Wedding Marketing Wisdom from Mr. T

So I was on a plane flight, sitting next to the venerable Mr. T. Naturally, we moved into discussion cutting edge issues related to wedding marketing. I was quite surprised at how passionate he was, on the subject.

We disagreed on one basic element. Mr. T feels that many wedding business people are simply fools. I, on the other hand, feel that wedding business people are highly competent at their craft, but sometimes make foolish wedding marketing decisions.

Mr. T shrugged and said, “Six of one, half a dozen of the other. Fools or foolish decision. The result is the same. Wasted money, weak results.”

With a little coaxing, he gave me a number of wedding marketing red flags to share with you.

• Wedding marketing professionals complain about the bride not having a realistic budget, but most of them don’t have a wedding marketing budget.
• Wedding marketing professionals often grouse about conflicting timelines at a wedding, but at least there is a timeline. When it comes to written wedding marketing plans, he finds that almost no wedding businesses actually have one.
• Don’t believe the hype! In reference to the new A-Team movie, Mr. T explained that “Suspending belief is something you should do when you go into a cinema.” Disbelief is not something you should practice when dealing with advertising, marketing, or results. Go for facts, history of consistency, and measure results. “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
• His ethics advice. “If you sleep with dogs, you’re likely to get fleas.”
• Who is the client?: In another canine metaphor, Mr. T says – “The person that feeds the dog, is the dog’s owner.” Sometimes that’s the bride, the wedding couple, the venue, parents, or all of the above. You deal with the bride once, but you want to be welcome back to, and referred by, the venue.
• On positive thinkers: “Without facts or a plan, they are just fools.”
• On promoters: “If they sound like a used car salesman, they probably run their business like one. Even if they’re not wearing suede shoes.”

Would like to bring Mr. T to a wedding conference to lay the smack down on some of the attendees.

Mr. T’s Bottom Line: Don’t be self-delusional, have a written plan, and don’t believe the hype.

If not, Mr. T will have NO pity for you.

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Authority

Andy Ebon

Andy Ebon is a public speaker, writer, and consultant serving the wedding, hospitality, and small business communities.

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