1. Think of You
The busy season can take a toll on you both physically and emotionally. Be sure to take a little time to pamper yourself. Book yourself a spa day, do something fun that you've been putting off, and spend a little time with loved ones because the busy season is hard on them too! And, while you're at it, put together a plan to take care of yourself for when your wedding season starts spinning out of control.
2. Take Care of Business
As the season starts to wrap up, it's time to look at your P&L, work on your taxes, and begin to take a serious look at your budget for next year.
3. Follow Up
Handwritten notes are a lost art. A simple thank you note to the wedding pros you've worked with across the year is a nice touch. And, a great way to solidify relationships. Follow up with photographers and filmmakers. See about getting their images or links to videos to use on your own social media and website.
4. On Trend
Do your research! See what wedding trends from this year are still hot and what's new and exciting for next year. Blogging about trends for the new year, as well as showcasing them in your portfolio and social media, puts you ahead of the pack when couples start looking for cutting edge wedding professionals.
5. Go to Market
Now that you've looked at new trends and connected with colleagues for new images and videos, it's time to put them to work for you. Look at your print ads and consider a more current wedding. Change out images on your online marketing listings and freshen up your own website. Then look at your website content. Does it still sell the products you're focused on? Or, do you need to reword some of your packages?
6. Go With the Flow
Now's the time to look at your processes and review your workflow. Streamline your processes for following up with leads and review your Aisle Planner planning checklists, vendor contact information, and wedding timelines. Any glitches in your sales or planning process can slow you down during busy season. And who wants to make more work for themselves when they're already busy?
7. Take The Lead
Take some time to work on setting up and customizing your Aisle Planner lead forms. A few simple steps and you'll have your inquiry forms customized and branded for your new inquiries.
8. Get Paid
If you're an Aisle Planner member in the United States or Canada, you're able to set up payment processing through your Pro Dashboard. Click on 'Settings' in the right hand corner and then click on 'Banking'. After familiarizing yourself with the Terms of Service, couples can make payments directly through your account.
9. Review
Touch base with all of your couples from the last year. This will put you in the front of their minds as their friends become engaged and put together a wedding team! Also, if they haven't done so already, be sure to ask for reviews to use both online and in your portfolio.
10. Clean Sweep
Part of getting organized is "out with the old." The offseason is the perfect time to archive past weddings, clean up your files, and find the top of your desk. Organizing your office will give you a fresh start on the busy season, and you might be surprised by what you find!
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