The Wedding Year-Barn Wedding

The Wedding Year- Barn Wedding

In this iconic movie clip, Mara (the young sales woman) is seen overhearing a debate. A potential customer is looking for her wedding dress and is debating with her family members. The Grandma is complaining about the shop and the overall theme of the bride’s wedding. Judging by the bride’s reaction, it appears that the Grandma is a woman of influence and ultimately one of the decision makers. When Mara approaches, she immediately makes the effort to connect with the ultimate decision maker (the bride) and the secondary decision maker (the Grandmother). She not only suggests a different dress but sells a perception. This can be seen as she appeals to the bride’s character saying, “You seem like someone who stands out and this dress is too background dancer.” She appeals the bride’s desire to be seen and feel beautiful on her wedding day. She appeals to the Grandmother’s desire for class and tradition. Another thing to note is when the members of the party bring up price Mara subtly states that most people set up payment plans, but she never fully discloses price. She doesn’t talk money immediately. Instead, she brings up the idea of a payment plan and suggests that this is the dress of her dreams. While Mara’s approach is no where near flawless, she does do some things rather effectively. She appeals to the decision makers in the party and doesn’t discuss money off the bat. She paints a picture of this dress in the client’s mind. Her words not only influence the bride but also everyone’s perception. This demonstrates how sometimes the customer needs some guidance. In some sales situations, the customers are open to significant influence. This is often seen in the bridal setting. The feeling of overwhelm is so great that professional guidance is often desired. Something Mara did not do well was, avoiding acting on assumption. She acted greatly on instinct and assumption, and while sometimes this results in closing a deal, it is not a reliable tactic.