for brides & grooms
How to best respond - Event industry Best Practises
When you get a referral, it means the person may not know anything about you or your business.
You are wanting them to shortlist you, engage with a quote from you and ultimately book you, so what are the best ways to engage with a stressed person who is trying to organise so many different services for their event?
Your first response is critical
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Introduce yourself - your name, tittle and picture
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Mention who referred you
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Say what you love about working with them
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Include what they love about you - their endorsement
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Add a picture of you working with them to prove your experience working with them
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Name the person who might have referred you
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Add a gallery of all the clients you have worked with at the venue and the testimonials from their clients about you.
Referrals are really great leads and when some one refers you they might also referring other suppliers too.
It is important that you move yourself to the top of enquiry list and get in the couples shortlist.
The Australian institute of Sport says: " You can not will the race if you do not get in the final"
Do everything you can in your first introduction to stand out from everyone else
If you would like some help setting up your introduction then shoot me an email
You have a referral, what to do now? .....
How YEM makes this easy - Send an introduction
YEM Pro has a special Introduction template that you can use for all venues and suppliers with a single click. The introduction template will automatically load the right images and the right endorsements and the name of the venue that referred you and the name of the person from that venue and what they like about you and your business. These are added by using tags and you can set up the content for each venue or supplier that you love.
You set it up once and you can send a personalised introduction with a single click every time.
You can set you YEM Pro template up directly from your inbox where the referral notification is listed.
In your YEM Pro inbox, next to "Send introduction" you can click edit and add all the details you need to personalise your individual response.
Once you set it up, you can simply click send introduction from your inbox or from your notification and send an impressive personalised response with one click.
Impressive and very quick from any device, anywhere.
Make your YEM Pro introduction the most impressive
1. Your name, tittle and picture
People book people and not businesses and introducing yourself by name, add the position you hold and adding your pictures makes your introduction the most personal and professional.
With YEM in settings under team members you can add your picture, your name and job tittle, this will show in the sign off for your templates and in your portfolios
2. Who referred you
People forget that they even asked for information about your service type when they enquire with venues and then may question how you got their details and be cross.
It is funny how people are so particular about their privacy but post so much in the public domain of social media.
SOLUTION: So an introduction should say - "You recently enquired with [Venue Name] and asked for a referral for a [Photographer - or what ever your service type is] and I work with [venue name] frequently and would be delighted to give you a quote."
By using the introduction template you can use the one template and have it add in the right [Tag] for different fields and it makes it easy to maintain with just one template that is very personal for every referral from different venues and suppliers.
3. Why do you love working with this venue or supplier
I connections in YEM Pro you can add what you love about each venue and supplier you work with and it will be loaded into your portfolio and their portfolio. This endorsement can also be added in as a [tag] to your introduction template too and your endorsement for that venue will be automatically added if their is one and if they have given you and endorsement it can be added as well.
Customers can see what you love a bout a venue and what the venue loves about you and this gives great confidence in your when they come to choose their suppliers.
Email me back if you would like some help getting the tags put in all the right places
"Albert River Wines is a special place for us, as our wedding was there. Photographic opportunities are all year around , with an array of backgrounds & amazing lighting."
- Linda Pasfield Photography Brisbane
"We love working with Linda and Anthony, they are creative and fun and we just love their images"
Sammy Cove - Dusk Lodges
4. What does this Venue love about you?
You can ask for an endorsement from each venue and supplier you work with by adding an endorsement for them in your connections area in your YEM Pro account. When they add what they like about working with you or about your product you can add it as a [tag] in your introduction template.
5. Adding a picture of a wedding you did at a venue or with a supplier
Saying that you have worked with a venues clients or at a venue is one thing but a picture showing you working with them is worth a thousand words.
At a glance it is proof that you are experienced working with that venue or with their clients and that is a very reassuring value proposition when dealing with a response from a referred supplier they don't know.
You can add a header picture in YEM settings, in connections, for each venue or supplier you are referred by and it will automatically be added to the header of yoru introduction
"Kylie is so organised and so much fun, I am sure you have felt so happy with them from when you first met!"
- Linda Pasfield
6. Name dropping
Using the name of the person at the venue is an impressive way of showing that you are part of their team and should be considered for their wedding. It is also great support for the venue when you talk about how great particular team members are.
7. Add a gallery of the weddings or events you have done with them
With YEM Pro portfolio you can make a portfolio of the real weddings you have done with one venue and attach the to the introductions. Real weddings hold your wedding awards, your client testimonials from clients of that venue and the endorsements from each supplier from those weddings. A very impressive display of why you are the right supplier for them to consider.
What if you don't create an amazing introduction?
The question isn't should you create a great introduction but it is what if you don't and your opposition do. Let us help you set up your introduction template and help you respond to referrals quicker and more impressively
Once you have made the template you can just send it each time with a click!