Expert Bridal Sales Trainer, Maria Musgrove-Wethey, Director of Pantiles Bride, is a firm believer in the quote from motivational speaker Zig Zigler: “Stop Selling and Start Helping”. With her many years of experience and knowledge in bridal sales, Maria treated her Facebook followers to a live Q&A, offering helpful tips and even sharing humorous stories of her own experiences.
Bridal Times tuned in to share her advice on these all so common but difficult situations.
What do you do when the bride’s entourage pushes the bride to keep looking for another dress somewhere else, when the bride clearly loves the gown in your store?
“The bride’s entourage is out there for a really great time and they are going to be so disappointed if she buys at that first appointment. You have completely robbed them of their shopping tour experience when you are able to sell on the first appointment,” Maria responds.
Maria humorously picks up a magic wand from her desk for her viewers to see and says, “So my suggestion is to not to be the first appointment if possible. Whether it be through small talk or through your store’s pre-qualifying questionnaire, if you have one. If you are the first appointment, then you have to make an AMAZING impression. Help her find the dress that she adores, invite her to come back and make sure to give her all the knowledge she needs to make the decision.”
“I had a bride who went to 14 different stores over several months, and her mother told me that the reason they decided to come back to me was because I was able to advise them. I was able to explain why the dress suited her daughter as well as why certain styles didn’t; the fabric, design and different looks for the dress.”
“If they don’t buy the first time, you have to make a wonderful impression. And don’t let the disappointment get to you if she decides to leave. You can’t go from super helpful to a hard sell. If she says she can’t cancel with the other shops because she already paid a fee, then just offer to take the price off the dress to cover the cancelled appointment. Bottom line, if you don’t make an amazing impression, the bride will walk out that door and you’re history.”
What do you do when the bride loves a dress, but mother is a pain and completely ruins the appointment?
Maria shared her own amusing story about when she was selling a gown to a bride whose mother didn’t allow her daughter to buy the color of her choice since it didn’t match the mother’s lipstick.
Recalling that experience, Maria says, “If mom has been controlling her daughter for all these years, then an hour and half with a bridal sales consultant isn’t going to change anything! Sometimes you think, “Oh, come on! Stand up to your mom, or your sister, your family or friends.” But maybe this has been a family drama for years. What you can ask is, “What do you picture her wearing?” Then find some way to come together by building on that. Change and transform the dress with beautiful belts, boleros, jackets, and veils to take attention away from what they don’t like.”
What do you do when a person continues taking photos when you have already said it’s not allowed?
“Photos are damaging,” Maria shares. “If the lighting is bad or if the photo is taken a certain way, it can be very unflattering.” Maria doesn’t have a sign in her bridal shop to say that photos aren’t allowed, as she feels that creates an automatic barrier, but when the bride’s entourage asks to take pictures, Maria says she gives them a “Positive No”. Meaning she doesn’t allow photos, but offers an alternative instead.
For example, “I explain that photos are very 1 dimensional, not representing how she feels at that moment or how she feels in the dress. But I do offer for them to take a video instead since she is moving around, the lighting is going to change and it’s much more flattering.”
Maria adds, “What I do not tolerate is when a photo is taken of every single gown. It slows down the appointment and the whole flow of things. To put a stop to this, I have the bride put on her last 2 favorite dresses, with accessories, get the lighting right, get the bride to pose and we as a group are going to look at the photos TOGETHER to see which photo is the truest representation of the bride. About taking photos, I just say to the entourage, “This is a process of eliminations, we are working through a lot of dresses, so let’s save the photos for the last 2 favorite gowns.”
What do you say to a Bride who shows no emotion? She needs to find a dress soon, but shows no excitement about any dresses – not because she didn’t like them, rather she just isn’t into shopping, for example.
Maria talks about the many types of brides in her training courses and the right ways to sell to them. This is no easy situation but Maria advises, “This is the kind of bride that is detached, switched off, unenthusiastic, and gives no feedback. There could be many reasons for this. Maybe she is not sure if she wants to get married. What if she was disappointed or pushed in another bridal shop? What if she is overwhelmed or has body issues? It could be many things. Try to get to the underlying problem but you can’t bombard her with questions. It takes patience – ask a question and really listen to what she says. Build upon her answers. Find some way to connect to her and mirror her behavior. If she speaks quietly, then watch your tone of voice or observe her body language. This will help her open up, but it takes a lot of patience.”
Maria say’s these 4 basic requirements will help you to get closer to her saying “Yes to the dress”.
- She needs to actually trust the shop
- She has to trust you and like you
- She needs to love the dress
- And make sure the dress is within budget
For those of you who have always been dreaming to fly to the UK and hear more of Maria’s advice, she will be holding a “Bridal Boutique Sales and Social Media Training Day” in English only.
Maria Musgrove-Wethey Bridal Sales Training