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| June 2010 | Vol 3 Issue 6 | ||||||||||||||
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The "John Wooden Effect" on Special Events "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."
--John Wooden
On June 4, 2010, the world lost one of the most genuine, inspirational and motivational teachers of all time, John Wooden. I say ‘teacher", because that is how he liked to be viewed. Yes, he is one of the greatest coaches ever, but more importantly, a teacher to everyone he touched. John Wooden's consistent thread through all of his messages was always about being the very best that you are capable of - always doing your personal best. He not only coached his players into being better players, but better people as well. He taught the technical aspects of the game, but lived and breathed the core values and simple life principles that allow individuals to reach their highest potential. His Pyramid of Success stands the test of time as a philosophy that teaches us how to live our lives. Make it a goal to work on each and every skill and behavior in the pyramid. It's all about reaching your personal potential. This allows you to improve every aspect of your life and profession if you are operating at your optimal level. In our industry, we hear a lot of talk about how important "our reputation" is. Read the quote at the top of this article again. Our character is what we really are and what we have control over. By working with integrity, doing the right thing, not taking shortcuts and always doing our personal best, we build our character, and character is what our clients can trust. "It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen."
--John Wooden I love the story of how Coach Wooden would start the first day of practice each season. He would teach his players how to put on their socks and tie their shoes. Tie their shoes? These kids are in college! Yes, but that is the level of detail he brought to the forefront of the thinking of each of his players. Before you can play your very best, your socks need to be put on correctly so there are no bumps or ridges that can cause blisters. The shoes need to be tight but not too tight. Technical, yes. But success is achieved by every detail being in place. Sound familiar? To me, it sounds like the special events industry. We are so about the details! "Perfection is impossibility but striving for perfection is not. Do the best you can. That is what counts."
--John Wooden Long before he ever came to Los Angeles, John Wooden's father, Joshua Wooden, taught him a set of life principles which the coach carried around on a piece of paper. "Be true to yourself. Make each day a masterpiece. Help others. Drink deeply from good books. Make friendship a fine art. Build a shelter against a rainy day". In our life's journey, we have each found this special event industry that celebrates our creative spirit, our business minds and the art of the event, in which we can craft dreams and visions that make our clients swoon. By keeping the passion that we feel for our chosen profession alive and screaming with joy, we can fulfill our dream of being the best in the industry. It is our passion about what we do that sets us apart, so feed the passion every chance you get. Only you know what feeds your passion - education on specific topics, reading thank you letters from happy clients, indulging your "food and wine" obsession - whatever it is, do it, because that passion helps you achieve your personal best. "The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team."
--John Wooden Coach Wooden once observed that "individual players today were often better than those when he coached but that team play had declined". Who is on your team? Do you have a team of the very best people surrounding you that share your core values and philosophies? Count how many different vendors it takes to plan and execute an event - 40 to 50 depending on the event! How can you make this team work better together? What strategic partnerships can you build that would create a win/win for each party? "There are many things that are essential to arriving at true peace of mind, and one of the most important is faith, which cannot be acquired without prayer."
--John Wooden Lastly, my final parallel to the life and teachings of John Wooden and the special event industry is one we can all appreciate - the great love story of John and his wife, Nell. John did not fear death because he said it would reunite him with Nell, who passed away in 1985. Every month since her death, John wrote a love letter to Nell. He would replace the previous month's letter on her pillow where she had slept next to him. Now that's what our industry is all about - love for each other and for doing the thing we love best. 
>> Print this article
"You can't let praise or criticism get to you.
It's a weakness to get caught up in either one." - John Wooden |
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| Tactics | ||
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Working Smarter, Not Harder Without a doubt, the special events industry is one of the hardest working groups of people I know! We love what we do, so we always go the extra mile (or two) to make sure everything is perfect. It's all in the details and no detail will be left unnoticed! So, this topic is especially important for all of you "type A" personalities out there. What does the phrase "Working Smarter, Not Harder" bring to mind for you? Undoubtedly, it will mean something a little different for each of us, but the one thought it probably brings to mind for most special event industry professionals is maximizing the sale. Maximizing the sale also has many components. If we all sat down and brainstormed on what maximizing the sale meant, I'm sure we would come up with page after page of different answers - and all of them would be correct! The first component includes the pre-booking process. What type of events are you targeting? Are you attracting and booking the best type of client for your business or service? Take a look at your marketing plans to determine who they are directed at and if that is the best place to spend your time and effort. It is just as easy to target high-end event clients as it is to target a market that you know is always on a strict budget, as long as your product or service satisfies the needs of this demographic. If we could do the same amount of events with higher dollars, wouldn't that be a win/win? Second, take a look at your actual booking process. Are you capturing the highest percentage of the prospects that are contacting you? Finding ways to increase this percentage increases your bookings with no extra effort. It's just making the most of the marketing effort you already put out there. Go through your entire sales process. How can you make it better? How can you close the sale on the spot? Are there incentives to do so? Do you write a thank you note after every new appointment? Good follow-up is crucial! Lastly, take a look at the planning phase or your sales process. Once an event or client is booked, what happens next? When you sit down to have your planning meeting where all the details are discussed, do you have trendy, appropriate, enticing "upsells" to offer? I always say "trends = upsells", so anything that is sizzling right now is a great upsell because the client most probably has seen something about it on an inspiration board and the sale will be easier. Experiential upsells are always a great addition as well. By taking a look at targeting the correct audience, booking more of the prospects you get and maximizing the dollars of each event, you will be on the road to "working smarter, not harder". You may be able to actually gain some balance in your life, take a little time off - have a life!! >> Print this article
"Positive self-direction is the action plan that all winners in life use to turn imagination into reality, fantasy into fact, and dreams into actual goals."
- John Wooden |
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| People in the News! | |||
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Congratulations to our new
Beverly Clark Certified Wedding Professionals: Tane' Ravine, Tubac Golf Resort & Spa Ana Cecelia Reyes, Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun Necah Cannon, Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina As well as gaining their certification, they now have the right to use a logo with their new designation on all marketing materials. 
"You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."
- John Wooden |
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| What Do You Want to See? | ||
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Send us your ideas for future newsletters and topics and we'll do our best to accommodate your request. >> Submit Your Ideas and/or Subscribe to our Newsletter |
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| Webinar Series | ||
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#9
Maximizing the 2010 Holiday Season Join us Online on July 21, 2010 at 11am PDT/1:00pm CDT/2:00pm EDT (approximately a one-hour duration) Topics will include: Marketing Streams and Timing, Increasing the Value of Your Product or Service, Securing Dates Early, Upselling the Extras. To register or for more information >> Please visit our Learning Center 
#10
Wine Sales and Upselling Join us Online on Sept. 22, 2010 at 11am PDT/1:00pm CDT/2:00pm EDT (approximately a one-hour duration) Topics will include: Pairing with Menus, Conducting Proper Tastings, Upselling to the Next Tier (or two)! To register or for more information >> Please visit our Learning Center
#11
Preparing for the 2011 Wedding Season Join us Online on Oct. 20, 2010 at 11am PDT/1:00pm CDT/2:00pm EDT (approximately a one-hour duration) Topics will include: Trend Alert - What's on the Horizon for 2011, Making the Most of Your Advertising Dollars, Multi-Cultural Wedding Opportunities, Your Annual Wedding Marketing Plan - New Ideas! To register or for more information >> Please visit our Learning Center
Recorded Webinars:
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| Connect with Lynne | ||
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BeverlyClarkTraining.com |
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| About Lynne | ||
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Editor in Chief Lynne LaFond DeLuca Lynne is the Sr. Vice President, Business Development and Education for Beverly Clark Hospitality Training. She is a highly regarded speaker in the special events industry and has written for industry publications including Boardroom and Catering magazines. Lynne has trained people around the world in the art of catering industry sales and operations. She has an absolute passion for what she does and for helping the people that she works with in the hospitality industry to perform at their maximum level. lynne@beverlyclarkenterprises.com More info on having Lynne as a Guest Speaker at your next industry event or sales meeting, please visit >> Beverly Clark Hospitality Training |
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| Resources | ||
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 Contact a Beverly Clark Representative about advertising on one of our websites. A strong internet marketing presence is a MUST today! T | 800.933.3434 E | info@beverlyclarkenterprises.com  For information on advertising in this newsletter please go to our: >> Newsletter ad information  |
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| Credits | ||
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Top photo courtesy of Hoffman Photography |
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