Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Who You're Serving vs. Who You Should Be Serving

It's impossible to make a square peg fit into a round hole. We all know this to be a fact and recognize this to be true. Yet we continually try to 'prove' this wrong and force that square peg into a stubborn round hole. We twist and turn that peg and try with our might to shave those sides off in an effort to make it fit. Often, we're able to make the two come together through our pushing and prodding. But, it's never the good and proper fit it should be.

Most of us in the wedding industry have spent much time thinking about the type of client we want to serve but not enough time thinking about the client we do and should serve. Too little time has been spent asking ourselves if our skill set matches the clients we're striving for. It's like making a square peg fit into a round hole. We may want to serve a certain client but we may be ill equipped to do so. Hence, the lack of that good and proper fit mentioned above. And the risk of having a frustrated and disappointed client in the end.

I am a luxury wedding and social event planner. I know that about myself and my business. I'm not a non-profit planner nor am I a meeting planner. It's not what I'm good at or passionate about. I am definitely not the right fit for everyone. In fact, I'm a bad fit for most. I freely admit I could not properly serve a DIY bride, for example. It's not the type of bride that I would be comfortable working with.

I want to challenge you to look closely at who you are and where your skills lie before you write your next proposal or accept that next job. It's easy to talk about who you want serve but harder to recognize and accept who you should be serving. Be true to who you are and intimately know and understand where your gifts and talents lie. By doing so, you'll be a perfect fit for your clients and their needs. And you won't be that square peg trying to fit into a round hole.

~Jodi