Keeping the Year Booked
Whether you're new or experienced as an event planner, it always helps to read or refresh on tips to keeping your year booked. These are some tried and true (and maybe new) event pro tips to keep your year booked!
1. Respond as quickly as possible
Let's be real, nobody likes to be left on read. It's good to stay in your inbox and reply as quickly as possible to start the conversation on what your client is looking to do for their event.
2. Be personable
Is it a wedding? Say congrats! Is it a corporate company? Mention something you love about their company. Do your research, and comment in kind. Being personable and kind to the clients makes all the difference.
3. Answer all of the questions
Nothing is more important to your potential clients than being open and transparent. Clients want (and should) know everything they can about services, pricing, and your availability. However, this can get kind of hard when it comes to pricing. For instance, here at My House Social, we do custom menus with all inclusive pricing. So while we won't tack on any hidden fees, creating a customized menu with unique items makes it harder to generate that inclusive price after the first meeting.
However, it is still important to address questions without immediate answers. Taking the time to explain why you cannot immediately give a clear answer to a potential client's question is an important, honest approach.
4. Keep it short and sweet
You've probably heard it a million times, but people spend more time planning their events on their phone. Whether by app or mobile browser, things have become shorter, faster, and more efficient. That means your emails should follow suit. According to a recent Gmail Boomerang study, the sweet spot for email responses to sales inquiries is just 50-125 words.
Additionally, there shouldn't be any large attachments. Phones don't have a ton of storage for big attachments, so be sure to send attachments that don't involve large high res photos, small/illegible type faces, or anything else that will make it hard to download or read on a phone.
5. Offer a multitude of ways to get in touch
It may be something you already work on by letting customers know they can call, text, or email any time. However, that leaves out video chats, social media DMs, and let's not forget the good old fashioned in-person meeting! No matter what, you should always offer at least three ways for clients to contact you, after all, they're you're client and they may be giving you a great opportunity to throw a great event!