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How to Build a Strong Local Network
51 Plays7 months ago
Episode Summary:
In the fourth episode of our five-part series on starting a wedding planning business, host Amber Peterson discusses the vital role of networking in the wedding industry. This episode explores why building a strong network of vendors and other professionals is essential for both referrals and support, and how to foster these relationships effectively.
Key Topics Covered:
- Importance of Networking in Wedding Planning:
- Building a Vendor Network: The benefits of having a trusted team of vendors like photographers, caterers, and florists, and how this enhances the planning process.
- Referrals and Resource Sharing: How a strong network leads to more business referrals and access to exclusive resources.
- Support System: The value of having a network for support during challenges is illustrated by examples from the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Effective Networking Strategies:
- Attending Industry Events: Tips on using expos, meetups, and seminars to meet potential collaborators and how to follow up effectively.
- Building Genuine Relationships: Advice on maintaining authenticity in relationships and respecting others' time and expertise.
- Regular Communication: Keeping in touch through emails and social media and acknowledging special occasions is important.
- Collaboration on Projects: Benefits of collaborating on styled shoots to build portfolios and strengthen relationships.
- Tips for Leaving a Good Impression:
- Caring for Vendor Needs: Simple gestures like setting up a snack and drink station at events.
- Post-Event Appreciation: Sending personalized thank you notes and social media shoutouts to acknowledge vendors' hard work.
- Resource Highlight:
- Building Relationships with other Wedding Vendors," a guide that teaches effective networking, collaboration, and relationship maintenance.
Call to Action:
- Listeners are encouraged to check out previous episodes for foundational insights.
- Invite to tune into the next episode, focusing on building good working relationships with clients.
Additional Resources:
- Links to download the "Building Relationships with Other Wedding Vendors" workbook.
- Encouragement to join the ongoing conversation and access further resources through the podcast community.
Closing Remarks:
- Amber underscores the mantra that in the wedding industry, "your network is your net worth," encouraging listeners to build connections to enhance their business's growth and success.
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Overview
00:00:06
Speaker
Welcome to the Business of Wedding Planning podcast. I'm your host, Amber Peterson. I was a wedding planner for 10 years, a marketing strategist for service-based businesses and the current owner of Planner's Lounge.
The Importance of Networking
00:00:19
Speaker
Today, we're talking about networking within the industry and why I think it should be the cornerstone of any good marketing strategy.
00:00:28
Speaker
This is the fourth episode in our five part series about starting a planning business. So if you missed the first three, make sure you go back and give them a listen. Let's get started.
Building Vendor Relationships
00:00:38
Speaker
Every wedding that we've all worked or will work has a team of vendors. And for the most part, these are all independent business owners. This includes the venue, photographer, caterer, florist, and so many more. Everybody's bringing their unique talents to the table. And for those of you who have been in business for a little while, you know that when you have a good team of vendors, it makes your job as a planner so much more pleasant.
00:01:06
Speaker
Wedding planners are often asked for recommendations from our clients. It's important to have connections with a pool of wedding professionals that you know will serve your clients well. The network that you create in your planning business with other local vendors is also going to be very important in growing your own business as they become your referral partners over time.
00:01:29
Speaker
So a lot of new wedding planners that I talk to about marketing, they talk about all the things they're going to do online, you know, build their website and get really good at Instagram, publish a blog, and then go to wedding shows, you know, all the more traditional marketing things.
00:01:47
Speaker
But what I found over time when I was starting as a wedding planner and I did all those things first was that they're important. But when my business really started growing was when I started connecting with other business owners in my local market.
Strategies for Networking Success
00:02:05
Speaker
Why is networking important? First, you are sharing resources. It gives you this broad range experience and people who have been in the industry for different levels of time. I've met people in my area that
00:02:23
Speaker
I'm thinking of one in particular, my favorite DJ. He's been a DJ for more than two decades and he knows everybody and he knows all the venues and he has all of the great tips for how to work with certain people, how to handle more non-traditional venues, all the things. And then I've met brand new vendors who they're also looking to connect and
00:02:49
Speaker
They are real go-getters and they're really growing their business quickly and it's really exciting to know someone and help someone like that. Just having those resources to share knowledge with, to go to with problems and things that need to be figured out, amazing.
00:03:10
Speaker
It can also help you with things like working in exclusive venues. There is a venue here in Seattle that I wanted to do a styled shoot at and they are so particular about who they let in to do that just because it's such a popular venue and they just don't want a million people coming through to do styled shoots.
00:03:30
Speaker
I ended up meeting a florist who had connections there and we brought in a photographer and did a style shoot there that was so fun and probably wouldn't have happened if I didn't have that connection with their exclusive florist. You can get other benefits from making connections that you might not otherwise get. Always good to be constantly looking for connections with people.
00:03:56
Speaker
And as I mentioned before, referrals. The strong network that you build will become the people who send you their clients. Just like as wedding planners, we are sending our clients to people that we know, like, and trust. You want to be really strategic with the people that you make connections with that you're looking to hopefully get referrals from.
00:04:19
Speaker
For example, if you know who your target client is and you have a huge network of people you've connected with that serve a totally different type of client, while they might send you referrals, they probably aren't going to be a great fit for your business.
Overcoming Networking Challenges
00:04:35
Speaker
While I think you should connect with anyone and everyone, if you're specifically thinking of referral relationships where you're sending clients back and forth, you want to think about who is serving a similar client to you.
00:04:47
Speaker
I know in the area where I did most of my weddings, it was a lot of barns and country homes, things like that. My network was really made up of people who served a similar type of venue. Their clients were coming up from Seattle. They wanted to have weddings in this more rural area.
00:05:15
Speaker
I had a lot of connections with people who did weddings specifically in Seattle. Most of my weddings weren't down there, so it wouldn't have made sense to ignore the connections that I made in the area that I planned most of my weddings because I just didn't really have a lot of couples that were getting married down in Seattle.
00:05:35
Speaker
making sure that you're really thinking about who you're connecting with and how not only it will benefit your business, but are you going to have people to send to them just because you want to make sure that it goes both ways and it's a reciprocal relationship. And finally,
00:05:51
Speaker
It's so important to just have a support system. I know that while I know a lot of different business owners in different industries, there's something so unique about the wedding industry. We live in a type of business where repeat customers aren't always a thing, where some part of our gear is super busy and some part of our year we're not really doing a lot.
00:06:17
Speaker
So it's nice to have people who understand that and can empathize with that. And there are a lot of times when having that network can really help you get through some hard times. The most obvious example that comes to mind is COVID-19. That was a time that we all kind of were trying to figure out what was going on. And it was so helpful to have other people in the industry to
00:06:47
Speaker
Talk to about it, to figure out solutions, and specifically, based on where you were in the country, understand the different rules and regulations that your city, state, county, whatever were putting out, especially at the beginning, on a very changing basis.
00:07:05
Speaker
Not only is a referral network important to grow your business and probably the quickest way to grow your business, it's also a place to find support, to find resources, to share the resources that you have with others, and just ultimately have a community of people who understand what you're going through.
00:07:26
Speaker
Okay, if you're thinking, this sounds great, I definitely need to work on building my network and connecting with other wedding vendors. How do you make that happen? I know, as I mentioned before, when I started making connections is when I really saw some growth in my business, but that didn't come super easily to me. And if you've listened to any of the previous podcasts or you've read anything on the Planners on Witch website, you probably know my story of being a super introvert.
00:07:55
Speaker
I can sake being an extrovert, but it is not something that comes naturally to me. So when I started my planning business, I really planned to rely on more traditional marketing activities. My background is marketing, so I thought, I know this. I'll be able to grow this business quickly. I won't have to be out at networking events and meetups and things like that because I don't like doing that and I'm not going to.
00:08:25
Speaker
And I did book weddings the first two to three years of my business. I had clients, but not at the rate that I was hoping. And it really didn't take off until I just decided, okay, this isn't working. A, I'm not booking as quickly as I'd like to.
00:08:49
Speaker
B, I'm referring my clients to people sort of just based on the reputation I hear from others. And that's not great. My clients were happy, but I didn't have a really strong connection with the people I was referring. I could basically give the information that I got from other people that I had met at weddings or what I was seeing on their website.
00:09:17
Speaker
I just decided, okay, I'm going to find a local event. And luckily in my area, there was a wedding specific wedding industry networking group. And so I went to that and it was fantastic. And all of my silly fears about having to make small talk and what if I don't
00:09:41
Speaker
like anyone or why they don't like me and all of those things just out the door. I mean, everyone was so welcoming, so kind, and it was just so natural.
Networking Events and Approaches
00:09:52
Speaker
And really,
00:09:54
Speaker
If you are at all nervous about networking, I now, with all the benefit of hindsight, people who are in this industry are generally in it because we love serving people. We love helping our clients with this amazing milestone event in their lives. And nine times out of 10, everyone's just lovely. So just try and
00:10:19
Speaker
don't wait as long as I did and try to really get yourself out there and make those connections because it was so worth it. And I have met some lifelong friends through my time as a wedding planner and actually meeting people at these networking events.
00:10:35
Speaker
That's the first step. Attend industry events, go to wedding shows and walk around and meet vendors who are exhibiting their meetups. If they have those in your area, if there's any kind of educational seminars for your industry, all great places to meet potential collaborators.
00:10:56
Speaker
As my business grew as a planner, I would get a lot of emails kind of out of the blue from planners who are just starting out or other vendors who are just starting out who wanted to meet for coffee or get information about what it was like to be in the industry. I personally was not a fan of this just because it felt sort of like, nice to meet you, let me ask you for your time right away, which felt a little
00:11:25
Speaker
audacious at first, I guess. So I like to look at the process of networking as a funnel and the top of the funnel is to attend those networking events. Look at that as sort of casting a net and first you go to those and make connections. I like to be really intentional when I went to those bigger events and look at who was a member of the organizations and was there anyone specific that I wanted to meet.
00:11:55
Speaker
And then if they were there, make sure I introduce myself and made a connection with them. And then after that event is when I would follow up and see if I could take them for coffee or take them for lunch and see how that relationship could be mutually beneficial. Always be cognizant of what time of year is it if here in Washington state,
00:12:18
Speaker
I would never ask someone if they could have lunch with me in July, August, September, because those are such busy months. And most people are just slammed with, if they're not at a wedding, they're preparing for a wedding, or they're spending what little time in the summer they have with their family, friends, whatever.
00:12:39
Speaker
If you are looking to request one-on-one time, try and be conscious of, is it a busy season? Is it not? Is this the right time to ask? And then when you ask for that time, be really genuine. You want to build the relationship based on mutual respect and not just looking for what you can gain from it. That was a huge turnoff with some of the emails that I would receive asking for advice or
00:13:09
Speaker
quote unquote pick your brain time because it feels like what can you do for me, not how can we work together? How can we both benefit from this that will then in turn benefit our clients?
Maintaining Network Connections
00:13:23
Speaker
I would always avoid, especially the pick your brain sessions. If you are in the starting your business phase, there are a lot of wedding professionals in the industry that they're also at a point in their career where they're coaching.
00:13:39
Speaker
new planners, new venue owners, whatever, if you want to have an hour of their time, you should expect to pay for their time, especially if they are coaching, if they're educating in some way. It is, in my opinion, it can feel pretty disrespectful for someone to ask you for your time when you actually get paid for it normally. So,
00:14:08
Speaker
And if you're willing to pay, then go to their website if they're a coach and book one of their consulting times if they have that. Just be really conscientious about what you're asking for and how it might be coming across because not only can you make a really good first impression, you can also make a really bad first impression and you don't want that in your local market either.
00:14:31
Speaker
And then whether or not you meet for coffee, lunch, if that one-on-one thing happens or not, keep in touch. If they say, I'm so sorry right now, I don't have time. If you just fall off the face of the earth and never contact them again, it really feels like, okay, I couldn't give them what they wanted right now, so then I'm not
00:14:51
Speaker
like they're not interested, but it really might be like they're busy. So just, you know, keeping in contact, it could be an email, a social media interaction, that kind of thing can go a long way just to kind of maintain that relationship and see what happens over time. There are so many vendors that we had kind of passing
00:15:14
Speaker
We were passing acquaintances over time and then at some point it's just the stars aligned and we were in the same place at the same time. We were able to talk more. You never know when that connection is going to really click into place and when it's going to start benefiting both of you.
00:15:32
Speaker
If there are specific people that you want to connect with, I would always recommend following them on social media, pay attention to what they share. If their business is celebrating something or they share a really beautiful wedding that they were a vendor at, make sure to
00:15:51
Speaker
give them some love on social media. And not only is it nice to see that people are seeing what you're posting, also your interaction helps boost that post, which is just a nice thing to do. And then if you know any special dates in their business, for example, if you
00:16:12
Speaker
know when their business started, or it's a holiday that's important to them, or if you happen to know their birthday, sending a card or sending a message is always nice. Next, as your network kind of solidifies and you're making those connections, always be ready to offer some help. As planners, we usually have a plan B, like what if you get sick?
00:16:36
Speaker
If you have an associate planner, what if they're sick and you need an assistant? I have helped fellow planners on their wedding days when they've had something go wrong.
Creative Networking Ideas
00:16:48
Speaker
I can't even count how many times.
00:16:50
Speaker
Not only is it important to have these referral partners, but sometimes something just goes sideways and you might need an extra set of hands for something. And if you can reach out to a network of people that you trust and someone is available and you could say, can you come out to this wedding for a few hours? This is, you know, of course you can pay them for their time, but it's so beneficial to have
00:17:16
Speaker
other people backing you up, especially when what we do is it all culminates in this one day or one weekend that is so important that you've got to get it right. Having people who are there to help you when you need it is just so priceless.
00:17:36
Speaker
And finally, if you are brand new and I know that styled shoots, people are like, there's a lot of different thoughts about if styled shoots are still a thing, if they should be a thing, if you should do them. But a lot of times if you're brand new and you don't have a lot of imagery from weddings that you've actually planned, this is a great way to build your portfolio.
00:17:59
Speaker
and it strengthens relationships with other wedding vendors to get involved. The one thing is if you are planning styled shoots in order to build your portfolio, please be very transparent that these are not real weddings, they're styled shoots. Just so everybody knows they're not looking at something that wasn't actually created as a real wedding.
00:18:23
Speaker
But styled shoots are something that I loved to do. I did them probably longer than I needed to just because it was a way to be creative in unique ways that couples weren't asking for. And so that was always fun. But I also liked it because
00:18:44
Speaker
if there was a newer vendor that I wanted to connect with or that was trying to build a portfolio, we could invite them in and work with them in a way that you kind of see how they work. You see, obviously, a styled shoot is not completely indicative of a wedding day because it's just not as high pressure. But I think planning a styled shoot and executing it
00:19:10
Speaker
you still get to see a little bit of how they work and, you know, are they prompt? Are they involved with the planning? Are, you know, what is their kind of working method and is that something you'd want to also have on your team on your wedding day as a part of the vendor team?
00:19:30
Speaker
Not only are they a great way to build portfolio images, but it's sort of a low stakes way to see how potential industry connections work at a small scale event. Networking within the wedding industry is all about cultivating long lasting relationships.
00:19:52
Speaker
Follow the process of once you meet someone, follow up, be reliable, show appreciation with a message or following through on a commitment, a simple thank you, those kind of things make a significant difference. We all know someone who we thought was a great connection and then we just never hear from them again.
00:20:14
Speaker
Another unique thing about our industry is that people do come and go, businesses come and go.
Active Industry Participation
00:20:19
Speaker
So you want to always make sure that the network that you cultivate, they're aware that you're still in the industry, you're still doing things and
00:20:29
Speaker
that awareness is made by keeping in touch, by continuing to send referrals, things like that. So don't think that, okay, I've connected with someone, this is like a set it and forget it thing, and now on to find another connection.
00:20:45
Speaker
really cultivate those. Some of the little ways that I like to do that as a wedding planner that were, I guess, sort of unique, but I think left a good impression of me, my planning business, my assistants, all of that, is that we would set up a small snack and drink station during the wedding for vendors in kind of a setback area.
00:21:15
Speaker
Just, you know, protein bars and water bottles, things that you could go to Costco and buy in bulk. Just because we all, you know, we're all fed at a wedding that there's usually that's expected. But I don't know about you as a planner, but there were times where I was so busy, I just didn't get a chance to sit down and eat dinner.
00:21:37
Speaker
Being able to grab a protein bar or a bottle of water really was helpful not only for my team, but the other vendors who were there and their team. And it's inexpensive and it just leaves a nice impression.
00:21:51
Speaker
After weddings, I would always send handwritten notes to all the vendors that were in attendance, noting something specific about how their expertise, experience, what they provided. How did that make the wedding better? I think that
00:22:08
Speaker
handwritten notes, cards, thank you notes are not done often enough anymore. So it's nice when you get one. And then of course, always tag on social media. If you're sharing pictures from the wedding that you took right away, if you are sharing anything behind the scenes or whatever you're sharing, tag the people that were there. They're going to see it. Their audience will see it.
Conclusion and Next Episode Preview
00:22:34
Speaker
Just make sure that you're sharing the social media love.
00:22:37
Speaker
Building a network, it's such a simple thing, but it's also, in my opinion, one of the most important things you can do. If you are at a position where you're like, yes, I need to do this, we have a great product, Building Relationships with Other Wedding Vendors, which is available on the Planners Lounge Shop.
00:22:56
Speaker
It's a guide that offers a step-by-step approach to effectively connect and collaborate and create partnerships that benefit all parties involved. And it is available to purchase. I'll link that in the show notes. And you can certainly utilize that as you wish.
00:23:16
Speaker
Whether you're a brand new planner right now and you're just starting out or you're at a position in your business that you want to expand or strengthen your network, this resource will be great and will teach you a lot that you can do. And pretty much like all of our planners launch products, there are so many different tips, tricks, advice. You don't have to do all of it. You take what works.
00:23:44
Speaker
execute that, and then use more, use less, whatever works for you. To wrap up, have you ever heard the saying, your network is your net worth? That is all we are going to chat about today. Thank you so much for joining us on the Business of Wedding planning podcast. Next week, we are going to wrap up the series with a episode about creating good working relationships with your clients.
00:24:11
Speaker
Thank you so much for listening. I hope to have you back next week, and I will talk to you soon.