It’s All New To The Client
A few of us were giggling on Twitter today about how Pinterest has gone mainstream. We talked of days in ‘olden time’ when we were the early adopters and no one knew what we were talking about – or no one wanted to get ‘sucked in’ to one more thing. And – lo and behold – EVERYONE is now on it and all over it. And, it’s NEW! (to them)
This happens with our clients. Remember the vintage rustic chic thing sweeping the nation? We’ve been watching the ‘new craze’ sweep the nation for 4-8 years now depending on our market region. And, we may be just a tad jaded about the whole thing. (Just a tad.)
But, here’s the thing… it’s all NEW to the client. The client isn’t immersed in our world. The client isn’t privy to the 18+ hours we spend enveloped in these trends. The client has never planned a wedding before (usually). The client is sincerely excited about the newness of it all.
The challenge is having the same sincere enthusiasm that the client does.
Our job? To be SINCERELY enthusiastic too. It’s not always easy to do, but our relationship with the client is dependent on being able to share in the enthusiasm for the ‘newness’.
How do you share in the enthusiasm for something that is ‘old news’ to you but that the client is VERY excited about? How do you get excited about trends that are a little passe within our industry, but are new to the mainstream? Share in a comment below.
Very true! My sister got married in 2007 and she had a mashed potato martini bar. By then, I had seen mashed potato martini bars all over but our friends and family LOVED it because they had never seen anything like it!
so true! i’m generally excited when someone else is excited… i totally feed off of great energy! when it comes to my clients & their excitement – “new” to them vs. “old” to me- my focus is always on matching their enthusiasm. not in a fake way, but in a way that appreciates & honors their excitement.
Such a great reminder to always give our clients the best experience possible. In the floral world, I find it’s easy to be excited about every style and color scheme (even if its purple for the 10th time this year)because it always turns out fresh and unique to each couple! And on the plus side any ideas I suggest, due to experience, are viewed as exciting and creative to them!
I try to put a new twist on everything I do. It would be really easy to continue to redo the same design over and over again, but instead I try to personalize everything so that both the client and myself are happy with the end product. It is pretty hard for me to fake enthusiasm and it is not what I got into this business for nor is it what my clients hire me for. Obviously I will do whatever the client wants, but most of the time when I present them with a fresh idea they love it. 🙂
This is so refreshing to hear! A few months ago some wedding industry peep’s blog post went viral about how much they hated the “vintage” trend and that they were so thankful it is “over.” I know we in the industry see it over and over again, but all those brides who then saw that post in the middle of planning their vintage wedding were heartbroken – I read a few comments from brides on facebook after local vendors re-posted the initial anti-vintage blog. These girls were crushed – and you know what that does for them? It makes them not want to work with YOU. As a florist I can’t tell you how much I hate gerber daisies, but if my bride wants it, then gosh darn am I ever pumped about it. Our job is to make our brides feel like they are our only brides, and our most important brides.
I completely agree with Lauren…I’m a designer & was heartbroken when I read some industry “experts” that I admire speak such ill things about the vintage theme being over! It’s all new to a bride-to-be! Although mason jars, lace, wild flowers [ or billy balls ] have a popularity that’s lasted years…we bring in LOTS of personal details to mix it up & make sure it’s not cookie cutter to the next wedding.
Keeping old, new is a challenge but one that can’t be attacked head on with creativity, passion & enthusiasm. If the client is excited about it…we are too! 🙂