Anya Stevens

Why Customers Leave – with David Avrin

I was reading (listening) to my friend David Avrin’s book “Why Customers Leave and How to Win Them Back” and there were so many good nuggets in there that I just had to have him on the podcast. We talked about the customer experience and how so many times you lose the sale without even knowing that you were being considered.

Listen to this new episode for some straight talk about the customer experience so you can find the kinks in your business pipeline and get more opportunities.

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Why or Why Not?

When presented with a new opportunity, do you look at what could go wrong, or how it could fail? Do you ask yourself “Why should I?” Or, do you focus on the positive outcomes and ask “Why shouldn’t I?” Too many people place their emphasis on the negative, not the potential. After all, the easiest thing to do when presented with an opportunity is to do nothing.

Listen to this new 7-minute episode to hear how you can change your focus to achieve more and have more fun, in life and business!

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Don’t try to be the best you can ever be!

Are you satisfied with where you are and how good you are? I’m not, and I’ll never be. Yes, I like to look back and reflect on my successes, but my personal philosophy is that I want to be better each time than I was the last time. Whether it’s in business or in my personal life, it’s a constant push to do better, every time.

Listen to this new 6-minute episode to hear why I don’t ever want to be the best I can ever be… and neither should you!

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Bob Burg – The Go-Giver for Wedding Pros

After reading “The Go-Giver” for the second time, and then reading “Go-Givers Sell More”, I just had to have the author, Bob Burg, on the podcast. There are so many great lessons and nuggets that we can all apply to our businesses and lives in these books. I also just started reading “The Go-Giver Influencer”, and I’ve already been making notes. These books are so easy to read, using parables (short stories) which make it easy to relate to the characters.

I enjoyed our conversation and I think you’re going to love hearing from Bob how so many principles in The Go-Giver series apply to your wedding and event business and your life.

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Is it your job to educate your customers?

Very often I see wedding and event pros trying to educate your customers on why they should choose a professional for your product or service. Or maybe it’s educating them on your actual product or service. Is that your responsibility? By the time they get to your website or marketing, are they looking for that education? Or have they already decided they want your product or service and now you need to educate them on something else.

Listen to this new 5-minute episode to get an idea on what you should be educating your customers on when they get to your site and marketing.

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Elias Kanaris – Customer Service is International

When I saw that my friend in New Zealand, Elias Kanaris, became CEO of the Customer Contact Network New Zealand, I just knew that I had to have him on the podcast to talk about the customer experience. There are so many things about customer experience and customer service that transcend borders. We had a great conversation that has so many applications to your business, no matter whether you’re a solopreneur or run a team.

Listen to this new episode for insight and tips into how you can create a better customer experience, right from the first contact.

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How can you work cold leads and lists?

This is another listener suggestion, this time from Meg in Las Vegas. They asked if I could do an episode on working cold leads. For this episode, I’m going to assume they mean wedding expo leads, or lists you might get by being referred by a venue or another industry partner. They send you a list of the people they’ve booked, and you get a chance to reach out to them… but they haven’t yet asked for you to contact them. As I started my career in the wedding industry selling magazine ads that came with a mailing list, and I attended countless shows as an exhibitor, this brings me back to my roots!

Listen to this new 13-minute episode for ideas that you can use when you get a list from a wedding expo or other source.

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Eric Rhodes – Raising your rates, yes, you can!

I’ve spoken about raising your rates before, and this time I invited my friend Eric Rhodes (you might know him from his Tik-Tok and IG videos) to talk about his journey to raising his rates higher than he’d ever imagined. And he’s not in a big city, he’s in Boise Idaho! Hear how he grew and then scaled back his business, and was already getting much more in his market than most others before his videos went viral.

Listen to this new episode for inspiration in seeing the value you’re already providing, and charging accordingly.

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Can a positive outcome erase a bad customer experience?

I recently had a problem with a product that ended well, with the company replacing the damaged one, but I was left with a bad taste in my mouth. But why? I got what I wanted in the end. This was a great lesson to share because we have to realize that our goal is more than just to get the customer what they want and need. It’s to make them feel great about the process and interaction.

Listen to this new 12-minute episode for the rest of the story, and some tips on how you can become more aware of the customer experience, not just their results.

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What’s a good closing rate?

This is another listener suggestion. I got an email from Scott, asking if his closing rate was good. He had good stats on his conversion from inquiry to conversation to sale. That already puts him ahead of most wedding and event pros. What I explained to him, and to you in this episode, is what stats you’d want to have, and whether or not you need to know what your closing rate is. You’ll hear how I have stats that I pay to more attention to than my closing rate.

Listen to this new 8-minute episode for more ideas on your closing rate and whether there are more important stats for you, too.

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