“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” -Walt Disney
There is no doubt that the book The Susan Southerland Secret is one full of hidden gems and golden nuggets that help us expand our knowledge base. If you’re just starting out in the world of “sales,” you might be surprised to learn that quite a bit of psychology is involved when it comes to the buying and selling of goods and services.
The Susan Southerland Secret
Sales psychology focuses on the psyche of your target market to better understand how you can sell to them. By zeroing in on their emotional needs, you can understand their buying behavior more clearly. Weddings are pretty emotional for everyone involved, but especially for the bride. Susan’s book offers incredible insight into a bride’s mind as they start to plan their wedding.
How I came to read it
A very good planner friend of mine has talked about this book for years. We’d be sitting in a coffee shop talking about our latest prospect and how it went, comparing notes and talking strategy. She would mention this book every now and then, and talk about how it opened her eyes to the different types of brides that are out there. I’ve always been curious about the book, but never thought anything more of it until I recently did a presentation for our Facebook group, Becoming a Wedding Planner, and thought this type of knowledge could be useful. I quickly texted my friend and asked her who the author was and the name of the book. She gladly sent it to me. I purchased it online right off Amazon.
What I learned
This book is really fascinating. It breaks down the four types of bridal personalities so you can better market your business. You have your visionary bride, your savvy bride, your functional bride, and your bewildered bride. Each of these brides have a strength and a weakness, but understanding who they are can help you navigate your sales meeting, as well as when you’re working with them through the wedding process. Susan Southerland breaks down each personality type so you can better understand their strengths, weaknesses, the types of problems you might encounter and how to overcome them so you end up with a happy client and raving reviews.
Why you should read the book
As a newly established wedding planner, this book could give you the ammunition to pivot, not only your consults, but also the way you work with a bride throughout the planning process. Learning how to use personality marketing could be a game changer in your business. Susan’s book shares valuable tips on how to win a bride’s confidence through tailored sales and marketing messages.
The Susan Southerland Secret Last Words
It’s a great little book that I recommend every single wedding planner reads. It’s a short read that you could finish on an airplane ride or on a day at the beach. I will have to warn you, though, it’s a little dated. I believe it was published in 2011, and even then I was seeing how some of the marketing references were a thing of the past (like AOL). In today’s fast-moving wedding industry world, some of the context is outdated; I just want you to be aware. However, the principal concepts Susan applies to personality marketing are still really good and very useful.
