They say "knowledge is power." Well, arm yourself with these powerful industry secrets!
Make smart, educated decisions when planning your wedding by understanding how wedding vendors are selling to you. It's not that any of these sales techniques are bad, they are effective and time-tested. But if you can get into a vendors mind, you can cut through the "sales pitch" and begin to identify what is really important: finding quality vendors that you can trust with one of the most important days of your life! Here's 3 things that no wedding vendor wants you to know!
They count on you making an emotional purchase. You are not buying a car or a refridgerator....this is your wedding! Many brides have dreamed and imagined their wedding since they were little girls. Many wedding salesmen know this, and the more emotional they can get you, the more likely you are to buy their product or service. Beware, for example, a vendor who cannot give you a specific price or uses words like "ballpark" or "around" a certain price point. Don't be mislead however: sometimes they need additional information from you in order to give you an accurate price. But at the end of the conversation, once they know what you want, they should be able to offer you a solid quote. It's OK to make an emotional purchase, but don't rely ONLY on emotions: use your head as well.
Their service/product is the most important. It is natural that when you are talking to the florist, they will explain that the flowers are by far the most important purchase you'll make. Or a photographer will surely explain why his service is the most important, and therefore, why Photography should be the biggest part of your budget. And the list goes on. The truth is, each service is important in its own way. And how important is up to you. This is why it is crucial that you educate yourself on the service being offered, and make a priority list. This priority list should be YOUR priorities for your wedding, not what a website, or magazine tells you! But don't always take each vendors word for how "important" something is: Again, this is a way to make you think with your emotions. Instead, have them focus on telling you specifics about their product/service, and get an understanding as to how it will benefit your wedding.
They unreasonably inflate their prices. Working again on the theme of trying to push for the "emotional purchase", many vendors in the wedding industry inflate their prices, thinking you'll pay anything once you are emotionally attached. Making a profit is OK, this is, after all, how these people make a living, and they have to run their businesses at a profit. The trustworthy vendor is one who has a real cost-breakdown of the service he is offering...including labor, material, tax, overhead, and any other expenditure. He then prices his service at a reasonable profit margin. Now most vendors won't share this information with you, but if you ask a question like "where do you get this price from?" make sure that they don't start stuttering and looking uncomfortable: chances are, they are selling at that price, well, because they think you'll buy it at that price.
Keep these in the back of your head when planning your wedding, and you will have a much better chance at locating quality, trustworthy vendors. A quality vendor will do everything he/she can to make you happy and to make your wedding day a success. When in doubt, take a day or two away to think things over to ensure that you are making logical, not purely emotional, decisions.
Post your comments and/or email Tom with ideas for future article topics at info@cvideosolutions.com or www.cvideosolutions.com
Comments
Can you really put a price on art? A florist, designer, photographer, band, cake baker, etc is an artist. Is there a difference in the overhead between Pablo Picasso and a struggling recently graduated art student? Not much. But is there a difference in the end product? Very much so. That is precisely why some vendors (artists) are worth more than others.
Overall you give good advice. Education of the bride/groom is very important. The key is what is a commodity (table cloths, favors, food, invitations, bridesmaid dresses, tux rentals, tent rentals, wait staff, etc.) and what is TALENT (Entertainers, DJ, Photographer, Video Production). Talent is subjective, and good talent is not cheap, and cheap talent is not good! Experience, dedication, continuing education, proper licensing and insurance, National Association memberships and many other factors are very important too. Ask for references and meet ALL vendors in person before making a decision. Do NOT choose based on price, unless it is a TRUE commodity that you are purchasing!
Lots of great information here. The idea of giving more information to brides and grooms is always good. Any good sales person knows getting a customer to feel emotion is one of the best ways to make a sale. You also have to remember it IS a wedding, a once in a lifetime event that you do want everything to be perfect. The flowers do have to be beautiful, the ice sculpture has to be magnificent, the photographer has to capture all the right moments, the band has to be sharp, the MC/DJ has to be on, the food has to be great. It ALL has work seamlessly and none of them can be more important than the event. If the event were a Gala Award ceremony, a corporate holiday party or another important event - everyone of these professionals will still give there best but if the flowers aren't so beautiful, the ice sculpture is not so magnificent, the photographer misses some shots, the band doesn't get everyone up dancing or the MC/DJ isn't so good or the food isn't so great - "Oh well Next Year"
As a wedding vendor, I respect the opinion here-however, not everything we do HAS a price tag! For instance, as a cake artist, that IS what I am, I don't mark up my costs 50% & make it my price. I'm also not charging for JUST my labor either. My talents are worth SOMETHING. I have education that backs this up. As long as I keep my prices competitive to the local market-I don't OWE an explanation to my clients as to why I charge what I do. If it is an extraordinary amount over the competitive prices, then I have to prove my worthiness through my work & reputation. Some are willing to pay, some aren't. If their cake is one of the most important parts of their wedding, they will ask for a complicated & time consuming product, & they will pay for-and get exactly what they requested. If they choose something simple, that is fine too-less time that it takes, less of my talent it requires, & therefore, the cost is reflected. It's up to the client-I'm not the only game in town.
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