Ok, it's been almost 16 months since our last blog post and I have to tell you, I half expected to see a giant "FAIL" sticker stamped on the front of our blog when I logged in this morning. I very hesitantly opened the page with squinted eyes,   fearing what I'd see. A big February 24, 2009 last posting date was what I found! Oops! Well, we've decided that our blogging failure stops today. Or yesterday, actually. Today we're back! 

Now, where to start? Well, I could give you a quick recap of what's been going on since we last blogged, but that would be one very long post. So, let me tell you about what we have coming up instead. Next Monday, David and I will be speaking at the Austin PPA meeting from 7:00pm - 9:30pm. We haven't done a lot of public speaking in the past, but we've seen how much good can come out of sharing one's knowledge and experiences and we would love to play some small role in helping another photographer find their path to success. 

So, next Monday, David and I will be talking on the subject of "Million Dollar Weddings" and explaining how to approach wedding coordinators and vendors in your area to help fellow photographers grow their businesses. We've put a lot of time and effort into developing and growing our relationships with wedding coordinators as they can be your greatest source for new clientele. We will be going more in depth next week on this topic, but I thought today we could share a quick 5 tips on approaching wedding coordinators!

1. Call - don't email: And better yet, go visit them in person. You're investing in a relationship with these people and it helps to hear a voice or see a face. It's also a lot easier to ignore or say no to an email. So, pick up the phone and introduce yourself. Ask if there's a time you can stop by to meet them in person. Remember, these people are very busy so just popping in to say hello and expecting a sit-down meeting may not be the best idea. As we like to say, warm relationships are better than cold calls. 
2. Be Patient:  Just like any of your other non-familial relationships, you had to build them to where they are today. Relationships don't happen over night, you have to be patient. The wedding coordinator needs to appreciate your work, observe your level of professionalism and understand that you aren't going to be a pain in their you know what. A bride is full of anxiety which a lot of times gets transferred to their wedding coordinator. The last thing these people want is some new photographer causing them more anxiety. So be patient and be helpful when you can. 
3. Manage Your Expectations: You can't expect that you're going to walk into a wedding coordinators office, say hello, and then automatically be added to their go-to list of photographers. You aren't going to replace their top photography team - at least not right away. Again, you'll need to build trust with the wedding coordinators and work your way into their good graces. 
4. Their approach to photographers: When you ask coordinators their general opinion about wedding photography to them all photographers are the same. They figure we all charge the same, shoot the same styles, offer the same products. Of course we know this not to be true but we have to show them what is different about our client experience and our personalities first. Figure out how to provide the coordination service with something unique that they can offer to their clients that will give their brides an experience they will never forget and you are on the right track.
5. Relationship needs to be organic: When you shoot a wedding and do a great job don't forget about the other vendors that helped make the day a huge success. Ask a florist while they are loading in - what do they really need to walk away with to sell future clients on ideas and concepts. What does the lighting team, set designers, make-up artist etc need to help their business grow. It's not always the kinds of shots that will make it in the couple's "book" but unlike couples the vendors in your area are in the wedding business long-term. Meeting their specific needs by asking instead of assuming can set you apart.

Hopefully our first venture back into blogging today has helped someone out there having a hard time reaching out to vendors in the industry to partner with. As I mentioned earlier, if you would like to learn more about our experiences with wedding coordinators and vendors and how through these relationships, we've discovered the rules and the regality of Million Dollar Weddings, then come see us next Monday at the Dave & Busters in North Austin. To RSVP for this meeting, you can click here to go straight to the Austin PPA site. 

Thanks for reading everyone! I promise this isn't the last blog posting you'll see from us. David will be here on Wednesday with images from some of our most extravagant weddings over the last year. You won't want to miss it!