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Ep. 144 - Fill your inbox with inquiries
102 Plays5 months ago
It's my one year anniversary for giving my speech to WIPA, 75 wedding pros.
Today, I teach you how to Fill your inbox with inquiries:
1. Become the one, the go to one where everyone want to hire you
2. How 10x your audience by using the power of leverage - Grow your IG and at the same time, create your dream team
3. Be a walking lead machine everywhere you go
4. How to automate your marketing
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https://aftershoot.com/friends/?ref=carissawoo
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Transcript
00:00:00
Speaker
Happy Will Wednesdays! I'm repurposing this episode from one year ago. Exactly. It's my one year anniversary of giving my speech. My mini TED talk to Wippa at the Monk and Dollar in Fullerton. Such a beautiful wedding venue. My girl DJ Dazzler said it popped up on her Facebook feed saying it was one year. Time flies. My speech was called Fill Your Inbox with Enquiries. And 75 people paid to see me and only me. It's so crazy. Blows my mind still. And this topic is always so relevant. It was literally the biggest accomplishment of my entire life um after writing my book. I literally cried like for a week every day because I was so nervous. Like imagine that, like talking in front of 75 people when you haven't done any speaking um thing ever in your life. But yes, I got through it and I crushed it. My mom was in the audience in tears and it was such a special memory for me.
00:00:57
Speaker
And shout out to my girl Jasmine from Katora, Kakery, who gave me this opportunity to to speak. She selected me. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It was truly a dream come true and has created more speaking opportunities for me. So if you would like me to speak at your next event, holler at your girl and enjoy this episode.
00:01:21
Speaker
Welcome to Get a Heck Yes with Carissa Wu. I'm your host, Carissa, and I've been a Los Angeles wedding photographer for over a decade. I've traveled the world, built my team, and seen it all. I now coach wedding photographers hit 10K a month and build a thriving business. In this podcast, we are going to deep dive into how top wedding creatives get that heck yes from their dream clients. We are not holding back on the struggles of the business and how to push through the noise, some healthy hustle, mindset shifts, up-leveling your money story, time hacks because I'm a mom of two, a little bit of woo-woo, and most importantly, self-love and confidence are just a few of the many things we will talk about. I want to give you a genuine thank you for following along my journey. I hope to inspire you every Woo Wednesday so that you say heck yes to listening to this podcast. See you guys soon.
00:02:12
Speaker
How's everyone doing tonight? Feels like a wedding. I'm so used to it. Can't get it out. Okay, so here we go. I'm going to talk about Carissa Wu. She's the owner of Carissa Wu Photography and Heck Yes Media. Can I get a Heck Yes?
00:02:43
Speaker
crazy in love couples. She's traveled to Thailand, Croatia, Paris, New York, Taiwan, everywhere. She lives with her amazing good-looking hubby right over there, Stu, and two daughters. As an award winner
00:03:15
Speaker
and masters the dreaded sales call. She is the author of Woo Them to a Heck Yep, a pro wedding photographer's tips and tricks for earning six figures plus, I love that, and perfecting any couple's big day. It comes out when? July 15th. July 15th.
00:03:43
Speaker
So, Carissa has 99 episodes on her podcast. So, we have one more to 100. Who wants to be a part for 100? Yeah, okay. Today, she's excited to share how to fill up your inbox with inquiries. Also, I want to say that she's a very good friend. She's my accountability partner, and I'm happy that she's up here today. Everyone, Carissa Wu.
00:04:16
Speaker
Hi, everyone. I'm Carissa Wu. Thank you, Robert. He DJ'd me and my hubby's wedding back in 2015, and he got the party started. And we've been business besties for a long time. But I wanted to give a shout out to Jasmine. She put up this whole coffee and conversations event on, so give her a round of applause. um
00:04:42
Speaker
And thank you Sarah and the Muckenthaler for this beautiful venue. This is my first time speaking, so I'm nervous.
00:04:51
Speaker
So give me a frozen after and let's get drunk. So I visualize myself being here one and a half years ago.
00:05:01
Speaker
Is that my phone? Betty? Please silence your phones. And I visualized myself being here a year and a half ago. We're in this pretty much the same pink blazer. And here I am today showing up for y'all. So congratulations to all you for showing up today and saying heck yes to coming. You all look so amazing and I invite you today to take your business to the next level. A lot of you guys are veterans, but some of you are newbies. I see you, Shane. Gen Z all the way.
00:05:39
Speaker
So raise your hands if you want more inquiries and to become a walking lead magnet
00:05:46
Speaker
And if you don't want more leads, bring them my way. So you guys don't have to take notes today, but I have an exclusive audio course for you guys that showed up for attending today. So if you want to get your phones out real fast, it's a 30-day sprint to fill your inbox. 10 tips. I'm only giving four tips today. So text WIPA to this number, 310. 5-8-2, 5-4, 6-4, one more time. 3-1-0, 5-8-2, 5-4, 6-4.
00:06:27
Speaker
One P. excellent but by yeah one p
00:06:39
Speaker
So today, in the next 30 minutes, I'm going to teach you how to fill your inbox with inquiries. Hi, Jeannie. How to become the one and be seen, the go-to one that everyone is talking about. How to use leverage to blow up your social media, and at the same time, create your tribe. How to become a walking, lean machine, and even get leads at weddings, and y'all get leads today. and automate your marketing so you can go from Frantic Francis to Relax Renee. So a little bit about my story, I'm a Torrance gal and I went to UC Riverside to study economics, super boring, but I love the movie with Mel Gibson, What Woman Wants.
00:07:27
Speaker
They worked at an ad agency, so I thought it was cool to work at an ad ad agency. So I landed a job at Saatchi and Saatchi. It was great. 2009 recession happened and I lost my job. So that was the exploration time of my life. I door knocked for Realtor. I worked for an oil company. ah But I started a frame company with my dad and did bride shows with the frames, but i fell I landed into wedding photography. I also was obsessed with this commencement speech by Steve Jobs. He said a lot of things, but he said, find your passion. Find your passion.
00:08:09
Speaker
Your job, your career is going to take up a lot of your time, even more than your marriage. So if you don't find your passion, keep searching. So when I found wedding photography, I knew it was the one. I booked 50 weddings my first year. Crazy. Not a good idea. um Not a good idea. But I did it. I hit the ground running because I was so hungry.
00:08:38
Speaker
So I dedicated the last 13 years to making my couple's day the most special day of their life, their wedding day. And my wedding was the best day of my life. Thank you, Robert, dealing with our drunk asses. um And three years ago, i for three years, I dedicated my life to helping wedding professionals get whatever they want. So what I learned from three years of coaching is that I have to get my students to know exactly what they want. Get an alignment. And then I could get an alignment with them and start helping them. So I want you guys to do a little exercise. This is the only exercise I'm doing today. But talk to one of your partners, your friends, and tell them, what do you want?
00:09:24
Speaker
How many weddings do you want? Do you want to raise your prices? Do you want to double your income? Do you want less weddings? Do you want to retire in two years? What do you want? What type of wedding do you want? And say it in the past tense where it already has happened. You could say, I got on three venue vendor lists last month. So go talk to your partners. You could write it down on your phone. in your Yeah, I hear you.
00:09:59
Speaker
are ride um Okay, stop. um Thank you. Okay, can I get two people to share? Can you share? Yeah. um Okay, say it in like, as it's already, say it like it's already happened. Hi, Carissa. Nice to meet you. I'm Shanna. Okay, shhh. ZipIt.com. I would like my wedding, well, my wedding menu is already the 10 years out. That is what I'm projecting.
00:10:48
Speaker
I want to go into the future. I want to be one of the most popular places to say I love. You are the most popular. We are the most popular place to say I love. What's it called? What's it called? We are the Los Coyotes Country Club. Oh! Holler. OK. Thank you. One more.
00:11:22
Speaker
What's your name? I'm Amy with Hotel Guru, so it's a planner and now I have new business. So we are the premier one-stop shop for hotel, room blocks for weddings and events. So we have reached out to all the planners and all the venues in the country and have the best room block program. Yay, thank you. Thank you guys for sharing. So my business coach, my money coach did this to me about five, six years ago. And we had to write down our goals like it already happened. And I wrote an outlandish goal and I said, I'm going to become the best wedding photographer. Am I the best wedding photographer in LA? No. I'm not. But I got all my friends to vote. I went crazy. And guess what? I won best wedding photographer for Los Angeles California Wedding Day. I forget what year. And the next year, I won for OC. This is one of the most saturated, most competitive markets in the whole entire world. If I didn't do that exercise like you did today, I would have never won. So I hope you remember what you said, jot it down, and do the work. All right, feel your inbox of inquiries, energy!
00:12:36
Speaker
Okay, I have four tips. So tip number one is become the one. The one that everyone is talking about. the wedding professional that there's buds around. The one that, your name pops up when someone says, I need a florist, or I need a rental company. I need a guitarist. Your name, they said, whoa, whoa, I remember him busting out his guitar at a WIPO event. Let me hire him, the one everyone is talking about. So how do you become the one? Ask yourself these questions. What do you want people to see behind your back?
00:13:12
Speaker
In a good way, or bad way, whatever.
00:13:17
Speaker
What do you want to be known for? Think about it. What do you want your legacy to be? Ask yourself these questions. What do you want? I ask myself this every single day. And be so specific. These are some examples. You could be the cotton candy sky wedding photographer. You could be the go-to EDM wedding DJ. You could be the florist that focuses on minimalism. You could be the ibe invitation suite maker that focuses on recycled goods. What do you want to be known for? Say it right now. What do you want to be known for?
00:14:05
Speaker
empire <unk>s Say I just said garden-inspired, whimsical design. Ooh, that's fancy. The most magical venue on earth. Where is it? I work for Disney's Fairy Tailwinders. Yeah, you win. um
00:14:32
Speaker
So be so specific. I've seen so many people come and go out into the industry because they did not know who they were. They were not tapped into their brand. They didn't know how to speak upon their brand. They didn't know who they truly wore were. So when times got tough, they got out. When you truly know who you are and you're so aligned with your brand, you're going to show up so differently. You are going to want to talk to planners. You're going to want to talk to venues. You're going to want to shout it to the world. You're going to show up differently on social. You're going to show up differently in life. So now that you guys all know why you are different, or now that you guys all know who you are, know why you are different.
00:15:19
Speaker
Do you use black and white film? Do you spin your vinyls as a DJ? Do you have the dopest heirloom prints as a photographer? um Do you have you dance salt your whole life and you know your flattering poses? Long neck, skinny arms, pop the knee, booty out.
00:15:42
Speaker
What makes you different? Shout it to the world. Let me cry. Shout it to the world. This is called content marketing. I started posting my Woo Wednesdays 13 years ago when I got out of corporate and started my wedding photography business. 13 years later, they can't shut me up. I'm still posting. And you know Woo Wednesdays. My name is Satya now, but I'm still whoop. Do you design theater stages and went to culinary school? Holler, Holly! Shout out to the world. Why are you different? People want to get to know you and see your growth.
00:16:28
Speaker
Pardon this short interruption, but guess what? I have a new program. It's for all wedding professionals. It's called The Triple Threat. We redo your brand messaging, the homepage of your website. Part two is we do all your marketing. we create a beautiful brochure so you could start getting on Prefer venue vendor list and we do all your sales. So we actually make you a sales presentation leading your client to the heck yes, so you get paid. I have a free 20 minute demo training. It's only 20 minutes. Go to my Instagram at Carissa Woo.
00:17:09
Speaker
and DM me the word DEMO. I will send it right over. It's how to get 10 to 15 quality leads in your inbox per month. Enjoy, guys. Krista Wu is a LA-based wedding photographer who's actually turning business coach. She helped me grow and change, and I'm so proud to call you coach. Tell us how you're feeling, like I wanna just know a little bit more about your thoughts. It's beautiful and you're you're awesome, it's beautiful, I'm speechless. I just like the fact that it feels like myself, like I can, I feel myself when I see this. Oh man, well, you got me pumped and excited for this. Carissa, thank you. So now that you've become the one and you know why you're different, how do you get others to know who you are?
00:17:59
Speaker
You have to create desire in your marketing and your brand. There's something called neuroeconomics. And I'm no scientist, but it's a study of the brain. And it says people buy from emotions. So you have to shatter objections with your personal stories. So what does that mean? What are objections in the wedding industry? For me, it's like, I'm not a model. I'm not good at posing. It could be I never wear makeup. It could be I don't know anything about music. What are objections? Just kind of think about it. And be so vulnerable. Become a storyteller and use your personal stories to shatter these objections. My mom here today, shout out to Mrs. Wu.
00:18:50
Speaker
forever She worked in fashion her whole life for 30 years. She was national advertising manager for a fashion magazine. So we grew up going to Fashion Week as a kid. Look at this guy. Stand up. You win again.
00:19:15
Speaker
yeah yeah He again. So she was a fashionista so it was so cool. She brought home amazing swimsuits for me and my sister to fight over and we got to go down the runway and it was magical. So now one of my main core values in my wedding photography business is I'm a fashionista and I actually have a subscription to Nuuly and I bring beautiful dresses to the engagement shoot so my clients can feel like they're on the runway and look so confident.
00:19:48
Speaker
So another way to use your personal stories is, what's your favorite compliment you've ever gotten? I got this compliment from a mom. I use this all the time. But she I was posing the bridesmaids, and she took me aside. and She goes, Chris, I want to talk to you. I thought I was in trouble, like the principal. And I was like, oh, what's up? And she's like, I know what you're doing. and She goes, you're a wedding director. You're directing the couple the whole day already, and I just begun. You know, long necks, pop the knee, work your angles, don't be the dead face, don't blink that much, ham it up, have good energy. She was like, and she told me that. So I tell this to my potential couples in all my sales meetings. What objection does it shatter?
00:20:40
Speaker
I'm not good at posing. I'm not a model. That's a cute dress. I'm not a model, I need direction. That one little personal story shatters so much of those ah those fears of I'm not good at posing. So think of objections that your ideal client has. And our ideal client are pretty much all the same as Fred and Groom.
00:21:05
Speaker
So that's how you create desire. Tip number two, this is 10Xing your audience by using leverage and energy. 10X pretty much, my mom says, what does that mean? I said, it means blow it up. Blow up your Instagram. And this is all about building your network and social media at the same time. So have you ever posted a real, it took some time, does it take takes about an hour sometimes and you looked, no engagement, three likes, and then you started scrolling the whole day and just scrolling, comparing yourself to others, and then feeling like shit after, and by the end of the day feeling like more like shit.
00:21:52
Speaker
Yeah, it's happened to me a couple more times and I would like to share with you, but I hate that feeling. Your network is your net worth. Ashanti. So as we talk about 10Xing our social media, I'm going to talk about energy. I have a friend has an antique store, and she said everything is energy. It doesn't matter if someone goes to her store and doesn't buy anything, walks out. As long as they like touch something, they create a good juju, good energy on that plant or the antique, usually the next person buys. And I've seen that in my business. Sometimes I'll get be working on a deal. I'll get that finally, oh, we went another direction. And then all of a sudden and someone's like, I want to buck you. like I'm like, what?
00:22:40
Speaker
you know It's all energy. Like hubby's a cop, he says, you know everything happens in threes too. Everything truly is energy. So now that we are all vibrating so high, let's clap for me for a second.
00:22:58
Speaker
oh
00:23:01
Speaker
So now that we are vibrating so high, let's talk about leverage. So millionaires always talk about leverage. Leverage, leverage, leverage. They leverage real estate. They leverage money. But today I'm going to tell you how to leverage our resources, our time, and our knowledge to 10X your feed. And this is about going live with other vendors. So pretty much we're leveraging other audiences and their eyeballs, their audiences eyeballs are on our feed and vice versa. So go live with vendors. It's like a mini podcast and it's so easy. So make a list of the vendors that you want to go live with to make your mini podcast. They're probably here today. Call it something. I called my Woo Wednesdays, Holly Wedding Wednesdays. I love your last story. That was so funny.
00:23:58
Speaker
Music Mondays, floral Fridays, eat your cake afternoons, Taco Tuesday talks, pep talk Mondays, call it something. And one caveat, you have to be consistent every week. And trust me, you're gonna get so much traction and momentum to your feed and to your business. And this is a great way to create relationships with venues and vendors. This is how you get your foot in the door if you're just starting. And I've pretty much interviewed like five of you today and a lot of people will say they get most of their leads from wedding planners and venues.
00:24:39
Speaker
And I call this a six touch point method. You have to touch six times on a, you have to touch a vendor six times. It could be 10 times, but so I'll say six. People give up after one try. Oh, they didn't respond to me. They didn't email me back. So you have to touch them about six times. You have to email them. You have to do a vendor walkthrough meet and greet. You have to go live with them. You have to do you have to go to coffee, go to lunch with them, go to dinner dinner with them, get some wine together. Six times, six times at least. And this is a start of a great relationship. So if you get a note at first, please don't give up. And get creative. My student just went live with a makeup artist. And the makeup artist was doing her makeup while she was asking her questions. And it got a lot of views. You could also do vendor spotlights.
00:25:30
Speaker
Who wants to do one of the monkey dollar? a You could do venue tours. It's all a mutually beneficial relationship. We have so much value to give. And another caveat, show your face and show up for your audience. Show up for them and really truly help them. Start serving and see what happens to your Instagram. See much how much more engagement you get. I love this quote by Tony Robbins and it pretty much says that you only suffer if you focus on yourself, so start serving. So whenever I feel like I'm in the funk,
00:26:12
Speaker
or my rules are bombing, I'm not getting engagement, I'm not getting any leads. I always go back to this. Even in my coaching business, my funnels are not working, um my strategies, um everything I learned from the Googles, spent lots of money learning, it's not working. I just go back to this. When social media is sucking, I just say start serving. I started going live, just talking to myself three years before. talking to my couples, seeing what they they need, leaning in hand, putting myself in their shoes, and just talking from my heart. No script, no makeup in the car after I talk up drop off the kiddos, and I just start serving, and this is how you will get out of the funk. Also, create alliances with companies. It doesn't even have to be venues. This is a non-basic tip, guys.
00:27:03
Speaker
You can create alliances with YouTubers, album companies, timeline apps, gown stores, makeup influencers, tuxedos, tuxedo textxedo and tie companies. c create alliances, because when someone says, hey, my food is the best, my coaching program is the best, my photography company is the best, it's a lot different when someone's like, Chris is the best, Jeannie is the best florist, Robert's the best, DGMC, Larry's the best videographer. When someone is vouching for you, it's a lot different. And when I learned about leverage, I got 119 people to sign up for my master class,
00:27:42
Speaker
These are mostly people that never heard about me. And someone was saying someone that they trusted was saying, Chris is awesome, go listen to her. And now I have a relationship with a wedding timeline app with a ton of leads and an album company. So what do you talk about on social media? I call this the ask method, not ask, ask.
00:28:10
Speaker
this is yeah That's another TED Talk, coffee and conversations at night. I call this the ask method, and this is how I make my content super genuine. But I ask these questions to my friends, my existing clients, my ah my potential clients, and I say, what's keeping you up at night? I asked them, what piece of advice would you like to know for your engagement session? What piece of advice would you like to know for your wedding? And this one bride said she would like to know three poses to practice before her engagement session. I said, that's genius. People are coming up with my content. I don't have to buy any content calendars anymore.
00:28:53
Speaker
I asked a friend, he's in our Toastmasters group, and he's one of my clients. He's getting married in two weeks. And I said, what would you want to know? This is a groom's perspective. And he said, I would like to know how to walk down the aisle. I was like, interesting. I would never think of that. So use the ask method if you want to come up with really genuine, authentic content. All right, you guys still with me? We have two more to. I shouldn't have worn like a little blazer for sure. So number three, being a walking lead machine.
00:29:31
Speaker
I don't know if many of you know, probably don't know me because I was, you probably don't know me a long time ago because I was so shy. There's so many scenarios where a friend would be like, hey, Carissa. This is my friend, Carissa. She's an amazing photographer. You should hire her. You know what I would do? I would get all crazy. I'd be like, oh, no, no, no. I suck. I suck. Don't hire me. No, don't hire me. Don't hire me. I'm good. Like, you like go go with someone else. thats That's how bad I was. But when I tapped into my power, I became a lean machine. And confidence is truly a muscle that I'm practicing every single day. I posted this on my Instagram yesterday, but it was that a story I was at my hubby's friend's, it was like a coworker's wedding,
00:30:24
Speaker
And I saw an opportunity. I didn't know anyone, but I didn't know it was an opportunity. I had no agenda. But I saw some good light. I took some couples aside, each couple one by one, and I started posing, directing, making them laugh, doing what I do best. And one of them booked me on the spot. And another one got engaged and booked me then. This is a true story. And they said that iPhone photo was the best photo they ever had of them.
00:30:55
Speaker
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00:31:50
Speaker
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00:32:31
Speaker
So yeah, ever since the podcast, I signed up for Kickstarter Accounting and wow, so much peace of mind in my finances. So if you are a wedding pro looking to streamline your financial processes and gain clarity on your business financial health, I have the perfect solution for you. Kickstart Accounting Inc. offers specialized bookkeeping services designed by entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs. Their services are tailored to woman-owned businesses, focusing on providing clear, accurate financial records, allowing you to focus on what you do best, growing your business. I invite you to book a discovery call with Kickstart Accounting. The link is in the show notes. Mention, heck yes.
00:33:17
Speaker
And yeah, they are going to get your finances in order so you can continue to scale and succeed. Back to the show! So some pro tips to become a walking lane machine! Call venues before you even shoot the wedding. Go to the planner, introduce yourself. Introduce yourself to the venue manager. Send IG handles to all vendors before the big day. I don't know why planners don't do this all the time. People will share, yeah, Holly does it. People will share your stuff by 10Xing your business. work Work the cocktail hour. I love being at the cocktail hour. I know who's engaged and they have a ring on it. They have the body language, it's all love.
00:33:59
Speaker
um You know who they are. Introduce yourself. Give them your business card. It takes two seconds. I love doing the big group shot. I say, everyone make some noise. Everyone make some noise. I like people to see me because I'm performing in front of 300 people sometimes. It's not just the wedding DJ that's performing. It's everyone's performing. You never know who's going to see you.
00:34:31
Speaker
Tell the couple to introduce you to your parents and wedding party before you begin shooting or working. This is game changer, guys. This is like next level. Hug the couple, the parents, goodbye. Say bye to the vendors. This is next level, so basic, but makes a big difference. Make sure your couple prints photos so everyone goes ooh and ah. Learn how to small talk. Talk to strangers in your yoga pants at the market. Because people that know how to work the room run the world. People are watching you and you never know who's watching you. Go to networking events with no agenda. Take vendors to coffee and get to know their story.
00:35:16
Speaker
Start seeing if people need your services and start making high quality offers. And this comes from a place of service, not scarcity. Because everyone wants photos. Everyone wants music, floors, makeup, guitars.
00:35:32
Speaker
All right, tip number four. This is the last tip, guys. We made it so far. I don't know what time it is, but it's all good. Tip number four is automate your marketing with the lead magnet and nurture sequence. Why are wedding professionals so allergic to automation? I don't know. it Raise your hand if you have an email list. Oh, no. I'm glad I put this on the tip. So if you have an email list, you could go from Frantic Francis to Relax Renee, which I told you in the beginning. I had the same lead magnet for my coaching biz for a year, and it actually worked. So it's one piece of evergreen content that your ideal client wants to exchange for their email. And people, you know, they don't give their emails out that much anymore, so make it super sexy.
00:36:26
Speaker
Irresistible. Make it the Chris Hemworth of Lee Magnets. Make it the Bad Bunny of Lee Magnets. i just heard I just learned about him yesterday. um
00:36:40
Speaker
And you guys, some of you know I got hacked twice. It's scary times, but I had my email list. So when you have an email list, you can make offers on the demand anytime. I'm not gonna go too much into it, but just make sure you have a series of three emails and make an incentive and have some urgency. You can literally make offers anytime. So examples of Lee magnets. How to write memorable vows. Your favorite EDM wedding playlist. Trista, my student from WIMBA, she's making hers how to plan your perfect rainbow wedding. Engagement location, hidden gems and palace birdies. Beth proposal spots in Madman. And follow it up with the three-part email sequence to turn them in from I don't know about you to I want to hire you. Talk to chat GPT to help you write it and make it your own.
00:37:34
Speaker
And one caveat about this lead magnet, you have to make it so near and dear to your heart. Because if you don't, you're not going to want to share it to the world. If it's so near and dear to your heart, you're going to want to share it on Facebook groups, Instagram, talk about the tips. You're going to want to share it to planners, your friends, your family. And once you see people flowing on your list, oh that's money, baby. So now you know how to fill your inbox. And I'll give you guys these four tips again. Number one, become the one. And create desire on your brand. Number two, how to 10x your audience and create your dream team using the power of leverage and energy. And number three, you know how to be a walking lean machine. So i want to I'm gonna be testing you guys after this.
00:38:31
Speaker
And number four, you know how to automate your marketing. So give yourselves a round of applause.
00:38:41
Speaker
So we all have good ideas all the time. There's YouTube, there's podcasts, but we pump the brakes. Even if you want to meet someone today, you pump the brakes, you're like, oh shoot, and then the opportunity is gone. So today, remember what you said, your goal of what you really want. And imagine being booked out in 2024 with a price point that you want, raising your prices. Doesn't it feel super refreshing? So I got dozens of rejection just in life, but to be a speaker for the past year and a half. A lot of people didn't and respond to my emails.
00:39:21
Speaker
But one day, Holly Gray, she DM-ed me. She came in my DMs. Yeah, it goes down to the DMs. And she said, hey, I think you need a friend. ah Come to a WIPO event tomorrow. And we were DM-ing each other at like midnight. I was like, all right, cool. you Yeah, I showed up. I think it was at Disney. And then, you know, I met all these great people this year and really networked my butt off. And then a year later, Jasmine actually calls me Kator Cakes. And she said, Carissa, I see you. I see that you're working so hard. I see your energy. I see that you're showing up. And I want you to come speak at our next event.
00:40:08
Speaker
So you never know who's going to see you. And we waste so much time on people that don't see us. So I see you guys today. I see you guys have showed up. I see your motivation. I see you guys are all good looking. up And you get out there, fill your inbox with inquiries, be the star of your own show, and get that heck yes.
00:40:44
Speaker
Thank you. That was awesome. Oh, thank you. We're going to open it up for questions. So it's a great time to ask. All right, everyone. We're opening up the forum. Does have anyone have any questions? or horsa right over there stand up your name name car i system i was the first It was amazing, thank you guys. You guys are awesome. Was that your question?
00:41:23
Speaker
<unk> you i' kind of mention something few things Oh, thanks. i'm just so proud of being almost for yourself you've mentioned some of the things that you've done. Can you share with us some of the education or coaching, or Toastmasters you mentioned, some of those things so that people can learn how they can take some of those steps to be the best self. Yeah, so like I mentioned, I was super shy, super awkward. If I went to a networking event, I would just be with my bestie and they would go to the bathroom and I'd get so scared to get stuck in a conversation because I knew I'd be like, what do you do? And then it was like, oh shoot, what do I say next?
00:42:02
Speaker
I was so awkward. But this past year, I've been going to networking meetings with no agenda, just talking, talking to strangers, Toastmasters with my mom. She's a president for 25 years. And just getting out of my shell, the podcast has helped me. I used to think about Jenna Kutcher. I was like, how the the hell does she talk that much? like Just talk. like i just I don't know. I've never been that person to just talk. So I think just practice, practice, practice.
00:42:36
Speaker
Ready? So I texted my friend Jeannie, love some blossom, yesterday and I said, I'm so nervous, I'm so anxious and she just always says the widest words and she said, your vision is greater than your fear.
00:43:01
Speaker
Yes. Hi, Krista. I was just super curious. I know that you mentioned that you had 50 weddings that you booked in your first year. I want to learn more how you did that. How it kind of happened. Sorry, guys, but this is pre-Instagram and pre-Pinterist. I did bright shows. Yeah, so I had a framing company with my dad called Name That Frame. I made personalized name frames with your picture in the back. I had like a 10K matte cutter machine. And then someone from the bride show industry reached out to me to sell my frames. And then I would go around the booth and I'm like, dude, these photographers suck. I could do this. And then I had the email list. So it's easy. $500, $700, $800, $1799. So just kind of work my way up. But boy, you know you just spray and paint. No, spray and pray. Taking 5,000 photos. Hopefully, 20 will come out good.
00:44:02
Speaker
So what's your next vision and how can we take you there? Oh, thank you, that's so sweet. What's your name? Drexel, D Park Studios. Aw, thank you. oh Well, I hope you guys... get my audio course and at the end it's going to ask you to see if you want a free website audit and i I have a really big vision of helping wedding professionals rebrand with their brand messaging because you know becoming the one that's the main thing in their copy, in their photos and who they truly are and it takes a lot of digging.
00:44:34
Speaker
So it's using like my coaching skills to help them rebrand and also help them automate the lead magnet with the email sequence because a lot of people don't want to do that even though it's pretty easy using the old chat gbt or canva or fiber upwork and then master the dreaded sales call I help with that so that's my big vision to help wedding professionals so if you want to work with me hit me up.
00:44:57
Speaker
alllan Oh, and Alan, shout out to Alan. He told me today, um have fun and just pretend that everyone's naked. And my hubby's here, so I don't think he likes that, but shout out to Alan. He's on a new Hulu. He has a new ah Hulu show called Prank. prank panel, and he pranks his wife. You could watch it. But go ahead, Alan. Oh, so your podcast, have you learned great things from your podcast with interviewed guests? Have you used stuff from your podcast to make you better when you do? Oh, yeah. One of the things that
00:45:37
Speaker
You learn from having a podcast as you get the insider tips of everyone's business. So they usually give you their best three to four tips and I copy it. Just kidding.
00:45:51
Speaker
I was going to say, her podcast is great if you're in the car. I listen to it in the car and get little nuggets of information like it's like today, but you can listen to it in the car and just, you know, it's a good way to learn. And I was going to ask too, because I understand what evergreen content is, but I'm not sure if everyone else knows what that is.
00:46:11
Speaker
Photographers, I am so thrilled to announce my new sponsors Aftershoot, an AI editing company. They do AI editing, unlimited cropping and straightening. I am seriously blown away by the precision and five hours a week I get back in my life. My life is so much better and I literally don't have any more anxiety. It's so crazy. I remember being at barbecues with my laptop because I had to get out of shoot and and that was so stressful, so not fun. And the best part about after shoot compared to their competition is that it's a monthly minimal cost, not cost per image because I am a true overshooter. I could shoot like, I don't know, 3000 photos in an engagement shoot, which is not good. But anyways, using my code in the show notes to get a 30 day trial and 20% off
00:47:04
Speaker
you're going to get in the software and just go crazy with it. And AfterShoot edits 2.0 just released and they have a lot of new features that you are going to love. AfterShoot, I can't thank you enough for giving me back my time to focus on this podcast. Oh yeah, back to the podcast. Yeah. So evergreen. So like Instagram, for instance, people will see it for a couple of days and then probably gets hit in an algorithm. You know, only three percent of people see it. But with evergreen content, it just it lasts forever. And people give you their email addresses in exchange for that evergreen piece. of Amazing. Chris Hembert, Bad Bunny, Lady Magnet.
00:47:44
Speaker
because they want it, it's going to actually help them. um And you could have that like forever. like You could have it for a year or two and just keep talking about it. Talk about a tip, make a reel about it. And it has to be really near and dear to your heart because and if it's not, then you're not going to want to share it.
00:48:04
Speaker
What's the process for finding like your core values, your branding, your the simplicity of your message and what you're trying to do? That's a good question. I just had a coaching client yesterday and she was saying words like luxury, but then she was saying her wedding, she was wearing like pink tuck. and then she had like courses and equestrians so we were getting kind of confused but we did two coaching calls and we realized that luxury it doesn't mean like a you know 30k balloon installation or 30k budget of florals it means a luxury type of bride it means a really a couple that's
00:48:43
Speaker
kind of powerful as individuals but powerful as a couple and they just get each other and they empower each other and that's what luxury means to her so you really have to go deep and you have to make it cohesive um but just kind of ask yourself like what do you want to be known for like what And you have to really see it. If it makes you it means like making a mood board, if it means talking to your friends, it means talking to your past client saying, why did you hire me? Or what do you see when you you see me? Or even your friends or your family. Like, what does my brand look to you? And can you even explain it in words? So just keep talking and you'll get it. Thank you.
00:49:28
Speaker
Earlier in your segment said you had this kind of speak to each other and almost like examples of bookss that we want to strive for have any recommendations for our process for like measuring progress towards those goals how often do you like reevaluate compost to our Yeah, so you could actually today, you could write it down. um you know in present tense like I got on the Muckenthaler venue list today or something like that and you can post it on your bed or in front of your mirror and just look at it every day and you know every day just the mantra is plan tomorrow today so always take little baby steps to get to your goals but when you have like that North Star vision when you're clear in your vision it's so easy just to cut through the noise and just stay in your own lane and get there daily yeah
00:50:21
Speaker
Thank you!
00:50:30
Speaker
Thanks for joining me this week on Get a Heck Yes with Carissa Wu. Make sure to follow, subscribe, leave a review, or tell a friend about the show. Take a screenshot and post to IG. Tag me! Also, don't forget to download my free guide on how to become a lead generating machine. See you next time, wedding pros!