So I'm back in the KPW studio after a whirlwind 48 hour trip to CT and I thought I would write a bit about my experience. I know I'm only supposed to write and feature current members of MY KPW on this blog, so I will forgo name dropping at this point, although I'm hoping many of the wonderful people I met will be joining the family soon :)
I found out about an event celebrating a new venue in CT's wine country scheduled for Wednesday evening and really wanted to attend. There were going to be some VERY talented vendors attending and we are only looking for the best of the best wedding vendors in each state. I made plans to attend and thought it would be smart of me to schedule appointments before and after the event to make the 6 hours round trip of driving really really worth it. I left a facebook message to see if anyone wanted to meet up and called a few vendors who I thought would be good to meet face to face. Within a matter of hours I had a full Wednesday and Thursday starting on the Eastern side of the state and working my way across as I met photographers, planners, make up artists, dress salons, cake bakers, caterers, a few venues, and also managed to get a pedicure!! I met a few vendors unexpectedly as well which was fantastic and even though I am quite tired to say the least, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with everyone.
It is always a challenge to meet a fairly complete stranger- other then Facebook interactions- and to attempt to "sell" a very unknown product. In our case, it is even more challenging because I decided from the beginning that the only way to properly explain the concept of MY KPW was to go and sell it myself... completely myself. We don't have a sales staff. I came up with concept, I fully understand its potential, and I want vendors to get a sense of community and support from me through MY KPW.
To say the least, I am still overwhelmed by the well wishes and support I received from the vendors I met with. Some were very interested before we spoke, others were learning about MY KPW right on the spot at that very minute. I know how difficult and sometimes frustrating it can be to take up an hour or even up to three hours of someone's time for a sales pitch. Never once did I feel rushed or as if the vendor I was meeting with wasn't giving me their full attention and I can't thank each and every vendor enough for that. I am SO appreciative of their time and consideration and even if not a single vendor joins the MY KPW family from my little excursion to the Constitution State, it was worth it to go and learn a bit about their incredible talents. CT is FULL of amazing vendors of varying price points who deliver an excellent product and provide a fantastic level of customer service. I am going to have a very difficult time selecting the vendors we invite as I continue to explore what the state has to offer and I dread having to turn someone away because their market category is closed.
This may seem silly to some, but I wanted to say how touched I was by the vendors I met, how kind and generous they were to me- I was serious about a spontaneous pedicure, not to mention a book loan, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a free parking pass in downtown South Norwalk- and how excited and motivated they made me in my continued travels throughout New England and NYC as I talk about and add members to the MY KPW family.
Thank you thank you so very much CT, I hope to visit again soon- probably October actually :)
Until our next chat....
KP
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