by Larry Williams
 
Business is all about making a number of calculated and strategic moves to ensure success and longevity.  There are those who have prepared themselves to succeed . . . and those who have not.  Like many of you, I was captivated by the recent story of flight 1549.  The passenger jet, carrying 155 people, ran into an in-flight emergency at 3000 feet shortly after take-off from New York’s LaGuardia Airport.  The Airbus 320 struck a flock of birds.  This caused both engines to become disabled.  After gliding for nearly eight miles, the pilot ditched the aircraft in the Hudson River.  This successful water landing and the ensuing bravery of the flight crew saved the lives of everyone on board.  Was it luck?  Perhaps!  But it likely had far more to do with training!

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by Larry Williams

A look at why you should ONLY refer the most well-trained people!

If there is one thing the wedding industry suffers from, it’s the epidemic of practitioners who claim a title – call themselves a “professional”, “expert” or “specialist” and continue to rely solely upon their experience (ie; number of weddings they have practiced on) instead of any form of training, education or certification.  This begs the question . . . if formal training exists in your field of expertise – why haven’t you pursued it vigorously for the benefit of your customers, yourself and those who might refer you?

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by Larry Williams

At first glance, this has all the makings of a good joke.  Unfortunately there is no punch line and for many, there is nothing funny about it.  I believe everyone can probably empathize with the plight of many social conditions that exist within our society and yes, our planet.  But with so many of us focusing so intently upon our businesses and customers . . . why do some people in our industry continue to spam one another with non-business related e-mails that are annoying and distracting?  Sadly, the internet has made it possible to “Save the planet and taint your reputation” all with one click of the mouse.

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by Michael Escalera

Making the client happy.  That’s what most wedding vendors should be focused on, yet many are not.  Throughout the years of photographing weddings I have seen vendors argue, get angry, and even fight with each other for one reason and one reason only…they thought the wedding was about them.  In their desire to perform the job to the best of their abilities, those vendors lost sight of what really mattered.  The client.

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by Jim Cerone

“The sky is falling!”  “This is the worst economic crisis in 100 years!”  “It’s the end of affluence in America!”

Give me a break.  Are you kidding me?  Take a long, critical look around.  What do you see?

Let me help.  What you see is unbridled abundance.  Compared to our grandparents and great-grandparents, we live in the midst of ridiculous excess and we are incredibly wasteful.

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by Larry Williams
 
We’ve all seen it, the DJ who breaks into the Chicken Dance at a wedding celebration.  Does this very statement find you forming an opinion?  This past summer I was performing in Lake Tahoe and had a conversation with a facility representative about the prior evening’s event.  The description was of a DJ who was terrible because “he played the Chicken Dance!”  I was immediately struck by the indifference that was shown towards this DJ by the act of playing this song.  So, for the sake of this article, let’s simply use the Chicken Dance as a metaphor for all overplayed and often considered “cheesy” dance songs like; Macarena, Love Shack, YMCA, Conga, Celebration etc.

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by Larry Williams

It’s been more than 50 years since Elvis Presley first made his mark on the music scene.  While he gave us an impressive collection of timeless hits delivered with his unmistakable voice . . . his greatest gift to all of us may very well be the most overlooked!  “Thank you . . . thank you very much!”  Who can forget this unforgettable phrase that has been so etched into our minds.  It was Elvis’ way of showing appreciation to his audience.  Besides being just simple words of gratitude, there is also an incredibly powerful lesson here for all of us to learn.  This lesson can make all the difference in the world with your wedding customers!

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by Larry Williams

For most of us, matters of personal importance usually rise to the top of our priority list.  Things like family, friends and health are generally always a great priority – as well they should be.  But when you take into consideration the enormous trust placed upon you by your customers and the fact that your livelihood and the success of their once-in-a-lifetime event are riding on you and your ability to serve them . . . where are customers on your priority list?

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by Larry Williams

As I travel the nation and speak to organizations and groups associated with the wedding industry, it never ceases to amaze me the stories I hear of people in our profession who seem content with their on-the-job experience.  People come to the various professions within our industry in a number of different ways.  Some literally stumble upon it quite accidentally, while others methodically study their craft to perfection.  In many instances, their chosen profession is borne out of a deep rooted conviction for what they do.  It is this conviction that makes our marketplace so vibrant and professional.  But collectively, are we all living up to our full potential?

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by Larry Williams

For many in our industry, our marketing and advertising efforts are a continual work-in-progress. With so much to learn and so many options available to us, how can we maximize our advertising efforts and get the most out of them? Believe it or not – it’s not always what you can do, but what you can avoid doing that will maximize your advertising efforts. Here are seven common mistakes people in the wedding profession do that have the potential to cost them dearly with customers.

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