Bridal Week London was so much fun! I absolutely LOVED seeing all of the fabulous stores during the Bridal Retail Success Academy sessions - it’s one of my personal coaching highlights. A huge thank you to all of those that dropped in or waited for a chat! Alongside providing advice on buying, sales, staffing and social media, I found one of the biggest areas that needed addressing and supporting was mindset.

In response to a few comments from retailers feeling they’re in the midst of a confidence crisis, I found myself reminding business owners to look at their achievements and remember to celebrate themselves more! I encouraged several GREAT business owners to sit back and take a long look at everything that they have achieved. Us businesswomen within our sector have a natural tendency to doubt ourselves. I feel that we’re intrinsically insecure, and seem to need more external validation than ever before! It’s mainly social media that’s heightened this and increased the imposter syndrome (which is rife) so please listen up lovely people: don’t forget to CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESSES and remember that the competition is really with yourself!  

High fives to those business teams who blew me away with their can-do, positive, vibey and exciting approach to bridal - there were several of you, you know who you are - and congratulations to each and everyone of you for all that you have achieved and will go on to achieve! A positive mindset is everything, so let us not forget to focus on the good because success breeds success.

Here’s a few thoughts and hopefully some words of advice inspired specifically from my sessions containing a few helpful nuggets here and there for you...

Q: How do I close more sales and stop my brides from shopping around?

A: So, once upon a time, a bridal team’s work orientated around dressing brides during their sales appointments, the steaming, alterations and fittings, and of course the behind-the-scenes tasks such as diary and website management and deliveries, customer contact and admin management associated with a bridal store. But, work in the world of bridal is quite different now and I think that for a lot of long-standing boutiques, it’s been challenging making the adjustment needed to become a savvy store on the bridal circuit.

A bridal store’s sales success hangs on so much these days! The answer to the above question starts first with the understanding that it isn’t just what happens during your appointments. If you read my columns or have experienced my coaching at Bridal Week or on a one-to-one basis, you’ll know that I talk about the sale being in the pre-qual and that what you do through your social media and through the connection that you build with customers before they come to you for a bridal appointment and shopping experience is actually how to close more sales and stop your brides from shopping around.  

Move your business to a place that brides WANT to buy from, and become the go-to shop that brides rave about and love! Do this through the cultivation of a compelling brand ethos, a genuinely brilliant team and a gorgeous boutique! Wow them with a brilliant customer-focused and celebratory appointment, and above all else, have fun and spread a bit of love! That’s how you close more sales!