Podcast Transcripts & Articles

Mar 02 2015

It only works if you use it

By Blog
Use your ideasI received a very nice email the other day from a wedding pro who’s heard many of my webinars and live presentations. She was thanking me for a tip which she had heard me say, many times, but hadn’t acted on, until recently. The tip was to end each email with a question so the recipient is more likely to answer. Now that she’s ending her emails with one question, her response rate and conversion have increased (which was the whole idea). Here’s her email to me:

Hi Alan,
I just wanted to let you know, although I have heard you mention the “end with a question” several times, sometimes there is so much in the webinars and seminars that you just can’t implement it all at once, or you forget.
WELL, since the last WW (WeddingWire) webinar, I have been consciously ending all my emails to couples with a question, and I have been getting PHENOMENAL results. I just wanted to say THANK YOU, YOU ROCK!!!
Rev. Judith L. Guasch, M.Div., Ceremonies by Judith

The credit for that concept actually goes to Alan Katz, of Great Officiants in Southern California, who originally gave me that tip a while back. The kudos go to Rev. Judith for taking it off the back burner and using it. I’ve often said, and written, that the people who achieve the most success don’t necessarily have more ideas or more money. They just act on those ideas, or put that money to use.

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Jan 14 2015

Is your wireless router slowing you down?

By Blog
fiosinternet_routersHave you ever wished your wireless internet were faster? Maybe it already is, but you just don’t know it. That’s the experience I just had in my home/office. We have Verizon FiOS for our internet service and they’ve been bragging in their marketing how they’ve upgraded their internet plan speeds so that the upload and download speeds match. We supposedly have pretty fast service at 50mbps (megabits per second) for both upload and download speeds. That said, my desktop computer, a MacMini, always seems to be faster than the connections on the wireless computers.
 
So, how can you test it?

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Jan 02 2015

3 Resolutions That Can Be Revolutionary For Your Wedding Business

By Blog

Time to ActThe beginning of the year not only signals an influx of newly engaged couples, it also serves as a psychological switch for many 2015 and 2016 upcoming wedding couples to resume the planning process after a post Thanksgiving through Christmas hiatus.

It’s also an opportunity to think about what you’re going to do differently. Here are some insights from my fellow guru and business associate, Brian Lawrence. Brian’s walked more than a mile in your shoes in his many years as a wedding center owner with multiple locations, then serving thousands of wedding business through his position as VP of a national wholesale invitation brand, and then as owner of wedding business focused web design and marketing firm.

Brian has taken things I have spoken about before and put his own spin on them for you: Read More

Dec 16 2014

3 Things you can do to get your website ready for the January rush

By Blog

round glossy button effectThe holidays are always a busy time for engagements, and then comes the January rush of visits to websites… hopefully yours. So, is your website ready to convert that traffic into inquiries, appointments and then sales? You’re only going to get one chance to make that first impression.

Here are a few easy things you can do, right now, to improve the engagement and conversion of your website. These will only cost you a little time, but it’s well worth it: Read More

Dec 16 2014

Ways to invest in yourself (so others will invest in you)

By Blog

How you can invest in yourself

In my last article I talked about how you need to invest in yourself and your business first, before you can expect others to invest in you. But what are some of the things you can do?

And the answer is?

So I got to thinking about the many ways businesses like yours can invest in your success, both personally and professionally. Some involve only your time (which I know you have oh so much extra of, I write sarcastically). Others involve money (which of course is limited for almost all of us). Here are a few things you can do to invest in yourself and your business: Read More

Dec 03 2014

Invest in yourself if you want others to invest in you

By Blog

I was giving a presentation recently and I used the phrase “Invest in yourself if you want others to invest in you”. In that case I was referring to your websites, branding, collateral marketing (business cards, brochures, etc.) and to your sales skills. Before you can expect your target clientele to invest their hard-earned money with you, especially for their once-in-a-lifetime wedding, you have to invest your time and money into earning their business.

Too often I meet someone who’s complaining that they’re not getting the clientele they’d like (usually one that will spend more for their services). However, that same company usually isn’t doing the things they need to attract, sell and service that same clientele. You see other businesses getting the clients you want, but what you don’t usually see are the behind the scenes things that got them where they are. Read More

Oct 28 2014
The Business of Gay Weddings Book

The Business of Gay Weddings – book review

By Blog
The Business of Gay Weddings Book

To get your copy or to find out more about Bernadette Covney Smith and the Gay Weddings Institute, click on the book image

Given the recent news in the world of same-sex marriage I thought it was finally time to finish my friend Bernadette Covney Smith’s book “The Business of Gay Weddings“. Have you ever wished you had done something sooner? That’s how I felt when I read the final chapter.

Some of you may have read my review of Kathryn Hamm and Thea Dodd’s book “The Art of Capturing Love“. Before reading that book I had thought that I was somewhat knowledgeable about the subject, but boy was I wrong. Now, after reading Bernadette’s book I can honestly say that I’ve learned so much, in a short time. Read More

Oct 08 2014

Alan Berg’s free Wedding MBA recap webinar

By Blog, Uncategorized
Alan has been a featured speaker at every Wedding MBA conference

Alan has been a featured speaker at every Wedding MBA conference

With so many sessions at Wedding MBA it’s easy to get overwhelmed and sometimes hard to remember, and take in, all of the great information. Now that you’re back home, Alan wants to help you process, and use what you heard by doing a FREE one-hour recap of his presentations at Wedding MBA 2014:

  • Your Own Worst Frenemy – Why Entrepreneurs Make Emotional Decisions
  • Internet Intervention – 5 Signs It’s Time To Fire Your Website
  • and his Wed Talk The Quick Close – How to Complete the Final Step and Ask For The Sale

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Aug 18 2014

Never mind Waldo, where are you? part II

By Blog

Young woman holding a laptop and presenting colorful world mapNote: In my last post I began a conversation about your websites and the importance of location information. Here’s the second part. If you didn’t get a chance to read the first part, click here.

Hold the phone

It used to be pretty easy to look at the area code on your site or business card and get an idea where you were located. These days with so many people using their cell phones as their main or only phone, and the portability of cell phone numbers, area codes are no longer a reliable indicator of location. A few years ago my family moved almost 100 miles to a new area and yet my wife and sons still use the same cell phone numbers. Their area code would lead someone to believe they are in another state – which would make it the state of confusion! Read More

Aug 04 2014

Never mind Waldo, where are you?

By Blog
young woman making phone call with colorful world mapNOTE: I try to make my articles short so you can read them quickly, in one visit. I was writing this one on a flight and when I had finished it was about twice as long as my typical post, an indication that I’m particularly passionate about this topic. So, to respect your time I’ve split this into two parts. Here’s part I. Click here to read Part II.

Through my speaking and consulting I get to see a lot of websites. It’s not unusual for me to see hundreds of sites in a month, so I truly get to experience the good, the bad and the ugly. Fortunately for most of you, the bar is being set so low that it’s easy to have one of the nicest sites, even if you haven’t updated yours in a while. However, that’s not an excuse to stick with what you have. On any given day a new competitor can appear or an existing business can update their site and then, just like that, you’re playing catch-up to their newer, nicer site.

When I’m doing a website review I look for 5 key things on your site:

1)    Who are you? I know this sounds simple, but many sites do not make it clear on every page, not just your homepage. Search engines might land someone on an internal page, so they have to be branded and clear.

2)    Where are you or where do you do business? Either your actual address or where you do business. Read More