A Lesson in Teamwork : From Deep in the Chilean Mines

While this is an old news story, the lesson gained from it is timeless.

Who would have thought that deep in the Chilean mines there would lay a lesson in teamwork applicable to the world? It's being called a miracle. . . after 69 days trapped in a collapsed mine, all 33 Chilean miners and their rescuers were pulled to safety amid the cheering and tears from family and friends standing by waiting to catch a glimpse of their loved ones.


How in the world did they do it? How were they able to survive? As the stories continue to unfold and probably will for years, we will undoubtedly continue to see stories of undeniable courage, faith, tenacity, inner strength and sheer will to live. What we do know now, is that for the first 17 days, the miners were completely cut off from the world above ground, and they did not know that anyone knew they were still alive. How they survived those 17 days on food and water that should have lasted them 2 days is in itself a miracle. The men were exhausted, terrified and unsure what would happen next. They started fighting amongst themselves. This could have been a disaster all in itself, then something incredible happened. The team foreman stepped up to the plate, as he had many times before with his team, recognized the downward spiral that they were on, and started organizing the men. He separated them into groups, assigned them tasks, gave them each a purpose. The men then began to feel some hope. Especially on the 17th day when a drill broke into the cavern where they were trapped and they knew they had been found.


The human spirit and will is amazing and capable of incredible things when faced with adversity. In fact, it may be when we are our very best. There is a huge lesson in this for all of us, that these 33 men have taught us, and I could not help but think about our special events industry and the difficult road that many of our vendors, service providers and locations have endured these past couple of years. Here are a few lessons we can take away from this ultimate challenging situation:

People can operate, and operate at an optimum level, under extreme conditions. It is during these adverse times that we challenge ourselves to be more creative, step up, make a change.

Teamwork is everything. Without each other and the support that we can provide each other, the outcomes can be altered dramatically. When you need help, ask for it. Go to your team. Create answers together. You will all be collectively stronger than any one of you alone.

Step up as a leader. If you are fortunate to work under a strong, determined, open-minded leader, then learn from that and let that example teach you how to treat other people. If you do not have this example, then decide how you can be that example for other people. Great leaders surround themselves with the best people possible and make their people into better people and even great leaders as well.

Emotion is always part of it. The tears, hope, singing, inspiration and love that was shown by people all over the world drew the world closer together. Business is not just about business. Business is about people, and people relate on an emotional level.

Article by Lynne LaFond DeLuca, Sr. Vice President

Los Angeles / Orange County NACE Chapter | Special Event News

Have you heard about the new Los Angeles  / Orange County NACE (National Association for Catering and Events) chapter? In keeping up with the times and demands of an ever-evolving industry and triply so one in Southern California, where if your local chapter is located in the next "city", it can take up to 2 or 3 hours to commute, NACE decided to make their Southern California chapters broken down into smaller groups. The results have been fantastic!

NACE had a greater Los Angeles Chapter for years, but because of the expanse of the area, it was difficult to maintain a consistent interest in the educational programs NACE had to offer.  Due to a small group of dedicated NACE members, they worked tirelessly to bring a comprehensive NACE experience back for the Los Angeles area members. While they welcome members from any area, the NACELos Angeles and Orange County events and programs will be hosted at locations in the Los Angeles to Orange County/Anaheim areas.

 According to Alicia Crosby, the Membership and Chapter Relations Manager for NACE (national), the Los Angeles/Orange County chapter of NACE's goal is to provide a true taste of what NACE is all about and offer professional "top notch education" and trail-blazing events.  "The chapter will continue the momentum by hosting monthly programs for members and non-members in October," Ms. Crosby says.  "Each program will be at a different venue with a different educational topic each month."  Details for each upcoming program will be announced soon, she says.

In the meantime, check out their Website (being built):  www.laocnace.org and join us on Wednesday, September 12 at the Crowne Plaza Anaheim where our Vice President of Training and Marketing Kerry Lee Dickey will be speaking at Los Angeles Orange County NACE on "Are You Catching Their Eye? How to Create the Perfect Marketing Plan to Attract Corporate, Charity and Special Events".  To make your reservation, click here.

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eSales Strategies | Email's "Reach" & Rules for Building Your Database

eSales strategies through email marketing campaigns seem like a fabulous way to reach lots of clients easily, inexpensively and in a timely way with current information. It is important to know what your expected outcome is from any marketing program so you can gauge your results and not be disappointed when numbers fall short of high expectations. So, let's explore some factors to creating effective marketing campaigns.


First of all, you must know your "email's reach". What is "email reach"? Email reach is a function of:

How many client/customer email addresses are collected

How many of the collected emails are put into your database

How many of those emails are error-free

How many clients/customers successfully receive the email

How many clients/customers OPEN the email
For example, if you have a client base of 1,000 people and are trying to build your database of
emails for marketing purposes, you:

Collect addresses from 50% - 500

Enter 95% into database - 475

94% are correct - 447

98% receive the email - 438

33% open the email - 144

That's a total of 14.4% of your total client base that will actually see your email. Just see it. Depending on the content, sense of urgency, relevance and timeliness of the email, this number will further decrease. If you get a 10% response rate when you send out a "call to action" type of email, you now have about 14 clients out of a client base of 1,000 actually responding to you from an email.

So, what does this tell us? It tells us that the quality and depth of our email database is paramount in actually seeing results from an email campaign. Let's look at some rules for accomplishing the first step – increasing the number of emails you collect.


Collecting Addresses

Have Standard Procedures for email collection

Brainstorm with your team on creative ways to collect new emails

Define WHO does what and HOW

Rehearse a "pitch" and response to refusal

Define who puts the addresses into the database and how often

Regularly Request UPDATED Information

Add a note to the bottom of every email:

Changing jobs or email addresses? Remember to let us know of any email address changes!

Annual "Update Your Info" Campaign

Know which Clients have bad email addresses

View "Permanent Failures" when sending out an email

Follow up with those clients to get updated addresses

Update database with "auto-reply" responses that give you information on a new contact


Content must be kept professional, brief and to the point. Clients DO appreciate emails that have RELEVANT, timely information that will help them. Include a table of contents when necessary, and organize information logically. It's ok, and preferable, to link to a website for more information. And please - don't forget the "unsubscribe" language.

Article by Lynne LaFond DeLuca, Sr. Vice President

Planning for Catering Sales Success in 2013 | Maximizing Your Space and Revenue

There could be no better time to start planning for catering sales success than right now. Budget planning is done for the new year, and now we just need the action items and programs to make it happen. By creating a comprehensive marketing plan, you are ensuring that everything you want to accomplish and all the target markets you need to address are covered. Marketing plans can be as simple as you want to make them, but it is important to include some key aspects. Here is a guideline of what every good marketing plan should include:

Quantifiable Goals
Your goals outline exactly what you want to do and should be quantifiable (have a dollar amount of percentage increase represented). For example: "Increase wedding business by 10 weddings in 2013"; or "Increase weddings by 15% in 2013". There should be a goal for every market segment you wish to impact such as corporate events, charitable events, golf tournaments, schools, etc. You can also break down the corporate market into specific segments such as medical (hospitals, pharmaceuticals); or real estate and mortgage companies, etc., if a particular segment has a strong presence in your marketplace.

Action Items with Descriptions
This describes exactly what you will do to accomplish your stated goals. How will you increase your wedding business? Will you build new relationships with wedding planners? Start to target an ethnic or cultural wedding group that you have not focused on in the past? (This is an awesome way to add a new revenue stream to your wedding market, by the way!) List all the activities and action items you have to do in order to reach your goal.


Anticipated Revenue
We have to know if a certain program or action item is time-worthy and will contribute appropriately to achieving our goals, so estimate what you think you will generate in revenue from each activity or action item. When you total up all of the revenue associated with the programs and action items, you should be over your financial goal. If you are not, you need more programming or better execution!


Assignment of Responsibilities
Do not assume that someone else will be doing a certain action item. Assign responsibility to every single item so there are clearly defined "to-do" lists.


Timeline
Your marketing plan should be easy to use and execute, so by applying a timeline as to when each program and action item should be happening creates a very easy system for you to follow as you work through the year.


Expected Expenses
We should always be aware of any related expenses that are associated with the action items or programs. Spending your dollars wisely is key to getting the appropriate return!

Really challenge yourself and your team this year to create an exciting "new" marketing plan. The temptation is always there to "copy and paste" from years past, but now is the time for creativity and a clever marketing approach. Not only does it yield better results, but it keeps your team engaged and motivated. Every year, try to incorporate one brand new market segment into your marketing plan - who have you NOT focused on in the past?


And, just a reminder, before launching into the New Year, refresh your Competitive Analysis and take the time to complete an SFSWOT (Successes, Failures, Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis - they both provide you with great information to fine tune your marketing plan and make it even more effective.   Our online hospitality training program offers a full marketing template, SFSWOT and Competitive Analysis - all tools to help you realize success in 2013.

Article by Lynne Lafond DeLuca, Sr. Vice President

Special Events Sales Strategies | Going from "Amazing" to "P-h-e-n-o-m-e-n-a-l"!



Photo Courtesy of Glamour

While speaking at a conference, I had a moment to translate what was happening into a pertinent lesson in special event sales strategies.  When I looked out into the audience and it struck me just how amazing the individuals were that were sitting there listening intently. Many faces I recognized as industry "veterans" and others were brand new. That is one thing I just love about this industry – we constantly have a great mix of experienced professionals and fresh-faced newcomers. Everyone who sat there was looking in some way to better themselves and their business. Taking away just one incredible morsel of information can totally change your sales approach, your perspective, your life, your future! Although we all strive to get better every single day, I wondered how many people in the audience were on the brink of something even bigger. Some people were looking to go from "nervous" to "comfortable", some from "good" to "great" and some were on the brink of going from "amazing" to "p-h-e-n-o-m-e-n-a-l"! A tingle of excitement ran through my spine. What would it take for each person to get there? Well, as we know, for each person it is different, depending on where they currently are and what they are willing to do to get there.
I then thought about a story I had read recently about that "one extra degree" from 211 degrees to 212 degrees*. The point was that at 211 degrees, water is extremely hot, but at 212 degrees, water BOILS. Boiling water creates steam and steam can power a locomotive. What a difference that one degree can make! I realized that each of us can be just one small degree away from something incredible. Just a small "tweak" here and there can change our lives. So, what are some of those "tweaks" that could change our sales performance? Here's a few of them to think about. . .

With a fresh eye, take a look at your website, your photos, your verbiage, your marketing collateral, even your business cards. What do you think? If you just thought, "boring", well what must your client be thinking? Do things need some "freshening up"? Clients have access online to incredible images, inspiration boards and blogs. The vendors they select will reflect this up-to-date image that they have in their mind. If your "visual triggers" make you look dated, your client will not have confidence in your ability to produce a modern, fresh look.

Take a look at your client profile – your very best clients – the ones who LOVE you. What if you doubled the amount of clients you had like that and eliminated the ones who took up all of your time and then ended up not booking with you? How can you find more of those? Spend your time, your marketing dollars and your energy focusing on the RIGHT type of clients and increasing your qualified leads. Having lots of leads is amazing. Having lots of the RIGHT leads is phenomenal!

Once you have all the RIGHT leads, how can you convert more of them into sales? If you are not closing 80-90% of your leads, think about freshening up your "sales speak". How can you make it more personal, more engaging? Can you listen more and talk less? Can you find common ground to build the relationship? Can you increase your knowledge about your product and services and about your competition?

Lastly, always look for those small differentiating factors between you and your competition. Are you well-known and well-respected in the industry? Are you considered an expert? Does your attitude reflect just how amazing you are? Being a "stand-out" in the industry and putting your personal stamp on your events and sales approach can be incredibly memorable for your clients and rewarding for you. Be your best person every single day.

So. . . when and how will you go from being "amazing" to "p-h-e-n-o-m-e-n-a-l"? Sometimes, it's only one degree away. . .

Article by Lynne LaFond Deluca, Sr. Vice President

*From the book 212 – The Extra Degree

Special Event Sales Strategies | 'Tis the Season of the Upsell



Photo By Amber Medley

Well, the year may be almost half over, but contrary to popular belief, the wedding selling season is not and it is always the season for upselling! Typically, the time to book the bulk of your current year's weddings is immediately after Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve, and then again after Valentine's Day (popular times to "pop" the question!)
Depending on where your business falls in the bride's "booking process", most of the weddings for the year may be already booked. For example, if you are a jeweler, bridal shop or location venue, the bride will book you as soon as she is engaged. So, you will be contacted earlier in the year. If you are a bakery, florist or photographer, it will be a little later. In either case, just because we are half way through the year doesn't mean your job as a sales person is over. Far from it! Now is the season of the "upsell". Basically, there are two ways to grow your wedding revenues:

1.  Book more weddings
2.  Increase the per-event revenue (upsells!)

Depending on your specific business, you have to have creative ways of increasing the services you provide or increasing the "experiential factor" of what you offer in order to have an enticing upsell offering. Venues have lots of opportunities for upsells with food (don't just think salad, entree, and dessert), beverage, linens, china, glass & silverware, and many partnerships with various vendors. You can even take the popular format of a bridal show, and create an evening of "Extra Special Touches" showcase. Invite all of your booked and tentative brides to an evening that showcases every possible (well, almost!) upsell you could offer, and provide her with a clip board and "order form" as she walks in. Beautiful table linens with over the top centerpieces, upgraded wines and hors d'oeuvres, late-evening snack ideas, entertainment options such as lighting and dancers, etc. Ask each vendor who participates what their ultimate upsell would be and showcase it! Usually, sometimes the "sell" is as easy as making the suggestion...


Whatever your industry, you now have the opportunity to go back to the bride now that she is further along in her planning and has seen and heard many more things, and offer the "extras" that will increase her wedding experience for not only her and her groom, but all the guests in attendance. She just may be looking for that personal touch to add something extra special to her day. You, as the expert in your industry, are in the best possible position to offer it to her.


Article by Lynne LaFond DeLuca, Sr. Vice President Beverly Clark Hospitality Training

Hospitality Sales Tips | Generating More Qualified Leads at Trade Shows

We are often asked about maximizing the trade show experience and gathering good qualified leads.  Here are are top recommendations for getting the most out of your sales strategy at trade shows both pre-trade show, during the show and after the show:

Pre-Trade Show

• Set attainable goals.
• Put your goal and plan in writing.
• Create a primary message for your display/exhibit.
• Create an inviting and open booth/exhibit.
• Identify key prospects and invite them.
• Market your trade show participation on all marketing materials and social media ("come see us at booth # ____").
• Train the team working the booth on new products, special rates, etc. way in advance of the show date.
• Create a lead form that includes pre-qualifying questions for inquiries which will determine the urgency of their needs, if they are the key decision -maker, etc.

Day of the Trade Show

• Develop a unique and consistent look for booth staff's attire.  Matching shirts, blazers or even something more catchy and casual- but make sure everyone is similar and tied together.
• Offer samples of your work or trials.
• Always include a live or digital presentation to showcase your product.
• Be consistent about everyone working the booth logging in any and all prospects on the lead form created.

After the Trade Show

• Contact all prospects immediately - send out requested information.
• If you didn't offer them a trial or sample of your product at the trade show, offer to do so now.
• Use phone and email for follow up.  Everyone has different schedules and work styles. Using both means of communication will help you determine which communication style works best for the prospect.
• Track all your prospects all the way to the sale to show management your work but also to determine what the conversion rate is and the overall success of that particular trade show.
• Meet with your entire team and evaluate the trade show to determine what worked, what didn't , and what opportunities you have to do things differently next time.

By Kerry Lee Dickey

Special Event Sales Strategy | Is Your Influence Working For You?

Do you think that you are an influential person? Regardless of how you answer that question, one thing is absolutely true - you are or you have the potential to be a highly influential person and this in turn can affect your success in sales.

Influence comes into play during many stages of event booking and planning. If you have ever asked for and received a referral from a current client, then you know that you have had a positive influence on that person - enough so that they feel willing to share a referral with you. And as we know, booking referral business is infinitely easier than booking a "cold" lead.


Influence also comes into play when interacting with clientele during the initial phases of booking. You inevitably come to the part of the sale where decisions have to be made. You have to close the sale. Depending on the relationship you have build throughout the sales process, your positive influence can be the difference between closing the sale and watching it walk out the door.


So, what are the best ways to build and use your positive influence in order to move your sales forward? First, remember that influence works best with people you know and who know you. Constantly try to build your "circle of influence" or client base. This does not just mean loading names and emails into a database, but actually creating a connection which leads to building a relationship with a client. Go to your best clients and vendors you work with. Ask each one for just one more lead to another client or referral to another great vendor. You have just doubled your connections. Second, it is all in the way you ask or try to influence. Asking a client who already likes you for some help in building your client base is possible when a relationship exists. People like to help other people and usually have a hard time saying "no" to this type of request. Relationships first. . . business will follow!



By: Lynne LaFond DeLuca, Sr. Vice President

Focus on Special Events Business | Returning to Basics

The special events business and hospitality industry is constantly changing - blink, and you may miss a hairpin turn and continue straight, right off the cliff, so to speak.  However, with technology and strategies all changing at lightning speed , there are still some basics that stay the same and will never change.  In all our years of consulting and ever more so in the recent years of economic challenge, we encourage businesses to return to basics.  What does this mean and how do you do it?

Returning to Basics
1.  Know your market and strengths and focus on this exclusively.
2.  Stop doing what is not bringing in revenue.
3.  Invest in areas where customers want it.  Hint: Use your social media to help get a feel for who your customers are and what they want.
4.  Whatever you decide 1-3  above is for you, stick to it and become known as being reliable for it and giving a consistent experience.

To Discount or Not to Discount?
One of the most common questions in a hard or recovering economy is  whether or not to discount your product or service.  The second most-common question is how much to discount, how long the discounting should take place or should be used. 

Discounts are no longer a point of reference for .  If all you do is compete on price alone, you will never be able to win.  While low rates may initially attract consumers to a product, indiscriminate discounting can isolate current clients as it decreases perceived quality.  But further, it does not guarantee that new customers will become long-term , loyal customers.  To help ensure this does not happen, the following are recommendations:

1.  Have a knowledge of who you want to target.  This is focused discounting to a specific market for a specific service or product and time. 

2.  Carefully watch your competitor's actions.  In the Beverly Clark OnLine Wedding Hospitalty Training Program, there is a dedicated exercise in the Final Exam to help you do just that.

3.  Find your USP - your Unique Selling Proposition - to see how you are different from the competition other than monetarily.  Go beyond to find out where there needs that are not being fulfilled and then fill those niches and make that your differential. The Beverly Clark OnLine Wedding Hospitality Training Program walks you through other ways to help determine your USP as well.

Tying all of this together is a matter of drawing from your history - the strengths, failures, opportunities - and involving your team as well as balancing the feedback of your customers.  Social media has proven an invaluable tool for this in helping to create custom products and packages based on the demand. 

One major airline "returned to basics" with three simple things they decided to focus on:  1.  Baggage that arrives with the plane   2.  A clean plane    and   3.  Friendly customer service.  They forgot all the other "bells and whistles" because they were not bringing in revenue and decided to focus exclusively on those three areas. 

If you focus on the basics - whatever those are for you - and provide service and a product without confusion or irregularities for the customer, you have the potential to increase your revenue the best way possible:  simply.

By Kerry Lee Dickey

Hospitality Sales Strategies | Using Internet Prospecting to Drive Revenue

The hospitality industry has evolved and so have sales strategies.  The Internet has become a staple in the business world today - advertising, research, competitive analysis and prospecting. Locating appropriate prospecting groups via the Internet (and having prospects find you) can be challenging, to say the least. As with most marketing tactics, there are numerous ways to approach internet prospecting, and the right way is the one that works for you and your business or service. Experimentation is key – don't get "stuck" doing the same thing over and over if you are not getting the results you want – change it up and track your success!

Here are a few things you can do to start the process in determining how Internet prospecting will work

best for you:

Search key words on Google, Yahoo, etc. for leads you are looking for (local charities, financial companies, schools, businesses, whoever your target market is). This becomes your "call list" for daily prospecting. How you are communicating with these leads is critical! Read on for more on communication. . .

Search key words that prospects use to find you (weddings, catered events, business meetings, golf tournaments, reception, auctions, charity events, etc., and include the city in which you are located). This is what your prospects are seeing when they are searching for you – are you well represented? Can you find yourself? If you can't, the prospects can't either.

Lead Lists – many companies offer (sell) lead lists based on demographics, industry type, size of company, buying patterns, even if they host events throughout the year. Do your homework to ensure the company you choose specializes in the types of leads you are looking for, and that their databases are updated frequently otherwise the information will be outdated. Also, it is helpful when the leads come with phone numbers, not just email addresses, so that follow-up can be accomplished more effectively. Companies like WeddingLocation.com offer support of pre-qualified leads and lists of those who register trying to make contact with wedding locations world-wide.

The How, What and Why of Communication

Once you have identified a lead list and are ready to prospect, how are you communicating with your prospects? More often than not, the first communication is an e-blast to an entire prospecting group. Why do we love email so much? It's cheap, it's easy, it's fast and it reaches many people at once. Recipients are accustomed to getting information via email, so many people scan their emails quickly and delete more than they read. So, the rule of thumb for sending an email is this - be brief, be brilliant, be gone!
Proper follow-up consists of a phone call if you have the phone number, and 3-4 more emails about the same subject. You do not want to be a pest, but you cannot give up too easy, either. It sometimes takes a prospect 4-5 times of seeing something in order for it to sink in.

To increase your chance of getting more "opens":

1. Avoid "spammy" subject lines containing ALL CAPS, exclamation points, words like "special", "price", "deal" and "save".

2. Send on Tuesday or Wednesday. Avoid weekends.

3.  DON'T OVERSEND. 3-4 times for the same subject max!

4.  Stick to once per week at the most and preferably on the same day each week.

5.  Make the email "from" your business name, not your own name

6.  Think about your subject line – make it count!

7.  Provide VALUABLE CONTENT EVERY TIME

8.  Content – Keep it Professional!

You are not typing an email to a friend, so keep your content professional, short and to the point. Include a table of contents when necessary, and organize information logically. It's ok, and preferable, to link to a website for more information. And please - don't forget the UNSUBSCRIBE language!!

Track Your Success!

The calls and emails are now pouring in. . . how are you tracking the results? Don't drop the ball by not tracking which of your advertising/marketing ventures is yielding you the most success. You want to know what to repeat. And, what to NOT do again! Evaluate your results on a regular basis and compare print media versus internet marketing.

By: Lynne LaFond DeLuca, Sr. Vice President, Beverly Clark Hospitality Training Program

Sales & Marketing Inspiration | Team Marketing for Event Professionals

Creating an effective sales and marketing plan appropriate to your marketplace and your specific property is somewhat of an art and requires some inspiration. If you are a seasoned catering and event professional who has been in your marketplace for a substantial period of time, you probably have a very good "temperature read" of what programming you should be doing and when. Old ideas can always need a fresh twist, though, or maybe a slight adjustment in order to gain more prospects from the same program. Utilizing your other department heads for a brainstorming session is a great way to gain a new perspective on how you can increase the revenues in your department. Some of the benefits to implementing weekly (or monthly, whatever is appropriate for your property) brainstorming sessions with your other departments include:

• Creating specific action plans geared at revenue enhancements
• A proactive, energetic approach to achieving goals vs. crisis management

• A system to monitor performance versus goals which will allow for better accountability and increased revenues

• Enable each team member to increase their personal effectiveness

By using your team in the brainstorming process, you are increasing your "brain power" to include all the members of your team, and any other group you wish to include. Marketing ideas get easier and easier with a group approach.

Once appropriate ideas have been turned into marketing programs, stay on top of your activities that are necessary in order to carry out a successful marketing plan. FOLLOW THROUGH on all steps of your marketing program, including tracking your results. That way, when you go to implement the same idea again next year, you will have a mechanism for remembering what about the program was successful and what you need to change. Soon, you will find the marketing plan process a creative outlet that guarantees financial success rather than a necessary evil!

By Lynne LaFond DeLuca, Sr. Vice President, Beverly Clark Hospitality Training

Closing and Losing Sales | A Closer Look As We Prepare for 2013

As we delve into Summer with Fall right around the corner, it is a good time to take a look back  in order to look forward, plan appropriately and make good decisions regarding our sales efforts. Although we are seeing some positive movement in special event sales, we have to remain sharp with a clear sales strategy and be smart about our position moving forward.

A great start to this type of thinking is to take a two-pronged approach. First, look at all of the sales you closed (or booked) in 2012 (so far). See where they came from, the length of time it took to close, if it was a result of a current relationship or as a result of some type of advertising or pro-active promotion you generated. Keep great records of all sources of business and associated costs. Focus on the advertising and activities that produced the greatest results (magnify these efforts for best results) and improve upon or eliminate the ones that did not produce. Ensure that your advertising is targeting the correct market that you are looking to attract.

Next, take a look at all the business you did not close in 2012 - the ones that got away. Do you know exactly why someone chose a competitor over you? Keeping good, meticulous "lost business" records can teach you a lot going forward about how to close more business. Reasons varying from "better product", "product or service did not suit our needs", "felt more comfortable with the competitor's sales person", "better customer service", "better pricing" or "more professional sales person" can help you to spot trends, make adjustments to products, services and presentation styles. Knowing what your competition offers and does not offer affords you the opportunity to market yourself on how you stand out from the rest. Keep current tabs on your competition and your lost business and you will start to unlock the key to keeping and closing more business.

Most importantly, take the time to analyze all of the information you have collected. Use it to create future marketing programming, decisions on where to spend advertising dollars and decisions on how to invest your capital dollars (what should you be spending money on that will produce the best return on investment). Being proactive in this approach will ensure that you are actively managing your business, not just reacting to a changing market.


Article by: Lynne LaFond DeLuca, Sr. Vice President Beverly Clark Hospitality Training Program

Destination-Wedding Worthy | Are You a "Destination"

With the special events industry continuing to take some financial "knocks", we have heard (and rightly so) a lot of buzz about destination weddings being the "recession resistant" market to target. Absolutely correct!

We have been saying 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). 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.

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  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:

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

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

Build relationships with event planners and travel agents who specialize in destination weddings and events – they will bring you the best events!

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.

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!

Article By:  Lynne LaFond DeLuca, Sr. Vice President, Beverly Clark Hospitality Training

Blogs and Websites and Twitter, Oh My!

One of the great questions I receive was about using all the great blogs, websites as well as social media in our special event business. I was asked - “What are your favorites?” Well, here they are - I must say, there are SO many really amazing ones, but here’s just a few that I use for inspiration, just plain fun, and great business advice...


For wedding inspiration (brides are looking at these too):

www.stylemepretty.com

www.junebugweddings.com/blogs/what_junebug_loves/

www.greenweddingshoes.blogspot.com/

www.juliannesmith.wordpress.com

www.kissthegroom.com

www.ilovelolliblog.com



For Industry News/Information:

www.pinkinitiative.org

www.thinksplendid.com

www.pinkinitiative.org

www.thebusinessofbeingcreative.com


And, one important tidbit to remember about using social media (Twitter, FaceBook, etc.) Do not just self promote! Really use it as a way to build relationships, stay social, get inspired, share useful and interesting information and educate yourself! Tweet tweet...

By Lynne Lafond DeLuca

Making Your Service/Product About Value, Not the Price Tag

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.

By Lynne LaFond DeLuca, Sr. Vice President Beverly Clark Online Hospitality Training Program