Best Alan Berg, CSP, Global Speaking Fellow Podcasts (2024)

1
What are you doing to fill holes in your calendar? 7:41

3d ago7:41

7:41

What are you doing to fill holes in your calendar? Do you know how to fill last-minute cancellations or unbooked dates? Are discounts necessary to attract last-minute bookings, or is there a better way? In this episode, I discuss strategies to attract couples booking closer to their event date and share how to market these openings effectively with…

1
Mark Chapman – Is your contact form hurting your business? 24:40

5d ago24:40

24:40

Mark Chapman – Is your contact form hurting your business? Have you ever considered if your contact form is turning potential clients away? Are you making it too difficult for couples to get the information they need? In this episode, we dive into the importance of optimizing your contact forms and landing pages to ensure they are user-friendly. We…

1
Are you having trouble standing out in a crowd? 10:34

10d ago10:34

10:34

Are you having trouble standing out in a crowd? In a market flooded with elopements and micro-weddings, are you finding it challenging to make your specialized venue easy to find online? Is the term "micro" confusing your potential clients due to varying definitions? In this episode, I discuss strategies to clearly communicate what sets you apart, …

1
Are you feeling the Covid hangover? 5:15

19d ago5:15

5:15

Are you feeling the Covid hangover? Have the last few years in the wedding industry felt like a wild ride? Are you questioning what's normal in today’s market? In this episode, I discuss what I call the COVID hangover, addressing the ups and downs we've faced and how to navigate this "next normal." Are your sales skills up to the task? Are your mar…

1
David Osborne - Scaling laterally! 30:02

21d ago30:02

30:02

David Osborne - Scaling laterally! Do you struggle with meeting the demands of both high-end and budget-conscious clients in the wedding industry? Have you faced the challenge of managing multiple brands without cannibalizing sales? David Osborne and I dive deep into strategies for expanding your service offerings while maintaining distinct brand i…

1
When you're healthy, you have 100 problems! 6:19

26d ago6:19

6:19

When you're healthy, you have 100 problems! Have you ever thought about how your health impacts your ability to run your wedding business? Do you prioritize your well-being so you can tackle those everyday challenges? In this episode, I delve into the importance of taking care of yourself first, so you can better handle the myriad of problems that …

1
Are you mirroring their buying style? 7:38

1M ago7:38

7:38

Are you mirroring their buying style? Are you mirroring your client's buying style? How can understanding their decision-making process improve your sales approach? Explore how recognizing and mirroring a client's buying style can accelerate your sales success. Discover my practical tips to adapt your strategy, whether you're dealing with thorough …

1
Brian Lawrence - What to do if you're new (and if you're not) 36:33

1M ago36:33

36:33

Brian Lawrence - What to do if you're new (and if you're not) How effective is your website at guiding visitors to make an appointment? Are your booking options and pricing strategically placed for conversion? In this episode, we explore how to structure your event pages to not only inform but also lead visitors to take action. We discuss the impor…

1
Should you present one package or multiple in a proposal? 10:46

1M ago10:46

10:46

Should you present one package or multiple in a proposal? Ever wondered whether it's better to present one package or multiple options in a proposal? How can offering multiple options affect a client's decision-making process? What if a single package was all it took to streamline negotiations? Dive into these questions and explore strategies that …

1
You've gotten them this far, now finish it! 5:37

2M ago5:37

5:37

You've gotten them this far, now finish it! Do you ever feel like you can talk the talk but stumble when it's crunch time? You're not alone. Many excel in engagement and understanding customer needs, yet falter at the final hurdle—asking for the sale. Whether it's in person or online, don't wait for customers to say "yes." Actively guide them to th…

1
Is virtual selling still a thing? – With John Chen 30:19

2M ago30:19

30:19

Is virtual selling still a thing? – With John Chen During the pandemic, a lot of you started to sell virtually (phone, zoom, etc.). Now that things have settled to the next normal, is virtual selling something you should be doing, or considering? I invited my friend John Chen, who’s a wizard at helping companies host virtual and hybrid (combination…

1
They don't value what they can't see! 9:35

2M ago9:35

9:35

They don't value what they can't see So much of what you do to make weddings and events great, happens out of view of your customers. Are you getting paid for that time? Are your customers valuing the time you put in that they can’t see? In this episode I talk about ways to get them to understand the value that you bring, even when they can’t see t…

1
Problems are opportunities to improve! 11:24

2M ago11:24

11:24

Problems are opportunities to improve When customers come to you with problems, are you paying attention to how you can make this better, not just for them, but for other customers? I’ve had some experiences recently where all I got was passed from one department to another, with no on acknowledging that it was their system that was broken, not use…

1
Mark Chapman – How is the wedding industry different now? 33:57

2M ago33:57

33:57

Mark Chapman – How is the wedding industry different now? You’ve probably noticed that things are different in the wedding industry, especially in the way today’s couples are, or are not, responding to your ads and messages. I asked my friend Mark Chapman, from the I Do Society, to come back on and talk about what he’s seeing. Advertising for weddi…

1
Nothing works all of the time! 8:40

2M ago8:40

8:40

Nothing works all of the time In this episode, I delve into a common challenge many wedding and event professionals face: the frustration when previously successful strategies start to falter. From interacting with clients across the industry, I've noticed a recurring theme—what once worked seamlessly may suddenly lose its effectiveness. Join me as…

1
You know what I was thinking? 5:54

3M ago5:54

5:54

You know what I was thinking? When my wife asks this, it means I’m heading to Home Depot or Lowes for a DIY project. But with our customers, co-workers, etc., the truth is that we don’t know what they’re thinking. No matter how long we’ve been in our industry, we simply can’t know what every customer is thinking. We don’t know what their experience…

1
Sam Horn – Does your business POP? 30:13

3M ago30:13

30:13

Sam Horn – Does your business POP? After reading Sam Horn’s book “POP”, I just had to have her on to talk about how you can make your business stand out from the crowd. We talked about how the first 60 seconds can make or break your business. Sam also shared how to use AIR – Alliteration, Iambic and Rhyme when choosing a name for a business, produc…

1
What to do with Wedding Expo leads! 11:20

3M ago11:20

11:20

What to do with Wedding Expo leads Thanks to Chuck in Philly for this suggestion. I’ve actually done another episode a while back on this, and it’s time for a refresher. The opportunity here is that 90% of the exhibitors at wedding expos won’t use the lead lists. To me, that’s just throwing money away. You paid to get in front of a unique audience …

1
You know what to do, but are you doing it? 8:35

3M ago8:35

8:35

You know what to do, but are you doing it? This isn’t a listener suggestion, rather it was inspired by things I’ve seen working with and listening to some of you, my clients and connections. For example, I’ve had people come to me and say that they’re not getting the response they want from their inquiries, and that they’re following what I taught …

1
Phil M. Jones – Do you know exactly what to say? 32:22

3M ago32:22

32:22

Phil M. Jones – Do you know exactly what to say? After reading Phil. M Jones’ audio book “Exactly what to say”, I was hooked. So many of the things he talks about apply to your businesses, and mine. And then I read “Exactly How to Sell” and “Persuade to get paid”, which just reinforced that I had to have Phil on here to talk about how his ideas and…

1
Customers aren't supposed to adapt to us! 6:49

3M ago6:49

6:49

Customers aren’t going to adapt to us! I’ve been seeing and hearing a lot of frustration from companies that stems from how they want to do business, but their customers want it done differently. When we’re the customer, the companies have to do business the way we want, or we’ll find someone else who will. It’s too easy these days to find another …

1
Your customers don't care if you're busy! 8:16

3M ago8:16

8:16

Your customers don't care if you're busy! Here’s another topic that came both from my personal experience and from conversations I’ve been having lately, both with engaged couples as well as wedding and event pros. For many of you, juggling doing events while handling inquiries, especially in your busy season, is a challenge. Your customers don’t c…

1
Phil Gerbyshak - Do you have a sales system? 34:24

4M ago34:24

34:24

Phil Gerbyshak - Do you have a sales system? Is your sales system a spreadsheet, a CRM or… you’re just winging it? I invited my friend Phil Gerbyshak to come on and talk about sales systems and processes, why they’re important and how you can get started, even with a small budget. Phil has been in sales and sales training for years and just launche…

1
Is it procrastination or indecision? 10:01

4M ago10:01

10:01

Is it procrastination or indecision? It’s frustrating when you get all of the good signals from the customer that they like what you’re offering, but they just won’t commit! Thanks to Marylee for this suggestion. We’ve all been there. What’s holding them back? For some, it’s just their personality type to procrastinate, and they do it on most decis…

1
What do you do when two customers want the same date? 8:38

4M ago8:38

8:38

What do you do when two customers want the same date? Here’s another listener suggestion, this time from Euan in the UK. He had two couples asking about the same date (a good problem to have), and wasn’t sure the best way to handle the situation. I’m sure you’ve run into this, I know I have, and we don’t want them to feel like we’re adding pressure…

1
Kristin Arnold – Do you have/need a strategic plan? 37:09

4M ago37:09

37:09

Kristin Arnold – Do you have/need a strategic plan? You’ve probably been told that you need a business plan, or a marketing plan, but do you have a Strategic Plan? I asked my friend Kristin Arnold to come on and talk about how a strategic plan is different than those other plans, what it is and why you should have one, regardless of the size of you…

1
You have to do better than that! 6:30

4M ago6:30

6:30

You have to do better than that! If your inboxes are like mine, you’re getting a lot of generic messages, trying to get our attention. I get people reaching out through Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram saying things like “I've noticed you pop up in my Facebook recommendations a lot…”, and I can see that we have no connections in common, so I know i…

1
How do you define success? 8:57

4M ago8:57

8:57

How do you define success? I’ve had this one on my list for a while to talk about on the podcast. When I work with businesses, large and small, one of the things I try to find out is how you define your success. It doesn’t matter how I define it, as you’re the one that has to do the work to get there. And when you get there, you want to feel satisf…

1
Brian Lawrence – My site has enhanced accessibility to visitors with disabilities, does yours? 27:31

4M ago27:31

27:31

Brian Lawrence – My site has enhanced accessibility to visitors with disabilities, does yours? A while back I had someone on to talk about ADA compatibility for websites, and then… I didn’t do anything about it. Can you relate? So, I asked my friend and website expert, Brian Lawrence, to make my site more accessible. I couldn’t believe how easy it …

1
When should you ask about their budget? 9:32

5M ago9:32

9:32

When should you ask about their budget? This is another listener suggestion, this time from Marylee in Connecticut. When should you ask the customer, couple or client about their budget. It’s not an easy answer, as it will be different for different price points, different services (some are easier to explain) and frankly, for each of us. You’ve pr…

1
Do you ask How Much? 6:24

5M ago6:24

6:24

Do you ask How Much? There are times when we have to ask ourselves if we do some of the same things when we’re customers, that our customers do to us. For instance, if you hate it when people ask you how much you charge, before finding out the results you can provide, or the value that you bring… have you done that when you were the customer? I kno…

1
Kendra Ramirez – AI for Wedding Pros 31:02

5M ago31:02

31:02

Kendra Ramirez – AI for Wedding Pros I met Kendra at the WedProCon conference where she was speaking about AI – Artificial Intelligence, and how wedding pros can use it… and I just had to have her on the podcast to talk to you. Of course, we discuss ChatGPT, but also some other cool tools that you can use to help you with content creation, images, …

1
Have you resolved to stop making resolutions? 7:34

5M ago7:34

7:34

Have you resolved to stop making resolutions? Now that it’s February (when this first aired), have you made and broken your New Year’s resolutions already? Did you make any? I don’t, because I don’t wait for the beginning of the year to commit to what I want/need to do. Do you need a milestone date to get started? Or, do you just need accountabilit…

1
Is your email signature helping or hurting? 8:11

5M ago8:11

8:11

This episode was prompted by paying attention to some of the many email signatures I see every day. Sometimes we don’t pay any attention to them (especially if it’s someone we already know). There were a few times, just this week, where I wanted to know more about the person sending the email (either to do research, or add them to my CRM, etc.) and…

1
Sarah Fox – The 500-Word Contract 33:37

5M ago33:37

33:37

How many words is your current contract, including the Terms & Conditions? Did you account for every eventuality, not matter how rare? Can your contract be cut down to only 500 words? I had a great conversation with Sarah Fox, a “Recovering Lawyer”, and fellow speaker I met in the UK. In her former life as a corporate attorney she saw the ridiculou…

1
What's the zero moment of truth? 9:40

6M ago9:40

9:40

What's the Zero Moment of Truth? I just finished reading “Youtility” by Jay Baer, and among other great nuggets he talks about the Zero Moment of Truth, which Google defines as “The ZMOT refers to the moment in the buying process when the consumer researches a product prior to purchase.” Are you there for their ZMOT? How many potential customers ar…

1
Should we care what the color of the year is? 5:03

6M ago5:03

5:03

Should we care what the color of the year is? I just saw the big announcement… the Pantone color of the year is Peach Fuzz! Does that matter to your business and should you care? If you’re in the color business – flowers, linens, fashion, invitations, lighting, décor… then yes. Should the rest of us care? Maybe. Listen t…

1
Alan Katz – Scaling from 1 wedding to thousands! 34:31

6M ago34:31

34:31

Alan Katz – Scaling from 1 wedding to thousands! I’ve known Alan Katz for years and I love the story of how he got started doing a friend’s wedding, and has parlayed that to a company that does almost 2,000 ceremonies each year! You’ll also hear how he’s deepened his niche with other related services and how he’s been able to get thousands of revie…

1
What's a fake lead? 13:44

6M ago13:44

13:44

What’s a Fake Lead? I’ve been having quite a few one-on-one conversations with clients and folks in the industry about fake leads. I also see many social posts about this and I’m often tagged and pulled into the conversation. And since you can’t hear my one-on-one conversations, I thought I’d address it here, as most of those conversations are very…

1
Don't punish the masses for the ills of a few 9:10

6M ago9:10

9:10

Don't punish the masses for the ills of a few I’ve used this phrase before on the podcast “Don't punish the masses for the ills of a few”. Just recently I saw another wedding/event pro coming up with what felt like punitive rules, so I decided it was time to devote an episode to this. How many things are you telling your couples and customers they …

1
Could your wedding/event business use a Virtual Assistant? 31:09

6M ago31:09

31:09

Do you love doing weddings and events but hate all of the business minutiae? There’s so much more to running a successful business than just doing the events. There’s the administration, project management, following up on leads, and following up with couples and customers after the sale and before the event. With staffing being so difficult these …

1
What's your hidden potential? 8:32

7M ago8:32

8:32

I just finished reading another book by Adam Grant, a professor at Wharton in Philadelphia, this one is called “Hidden Potential.” It really hit home with me when he shared examples of people who intentionally seek out being uncomfortable, and then they push through that discomfort and use it as a catalyst for their success. Specifically, he gave e…

1
What’s your ideal gift? 9:00

7M ago9:00

9:00

What’s your ideal gift? For my last episode of this year I wanted to reflect a little on gifting. It’s gift-giving season and I know that my attitude towards what makes a great gift has certainly changed over the years, I’ll bet yours has as well. Whether it’s one you give or one you receive, what would make it stand out for you. It’s a gift to me …

1
Matt Campbell – The Butterfly Effect 30:42

7M ago30:42

30:42

Matt Campbell – The Butterfly Effect Matt and I were both commenting on a post on Facebook and he replied “The Butterfly Effect”, and I said that we have to come on the podcast to talk about it. What is the Butterfly Effect? It’s that a small change can make a big difference, often far away and without any real connection. We’re expanding on that i…

1
If you're not the lead dog, the view never changes! 8:09

7M ago8:09

8:09

If you're not the lead dog, the view never changes! This is another listener suggestion, this time from Cedric on Facebook. I don’t know if he used this phrase, or if it was my interpretation. The analogy comes from visualizing a dog sled team. Imagine a sled being pulled by 5 dogs. One in front, and two pairs of two other dogs behind it. If you’re…

1
The story I’m telling myself 9:28

7M ago9:28

9:28

I had been meaning to do an episode based upon this phrase after reading it in Brene Brown’s book “Dare to Lead.” And then I got an email about an article in the NY Times talking about the same thing (it’s a sign!). Very often we make assumptions about what happened, what someone is thinking, why someone did or didn’t do something. The problem is t…

1
David Avrin - Why Customers Leave (and how to win them back) 31:42

7M ago31:42

31:42

Why Customers Leave – with David Avrin I was reading (listening) to my friend David Avrin’s book “Why Customers Leave and How to Win Them Back” and there were so many good nuggets in there that I just had to have him on the podcast. We talked about the customer experience and how so many times you lose the sale without even knowing that you were be…

1
Why or Why Not? 9:10

7M ago9:10

9:10

When presented with a new opportunity, do you look at what could go wrong, or how it could fail? Do you ask yourself “Why should I?” Or, do you focus on the positive outcomes and ask “Why shouldn’t I?” Too many people place their emphasis on the negative, not the potential. After all, the easiest thing to do when presented with an opportunity is to…

1
Don't try to be the best you can ever be! 6:31

8M ago6:31

6:31

Don't try to be the best you can ever be! Are you satisfied with where you are and how good you are? I’m not, and I’ll never be. Yes, I like to look back and reflect on my successes, but my personal philosophy is that I want to be better each time than I was the last time. Whether it’s in business or in my personal life, it’s a constant push to do …

1
Bob Burg – The Go-Giver for Wedding Pros 31:51

8M ago31:51

31:51

After reading “The Go-Giver” for the second time, and then reading “Go-Givers Sell More”, I just had to have the author, Bob Burg, on the podcast. There are so many great lessons and nuggets that we can all apply to our businesses and lives in these books. I also just started reading “The Go-Giver Influencer”, and I’ve already been making notes. Th…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Alan Berg, CSP, Global Speaking Fellow Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide