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Greetings!
Well we have weathered the storm(s) and have been
blessed with some beautiful weather this week! We
hope everyone has had the opportunity to enjoy the
spring sunshine and fresh air. We also hope everyone
survived the crazy spring storms this month without
two many scratches.
It's hard to believe that the summer bridal show
season is right around the corner. Booths are filling
quickly for the upcoming Dallas Bridal Show on July
12-13 and the Fort Worth Bridal Show on July 19-20.
Call us today to reserve your booth!
| Staff Changes |
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Bonnie Crumpton
As most of you know, Bonnie has been with Bridal
Shows, Inc. for over 5 and 1/2 years, and has evolved
through many different roles. She recently has
changed positions to take on the Wedding
Professionals Business Conference as well as
continuing various other special projects. She is
excited about the upcoming conference on November
19th and hopes to see all of you there!
Trina Smith
A new addition to our team, Trina has taken on
Bonnie's previous position as Account Executive. Her
goal is to help businesses exhibit in the bridal shows
to imrpove and grow their businesses!
Veronica Rogers-Campbell
We are pleased to introduce Veronica as a new
Account Executive as well. We have added this
position due to positive growth within the company.
Veronica will also be
working on different special projects including the
events surrounding our upcoming 20th Anniversary
Celebration in January.
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| Exhibiting 101: Review |
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Thank you to everyone that joined us for the
Exhibiting
101 seminar on Thursday, April 10th, at the
Special Moments Chapel in Lewisville, TX.
We had a fantastic showing and were impressed
by
all the professionals that were eager to learn.
Although the seminar ran later, everyone stayed until
the end which shows how much each attendee valued
networking and knowledge.
Listed below are just a few of the testimonials we
received from the event:
"I feel inspired by what Naomi said and will be
taking my business to the next level."
~Patrice Crisp
"This seminar gave me tremendous insight into
what brides look for at tradeshows."
~Chris Cowan, Confetti Rentals
"Thank you for the opportunity to attend the
Exhibiting 101 Seminar. The Seminar was very
informative and gave me insight on what to expect at
the Fort Worth Bridal Show."
~Frances Reed, Distinct Elegance
"I wanted to tell you again how much I LOVED the
Exhibiting 101 seminar. It was so informative & fun. I
am very glad I was able to go."
~Amber Meharg, Perfection Weddings & Events
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| Thank You for Your Donations! |
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One of the highlights of the Exhibiting 101 seminar
was the many door prizes that were given away. With
so many winners, several people got more than their
money's worth in door prizes alone!
We wanted to take this opportunity to publicly thank the
many companies that donated door prizes for the
event.
Thank you to the following companies...
- Candy Haven
- Custom Creations by Kelly
- Delicious Cakes
- Fun Unlimited
- Homemade Gourmet -
- Lia Sophia -
- Mary Kay -
- Metro Musical Band
- Premier Designs - Pat Lorocco
- Premier Designs - Sherry Gilliam
- Tea 'N Mystery
- Temptations Parties
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| Wedding Professionals Business Conference |
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We are gearing up for the Wedding Professionals
Business Conference on November 19th and can't
wait to be inspired and motivated with everyone in
attendance at this business-to-business event.
As has been requested by past attendees we are
working to have more exhibitors this year so that you
can meet with business professionals focused on
building small businesses. Part of this effort involves
participating in various meet-up events and
networking groups.
On Monday, April 28th we promoted the conference at
the "DFW
Do-It-Yourself PR Mega Networking Event and
Business Expo" held at the Studio Movie Grill in
Addison. (see picture above) We had a lot of fun, and
more importantly were able to meet many interesting
professionals!
We are also looking forward to being a sponsor at the
"Bob Burg's Endless Referrals LIVE"
on June 24, 2008. This is going to be another great
opportunity for learning, as well as promoting the
Conference!
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Naomi's Notes: "Sales--Asking the Right Questions"
by: Naomi Hulme |
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To build a relationship of trust, we must show we
care by asking the right questions. Whether you are a
one-person business or the leader of a sales team,
we all need to learn the art of asking questions. This
is a life time of learning. Every year I learn something
new in this department. I think communication is
asking questions and sincerely listening to the
answers. The benefit is that others will then be more
willing to listen to you. In the book, "Power Phrases!
The Perfect Words to Say it Right and Get the Results
you Want," by Meryl Runion," she writes "When you
listen, listen as though you were going to be tested on
what they say. Listen for the three crucial points: what
do they think, what do they feel, and what do they
want."
We are all in sales no matter what our position is.
We either sell someone about (1) believing in us and
our product or service, or (2) a new movie we saw or a
new book we read or a new product we bought and
liked, or (3) not liking something that was listed in #2,
or (4) persuading someone in our family to do
something that we want them to do, etc. I think you get
the picture. We can all persuade someone else in
some way.
With the leads that you get either from shows or
wedding publications or websites, it is imperative that
you work those leads persistently. So many that I talk
to may only contact their leads 3 or 4 times. This is
not enough. Those companies that are working their
leads up to 12 to 15 times are the ones getting the
most business. Remember to contact your leads until
they tell you to go away. So many times they will be
glad that you were persistent because they were busy,
also. When you contact your leads, think of as many
questions as you can that will help you through the
sales process. The right questions can actually create
real interest.
In this article, we are going to pretend that you are
an invitation business, even though these questions
can be adapted to whatever business you are in.
What questions could you ask potential customers?
Some of the following are very basic but can lead to
many other in-depth questions. These are not in any
particular order and are intended to give you a few
ideas which will challenge you to think up other
questions that are relevant to your business and that
will help produce results.
To Brides:
- Have you ordered your invitations yet?
- What can we do to make your invitations special?
- What is a unique feature that you want on your
invitations?
- What ideas do you have?
- Would you mind if we brainstormed here for a few
hours with our team and get back with you?
- Can we show you some of our ideas that might
work with what you are wanting?
- What are some of the unique things that you are
doing with your wedding? Maybe we could incorporate
some of those ideas within the invitation.
- What colors are you planning to use?
- Approximately how many invitations will you need?
- Do you also want "Save the Date" invitations for a
reminder a few months out?
- Do you have an idea of your budget for this part of
the wedding?
- How important are invitations in your planning
process?
- What can we do to make you feel very positive
about doing business with us?
- Is it okay if we email you monthly specials and
updates with new information and ideas?
- Can we keep you on a mailing list even after the
wedding for other invitation needs? Such as birthdays,
births, proms, anniversaries, parties, etc.?
- Can we help you in finding another vendor for any
other part of your wedding?
So many wedding businesses have the potential
for other types of business-anniversaries, births,
proms, birthdays, parties, Business to Business,
which can create many other questions for you to
consider.
The key is to be creative and brainstorm and jot
down any question that you can think of and then
refine those questions to be the right question for the
right customer. Care about helping the person and
the right questions will come to mind.
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| Audio-Tech Business Book Summaries |
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For those of you like to listen to cd's--maybe in the car
on the way to and from work--log on to www.AudioTech.com
and check out the subscription for monthly cd's.
Any time we either read a book or listen to a cd, we
can pick up all kinds of ideas for our own businesses.
Many times, the ideas that have hit me do not have
anything to do with what I just heard. When we are
constantly learning and improving, we will start
thinking of all kinds of creative ideas--it just causes us
to expand our knowledge and use more of our brain
power that is just sitting there waiting to be used.
Because time is precious, listening to these
condensed versions of various books can provide
new information without having to read a whole book.
If
you are like me, it can cause you to want to go buy a
certain book and read the whole thing. That is what
happened to me with "Ready, Fire, Aim," by Michael
Masterson.
If you would like a copy of my Book Suggestions,
please let us know and we can email that information
to you. Any time you are going to be near our office in
Addison, please let us know ahead of time and stop
by and see if we have an extra copy of one of the
books that you would like to read. Those of you who
know me well know I encourage reading and give
away books all the time.
Have fun reading and learning!
Naomi
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| DJ Connection: NOW HIRING! |
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Greetings from DJ Connection:
DJ Connection is now hiring. No experience is
required. If you are fun, proactive, energetic and
customer service-orientated then DJ Connection is
the company for you. Weekend Nights only! Call DJ
Connection for more information today!
We train fun people to be DJs, but we cannot train
DJs to be fun.
DJ Connection Dallas
972-408-6580
www.djconnectiondallas.com
"Entrepreneur of the Year" - United States Small
Business Administration
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| Happy Anniversary! |
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"Good Afternnoon, thank you for calling Bridal Shows,
this is Betty!"
If you have ever called us before then you have heard
those pleasant words from our receptionist, Betty
Yankie. This
month on April 21, Betty celebrated her two year
anniversary with the company, and we all benefit from
her positive upbeat energy that she brings with her
every day.
Thank you Betty for helping give Bridal Shows, Inc. a
wonderful first-impression with every phone call.
Happy Anniversary!
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Hope your Business is Blooming! |
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Is your business blooming this spring? If so,
share with us your success stories and what you are
doing to continually grow! If not, let us help you build
your business through the upcoming summer bridal
shows!
Here is one example of a business that
is "blooming" by exhibiting in bridal shows.
Naomi,
Circle Park Bridal Shop opened seven months
ago as a brand new bridal boutique with an unusual
concept and experience (both of which are very difficult
to relay through print or online marketing). In order to
deliver a solid image to our brand from the very start,
we felt we needed brides to both see our gowns and
meet us in person. Even though we had other
extensive advertising in place, these one-on-ones to
initially "get the word out" about our shop were very
important to us.
Being that I had recently relocated to Texas, I was
not personally familiar with any of the area bridal
shows or the reputations of the trade show /event
companies in DFW. I quickly became acquainted with
seasoned local wedding professionals and when
asked about bridal events that deliver, the one
constant was "get involved with Naomi's shows". Just
eleven days after Circle Park Bridal opened for
business,
we exhibited at the Plano Bridal Show. I was
extremely satisfied with the quality and the quantity of
brides attending this show. The interest was genuine.
A significant number of brides we met at the show
became "our brides" and attendees from September's
Plano Show were still coming into the shop well into
January.
With such success from Plano, we signed on to
exhibit at the January 2008 Dallas Bridal Show. Two
weeks after participating in that show, we held Circle
Park Bridal's First Annual Running of the Brides Event.
The response was absolutely incredible! Two-
hundred and fifty people lined up outside the event,
waiting for the doors to open! We received incredible
print and television coverage and attribute a large
number of brides in attendance to those we met at the
Dallas Bridal Show.
Naomi, we have become huge advocates and
apostles of Bridal Shows Inc.! We have participated in
a few other bridal shows, but it is your bridal shows
that have delivered the best value for the time and
money invested. We have also been thrilled with the
website advertising on
www.bridalshowsinc.com Please know from a
vendor stand point what a treat is has been to work
with a such a nice group of professionals, both at
your office and the second team "on the floor" at your
shows!
Sincerely,
Andrea Porter, Owner
Circle Park Bridal, LLC
Electronic Exhibitor Packets
Each year we try to advance in this rapidly growing
tech-savvy world, and this summer will begin
sending exhibitor packets (kits for exhibitors prior to a
show) via email in "pdf" format rather than going
through the "snail mail."
This will be an experiment for us and we are
hoping that it will help exhibitors receive their packets
in a timely manner, readily accessible, and easier to
manage. The exhibitor packet is an important part of
preparing for a show. It contains information regarding
rules & regulations, set-up/take down, coupon
contests, deadlines, and other pertinent
information.
If you are currently registered to exhibit in a show
this summer, watch for your exhibitor packet to arrive
via email roughly 60 days before the event. You may
want to confirm your email address with us to be sure
it goes to the appropriate inbox.
Naomi's Book of the Month
This month's book selection is:
Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 million in No Time
Flat
by: Michael Masterson
You may request a copy of my "Book Suggestions"
at any time.
Happy Reading!
~Naomi
Limited Space Remaining!!
As many of you know we limit how many
companies we have in each category at the show to
ensure our exhibitors' success. Because of this we
already have waiting lists on several categories, with
more on the edge of closing.
If you have not already taken advantage of the
opportunity to exhibit in an upcoming summer bridal
show, contact us today to reserve your booth!
The Dallas Bridal Show on July 12-13 will draw
over 2,000 brides out of 6,500 attendees! The Fort
Worth Bridal Show on July 19-20 should bring 700-
1,000 brides out of 2,500 attendees! These are two
shows you don't want to miss. So call today. 972-713-
9920
Bridal Show Schedule
Dallas Bridal Show
** 19th Year **
July 12-13, 2008
Dallas Market Hall
Fort Worth Bridal Show
** 10th Year **
July 19-20, 2008
Amon Carter Exhibit Hall
Plano Bridal Show
** 19th Year **
September 14, 2008
Plano Centre
Dallas Bridal Show
** 20th Year **
January 24-25, 2009
Dallas Market Hall
Fort Worth Bridal Show
** 11th Year **
February 21-22, 2009
Amon Carter Exhibit Hall
Plano Bridal Show
** 20th Year **
March 8, 2009
Plano Centre
Dallas Bridal Show
** 20th Year **
July 11-12, 2009
Dallas Market Hall
Coming Soon... Stay
tuned to next month's
newsletter for an interview with a bride and groom that
attended both the July 2007 Dallas Bridal Show and
the January 2008 Dallas Bridal Show and are getting
married in Washington. We have heard from
several
vendors that destination weddings are becoming a
trend, so we are interested to see what a couple
planning a event out-of-town is looking for at a local
bridal show.
Visit us on myspace!! In order to connect with
brides we have joined countless others on
myspace.com. Check out our pages using the links
below:
myspace.com/dallasbridalshow
myspace.com/planobridalshow
myspace.com/fortworthbridalshow
Do you have a myspace account? Add us as a
friend to keep the network growing!
New Posters Are Here!
If you would like to display
our Summer 2008 Schedule Poster, email
info@bridalshowsinc.com with the
following information:
Your Name:
Company Name:
Street Address:
City, State, Zip:
How Many Posters Needed:
A picture of the Summer poster is below.
Motivational Message
"When I prepare for a sales presentation, I try to
think like my client and like my competitor. I try to
pinpoint every objection that either of them could make
to my presentation. I write these objections down, and
then I figure out a way to respond to each one in three
lines or less. I've given these 'scripts' to sales reps,
who then used them in their presentations. It's
staggering how even the most boring sales rep can
become a great salesperson simply by learning to
convey a few simple points. If you can move a
customer so that he or she can't argue against your
point, then you've won."
~Mark Jarvis
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