How do you positively spin a product/service that's perceived as negative?

Well... I'd flip it around.

You are not selling "conflict coaching", you are selling a peaceful, stress-free wedding. (Or something to that effect.)

My sister's business does a brilliant job of this. She is a Personal Move Manager, and her business is Assisted Transitions. She helps people sort out their lives, reduce, reuse, recycle, and usually this is within the context of a relocation involving a major life-change - like seniors moving into an assisted living facility.

Assisted Transitions tagline is "Change is inevitable. We make it easy."

Applying this perspective to your business, maybe your tagline is: "I de-stress weddings", or "Stress-free weddings", "Harmonious weddings, from engagement to retirement".

The gift you give is not "conflict resolution". That is just one step on the path to "marital harmony".

Does that help a bit?

Well said Christian. Joe Vitale explains this process of taking what is essentially a complaint (a negative) and reframing it as a positive (what you do want) in his book, The Attractor Factor (http://www.amazon.com/Attractor-Factor-Creating-Wealth-Anything/dp/0470009802?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221615620&sr=1-1).

It's a great approach and even if it doesn't "work" it will get you moving in a direction that will help both your clients and you a lot.

The primary negative spin I see in what you say about your business is the assumption that there is conflict and that people need a mediator to handle it. If I were a young person getting married, that would put me on the defensive. My response would be "Surely, I wouldn't be marrying this person if we couldn't even do the wedding without fighting?!"

Make it all about successful wedding planning. People recognize the need for wedding planners and you can explain your twist on that. You're there so that when they meet with a regular wedding planner, they'll be working together to clearly communicate what they both want.

Another twist: Don't market to the couples at all. Market yourself to the wedding planners who are tired of spinning their wheels while young couples argue over the color of the napkins. The planner can see a conflict start, pull out your business card and say "You know, this lady is really good at helping you to find common ground." Perhaps you can convince wedding planners to build counseling with you into their packages.

Dina,

Shifting from 'the glass is half empty" to "the glass is half full" is not that difficult. You have received excellent, effective advice.

Justin makes a good point--don't market directly to the public. As a former delicatessen owner, I catered weddings for 5 years and partnering with others brought me most of the business.

I partnered with: photographers, local bands who were hired for the reception; cake makers, property managers who rented out reception halls, make-up specialists, beauty salons, wedding dress makers, joined Le Tip as a local "hands-on" marketing approach, and wedding planners. Referral commission was 10%.

From my experience, conflict seldom occurred between the "happy" couple but between everyone else: suddenly absentee-relatives feel they know best, aunts, uncles, parents, grandparents and friends, feel they have the right to claim they know the best approach.

Anywhere from the photographer to the wedding planner, conflict can erupt and stop all progress until it is resolved. Having your card and a brochure with a brief description at each business, would relieve them of the "politically awkward" position of family negotiator. They can deflect the heat.

Hope this is useful.