How do brides find your business and services? More importantly, what information (or lack thereof) along the way is causing you to lose the sale? Savvy wedding vendors will not only know where the brides they book are coming from but what's their weakest link to make sure their marketing dollars are making them money.
Did you know?
You have little to no influence over 60% of your potential customers and their decision to buy from you or your competitor. This is because with every 10 brides you meet, three will book no matter what you do and three will never book no matter what you do. This means all your efforts should be focused on the 40% of undecided buyers and how you can get them to stay on your path to wedding sales.
The Path to Wedding Sales
BRIDE ~ ADVERTISING MEDIUM ~ AD ~ WEBSITE ~ POINT OF CONTACT ~ YOU!
The Bride is the Weakest Link...
If she is not ready to buy. Wasting time, energy and money will not close this sale. If a customer is not a buyer, you should be wasting energy trying to sell to them.
What about your advertising medium?
This constitutes anywhere you market or advertise your business, including bridal shows, print and online advertising. Making sure the third party that you invest in is reaching the brides and more importantly the right brides for you is an important step to ensure that this is not the weakest link. Beyond analytics and demographics, vendors need to take this to the next step. Probably most important...track the number of brides that find your company through this source. The easiest way to determine a marketing and advertising budget is to determine how your ideal bride is finding you.
Could your advertisement be the weakest link?
Bad Ads do not attract good clients. A good ad attracts your ideal clients, communicates your service and calls people to action. Seems simple but your ad should engage a prospective client or bride to visit your website or call your office. This makes a phone number, email address and website is crucial to every advertisement. Just as important, think about your ideal bride... does your ad attract this type of bride or something else? Now is not the hope for the best.
What message is your website sending?
Does your website speak to your ideal client? Can a bride easily find the answers to her questions? Is your contact information (including phone number, email and social media links) prominently listed, particularly when you call for action? Are you calling her to action? It is time to look at your website with a critical eye. Is this helping or hurting you close the sale?
The first point of contact... is this where you lose a bride?
If a bride has gotten to this step and is met by rude, impersonal or disinterested point of contact, you're dead in the water. Choose carefully when assigning a gatekeeper to inquiring brides. Slow response times will weaken this link as well... today's bride wants an answer and she wants it now. Make sure you're always putting your absolute best foot forward, even if you screen you calls (to never be caught off guard) or set your email to auto-respond to inquiries. A bride must feel heard or she will look for someone else that will listen.
Are YOU the weakest link?
What is your closing rate? As much as a bride buys your product, she is also buying the person that is selling to her. Be honest with yourself... if selling is not a strength of yours you can do one of two things. Audit your selling tactics and look for ways you can improve (which may involve investing in training) or hire a sales person. A good sales person will make a business owner their salary back and much, much more.
What is your weakest link? Let's our team strengthen your sales chain... email your concerns and questions to info@thepinkladies.com
No comments:
Post a Comment