When I launched version 1 of the ShaadiShop website and started talking to people about what I do, I quickly learned that one of the most important things that I’d have to do was to come up with a few effective and concise descriptions for what the company does.
If I didn’t I left it up to people to assume – and that was detrimental because everyone assumed that I’m a wedding planner.
This was an exercise that I paid particular attention to because ShaadiShop is very unique to my customers – Venues and Indian wedding consumers. It’s not unique in the business model, in that at its core, ShaadiShop is an online marketplace. There are hundreds of marketplaces around that we use everyday across all industries: Amazon, Uber, Google Shopping Express, Rocket Lawyer, Etsy, Orbitz, AirBnB.
I made an exercise out of my company description. I came up with a few different descriptions, tested them out on different audiences and constantly iterated. Nothing formal. During the natural flow of conversation when people would ask I’d share what we do and watch/listen closely to check for understanding.
The keys with this were two things:
- recognizing how important this was
- intentional attention throughout the exercise
I think we’ve all been there – in a social situation where you ask what someone does and then regret it because they go into a lengthy tale. No one should have to do that. The best company’s all have very clear 1-2 liners that share what the company does in a way that people will understand.
I shared this story because recently I was talking to a Catering Manager at a hotel that we do consulting for. He wanted to know how attract more of Indian weddings to the property. And one of the things I told him is to point out the key differentiators to his prospects in the body of his email.
Most Catering Managers attach the outside catering package to an email as a pdf and send it off. That’s great – consumers need that info. But at the same time, so much is left to chance. We assume that everything will go according to plan:
- the client will receive the email
- they’ll open the email
- they’ll open the attachment (outside catering package)
- they’ll read the outside catering package
- they’ll understand the outside catering package
- they’ll respond back to the Catering team and ask questions about anything they didn’t understand
That’s A LOT of assumptions. If any of these breakdown, the prospect basically goes MIA. And that’s happened to every single Catering Executive – it’s the nature of sales.
Why not increase your chances of keeping the conversation open by highlighting info that the customer will find valuable – in the body of your email. Replace the standard “our outside catering package is attached” email, with something more personalized and effective that demonstrates why your venue is the best option.
Add a few bullet points that point out a special amenity your venue offers that others don’t. Or a unique feature. Don’t assume that people automatically just get it. It’s your job as a salesperson to get your message across effectively.
{Take Aways}
Effective salespeople pay attention to effective communication. They iterate and test and determine the best ways to get their messages across to achieve the end goal. The keys are: steadfast, thoughtful attention and constant improvement through iteration.
Test the idea in this article of including a few personalized bullet points in the body of your email to the next 30 customers you email. And for another 30, don’t include any bullets – simply attach the catering package.
And then just sit back and watch what happens, learn from it and continue to get better everyday.
This article is part of ShaadiShop’s series
{Some FYIs}
Shaadi = Marriage/wedding in Hindi/Urdu, which are two major languages spoken in South Asia
South Asian refers to people from: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives
South Asian is not to be confused with Southeast Asian which is a completely different region of the world.
South Asian is a more encompassing term as it refers to everyone in that region vs. Indian.
I hope this article has been helpful to you. If it has, please let me know in the comments; and you might like to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest – whatever your preferred media is, as we frequently publish articles to help make planning an Indian wedding just a little bit easier.
Contact us: sales@shaadishop.co
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{Testimonials}
“We’re so glad we joined ShaadiShop to market this hotel to the South Asian community in the Orange County area. Every wedding we close from their leads returns more than 3x our investment. Moreover, they pre-qualify leads and educate consumers creating a much better sales cycle for our catering team. Venues looking to reach this market, join ShaadiShop!”
Thanks!
Ryan Hurd
Catering Sales Manager
Wyndham Anaheim Garden Grove
“We just booked a full Indian wedding through ShaadiShop at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort. In addition to the business, we appreciate the exposure ShaadiShop creates about our venue, as the couple didn’t know about our resort until ShaadiShop told them about us. Additionally, we appreciate the pre-qualification work that ShaadiShop does to match couples and venues that are a good fit for each other. We had all the info needed to conduct the initial meeting. What a great service for venues to market to the South Asian community!”
Angie Florence
Catering Sales Manager
Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort
“Cannot say enough good things about the service from Samta and ShaadiShop who helped us research venues for our wedding this year. We wanted a non-hotel venue, and to get married within 6 months. ShaadiShop immediately found us venues, contacted them and educated us about all the things we needed to think about while selecting a venue. They put all the info together in a fabulous, super impressive, spreadsheet that helped us compare venues – seriously amazing and such a great help. Working with them made the whole stressful process MUCH easier and I can’t believe it was all free! ShaadiShop’s website is fantastic and such a great service for South Asians – so glad I found them!”
Anjli Shah, Bride
“Shaadishop helped me not only find venues but also understand how they work, the fees, and tips that I wouldn’t have otherwise known. Definitely a need service in the desi community. And best of all, it was free!!”
Hinna Shaikh, Bride
cover image: Lin & Jirsa