I did some work with a party rental company here in Toronto. When I asked them who’s their largest check client, what’s the jackpot for them, they said, “ An outdoor wedding ”. You see, when somebody has an outdoor wedding they need to rent almost everything. A tent or possibly two (one for the ceremony, and one for the reception), tables, chairs, dishes, linens… everything. However, the tricky part for a party rental company is to get in front of new brides.
Because the truth is,
Thinking about party rental companies is not one of those sexy things about planning a wedding. Have you ever seen anyone collecting pictures about party rental ads? Yeah, me neither. Nobody gets excited about that. And so, we started brainstorming and thinking upstream… Where does the journey start for a new bride? How do you get in front of the right prospects BEFORE they need you?
And we realized…
Everything starts the moment someone asks, “ Will you marry me? ” and the other person replies, “ I will ”. The very first decision they make is picking a date and location. Where and when – that’s the most important thing. But get this: If they want to have an outdoor wedding, the second most important decisions is, “ Where are we going to do it? ”
And bingo. That’s our entry point.
I had my client put together a directory of ‘ 100 great places to have an outdoor wedding in Toronto ’ and we started advertising it, without even mentioning they’re a party rental company. Just a guide with places and tips for a great outdoor wedding.
Not only did they started getting more leads, turning invisible prospects into visible ones, in bucketloads. They were also able to turn the guide into a new profit center for them.
Because guess what?
Turns out there are lots of other businesses out there interested to get in front of new brides. Venues, DJs, band bookers, bridal companies, caterers; And they were all more than happy to pay to be included in the guide. The lesson in all this? When you start thinking upstream, focusing on the process your clients go through, you reach your prospect sooner.
It’s like finding a new oil well. And all you need to do is be ready with your buckets before the oil starts pouring out.
On the podcast, Kirby Virden and I go in depth on the topic.
