Parternship Marketing: Finding Business from your Wedding Buddies

What is Partnership Marketing?

Funny you should ask because I made it up while polishing my resume in 2004. Essentially, it's building mutually beneficial relationships with other vendors to develop your respective businesses.

It's a known fact that brides are stressed from Day 1. Once they've booked their ceremony and reception site, they're ready to run for the hills. So they start relying on referrals in part- from friends, colleagues and, quite often, wedding vendors.

I can attest to this during my former life in reception venues. Once I built a level of trust with my brides, I suddenly found myself as their walking Rolodex. My vendor recommendation was as good as any and suddenly, most weekends, I found myself surrounding by some of my favorite people in the industry.

Who were those people you may ask? They were the vendors who stayed in touch. The ones who promised my wedding photos and delivered. The ones who would ask for appointments during normal business hours on a Wednesday. The ones who gave me their personal cell in case I was in a jam. The ones who didn't treat me any differently when the average budget of my bride was $12,000 versus $50,000.

Shaky on how to get started? A few tid bits of advice:

1) Understand and respect the Wedding Timeline- although I contend that there is no true linear timeline for how a bride plans her wedding, there is a still a general consensus as to when things are booked. Venues tend to be booked first so if you sell wedding cakes, don't chase down venues by offering to refer them for receptions.

By the time they book a cake from you, more than likely, the reception venue is already booked. Instead, offer to help them build their rehearsal dinner business.

2) Slip on their shoes for awhile- if you're reaching out to a fellow vendor, remember that they too live and breathe weddings. Don't ask for an appointment on Friday or Saturday. Remember that many use Mondays as their days off.

3) Devour bridal magazines- you surely have a general idea of when the local bridal publications come out during the year. Buy them and read them cover to cover, keeping a running tab of local friends and colleagues who are featured.Drop them a quite note (handwritten wins in my book) to congratulate them.

4) Embrace your competitor- This may not always be the case during the recession but normally, there is enough business to go around. Build these relationships because the idea customer service strategy is to still offer vendor recommendations when you are booked, with the hope that perhaps they will return the favor down the road.

5) Holiday card list- continue to build it throughout the year and no matter how busy life gets, send out Season Greetings and wishes of good tidings to those who helped you succeed this year.

So much of our time is spent on media placement and advertising strategies. Well it's time to diversify your approach and realize that your next big piece may be from your fellow wedding professionals.

And finally, I would be remiss if I didn't thank all those who made the inaugural Illuminate workshop such a BIG success.

I've said it before and I'll said it again- when I booked The Kent Valentine House initially, I guessed we'd have 20 or so people (that is, if enough of my friends and family could be bribed to go).

Well color me surprised when we not only exceeded that, but we sold out. Too cool.

I've already received numerous requests for the date of the next one- please know I'll be setting the date for Williamsburg shortly, followed by a return trip to Richmond and perhaps some more traveling in between.

Until next time,
Meghan