Friday, November 8, 2013

Think of Inspherio like...your own Administrative Assistant

People often ask me how I would best describe Inspherio to a new customer. Last month, we compared the program to a champagne waterfall; make sure to check out that article.

Today, we are comparing Inspherio to your own Administrative Assistant.
Photo credit: wiseGEEK.com
Here's how a job description of an Administrative Assistant might read: 

The Administrative Assistant  is responsible for providing administrative and clerical services in an effective and efficient manner that will ensure that daily operations are maintained in an effective and efficient manner.
  • Completes operational requirements by scheduling and assigning administrative projects; expediting work results.
  • Maintains office files
  • Opens and distributes the mail
  • Generates reports and other documents
  • Maintains supplies inventory
  • Compose and review contracts
  • Notifies and processes invoices and payments
  • Provides information by answering questions and requests.
  • Keeps Executive up to date on the status of various projects
Hmm, sounds very similar to how Inspherio works. The whole idea behind the program is to
ensure that daily operations are maintained in an effective and efficient manner. Let's take a look at how Inspherio does exactly each of those bullet-ed tasks: 

Completes operational requirements by scheduling and assigning administrative projects; expediting work results. 
With your Inspherio account, you can schedule any of your employees or contractors to various events, appointments, or tasks/projects. Not only can you view and manage your employees' calendars, but you record your payroll as well.

Maintains office files 
Upload files to your account's Resource Library or to individual event portals. 

Opens and distributes the mail 
View online communication with your leads and clients directly from their event portal. Additionally, send emails directly to them containing information on package pricing, contracts, invoices, and more.

Generates reports and other documents
Run a variety of reports from your account, including: profit & loss, payroll, outstanding balance, payment status, and more.

Maintains supplies inventory
Manage your business' entire inventory from your Inspherio account. Set your quantity on hand, ideal count, cost of good sold, replacement fees, and more. Check items out for events and back in once they are completed.

Compose and review contracts
With Inspherio , you can create a new contract within a matter of minutes. Just follow the easy step-by-step flow and - voilà! - you have a contract ready to be sent. Since we also offer the capability for you and your client to e-sign the contract, you can close deals faster than ever. 

Notifies and processes invoices and payments
When you create the contract, you set up a payment plan as well. Once the contract is signed, Inspherio will automatically generate all of the necessary invoices based on your payment plan. Your account will also keep you up to date of invoices that you have yet to send out and payments that are due soon. Don't let money fall through the cracks ever again. 

Provides information by answering questions and requests
If a new prospective client wants to know about pricing packages, you can send that out with a couple clicks. If you yourself need to know specific information on a particular event or client, just open their event portal and see the answers immediately. After all, with our unique Know Your Event questionnaire, your clients fill out the information and it ends up in your hands instantly. 

Keeps Executive up to date on the status of various projects 
Ever find yourself flipping through notepads, sticky notes, and emails trying to figure out if you've sent out the contract or received a payment? Just stop the nonsense. Your Inspherio account automatically shows you the latest milestone of an event, including: sent pricing, sent questionnaire, pending contract, contract awaiting client signature, contract awaiting your signature, employees assigned to event, and much more.

As you can see, Inspherio essentially serves as your very own personal assistant, and we've barely scratched the surface of what your account can do.

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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Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Wedding planning tips during the holiday season

Well, we're just past Halloween, which means that retails stores are - ridiculously - in full holiday mode. It seems they completely forget about Thanksgiving and go straight to Christmas...but I digress.
 
There can be a lot of perks to planning a wedding during the holiday season, possibly a few more than your clients may have thought about. Wedding and event planners, below you'll find some great ideas from various bloggers that can really help out your clients and save them some good money.

From Love & Lobster: Coastal New England Weddings 
Hit up the after-Christmas sales 
You may not think you’ll find much for your wedding amid all the discounted electronics and Christmas decorations, but great deals abound. Snag marked-down twinkle lights and candles to adorn your reception space, or food items to stuff into guest welcome bags. Look beyond the traditional red and green décor and sift for candlesticks, containers and vases in shades of white or metallics.

One warning: This isn’t the best time to create or add to a wedding registry. Inventory is chock full of seasonal items, even products with no obvious holiday theme, that stores are trying to clear out. Plus, much of retailers’ regular inventory has been removed to make room, so the usual items aren’t available. You don’t want to spend an afternoon with the scanning gun just to find out in January that many of your items are out of stock. 


From 1 Elegant Event 
Get a Deal on Bridesmaid Dresses 
Whats the difference between a designer New Years Gown and a Bridesmaids Dress? Nothing! If you have not chosen bridesmaid dresses, gather up the girls for a fun day of shopping! During this time of the year, you will find fabulous styles on sale and if you only have 2-4 Bridesmaids. 

Send out Christmas Cards! 
So you and your fiancée took some beautiful engagement pictures and it is a shame to keep them to yourself, so why not send out Save-the Date Christmas Cards. Make sure it is OK with your chosen photographer and use one of the quick and easy ways such as Shutterfly, Walgreen's Photos and many others to upload, design, print, and even mail them out! I have done this for family photo's and it takes minutes!


From About.com Weddings 
Christmas Gifts, Hostess Presents, and Wedding Favors 
If you're like most people, you've been invited to a slew of parties and open houses, and have a variety of what I call "random people" to buy presents for: work colleagues, the mailman, the kids' teachers. When you're shopping for wedding favors, keep an eye out for gifts to buy in bulk. Consider boxes of chocolates, bottles of olive oil, or bath products, or goofy gifts from Oriental Trading Company. And, if you're buying the wine for your wedding yourself, order an extra case to take as hostess presents. You'll thank me later, when you realize there's yet another party to go to! 

Hold Try-Outs 
Having people to your house or throwing a party? Now is the perfect time to try-out a wedding caterer, cake baker, or florist. If you're going the DIY route, you'll have an assembled audience to help you make sure not all 50 pieces of wedding cake go to waste. For those considering DIY flower arrangements, many online flower sellers offer a "test bunch." Order it before a big party, and hit two birds with one stone. Not only will you have inexpensive arrangements for your party, but you'll find out if you're really capable of doing your own flowers, and get some practice before the big day.


And let's not forget about your own business. Check out some great advice from our friends at BookMoreBrides.com

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Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Wedding Planners: Add New Revenue through Bachelor(ette) Parties

People typically see wedding planners as those who plan, well, weddings. Just weddings. But as we all know, there is so much more to the wedding planning process than just the wedding itself. What about the reception? The rehearsal?

What about the bachelor(ette) parties?

Honestly, the amount of time and energy that some bridesmaids put into planning bachelorette parties or weekends can be astounding. They have to find a venue, food, plan entertainment/games, make decorations, and invite guests.

Sounding familiar to you?

Wedding planners take note: there are a few distinct advantages to planning these events:
  • It allows you to differentiate yourself from your competitors. Your complete wedding package is truly a complete wedding package.
  • You can develop new business/vendor relationships throughout the area. By bringing them new business, you are opening yourself up to new referral opportunities.
  • Not only can you build a valuable rapport with a variety of local venues and young professional hotspots, but you can also better get to know the happy couple. And if you are a good fit, maybe the bride includes you in the festivities.
  • You never know which of the bridesmaids or other attendees may see your skills and want to book you in the future.
  • Do I need to mention the added revenue from your planning fees for these parties?

Now, your bride and/or groom may want to plan a wild night out on their own, or they may be reluctant to join in the cliché traditions of tequila shots or Hummer limos. There are, however, some viable alternatives you can offer that your clients may very well find intriguing and that may go along with the wedding theme. 

Time to Unwind
Relaxing amidst the torrential downpour of wedding woes can be the hardest thing for a bride or groom.  Search local options concerning your client's interests: visit a local orchard, a fun cooking class, horseback riding, river tubing, or creative adult art classes! Renting a cabin in the mountains and spending a weekend hiking would be an ideal retreat for the weary but restless.
 
These girls had the right idea 
Check out all the occasion's photos at Shelby Schmidt Imagery
Check out this New York Times spotlight below on a summer-camp themed Anti-Bachelorette Party.
Adrenaline Junky
While fly-fishing and quilting may be sufficient for the mild-mannered, some brides and grooms would rather celebrate nearing matrimony with a little flair. 
 
Yes, those are guys
Consider suggesting white water rafting, kayaking, spelunking, zipline and canopy tours, rock climbing, indoor skydiving, or visiting a national park. 

Nostalgic Night Out
 
Timeless vintage style. Trending everywhere now.
Check out more photos at The Hen Planner

Vintage trends are still making big waves in the world of wedding style, and it never hurts to have a few hip cards up your sleeve.  Orchestrating a fun vintage photo shoot, trip to the state fair, carnivals, fall festivals, amusement parks, snazzy wine-tastings, or museum tour can be a simple departure from the steady bustle of planning a wedding.  A music festival or VIP table at a local jazz club can add some music to your clients' memories.

As you can see, ideas for these festivities, just like weddings, are endless.

And remember, you can plan and organize all of your weddings, parties, and other events on Inspherio . If you're new to the Inspherio family, start your free trial today and see how we can help you plan your success.
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Monday, October 21, 2013

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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