Podcast Transcripts & Articles

Jun 02 2014
Referrals

Referrals revisited

By Blog, Uncategorized

ReferralsI was recently asked by an industry connection about my thoughts on referral business. Many people assert that they’re getting most, or all of their business from referrals. If you don’t do any advertising, marketing or promotion, then there’s not many other sources for you except referral. However, most businesses I know are doing other things to get the word out, they just can’t connect the dots from those things to their bottom line.

One is the loneliest number
When someone gets engaged, they’ve likely already been exposed to many wedding service providers. Whether as a guest or part of a wedding party, or through their many friends, relatives, co-workers and acquaintances (at the gym, at church, etc.) there are countless people who are ready and willing to put in their 2 cents on whom you should use. The thing with referrals is that they’re not created or given equally. Read More

May 02 2014

When a 5K is not a race

By Uncategorized

5K GraphicI recently made it to 5K, but not in running, I reached 5,000 friends on my Facebook page. I have been using my personal page so I could be tagged in photos when I’m out speaking and networking (until recently you couldn’t tag a business page in the actual photo, only people). No bells went off. No special flags or banners. No awards or recognition.

Quite the contrary, everything that happened was negative. I couldn’t accept any more friends requests, even though they were still coming in. I wouldn’t get the validation that I’m engaging new contacts by seeing friend requests coming in.

What’s your goal?
I remember hearing wedding and event pros telling me that their goal was to have more friends than anyone else in their market and category. So, I asked them, what’s your plan once you achieve that? You’re not going to get any awards, so what’s your plan? What are you going to do and say to keep that audience engaged? Isn’t it better to have a smaller, more engaged audience, than a large disconnected one? Read More

Apr 08 2014
The New Art of Capturing Love

The New Art of Capturing Love – a book review by Alan Berg

By Blog, Uncategorized
The New Art of Capturing Love

The New Art of Capturing Love – Kathryn Hamm, Thea Dodds

When Kathryn asked me to read The New Art of Capturing Love: The Essential Guide to Lesbian & Gay Wedding Photography I knew that it would be filled with beautiful images. What I didn’t realize was the amazing gift I was about to receive. Woven around and through the amazing images is a treasure-trove of information about LGBTQ weddings, traditions and customs. It’s educational, in a very engaging way. Having been around the wedding industry for 24 years, I thought I was pretty knowledgeable about same-sex weddings. After the first dozen pages I found myself drawn in by the nuances and details of which I was unaware.

What I love about the images, and message, is that this is about the union of two people in love. Whether they choose an elopement, commitment ceremony or legal marriage, it’s about the love that has brought them to this time and place. That can sometimes get lost on opposite-sex couples, who often take for granted that they can marry, and focus too much on the pomp and circumstance. There’s plenty of cause and time to celebrate, but we should all take pause to enjoy the significance of the moment, and the wonderful images and photographers who capture them. Read More

Mar 09 2014

Why can’t they just say “Thank you”?

By Blog

Thank you!Every day is another story
One of the things about being a speaker on business topics, including the customer experience, is that every day presents an opportunity for a new story. Treat me well and you become a story. Treat me poorly and you definitely become a story. However, every day we get exactly what we expect, nothing more, and nothing less, and those experiences just fade away. They’re erased by the next mediocre customer experience.

One of the things that’s struck my wife and I lately is the complete lack of any expression of thanks by so many businesses. You go to their store. Help yourself to find what you need. Bring those purchases to the cashier. Make your payment, with no haggling. And then, instead of being given the common courtesy of a smile and a sincere “Thank you for your business”, maybe a “Please come back again”, you’re rewarded with, at best, a neutral expression and handed your receipt. Read More

Jan 19 2014

6 Steps to Wedding Show Success

By Uncategorized
Click the image to get the PDF to use for your exhibitors

Click the image to get the PDF to use for your exhibitors

Are wedding shows still relevant?
Of course you and I think they are, but do today’s wedding pros? To stay relevant you have to be more than just a booth-seller. You need to be a resource. You need to help them succeed, not just at your shows, but in their businesses.

I wrote “6 Steps for Wedding Show Success” for my presentations in Vancouver, for BSPI member, Gary Meister. Gary wanted me to be the voice to say the things to his exhibitors that he, and you, have been saying for years, but they aren’t always hearing. It’s the same as when your children think the neighbor is brilliant for saying today, what you’ve been telling them for years. The outside voice carries a different credibility to the familiar one. Sound familiar? I’m sure it does. Read More

Jan 14 2014

5 Signs It’s Time To Fire Your Website

By Blog
5 Signs It's Time To Fire Your Websitez

Click the image to get to the MP3 of this presentation

I recently gave a new presentation at The Special Event Show (TSE) in Nashville titled “5 Signs It’s Time To Fire Your Website“. It’s the sequel, if you will, to my book “If your website was an employee, would you fire it?“. As a consultant, website reviews are one of my most requested services, and I don’t really want to tell you that it’s time to make a new site. I know that it involves stress, time, money and aggravation… and who needs more of that?

When it’s time, it’s time
However, there comes a time for every site when it’s time. For most of us, that time comes sooner than we’d like. I recently launched my new site after 2 1/2 years with the old one. Now, that may not seem like a long time for the old site, but there were some things that made me know it was time. Those things, at least for me, weren’t that it was outdated or non-functional. Rather, for me the signs were that my old site wasn’t designed for e-commerce. When I first launched it, in March 2011, I only had one book. As I developed more products, DVDs, Audio CDs, ebooks, Spanish-language books and MP3s, it became clear that I was outgrowing the architecture of the site. All products were on one, long (and getting longer) page. I wouldn’t want to keep scrolling down, down, down to get to the other products, so I knew none of you would either. Read More

Dec 19 2013

Are you too busy to be successful – 2014 edition

By Blog

Last year I wrote an article and new presentation titled “Are you too busy to be successful?“. I got the idea, as I do most of my topics, from speaking with people just like you. We meet at conferences, conventions and in my consulting practice, and what I noticed is that many of you seemed to always be busy… but not all of you seemed happy with the way things were going or feel successful. Others are flying high, but which is you? So, I put out a survey and had over 400 responses – thanks!

How was 2013? Are you living the dream? Are you spending enough time with your family, making the money you’d like to make, doing the things you most enjoy? I’d like us all to revisit that survey and see how we did in 2013, compared to 2012, and to get a feel for how things are going in 2014, now and throughout the year.

So, please take this 10-question survey, whether you took last year’s survey or not. I’ll be releasing the results in the updated presentation in 2014. Thanks, and please let me know how I can be a part of your success.

Click to take the survey

 

 

 

 

Nov 05 2013

5 More Things Your Guests Won’t Tell You

By Blog
5 More Things Your Guests Won't Tell You

If you’d like a copy of this article to post on your website or blog, please email me and I’ll send you the PDF and WORD versions, along with the attribution to use.

I had such great feedback after my last article for engaged couples, “5 Things Your Guests Won’t Tell You” that I wrote the sequel: “5 More Things Your Guests Won’t Tell You“.

Please share your ideas for a sequel to the sequel. If you’d like to use this on your site or blog, just email me and I’ll send you the PDF and WORD versions, along with the attribution to include.

————————————-

5 More Things Your Guests Won’t Tell You
By Alan Berg
In my article for the last issue I shared 5 Things Your Guests Won’t Tell You, with some of the things that you and I, as guests, have experienced at other people’s weddings and events. You know, the things we say as we’re leaving, or when recounting the tales of the affair to those who weren’t there. Read More

Oct 21 2013

What’s wrong with this picture?

By Blog
Business cards

What’s wrong with this picture? All of these cards look alike.

At the many conferences where I speak each year I’m privileged to meet a lot of wedding & event pros. Along the way I collect stacks and stacks of business cards. The photo to the right is just the latest in my collection.

So, what’s wrong with this picture?

Do any of these cards stand out from the others? While they’re different colors, paper stock and fonts, they’re all the same size. What’s the first impression your prospects and clients will have of your business? Is it a thin, standard-sized business card? If it is you’re missing out on an opportunity to stand out. Read More

Sep 10 2013

You get to review my new site – oooh, this is going to be fun!

By Blog, Uncategorized

Review my new siteHow’s this for a rare opportunity? Teach the teacher. Review the reviewer. Critique the critiquer (I’m not even sure that’s a real word).

I’m the guy who wrote a book on websites and who reviews websites for a living… and now you get to give me a dose of my own medicine and review my new site. And, for doing so I have a free gift for you if you take the survey before Sept. 30th. Read More