Monthly Archives: December 2011

Best of Preston: MY ROYAL WEDDING RECAP

December 30, 2011

This sleepy week between Christmas and New Year’s, I’m sharing some of my best blog posts from the last year. On Monday I shared tips for getting folks to comment on your blog. Tuesday I discussed commissions, Wednesday I tackled rejection, and Thursday we talked Twitter. But how could we possibly end the year without remembering the fabulous royal wedding?!

What a morning! Did you watch the Royal Wedding? I couldn’t resist! I had such fun on Twitter live tweeting with my fellow bloggers and tweeters! I must admit that with all the hype surrounding the Royal Wedding, I was afraid it might not live up to our expectations. Fortunately, I was very wrong!

It turns out the British and I have something in common: we both love color! Even though the queen’s yellow hat looked like a tasty lemon cake (at least to my eyes!) I thought she pulled off her ensemble. Yellow is such a bright, happy color, and I think the queen’s cheery color choice was her way of demonstrating her approval of this marriage. And all those hats! I think I was inspired by nearly every female wedding guest. Some of those hats would make truly delicious looking wedding centerpieces, don’t you think? I think I even spotted a couple of turbans with big, bright flowers. Did you see those, too? Ladies, please bring back the turban! It’s turban time.

Now, I know that many of you will disagree with me, but I thought that the Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie looked fabulous. And their fascinators were unforgettable. Those young ladies certainly aren’t afraid to be bold; they must have inherited that trait from their ballsy mother, Sarah, Duchess of York. I can’t wait to see what their wedding dresses look like when they eventually get married…

Speaking of wedding dresses, let’s cut to the chase. I thought that Kate Middleton’s wedding dress was so beautifully romantic. Everyone has been commenting how much her wedding dress reminds them of Grace Kelly’s wedding dress. I couldn’t agree more. Kate’s wedding dress with those pretty lace sleeves has the same timeless elegance of Grace Kelly’s wedding dress. We lost a brilliant artist when Alexander McQueen passed, and I thought it was such a fitting tribute that both Kate and her sister Pippa chose to wear McQueen. What a classy choice.

Did anyone else think that Kate’s wedding dress also looked a bit like Ivanka Trump’s wedding dress? Both wedding dresses evoke Grace Kelly and both feature lace sleeves. Ivanka and Kate both also chose not wear their hair in traditional bridal updos, opting instead to wear their hair down. I think they both looked so fresh and modern. I had the great pleasure of designing the decor for Ivanka Trump’s wedding, and her dress was breathtaking in person. I imagine Kate’s wedding dress was, too.

I can’t not mention the Royal Wedding decor can I? First and foremost, while I know many people liked Kate’s bouquet, I thought it looked more like a corsage! Where was the rest of it? I felt similarly about the rest of the Royal Wedding flora and fauna. The trees and greenery were a lovely idea, and you know I’ve been doing trees for years, so I always like that look. But there was so little of it! You know I don’t believe in understatement; I wanted more, more more!

What did you think? Did you like Kate Middleton’s dress? What about Pippa’s maid of honor dress? Pippa practically stole the show in that sexy number! I didn’t even mention the groom. I guess he was there, too, wasn’t he? I’m dying to know what you all thought. Please share your favorite moments and looks from the Royal Wedding in the comments.

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Best of Preston: Building a Twitter Following

December 29, 2011

This sleepy week between Christmas and New Year’s, I’m sharing some of my best blog posts from the last year. On Monday I shared tips for getting folks to comment on your blog. Tuesday I discussed commissions and yesterday I tackled rejection. And now I want to revisit my Twitter tips!

Today’s post is for all those folks who have started a twitter account and are now thinking, “What next?”

Well, you have some simple goals ahead of you: find interesting and relevant people to follow while also building your own audience of followers.

This can be done in a number of ways. The simplest being reaching out to any friends, family or colleagues who are already on Twitter. Depending on their occupation and its relevance to your industry, some of the folks they’re following could be a real resource to you.

You can do this by searching for your friend’s twitter handle (or if you’re already following your friend, finding them on your “following” list) and then clicking the “View all” link under the profile thumbnails that display who your friend is “Following.” (You’ll see it on the right hand side of the browser window).

This will then give you a list of all the people your friend is following. If someone looks interesting, click on his/her twitter username and then click the “follow” button under the name.

Okay, so you’re thinking that’s all fine and great but it sounds like it will take up a lot of your time, and you are right. This is a very time consuming process. Is there any other way you can find people to follow faster? Why, yes of course.

There are many Twitter directories out there that break up people on Twitter based on industry or keyword. Here are a few of my favorites:

In addition to using these sites to find the right type of people to follow, I highly suggest adding your own Twitter to their listings so that people can easily find you. This will help you grow your follower list and inform the world that you’re on Twitter.

So, now, tell me: If you’re already on Twitter, what’s your Twitter username? The first 10 who post their name will be followed by me (if I’m not already following you!)

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Best of Preston: Handling Rejection

December 28, 2011

This sleepy week between Christmas and New Year’s, I’m sharing some of my best blog posts from the last year. On Monday I shared tips for getting folks to comment on your blog. And yesterday, I discussed commissions. Today I’m tackling another big issue: rejection.

I cannot tell you the number of times I have not gotten a job I really needed or wanted. I used to feel like it was the end of the world every time this happened.

And, to be honest, I’m still disappointed I wasn’t even considered for Chelsea Clinton’s wedding.

(Rejected image via SMemon87)

I could just see the press going crazy if the Clintons had done a “Preston Bailey wedding!”

But I understand. For whatever reason, my designs just weren’t what they were looking for. It’s important to remember that there are many reasons we may get rejected for certain jobs.

Some are:

We’re too expensive.
Our services don’t mesh with the client is looking for.
Our designs don’t speak to the client.
The client doesn’t know us and would prefer to work with someone they already know.
The client doesn’t think we’re capable of handling the job.

I could go on and on, but, ultimately, it is how we handle rejection that really matters.

In today’s venting, I’d love to answer any questions you have about how to handle business rejection and what to do after they say, “No, thank you.” Post your questions below, and I’ll address them next week. I know well that rejection is tough, but there are ways to make it easier!

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Best of Preston: Paying or Receiving Commission

December 27, 2011

(Image via Meta B)

This sleepy week between Christmas and New Year’s, I’m sharing some of my best blog posts from the last year. Yesterday, I shared tips for getting folks to comment on your blog. Today, I’m revisiting an important discussion: Commissions.

This is a delicate subject in our industry, and one I feel very strongly about because many years back, besides bad pricing, this was one of the main reasons I almost went out of business. For me, it is very simple: if you accept commission without your client’s knowledge, it is THIEVING (and I’m not the only one who feels this way–this practice is against the law). Someone along the way has been short changed and it’s usually your client.

Here is the dilemma:

I have been approached by many planners with the question, “Do you pay commission?” (meaning do I pay commission without my client’s knowledge). No, I do not pay or receive commission. Of course, they then go on to work with another person who does and I lose out on the job. My advice to you: LET THEM. The reason is simple. As I discussed in my entry on pricing, if your goal is to make a 40 – 50 percent profit, and you give away 10 – 20 percent of your profit, you’ll be losing money BIG TIME. Your other option if you pay commission is to spend less money on your flowers or materials in order to cut even which leads to producing an inferior product that causes you, in the long run, to lose (your clients lose too).

I understand that taking a stand in not paying or accepting commission might make you feel like you are losing out on jobs, but as times goes on, you and your brand will develop a reputation of quality and integrity. Do not get me wrong. If someone recommends me for a job, I have no problem sending them a present as a thank you to show my appreciation with the promise that if the opportunity emerges (and it always does) to recommend them in return, I’ll do so.

It you are a planner or any other vendor and you make your living by a commission structure with your clients knowing, fine. Otherwise, I think it’s time for this practice to be completely discontinued. The part I resent most is the power trip these few folks have in our industry. They form alliances with vendors not only for the quality of their work, but for their own greedy reasons. On top of losing money, we also have to mention the anger one feels, after busting one’s butt to do a great job, to then have to turn around and give away part of one’s profit.

Dear Readers, what is your opinion?

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Best of Preston: The Importance of Comments

December 26, 2011

This sleepy week between Christmas and New Year’s, I’ll be sharing some of my best blog posts from the last year. Today, to get things rolling, I’m sharing tips for getting folks to comment on your blog. Have commenting tips of your own? Please share ‘em in the comments’ section!

No, this isn’t an Apple commercial…Here’s me in my office with all my important gadgets: iPad, Macbook and iPhone (and lunch!).

I have a secret to admit: I am obsessed with my blog comments. I remember when I first started blogging in 2007, and we were still on the old blogspot blog, I used to have my comments turned off. Why? For no reason, really, other than we thought blog comments weren’t that important.

Let me tell you right now… I was so wrong. When we turned commenting “on” in 2009, and I started getting real, honest feedback and questions from you my blog readers, the experience became so much richer. This really could have been filed under Common Mistakes as “Not understanding the importance of comments.”

I know this may be obvious advice to some of you blogging veterans out there, but it was a real epiphany for me. When you turn on blog comments, you instantly begin a conversation. Instead of a one-sided story telling technique, you open up a back and forth forum for the world to communicate with you.

I read every single comment you leave on my blog, and though I don’t respond to each one directly, I do sometimes write blog posts in response to comments or questions you’ve left. Many of your comments are very inspiring to me, and give me a lot of material and thought for writing the next entry. I also luck out by getting amazing recommendations, whether it’s for books, vendors or even types of junk food.

So, you’re probably thinking that’s all fine and great, but how does one encourage people to leave comments on his or her blog? Well, here are some things I’ve found:

Ask a question. At the end of each post, I generally ask a question or series of questions related to the post. This does two things. It offers an invitaiton for the reader to come and join the conversation, and it also gives me as the writer the opportunity to switch sides and listen to your thoughts on the subject.
Focus on your audience. Yes, this is another one of those obvious pieces of advice, but you don’t know how many times I’ve gone to a favorite blog and seen a subject that’s completely irrelevant to its audience. Since blogging is so easy and addictive, it makes sense that you may end up wanting to blog about anything and everything that comes to mind. Don’t. Just like being a good designer and not over designing, you want to make sure the content on your blog is focused and relevant to the folks reading it. This isn’t to say that your voice or content can’t evolve, but we’ll write about that more in a different blog post.
Extend the conversation. You may have noticed that I post my blog posts on our Facebook page as well as my Twitter account. Why do I do this? Because I know that conversations are happening on different platforms across the web. Some folks may not have time or even want to come to my site just to see if there’s an update on my blog. If I update everyone across all those platforms, it invites more people to the conversation. A word of caution, though: Do not abuse these communities. Facebook and Twitter each function in different ways and if you only use each platform for self-promotion, you are cheating both the audience and yourself of all the amazing capabilities that come with both worlds.

Of course, some folks just love reading blogs and don’t feel compelled to comment, and that’s okay. There are a lot of ways to judge your blog’s success, and it doesn’t end with just blog comments. Next week, we’ll discuss site analytics and how you can use those numbers to help you come up with more compelling content for your blog.

Now, for all those folks out there who always read my blog but don’t ever comment, I want to hear from you! Who are you and how did you find my blog? Also, if you have a blog of your own, I want you to post it here. I’d love to start reading it.

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