Speaking Topics

You’ll always know more about your products and services than your customers, but not everyone needs to hear it all. In this presentation, based on his popular book: "Shut Up and Sell More Weddings & Events", Alan will show you how to ask better questions, and really listen to the answers, which will help you sell more in less time. Sound good?

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• What kinds of questions to ask, and when
• How to sell more, in less time
• Real questions you can use, right away

Time: 30 minutes - 1 hour plus Q&A (time and format permitting)
Presentation format: Keynote or Breakout

Do you discount or negotiate? – hint: they’re not the same thing. Whether it’s in-season and off-season pricing, special sales or throwing something in to make the deal, there are many ways you can offer incentives… but should you?

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• Whether you should offer incentives
• How to preserve the value
• The difference between price and value

Time: 30 minutes to 1 hour plus Q&A (time and format permitting)
Presentation format: Keynote or Breakout

When it comes to running your business, it’s better to work smarter, not harder. This attitude doesn’t just apply to your services – it also applies to your sales process! In this presentation Alan will show you how to leverage top down selling opportunities to help boost your bottom line, by increasing your average sale.

Come to this session and learn:

• How to re-structure your packages/offerings to sell more
• How to assess and reduce the opportunity cost for your business
• How to stop leaving money on the table with your clients
• How to make more money from the same number of events

Time: 30 minutes to 1 hour plus Q&A (time and format permitting)
Presentation format: Keynote or Breakout

88% of couples want to see pricing information, before they reach out to you. Whether it’s in person, on the phone, via email, or on your website, handling pricing questions is a delicate art. Asking "How Much...?" is a natural part of the buying process, so learning how to address it, no matter your service or product, regardless of price point, is critical to your business success. In this fast-paced presentation sales guru Alan Berg will help you navigate this subject with confidence. That confidence should lead to more appointments, and to more sales.

What you'll learn:

• How to handle common pricing questions and concerns in email
• The best ways to deal with addressing price on your website
• The difference between negotiating and discounting
• Tips to make the client consider value over price

Time: 45 minutes - 1 hour plus Q&A (time and format permitting)
Presentation format: Keynote or Breakout

It would be so much easier if they would just pick up the phone and call you, wouldn't it? But these days that's not happening very much. Do you know why? Does it really matter why? You've always had to adapt to how your prospect's preferences, not the other way around. In this session Alan will walk you through the ins and outs of communicating with today's prospects.

Here's what you'll learn:

• Why they won't call you
• How to have a real conversation via email or text
• How to handle price inquiries
• and... time permitting, Alan will share some real email examples - the good, bad and terrible!

Time: 1 hour plus Q&A (time and format permitting)
Presentation format: Keynote or Breakout

To see a 5-minute sample of this presentation, click here.

Whether you like it, love it, or hate it – selling your products or services is a critical aspect to running a successful business. In the wedding and events industry, you may face a variety of challenges in client consultation meetings, calls, and emails. These commonly include how to stand out among your competitors, successfully communicate your value, and the need to educate potential clients about your services. These challenges can be easily addressed by simply knowing the four simple steps to more sales.

Alan will apply proven sales tactics to improve your event business from how to leverage each lead, tips to close the deal quicker, and share the best answer to ‘how much?’ through strategic communication techniques that will connect with your clients.

Come to this session and hear the 4 steps:

• 1) Get their attention
• 2) Get the inquiry
• 3) Get the appointment
• 4) Get the sale

Time: 30 minutes to 1 hour plus Q&A (time and format permitting)
Presentation format: Keynote or Breakout

The printed word lives! Yes, even in this digital world we’re all still using printed words and images to communicate with, and market to, our customers. From business cards to brochures, postcards to print ads, the way you present your business says a great deal about who you are to current and potential customers. What’s amazing is now little consistency there is across your marketing materials. I’ve seen different logos, fonts, colors and even names on the collateral materials from the same business. What most of you don’t realize is the “collateral damage” you may be causing with this inconsistent branding and presentation. It confuses your customers and may be costing you business… and you’d probably never know it.

Come to this session and hear:

• What collateral materials you need
• What you should mail to a prospect, and when
• How Print advertising is surviving in a digital age
• How to stand out… in a good way

Time: 1 hour plus time to review actual collateral marketing materials that audience members bring
Presentation format: Keynote or Breakout

To see a 5-minute sample of this presentation, click here.

It sounds easy: buy a booth and wait for the sales to come in… but the reality is that wedding show success, like any form of marketing and promotion, requires planning and follow through. Alan, who attended his first wedding show as a vendor over 20 years ago, will help you demystify the process and show you how to maximize your return.

Come to this session and hear:

• What you need to be doing before the show, to ensure your success
• The 6 Steps you should be taking to get the most out of the show
• What 90% of wedding show vendors are not doing, but should be

Time: 30 minutes to 1 hour plus Q&A (time and format permitting)
Presentation format: Keynote or Breakout

Pop the question! How to turn appointments to clients

Do you want to save time while booking more business? Sales & Marketing Guru Alan Berg shares tips to convert more appointments, and sell your services to book more clients, faster! Additionally, Alan will share the key steps to turn your appointments – phone, email, virtual or in person—into a closed sale.

Come to this session and hear:

• How to handle price questions
• To target key buying signals and to initiate the sale
• What information to share at each step of the buying process
• Additionally, find out how to positively sell your business against the competition

Time: 30 minutes to 1 hour plus Q&A (time and format permitting)
Presentation format: Keynote or Breakout

Looking for something else?

I can customize a program for you, and your audience, just as I've done for countless other conferences and events. Have something particular in mind, just ask. If it's in my area of expertise, I'd be happy to work with you. If not I'll recommend another professional speaker that will fit your needs. As the wedding & event industry's only Certified Speaking Professional® (CSP), I have access to about 800 other CSPs. One of us is sure to fit your needs.

If you have any questions about any of these topics, or would like to discuss how I can create customized content for you, contact me via email, use the short form on this page, or call 732.422.6362, international enquiries 001 732 422 6362.

Why does a couple choose your business over another? Why do potential clients sometimes decide to book your competitor, even if your price is the same, or lower? You know that they are in need of your business (your “What”) because they made an inquiry. But how do you convince them that you are their best choice (your “Why”)? The answer often lies in how you’re selling your business. Alan will share sales strategies for better conversions and a higher return on investment.

In this session you'll learn:

• Where to find your “Why” and how to express it
• How to use your “Why” to attract new prospects and close more sales
• How to stop selling your “What” and start focusing on your “Why”

Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour
Presentation format: Keynote or Breakout
To see a 5-minute sample of "Are You Too Busy to be Successful?" click here.

What separates the successful businesses from the rest? It’s not ideas or money, it’s the attitude that they bring to the table, every day. Do you have what it takes to succeed? It’s there, inside of you.

There never seem to be enough hours in a day, so what can you do? The good news is that there’s a lot that you can and should be doing, you just need a little help, a little perspective or maybe a big nudge. Attend this session to recharge your inner power to reach greater heights, personally and professionally. You’ll leave feeling empowered to take the actions necessary to move your business forward.

In this keynote session you’ll hear:

• How to understand the power of your perspective
• How your time is more in your control than you may believe
• How you're not alone in what you're feeling
• How you can use this power to succeed in business and in life

Time: 1 hour
Presentation format: Keynote or Breakout

To see a 5 minute sample of this presentation click here.

The customer experience starts before the sale, actually before you ever get to speak with a prospect. You don’t get to give great customer service until after the sale. Do you know what it feels like to do business with your company? It costs little, or nothing, to be exceptional and Alan will show you how.

Come to this session and hear:

• What it means to provide an exceptional customer experience
• How exceeding their expectations is not about giving a discount
• What to do when something goes wrong!
• How to increase your chances of getting them back after they’ve shopped around

Time: 30 minutes to 1 hour plus Q&A (time and format permitting)
Presentation format: Keynote or Breakout

Here are highlights from "Make Them Love You - Creating an Exceptional Customer Experience", recorded at the Wedding MBA conference in Las Vegas, where Alan has been a featured keynote speaker every year.

To see a 5-minute video sample of of "Creating an Exceptional Customer Experience", click here.

NOTE: This is also available as Business Black Belt. The message is the same, the references are tailored to the particular audience (i.e. entrepreneurs and small businesses), not specifically in the wedding or event industry.

Every day brings a new challenge. Are you prepared? Come hear Alan, a 2nd degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, teach you the disciplines you need to perform at your peak every time. This isn’t about physical strength. It’s about the mental toughness and inner strength you need to succeed in life and work.

Come hear this inspirational session and you'll learn:

• How the disciplines needed to achieve a black belt relate to success in business
• How you can have better focus on your goals
• How you can determine what’s most important in your life and work

Time: 45 minutes - 1 hour
Presentation format: Keynote or Breakout

To see a 5-minute sample of this presentation, click here.

Too often we find ourselves running around, busy all the time, but we're either not productive, or worse, we're just not making any money. Does that sound like you? Do you find yourself being a slave to email and social media, when you know your time is better spent building your business or with your family?

Find out how to get more done and focus on what's important:

• Learn how to shorten your to-do list and get more done
• Find out if you're making yourself busy
• See how less is often more when it comes to your business
• Get tips and ideas on how to be more proactive

Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour
Presentation format: Keynote or Breakout

To see a 5-minute sample of "Are You Too Busy to be Successful?" click here.

In the 25+ years Alan's been in the wedding industry, couples have only gotten 4 years older. While that's not fair, it is reality. So, how does a wedding pro stay current and relevant? How do you showcase your more extensive experience without sounding like her mother or father?

Come to this timely session and Alan will help you:

• Highlight your experience without sounding out of touch
• Learn how to keep your marketing up to date
• See when age matters and when it doesn't
• See what your website says about you

Time: 1 hour
Presentation format: Keynote or Breakout

To see a short sample of "How to be the Experienced Wedding Pro Without Sounding Old", click here.

I can customize a program for you, and your audience, just as I've done for countless other conferences and events. Have something particular in mind, just ask. If it's in my area of expertise, I'd be happy to work with you. If not I'll recommend another professional speaker that will fit your needs. As the wedding & event industry's only Certified Speaking Professional® (CSP), I have access to about 800 other CSPs. One of us is sure to fit your needs.

If you have any questions about any of these topics, or would like to discuss how I can create customized content for you, contact me via email, use the short form on this page, or call 732.422.6362, international enquiries 001 732 422 6362.

As the first stop for most of your prospects and customers, your website is probably your key employee. So, how's that "employee" performing for you? Would you give yours a raise for doing a terrific job? Or, would you retrain or even fire it? How do you know when it's time for a new site? Come hear Alan, author of "If your website was an employee, would you fire it?" and find out now.

Come to this session and:

• Hear 5 telltale signs that it's time for a new site
• Learn easy ways to retrain your current site to perform better
• Find out what content you should remove from your site... now
• Find out what content you need to add to your site... now

Also, time permitting, we'll pull up the real websites of some of the attendees and work together to show how they can be improved

Time: 45 minutes - 1 hour plus Q&A (time and format permitting)
Presentation format: Keynote or Breakout

Whether you've just launched your website or it's been up for years, the text in your site can have a major impact on how it helps or hurts your success. From optimizing for users and search engines, to improving the conversion and user experience, a well worded site is a must these days.
Come to this session and learn:

• How optimizing for users can also help your SEO
• Is 1st person (I/me) or 3rd person (we/us) better for your site
• A free Google tool you need to know

Time: 45 minutes - 1 hour plus Q&A (time and format permitting)
Presentation format: Keynote or Breakout

While you've probably heard about the 4 C's of Diamonds - Cut-Carat-Clarity-Color - you've never heard of the 4 C's for a more engaging website. Well, Alan's going to fill you in on four things that will help your website work better for you, rather than against you. They'll sound so simple, you'll wonder why you're not already doing them.

Come to this session and learn:

• The 4 C's and how to use them on any site
• How to convert more of the traffic you're already getting
• Why you probably have too much on your site

Time: 45 minutes - 1 hour plus Q&A (time and format permitting)
Presentation format: Keynote or Breakout

Just having a website isn’t good enough these days. Many businesses’ websites are actually costing them business, and they don’t even know it. You may be getting prospects to visit your site, but not converting them into sales. Listen and learn these “10 Ways Your Website is Killing Your Business”, and how you can update your site to make you more money. Most will cost you little, or nothing to change.

What You’ll Learn:

• Is your website your adversary or ally?
• What information should and shouldn't be on your site?
• How does your website fit into your overall marketing strategy?
• Is your site attracting the wrong prospects?
• Easy tips and fixes that can make a big difference

Also, time permitting, we'll pull up the real websites of some of the attendees and work together to show how they can be improved

Time: Presentation is 1 hour and then real website examples require additional time based upon the format & schedule. For a workshop 90 minutes - 3 hours.
Presentation format: Keynote, Workshop or Breakout

To see a 5-minute sample of this presentation, click here.

If your website was an employee, would you fire it?

5 things you wish you knew before you made your website, and how to fix them, now!
Whether you're planning a new website or just looking to improve your current one, you need to understand what your website is and should be. If you're like most wedding pros you know you need a website to be competitive but how did you approach your site's design and content? Does your site answer the basic needs of your visitors or does it actually turn them away?

Come to this fast-paced session and you'll learn:

• The 5 basic questions that everyone with a website should know
• Whether you need to have more than one website
• What content you should have on your website
• What landing pages are and how they can help you book more prospects

Time: 1 hour plus Q&A (time and format permitting)
Presentation format: Keynote or Breakout

To see a 5-minute sample of this presentation, click here.

Looking for something else?

I can customize a program for you, and your audience, just as I've done for countless other conferences and events. Have something particular in mind, just ask. If it's in my area of expertise, I'd be happy to work with you. If not I'll recommend another professional speaker that will fit your needs. As the wedding & event industry's only Certified Speaking Professional® (CSP), I have access to about 800 other CSPs. One of us is sure to fit your needs.

If you have any questions about any of these topics, or would like to discuss how I can create customized content for you, contact me via email, use the short form on this page, or call 732.422.6362, international enquiries 001 732 422 6362.

Are your reviews gathering dust on industry websites, on social media and in your emails? Reviews are a key way to showcase your expertise – all from the voice of happy clients! Great reviews increase the likelihood potential clients will view your online profiles, but they can also make a big impact on your overall brand exposure both on- and offline.

In this presentation, marketing expert Alan Berg CSP will help you set your business up for success during busy inquiry season, and all year long!

What you'll learn:

• The top 10 ways to make your reviews work for you
• Creative ideas to leverage reviews in new ways
• How to ask for reviews from past clients
• How to incorporate your best feedback ‘sound bites’ into your marketing materials

Time: 30 minutes to 1 hour plus Q&A (time and format permitting)
Presentation format: Keynote or Breakout

Let’s face it, these days we live and die by our client reviews. But, sometimes it’s like pulling teeth to get them, and then once you have them, what do you do with them? Come to this session and have Alan demystify the world of reviews for you, so you can use them to actually make more money!

What you'll learn:

• How to get more reviews
• How to use reviews to attract more inquiries
• How to respond when you get a bad review

Time: 30 minutes to 1 hour plus Q&A (time and format permitting)
Presentation format: Keynote or Breakout

In this age of instant feedback through reviews, testimonials, blogs and social media, keeping track of your online reputation is a little like herding cats. Just when you think you have a handle on it, along comes another twist and turn. What’s a wedding pro to do? Alan will help you make sense of it all.
Come to this session to learn:

• How the best defense is a good offense
• How to respond to a less than favorable review
• Why doing what’s right is usually better than being right

Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour plus Q&A (time and format permitting)
Presentation format: Keynote or Breakout

Here are highlights from "Angry Brides - Protecting Your Online Reputation", recorded at the Wedding MBA conference in Las Vegas, where Alan has been a featured speaker every year.

To see more video samples,  click here.

Are you hearing that if you don't dive into the deep end of the social media pool your business will wither and die? Did you leave your latest trade meeting or conference like a deer in headlights not knowing where to begin?

It seems that you can't read your email or go to a conference without being bombarded with information about social media. But where do you start? Should you even bother? Are you feeling overwhelmed? Whether you're a 20-something or 50-something, you can easily feel overwhelmed by the conflicting messages. As always, Alan is here to help!

What we'll cover:

• Do you need to have a social media strategy?
• Can you attain your business goals without being on Instagram, Facebook or the next new site?
• Is social media an all-or-nothing endeavor?
• How you can have a presence on social media without it consuming too much of your time and resources?

Time: 1 hour plus Q&A (time and format permitting)
Presentation format: Keynote or Breakout

To see a 5-minute sample of this presentation, click here.

Giving presentations to trade associations and other groups is a great opportunity to show your expertise. However, it’s not a skill that everyone was born with. It’s something that can be learned and Alan’s just the one to show you. As a professional speaker and member of the National Speakers Association, the largest group of professional speakers, Alan will share what he’s learned from his years of giving presentations. Whether you’re currently giving public presentations or thinking about starting, this presentation will help you.

Listen to this presentation and you’ll learn:

• How to create your presentation description and outline
• How to prepare so you’ll be less nervous
• Presentation slide tips and tricks
• Tips for using a microphone
• Alan’s secrets for giving a great presentation

Time: 45 minutes to one hour plus Q&A (time and format permitting)
Presentation format: Breakout

To see a 5-minute sample of this presentation, click here.