Hiring people to work for you at your wedding means you have
just become the HR department for your own event planning company. Essentially,
you are becoming someone’s boss.
What kind of boss do you want to be?
What kind of boss do you like working for?
What Makes Wedding
Vendors Different?
If you are planning a
wedding, then you already know it can be a stressful and expensive job!
There are so many things to consider when searching and hiring the perfect
venue, caterer, photographer, florist, wedding planner, DJ and videographer,
among many other details.
Most vendors are small businesses born from the desire to
help make a special event in people's lives memorable, but there are varying
ideas of how to do just that. Because of this, doing your
"shopping" is very important so you can find the
vendors who specifically suit you and the kind of event you are
dreaming of. Doing research regarding different vendors’ attributes goes
a long way in the planning process, and then the relationship between you and the
vendors can make or break your event. Keep in mind that all vendors
are NOT created equally. Typically, vendors price their product or service to
stay competitive in the market, but they also price their product to
compensate them for their quality and experience.
A Great Relationship
with Your Vendors Really Does Matter!
Getting “more” from your vendors is not about bargaining,
negotiating the best price, or asking for free “extras”. It’s about
creating a work environment and relationship that creates a sense of loyalty
and desire to give willingly. But how? How do you do this for one day, with a person
you have only just met? In this guide we are going to share with you some easy
ways to become your vendor’s favorite client, and hopefully provide you with
the maximum service for the investment you made with them.
READ THE INFORMATION
YOUR VENDOR GIVES YOU
Most vendors spend hours painstakingly creating websites,
emails, and information packets so that you can have all the details about them
delivered to you as quickly and efficiently as possible. It’s kind of a
running joke in the wedding vendor community how often we get asked, “What is
your pricing?” when potential clients had to scroll past the pricing to find
our contact information. Clients who do some of their own leg-work
instantly earn our respect and are better prepared to make important decisions
for their event! Also know that small businesses change their pricing
occasionally. A price quote you received is not valid forever.
BE RESPECTFUL OF
THEIR TIME
Wedding Vendors are very often small business owners who
strive to balance work time and home time, and sometimes the wedding biz isn’t
even their full time job. Be on time for appointments and if you can’t
make it, please let them know with as much lead time as possible.
IT'S OK TO SAY,
"NO, THANK YOU"
There are lots of reasons why a vendor might not be a good
fit. Whether it is a matter of budget, style, even personality, it's okay
to say, “I’m sorry, but we’ve decided to book someone else”. This way the
date you were looking to book for can be offered to someone else. Trust
us, we have been told "no" before! You are assembling a team
and you want to find the best players for your needs.
DON'T LOSE YOUR DATE!
So, you have done your homework, compared different vendors
and their services and products, and you have carefully have chosen the best
"team players" for your wedding! You call your vendor and verbally
commit to a date. Congratulations! Verbally committing to a date
should be promptly followed by signing a contract and paying your
deposit/retainer fee. Most vendors abide by the "first
come, first served" rule, so if you are slow to do these important
things to "seal the deal", unfortunately, you might lose your
date! Promptness in this will also take stress off of you because you
will be one step closer to your dream wedding!
"WHAT ABOUT A
DISCOUNT?"
This is one of the questions vendors are asked the
most. While it is perfectly acceptable to inquire if there are any
promotions or a discount available for your date, it is very beneficial for a
prospective client to do their "homework", as mentioned before.
Your vendor may already be charging less than others of similar style and
quality, so they may not be open to negotiating a price. But, since it
never "hurts" to ask, you might want to start the conversation with a
sincere compliment.
Comparing your prospective DJ with "Cousin Bill and his
Boombox", stating that he will do it for cheaper or for free, well, if you
think that he can do the same job as a professional, top notch DJ, maybe you
should hire "Cousin Bill". (Again, the homework thing.)
Know your vendors' product versus others in the field so you
can make an informed decision for one of the most important days of your life
and to be able to give a sincere compliment! Let your vendor know that
you truly value their service and time, and then make your offer! You
never know, the vendor you really want might be open to some negotiating.
Don't forget to listen to the podcast that corresponds with
this blog for more information!
Next Post-During the Booking Process
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