How To Establish Yourself As The Expert In Your Field

This week one of my companies, The Heart Bandits, was featured in Brides Magazine. The article was called, “6 Major Proposal Mistakes to Avoid, According to Experts.” In the article, I am cited as the expert in Proposal Planning. Every time an article like this comes out, at least one of my peers shoots me a text or email to ask me how I got featured in XYZ. And my answer to them is that the magazines, websites, and media COME TO ME!

But it wasn’t always that way. There are a lot of things that I had to do to establish myself as an expert in the Proposal Planning and Pop-Up Wedding Industry. I teach you many of these steps in my courses that are going to be LIVE in February!! Sign up for the waitlist here.

For now, here are 3 free tips on how you can establish yourself as an expert in your field.

Actually Become An Expert

This may seem obvious but when wondering how you can get featured in media, you have to really ask yourself, “Am I actually the most knowledgeable person in my field about this subject matter?” If not, you need to become one. Take courses on the subject matter, read all of the blogs and interviews you can find, follow all the leaders in the industry on social media, and stay on top of all of the trends. If you are in a competitive space, try to niche down so that you are the expert at a specific niche in your market. Or become an expert in your field in your city specifically. That way, when someone starts looking for an expert in your field or area, they are lead to you.

Show Your Expertise

Once you feel like you truly are the expert in your industry, start showing that off in your social media and blogs. When you start sharing valuable tips and content on social media, so many great things happen. You start to seem like an expert in your field, people start sharing your content, people start following you, and most importantly, people start seeking you out when they are in need of your services or when they want to feature your service in the press.

By now, you know I am a HUGE believer in the power of SEO. When clients or journalists look for an expert in your field, they are looking in one of two places; Google or Social Media. I’ve already talked about showing your expertise on social media. To show your expertise on your website, you are going to blog about your expertise in a way that benefits your reader. In turn, you will eventually establish yourself as an expert to Google who will start rewarding you with rankings. SEO tips and tricks is a huge focus in my courses for this specific reason.

Get Media

The most powerful way to show you are an expert in your field is to be published somewhere. If you can get featured in major media, you will instantly have clout not just with your clients but with other media. And it completely snowballs. For example, I got featured in New York Times very early on after I started my business. Did I get clients from that interview? Absolutely. But what’s more is the other big things happened. Good Morning America saw the article and wanted to interview me. Hotels saw it and wanted to partner with me. When you finally get a major piece of media, a lot of things can change.

And that is why one of the Modules in my courses focuses on how to get media. Because getting media can create such big opportunities for your business. And the truth is, it really isn’t that hard to get.

How To Diversify Your Wedding Business

Whether you are a Wedding Planner, Florist, Photographer, Videographer, venue or any other type of wedding vendor, diversifying your wedding business is a must.

We all saw it first hand during the pandemic. Businesses that relied solely on income from large weddings sadly took a big hit. And while I pray this ends soon and never comes back again, none of us can predict the next thing that will come and impact the wedding industry.

That is exactly why diversifying your wedding business should be on the top of your to-do list. In fact, if you ask any wealthy person what their secret is, 9 times out of 10 they will say, “diversification.” It is critical to have income coming in from different avenues. So HOW do you diversify your wedding business? Here are a couple of options:

1. Proposal Planning

Offering Proposal Planning is such an amazing way to diversify your services. The market is huge and the earning potential is too. It is also such a great compliment to your existing wedding business! A photographer, florist, planner, videographer, or venue can easily adapt their marketing plan to start attracting clients looking to propose. And who will that client call to photograph their wedding day? Provide their wedding flowers? Plan their wedding? YOU!!

Download my FREE resource, “3 Reasons You MUST Add Proposal Planning Services To Your Existing Services NOW!!”

2. Pop-Up Wedding Packages

When I started my Proposal Planning company, The Heart Bandits, I knew I needed to diversify. Wedding Planning made sense but the market is so saturated and bridezillas are not my jam. So I decided to start a pop-up wedding business where I sell simple, streamlined pop-up wedding packages. This is a great way to diversify because once the packages are built, they are so streamlined that they are a really simple way to get a nice cash injection into your business. And these types of weddings don’t follow any traditional wedding rules. They are popular during off-seasons and they don’t take much time to plan. These packages are great for any wedding vendor to add on and pop-up weddings, microweddings, and elopements are all the rage right now due to the pandemic. When it ends, you will have a whole new source of revenue coming in!

Download my FREE resource, “The Ultimate Guide To Selling Pop-Up Wedding Packages“

The Heart Bandits Academy is the only educator teaching you how to become a Proposal Planner. Sign up here and follow my journey from being a Proposal Planner to educator teaching students around the world how to market their business to clients looking to propose.

How The Pandemic Inspired The Heart Bandits Academy

When I was 7 years old I turned my first profit. I created a neighborhood circus and I recruited the talent, marketed the show, sold tickets, and made money.

I got my first taste of being an entrepreneur then and have been chasing that thrilling rush ever since.

I know EXACTLY what it is like to be an entrepreneur with no business idea. Or an an entrepreneur with an idea but feeling much too overwhelmed about getting started.

I know what it is like to want something so bad but not have a clear path to get there.

Because of this, I always wanted to create a training program for entrepreneurs that wanted to follow my path and start their own Proposal Planning biz.

After spending a decade running the world’s most successful Proposal Planning business, and after receiving hundred is not thousands of emails from people all around the world asking me for advice on how to start Proposal Planning, I believed this was my next calling.

But I just never had the time to do it.

And then the pandemic hit. And my industry was ravaged by a blow of event bans and gathering size limitations.

I knew I had to step up.

I created The Heart Bandits Academy and quickly launched my first course designed to help Wedding Planners pivot their business and offer Proposal Planning. And in about a month, I am going to launch The Complete Proposal Planning Blueprint™which will teach entrepreneurs how to start their own Proposal Planning biz from the ground up.

In The Complete Proposal Planning Blueprint™, I teach:

  • Everything you need to know about the Proposal Planning industry
  • How to choose your Proposal Planning target market, niche, and style
  • Create a solid Proposal Planning Business Plan
  • Develop a business naming strategy and tools to create your website
  • How to plan a proposal from A-Z
  • How to price your Proposal Planning services
  • Develop a robust Proposal Planning marketing strategy
  • How to maintain the momentum and continue to grow

If you want to be the first to know about the launch, make sure to join the Waitlist here.

Avoid This Mistake That Can Cost You Thousands

There is one mistake I see aspiring Proposal Planners make time and time again. This is a mistake that can cost you thousands of dollars AND waste weeks or months of your time. That mistake is……signing up for a Wedding Course or Wedding Certificate program.

Now don’t get me wrong, if you are hoping to be a Wedding Planner then these courses might be just what you need. But a Wedding Course will simply NOT teach you how to be a Proposal Planner. Proposal Planning is its own specialty and if you are going to learn how to be a Proposal Planner, you need to learn FROM a Proposal Planner.

Here are the ways that Proposal Planning is very different than Wedding Planning

  1. Completely Different Target Market – Wedding Planners typically target females and brides. You will be targeting males.
  2. Different Marketing Strategy – I have spent 10 years marketing to the proposal client and believe me when I say, marketing to guys is completely different than marketing to a bride.
  3. Each Event Is Different- A Wedding typically follows the same itinerary. There is a ceremony then a reception with cake cutting, dancing, bouquet toss, etc. With proposals, things are always different. One day I am organizing a 50 person flash mob, the next day I am organizing a helicopter landing on a skyscraper, and the next working with the cast of The Nutcracker to create the perfect ballet proposal.

This is why it is CRITICAL that you learn how to be a Proposal Planner from a Proposal Planner. To get started, I have some free resources for you below.

What is the ONE thing you need to know to about Proposal Planning?

to know the ONE thing you need to know about Proposal Planning to be successful? Of course you do! And I am so honored to be in a position to be able to share that with you.

When I first started Proposal Planning 10 years ago, there were absolutely no resources out there for me.

There were no mentors, no courses, no content ideas, no guidance whatsoever. I had to figure out how to do everything on my own.

After spending a decade planning over 4,000 proposals and earning 7 figures doing so, I can say with absolute confidence that if you want to be successful at Proposal Planning, there is one thing you must understand…

Marketing to the Proposer!

I see so many mistakes from other Proposal Planners in this area. There is a misconception that simply putting up proposal pictures and saying you’re a Proposal Planner is enough and that if you do that, clients will just start pouring in.

But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

If you want to succeed at being a Proposal Planner, you must truly understand the Proposer. You need to understand their wants, their fears, and what motivates them to buy. And I know just how to do that. If that interests you, I have a great FREE resource for you. Download my Checklist For Your Proposal Planning Marketing Strategy here.

If you want me to show you how to set up your Proposal Planning business step-by-step AND teach you my effective marketing strategies, then join the Complete Proposal Planning Blueprint™ waitlist below.

Join the Waitlist here

Join my Private Proposal Planning Community

Do you have what it takes to be a Proposal Planner?

Being a Proposal Planner seems like it is all glitz and glamour. You see these really amazing proposals on Instagram and you think, “Wow, that looks like such a fun job!”

And it IS a fun job.

But the truth is, being a Proposal Planner is not for the faint at heart. It takes a special skill set and it is NOT for everybody. Find out if you have what it takes to be a Proposal Planner. Here are the top traits of a successful Proposal Planner:

Detail Oriented

Paying attention to even the smallest detail is probably the most important skill of a Proposal Planner. A marriage proposal is a once-in-a-lifetime event and there are no do overs. When you plan a proposal, you need to plan it perfectly – right down to the very last detail.

Organized

Being organized is a critical skill for being a Proposal Planner. You are going to be juggling multiple vendors and be in charge of many moving parts. If you are not organized, something could fall through the cracks.

Think Quick

Being able to think quickly will serve you well in the Proposal Planning world. When a huge gust of wind blows over your framed proposal message and the glass shatters, what do you do? You have to be able to problem solve very quickly if you want to succeed planning marriage proposals.

Professional

You are going to be working with many professional organizations and vendors so you need to be sure you have a professional demeanor. You should have excellent oral and writing skills and be able to communicate effectively.

Assertive

Being assertive is another important attribute that a Proposal Planner needs. Imagine that you arrive to the area you have a permit for and someone is already there with their whole family having a picnic. Time to firmly and politely ask them to clear out for your event!

Work Well With Others

This is another priceless skill. You will need to manage a whole team of proposal vendors and communicate with them in a manner that gets exactly what you need done, when you need it. Being personable goes a long way towards getting what you want.

Now if you have read this blog and you have decided that you would be a great Proposal Planner, it’s time to get started. I will be launching my Complete Proposal Planning Blueprint to walk you through how to be a Proposal Planner step by step. Be the first to know about it by joining the waitlist here.

proposal planner tips

Until then, here are some FREE resources to help you along the way!

4 Things You Can Start Doing Right Away To Start Proposal Planning now!

Join my Private Proposal Planning Community

3 Myths About Becoming A Proposal Planner – Debunked

marriage proposal Las Vegas
marriage proposal Las Vegas

While many entrepreneurs see the value of offering Proposal Planning services right away, some don’t think that Proposal Planning is for them. And of course, Proposal Planning is NOT for everyone.

However, if you are not adding Proposal Planning services because you think there is not enough money to be made in the industry, you don’t think you can handle more clients, or you don’t want to look like a jack of all trades, I challenge you to read this blog with an open mind.

Below, I will examine each of these myths in detail and debunk each of them.

Myth #1: There is not enough money to be made by Proposal Planning

This is outright false! I earn a multiple six figure salary each year just by planning marriage proposals. The truth is, the Proposal Planning industry is growing and there is no better time to stake your claim in it.

Think of it this way, for almost every person that plans a wedding, they had a proposal first. And not only can you INCREASE your revenue by adding Proposal Planning, you can increase your wedding leads by earning the trust of the client BEFORE they get engaged. That means you can earn even more revenue once they book you for your wedding planning services!

Myth #2: I will look like a jack of all trades

I have heard this concern before and I get the logic behind it. Wedding Planners worry if they say they are a Proposal Planner too, that their wedding audience may get turned off. But the truth is, if you go into it with a plan and make sure there is an appropriate balance, it will NOT turn off your audience. In fact, I think it makes you stand out.

Imagine for a moment that you are a bride and you have looked at 10 Wedding Planner Instagram accounts. They are all starting to look like a sea of veils and altars. And then “POP” you see a glam proposal and it makes you stop scrolling. I think it can actually be a benefit if done correctly. In my Proposal Planning Formula™ course, I teach you exactly how to do that!

Myth #3: I won’t be able to handle more clients

Is this not the ultimate problem to have? If you don’t put much energy into Proposal Planning, you aren’t going to have so much of a workload you can’t keep up with it. But if you make it a consistent part of your strategy, you will get consistent revenue and you can hire a junior planner or even an intern to help with the proposals. This is not a bad problem to have, you just have to have a strategy in place before it happens.

If you think you may want to become a Proposal Planner or leverage the Proposal Planning industry, I have some free resources for you!

Private Community – Proposal Planning Academy Tribe

Top 3 Reasons You MUST Add Proposal Planning Services Now

Checklist For Your Proposal Planning Marketing Strategy

Top 4 Types of Venues Used In Marriage Proposals

new york romantic rooftop proposal
new york romantic rooftop proposal
Proposal Planner: The Heart Bandits Photographer: Wandermore Photography

In the course of planning over 4,000 marriage proposals over the last decade, I have set up proposals at all sorts of venues. But there are 4 types of venues that I am constantly planning proposals at and once you start offering Proposal Planning services, you will too.

If you are a Wedding Planner, you may have experience planning weddings at some of these types of locations. However, planning events for just two people is something you may not be used to so this article can still provide some new perspective for you. If you are just getting started in the Event Planning world, this may be all new to you.

1. Beaches & Parks

For the costal cities, setting up a proposal on the beach is probably the most common request. I always tell my clients, every single piece of land in the world is owned by someone whether it be the city, state, private property, etc. So you always want to check if you need a permit to set up items OR for photography. If there is no photography and the setup you are doing consists of things likely to be at a beach (like a picnic), you probably don’t need a permit. However, you should always check. For the non-costal cities, parks are also very popular and the same advice I just gave for beaches applies.

2. Rooftops

In cities like NYC and San Francisco, rooftops are frequently requested for proposals. I love a good rooftop, but a rooftop proposal comes with its fair share of challenges such as exposure to inclement weather. Also, even the smallest gust of wind can be amplified on a rooftop and keeping things down can be a hassle.

3. Private Homes & Airbnb

I love planning proposals in my client’s homes because you don’t have to deal with getting permission in most cases. However, Airbnb’s can be a challenge because many owners specifically say you cannot hold events on their property. So you or your client need to clear anything you do with the owner so that there are no problems.

4. Ballrooms

Ballrooms in hotels are a great location for a marriage proposal. They are usually very grand and a lot of them have nice views. The challenge is that they are normally large so you have to create an intimate space within a space. But hey, that’s the fun part right….being creative!

So there you have it. The Top 4 Types of Venues Used In Marriage Proposals along with some pros and cons of using them.

Download my FREE resources below if you want to get started Proposal Planning.

4 Things You Can Start Doing Now To Start Proposal Planning

Checklist For Your Proposal Planning Marketing Strategy

If you are a Wedding Planner, you have to check out this FREEBIE:

3 Reasons You MUST Add Proposal Planning Services NOW!

3 Mistakes Wedding Planners Make When Marketing Proposal Planning Services

proposal planning

If you weren’t able to make it to my Facebook Live today, don’t worry, I have you covered. I discussed the 3 Mistakes Wedding Planners Make When Marketing Proposal Planning Services (and how to fix them asap!) Don’t feel like watching the video? Let me recap it for you here.

Now whether you have tried offering Proposal Planning but it hasn’t had any traction OR you haven’t even started offering it yet but you want to make sure you do it the right way, learning from these mistakes will be critical to the success of your marketing strategy. 

And the good news is, they are easy to fix!

Mistake #1: Not Properly Advertising Proposal Planning Services

When I started Proposal Planning Academy and became a Proposal Planning Coach, I interviewed several Wedding Planners and asked them why they were not yet offering Proposal Planning services. Some of their answers truly surprised me because some of them said, “I do already offer it!” But when I asked them WHERE they are advertising the service, some of them said WeddingWire.

Now here is a tip, guys that are looking to plan a marriage proposal are NOT looking on Wedding Wire for a planner. In fact, I challenge you to find 5 guys that are not married that have even heard of Wedding Wire.

You have to be intentional with your decision on how to market your services.

This fix is totally doable right?

Mistake #2: Calling the Proposer the “Groom”  in your messaging

This is actually my pet peeve! A client that is looking to propose literally just made the biggest decision of their life up until this point. They just bought the ring, they are looking for the perfect proposal idea, and you already have them walking down the aisle in a tuxedo!! PUMP THE BRAKES!

These client’s are not ready to see themselves as a groom yet.  They are just taking the first step to finally ask someone to marry them.  They don’t want to be rushed.  You need to meet them where they are.  You should call the person proposing, the Proposer.  

Easy enough right?

Mistake #3: Not knowing where they hangout online

You probably know exactly where a bride hangs out online, right? They are on the Green Wedding Shoes Blog, the Ruffled IG account, and The Knot. But you know what, your target market who is predominately male, is NOT! You need to figure out where he hangs out online if you want to learn more about him.

This is good stuff right?

Do you see how even avoiding these 3 steps can really get you on the right path to attracting Proposal Planning clients?  Imagine what it would feel like if you intimately understood the Proposer and knew EXACTLY how to target them?  Well, if you liked today’s LIVE and blog, I have even more to share with you.  I have a free Masterclass coming up in a few days and you won’t want to miss this.

The free Masterclass is called, “3 Simple Secrets You Need To Know To Effectively Market To The Proposal Planning Client” and I am going to share intimate details about who the Proposer is, what they fear, and what they want to spend money on.

 Plus, I will have more time for some real-time Q&A if you have any questions. Go to www.theheartbanditsacademy.com/masterclass to get all the details… it will be live, so you don’t want to miss it. I hope to see you there!” 

How To Be Inclusive In Your Proposal Planning Marketing

LGBTQ marriage proposal
LGBTQ marriage proposal

June is Pride Month, and it is the perfect opportunity to talk about inclusion. When you plan marriage proposals, the majority of your clients will be men proposing to women. However, you will also have same sex couples asking you for your services and you want to make sure that your messaging feels inclusive to them as well.

One thing that has always made me sad and cringe is when a person asks me, “You are ok with same sex couples right?” It literally hurts my heart that someone has to ASK if I am OK with THEIR choice on who they love. So I really do my best to use gender neutral pronouns in my marketing on my website, The Heart Bandits.

I am not always perfect, but when I am writing copy on my Proposal Planning website, I try to always say “they” instead of “he” or “she.” And I always try to say “partner” instead of “girlfriend.” It doesn’t make any difference to the heterosexual couple, but it makes ALL the difference when someone from the LGBTQ community is reading my messaging and doesn’t feel alienated.

Here is an example of how I do it! Let’s take The Heart Bandit’s Mission Statement for example:

“Our mission is to create a marriage proposal that is as unique as your love story.  We ensure that when your partner experiences their proposal, they know that it was created just for them and more importantly, it was created by you.  To do that, we use a holistic approach in our proposal planning.  We don’t just focus on your partner and what they would like, we also focus on what makes you unique as a couple.  We also take great care to focus on what is unique about you, the Proposer, so that the proposal is truly reflective of your style and persona.

See how easy that is? Just a small change in your marketing can really make a difference for someone else.

If you want to learn more tips on how to market to the proposer, I am actually doing a Facebook Live on Tuesday, June 16th at 10am PST. Here is a link and you can set up a reminder.

My goal is to teach Wedding Planners and Entrepreneurs how to market to the client looking to propose to their partner. I am a Proposal Planning coach that has been planning proposals for a decade and now I am here to help you get started on your Proposal Planning journey. If you are ready to get serious about starting your Proposal Planning company or adding it on as a service, I have created a completely FREE resource for you called, “4 Things You Can Start Doing TODAY To Start Proposal Planning.”

I can’t wait to see what you do with what you learn!