When you decided to become a wedding planner you might not have realized the amount of time you would need to spend attracting brides who will value your services and are willing to pay you what you are worth.
In my Q&A day I offer tips to help you learn what you need to do to get the right brides to hire you.
Question
I’m not finding the type of brides I want. All I ever get are brides who tell me I charge too much and want me to lower my rates. Why is this happening? What should I do?
Answer
It sounds like your marketing is attracting the wrong brides.
Ask yourself these 5 questions, your answers may uncover what you need to do to attract the brides you really want:
1) Who are my ideal brides?
Determine exactly who you want as clients. You want to know, for example, their approximate age, income, social status, and job. Then focus on them when you create your website, post on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, pin to your Pinterest boards and select your advertising opportunities. Position yourself as the expert who understands how solve their specific wedding planning problems and they will be attracted to you.
2) Where am I looking for brides?
Examine your advertising and marketing. Are you placing ads on wedding websites and in magazines that cater to brides who are price shopping? Are you networking with other wedding vendors who deeply discount their services to get work? Doing these things will only lead you to brides you don’t want.
3) Do I emphasize the fact that I’m a new wedding planner when I talk about my business?
This makes many brides believe you would work for low pay. Emphasize your skills and expertise instead of your years as a professional planner.
4) Do I frequently offer discounts?
If so, realize that you are setting yourself up to only get brides who want a wedding planner who will work for low pay, and the lower the better. Also, once they know you are willing to discount your services, they will ask you for discounts on everything.
Don’t depend on low rates to attract brides. Sell then on the value of your skills and experience and the benefits of your services.
5) Have I been willing to accept any bride who will hire me at any price she wants?
Once you do this a few times, you’ll get used to working with brides who aren’t right for you and you’ll continue accepting them. You’ll start to believe that you aren’t really worthy of high-quality clients and the money that you want to charge and you won’t be able to make a living. So, as difficult as it might be, turn down brides who don’t respect you and don’t want to pay you what you are worth.
And if you have a pressing question about starting or running your wedding planning business, you can send me an email at [email protected]. I will answer them on this blog or in my ezine, “Wedding Planner Tips,” which you can subscribe to here.
