By Mitch Taylor:
Recently I was about to order breakfast at a hotel restaurant and was shocked to see that a three-egg omelet was $20.00. While at first I was thinking of turning around and going across the street to McDonald’s, I decided to continue.
Why? Everything about this restaurant spoke FIRST CLASS: The surroundings were impeccable. The waiter was extremely polite and cordial, asking us how quick we had to make it to our next event in the morning. The menu had souffléés and other high-end options with top ingredients listed in their offerings. I thought to myself “Let’s see what a $20 omelet tastes like.”
Our food came and it was absolutely phenomenal. The eggs were fluffy, the vegetables were not too over or undercooked. The meat was perfectly seasoned and tender. The cheese was melted just enough to pull in all of the flavors of the omelet together.
What does this experience have to do with you? Everything. What’s your presentation? Look at all of your service offerings and see if they are congruent. Does your website match the level of service you offer? Think like a bride or better yet, create a focus group from your past brides. How? Ask them. Most brides would LOVE to put themselves back into wedding planning mode even if it’s just for a few hours.
Once you have your focus group, ask them to rate upcoming marketing materials you plan to put out to put all of your services in order of preference with regards to quality and appearance. See what resonates with them and what doesn’t. Take care of the brides you surveyed afterwards by giving them each a gift card to their favorite restaurant. Trust me, it may seem a bit much to money to spend on research but in the long run it will be worth that and more because you will have your target customers (past brides) review your materials and give you valuable insight as to what they liked and what they didn’t.
Next: Do your marketing materials (business card, website, brochure, bridal show display) equal where you are at in your marketplace? If not you may be sending the wrong message. For example, if you are the highest priced entertainer in your market but your bridal show booth involves you standing behind it or worse yet just having brides fill out a slip without any engagement, then you are not sending the right message and brides will get confused as to why you are priced at the top of the market. As a recent bride told me at a bridal show when watching a DJ perform there “I don’t know why they bring third rate equipment to sell to first rate brides.”
Everything you do and offer makes an impression. Someone is always watching you when you are servicing the public. Always make sure to put your best foot forward and ensure your marketing stays congruent with the level of service you are providing.
Mitch Taylor has worked in the Mobile Disc Jockey industry for over two decades, first cutting his teeth as an on-board club DJ for Carnival Cruise Lines. In addition to owning and operating Taylored Weddings in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, he is a sought-after speaker and Gitomer Certified Advisor whose sales training, books, coaching and workshops are in high demand all over the country.