Be Easy to Work With…

to Get More Referrals and Have More Fun!

As wedding pros, we’ve chosen to work in a crazy-complicated industry, haven’t we? 

Let’s take a second and think about what we are all a part of…a multi-day ‘live performance’ of a huge team of separate vendors and professionals.  We do this in front of, and sometimes including, an audience of often hundreds of people from all walks of life. Each personal (vendor or guest) has their own unique wants, needs, desires, worries, fears, expectations, abilities, personalities, etc. 

We confidently step right in the middle of all the dysfunctional family dynamics, unrealistic expectations, and decades-old squabbles that have nothing to do with us. Yet, everything we do is expected to be expertly orchestrated, well-coordinated and each of us must execute our role professionally and flawlessly. Or we all risk getting poor reviews and ratings! The behavior and performance of each of us, affects the reputations of all of us.

And on top of all that, we’re supposed to be doing it all as a ‘business’. You know with profit concerns, cashflow headaches, legal issues…Wowzah! 

What were we thinking back when we picked this industry? Maybe we should just try tackling world peace or solving global hunger. Might be easier! 

Photo Credit: Lena Lakoma

SO HOW CAN WE MAKE IT EASIER?

Well let’s think about that, too.  What vendors do we like working with best? What is it about them that we like so much? Pretty quickly we realize it’s things like ‘they’re always helpful’, ‘they always have such a great attitude’, ‘they’re flexible and can easily deal with any challenge’. Bottom line: They are ‘easy to work with!’

Let’s be honest, we all like working with people and businesses that are ‘easy to work with’. They have salespeople that are truly helpful. They have customer service teams that actually solve our problems. They actually seem to care about us! They just make things easier.

Photo Credit: Lena Lakoma

HOW TO BE EASY TO WORK WITH – THE 5 KEYS

So how can we be vendors that others want to work with? (Because let’s be honest. None of us want to be one of ‘those’ vendors! You know what I’m talking about.) How can we behave and what can we do to make us easier and more desirable to work with? How can we become one that will get referrals from our other wedding pro friends?

Let’s look at 5 things we can do:

1. BE FLEXIBLE…THINGS AREN’T GOING TO GO EXACTLY AS PLANNED

Yes, weddings always start with a solid plan, a schedule that we’ve all agreed to. Then the day begins. And ‘stuff’ starts happening. Whether it’s the wedding party not being ready on time; another vendor setting up differently than you had expected; not enough…too many…wrong size…too short…it happens. And of course, there’s the weather…hot/cold…rain…or wind. It happens. 

The point is ‘it’ ALWAYS happens. So, expect ‘it’, ‘stuff’, to happen. Don’t expect things will go exactly as planned. Be ready. Be prepared to be flexible. Think of the changes as opportunities to overcome and to shine. Go with the flow. Other’s will appreciate your flexibility.

2. BE WILLING TO ADJUST AND BE THE FIRST TO VOLUNTEER TO DO IT

When you’re willing to adjust your piece to solve a challenge, or help out another vendor, others notice. They appreciate your willingness to help and make their job easier. It shows you have confidence in your abilities. You’re acting like a ‘pro’. And this calms others down. And who isn’t thankful when things are calm?

In fact, be the first to offer to adjust. Show that you can be flexible. Others notice when you offer to adjust your timeline or commitment. But they really notice, and remember, the first one who does it. You’ll be seen as a leader, a professional, a friend.

3. 3. BE POSITIVE, SUPPORTIVE, AND APPRECIATIVE

Of course, this is obvious in writing. But how easy is it in the heat of the battle? Clearly, we have to be intentionally positive, supportive and appreciative then.

Isn’t that the type of vendor you’d want to work with? Well that’s what everyone else thinks, too. Nobody wants to work with vendors that are negative, critical, or act entitled. And using excuses to be critical, like you’re just being ‘honest’, ‘transparent’, or ‘truthful’ isn’t helpful either.

Being positive also makes all the other points here, easier to do. And when we support others, they usually return the favor when we need the support.

4. BE UNDERSTANDING AND SHOW GRACE

We aren’t always at our best when we’re stressed and under pressure. In fact, we’ve pretty much never at our best when we’re stressed and neither is anyone else. We’re not bad people. We’re just in a tough situation, We wouldn’t like being judged at those times. So, we shouldn’t do it to others.

Instead, we have the opportunity to show grace and understanding in those situations. It’s important that if we want ‘a break’ or people to ‘cut us some slack’ in stressful situations, we should do the same for them.

Showing grace and understanding when others are in tough situations often gets us ‘double relationship points’ because those around us know that it would be easier just to criticize.

5. BE WILLING TO LET OTHERS SHINE (THEY’LL NOTICE)

Finally, a bigger part of being easy to work with is simply not doing the opposite. Don’t go all diva when things go off track. Don’t be the inflexible and force others to adjust their work. Show that you are a real wedding ‘pro’.

And when you are the one to make changes, or help out, do it quickly, quietly and willingly. If you act like you need everyone to shower you with appreciation and thanks, you lose their respect. It’s clear to them that you helped only because you pretty much had to, and you expected to be ‘rewarded’.

Let others get the credit for making the day so special for everyone. Your peers will know the full story and appreciate (and refer!) you even more. 

Being ‘easy to work with’ is one of the most important aspects of having an Attitude of Abundance, which is one of our core values at The Abundance Group (hence the name)!  We’ll cover many more aspects of having this attitude in future articles.

 Enjoy your week!

-Dale & Ashley