It’s a challenge to charge what you’re worth as a wedding vendor and get it without argument.  Sometimes it feels darn near impossible.

So saying that you can charge more by giving something away for FREE, not only sounds crazy (“How can I make ANY money when I’m giving something away?!??”) it strikes fear into the heart of even the bravest wedding professional.

That fear makes us want to cling to every bit of knowledge, advice and every resource we have with all our strength.  After all, we’ve worked hard for our expertise.  No bride or groom is going to pry it from our cold, dead hands without paying for it!

Cheap Wine and a Lesson in Marketing

This is a true story…

I went into a Discount Wine and Liquor Store to buy a bottle of wine to bring to my future mother-in-law.  I knew we were having chicken for dinner, but I knew absolutely nothing about wine at the time.

So I asked the gum-snapping teen behind the counter, “Which wine is good with chicken francaise?”

She stared at me and shrugged.  “This one costs seven bucks,” she said.  “And the label is pretty cool.”

I was obviously on my own.

Months later, I visited Arlington Wine and Liquor with a similar predicament.  This time I wanted to impress our foodie guests with a good wine pairing for seafood gumbo.

There were dozens of rows and shelves of wine, brandies, cognacs, sake, types of alcohol I’d never heard of let alone tasted.  I cowered in the doorway, remembering my experience at the discount liquor mart.

A friendly young man appeared at my side.  “How can I help you?”  I told him what we were having for dinner and braced for an ignorant, uncaring response.

The young man recommended two different wines.  He explained that the wrong wine would taste horrible with spicy food, but a carefully chosen pairing would refresh the palate and enhance the whole dining experience.

I left the store with two bottles of wine, a smile on my face and a few more facts to boost my confidence in entertaining my wine loving guests.

The discount wine store sold…you guessed it…cheap wine.  The wine I ended up buying at Arlington was more expensive, but I understood instantly why their prices were higher.  I wasn’t just buying the wine; I was tapping into the knowledge and advice of wine connoisseurs.

The Easy Way to Explain Your Worth

The same thing happens with brides and grooms when they call up Fly By Night Wedding Business and ask for a price.  All they get is someone pointing at the price tag.

But when they call you and you ask them intelligent questions and find out what they need before making a recommendation, your value is instantly recognizable.  Even if they choose to go with someone else, they will know why you’re worth it.

Here’s why FREE can actually make you money…

It’s very difficult to explain your value and justify your price…especially an above average price…to a bride you’ve just met.  She doesn’t trust you.  At worst, your explanation sounds like a sales pitch.  At best, it’s a lecture.

However, when you give her a taste of your knowledge, skill and expertise for free, right up front before she’s paid you a dime, she gets a first hand experience of what you can do for her.  It cuts through all the mumbo-jumbo explanation and PROVES why you’re worth it.

The Psychology of Influence

It also kicks in a few psychological Principles of Influence (see Robert Cialdini’s book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, for all the geeky details) that make it more likely that she will book you.

• Giving away free information, tips and advice without asking for anything in return:

• Makes you likeable.  That’s the Principle of Likeability: we are influenced by people who we like and trust.

 

• Creates a pressure in the bride to return the favor.  That’s the Principle of Reciprocity: when someone does a favor for us, it creates an unconscious pressure to return the favor.  In the case of a bride, it creates an unconscious pressure for her to book you.

You can learn more about how to use the psychology of influence to book more weddings in my Price Shopper Email Report.  It’s fascinating stuff and more importantly, it works!

Instead of arguing about your price, and failing to explain to those “price shoppers” why you’re worth your price tag, flip the script and give them a first hand experience of what it’s like to work with you.  Simply find out what they need and help them.

Use the power of FREE to book more weddings at higher prices.

What do you think about using “free” for your wedding business?

 

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