Tag

Professional speaker

May 29 2013

Thoughts from Ireland and how wedding pros are very similar, everywhere I go

By Blog, Uncategorized
Alan Berg speaking in Galway Bay, Ireland

Alan Berg speaking at the Galway Bay Hotel, Ireland

I just got back from speaking in Ireland for weddingsonline.ie, the busiest wedding website in the country. We had 3 conferences in Cork, Galway and Donegal where I had the opportunity to meet some great wedding pros. It’s actually my third time speaking in Ireland since November. What strikes me, as I reflect on the events and networking, is how similar wedding pros are, wherever I go. I presented “We Want Action, Conversion is the Key to Your Success”, “Angry Brides, Protecting Your Online Reputation” and “Creating an Exceptional Customer Experience”, 3 of my favorite topics.

We’re a lot alike

I’ve had the privilege of speaking around the US, Canada, Mexico and now Ireland and, other than a few cultural differences, the business of weddings and events is pretty much the same. Even just traveling around the US there are many differences in the weddings themselves, but the business side is similar. You’re all trying to identify your target audience, put yourselves in front of them and get them to take a series of actions to get closer to doing business with you… because it’s rarely one step. Read More

Apr 05 2013

10 Reflections on my 2nd Anniversary

By Blog, Uncategorized

I can’t believe that it’s my 2-year anniversary already. No, not my wedding anniversary (we’re approaching 30 years), rather my business anniversary. It’s been 2 years now that I’ve been an independent speaker, business consultant and author and I wanted to share some of my reflections of the last two years and what I’ve learned. I’ve had the opportunity and privilege to work with so many wonderful people, travel to so many new places (which is not easy for me as I’ve been traveling a lot over the years), and make many, many new friends.

So, here are 10 things I’ve learned from you over the last 2 years:

  1. There are so many creative and talented people, with wonderful passion. There’s no end to the ingenuity I’ve seen.
  2. However, being passionate and creative does not guarantee business success. That requires a different skill set.
  3. Everyone I meet is busy… some are just more successful. This was the spark for my new presentation “Are you too busy to be successful?” – I posted a survey for this, so if you didn’t get a chance to share your thoughts, please click here to take the 10 question survey.
  4. Life happens! Sometimes your day to day gets in the way of your big ideas and dreams. I’m working on a new presentation about this, tentatively titled “Don’t let your Today list get in the way of your To-do list” – stay tuned for the debut of that one.
  5. Lots of businesses are thriving, while others, in the same market and category are struggling. It’s not a lack of opportunities. I believe it’s an attitude of success, something I’ve written about extensively. Read More
Mar 07 2013

You don’t get any business from your website

By Blog

That’s right you’re’ not getting any business from your website… you’re getting business through it! Visitors to your website have to come from somewhere before they get there. Maybe be it’s an online ad, a search engine result or even your business card, but they have to come from somewhere, they don’t just miraculously know your website’s URL. That brings up a couple of interesting questions:

• Where is your traffic coming from? and
• Where is your business coming from?

Traffic does not equal business

Where your site’s visitors are coming from is an important piece in figuring out where your business is coming from. Unless you can track the sales back to the source, you really don’t know where your business is coming from. You may guess, but that’s not helpful in knowing where to invest your marketing dollars. So, unless you have a toll booth on your site, where people are paying just to view it, traffic is not a good indicator of business success.

E-commerce or offline sales?

If you make sales on your website, where someone can enter their credit card info and check out, then you may be able to track back to how they got to your site in the first place… maybe. If this wasn’t their first visit to your site then, unless you have cookies, or some other tracking software, you won’t really know what brought them to your site. Even with cookies or other software you may not be able to connect the dots all the way back. Read More

Mar 07 2013

WeddingsOnline.ie – regional conferences in Ireland

By Speaking Events

WeddingsOnline.ieAfter successful presentations in Limerick and Dublin, WeddingsOnline.ie, the largest wedding website in Ireland, has asked me to come back and speak now in Cork 20 May; Galway 21 May and Donegal 23 May.

I’ll be giving three presentations and Mark Richardson will also be presenting. Come hear:

We Want Action – Conversion is the key to your success – Alan Berg

Closing Sales and doing better business – Mark Richardson

Lunch break & refreshments (included)

Angry Brides – protecting your online reputation – Alan Berg

Creating an Exceptional Customer Experience – Alan Berg

Q&A with the panel

I’ll even have Special, Limited Edition copies of my website book “If your website was an employee, would you fire it”, which are only available at the conferences.

Click here for me info and to register

Mar 07 2013

Bridal Show Producers International (BSPI) annual conference

By Speaking Events

BSPII’m proud to be invited back again this year to present for BSPI. It’s a wonderful conference with some of the best bridal show producers in the US and abroad. I’ll be presenting “How to communicate better with prospects via email”, which is a topic everyone needs to hear. We know that prospects and customers just don’t pick up the phone anymore, so we need to learn how to have better conversations via email.

Mar 07 2013

Wedding MBA 2013

By Speaking Events

Wedding MBAWedding MBA is one of my favorite conferences each year because only the wedding pros who are most serious about improving their businesses come out. I’m proud to be giving the opening and closing keynote addresses again this year… and maybe another presentation, stay tuned.

For more information and to register, click here

Mar 07 2013

Wedding Market Expo – Kansas City, MO

By Speaking Events

Wedding Market ExpoWedding Market Expo 2013 is a Conference for Wedding Professionals

  • Hear from Wedding Industry Experts
  • Learn how to increase sales & gain referrals
  • See, touch, and hear about Current Trends
  • Get hands on advice from Online Marketing Pros
  • Network with others in the Industry
  • Visit Exhibitor Booths
  • Surprise Tour event on Tuesday evening
  • …and much more!

I’ll be presenting 3 great topics:

  1. The One-Page Website – how less is more when it comes to your site
  2. The Power of Reviews – see how you can use this powerful tool to your advantage
  3. Your Attitude for Success (also the topic of my latest book) – change your attitude for a better perspective on life and work

And that’s just my presentations. There’ll be lots more over the 2 1/2 days and this is a great value. If you’re serious about the success of your business, you definitely want to attend. Don’t say “I should have gone”, register today. Thanks and I look forward to seeing you there.

For more information and to register, click here

Wedding Market Expo will be held in 4 cities:

April 9-11, 2013 – Kansas City, MO – Kansas City Convention Center

August 6-8, 2013 – Austin, TX  – Palmer Event Center

September 10-12, 2013 – Lakeland, FL – The Lakeland Center

 October 22-24, 2013 – Atlanta, GA – Gwinnett Center

Feb 05 2013

Article – Reflections of a Guy Who’s Been (Happily) Married for 29 Years

By Blog
Alan Berg - Beautiful Bride Magazine article - reflections of a married man

Call or email Alan for a PDF or text copy of the article to share with your customers

published article by Alan Berg for engaged couples on why they should hire wedding pros and other tips

I like to joke that when I got married, in 1983, they told me where and when to show up, and that was the end of my involvement. It’s funny (maybe), but not really true. While we didn’t have access to the Internet, or local magazines (there were only a couple of national magazines), I do remember driving around to look at venues with my fiancée. I also remember driving her around to dress shops looking for the perfect dress. I remember going to countless jewelry stores trying to find the right setting for the engagement ring and matching wedding bands. We knew we were getting engaged, but I was still able to surprise her with the ring, the one she’d suspected I’d gotten, but wasn’t sure.

While it feels now like I wasn’t that involved, I really was more than I let on. That said most of the details about design were made without me. I didn’t choose a single flower. The colors were not my idea. The tuxedo style was chosen without me (at least I got to get fitted). The band, which my parents paid for, was the same one that played my sister’s wedding the year before.

So what do I wish I’d known before, that I know now (after being around the wedding industry for over 22 years)? I don’t think I realized the significance of the day. Sure, I knew it was special, but no one took the time to explain that it’s really two parts: the ceremony and the reception. I always looked at it as one, cohesive event, especially since we had our ceremony at the reception venue. I don’t remember our vows, I imagine they were the standard, by-the-book phrases. Read More