281. Moving a business | Yanira of Perfectly Wrapped Balloons
The Bright Balloon
This episode is perhaps one of my favorite interviews of the year! I chat with Yanira of Perfectly Wrapped Balloons about how having systems and good record keeping for your company really helps in case of a sale or big transition. Yanira moved her business into a new area, several states away from her previous home and walks us through how she negotiated the sale of her client list and essentially restarted her business. What I didn’t expect to hear was all of the businesses she had even before moving Perfectly Wrapped Balloons! Hear about all of the things she’s done, the cities she’s...
info_outline
279. Entrepreneur reality show | Jenn of Fun By The Yard
The Bright Balloon
In this episode, Jenn takes us through the journey she’s had in her business… from yard cards only to being convinced to take on balloon jobs for corporate clients to now handling her own team in a warehouse she still has room to grow into. She’s done some huge things in the past year, including being on a reality show for entrepreneurs, hosting The Big Balloon Build and helping at the DNC balloon drop! Hear about the selection process for the show, lessons learned and challenges that were part of it. Then, learn more about the events that transpired during her build and how she had to...
info_outline
277. Ready-made templates | Emily of 17hats
The Bright Balloon
In this second curated episode by Let Nicole Help, we’re hearing from Emily of 17hats who is in charge of all things Marketplace. If you’re not familiar, it’s a place where 17hats users can buy and try all sorts of templates for their account! Emily tells us more about the kinds of templates available and how they can help both new and long-time users. We go on to talk more about the very specific balloon-related templates ready for purchase, how installation of the templates actually works and how templates and template sellers are vetted. I even found myself making a list...
info_outline
275. Boosting your customer experience | Nicole of Let Nicole Help
The Bright Balloon
In this episode I’m chatting with my friend Nicole, who helps a lot of people with their 17hats CRM, but also with other aspects of the customer experience. I’ve said this before, but the more I do balloons the more I think that balloons are about 20% of the equation and the rest is how you run your business. So we chat about some ways to give your customers a good experience, like: How to become known to prospective customers in the first place Using your leads’ own words Ways to help yourself get solid leads Ways to nurture your leads & stay top of mind Elevating their experience...
info_outline
273. Stopping Balloons | Melody of Feathered Fox Designs
The Bright Balloon
In this interview we’ll hear about what it’s like to stop providing balloon decor. Melody announced on Instagram a while back that she was no longer going to be doing installations, and in fact was beginning to count down the days to her last one. She tells us how she was having her best year ever, in terms of sales and the clients she was working with, but behind the scenes was struggling physically with an old injury that progressively got worse. Hear about all of the options she considered, and why she opted for an actual announcement over quietly closing down the business. Then...
info_outline
271. Having a front row seat
The Bright Balloon
In this episode I’m interviewing someone who has been in balloons for the same amount of time as me… it’s my husband! Someone on Instagram had suggested the idea and we rolled with it. After all, he’s had a front row seat to Wisconsin Balloon Decor (and all my business ideas) from the very beginning so it was fun to have him share his experience. And since the idea originated on Instagram, I went back to the source for questions I should ask Zac, and I think anyone who also has a spouse or significant other along for the ride will enjoy hearing his perspective. Zac and I talk...
info_outline
269. Standing out from the crowd | Max of Moments by Max
The Bright Balloon
Max has been all over my Instagram lately so I was so happy to chat with him in this episode about some of the ways he aims to stand out from the crowd… including how he is starting to become a one-stop shop! His fascination with balloons started when he was young and the store he would visit became an early inspiration for him. Then he came back to balloons for entertainment as times got tough… not knowing that he would one day start his own balloon business. After getting degrees in hospitality and event management, the pandemic then halted that career and led him to finally...
info_outline
267. Starting a mastermind
The Bright Balloon
This week’s episode is a little different because it’s another group interview - this time with the ladies of the mastermind I’m in. If you’ve been listening to the bonus episodes you have probably heard a little bit about the idea of a mastermind, and today, we’re sharing everything about ours! You’ll get the name of the book that inspired it all, how Tiffany (Confetti Castle) determined who to invite, how many of us are in the group, how often we meet and details on the actual structure of our discussions. Several in the group mentioned how they had some self doubt about...
info_outline
265. Fearless growth | Maggie of Presley Paige
The Bright Balloon
Have you seen the massive sorority balloon installs from Arkansas? Well this episode’s guest is Maggie of Presley Paige and she and her team are the ones behind so many of these mind-blowing jobs. She also has a retail store that you’ll hear about! I learned so much from this interview and know that you’ll pick up some gems as well. Her business actually started as a retail shop and over time they added balloon decor services because of all the customer requests. Hear about how she learned technique and why her team was so crucial as they grew quickly. Then we dive into the sorority...
info_outline
263. Her giving back era | Dori of Total Party
The Bright Balloon
In the final installment of our month of interviews curated by BalloonCoach.com, we’re hearing from Dori of Total Party. There’s a good chance that if you’ve been a part of any online training in our industry, you know Dori because she’s so generous with her knowledge and experience and she loves to learn! She tells us about the party business she had as a teenager and how her experience with project management in the corporate scene melded together to transition her into corporate events, which then led to Total Party. Hear about the niche she started with and how it’s since...
info_outlineToday I'm sharing with you a change that I never thought I would make in my business! I'm increasing the number of times I make contact with my customers, and I'll tell you how... what led to this decision... and why I think it's going to change my business.
If you've been listening for a while you know that I am all about efficiency, so the idea of getting on the phone with more customers is a bit unusual for me. However, I'm feeling like bad customer service is almost everywhere you turn lately, so I want to be a refreshing surprise of great customer service when people contact me!
One thing that has hugely helped free up some time and energy to do this is having a virtual assistant handle much of the sales for me. It's amazing, but does have me wanting to make my own connection with the customer before arriving at the event. I'll share with you exactly when and how I'm starting to do this, plus the other unexpected benefits that have come up since implementing these new touch points.
They include:
- a phone call after each new booking
- a text before delivery
- confirming colors before inflation
- a casual call before the event that includes a possible upsell
I'm also modifying a couple of touch points that I already had in place: the thank you after the event and the follow-up to rebook.
Listen in to hear the specifics of what I'm doing and saying, and what inspired me to make these upgrades to my customer experience so that I can stand out by providing unparalleled customer service!
From the UGlu Hotline, we get a tip about how to get quality balloons in a pinch for those last-minute parties.
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
17hats (get 50% off your 1st year)
Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT)
UGlu by Pro Tapes (save 5% at Havin’ A Party with code BRIGHT)
Call into the UGlu Hotline to ask a question or leave advice! (262) 221-8514
Balloon Boss Mastermind & Summit
2024 Bright Balloon Business Planner
ALOFT (save $10 with code BRIGHT)
The Balloon Guild (save 20% with code WeLoveSara20)
- - - -
50 Ideas for Email Marketing | Join the Bright Balloon email list