Business Ethics Also Count for Competition

Sorry to interrupt my usual light-hearted posts, but this is a topic that needs to be addressed. Within a week, I was contacted by three wedding planners in my area posing as brides in order to get my pricing information and/or see how I communicate with potential clients.

I can't speak for anyone else (although I know I do when I say)… THIS IS AN UNETHICAL PRACTICE and those doing it need to be blasted for it. However, I am not giving them free advertising by mentioning their names on my blog.

So for all of you newbies who think you should pretend to be a bride in order to conduct your market research, you had better think twice about it. In the age of the Internet, it is very easy to catch you in the act. I will admit that this is probably the hardest piece of information to obtain, but it is not impossible to get if you are upfront and honest.

In the Philadelphia/South Jersey area, there are organizations such as ISES and ABC that can help with your startup. Go to their networking meetings and meet some of the other wedding planners in your immediate area. Become a member and you will gain access to the statistical data they compile on a regular basis for this purpose.

Ask brides in your target market how much they would be willing to pay for the services you offer.

Read industry-related information on the internet.

I had to do a lot of work to establish my business. To quote my colleague, Saundra at planning…forever events, "I have fought, struggled, and worked my manicured fingers to the bone to gain what I have achieved. It takes a lot of courage to own a business. Courage to be rejected. Courage to not be scared when your phone is not ringing with new clients. Courage to do the right thing in all facets of your business." (I don't mind giving free plugs to the good guys.)

Although there are a lot of wedding planners popping up every day, it takes an awful lot of hard work and money to establish yourself as a reputable player in the industry. Being unscrupulous will get your name out there too, but it will be on a black ball list to all of the wedding professionals within a 50 mile radius.

The moral of the story… Don't start your business by being sneaky and underhanded. It will come back to bite you in the end.

I will now step down from my soap box. Feel free to comment.