Forty-three percent of engagements happen between November and January, which means your next wedding clients will be entering the planning stages of their engagement soon.
Now is a good time to review some of your consultation techniques, including the all-important but often ignored post-meeting follow-up.
“Good follow-up isn’t just, ‘Are you ready to move forward with this purchase?’ but is stoking the fire of your relationship with your prospect by offering your help,” writes Tom Sullivan, a sales expert in the software field. “You want to show you are happy to help them jump through all the hoops and pain points to get the solution they need.”
Not sure what to say in a follow-up, beyond, “Have you made a decision yet?” Here are some tips from Sullivan:
- Ask if they have questions. About a week after your consultation, check in with the bride and groom to see if any additional questions surfaced.
- Offer additional info. If the couple has questions, you can address those and offer to send additional links or photos from previous work that might help nudge them toward a decision.
- Clarify any confusion. Remind the couple that you are more than happy to clarify any points of your discussion; remember that, for many couples, wedding planning can feel overwhelming.
Above all, don’t neglect follow-up and, if you really want the job, don’t give up.
“You have to do it over, and over, and over again… sometimes with little or nothing back from your prospect,” Sullivan said. “It’s when the prospect doesn’t return call or emails several times in a row that most salespeople give up and fail where they could have succeeded.”
Need inspiration on how to get more brides to say yes to your shop? Read about a business that has done just that in Floral Management.
