Blog

Is your email signature helping or hurting?

This episode was prompted by paying attention to some of the many email signatures I see every day. Sometimes we don’t pay any attention to them (especially if it’s someone we already know). There were a few times, just this week, where I wanted to know more about the person sending the email (either to do research, or add them to my CRM, etc.) and I found it to be a lot harder than it should have been. Adding unnecessary friction is a good way to alienate your customers.

Listen to this new 7-minute episode to get some ideas on what to add, delete and look for in yours and other people’s email signatures, to make them more useful and professional.

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Should we care what the color of the year is?

I just saw the big announcement… the Pantone color of the year is Peach Fuzz! <cue the sound of crickets> Does that matter to your business and should you care? If you’re in the color business – flowers, linens, fashion, invitations, lighting, décor… then yes. Should the rest of us care? Maybe.

Listen to this new 6-minute episode for more some thoughts on the color of the year and what you might want to focus on next year and beyond.

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Alan Katz – Scaling from 1 wedding to thousands!

I’ve known Alan Katz for years and I love the story of how he got started doing a friend’s wedding, and has parlayed that to a company that does almost 2,000 ceremonies each year! You’ll also hear how he’s deepened his niche with other related services and how he’s been able to get thousands of reviews. Oh, and Alan Katz is the one who told me to end every email with a question… something that I credit him in my book “Why don’t they call me?”

Listen to our conversation for some inspiration on how you can expand your niche, become more useful and invaluable in your market, and the go-to when someone needs what you do.

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What’s a Fake Lead?

I’ve been having quite a few one-on-one conversations with clients and folks in the industry about fake leads. I also see many social posts about this and I’m often tagged and pulled into the conversation. And since you can’t hear my one-on-one conversations, I thought I’d address it here, as most of those conversations are very similar.

Listen to this new 10-minute episode for a different perspective on what is and isn’t a fake lead, and what you can do to improve your conversion, and outlook.

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Don’t punish the masses for the ills of a few

I’ve used this phrase before on the podcast “Don’t punish the masses for the ills of a few”. Just recently I saw another wedding/event pro coming up with what felt like punitive rules, so I decided it was time to devote an episode to this. How many things are you telling your couples and customers they can’t do? Is your “no” list bigger than your “yes” list?

Listen to this new 7-minute episode for more a little introspection and ideas on how you can be more “yes” focused, while still having the rules and policies you really need. Read More

Could your wedding/event business use a Virtual Assistant?

Do you love doing weddings and events but hate all of the business minutiae? There’s so much more to running a successful business than just doing the events. There’s the administration, project management, following up on leads, and following up with couples and customers after the sale and before the event. With staffing being so difficult these days, many businesses, including mine, have looked to using Virtual Assistants to fill the void. For me, it meant not sitting with my laptop while watching TV with my wife. It meant having someone to post on social media for me, edit my videos and podcasts, schedule email blasts and more.

For this new episode I invited my friend Ryan Angott, from Strategic Assistant Staffing (SAS) to talk about how wedding and event businesses, large and small (I’m a solopreneur and I use a VA) can benefit from using virtual assistants.

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Paul Daniels Jr – Dyslexia is a Superpower!

Have you ever thought about how differently wired minds can bring unique, valuable perspectives to your business? What if you could predict potential issues before they even arise, simply by seeing what others miss? In this episode, Paul Daniels joins me to uncover the hidden superpowers of dyslexia and neurodiversity, revealing how these traits can benefit your business in unexpected ways. Are you ready to rethink how you approach hiring and appreciating diverse thought processes?

Listen to this new episode for insights on leveraging neurodiversity in the workplace and transforming so-called challenges into business assets.

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What’s your ideal gift?

For my last episode of this year I wanted to reflect a little on gifting. It’s gift-giving season and I know that my attitude towards what makes a great gift has certainly changed over the years, I’ll bet yours has as well. Whether it’s one you give or one you receive, what would make it stand out for you. It’s a gift to me that you’re tuning in to my podcast, so thank you. You’re what makes this worthwhile.

Listen to this new 8-minute episode for my musings on this topic. Sorry if it gets a little deep at times, but there are also a few laughs in there, too.

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Matt Campbell – The Butterfly Effect 

Matt and I were both commenting on a post on Facebook and he replied “The Butterfly Effect”, and I said that we have to come on the podcast to talk about it. What is the Butterfly Effect? It’s that a small change can make a big difference, often far away and without any real connection. We’re expanding on that in this episode. Tune in for some ideas on how small decisions and opportunities probably got you to where you are today, and can get you to where you want to go.

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If you’re not the lead dog, the view never changes!

This is another listener suggestion, this time from Cedric on Facebook. I don’t know if he used this phrase, or if it was my interpretation. The analogy comes from visualizing a dog sled team. Imagine a sled being pulled by 5 dogs. One in front, and two pairs of two other dogs behind it. If you’re the lead dog, you have a clear view of where you’re going. If you’re one of the other dogs, you have a view of the rear end of the dog in front of you. Are you leading and innovating? Or, are you watching others do it.

Listen to this new 7-minute episode for some ideas on how you can act like the lead dog in your market and category.

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