Anya Stevens

Who’s the real decision-maker?

I was doing a sales training for a small group and the question came up about figuring out who the decision maker is when you’re dealing with a group of people. In this episode I expand on this topic to figuring out who the decision-maker is when you’re on the phone, or when you don’t get to meet with everyone who will be involved in the final decision.

Listen to this new 8-minute episode for some tips to help you figure out when you’re dealing with all of the decision-makers.

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There are so many analytics that you can get for your business, but which ones are going to make a difference for you and your bottom line? To help bring clarity to this I invited my friend Christie Osborne to join me for a conversation about business insights. This isn’t about Google Analytics, at least not very much, and you’re going to want to hear the business metrics that you really do need to know.

Listen to this new episode for an enlightening conversation with a really smart friend.

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If you’ve heard me speak, read my books or had me do sales training, then you certainly know about the power of the choice of two. If you want someone to make a decision, you need to give them the perception of choice, while at the same time limiting their choices. That’s a balancing act, for sure, but not as difficult as it sounds. Once you can get their choices down to one or two, you can ask for the sale, and it won’t feel pushy or aggressive at all.

Listen to this new 10-minute episode for some ways you can use the power of the choice of two in you business and even in your personal life!

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Why do people give up so easily?

I’m preparing a new presentation for this year’s Wedding MBA on my experiences and findings from the secret shopping I do. Sometimes clients hire us to secret shop them and sometimes we do it when someone inquires but doesn’t hire us, just to see how badly they might need help (cue the smiley emoji). What amazes us is how many times companies don’t reply at all to our inquiry, even when it’s directly through their website. Sometimes it’s a technological issue (easy to fix when you know about it) but other times the lead comes through, and we still get no reply. Then we’re waiting to see how many times a company will reach back out to us, when they don’t get a reply. The sad answer is that we usually only get one attempt from most of the companies we shop. A few others will try 2 or 3 times, and a small minority will try way more than that. Who do you think will get the business.

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Weddings are down, get used to it!

I’ve been hearing and having a lot of talk about weddings being down this year. Yeah, and? We’re coming off an unfair benchmark, and a time that’s roiled the waters to the point that we’re still sailing on choppy seas. In this episode I try to give some perspective on where we came from and where we’re going, and what that might mean for you and your business.

Listen to this 8-minute episode for some musings on the current and future state of weddings and events.

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Due to my extensive travel, I’m a prolific reviewer of restaurants and hotels. That said, there are more businesses that I don’t post about than I do, even if I had a good experience. While it’s frustrating, I can’t complain when people who are happy with my sales training or consulting don’t post reviews about me, when I am guilty of the same thing. What about you? Do you read reviews when considering purchases? Do you post reviews when you’re happy with the results? If you do, is it every time? Probably not.

Listen to this 6-minute episode for a little perspective on posting of reviews that will hopefully give you a little solace when you don’t get as many as you’d like.

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If you haven’t already heard, Meta (Facebook) has started a competitor to Twitter called Threads. Have you jumped on yet? As soon as I heard I went over, for nothing else except to claim my handle @alanberg. I didn’t realize it was connected to Instagram, so I probably could have waited a bit, should you?

Listen to this new 6-minute episode for some perspective on when or whether you should join this new platform as well.

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You can’t have a wedding or event without having enough bathrooms for the guests. But no one wants to have porta-potties in sight, no less to use. David Sauers realized this when he was at a concert in a park with his two young daughters, and like any good entrepreneur, he went about solving the problem. Royal Restrooms has luxury mobile bathrooms that are a great option for any event where there aren’t enough facilities. They now have locations across the country and are growing.

Listen to this new episode to hear more about David’s growth story from idea to empire! Maybe you’ll be inspired to bring your next idea to life!

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It’s my fault!

When things don’t go as planned (and we know that happens, a lot) how quick are you to look to blame someone, or something else? I believe that if we want to take the credit for our successes, we need to also take responsibility for our failures, even when we didn’t cause them. When things happen on your watch, they’re your responsibility to make right.

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Are you the driver or a passenger?

No matter your position in your company, or in life, there are times when you’re in charge and times you’re not. Which do you prefer? Can you handle it when it’s the other? I’m OK when I’m not driving… but I need to know that someone’s driving and we’re heading in the right direction. Of course I mean “driving” metaphorically, but if you always have to be in charge, it’s hard to play nice with others.

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