Welcome to the Future: Consolidate With Inspherio

It’s 2015 -- the future has arrived, but we’re all a little bummed that there are no flying cars, hover boards, or little pills containing whole meals. (Okay, maybe the last one doesn’t sound so great, but still, we expected more. Come on future!)

Event professionals know that to compete in today’s day-in-age, being technologically connected is an absolute must. It’s 2015, but there are still many event professionals juggling their records, correspondence, marketing, and accounting in several different programs that are tied to several different devices. 

Where are the magic pills for the event industry?

The advantages of consolidating your information into one program are manifold. If you are wasting time jumping from program to program, with client and event information strewn across platforms, then you are going to fall behind the competition. 

Consolidating your information frees up a lot of time and energy better spent improving your business, expanding your customer base, and advertising your services.

We may not have meal pills yet, but we do have Inspherio, which consolidates all of your event planning needs into one easy-to-use, cloud-based program. Think of all that information you carry around for your business -- how are you carrying it? How many programs do you currently use to manage your business?

Inspherio takes the weight of multiple programs off of your shoulders and gives you the power to create, access, and edit all event related information from your fingertips. Manage your leads, events, accounts, contacts, marketing, correspondence, payroll, and more in one convenient location. 

Here are just a few of the many useful features Inspherio offers:

• Leads - Create, import, and manage potential clients -- and keep their contact information all in one place.
• Events - Keep track of all of your past, present, and future event information, including contracts, package pricing, itinerary, appointments, and more.
• Accounts - Manage all of your invoices, payments, credits, refunds, and more -- all of your financial records accessible in one place.
• Marketing - Reach large audiences with email marketing campaigns and create convenient email templates for whatever purpose you like.
• Reports - View a variety of detailed reports concerning your account activity, your contact information, and your event history.

It’s 2015. Isn’t it about time you had a program that does it all? Try out our free 30-day trial and give the future of event-planning a try.

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Keep Event Personnel on the Same Page

Photo credit www.loyaltyandretention.com

We've all seen it before:

• He said, she said
• Someone didn't get the memo
• "Did you forget to write that down?"
• Last minute changes
• "I know that I called and told you about that!"

This is inevitable in any business, much less a business in the event industry where there are so many people and moving parts.

With Inspherio, however, we provide you with ample tools to make sure that everyone inside and outside your business is on the same page.

Working with clients

KNOW YOUR EVENT FORM
With Inspherio's unique Know Your Event - or KYE - questionnaire, you greatly diminish the probability that you will have the wrong information from the client. Each person that you work with will be assigned their own unique client portal. Within this portal, they can view their pricing packages, view and sign contracts, and view and pay invoices.

But it is the KYE form that will save you the most aggravation.

Within each person's individual portal, you can assign any number of questions, such as: event location, wedding colors, party theme, expected attendance, food allergies, music preferences, etc. (While you can set a standard questionnaire that you use for everyone, you can also edit it for each individual to cater to their specific needs.) The client logs in to their portal and answer these questions (especially if you mark them as mandatory). Once saved, the answers will show up within your own Inspherio account, organized and ready to go.

Not only does this save you time and endless scrolling through emails and sticky notes, but it also limits that event day second guessing by the client. Since they are the ones who provide the information, any errors can be traced directly to them.

MILESTONES
Did I send the lead my pricing packages? What about the KYE form? Did the client sign the contract or pay their invoice? We know that surfing through emails and notes can be a pain. And you definitely don't want to have a disagreement with a client on whether they already paid an invoice or not. Inspherio helps keep everything clean and organized. You can and your client can both see exactly what the status is of the event and whether the ball is in the your court or the theirs.

Working with your employees

EVENT ASSIGNMENTS
If you need to assign employees to specific events, you can do that easily in Inspherio. Within an individual event portal, simply select the "Assign Professionals" tab and select who you assign, their hours, and their pay rate or commission. Select to notify each employee of their assignment so that they will receive an email with the exact details. Did you forget who was assigned to which event? Simply go to your master calendar and check it out.

INVENTORY
If you have any inventory to deal with, I'm sure at one point or another someone has forgotten to put something on the load list or truck. With Inspherio, any items agreed to in a contract (such as a rental or sale product) will automatically show up in your inventory list. All you need to do now is add event products (such as tent stakes, serving utensils, or backdrops) that you need to carry out the event. Any employee that you grant privileges to view this page can easily see if everything is  ready to go for the event.

TASKS AND NOTES
You can also assign employees to various tasks, set deadlines, and view the status of each one.

Additionally, if either you or another account user need to add a note to an event, simply go to the notes page and everyone else (who you permit access) can view these notes as well.

As you can see, staying organized and on the same page is easier than ever, and we've barely scratched the surface of the program. If you're new to the Inspherio family, start your free trial today and see how Inspherio can help you run your business that much easier.

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Wedding Market Expo in Atlanta this week

We will be in Atlanta the next couple days for the Wedding Market Expo.

This is not an expo for brides-to-be, but rather for wedding professionals. Attendees will enjoy a stellar group of keynote speakers, plenary sessions, and a state-of-the-art expo (which we, of course, will be part of). Here is schedule of events for the week. 

Inspherio will be on site to show off our comprehensive business management program and how it can help wedding professionals do more business.

Check out this short video for a preview of the event and why you should be going if you are a wedding professional in the southeast.

As Alan Berg says at the beginning of the video, spending time being creative helps you once you have the business, but it does not help you do more business.

That is where we excel. 

With Inspherio , you can manage your entire wedding and events business from one cloud-based program. From leads to contracts to employees, you can manage it all anytime, anywhere, all in one place.

If you're new to the Inspherio family, start your free trial today and see how Inspherio can help you run your business that much easier.

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Class Up Your Wedding Blog to Keep Readers from Fleeing

This is a guest post by Kathy DalPra at Bride Appeal.

As a seasoned wedding professional, having an engaging blog can keep visitors perusing your website longer. It gives them more time to get to know you and fall head over heels with your work. Of course, with all the time you spend maintaining your blog, the last thing you want is to set it up in a way that turns readers off or sends them on their way. So here are a few simple ways you can add some extra class to your blog and keep those readers staying longer.

1. Add a Search Bar

I know it seems simple and obvious, but I’m continually surprised at how many website themes fail to add this amazing little tool. A search bar, or search “field”, makes it effortless for your visitors to find the exact information they’re looking for by allowing them to type in any keyword.

I’d add this field to the very top of your blog sidebar, if possible, so that it can’t be missed. The quicker visitors can find what they’re looking for, the happier they’ll be and the less likely they are to abandon your blog.

2. Eliminate Distractions

Years ago, during the upswing of the social media craze, I used to recommend installing full-scale social media widgets into your blog sidebar to grow your social media following. However, after having some time to really test this approach, my tune has changed a little.

When you really think about it, the purpose of your blog isn’t to grow your social media following…it’s to attract visitors to your website where they can learn about your products and services. In fact, that’s the purpose of your social media profiles too! Because of this, these days I encourage my clients to only place simple social media buttons that are linked to their profile rather than interactive widgets. They are less distracting, but still allow readers to connect with you off of your website if they want to.

3. Reduce the File Size of Images

I realize that not everyone is a Photoshop wizard. Nonetheless, you simply can’t afford not to optimize images on your blog if you want to avoid losing traffic. The reality is that today’s millennial couple doesn’t have the patience to sit around and wait for large images to load. They’ll simply move on to the next blog.

Reducing the file size (kb, mb) of your images is easy with free tools like PicMonkey. You can still use photos with a large width and height, just reduce the actual size of the file before you upload it to your blog. I typically suggest keeping your image file size under 50-100 kilobytes, if possible. The smaller, the better. 


About the Author:
Kathy DalPra is a former bridal-preneur who unexpectedly fell in love with web design and SEO. Today she helps other wedding professionals use their website to get more traffic, leads and inquiries so they can create a thriving wedding business in any economy. Learn how to turn curious visitors into paying brides™ on her website at http://brideappeal.com. 

Kathy's Social Media: Twitter, Facebook
Check out more great advice from Kathy at her blog

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14 Ways Planning a Wedding is like Planning a Football Game, Part 1

Football season is in full swing now. As someone who works with wedding professionals on a daily basis - and who has worked in both professional and college football in the past - it got me to thinking:

What are some similarities between planning a wedding and planning a football game?

As I started my list, it continued to grow, so I decided to split this post into a two-part series. The following items are the first half of that list. 

1. Evening and weekend work

The hours can be brutal at times. Most of the time you are the first one in the building and the last to leave. You not only put in the time during regular business hours, but you often have to work later in the evening to attend events or accomplish some tasks, some of which cannot be done until off hours.

Wedding Planners
Need to meet the bride and groom for a cake testing or band demo? They have jobs during the day that they can't simply leave, so you have to meet them in the evening or on the weekend. This is not even considering the actual wedding weekend, when you work all day Friday and Saturday.

Football Planners
Let's face it: no football game is going to be during regular work hours. Nearly every college game is on a Saturday, while NFL games are on Sunday. You may occasionally have a Thursday or Friday night game and work late hours just to make sure everything set.

2. Multitasking

Simply put, events are not simple. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of components involved. As the main planner, you are the one that has to make sure everything is done right.

Wedding Planners
Gather client info, meet with vendors, arrange for hotels, go over the guest list, do a site walk-through, meet with the clients again, confirm the correct decor and food, follow up, follow up, follow up.

Football Planners
Send info to teams and officials, coordinate with security, coordinate with marketing and sales, meet with the teams and officials, work with sponsor parties, check the weather report, deal with obnoxious fans, etc.

3. Dealing with ego

You have a lot of big egos to juggle. Everyone thinks their needs/responsibilities are more important/pressing than yours. Sometimes they are right, but many times they are not. Whether you are dealing with brides, vendors, fans, players, or coaches, you have to be patient enough to address their needs without losing your cool.

4. Making sure everyone is on the same page

The nature of events is that there are many moving parts and even more people. Does everybody understand not only their specific responsibilities, but what everyone else is doing, how they fit together, and why?

Wedding Planners
Does the venue know when the DJ is arriving to set up? Does the caterer know about specific food allergies? What's the first dance song? What time do the bride and groom arrive for the ceremony? When and where are photos being taken?

Football Planners
Does the stadium know about each team's walk-through? Are ticketing policies in line with compliance's policies? Which credentials are allowed on the field? Who is the entertainment and when should they be on/off the field?

5. Everyone blames you if anything goes wrong

Sometimes you wonder if this shirt is your work uniform. When something goes wrong - and it eventually will - people automatically look to you to assign blame. After all, a good scapegoat is nearly as welcome as a solution to the problem at hand.

6. Nerves/stress

Because of point #5, the stress level is high. In fact, last year Forbes.com listed event planning as the 6th most stressful career out of all careers. And it isn't just the worry about getting blamed if something goes wrong. You also don't want to mess up an extremely memorable moment for a bride and groom or a specific player or coach. The number of eyes that are on you at all times and the volume and variety of tasks you must complete (see point #2) just adds to your burden that much more. 

7. Months of planning for a few weekend hours

This can be simultaneously satisfying and exasperating. You spend months of your life planning, pulling out all the stops, and stressing yourself out to make a perfect event. Then, in a matter of hours, the event is over. On one hand, you think, "All that planning was worth it for a great event." On the other hand, since you typically won't have something tangible to show for your work, you may think, "All that planning for a few hours?" The main takeaway for you is the satisfaction that you (hopefully) put on a fantastic, memorable event that served a lot of people.

Tomorrow we will focus on the second half of our list, many of which have to do with the attendees/crowd.

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Follow up to Last Week's Guest Post

Inspherio would like to thank Sharon Hill for her guest post last week. She has a lot of experience as a wedding and event planner, so her expertise is always appreciated.

Sharon provided several good tips on ways to reduce any stress or worries you may have as a wedding planner. We will now take a closer look at each of her points and discuss how Inspherio can resolve each matter.

1. Quit trying to keep all the details in your head 

"By getting things out of your head and onto paper or into your computer, you won’t have to keep worrying that you’ll forget something."

Inspherio is a one stop shop for organizing your event details. Whether it custom pricing, client/vendor information, or invoice/payment status, your Inspherio account keeps everything organized for you.

2. Enter all of your appointments and deadlines into a calendar 

"Keeping an up-to-date, fully detailed calendar will reduce your stress and the possibility that something will fall through the cracks.

Your Inspherio calendar allows you to add events, appointments, and tasks. Additionally, you can invite clients, vendors, and/or employees to appointments or assign employees to events and tasks. Add reminders to these calendar items so that you and others will not forget anything.

Furthermore, Inspherio acts as your own personal assistant. It will remind you whether or not you have sent out invoices, if you have payments due from your clients.

Also, by adding deadlines for your client to send you information for their wedding, you greatly minimize the risk of letting any information fall through the cracks. More on this in the next point. 

3. Take copious notes 

"Whenever you get a call or have a meeting, immediately record all of the relevant information."

 Inspherio's KYE (Know Your Event) Form is a thing of beauty for wedding planners.

• First, set exactly which questions you have for the bride and send them to her with a couple clicks of the mouse. It is now the bride's responsibility to provide you the correct information, which means you not only save a lot of time, but she also cannot come back later and say you had the incorrect information. Once she fills out the questionnaire, the answers save to your Inspherio account automatically in real-time.
• Should you want to fill out the information yourself, or edit any of her answers, you can do that, too. The same fields are readily available to you.
• You can set deadlines on when certain questions are locked and the answers cannot be changed. By setting these deadlines, you are guaranteeing that you receive the information in a timely manner and that the bride cannot change the information without your knowledge.
• You can choose which information will automatically populate into your contract and itinerary. By doing so, you avoid having to double-enter any information (potentially incorrectly).

Your Inspherio account also lets you add notes, tasks, and uploaded documents to each individual event as you see fit.

 4. File all of your information in one place 

 "[E]verything that has to do with a bride and her wedding should be organized and kept together in one place. This way whenever you get a call or need to do some research, all of the information is at your fingertips."

Not only does Inspherio let you keep all your information in one place, but it also lets you access it anywhere you want. Working from home instead of the office? Simply log in and have all your information at your fingertips rather than having to move data back and forth via a zip drive. Out on the road? Access all your client data via your iPhone or Android app.

Also, this applies to all of your clients and vendors. If you are planning multiple weddings at a time, you can have access to all of each bride's information at hand and neatly organized at all times. 

5. Share with your assistants 

"Always make sure your staff knows where they can get information when they are assisting you with a wedding."

Your Inspherio account allows you to manage your employees as well. Not only can you assign them to events and input their hours/pay, but you can also grant various privileges to each individual employee as you see fit. Should you want a certain employee to be able to send pricing and sign contracts, no problem. If you just want them to be able to view the bride's information, you can do that, too.

As you can see, Inspherio is a dream organization tool for wedding planners. You never have to worry about losing detailed information or letting anything fall through the cracks. Your account is there to make your job less stressful and more efficient.

If you are new to Inspherio , start your free 30-day trial now (no credit cards required) and experience what Inspherio can do for you!

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Wedding Planners – Stop the Wedding Worries that Keep You Awake at Night

This is a guest post by Sharon Hill at www.BecomeaTopWeddingPlannerBlog.com

As a wedding planner, you’re great at taking away a bride’s wedding stress. But it might mean that you’re now the one with nightmares about possible wedding day catastrophes. You stay awake worried that you’ll forget an important detail, that you won’t get everything done in time, and that you won’t do everything it takes to give your bride her vision of her wedding.

Here are 5 tips that will help reduce your worries so you can start doing your best:

1. Quit trying to keep all the details in your head

First, take the time to note everything you need to do for your next weddings. By getting things out of your head and onto paper or into your computer, you won’t have to keep worrying that you’ll forget something. All the information will be available and easily accessible and you can concentrate on doing your work.

2. Enter all of your appointments and deadlines into a calendar

Once you know what you need to do, schedule the time to get it done and don’t forget to note all of your appointments and meetings in your calendar. Also, schedule reminders to call vendors to verify they are on track with the commitments they promised for your weddings. Keeping an up-to-date, fully detailed calendar will reduce your stress and the possibility that something will fall through the cracks.

3. Take copious notes

Whenever you get a call or have a meeting, immediately record all of the relevant information. If a vendor has made a commitment to you and your bride, send them an email, state your understanding, and confirm their commitment.

4. File all of your information in one place

Whether it’s information about a bride and groom and their wedding vision, vendor information, wedding timelines, meeting notes, emails, contracts, or invoices, everything that has to do with a bride and her wedding should be organized and kept together in one place. This way whenever you get a call or need to do some research, all of the information is at your fingertips.

5. Share with your assistants

Always make sure your staff knows where they can get information when they are assisting you with a wedding. In case the unforeseen happens and you are not available when a bride or vendor needs a question answered, your assistants can step in and cover for you. 


About the Author:

 Sharon Hill is The Wedding Planner Mentor. Sharon has been a wedding and event planner for over 20 years. In 2008 she began mentoring and coaching new wedding planners. She also maintains a blog with tips for marketing and running successful wedding planning businesses and regularly posts answers to questions from new planners. She is the author of the e-book, “Become a Top Wedding Planner – Start a Successful Wedding Planning Business.”
Sharon Hill Social Media: Twitter, Facebook

UPDATE: Check out how Inspherio can help resolve each of these issues in our follow up post.

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Did You Get My Message?

We can all remember our first cell phone. The gratification of being able to talk to someone anytime, anywhere! Nowadays, if someone doesn’t answer our call, we find ourselves texting and emailing them until they respond back. We want answers and we want them now!
Inspherio allows you to communicate with your client directly through the program. If your client has a question, they can log into their client portal and send you a question. You’ll then receive an email notification with their message, can log into Inspherio, and respond. Why is this useful?

How many times has a client had a question and they call, text, and email you! Or you need to remember something they asked but don’t remember if it was through a text or an email? Inspherio keeps all communication between you and your client in one location. Allowing you to access any necessary information quickly and keeping you organized along the way.

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When You Think Innovation, Think Inspherio!

There are many products on the market that assist you in the managing of your business. You may have one that handles your leads, another for your expenses, and then your handy dandy calendar; but did you know that  Inspherio can handle all of this for you? What about all of the exclusive features that can only be found in Inspherio?

• The KYE Form --> A customizable form that allows you to quickly gather pertinent information for your client’s event. Receive real-time feedback of your client’s responses and notifications if anything is updated at a later time. 

• Communication --> You and your clients are able to chat directly through Inspherio, allowing you to easily keep track of conversations with clients. Receive email notifications every time you have a new message!

• Maintaining Your Identity --> One of our biggest goals with Inspherio was for our users to feel that they could use our program and their business was still the main focus. That is why we made sure that you are able to brand any email, form, or website used within Inspherio. Change the font, color, and background to match your own; even upload your companies logo to accompany any outgoing documents. We know that our users have worked hard to build their name and it should stay that way!

• Full Accounting System --> Keep track of all income and expenses through Inspherio and see how easy it is to do your taxes! Print a few reports and you are good to go! Income is automatically recorded as your clients make payments, all you have to do input any expenses.

• User Friendly --> How many times have you started using a program and had no idea where to start? Inspherio ensures that you understand every step of the way and offers descriptive Help Text to answer any lingering questions you may have. We have also provided a road map of Inspherio to guide you along in setting up your business. 

• Super Support System --> The Inspherio Support Team are available for your convenience around the clock via email! You may contact us either via telephone or live chat Monday through Friday, 9AM to 6PM EST. Take advantage of our Support Team’s expertise and schedule a 1on1 training, as they walk you through the program and answer any questions you may have. Our Inspherio Youtube Channel offers over 30 tutorial videos to explain and demonstrate the many features Inspherio offers. 

See for yourself why Inspherio is the top choice for professionals in the event planning industry to manage their business. Start your full-version free trial today and start Planning Your Success!

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Inspherio Support Team: Your business works around the clock & so do we!

You know the situation, we’ve all been there: You are confused and stuck, you call customer service to receive a robot. You email-nothing. Live chat-might as well be a ‘live robot’. How frustrating?! We know your pain and that is why Inspherio is dedicated to making sure that if you have questions, you receive an instant answer!

If you can think up a way to contact us, Inspherio is available! Of course we have the basics of live chat (with a human being), 24-hour email assistance, and phone support minus the automated system. If you are the type that you like to solve your own problems and research them, well then we have the tools for you! Inspherio offers an extensive ‘Support Center’ which includes a FAQ page, Help Guide, video tutorials, and even updates on what’s new with Inspherio !

So that’s not enough for you? Find us on all of the social media sites: Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, even Pinterest! We all know we check our Facebook like it’s our part-time job! And if pinning away on Pinterest isn’t addicting, I don’t know what is?!

As you can see, we are dedicated to the success of your business! Try Inspherio today free for 30 days, no credit card required! Visit Inspherio and start your free trial now! Or you can call the desk of our Product Manager, Fabiana @ 704-234-6000, and she’ll even give you a personal tour of all the benefits Inspherio has to offer! 



Watch the following video to see how Inspherio is there for the success of your business!

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