The beginning of the year has been a whirlwind (as this industry usually is). As well as being the busiest wedding booking season of the year, with brides in a frenzy trying to secure all the perfect venues and vendors for the big day, I've been on the road with some great engagements. I traveled to Dallas to conduct a training session for ClubCorp, and while I was there, was invited to the grand re-opening of Tower Club (private business club) in downtown Dallas. What a magnificent event. The guests list read like a "who's who" in Dallas - what fun to mingle with all the movers and shakers! The revitalization of the Arts District in Dallas is on fire! The culinary team at the Tower Club totally outdid themselves with a very chic menu, served throughout the club at trendy-themed stations. Here were some of my favorites. . .

• The sesame tempura rock shrimp & edamame with sweet chili sauce, soba noodle salad with hot & sweet vinaigrette, carrots, snow peas, cucumber, cilantro & toasted cashews I found at an asian station;
• On a twist of a south of the border station, the gulf shrimp & lump crab campechana with plantain chips (made at the station), mini maine lobster tacos with chipotle aioli, mango pineapple salsa & cabbage (yum!) and chile ancho braised lamb shank tostadas with lime crème fraiche, radish & cotija
• At the "new americana" station, the american bison & wagyu sliders with cabernet onions, white cheddar & watercress were amazing, along with black truffle & parmigiano reggiano pommes frites (fried at the station) with smoked tomato ketchup & black truffle mayo
• Also loved the roasted beets with tangerine infused e.v.o.o., italian parsley & walnuts!

Kudos to Executive Chef Bruce Ross and his team! I also must mention the champagne station in the ladies' restroom - every event should have at least one thing that everyone will "buzz" about long after the event is over - this was it! (I understand that there was a scotch station in the men's room!)

The following week, I was back on the West Coast and spoke at a NACE, Ventura Chapter meeting. What a great group of people! We had a lively two-hour workshop, followed by their monthly networking event. Fabulous! The very next day, Charis Han (Regional Sales Director for Beverly Clark Enterprises) and I attended The Special Event in San Diego. So many fun things to talk about! I will be featuring some of my favorites over the next few weeks in my newsletter and in the blog, but I will mention one of my favorites now. Not only do I love their name, but the product was visually beautiful and tasted amazing. . . ready? It's called "Bedazzle My BonBons", and they have chocolate bonbons and lollipops that are coated in a beautiful, edible glitter! BedazzleMyBonBons.com

That's it for the "inaugural" posting! Keep in touch - oh, and if you haven't already, take a look at the new Beverly Clark Training website and the re-launch of the new, online Wedding Professional Certification course. It's an affordable "must-do" for every catering professional this year! BeverlyClarkTraining.com

Lynne