Forecast Fun

No one will argue that one of the most important days of any
woman’s life is her wedding day. Little girls play dress-up and teenagers pour over fashion magazines looking at wedding dresses and imaging what it will be like when their wedding day finally arrives. As newly engaged women start to find out- planning a wedding day is more stress than they ever anticipated. Dealing with family, working with a budget, looking
after all the little details like wedding photographers and wedding party favors can start to takes its toll. As many brides find out- the hard way- all that stress can have a huge impact on their bodies and skin. Tense muscles lead to headaches, excitement leads to lack of sleep and overall stress can cause breakouts on the face and bloating in the body. No bride wants to face any of this on her wedding day! There are lots of things you can do to help your body cope with stress of planning a wedding.

Plan for problems! The best way to avoid stress is to do
your best to make sure you set yourself up for success. Money worries can be avoided if you have a realistic budget. Talk with your partner and come up with a realistic budget. There will be lots of expenses you may not anticipate-gratuities for the DJ, extra wedding party favors and corsages for all your
fiancés cousins flying in from Italy.

If overbearing family members might be an issue- its best to
get things out of the way earlier rather than later. It’s better to tell your mom that you want to buy your own wedding gown and not walk down the aisle in her grandmother’s antique wedding dress now instead of the last minute. As the wedding day gets closer people will get more and more sensitive and things may upset them more than usual. Try and stay ahead of the game and not just “hope” everything will work out.

Take care of yourself. You have waited for this day most of
your adult life. Nothing will be more important than enjoying the day with your family and friends who all love you and want the best for you. You owe it to yourself to make sure your body and mind are able to take in and enjoy the entire day. Stick to a regular bed time and get lots of sleep-or as much as you
can. Not only will lack of sleep give you short temper- but it can cause headaches and bloating.You should always drink plenty of water- but the week or so leading up to your wedding make a special effort to drink water and hydrate yourself. This will help with bloating and swelling.
Many brides have been shocked to that their wedding bands don’t fit or shoes are too tight.

Pamper yourself. If possible try and get a professional
massage the week of your wedding- what a great way to spend an afternoon with your mom or girlfriends. Take lots of relaxing bubble baths, using high quality
bath products and lotions. Sprinkle a few drops of lavender oil in the bath- it will help relax you.Take a few practice runs. Try out that perfect nail polish or new makeup before your wedding day. If you are getting your nails done professionally go a couple of weeks before and try out the nail color you will
be wearing on your wedding day. If doing yourself- have a friend over and try different colors and see how different nail polish wears. Try out the make-up you will be wearing. You would be surprised how many brides don’t think to try
out their new eye shadow before hand- only to find out it makes their eyes puffy and red.

A good choice is natural make-up; it is organic and with natural ingredients less risk of any kind of a reaction. Also- when it comes to mascara- water-proof mascara is a must! Even if you are not the sentimental type- you will be on your wedding day and no bride wants their mascara to run. A word of advice- do try for a more natural
looking make-up- avoid frosted or glittering make-up for the ceremony. Planning a wedding is exciting AND stressful. By being
proactive and taking care of yourself you will help minimize the stress on your wedding day. With lower stress you and your groom will be able to enjoy your wedding day to its fullest and cherish those memories forever.

Lisa Bronart is a freelance writer in Toronto, Canada and worked several yeasr in the wedding industry. She has worked extensively with Toronto
florists, wedding photographers and other wedding professionals. Visit these links for more information on natural make up or Toronto Weddings.

I have received a number of requests for advice from salespeople and sales managers that sell “commodity” products and services. When I refer to commodities, I don’t just mean pork bellies or frozen concentrated orange juice. A commodity is any product or service where the target prospect is likely to be thinking:

“I get contacted by (X) salespeople a day that sell (whatever they perceive your product or service to be). Why should I spend any of my time with you?”

How can salespeople prospect successfully if their target prospects see them as just one of many possible (and nearly identical) sources for a product or service?

The key challenge when prospecting in a crowded field is finding some way to capture enough of a prospect’s attention to convince them to meet with you. This all-important first meeting is the starting point for building a relationship, which in turn is a crucial element of success in “commodity” sales. Here are four strategies that will help you win more of these elusive first meetings:

1. Write and Distribute Special Reports

What special report could you write that would be useful to your target prospects? Conduct the necessary research, write the report, make sure your name is highlighted on the cover page, and get the report into your prospect’s hands.

What is the value of a special report that you have authored? Think about it — How many of your competitors have authored a special report? Do you think authoring a special report might create the impression of significant or unusual expertise? Do you think it might increase your credibility with your target prospects?

2. Deliver Business Interest Seminars

Seminars are another great way to build credibility and initiate relationships. To be effective, they need to address subjects (ideally, problems or frustrations that your company solves) that your target prospects really care about. You and your company can offer these seminars on your own or in partnership with suppliers or other (non-competing) companies that wish to pursue the same target prospects.

3. Build Relationships with Other Salespeople Who Sell to Your Target Prospects

What other products and services do your target prospects buy? Which companies provide those products and services? Who are the salespeople for those companies?

Look to establish mutually beneficial relationships with salespeople from non-competing companies where you can refer prospects to each other. Your success rate for booking appointments from referrals should be much higher than your success rate with cold calls.

4. Learn From Successful Salespeople in Your Company Who Have “Cracked the Code”

You don’t have to re-invent the wheel. Invite the successful salespeople in your company to lunch or dinner. Use your time together to pick their brains by asking them the following questions:

• How did they achieve success?
• What are their favorite prospecting techniques?
• If they are at a stage where they are focusing solely on servicing existing accounts, how did they originally initiate their relationships with these accounts?

After the meeting, think about what they said and decide which of the suggested prospecting approaches might fit well with your own talents and interests.

Conclusion

The key challenge when prospecting for “commodity” product or service sales opportunities is capturing enough of your prospect’s attention to convince them to meet with you. This article suggested four strategies to help you win more of these elusive first meetings.

Copyright 2005 — Alan Rigg

Sales performance expert Alan Rigg is the author of How to Beat the 80/20 Rule in Selling: Why Most Salespeople Don’t Perform and What to Do About It. His company, 80/20 Sales Performance, helps business owners, executives, and managers DOUBLE sales by implementing The Right Formula for building top-performing sales teams. For more information and more FREE sales and sales management tips, visit http://www.8020salesperformance.com.