Homeward Bound Food For Thought Friday: Preparedness – A Secret To Success

Good Morning Everybody,

Only two cities to go – Las Vegas next Monday and Honolulu on Wednesday.  It’s a dirty job but somebody’s got to do it;~)  We get the weekend off and plan to regroup, repack and head back out Sunday evening.  Hey, why not join us at one of these exotic locations and write off the trip – I think your accountant would approve.

We wrapped Nashville last night in a room that was a somewhat different and very eclectic  in it’s style and shape. The room looked like an airplane hanger – it was gigantic! The cheering crowd of over 150 attendees sure didn’t mind – our door prize winners were really excited too jumping, leaping, screaming and dancing in the aisles.  

I still can’t believe the DWUC tour is about over.  I know, lot’s of folks are wondering what are our plans for next year?  We are already on a few ideas.  Stay tuned – I’ll keep you posted.

LaDawn and I are hitting the road early today so we can get back home early this afternoon and check in with the home team so let’s get right to today’s post.

Preparedness – A Secret To Success

In the marketing section of my DWUC tour I talk about being prepared when walking into any meeting with a local wedding vendor to discuss with them about recommending you to their clients.  So many people are thrilled just getting that chance to have the meeting.  But many squander the opportunity.  Why? Because they are not fully prepared for the meeting and miss important talking points that may convince the wedding vendor to recommend them over the competition.

I think it’s vitally important to spend about a hour the day before  preparing for that meeting.  Ask yourself what talking points you might expect that the vendor may raise.  What talking points do you want to bring to their attention during that meeting? 

More importantly, can you identify your own uniqueness in just a few sentences?  Can you convey your passion for your photography and your style?  This stuff takes practice if you want to maximize the benefit of that meeting.

Don’t forget to think about what you can do for them, too. This meeting, (opportunity) is not about “them just doing for you.”  This is a relationship building exercise you are involved in.  If you do enough for them, they will indeed “do for you.”

I hope you are NOT missing my point. Walking into a meeting as important as this opportunity could be for you and your business should not be taken lightly. Be prepared.

Those of us that enjoy Robin Williams’ humor see him to be a totally off the wall, spontaneous comedian.  The truth of the matter is that in the “business”, he is considered the most totally prepared comic working in the field.  That “spontaneity” is totally prepared - so it looks spontaneous when we see him perform.

The bottom line is this, you have to prepare for success and you’ve got to be prepared for success once it begins to strike. That’s why successful people ARE successful. They have plans and preparations in place – they have always been prepared.

Food for thought ---

Hey gang, that’s it for me today. LaDawn and I are trying to catch a little break over the weekend and hope you get a chance to do the same.  How about I catch up with you on the flip side of the weekend from Las Vegas.  I’m packing my lucky pixels with me so let’s plan to catch up next week.  See ya’ then.  -David