Nov 16, 2020
“The biggest success for me with dealing with clients is that I have never forgotten that I am the hired help.” Andy has Monte Durham as his guest on this episode of The Wedding Biz with the audio portion of a video interview he conducted on Zoom for the WeddingMBA Conference that just occurred. Andy first interviewed Monte back in April on episode 250, and it’s a pleasure to have him back for a follow-up interview.
Monte is a hugely successful fashion expert and one of the stars of TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress, Atlanta, where he had been the fashion director at Bridals by Lori, the south’s premier bridal salon.
Monte says that he hasn’t slowed down since the pandemic; he is still going 110%, which has kept him motivated. Monte shares stories of the wallpaper and pictures on the new salon walls and how he saved money by buying some furnishings from flea markets and refinishing them himself.
Listen as Monte shares some stories of difficult clients and how he handled the situations. Monte believes that bundling products and services will help wedding professionals come back strong and says he never forgets that he is the hired help. Monte also speaks about what he is looking forward to, once the pandemic is over, and some new exciting things that are on the horizon for his career.
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Show Highlights:
[02:03] Welcome back to the show, Monte!
[02:58] Monte shares how he is handling the pandemic personally.
[04:16] Monte says that the pandemic has made him realize how driven and passionate he is.
[05:07] Monte discusses what he is doing with his days and how he handles everything professionally.
[07:33] Monte speaks about the open house for his new salon.
[09:07] Monte shares suggestions for people dealing with tough times in business.
[10:42] Monte describes what is on the walls of his salon and the stories they tell.
[15:34] Monte shares how he believes that wedding professionals can price their services and products, once we are out of the crisis, by bundling.
[18:43] Monte talks about why clients can become difficult and how he handles them.
[21:25] He shares a story about when a client cursed him out.
[23:14] Monte discusses how wedding dresses come in different sizes, and he speaks of an issue he had with a client that didn’t think he knew what he was talking about.
[25:06] Monte says the biggest success for him with clients is that he has never forgotten that he is the hired help.
[25:40] What are you looking forward to in the future? What is coming up for you?
[27:28] Monte speaks about going to Ohio to do the Marry Me Military event with the USO.
[29:44] Monte, thank you so much for being on the show!
RESOURCES
Find Monte
Monte Durham Episode 250 on The Wedding Biz
@montedurham
@therealmontedurham
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Title Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Kushner Entertainment