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10 mistakes wedding venues are making · Wedding Pros who are ready to grow - with Becca Pountney

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Becca: Have you ever had an experience at a wedding venue where
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you thought, why are you doing that?
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But you've had to bite your tongue because it's not really your
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place at the time to say anything.
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I have this experience all of the time when I go to venues.
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So I've been taking some notes in my phone and today I'm going to be
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releasing them and sharing them with you.
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Whether you work in a venue or not, there's going to be something in
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this episode for you as I share 10 mistakes I see wedding venues making.
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I'm Becca Pountney, wedding business marketing expert, speaker and blogger,
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and you're listening to the Wedding Pros Who Are Ready to Grow podcast.
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I'm here to share with you actionable tips, strategies, and real life
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examples to help you take your wedding business to the next level.
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If you are an ambitious wedding business owner that wants to take your passion
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and use it to build a profitable, sustainable business, doing what you
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love, then you're in the right place.
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Let's get going with today's episode.
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As we start this episode, it's important that I say that none of these are
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directed at any particular venue.
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I've visited venues up and down the country and across the world, and
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these are just some of the common experiences that I've encountered
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and I want to share with you today.
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Now, you may think that this doesn't apply to your particular venue.
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That's absolutely fine, but hopefully there's some things in here that might
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just make you as a wedding venue owner or worker a twice before you do it next time.
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Even if you don't work in a venue, I think there's something in here
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that's going to help you as well.
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So number one mistake I see venues making all of the time is not
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being transparent on pricing.
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Now I'm going right in at the deep end here because I know
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it can be controversial to talk about pricing on your website,
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especially in the venue space.
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But I always say, I'm hanging my hat on the fact that you
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should have some kind of pricing.
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Now when I go into venues and do days with their team, quite often I'll do a sales or
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marketing training day with a venue team.
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One of the exercises I sometimes get them to do is to go and price
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up a wedding at their own venue using just the venue website.
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Because even if you work in a venue, it's surprising that when you try and
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do these things with just using the website alone, like a couple would, it
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Well, the numbers don't always add up.
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I've been in venue teams where almost every different person has come up
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with a different figure for a wedding on the same date of the year, which
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shows us that our pricing isn't clear, consistent, or transparent.
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Now, when couples are planning their wedding, it's hard to know.
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And the venue is usually the biggest expense and one of the most
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complicated things, because every venue displays their prices differently.
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Sometimes you might have a dry hire price.
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Some people, it may include food.
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food packages, different beverage packages.
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It can be so complicated.
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So the clearer and simpler you can make it for your couples when they are
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looking at your website, the better.
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So why not try and get your team to do this exercise themselves.
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And even if you're not a venue, this is a great exercise to do.
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So get date and then work out, okay, if I was getting married on the 20th of
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July 2025, how much would it cost me?
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And see if you can get that number, not from anything you know previously
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or from your, the back of your mind, but actually from your website.
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Or get a friend to do it, someone who knows nothing about your business,
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and get them to go onto your website and see if they can come back with
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a rough estimate or guide price.
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This will tell you how clear your pricing is.
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We get lost in our own websites because we go on them all of the time
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and we understand our businesses.
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So getting someone outside of that to go through and let you know
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what they find is really important.
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This is where example pricing and packages can really come into their
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own as well because you can detail everything that's included for the price
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rather than just giving a random price.
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I love it when venues have pricing guides for different years or they
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explain this is the price for the hire and then you'll pay for the food on top.
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Here's some example food packages but I just I urge you to be transparent.
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If you've got no prices on your website at all, I guarantee you are losing
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people who aren't even speaking with you because they probably don't think
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that they can afford to work with you.
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Now, if that's the vibe you're going for, if you're trying to put
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people off, then stick with it.
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But on the whole, I believe that today's couples want some idea on pricing
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before they spend their time coming to visit you or getting on the phone with
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you or asking for more information.
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So how transparent is your pricing?
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That's the first question I want you to think about.
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And trust me, there are so many venues where the pricing is not
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transparent, or it's so complicated that no one's ever going to be
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able to work out how much it costs.
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Okay, mistake number two, and this is a real bugbear of mine, and I
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know it is for a lot of couples as well, having hidden costs.
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This kind of moves on from the transparent pricing thing into a new category.
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I hate it when there are hidden costs that you're not expecting that just pop up.
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It is much better to be clear and upfront about any additional costs
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right from the get go rather than surprise your couples with them.
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down the line.
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It may be that they have to book certain amount of rooms in your venue,
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for example, as part of the deal.
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Well, make sure that's either included in the price that you give them, or you're
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really upfront about that from the start.
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Now, this is top of my mind because I recently stayed in a hotel and the lack of
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transparent pricing and the hidden costs.
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Let's just say it was a little bit frustrating to me.
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So I booked the room.
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I paid a lot of money for the room for myself and the kids.
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I agreed the price with them and then they contact me to say, Oh,
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sorry, we forgot to tell you have to pay extra fees for having children.
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Well, that's going to frustrate me anyway, because you've given me a room price.
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Why am I paying extra for my children?
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Now that was the first hidden cost.
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I then had to fork out the extra to have the kids in the room.
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Well, they also said the breakfast was included in the price.
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Now we are very used to in 2024 looking because we don't always
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expect breakfast to be included.
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Sometimes when you book a room, it's not included.
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Sometimes you pay extra for breakfast to be included.
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So, you know, we're savvy customers.
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We know to look for it.
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But they were very clear that breakfast was included.
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And so I was like, great, that price includes breakfast.
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Now we went down for breakfast on our first day at said hotel and
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they pandered us a breakfast menu.
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Now I've stayed in a lot of hotels, a lot of them.
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And my kids have stayed in quite a few as well.
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And one of the things they love about having breakfast at a hotel is
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the big buffet and the fried rice.
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Breakfast.
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The full English breakfast.
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So we sat down, we looked at the menu.
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I noticed there were pancakes on the menu.
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I noticed there was a full English on the menu.
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I thought we're all going to be happy this morning.
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This is great.
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Breakfast is done and paid for.
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Then I noticed that at the top of the menu, it said if you choose any items
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from this menu, you incur a 5 surcharge.
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I didn't get it.
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Why are we doing a 5 surcharge for something standard like
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a full English breakfast?
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Now, if you flip to the other side, you could see things that you could
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get included for your free breakfast.
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But again, this just left a bit of a bad taste in the mouth.
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This isn't a great way to do business.
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Now, if they had never given me the side of the menu that said there was a 5
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surcharge and they just gave me the free menu, I wouldn't have even questioned it.
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I'd have just ordered something.
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off there, but they're dangling it in front of you to try and make an extra 5.
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But for the extra 5, I really don't think it's worth it because of all
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the negative conversations that your customers are going to be
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having over breakfast, like we were.
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You know, if costs of going up, I get that, but why not include it?
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as part of the deal.
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Just put the room price up by five pounds, even 20 pounds to cover it so that people
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can have whatever they want for breakfast.
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It's a bit like that old example with delivery.
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You know, it's something psychological about something being included rather than
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feeling like you have to pay extra for it.
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So you can go online to say eBay and someone might be selling an item and
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you can get the item for 10 pounds, but then you need to pay five pounds
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delivery and something in our brain says, I don't want to pay 5 for delivery.
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However, if we come across exactly the same item for 15 but the delivery is
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free, suddenly that feels more appealing.
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We don't like paying the extra.
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Obviously, it's exactly the same amount of money, but there's something about it
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being included that makes us feel better.
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So, if you've got these complicated, hidden costs, extra things that you're
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charging people for, question why that is.
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Is it worthwhile?
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Are you being clear about when that is and why that is?
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Or is it something you could actually just buy?
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Bump your package prices by and include it.
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in there.
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People don't like hidden costs.
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Keep it all transparent.
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Okay, the third mistake that I see venues making, and quite honestly, quite a lot
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of suppliers as well, is having really complicated booking or inquiry processes.
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Now, I think that this is a particular problem in a lot of venues, because what
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happens in venues is staff turnover.
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I get it.
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It's hard.
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You've got new staff coming in, new staff going out.
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And what happens is these inquiry systems and booking procedures get
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added to and amended over time.
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Maybe you've inherited.
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them from a past employee, and we don't actually take the time
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to step back and review them.
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This is again, something that I do often if I go into a venue team
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and do a training day, we actually review the funnel process, we
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review the inquiry process and we look at how we can streamline it.
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Because quite often I'll go to a venue where you're getting them to fill out a
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form online, they fill out the form and then what happens is the venue team get
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that form and then immediately send them an email with another form to fill in.
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It's all things that have been historically happening over time actually
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are just not the most convenient.
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We know that today's couples want efficiency, they want things
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quickly and easily, they don't want all the back and forth, they
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want answers and they want it now.
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So if you realize that maybe you're booking Procedure is a bit complicated.
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Maybe you've inherited it for someone else.
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Maybe it's time to look at streamlining it.
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Now, the best way to do this, I think, is to get a piece of paper and
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literally physically write out step by step, everything that that couple has
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to do from finding you online through to actually booking with you and see
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how many steps there are and are.
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Are there ones you can combine?
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Are there ones you can remove?
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Are there pointless steps where you're making people have to do something
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when they don't actually need to?
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Because the more steps you have, the more chances you've got of losing
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them on that customer journey.
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We want to make it streamlined.
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We want to make it efficient.
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And as I said before, venues can often be the ones with the biggest
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problems with their processes.
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So have a look at your process.
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Can you simplify it?
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Can you automate any of it?
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And can you streamline it?
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Okay, number four on my list of mistakes that venues are making, poor customer
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service interactions on reception.
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Okay, let me explain this in a bit more detail.
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I've met a lot of wedding and events coordinators, wedding teams, and on the
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whole, you're all super lovely, you're super friendly, you're really interested
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in talking about weddings, and I'm sure your couples have an amazing experience.
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with you.
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However, sometimes it's not you that's letting the team down because imagine
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a couple, they've booked a tour with you, they've booked to come and talk
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to you about the venue, they're coming into your venue and the first person
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they speak to might not actually be you or one of your wedding team.
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It may be the person on the reception desk.
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And I have had my fair share Fair share of people being rude to me at the front desk.
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And this is not the experience you want to show your couples.
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These people are letting you down immediately because they're
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giving the couples a bad example.
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They're giving them a bad vibe about the hotel before they've even managed
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to have a conversation with you.
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you.
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So how can we overcome this?
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Now, the best thing that can happen is if you know, they're coming at a
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certain time is for you to actually be there ready in reception to greet them.
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That way you're skipping out the front desk staff and going straight for them.
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They're getting the most amazing welcome.
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You're giving them the wow factor and you're expecting them.
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Now, I know this isn't always possible, but where it is possible,
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I really recommend doing this.
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Be there ready to greet them.
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If not, why not have a conversation with your front desk staff about how
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you want your couples to be greeted.
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Give them some ideas, talk to them about how important it is for
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the sale, and get them on board.
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Because when all the team members are on board with the same things, we're
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much more likely to have a good result.
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So if you know you've got three or four couples coming in for a tour that day,
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Go find out who's on the front desk.
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Go chat to them, explain to them, we've got these couples.
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It's really important.
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We need to make sure that they're really welcome.
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So as soon as they come in, give them a big, warm welcome, talk to them
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about the hotel, give them a drink, whatever it is that you want them to do.
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So are you finding that customer service on the front desk is letting you down?
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Implement some of the things I've suggested.
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Whilst we are on the discussion of people and couples coming to tour the venue,
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let's talk about mistake number five.
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Now, this is actually taken from a real experience of a couple that I knew,
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and I wanted to share it with you.
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And that is this, poor signage or poor arrival instructions.
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When you drive to your venue, you drive there all of the time, you know
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exactly where it is, you know where to park, you know where the front desk is.
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However, again, having been to multiple venues in multiple countries and
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places around the UK, I can tell you not all places are created equal.
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A lot of our wedding venues are in the middle of nowhere, quite often the parking
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is not near the front desk, sometimes it's not easy to find the front desk.
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And the easier we can make this experience for the couples, the better.
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Now, have you ever had an experience where you're going to meet someone or
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you're going somewhere new, maybe you're running a bit late, you feel a little
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bit stressed, you feel a bit anxious, and when you can't work out where to
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park or where to go, what happens is our stress and anxiety levels go up.
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Go up.
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And this is not how we want our couples to arrive.
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We want them to arrive relaxed, excited, looking forward to
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looking around your venue.
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So, how can we overcome this feeling?
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Because it is important.
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My friends that I mentioned, they went to tour a venue and they were They
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couldn't find where they were going, the signage was terrible, they were so
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stressed that they basically wrote the venue off before they'd even had the tour.
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And it wasn't because the venue wasn't good enough, it was because
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of the how they were feeling when they entered that venue.
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So what are we going to do to overcome it?
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Well, the first thing is making sure we've got really clear
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instructions for our couples.
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Before they come.
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So when they book to come and see you, if your venue is particularly
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difficult to find, make sure you tell them that right up front, explain
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to them the best way to get there.
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Perhaps give them a what three words code so they can find the exact pinpoint
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location to find you, or make sure you give them the right postcode.
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We know that not all postcodes take us to exactly the right place.
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So if they don't make sure you explain that the better the
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instructions, the easier it will be.
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Maybe there's a landmark that.
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is easy to spot you by.
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For example, I stayed in a cottage recently and they said you go down
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this road and when you get to the 30 mile an hour sign on your right
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hand side you turn into the driveway.
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It was so clear and we knew as soon as we got there exactly where to
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go and we didn't make a mistake.
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Without that very vital instruction I think we would have
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been driving around for ages.
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So look at your venue from an outsider's perspective.
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How easy is it to find them and how can you make that easier?
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I've also seen venues who have created really short videos just
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detailing how to find the venue.
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A little video that their couples can watch, which shows you the entrance,
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then takes you to where you can park and then how to find the front desk.
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Very simple to record.
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It could even be a reel that you put on your social media, but it just eliminates
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that feeling of them not knowing because you send it to them up front.
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Front.
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Now the other thing is to make sure you've told them ahead of time where to park
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because again you don't want them getting there and not knowing where to park.
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If you can reserve them a parking space somewhere, even better, but explain to
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them you just need to come in, park on the car park on your left, and then follow
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the signs to the front desk and explain you're there for a wedding show round
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and one of us will be there to greet you.
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Okay, let's go.
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That brings me on to signage.
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How clear is the signage in the venue?
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Is it clear where to park?
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Is it clear how to walk to front desk?
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Do you need more signs?
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Again, get someone to do it who is your friend or family member or try
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and do it yourself without the current knowledge you have and see how easy it
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is for you to find where you're going and to get yourself to the front desk.
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Desk.
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We want to make this process as smooth and as simple for our couples as possible.
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And we don't want all of these different hurdles getting in the way
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and putting a bad taste in their mouth before they've even come to the venue.
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So is it clear how to find you?
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Are you giving them instructions or a video to make that process easier?
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Are you explaining to them where to park?
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Is there great signage?
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And is it easy for them to find the front desk or the meeting
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point where they're meeting you?
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Okay, my next mistake, number six, is again from a personal experience, and
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it is a negative culture amongst staff.
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Now, if you find yourself in a situation where the culture has become really
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negative, this is actually quite difficult to overcome, but it's not impossible.
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However, if you can start from fresh with a great culture amongst your
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team, it's always going to be easy.
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better.
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So what do I mean by negative culture?
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Well, let me give you the example.
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So I was in a hotel recently and I needed to go to front desk and ask them
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about refreshing some towels in my room.
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So I went to the front desk and I stood at the front desk and there
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was no one at the front desk.
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But what there was, was a couple of people kind of in the office and they were A
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little bit behind the front desk area.
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And I could hear them talking.
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They did not know I was there.
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They there was no one there to look at me, and I was kind of started doing that thing
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where I like make a few noises to try and alert them to the fact I was there.
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There was no bell or anything to ring.
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So I just stood there patiently and waited.
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But they were having a conversation.
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And unfortunately the conversation they were having was not appropriate
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because they were moaning about certain members of staff.
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They were swearing about them.
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They were moaning about their manager and I had my son stood by me.
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So he heard that bad language and all they were doing was moaning.
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And then one of them realized I was stood there and popped out behind the
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desk and suddenly became friendly, friendly customer service facing.
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However, the damage had already been done.
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It wasn't exactly a good example of the hotels for me to hear
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people moaning about it right in front of a customer facing thing.
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Just because I couldn't see them didn't mean I couldn't hear them.
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So Are your staff or are your staff members happy and content in their
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jobs or are they moaning about it?
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Are they moaning to customers about it?
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And if they are, what can you do about it?
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We want to make sure that our staff want to work at our venue, that
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the culture is positive and that we remind them frequently about the fact
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that we need to be positive facing.
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If we've got a gripe that we need to bring it to our manager,
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not discuss it in public areas because all of these things have.
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So do a little review about the culture at your venue at the moment.
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Do you think you have a problem with this and is it something that you
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need to nip in the bud right away?
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And even as wedding professionals, we need to think about the
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conversations we're having that couples or their guests may overhear.
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Let's not be moaning about each other publicly.
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Let's not be talking about people behind their back.
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None of these things are good for business and they're just not
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particularly nice traits for us to have.
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Instead, if we've got an issue, let's raise it in a professional way and
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not in the earshot of any guests.
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Okay, moving on to number seven.
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The next mistake that I see venues making is regarding
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their recommended supplier list.
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Now, I love it that venues recommend suppliers.
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I don't like it when you say that they have to be the ones that are used.
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I don't think that's good for the couples.
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I think it limits their choice.
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However, I do think it's good to give them a starting point, a list of people
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that you know work with the venue well, that you recommend, and that you
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would sing praises about to the couple.
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And it's great for suppliers as well to be on those lists.
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We know that it leads to work.
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However, one thing I see happening in quite a few venues
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is Is that you're not regularly refreshing or updating that list.
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Often you might've inherited a list from a previous employee, or maybe
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you've got people on your list that have been on there for 10 years and you
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feel some kind of obligation to them.
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But actually, if you want to be serving your couples well, you need to Your
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duty is to keep that list refreshed.
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When you are giving someone the contact of a recommended supplier,
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you are actually recommending them and you need to be confident
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and happy in your recommendation.
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Otherwise it's going to look bad on you as a venue.
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So when was the last time you looked over your list?
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Have you checked that they're all still in business?
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When was the last time they worked at your venue?
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When was the last time you had a conversation with them?
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Are you still happy to positively recommend them?
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Have you had any complaints about them or any differences?
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I've come across venues that have had people on their list that are causing
20:30
them no end of problems, but feel like they've got to keep them on the list.
20:35
You don't.
20:35
It's your recommendation list.
20:37
It's up to you what you do with that.
20:39
So if someone is causing you problems and is not willing to change, then go
20:44
out there and find some new people.
20:45
There are so many professionals that would love to be on your recommended list and
20:50
would bend over backwards to be on there.
20:52
Okay.
20:53
So stop.
20:54
putting up with people who you feel obliged to have on there, but go
20:57
out and find some fresh new faces.
21:00
As I say, your recommended list is you recommending these people.
21:04
So it's important that you're confident in that and that you
21:06
go and review it regularly.
21:08
Now, this leads me straight on to mistake number eight, which is
21:12
venues not proactively engaging with local wedding professionals.
21:17
If you are not doing this, you are missing out on.
21:20
on a huge opportunity.
21:22
I see the venues that work closely with their local wedding
21:25
pros doing so much better.
21:27
This is a really positive environment to create and also it
21:31
leads to more work for everyone.
21:34
Venues, don't get lazy about this and feel like you are holding all the power
21:38
because I promise you your local wedding pros will have an opinion on your venue
21:42
and they will be sharing it with people.
21:43
They'll be sharing it with their couples and they will either
21:46
recommend you or not recommend you.
21:48
So it's really important that you have a good relationship with
21:52
the professionals in your area.
21:54
You want local professionals to be saying, you've got to go and work at X venue.
21:57
It's amazing.
21:58
You need to go and visit it.
21:59
The team are incredible.
22:00
They'll bend over backwards for you.
22:02
Definitely go and check it out because all of these positive remarks are going
22:05
to lead to you directly having more sales.
22:08
So what can you do to proactively engage with your local wedding professionals?
22:13
Well, why not put on an event?
22:14
I sometimes host networking events or go and speak at these events at venues
22:19
where you basically put on an event, maybe a little bit of nibbles, maybe
22:22
a few drinks, and you just invite local wedding professionals to come
22:27
in and enjoy an evening at your venue.
22:30
It gives them a chance to see the venue.
22:32
It gives them a chance to meet the team.
22:33
Sometimes I'll go and give a talk at these events.
22:36
And it gives local professionals an opportunity to come and
22:39
experience the venue for themselves.
22:41
Now, not only are they going to get to experience the venue, they're also
22:44
going to start posting on social media.
22:46
Chances are that they're there.
22:47
It's going to give you more visibility.
22:49
They're going to talk about it to other people.
22:51
And it's actually quite simple for you to put something like this on.
22:55
You as a venue have the space available.
22:57
It doesn't need to cost you a lot of money.
22:59
You just need to invite local people to come along.
23:01
You can do it to thank your current list of suppliers.
23:04
You can do it to try and meet new suppliers as well.
23:06
Well, invite everyone along, get them along to the venue, and
23:09
you may find that there are some people you've not met before.
23:12
Maybe there's a service you hadn't thought about recommending before.
23:15
It is a really positive way to engage with your local community.
23:19
The other thing is to consider whether or not you're happy to have a photo
23:22
shoot come and happen at your venue.
23:24
Again, you've got the space.
23:25
And Supplies are always looking to organize styled shoots and often
23:29
they need a venue to do them at.
23:31
So why not welcome people in on a quieter day of the week to come and do
23:34
a photo shoot for you at your venue.
23:37
Not only are you going to walk away with some great business
23:39
relationships, but you're also going to get some great images.
23:42
Now, one thing I would say is if you are going to have people come in and take
23:45
photos at the venue, Make sure you're involved at least at the beginning to
23:49
check that stylistically their plans are going to match what you want from your
23:52
venue, that you've got a similar ideal couple, because you want to make sure
23:55
these images they create are then able for you to be using in your marketing.
24:00
And if they're totally off brand, it's not going to work.
24:02
But in principle, opening up your venue doors when things are a little bit quieter
24:06
and letting people in to take photos is a great way to build relationships and
24:10
to get some great marketing images too.
24:13
Let's move on to mistake number nine and this is venues not selling the dream.
24:20
Now picture the scene.
24:21
I arrive at your venue on my wedding day.
24:24
I've maybe just come from the church or the registry office.
24:26
I've got married and I'm turning up in my lovely car.
24:30
What experience am I going to get from you and your venue team?
24:33
I guarantee you're going to put all the stops out.
24:36
Perhaps my car can pull up right outside and park right at the front.
24:39
I'm going to walk straight down, maybe a red carpet, walk in.
24:42
I'm going to be greeted straight away, congratulated and handed
24:45
a glass of something lovely that's probably been pre planned.
24:49
Perhaps you're going to take my coat.
24:50
Perhaps you're going to show me where to go next.
24:53
You are going to make me feel like a million dollars on my wedding day and
24:57
your team are great at doing that.
24:59
Now picture the next scene.
25:01
I turn up to come and look at the venue before I get married.
25:04
I can't find anywhere to park, it's raining, I'm looking around, I get to
25:08
the front desk, someone's a bit rude to me, they sit me down, they tell me to
25:12
wait for you to turn up, you then turn up and come to speak to me, you greet
25:16
me, then you ask if I want a drink, off you go for 15 minutes making me a drink
25:21
while I'm just sat there with my husband to be, feeling a little bit awkward,
25:25
and then back you come to show me round.
25:28
Now, these two experiences are very, very different, yet they're
25:31
both happening in your venue.
25:33
So how are we meant to sell a couple that amazing experience on their wedding
25:37
day by giving them the subpar experience on the day that they come to visit?
25:42
If you really want to convert more people on a show round, you need to
25:46
give them the wow factor that they'll get on their wedding day, even on
25:50
the day that you show them around.
25:51
Now imagine instead that I've booked my show round You said to me there's
25:55
a VIP parking space right outside, please feel free, pull up and park in
26:00
that, walk straight into the venue.
26:02
As I walk in, you are already there to greet me, to say
26:06
hello, you know me by name.
26:08
As I walk through the door and see you, I see you've also got a glass of
26:11
Prosecco in your hand, which you hand straight over to me, so that I can
26:15
sip it as I'm looking around the venue without having to sit awkwardly waiting
26:19
while you go and make me a drink.
26:20
There I am.
26:22
Suddenly I'm feeling a million dollars.
26:23
Maybe there's even a sign on reception that says welcome to Becca and Matt as
26:27
they come on their tour, whatever it is.
26:29
All right.
26:30
Give people an amazing experience and they will remember it.
26:33
And you're going to start your tour off so much better.
26:36
If you want to stand out from the crowd, you need to find ways to
26:39
give people the wow factor rather than the awkward arrival factor.
26:44
Now the other way that I see venues not selling the dream, and I understand
26:47
this is hard, that's when a couple comes to tour your venue, but it's set
26:51
up for a completely different event.
26:52
So maybe it's set up for a conference, or maybe it's set up for a funeral,
26:57
you know, it's set up for something totally different than the hotel.
26:59
is using it for.
27:01
Yet you're trying to sell this space as a wedding venue.
27:03
You're trying to show them the dream.
27:05
You're trying to show them how amazing it will look on their wedding day.
27:08
And it can be quite difficult for them to picture that.
27:10
Now I know this because when I go into a house to look around a house
27:14
and it's a fixer upper, I find it really hard to see the bigger vision.
27:18
Some people find this easy.
27:20
All I can see is what's in front of me, the holes in the walls,
27:22
the wallpaper peeling off.
27:24
I find it really hard to picture what it could be in the future.
27:27
So this is the same for your wedding couples.
27:29
It's hard for them to picture how it could look at a wedding when what they
27:32
see in front of them is anything but.
27:35
So how can we overcome this?
27:36
Well, there's two ways you can do this.
27:38
One way is to have kind of open events each month when you try and do the most
27:43
of your tours and you have it set up for a wedding breakfast or a wedding
27:47
ceremony so that they can actually see an example of what it could like look like.
27:51
on a wedding day.
27:52
Now obviously you may not be able to have this set up all month round but if
27:55
you're trying to get as many tours as you can and having them all on the same
27:58
evening or the same day you are able to create this kind of setup for that.
28:03
Now if that's not possible for you or your viewings are a bit more sporadic
28:08
than that, then what I have seen a venue do really well is create these.
28:11
Beautiful boards they have in each room that they show their couples to.
28:16
So when the couple walks into that room, there's this beautiful
28:18
board that they've created.
28:20
It's on an easel like you would have a table plan on at your wedding.
28:24
It's all branded pretty, and what it has is a.
28:26
A couple of large pictures of that room that you're stood in, dressed
28:30
for a wedding that's obviously been taken previously, and some
28:34
important information about that room.
28:36
So for example, you walk into the library, it's got a picture of a ceremony set
28:40
up in that very library, underneath it says, Rejoice Licensed for ceremonies, up
28:45
to 100 guests seated, also suitable for drinks receptions for up to 150 people.
28:52
Now what this does is although they can't see the vision immediately in
28:55
front of them because you're using the venue for other purposes, they
28:58
can see what it would look like.
29:00
They don't have to imagine it because the pictures are right there.
29:02
You're also not having to give them loads of information because the
29:05
information is easy for them to digest and is right there for them.
29:09
So as they tour around and they go into each of the different rooms,
29:12
they can see these example pictures.
29:14
And these example boards clearly available for them.
29:17
And this works really, really well.
29:20
It's a simple thing for you to implement, but it means that your
29:23
couples can see the dream and you're selling it to them straight away.
29:27
The other mistake I see venues making at this point is over apologizing.
29:32
And this is when maybe the venue is being updated and isn't quite ready yet,
29:37
or maybe you've got it set up for the wrong thing, or maybe it's a bit messy.
29:42
And what you do as a venue coordinator, as you're showing
29:44
someone around, is keep apologizing.
29:46
I'm so sorry this room isn't ready yet.
29:48
I'm so sorry it's a bit of a mess over there.
29:50
Now when you do this, you think you're doing this to apologize, but what you're
29:53
actually doing is highlighting the problems that are there in front of you.
29:58
Try not to do that.
29:59
Don't go look, it's such a mess.
30:01
If an area is a mess, tidy it up before people come around.
30:04
And if you haven't had a chance to do that, don't point it out.
30:07
Instead, you should be pointing them towards the positive features.
30:12
So for example, if a room's halfway through being decorated, make sure you've
30:16
got a picture available of what it's going to look like when it's finished.
30:19
So you can say.
30:20
You can see we're partway through decorating this.
30:22
This is great news because this is what it's going to look like
30:25
by the time you get married here.
30:27
That is so much more positive than saying to them, I'm so sorry that
30:31
we're in a mess at the moment.
30:32
You can see that we've got a renovation going on.
30:34
So please, please, please stop over apologizing.
30:38
Okay, we've covered a lot of ground in this episode, but I have one final
30:42
mistake that I want to share with you.
30:43
Number 10.
30:45
talking too much about the negative aspects of your venue.
30:48
Now, again, this could be applied to both venues and wedding professionals, but I
30:52
do see venue teams doing it quite often.
30:55
And it's another thing that I do if I come and do a training day for your
30:58
venue team, I will often get you to think about your competitors and all of
31:02
the things that they do better than you.
31:04
Because quite often as a venue team, we know that we've got competition
31:07
down the road, and perhaps they've got.
31:09
bigger grounds, maybe they've got more accommodation, maybe they've
31:13
got bigger spaces, and we're very well aware of the competition and
31:17
what we think they do better than us.
31:20
And quite often we can accidentally slip that in when we're having
31:24
conversations with our couples and we show them the negatives.
31:29
So we might say something like you can come out into
31:31
the courtyard to have drinks.
31:32
I'm sorry, there's not a lot of space here, but we do make
31:35
the most of the space we have.
31:36
Can you see how that's got a really bad connotation?
31:38
Another example might be, oh, sometimes our guests find
31:41
it really hard to get here.
31:42
I hope you didn't struggle.
31:43
Right?
31:44
Don't share those negatives.
31:45
Yes, I've told you to explain how we, to find you, but make it simple and easy.
31:49
Don't talk about the negatives.
31:51
Don't say, guests sometimes find it hard to get a taxi
31:53
home at the end of the night.
31:55
All of these things are going to put negative ideas in your couple's heads.
31:59
Instead, we want to make sure we're shouting about the positive.
32:01
positives of our venue.
32:03
Don't think to yourself, Oh, our venue is really small compared to the
32:06
one up the road, which is massive.
32:07
Instead, celebrate the positives.
32:10
The great thing about our venue is that it's intimate.
32:13
It's cozy.
32:13
Your guests can stay together.
32:15
You're not going to lose people wandering off around the venue.
32:17
It means that we only ever have one wedding at a time.
32:20
So you can be sure that you're not going to see any other guests, any other
32:23
brides or grooms on your wedding day.
32:25
And you'll have a really cozy, intimate setting for your day.
32:29
Twist the things that you think are negatives and work out
32:31
how to sell them as positives.
32:34
Share the positives.
32:35
Overcome their objections when you're talking to them about your
32:37
venue before they even come up.
32:40
So if you know, for example, that quite a lot of people complain that you've
32:44
got no accommodation on site and there's nothing you can do to change that,
32:47
don't wait for them to ask you about it.
32:49
Turn it into a positive part way through.
32:52
The tour.
32:52
So you may say something like this is a great space for your guests.
32:55
This is where they go in the evening.
32:57
As I'm sure you're aware, we don't have any accommodation on site.
32:59
However, we've got great links with a local hotel down the road.
33:03
Our guests love staying there.
33:04
It means they got somewhere peaceful to go at the end of the night.
33:07
If grandparents want to go home early, they don't have to worry about the
33:10
noise of the wedding because they've gone to a totally different space and
33:13
we can help you sort out transport or taxis to get your guests there.
33:17
Overcome the objections.
33:19
Talk about the positives.
33:20
Stop focusing.
33:21
on the negatives.
33:23
Hope you found it helpful to think through some of these
33:25
mistakes that I see venues making.
33:27
I can tell you it's been very cathartic for me to finally get that
33:30
list off my phone and share them with the world, even if I couldn't
33:33
say them to the venue at the time.
33:36
Let's quickly recap all the things we've looked at in today's episode.
33:39
One, make sure you're being transparent on your pricing.
33:42
Secondly, do not have hidden costs that people don't know about.
33:45
Stop charging a surcharge for a normal breakfast.
33:48
Just include it in the room price.
33:50
Thirdly, have you got too complicated an inquiry or booking process?
33:53
Is it time to streamline it?
33:55
Four, what is the customer service like from other members
33:57
of the team on the front desk?
33:59
Is there a way that you can cut the front desk out or can you make sure you've got
34:03
them on board so that all of your couples are getting a super friendly welcome?
34:06
Five, what's the signage like at your venue and how easy
34:09
is it for people to find you?
34:11
Is there a way to make that super simple for them, perhaps recording
34:14
a video or giving them some really clear instructions ahead of the day?
34:18
Is there a negative culture in your venue?
34:20
And is that impacting?
34:21
Do you need to do a reminder to your team about the impact that might be having?
34:25
And are we contributing to that culture by moaning about things ourselves in
34:30
front of potential guests or in earshot?
34:33
Seven.
34:34
Are you refreshing your supplier list regularly?
34:36
Which brings us on to number eight.
34:37
Eight, which is making sure you're proactively engaging with local
34:40
professionals to keep that supplier list tip top and up to date.
34:44
Number nine, are you ensuring you're selling the dream or are you giving people
34:47
a negative experience of your venue?
34:49
Even though on the wedding day, it's going to be incredible.
34:52
And number 10.
34:53
Are you ensuring you're talking about the positives and not
34:57
focusing on the negatives?
34:58
I hope this episode has been super helpful for you.
35:01
If it's brought up any questions that you want to know more about, why not drop
35:04
me a message on Instagram or by email?
35:07
And if you are a venue listening to this and you like what I've said, and you
35:10
think, actually, I'd love to get Becca in to do a whole day with my team, looking
35:14
at some of these things and doing some of these exercises, then reach out.
35:18
I'd love to chat to you about how I can come into your venue to help you.
35:21
Have a great week and I'll see you next time.