Let's Talk Pricing

During my reception venue days, I used to love when a bride called and her very first question (often interrupting me) was,

"How much do you cost?"

When I first started out, I would answer this in a roundabout way, asking questions about the bride's needs and going on (and on) about what we could offer, before actually giving a price.

Well, I learned quickly that this was not the way to go. I then shifted gears and simply said "$15,000," accept the imminent hasty good-bye and move along with my day.

Now that price tag was by far, the most expensive way to rent my venue by frankly, they didn't see value in what I was doing and I wasn't going to waste my time explaining it. Yes, it's important to get the sale, but it's equally important to work efficiently and qualify clients as quickly as possible so that you may spend your time with prospects who may actually hire you.

Pricing can be a touchy subject, but alas, I'd like to dive headfirst into it today.

When I think about pricing, I can't help but think about my own shopping habits. After all, I'm not only smack dab in the middle of the bridal demographic, but not too long ago myself, I was booking a reception venue, DJ and cake for my own wedding.

Like most, I lack time. I lack time to do laundry, fight dust bunnies and make home cooked meals every night. Secondly, I'm from a generation of short attention spans. If a web site takes more than 10-15 seconds to load, then it's time to move along.

So it pains me to see wedding vendor web sites that dance around the topic of pricing, as well as vendors who won't give you a clear cut answer when asked the pricing question over the phone.

After all, what is there to hide? Why not be up front with a prospect to save her and yourself time?

Remember- Brides may be discriminatory shoppers but not in the same way as you and I are about our respective crafts. When I worked with a five diamond, five star property, I knew that the majority of brides were not going to see the difference between four or five stars. Since pricing was a factor in their decision making process, I was always quick to give it to them. If we didn't meet their budget, I would happily send them several suggested venues (aka customer service 101).

If I didn't, I knew perfectly well that they would have three of my competitors in their back pocket, of whom, they may have seen very little difference. If they had their pricing and information readily available and I didn't, it was a safe bet that I would be overlooked.

Afraid your competition will catch wind of your pricing structure? Well I've got news for you- if they want it, they're going to find a way to get it, whether you post it or not.

Ultimately, I'm not suggesting that you plaster every single pricing guideline on your web site. Instead, give brides a range so they don't have to go hunting for it. Don't make them call you if you are already out of their budget. After all, you have much better things to do with your time. And so do they.

And here's the thing- if you have taken the time and made the effort to price yourself accordingly, as well as have a great product/service and are showcasing it effectively...

..then what's the big secret?


Until next time,
Meghan


http://www.ofdconsulting.com/

Meghan Ely is the owner of OFD Consulting, a niche marketing group geared towards wedding professionals. She is also the Managing Director of the Richmond Bridal Association, and has a regular spot on Bridesight TV.

Bridal Gowns 101

I've said it once and I'll say it again- success and education walk hand in hand.

More specifically, to know the wedding industry inside and out will give you an advantage over your competitors. Period.

I had the pleasure of joining Richmond's Wedding Planners at a special event at Bella Rosa (www.bellarosabridal.com) on Sunday, as we took the time to educate ourselves on the wedding gown and tux industry. I was instantly transported into the world of Bridal Gowns 101- hems (French vs. American!), alterations (add the cost to your budget- stat!) and timelines (10-12 weeks before arrival!).

The benefit of being a wedding planner with extensive knowledge of the wedding gown purchasing process is clear- you give your clients yet another reason why you are a resource and simply indispensable. Kudos to the ladies who took time on a rainy Sunday to better their craft!

While not a planner myself, I enjoyed the opportunity to get the behind the scenes tour of the bridal gown and tux industry.

I, of course, was especially delighted to participate in "Shop Talk" sessions with two of Richmond's finest- Ryan with Mosaic Catering (www.mosaicedibles.com) and Graham with Cakes by Graham (www.cakesbygraham.com). Ryan sat us down to discuss Catering and role Planners play. It was an engaging discussion of shared roles, challenges and how to make a Bride's Big Day a Good Day for the vendors. Graham touched upon the ever important subject of Budget. The discussion moved along to why brides budget the way the do, how they decide to allocate funds and the importance of ascertaining "hot buttons" (aka the things that matter the most to the bride and groom) before making selections.

Ultimately, it was a day of shared ideas, industry talk and ultimately, better preparing yourself for what you do. Special thanks to Bella Rosa for being gracious hosts.

If you're a vendor and would like to see the day from a Planner's eyes, then I'd suggest visiting Merriment Event's Little White Book (http://www.brideslittlewhitebook.blogspot.com/). Courtney also attended the event and offers a glimpse into Wedding Gown Know How.

Until next time,
Meghan

http://www.ofdconsulting.com/

Meghan Ely is the owner of OFD Consulting, a niche marketing group geared towards wedding professionals. She is also the Managing Director of the Richmond Bridal Association, and has a regular spot on Bridesight TV.

Speaking Engagements- Mine and Otherwise

SPOILER: this Blog is full of shameless plugs. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Last fall, I enjoyed speaking with the Wedding Planning Institute at the University of Richmond on Cost Effective Marketing Strategies for Wedding Planners. In 2010, my hope was to continue on by speaking with other organizations, and I'm happy to announce that I recently finalized two engagements.

On January 26, I will be traveling to my beloved JMU (go Dukes!) to speak with their chapter of the Professional Convention Management Association. The subject matter of the evening is a bit of a deviation from OFD, but I'm thrilled nonetheless with the topic of "How to Survive Graduating JMU: a No Holds Barred, Honest Look at Surviving Adulthood & the Hospitality Industry."

In March, I've finalized plans with the Richmond Chapter of the Service Core of Retired Executives (SCORE) for a talk on Social Media Strategies. If you yourself are starting a small business and haven't heard of SCORE, then I encourage to stop reading this Blog immediately and Google this wonderful resource. SCORE has been incredibly helpful on this journey and I'm excited to be able to give back.

I hope that this is simply the beginning of what will be a productive year for OFD.

I'd also like to take a moment thank Steve Mullen with EndGame PR (http://www.endgamepr.com/), who graciously offered his time and expertise to the Richmond Bridal Association's (http://www.richmondbridalassociation.com/) first meeting of the year last night at the Jefferson Hotel (http://www.jeffersonhotel.com/). Steve gave our members further insight as to Search Engine Optimization and Social Media Strategies.

I expect this to be the first of many educational opportunities for our members this year. Enter final shameless plug--> want to be in on the fun? Then mark your calendar for March 10, which will be our next open Richmond Bridal Association meeting for prospective members (come on, you knew I was going to find a way to throw that in there!).

I promise to get back to our regularly scheduled program (aka Wedding Business strategies) shortly. That is, unless my cat doesn't something cute and funny again with my OFD materials. Then, all bets are off.

Until next time,
Meghan

http://www.ofdconsulting.com/

Meghan Ely is the owner of OFD Consulting, a niche marketing group geared towards wedding professionals. She is also the Managing Director of the Richmond Bridal Association, and has a regular spot on Bridesight TV.

Anatomy of a Bright Idea- Fin

Game. Set. Match.

The Richmond Bridal Showcase has come and gone and I couldn't be more thrilled with such a productive weekend.

For those of you following my latest OFD adventure, I came up with the bright idea several months ago to reach out to the Richmond area wedding vendors at this weekend's Richmond Bridal Showcase with their very own Bridal Show Survival Kit.

When vendors arrived Saturday and Sunday to their respective booths, they were greeted with all the fixings for post-show recovery: aspirin, a good cup of Joe and foot cream.. along with mints to make it through the day while sneaking in beloved samples of wedding cake and hors d'oeuvres!

The kits were a bonafide success, as I continued to received compliments throughtout the day and into this week.

The Bridal Show Survival Kits were the perfect example of the value of creativity. Dare to think outside of the proverbial box and get people talking.

The only complaint? That I didn't save one for myself.

Until next time,
Meghan

PS. I've posted several of my bridal show pics below on my facebook page so be sure to visit- www.facebook.com/ofdconsulting

Meghan Ely is the owner of OFD Consulting, a niche marketing group geared towards wedding professionals. She is also the Managing Director of the Richmond Bridal Association, and has a regular spot on Bridesight TV.

And we're ready for the Richmond Bridal Showcase!

Anatomy of a Bright Idea- Part Deux

If you haven't taken the time to scroll down and read my initial post (already. small. ego. deflating!), then allow me to catch you up in 140 characters or less:

I wanted OFD to make a big splash in 2010. And I figured it out while showering.

Consider yourself caught up!

In order to reach out to the wedding industry community, it was important to remember what it's like to be a wedding professional. January means bridal shows. Bridal shows mean BIG business- along with achy feet, hoarse voices and the occasional bridal overload head ache.

Personally, I love bridal show day. I love seeing the vendors and I love the happy brides with shiny rings. What I quite possibly love the most, however, is when all is said and done and I can sit. And drink something hot. And put my feet up. Preferably with aspirin in hand.

Thus, the Bridal Show Survival Kit was born.

So there I was- in the middle of a big idea, trying to get from Point A to Point Q. Luckily, the wonderful Showcase Productions (http://www.richmondbridalshowcase.com/) was on board and supportive of my idea.

Next dilemma- How do I find foot cream? Allow me to rephrase- how do I find foot cream en masse?

Well, after countless hours on the internet (with the occasional slip into Lostpedia.com- hey, I'm only human!), I found everything I needed, and in bulk. Boxes? Check. Labels? Check. Survival Kit Goodies? Check Check.

While most of my finds were thanks to the world wide web (thank you Al Gore!), I did reach out to my favorite local coffee guru Pat Smith with River City Bean (http://www.rivercitybean.com/) for the good stuff. I've been a fan of RCB and Pat's for over two years. Her coffees were often featured at the Jefferson and it's, to date, the only kind I get angry at if not readily available when I need it. Holiday Blend? Don't get me started.

So here we are- four days out from the Showcase and half of the boxes filled and sitting in front of my Christmas tree which yes, is still up. The remaining half will be completed tomorrow evening with the help of my free labor.. err, husband.

At this point, you would think "smooth sailing" right? Wrong.

Now I have to figure out how to actual transport this all. I'm hoping my evening shower will help jog my brain.

Until next time,
Meghan

www.ofdconsulting.com


Meghan Ely is the owner of OFD Consulting, a niche marketing group geared towards wedding professionals. She is also the Managing Director of the Richmond Bridal Association, and has a regular spot on Bridesight TV.

Anatomy of a Bright Idea- Part One

Admittedly, the majority of my bright ideas start in the shower.

I owe many inventive newspaper layouts, term paper topics and spur of the moment party ideas to my shower. So it came as no surprise several months ago when it hit me.

Taking just enough time out to throw on a towel, I ran to my computer and starting typing:

Bridal Show Survival Kits

Finding my clients brides is not a problem. Consider all of the avenues- magazines, newspapers, tv, blogs, webs, associations- the industry is full of ways to connect you with your brides.

The same consideration, however, is not given to the people who would like to communicate to the actual wedding professional. You simply do not trip over wedding industry magazines at the grocery story, and you certainly don't turn the dial to Weddingprozilla. Alas, mine is a different challenge.

I've been most fortunate to work mainly through referrals, but it was time to shake things up and get 2010 started on the right foot.

The next question you ask yourself is- how do you find wedding professionals? I only had to ask myself one more question-- well, where was I every January?

Then it hit me. Bridal show!

Everyone knows that the biggest show in town is the Richmond Bridal Showcase (http://www.richmondbridalshowcase.com/) at the Greater Richmond Convention Center- this year, slated for January 10. I have put in countless hours in years past working on booths, working on getting the business.. and working on getting my voice back after all is said and done. This year, I had plans to support the Richmond Bridal Association (www.richmondbridalassociation.com) at our winter wedding themed booth.

Two hundred of some of the top wedding professionals in town? Don't mind if I do!

Fast forward a few months and here I sit, drowning in coffee and foot cream.

Confused? Stay Tuned.

Until next time,
Meghan

http://www.ofdconsulting.com/

Meghan Ely is the owner of OFD Consulting, a niche marketing group geared towards wedding professionals. She is also the Managing Director of the Richmond Bridal Association, and has a regular spot on Bridesight TV.

RBA Announces New Officers

With the new year comes changes for our Richmond Bridal Association. Below, you'll find the press release regarding our newly elected officers for the Executive Board.

Many thanks to Graham Haddock (Cakes by Graham), Bill Gilliam (Choice Entertainment) and Naomi Meyers (Weddings by Naomi) for serving the last two years-- and beyond in some cases!

In other RBA news, we are thrilled to start off 2010 with our monthly member meeting at the *new* Lemaire at The Jefferson Hotel. Our keynote speaker will be Steve Mullen with EndGame PR, who will be discussing Web Marketing.

We are also putting the finishing touches on our winter wedding themed booth for the Richmond Bridal Showcase (www.richmondbridalshowcase) on January 10th. I've been so pleased with the many members who have volunteered their time to help us- it will no doubt be our biggest and best yet!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RBA Elects New Officers

Richmond, VA--The Richmond Bridal Association has elected new officers and directors for 2010. Their respective positions took effect January 1, 2010.

Serving as Membership Director will be TeriLynne Petersen, Director of Catering, Wyndham Virginia Crossings; Programs/Education Chair will be Angela Smith, Director of Bridal Services and Marketing, Classic Party Rentals; Meetings/Events Chair will be Colleen Cook, Owner, CC’s Events and the Secretary will be Kara Buntin, Owner, A Cake to Remember.

Jerry Littleton, Owner, GML Design, was re-elected to serve a one-year term as Community Relations Chair.

Kristen Parr, Sales Manager, Wyndham Virginia Crossings, will continue to serve as the Public Relations/Marketing Chair.

Meghan Ely, Owner, OFD Consulting., will continue as Managing Director.

The Richmond Bridal Association, established in 2003, is a professional organization for the wedding industry, and promotes educations and networking among its peers. . RBA and its members acknowledge the need to preserve and encourage fair and professional business practices. As a condition of membership, all members pledge to adhere to a Code of Professional Ethics. RBA also promotes community involvement among its members, and works closely with its philanthropy, The Association for the Support of Children with Cancer (ASK).