Expert Tips On Wedding Business Networking & Vendor Relationships With Carin Hunt

The wedding industry is so focused on referrals and relationships but how do you build and foster relationships with vendors without feeling awkward or pushy?

In this episode, I’m joined by Carin Hunt, a sales and marketing expert who will share her insights on how to strategically foster these relationships. We’ll dive into practical strategies that make networking feel natural and effective, from simple conversation starters to setting clear goals that help you connect with the right people.

Carin and I also discuss the importance of following up, staying top of mind, and creating meaningful collaborations with vendors that go beyond self-promotion.

If you’ve ever struggled with what you’re supposed to do at networking events or wondered how to make your connections more impactful, this episode is for you.

In this episode we’ll cover:

• Why the relationships your contacts have matter more than you think
• The 5 types of people in your life
• Why you need to share what you’re looking for with people you know
• How to start having conversations with people you know to get more word-of-mouth referrals for your wedding business
• Creating your “I help” statement
• How to start conversations at networking events
• How to make networking events work for your wedding business
• How to prepare for wedding industry networking events
• How to nurture relationships with vendors
• The steps to take to get more word-of-mouth business
• How to reach out to vendors you want to connect with

Expert Tips On Wedding Business Networking & Vendor Relationships With Carin Hunt

0:00:00 – Heidi Thompson
Hello there, my friend. I am your host, as always, Heidi Thompson, and I am all about helping wedding professionals of all different kinds book more of the clients that they love working with and build a business that gives you freedom and flexibility so you don’t have to work crazy 60 and 80 hour work weeks all the time. Now, you know just as well as I do that this industry is so relationship-heavy. There are so many wedding businesses that live and die by referrals and the relationships that they have.

It’s so important and you’ve probably heard you need to build relationships with vendors, you need to network, and I feel like it’s one of those things like if you talk about wanting to lose weight and people say, oh, you just need to eat healthier or oh, you just need to exercise, what the hell am I supposed to do with that? What does that mean specifically? What are the steps? What are the things that I can actually do?

Well, in today’s episode, I’ve brought on my friend, Carin Hunt, who is an expert in all things networking and relationship building, and she has so many practical strategies and ideas for you. I know you are going to get a ton out of this, so let’s get right into the interview with Carin.

Today I’m joined by Carin Hunt, who is coming to us with a lot of experience in sales and marketing for luxury venues, and when I saw that Carin talks about this topic, I was so excited because I feel like it’s something we all need. It’s something that’s the lifeblood of the wedding industry, but it’s not something we talk about in any sort of strategic way, and that is word of mouth. So, Carin, thank you so much for joining me today.

0:02:58 – Carin Hunt
Absolutely, Heidi. I’ve been following the podcast for a long time and I’m just honored to be able to be here and pour into all of your people for a long time and I’m just honored to be able to be here and pour into all of your people.

0:03:06 – Heidi Thompson
I was so excited when I saw that you like to talk about word of mouth, because I feel like, like you know, like I said, it’s one of those things that it’s like, if it happens, great, but it’s like there’s no way to engineer that. It just magically transpires or it doesn’t. So I’m curious how do you let me ask it this way how do you look at word of mouth, maybe in a way that might be different to how a lot of other wedding professionals look at it?

0:03:40 – Carin Hunt
Sure. So, going back in time, it was really how I got started and it was under the notion that it’s all about who you know, it’s all about using the people that you know to get to the places you want to go, and not to say that that’s not true, but that was kind of like the premise I went off of further down the line.

One of my favorite people in the industry later on said it’s not who you know, it’s who knows you, and I 100% back that, more so. But I was always just thinking like, okay, well, who could I use that I have in my circle right now and I hate to say use, but we do leverage relationships and I think it should be a two-way street. But it’s like who can I connect with or collaborate with and see how they can help me get where I need to go? And maybe there’s a way that I can help them.

And I mean it originally came down to my uncle, who sells Mercedes, and I reached out to him and he said that he had somebody he had just sold a convertible to who worked for a flagship hotel, and he reached out to him and they created a position for me as an intern when I was in college and that was like my very first like like large experience, like using word of mouth in that way yeah, that’s huge of just talking to somebody and just saying like, hey, do you know anybody who would be able to help me, you know, with my mission here, Um, and so you just don’t like it’s crazy, A lot of people don’t know, uh, who other people know, like you wind up being surprised.

It’s not like seven degrees to set to Kevin Bacon. You know, like people have connections. I recently met a designer who my cousin went to college with and now we’ve started a relationship, Um, and it’s just like they just went to college together, Like it wasn’t. It wasn’t like this big glorious thing and, um, but sometimes what the big glorious things come from those smaller conversations. So that’s just like a little snippet of how you can use word of mouth to make a big impact in your like where you’re going.

0:06:01 – Heidi Thompson
That’s really interesting. And I think it’s particularly interesting that you went into that situation when you were in college with that mindset of okay, do I know anybody that can help me figure this out? Figure out you know a position to get some experience in.

And that’s where I think a lot of people would stop if they’re putting any thought into this at all. But what you did was look at okay, what about the people they know? Because, as you said, we all have these networks, we all have relationships and you never know who knows someone that you know might be a perfect fit for what you’re looking for.

0:06:48 – Carin Hunt
Absolutely, and it’s um, there’s an this is going a little bit uh, in a different direction, but there’s an exercise that I do to help people get out of that stuck place of being like, well, who do I know and how do I know what connections they have? And I do an exercise around the five types of people that you have in your life and, based off those categories, you kind of decide who’s actually going to run with you towards your goals.

And another big part of it, too, is telling the people in your life what you’re trying to accomplish. I think a lot of times we hold that in and if people don’t know what you’re trying to you know what the end goal is here, they, they don’t even know how to help you. Or you know, and again you’ll be surprised by the ones who come out of the woodwork with opportunities.

0:07:37 – Heidi Thompson
Yeah, and I think you know, in that internship case, that’s the perfect situation where I feel like most people would just hold that in and that’s just the thing that you know they’re grinding and searching for and looking for and applying for. But instead of doing that, or in addition to doing that, looking at who are these people in your life and you don’t know who they know, you don’t know what they know, so just even letting them know hey, this is what I’m trying to accomplish. Do you know anybody who might be able to help? Is such a simple thing that I feel like almost nobody does.

0:08:18 – Carin Hunt
It’s true, I think a lot of times when we’re talking to other people, we tend to not tell them much about ourselves. We ask more questions, which is great, but again, I think it needs to be this two-way street of a relationship. We’ve been told so often to listen and not to speak or to take space.

I know we’ve been hearing that phrase a lot lately, so it is important to let people know where you’re going and so this translates into, you know, from my internship, right From when it all started up to now, where a when I’m retired from wedding planning now, but when I was a planner, it was like the more that we said that we were wedding planners, the more people were coming out saying, oh, you know, I know somebody or this person at the bank is getting married, or so-and-so.

And it was because we told people, because if you don’t tell them what you do, they won’t know what you do. And so that’s the next step is that once you’ve you’ve got the connections and you have a bit of a structure to your business, the next thing is to actually step out and start having those conversations and telling people what it is that you, that you actually are, you know what your services are. And just that small step it doesn’t seem again, it doesn’t. It’s not this big like glittery thing, but that small step it can make such a difference in your business and can move you forward so quickly.

0:09:50 – Heidi Thompson
What can that look like? Cause I know, like you said, we often feel a little weird talking about ourselves or feeling like we’re promoting ourselves when it’s in more of a casual conversation. But what could having those conversations with just the people in your life look like?

0:10:08 – Carin Hunt
So there are two big parts of it that I think can really help, uh, somebody who’s maybe a little timid or unsure where to start, um, the, the first being the I help statement. Um, I’m assuming that you know what I’m talking about. Um, for listeners who don’t know, it’s a statement of I help fill in the blank of who by doing what. Um, and then how you know how you do it the results, um.

So when you create this I help statement, what it does is and it can be just as simple as that, like I help couples to, you know, get married on the beach through my planning services, right, like, just whatever that simple sentence is.

And then you can kind of add in the adjectives and your own voice and I just put it in a planning perspective because that’s where I come from, but you can do it with any business. And when you have that, instead of walking into a room and somebody saying what do you do and you say, oh, I’m fill in the blank, just whatever your occupation is, now you actually have a sentence that embodies exactly what you do and when done right, it can differentiate you and create an interest, that the other person starts asking more questions, and it is really a way to kind of again like separate yourself from everybody else in the room who’s just giving the one word answer. So that’s a really great way to start and it’s you can do so much with that I help statement. I love how simple that is too, it is.

The crazy thing about all of this is that business doesn’t have to be hard and complicated, yet somehow we make it that way. I think we like the drama a little, maybe.

0:11:57 – Heidi Thompson
Yeah, I think you might be right. It’s like it feels like it should be hard, so we just make it hard.

0:12:01 – Carin Hunt
Yeah, and then we, you know we all like chat about it on the side, but sometimes I think we let it go. Yeah, and then we, you know, we all like chat about it on the side, but sometimes I think we let it go too far. And then, you know, burnout happens to, unfortunately, very talented people.

Yeah, and then the second thing that you can do something that I actually this is something that I’ve been I pulled from a book. Oh gosh, I have to remember what it is. I’ll let you know. It’s 92 Ways to Create Interesting Conversations, or something. It’s by Leah Lowndes, so I can get that to you afterwards.

So you’ll see, I know the audience can’t see, but you can even see my little icon here. I’m wearing this glittery duster and I wear it to all my networking events. Um, and you know, as often as I can, I live in Florida, so sometimes it’s like on my bag because it’s wicked hot down here. But people always ask, like, I see you wearing that all the time, or how cute is that? Like? And I have an entire story behind this duster as to why I wear it and how it relates to my business and what I’m trying to do.

And the nice thing about it is somebody else is starting the conversation, because it can be so daunting to walk into a situation, whether it’s you know, an event or to a new client that you’re trying to speak with, or even just like going out and cold calling. You know there’s having something of interest that makes you like I don’t want to say worth talking to, but like people feel that way, they’re like oh, they must be interesting.

And so I do that with other people too, where, for example, I would totally comment on your hair and tell you how much I want to dye my hair pink. So those little things, whether it’s like a red fedora or a brooch or some really cool kicks, like whatever it is that you want your signature to be, have that and have a story ready to go to kind of prompt that conversation noticed, even in just like my own day-to-day life.

0:14:28 – Heidi Thompson
My husband and I notice, like various cafes or restaurants or whatever, that we don’t go to that often, but they seem to remember us and I think it’s because I have purple hair and he’s English. Yeah, that’s all it is. It’s something to hook on to.

It’s interesting and I think we all want to connect, especially if we’re going to a networking event. It’s like the whole idea. But I love the idea of basically giving people an in to start a conversation with you. I feel like you’re doing people favors that way.

0:15:05 – Carin Hunt
Absolutely.

0:15:06 – Heidi Thompson
Cause it takes the pressure off yeah, like oh, I love your duster is so much easier than like oh hi, what do you do?

0:15:18 – Carin Hunt
this is awkward what do you like? Slowly walk up to those circles at the end yeah like I’m here and can I join your conversation? Like those days are I remember not, they’re not the best.

0:15:34 – Heidi Thompson
I’m curious how you navigate situations like that and like what kinds of conversations are you having at networking events? What kinds of like I mean, are you doing follow-up to foster those relationships?

0:15:50 – Carin Hunt
Yeah, this is a great question. It actually came up in my community recently. So what I see a lot of people do is they’ll go to a networking event hoping they’ll get connections right. That’s why we go to meet new people and all these things, and either A they’re a wallflower to meet new people and all these things, and either A they’re a wallflower. B they meet as many people as they can and, you know, bring home 50 business cards. Or C they find a friend and, you know, maybe they have a cocktail or two and forget that they’re at a networking event.

So all of the above will not help you get to where you’re trying to go and the purpose behind the networking event.

So my number one advice if you’re going to go to a networking event, if you can get the list ahead of time and pick out, like, five people that you want to connect with, or if you can’t see the list ahead of time because sometimes they don’t divulge that, if you can’t see the list ahead of time, because sometimes they don’t divulge that, you can just say, like, I want to meet this type of person, this type of business, and then that way you’re in and then know why you want to like if I meet, you know, a photographer, I want to meet five photographers because I really want to get new headshots or I really want to, you know, create a specific style, shoot whatever that, whatever you want to fill that blank in with.

But that way when you go, you’re going in with a purpose and you can actually get that task done, instead of just going in blindly and hoping and sometimes we get lucky and we meet the right person that takes us somewhere. But when you go in with a purpose, it’s just you know that you’re going to get something out of it.

0:17:32 – Heidi Thompson
I think, too, that also opens you up to being able to ask for that and conversations that you have. You’re talking to other business owners like hey, do you have headshots that you love? Do you have a photographer you’d recommend? Absolutely. I love that.

0:17:48 – Carin Hunt
It goes with sharing what it is you’re trying to accomplish.

0:17:53 – Heidi Thompson
I feel like it’s really easy to do this in a really weird way. Let me ask you when you say share what you want to accomplish, how are you doing that in a way that doesn’t come across as like I’m here to do this thing?

0:18:13 – Carin Hunt
Right, you don’t want to be aggressive. So when you go in a lot of times what I’ll do is I’ll ask. I’ll ask them first. So if I’m just in casual conversation, you know it’s more like you know, what, oh, what do you do?

Oh, okay, you know, do you have any big goals for the year?

And you kind of start it that way and then you say, yeah, you know, I’m working on this project and I’ve been trying to find somebody who can help me with a styled shoot. Maybe you know somebody, and so it’s more conversational and it’s always great.

Oh and I meant to mention this earlier, it’s always great to lead with some type of invitation or value, so you want to let people know that you’re open to working with them, or if you have some type of resource you can offer, maybe, whatever it is that they’re working on, you can say oh, there’s this amazing app that I think would be great for helping you schedule that.

You know, if they’re trying to like, like, research your arsenal and what you have and what you can offer, and even if it’s just to say like, hey, I think we should collaborate, like, can we connect after this? It could be as simple as that, but leading with value can really help soften a conversation and help people kind of open up to you a little bit more.

0:19:33 – Heidi Thompson
Yeah, cause I think that’s the opposite of what most people do is go into these in sort of a transactional manner, and so a lot of the conversations they have are very face value, they’re very transactional, and I love the idea of looking at like, okay, how can I help people?

And, just in your mind, be looking out for you know someone saying, oh, you know, I’m really struggling with this, or I’m really looking for this, and being able to be like oh, I think I know a resource that would help you, or I think I know an app or a person or service provider that would help you, and that’s such a feel-good way of connecting.

0:20:11 – Carin Hunt
And this all has to do with preparation. Like no, no, ahead of time. I went to a networking meeting recently and the majority were coming. They all knew each other. They, you know, it was more of just like friends getting together. And then someone from across the room who I knew, more of just like friends getting together.

And then someone from across the room who I knew, uh, came in a little bit later, pointed at me and mouths to me I need to speak with you. And I was like okay, and she knew, she knew I was going to be there and she knew exactly why she wanted to talk to me and she came with her purpose and she left, you know, with what she needed. And that was because she planned ahead of time, knowing why she was coming and what she needed.

And a lot of times I think it’s like, oh, I rushed over here after I was done with work or after this call, and there was really no thought process before showing up. And then, when you get there, you’re like okay, what do I actually need?

And it’s almost too late at that point. So, if you’re going to go to a networking event or, you know, an industry event or to a business and introducing yourself, whatever it looks like. Just really making sure that you’ve evaluated why you’re going and how you can show up. Evaluate why you’re going and how you can show up.

0:21:31 – Heidi Thompson
I love that. It’s the forethought and I think you’re right. A lot of us just rush off to these things because it’s just the next thing on our schedule without really thinking about okay, what do I want to get out of this, who do I need to talk to, who do I need to connect with? And having that level of intention behind it, I’m sure, absolutely changes your results.

0:21:53 – Carin Hunt
A hundred percent. And the other thing is to go. Don’t skip out on the networking events, because that’s going to be what helps to get you to the next place in your business. It’s so valuable. It’s so much more valuable than clearing out your inbox that day.

0:22:11 – Heidi Thompson
You know, I feel like it’s a bit like if you are open to sharing what you’re working on, what you’re looking for, and not being closed off, just, I think, putting yourself out there of, hey, I’m really looking for this. Do you know anybody? It’s so simple, but it can feel so nerve-wracking for people to ask that.

0:22:32 – Carin Hunt
Mm-hmm.

0:22:35 – Heidi Thompson
So obviously, networking events are a big part of building relationships, and fostering relationships. What else do you recommend people to do in order to really foster that word-of-mouth marketing?

0:22:54 – Carin Hunt
Sure. So one one big thing is figuring out who your ideal client is. I feel like we need a new word for ideal client, I know, right, like, but the truth is we all are looking for that person, right? So figuring out who that is, I think you know, a lot of times we’re just kind of throwing everything out there, hoping somebody will buy it, uh, and, and what happens is it’s almost like you’re spreading yourself too thin instead of saturating yourself in the right market.

So a way that I kind of work with my clients on this is I’m like okay, well, let’s look at this. Are you here for the DIY budget client, or are you here for the elaborate luxury client, or are you somewhere in the middle? That’s cool too, but where are we? Okay, and then where are those people showing up? So I believe it was Lamborghini that said we don’t do TV commercials because that’s not where our client is, and so my rebuttal to that is I bet you’re not going to see a Cheetos ad in Success magazine, like. You know what I mean. So we want to make sure that we’re showing up in the areas that our clients are showing up.

It’s just a different way to think about it. So you just want to do an audit of where you are and then, once you know who your client is, now it’s time to show up in those spaces. I was just talking to somebody and she’s deciding which association she’s going to be a part of and she’s like I’m really trying to break into the luxury market and so I’m considering these two associations to join because they’re more to that level.

I said absolutely, that’s where your clientele is, and when you’re thinking clients, it’s not just the couples or the customer, it’s the people you’re collaborating with too, because if you’re working, if you’re trying to get to a luxury level, you need to start uh, you know, speaking to the people who work in the luxury market. So it’s kind of it’s growing your network in that way into those spaces. I hope that answered your question.

0:24:58 – Heidi Thompson
Yeah, yeah, and I think that’s a really good point, that it’s not just about the end client because so much of what we do in this industry is just insanely collaborative because we’re all working on the same event, we’re doing different things in different ways, but we all have different touch points with that client.

And I think you know it’s very easy to overlook the relationships with other vendors and it’s also very easy to feel weird about building those relationships. I’m curious do you have any advice for people who they know they want to build relationships with other vendors, or other venues, but they don’t really know how to reach out to the person to start that conversation without it feeling like they’re asking for something? What would you say to that person?

0:26:01 – Carin Hunt
One is you don’t know until you ask. Yeah, I think a lot of times we’re just too afraid to even ask and we assume that the answer is a no, but it’s it’s not a no until you ask and it’s, it’s usually a not right now.

Right, so that that would be the first thing, but I do know what you mean. Like again going into that, like we don’t want to be aggressive and like, uh, selfish about the way we’re asking for things. So my suggestion is A who have you worked with that falls into that category, and maybe go back and see if there’s a way that you can showcase them again.

If you’re working with new vendors that you’re excited to work with, you wanna continue that relationship. How can you create, like during that client journey, how can you also involve the vendors in that?

I feel like so often when I was planning and not like I was planning, but like the DJ was also doing his planning and the officiant was also doing planning calls to build the ceremony, so everybody has this like customer journey with a couple how can you start connecting with the vendors that are all collaborating on this? One day, well before the day, Like can we host a Zoom all together to get to know each other a little bit more and kind of create this like family for the couple.

And then it’s and I and I like deep dive into this when it’s vendors that you know that you want to continue relationships with far after this wedding and that I mean, the amount of referrals you’re going to get just by doing that is going to be insane. And then the last thing is if it’s somebody who’s like new, right, You’ve never spoken to them. You’ve stalked them on Instagram, like as far as you’ve gone.

So what I would recommend is calling, if you can, to schedule a call or in-person meeting would be better. Or if you are going to DM somebody on Instagram, write a little note like hi, I’m Carin Hunt, Super excited to connect with you, and then leave a voice memo Speaking to somebody like it’s so much more powerful than just sending a cold message or a cold email.

There were so many times when I was working at the luxury venue down here in the Keys where we would just get people that were asking to be on vendor lists and I’m like, if you’re emailing me this and you’re not coming to actually meet with me or get to know anything about our property.

Sorry, I’m not even going to answer your email, but if you’re going to call me and set up a meeting, I had a photographer come. They took photos around the property. They sent them to us to use, like that’s where you lead with service. You’re coming, you’re creating that relationship. You’re offering, you know, maybe a deal for the first bride, Like, if you want it, like, work for it. It’s not going to happen just by like a cold email or DM.

0:28:48 – Heidi Thompson
Yeah, I think that’s where a lot of us stop is like you kind of reach out to somebody, and then it just kind of fizzles and falters and you don’t do anything to really try to nurture that relationship. And I think something as simple as you know putting a small amount of time into your calendar on a daily basis to go find ways to connect with these people, go find ways to have a conversation with these people I feel like it’s just one of those things that like it’s not going to get done if you don’t specifically set aside time to do it. At least I know that’s how I work.

0:29:30 – Carin Hunt
I know that’s always the thing. It’s like this sounds great here, but where’s the time? That’s a whole different episode, but it’s possible.

0:29:39 – Heidi Thompson
Yeah, so are you recommending to your clients that, like they set aside time to use for like, basically cultivating these relationships and nurturing these relationships, just basically like staying top of mind? Yeah, absolutely.

0:29:56 – Carin Hunt
So what I teach is theme days and time blocking.

So Wednesdays are what I call my community day, so I try and trickle it in throughout the week, but it’s like, if it’s a crazy week and I just don’t have time like Wednesday is the day that I know I’m going to get it done this week. Right, that way it keeps some type of consistency.

And I know my old boss loves carrot muffins and we have a great relationship and, uh, they’ve been able to support my new business in different ways. So I wanted to make sure I went and gave her these muffins as like a thank you, you know, and kind of rub elbows again down that way. So I went ahead and did that.

Then I make sure that I’m engaging in my community, I’m reaching out to my community, I’m reaching out to my clients, I’m reaching out to a few people that I want to work with. Like, I make sure that my community day is structured in a way that I’m creating new opportunities down the line for celebration pros.

0:30:58 – Heidi Thompson
Yeah, I feel like relationships are very much one of those things that it doesn’t happen overnight. And it’s like gardening. You have to plant a seed and then you have to nurture it and you have to water it and you have to care for it and then eventually something grows out of it, and it doesn’t happen if you’re just going around planting seeds and not doing anything with that.

0:31:29 – Carin Hunt
Absolutely. I just downloaded one of those apps where it’s like a QR and it like downloads all your information to someone else’s phone. It’s like a digital business card. The one I use is Blinq, so they have a free option and it’s been so great.

And the reason this came up is because when, when I’m picturing you planting seeds, I’m, and so they have a free option and it’s been so great because what will happen? And the reason this came up is that when, when I’m picturing you planting seeds, I’m like business card, business card, business card, and, personally, I feel like business cards are kind of dead in the way of like they just get stacked up and a lot of times we forget who handed them to us.

So with Blinq, what’s really cool is it shoots your information to their phone and gives them the opportunity to do the same back to your phone, and then you can actually go back to that day and say, ok, well, at the networking event last Thursday, here’s all the people that I met, and then you can kind of send, you can connect with them more. So I’ve really been enjoying that.

It’s Blinq, b-l-i-n-q, and people are impressed, they’re like look at this and they get like excited and pull out their phone. So it’s like another talking point too. It’s a fun new thing but like planting the seeds, I’m like gosh, that’s just like business in general, we think it’s going to happen so fast and it’s like you know, some of it’s a shorter game, but a lot of it is a long game of building.

Honestly, if, like you, were to throw someone green into the luxury space or into, like a high production type of environment, it would be like throwing somebody to the wolves, and so sometimes it’s. You know, it’s the experience and the wisdom that we learn along the way that gives value down the line.

0:33:06 – Heidi Thompson
Yeah, and I think we need to think long-term. It’s very easy to get stuck in that short-term thinking of, like well, I need bookings now. Like, yeah, but you’re going to need them next year and the year after and the year after that, so this is well worth your time. Yes, yes, if someone was going to take just a few actions to try to improve or even just try to first create a word-of-mouth marketing strategy, as it just kind of serendipitously happened in the past, what would you recommend they do?

0:33:44 – Carin Hunt
Okay, so what you’re going to do, you’re going to, you know, decide your ideal client, even if it’s just from a financial perspective, like how much is your ideal client willing to spend, you know. Then you can kind of hone in on okay, where are they showing up?

So when you do that, you also can come up with an idea of the types of vendors and collaborations, collaborators that you could work with. So I’m just going to again, I’m going to go to planner, because that’s who I am, but for a planner, say, you’re in the DIY space or in a budget-friendly space, and you say, okay, so who do I need to connect with?

Venues, florists, photographers, okay, who are three people in each category that match my ideal client that I could collaborate with, right? So you’re going to write down three venues that you haven’t connected with yet, three photographers and three what did I say florists. And you can do this.

You know photographers, you pick out who your three are, DJs, you pick out who your three are, and so on and so forth, and then you make a plan over the next 14 days to schedule in-person or phone call meetings with those people. And that’s just the first step, and it’s. It’s that simple really.

0:35:06 – Heidi Thompson
I love that. Do you have any recommendations for making that request? Like hey, I would love to get to know your business more. It seems like we have the same ideal client.

0:35:17 – Carin Hunt
Yeah, absolutely Okay. So this is very similar to say pitching a podcast, right? So obviously I’ve known you virtually for some time. I jumped onto your podcast. I found a couple of episodes that I really enjoyed, and when I reached out to Heidi and said I wanted to be on the podcast, what did I do?

I said these were two podcast episodes that I thought were really insightful and was really impressed by, and I really think that our mutual audiences could benefit from this conversation. So do your homework ahead of time and say, say it’s a venue, and see what they have coming up or maybe they just created a new space, or maybe they announced new packages, or maybe there’s something about their venue that relates to what you do and kind of like, start off on that relational aspect so that there’s like a common ground and then that’s going to make the conversation and that uh, that open door feels so much more natural.

0:36:26 – Heidi Thompson
Yeah, I think that is the trick to making it feel natural because for a lot of people, it can definitely feel awkward and scary and I don’t know like we’re somehow gonna get rejected and everything’s going to fall apart, which realistically that’s not going to happen apart, which realistically that’s not going to happen.

But to your point about when you reached out to me, something I definitely want to call attention to isn’t just that specificity which, yes, is important and shows you’re paying attention but also you propose talking about this topic and talking about how the listeners of this podcast would benefit from it. You weren’t like I want to talk and I want to talk because I want to talk, you know. It was like I have this topic and I think it would be really helpful to your people.

As you know so many of our bookings in the wedding industry come from word of mouth and a lot of people. It’s random, it’s haphazard. Imagine what would happen if you had some sort of strategy behind it that is so different from hey, feature me, which I have 100% gotten and is very interesting to receive, and guess what? Nobody responds to those kinds of things.

0:37:49 – Carin Hunt
It’s so true. The truth of the matter is those people are probably not even going to follow up with what their original proposal was, because it’s follow through, like the people who care and the vendors who come forth in this way of service and collaboration and heart and you know, again, kind of being on that same playing fields, they’re the ones who are going to follow through on the deliverables. And I have people who have come to me asking why am I not on your vendor list? And I’m like, well, that’s not going to get you on it, you know. And it goes back to like let’s not be aggressive.

Every time I just like picture cheer not be aggressive. I just picture cheerleaders in my head every time we say aggressive.

But um yeah, I mean there’s a right way and a…I don’t want to say a wrong way, because you know, I think that we do learn by falling, you know, getting up and seeing what we did in the past. But that’s why we have these conversations is so that you can do it the right way the first time. Or you can see in what we’re having in this conversation like, oh okay, well, clearly, if I had led with service, that conversation probably would have gone a little differently. So hopefully today gives some light on other people’s experiences and helps them move forward. Yeah.

0:39:05 – Heidi Thompson
I think it’s very eye-opening. It’s just, it’s really just like a mindset shift and how you have to approach it and look at like, okay, how can I help this person, how can I serve this person, knowing that it’s one of those like perpetual, what goes around comes around, kind of things. So, Carin, for people who want to learn more from you, for people who would love to create a strategy around this and would love some help, where can they go to connect with you?

0:39:38 – Carin Hunt
Sure. So I like to note on the Facebook community. First, it’s a free Facebook community. It’s Celebration Pros, all capitals. You’ll see my face, that’s the one. And basically I do a couple of free workshops a month or Q&A sessions. I drop resources in there. We do the quarterly life panels, and all the information is in there.

But not only that. You know there’s that professional growth side to it. But you’re also in with you know tens, hundreds of other professionals just like you that are growth-minded and I think being a part of a community that’s all growth-minded and looking to take the next steps in their business, like we can all kind of lock arms and rise together.

So I think that’s an even more powerful part of the community and it’s, you know, it’s free. So it’s a great way if you’re just dabbling in all of this, to kind of get your feet wet in, uh, what this space looks like. Um, so that’s where I like to start. My website is CarinHunt.com, so you can learn more about how to work with me. If you are looking for a more one-on-one style, I offer that as well.

0:40:56 – Heidi Thompson
Wonderful. Thank you so much and thank you for sharing this with us.

0:41:00 – Carin Hunt
Yes absolutely, Heidi. Thank you, this was fabulous. Thank you so much for having me on.

0:41:05 – Heidi Thompson
I hope that was helpful for you and you got some ideas about what you can actually do, and what the actual steps are to, yes, build relationships with other vendors, but also foster those relationships, because relationships take regular care.

You know, we’re planting seeds, we have to take care of these, and it’s really easy to let them go when things get busy. You will be able to find everything we talked about today all the links over at evolveyourweddingbusinesscom/287. And when you go over there, you will also find the link to my membership, The Wedding Business Collective.

If you want to create a marketing plan, if you want to create a clear strategy, a clear roadmap for yourself to follow of okay, this is exactly what I’m doing for my marketing, this is how I’m going to do it, and it’ll all be backed by strategy…you want to join us inside The Wedding Business Collective.

You’ll see the link in the show notes and you can join us in there and start putting your marketing plan together, because I feel like the problem a lot of people run into is they start off on a new strategy, like relationship building, like networking, but they don’t have a plan. They don’t have a way of making sure that they’re following through, they’re doing the things that are actually going to move the needle for them.

That is so much of what your marketing plan does for you. So come join us in The Wedding Business Collective, if that does sound like something you need. You can also send me a DM on Instagram with all capitals WBC, and it will send you the direct link to The Wedding Business Collective, if that’s easier for you.

Over on Instagram, I am @evolveyourweddingbusiness and while you’re over there, let me know what you learned from this episode and what you are going to implement. Thank you so much for taking the time to join me today, and I will speak to you again very soon.

About Carin Hunt

Carin Hunt, CEO of Celebration Pros, leads a dynamic community of ambitious wedding professionals determined to break through their glass ceiling of doubts and achieve the success they so desire and deserve. With her innovative Champagne Logic approach, Carin collaborates with clients in both group and one-on-one settings, uncorking the potential in their businesses, refining structures, and toasting to valuable connections. Drawing on 15 years of experience in luxury hospitality and event management, she empowers creative entrepreneurs to build businesses worth celebrating through a hands-on learning style. Her insights can be found in publications such as Special Events, Catersource, Today, and Rising Tide Society.

Passionate about promoting success, Carin engages in community leadership, podcast hosting, and public speaking, all while relishing the sunny island life with her family in the Florida Keys.

Website: www.carinhunt.com
Instagram: @celebrationpros
Celebration Pros Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/502691684914836

 

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Links & Resources:

The Wedding Business Collective
Blinq
How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships
Episode 220: Networking That Doesn’t Feel Awkward & Sleazy with Sara Alepin
Episode 196: The Right Way To Networking With Wedding Vendors with Megan Gillikin
Episode 172: How To Make Networking Work For Your Wedding Business with Kevin Dennis

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