| It's important to get experience planning weddings | | | | know. |
| before you start your own business. Many | | | | By the way, when you ask someone to schedule time |
| professional wedding planners offer internships and | | | | to talk to you, you must follow through and call or |
| apprenticeship programs to find new planners to join | | | | meet when scheduled. If you don't, you may never get |
| their teams or to help new planners start their own | | | | to schedule an appointment with them again. And don't |
| businesses. | | | | forget to send a "Thank You" note after your contact, |
| Here are 7 mistakes you don't want to make when | | | | preferably a handwritten note sent in the mail. Few |
| requesting a position with an experienced wedding | | | | people do this so it will make you stand out from the |
| planner: | | | | crowd. |
| Mistake #1 -You don't do any research about the | | | | Mistake #4 - You schedule your call to take place |
| company before you contact the planner. | | | | while you are at work. |
| I've had letters and emails sent to "Dear Sir or Madam" | | | | If you are talking to a planner while you are being paid |
| and "To Whom It May Concern." My name and | | | | to work for someone else, he or she will be wonder if |
| company name are on all of my websites. If you want | | | | you will also be making personal calls while on the job |
| to be able to get the attention of a planner, review | | | | with their company. Schedule your appointment for a |
| their website and blog, Google them, find out all you | | | | time when you are not at another job. |
| can about them before you call or write. And, if you do | | | | Mistake #5 - You send your resume in a broadcast |
| write to them, be sure you spell their name correctly. | | | | email. |
| Mistake #2 - You leave a message on voice mail or | | | | If you are sending resumes to a number of different |
| send an email implying you may be a potential client | | | | planners, don't send it to everyone in one email with |
| who has questions. | | | | "Undisclosed Recipients". This tells everyone that you |
| You must be honest about why you want to talk to a | | | | are sending it out indiscriminately and probably know |
| professional. Don't leave vague messages saying you | | | | very little about their businesses. |
| have questions about events and don't ever fill out a | | | | Mistake #6 - You stretch the truth about your current |
| contact form on a planner's website that is meant for | | | | experience. |
| potential clients. | | | | Be honest about your experience, your skills, and your |
| Mistake #3 - You cold call and launch into questions or | | | | education. There is nothing worse than finding out, in |
| pitch yourself right away. | | | | the middle of planning a wedding, that you stretched |
| When you get a wedding planner on the phone, | | | | the truth and can't be relied upon to be honest and do |
| introduce yourself, ask if they would be willing to talk to | | | | a good job. |
| you, and schedule an appointment if they are. Don't | | | | Mistake #7 - You expect to be well-paid while you are |
| assume they will have time to talk to you when you | | | | being trained. |
| call. And even if you have been referred by someone | | | | If you don't have any experience, you will need to |
| who says they "know" the planner, you still need to | | | | intern and probably work without pay or for very little |
| introduce yourself. Many people have called me saying | | | | pay. In order to get a well paying job with a wedding |
| they were told by "so and so" that I would be happy | | | | planner, you need to have the skills and experience the |
| to talk to them. Sometimes "so and so" has never told | | | | planner needs. |
| me and sometimes "so and so" is someone I barely | | | | |