Why You Aren’t Getting Enough Good Leads (And What To Do About It)

So many wedding pros have told me this year that they’re not getting enough leads or they’re not getting enough good leads.

Maybe it’s a weird dip from dating coming to a screeching halt during the pandemic, maybe it’s the economy, maybe it’s something else happening in the world.

But we can’t do anything about those. What we can address, is the root cause of not getting enough good leads in any economic climate.

And it’s the same root cause as SO many problems wedding pros face like…

• Ghosting
• Price shopping
• Losing perfect clients to your competitors
• Hearing things like “we went in another direction” all the time
• Feeling like you can’t raise your prices
• The frustration you feel because you’re doing all the things you’re supposed to but not getting the leads & bookings you need
• And sooooo many other problems that plague wedding pros!

What is the root cause? Listen to this episode to find out!

In this episode we’ll cover:

• Why so many wedding pros are getting fewer leads
• Why you’re getting ghosted
• How you can stop getting ghosted by potential clients
• Why you can’t copy someone else’s plan
• The 5 second test most wedding pros don’t pass
• Why price shopping isn’t actually a sign you need to lower your prices
• How to create your own category so you stop getting compared
• Why you have to stand out in a saturated market if you want to get booked
• How to solve the root cause of all of these problems in your business

Why You Aren’t Getting Enough Good Leads (And What To Do About It)

Soooooo many wedding pros have told me this year that they’re not getting enough leads or they’re not getting enough good leads.

Maybe it’s a weird dip from dating coming to a screeching halt during the pandemic, maybe it’s the economy, maybe it’s something else happening in the world.

But we can’t do anything about those.

What we can address, is the root cause of not getting enough good leads in any economic climate.

And it’s the same root cause as SO many problems wedding pros face like…

• Ghosting
• Price shopping
• Losing perfect clients to your competitors
• Hearing things like “we went in another direction” all the time
• Feeling like you can’t raise your prices
• The frustration you feel because you’re doing all the things you’re supposed to but not getting the leads & bookings you need
• And sooooo many other problems that plague wedding pros!

What is that root cause? Not standing out.

I’m seeing this rear its head through different issues in different businesses but the root cause is the same.

Let’s talk about a few of these issues.

First up – Ghosting

If your leads aren’t a perfect fit for you and they don’t believe that you’re the perfect fit for them, you’re going to get a lot of ghosting.

When it comes to figuring out why you’re getting ghosted, most experts jump to troubleshooting your inquiry response.

But that’s too late.

Why?

Most ghosting actually starts WAY before the inquiry and it can be stopped by pre-qualifying.

And what I mean by that is when I go to your website, it’s not clear who you’re for, who you work with specifically, what you do, and why you’re different.

If you’re just another planner, just another floral designer, just another stationer in your city, couples are gonna compare you to everyone else and the only differentiating factor at that point is price.

So OF COURSE they’re gonna focus on that. It’s not that they went into it to planning to focus on that, it’s that nobody differentiating themselves forces them into this position.

Now, if you are the photographer for couples who love their tattoos and wanna show them off and not cover ’em up in their wedding photos, and they’re all things Offbeat Bride, or if you’re the go-to planner for American couples who wanna get married in France but don’t speak a lick of French but they know that that’s where they want to be, you stand out and you get booked!

You put yourself into your own category and it allows you to own that category.

All of a sudden you’re not any old photographer or videographer, DJ, planner, you are the clear best choice for your ideal client. There’s the vanilla that is everybody else, and there’s you.

So who do you want to be the go-to person for? That needs to ooze out of every facet of your marketing.

I need to see it in 5 seconds when I land on your website.

All of this has to come across before the inquiry, or you are totally setting yourself up to get ghosted.

How does this apply to price shoppers?

When I first started my business, I remember thinking that price was what people cared about most and it held me back. I tried to offer courses and services at super low prices to stop getting ghosted and appease price shoppers but it didn’t work.

Why?

Because the issue wasn’t actually the price.

And I see this play out with wedding pros all the time.

If I had a dollar for every time I heard wedding professionals say “All couples care about is the price” I would be a very wealthy woman.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand how frustrating it is when your potential client seems fixated on the price and can’t see the value you provide.

But all they care about is price? That’s simply not true.

According to The Wedding Report, “When couples were asked if price was the determining factor when hiring a wedding vendor, 80% said NO.”

Saying that all people care about is price isn’t just wrong, it’s an excuse that is preventing you from improving your business. If you can blame those silly people who only care about price, it’s not your fault.

And I totally get why we tend to do it!

The truth is the price is a factor, but it’s not the determining factor.

What people REALLY care about is value, and it’s your job to communicate the value of what you have to offer and why they should work with you instead of someone else.

You have to connect the dots between what you offer and what they care about.

The truth is, you can stop getting ghosted without slashing your prices. It’s easy to interpret ghosting as “I guess I’m charging too much” but it’s not about competing on price.

Sometimes it’s actually the opposite and lower prices result in more ghosting.

As long as you blend in with the competition, potential clients are going to price shop.

The solution is to stop blending in and stand out as the go-to so it’s an apples-to-oranges comparison.

How does not standing out apply to a saturated market?

“I’m in a really saturated market”

“There are so many competitors”

“The whole wedding market is oversaturated!”

I’ve heard all of these things from wedding pros from all over the world. It’s true, the market is saturated but why does the conversation always seem to end there?

I enjoy complaining about things as much as the next person but at a certain point, something has to change.

So what are we gonna do about it? That’s all that really matters, right?

When ANY market gets saturated, you have to stand out. It’s not a nice-to-have anymore. It’s essential.

It used to be that there was one bakery in an area.

Off the top of my head, I can think of a bakery near me that’s the go-to for bagels, another that’s the go-to for sandwiches, and yet another that’s the go-to for croissants. And they’re all thriving!

That’s because they stopped trying to compete in the “bakery” category and created their own category that they could dominate. You need to do the same thing.

So many problems like ghosting, price shopping, and feeling like you can’t raise your prices all come from this same root problem. You’re not standing out.

Let me ask you something: Why should a couple book YOU instead of any of your competitors?

I know that may sound harsh, but it’s a question you need to answer in your marketing if you want to stand out and book more weddings.

If couples don’t know why you’re the perfect fit for them, they’ll compare you to your competitors, and that usually results in them comparing you based on price.

That’s why this challenge is all about making sure you stand out from your competition so couples know within 5 seconds if you’re the perfect fit for them or not.

This is the solution to:

• Ghosting
• Price shopping
• Losing perfect clients to your competitors
• Hearing things like “we went in another direction” all the time
• Feeling like you can’t raise your prices
• The frustration you feel because you’re doing all the things you’re supposed to but not getting the leads & bookings you need
• And sooooo many other problems that plague wedding pros!

Now I know telling you to “just stand out” isn’t going to help you.

That’s why I’m going to show you EXACTLY which steps to take to make sure you stand out as the go-to person for your ideal client.

And I’m doing that in the totally free Stand Out & Get Booked Challenge which starts May 20th!

Over 5 days we’ll cover 5 steps to stand out & get booked and by the end of the 5-day training you’ll clearly stand out from your competition. That means more leads and bookings and less ghosting and price shopping!

So if that sounds like something you need, go grab your free ticket at www.evolveyourweddingbusiness.com/challenge

The actionable trainings in this challenge will take you through EXACTLY what you need to do to stand out as the go-to choice for your ideal clients no matter how much you charge and I’ll be with you all week helping you take action!

This challenge is happening May 20th-24th and replays will be available for those who sign up.

Go get your free ticket at www.evolveyourweddingbusiness.com/challenge!

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Links & Resources:

The Stand Out & Get Booked Challenge – get your free ticket!
Episode 187: What To Do If Your Wedding Business Is Attracting Price Shoppers
Episode 195: Why So Many Wedding Pros Are Getting Ghosted

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