During a recent holiday party that was attended by newly wed couples, I decided to play the niave Bride to Be and ask a few of the new Brides some questions. It felt a little undercover, but I wanted to find out what they remember after the wedding is over and life goes on. Here is what they said.
- What Brides think about Bridal Shows
The bride says:
Wedding Vendors were too aggressive. “It was just awful! All these people coming at me and and bombarding me with information. It was just overwhelming.”
B’s Takeaway:
Brides desperately need to be helped, not sold. Ask her questions that help her uncover what she wants, because she probably doesn’t know yet, instead of telling her about you and your services. Otherwise, you’ll drive her away.
Be the oasis in the center of crazy at a bridal show by NOT rushing her and NOT forcing your materials on her.
If you want to REALLY win her over, give her advice and help that has nothing to do with your services. It will earn her trust and bring her back, even if she isn’t ready to book right now.
- Be a real person and not a company to attract more brides.
The bride says:
“It seemed like everyone at the bridal show was a big company. I just wanted to work with real people, not a big corporation.”
B’s Takeaway:
Be real, personal and genuine at a bridal show. There is a temptation to portray yourself like a big company because it makes you seem more important or credible.
If you’re a one or two person operation, don’t hide it! This is actually a strength.And if you ARE a bigger company, train your sales reps to deliver a personalized experience.
- What Brides Remember about their vendors
- Brides remember the things that went wrong…even when they don’t complain about it to you.
The bride says:
“Our DJ wasn’t very good. He played okay music and everything, but he gave a bad impression, and our guests noticed. Some of my friends came up and said, ‘Is your DJ hitting on the bartender? He came up to us at the end of the night with dip tucked into his cheek. Disgusting!”
Vendor Takeaway:
Stay professional on the wedding day. Don’t drink, try to pick up the staff or get caught chomping on a pastrami sandwich. She might not say anything about it that night because she’s too busy being a bride, but she IS paying attention.
- Couples don’t always tell you what they REALLY think.
The bride says:
“At the end of the night, the DJ came up and asked if he could use us as a reference. Of course, I said, yes. What was I going to do, tell him NO to his face? If someone did call me for a reference, though, I’d recommend that they NOT hire him.”
Vendor Takeaway:
When you ask a bride or groom for their opinion of your work, your website or your services, 95% of people are going to say something nice. They don’t want conflict and they don’t want to hurt your feelings.
If you want to know the truth, you have to look at your results. Are you booking the weddings you want? Are you getting the price you want?
If you aren’t getting the results you want, you need to change, no matter what your clients tell you, because the evidence doesn’t lie.
Have you ever been the fly on the wall listening in to the conversations of brides and grooms? What did you learn?