Just don’t lie!

Probably not the best title of a blog post but the statement still stands. What brings this on today? A recent phone call I received from a “salesperson” attempting to get me to purchase their SEO service for my wedding planning company. Her first offense was pretending like she knew me, saying that we had talked just a few days ago. When I asked her some details about the supposed conversation she could supply no info, explained that I had probably just forgotten and quickly shifted into sales mode. I, like most people, am not a complete idiot, and I know that I have never met, or spoken to, this person ever before.
 
Second, she tells me, in her very best valley girl accent, “like as you know”, “like I’m just saying” (I can only assume this is happening with bubble gum in her mouth) – anyway, she proceeds to tell me that when she did a Google search for my company name that it couldn’t be found. And only until she got to page 11 on “like” Google did she find me and then she had to “like” click on another businesses link just to find me. Are you kidding me?? Do you think that this business owner is so stupid that I haven’t even googled my own business?? That I don’t know that this “info” is absolutely false??

So, I, of course, had to school her on the great depths of her wrongness and give her an impromptu lesson on customer service and why you shouldn’t use deception to gain a client. I’m sure it was time wasted on both sides of the phone!

 
So you probably felt like this was a rant about a stupid salesperson and not a blog post about wedding and event professionals, but let me clue you in on the truth of the matter. You are most likely an offender in this area. This may come as a shock but I notice that a lot of my clients are lying to their clients – but don’t even realize that they’re doing it. “Don’t fucking lie to me!” is exactly what your clients (or potential clients) are thinking when you say something to them that doesn’t ring true with who you appear to be or what you committed to them.
 
I’ve seen marketing that is so completely opposite of what the vendor actually delivers that it should be criminal. I’ve heard vendors commit to take on tasks that they are in no way qualified to take on. (Yeah, I’m talking to you – DJ’s selling wedding “planning” packages – you know who you are! Really dudes??). But it’s the multiple small offenses that I think are really the worst.  Telling a bride you’ll do something and not deliver on that commitment or over promising and not being able to carry out that promise. By the way, overbooking yourself and taking on too many clients for a given weekend is just as irresponsible.
 
As an event planner, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a vendor commit something to a bride and on the day of the event it doesn’t happen. What’s worse, once this is brought to the attention of the vendor they either deny it or are “unpleasant” about making good on their commitment. No wonder brides are leary of you! You’ve given them a reason to be.
 
Ladies and gentlemen, if you think I was pissed about the lying chick on the phone wasting my time, you haven’t seen anything. Wait until you try to pull one over on one of my clients. I am very unforgiving when you’ve done my client (and therefore me, by extension) wrong. And if I’m that irritated and I’m familiar with this industry how in the world do you think your bride will handle you on her biggest of days when she feels you’ve lied to her?? Do you really want to be on the receiving end of the wrath of the lady in the pretty white dress? Because if you are, you will forever be remembered as the vendor that ruined her wedding day. No matter how small the slight may seem to you, it may be huge to her!
 
Confession – I’ve been guilty as well! I’ve told brides I’d call them back today and forgotten.  I took on more events than I should have and ran myself (and my poor husband) crazy trying to make it all happen. In my early days of catering I once committed to a family style dinner service (which I’d never done before) for 200 guests and lost $700 by the time it was all said and done. Little money may have been lost but a big lesson was learned! I’m much more careful with the words I throw around and the commitments I make.
 
Are you guilty of being a liar as well? Before you answer, take a moment and really think about it. Do you always honor your commitments? Are you truly honest with your clients? Is this an area that you should be re evaluating in your business?

 
Does your business have the right systems in place to allow not only you, but your whole team, to deliver the same experience to your clients? If not we’d love to help! Connect with us here.