Do the same problems come up over and over?
Are there some problems that just keep cropping up? Whether it’s with your customers, your couples, and even with your staff or industry partners, if there are some things that seem to come up often, the problem just might lie in an unexpected place.
Listen to this new, 5-minute episode to see if the problem really is your customers, or maybe it’s in the mirror.
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– Do you have some of the same problems that come up over and over again? I think I know what the problem is. Listen to this episode. Hi, it’s Alan Berg. Welcome back to another episode of the “Wedding Business Solutions Podcast.” Do you have some issues in your business that come up repeatedly, whether it’s internal issues with staff, whether it’s issues with customers, or with prospects, or issues with guests at events? If you have a lot of issues that come up again and again and again, the problem isn’t the customers, the guests, or your employees, the problem is in the mirror. The problem is you, because the definition of insanity, we’ve been told is to, you know, do the same thing the same way and expect a different result.
So if it’s an issue that comes up at weddings or events all the time, and now are we communicating that to the right people? One thing that comes to mind with this is venues that, you know, guests or bridal party will bring in outside alcohol. Now, we know, we tell the couple that they’re not allowed to bring outside alcohol, but do they, you know, communicate that to their bridal party? Do they communicate that to their guests? And the answer is probably no. And you don’t have any communication with them either. Signage can certainly help, but it’s not going to stop everybody from doing that. So how do we make that better? Well, if that happens repeatedly, then at the time of booking that client, you have to say to them, “Listen, it’s probably not going to happen with your wedding, but we want to make sure that you have the best time. And outside alcohol is not allowed. We do have security here, and it’s rare that it happens, but there have been times when guests have been asked to leave or police have been called, and we certainly don’t want that to happen at yours. So could you please communicate to your bridal party and communicate to your guests it’s not allowed? And if you’d like our help with that, we have these cards that we made up, or we have this email that you can send wording or whatever.”
Give them some tool to make it easier for that not to happen as opposed to just putting your head in the sand and hoping that it doesn’t again and again, because it does. And it’s the same thing with rules and regulations. What I find very often is you look at the terms and conditions, or look at the rules that people have and you’re trying to stop every bad thing that ever happened, and you can’t do that. You’re punishing the masses for the ills of a few. You also have your contract, which has terms and conditions which some people read. You know, usually the ones that have a lawyer in the family or they’re a lawyer, right? But then a lot of people don’t, or you get to the event and they don’t remember that Clause number 27 Part B said, “Don’t do this, or you have to do that.” And they don’t remember because people don’t remember everything that they read. They don’t remember everything that they hear.
So to expect them to remember Clause 27 on your contract and hold them to that, is really shortsighted because when you’re a customer, you don’t read all the terms and conditions and you don’t remember them anyway, if you do. So, if you have things that come up again and again, you have to look and say, A, “Does that rule, does that policy or whatever need to get changed? Is it really necessary? What is the worst that could happen?” And there are bad things that could happen, don’t get me wrong, that’s why we have insurance and security and other things at events. But are we really punishing the masses for the ills of a few? And are you holding onto something that is more of an issue to you than it is to other people? And it really, maybe we can let this one go.
You put yourself in the shoes of the customer, you put yourself in the shoes of their guests, and a lot of these rules are just prohibitive. It’s just not going to happen. Look in the mirror, have a hard talk to yourself and say, “Hey, do I really need this clause in here? Do I really need to give all these, you can’t, you can’t you can’t to people when they’re trying to have a great time with their company, with their employees, with their customers, with their donors for fundraisers, with their guests at mitzvahs and quinces and all these wonderful social events, am I really? Do I need to be this prohibitive?” And if you put yourself as the customer and say, “Hey, does this feel a little too prohibitive?” As opposed to, “You want me to come and have a great time.” You actually could be losing business because of it or getting bad reviews because of it.
So first thing is, are we punishing the masses for the ills of a few? And then the second thing is, if these things happen a lot, maybe we need to change either what we’re selling, how we’re selling it, what the rules are or the expectations. And can we communicate things better so that these things don’t happen, as opposed to just wishing that they won’t? I know this is a little bit deep and it’s a little bit esoteric, but I hope it gave you something to think about. Thanks.
I’m Alan Berg. Thanks for listening. If you have any questions about this or if you’d like to suggest other topics for “The Wedding Business Solutions Podcast” please let me know. My email is [email protected]. Look forward to seeing you on the next episode. Thanks.
Listen to this and all episodes on Apple Podcast, YouTube or your favorite app/site:
- Apple Podcast:
- YouTube: www.WeddingBusinessSolutionsPodcast.tv
- Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3sGsuB8
- Stitcher:
- Google Podcast:
- iHeart Radio: https://ihr.fm/31C9Mic
- Pandora:
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