Have you ever been to an event where you didn’t have access to a certain room or area of the event?
You know, there was a red velvet rope blocking the entrance to the room or maybe even a sign that said, “ VIP’s Only” or “Back Stage Pass Required?”
I’m sure you’ve experienced this at some point in your life, especially as a business owner.
“What am I missing?”
If you’re like me, it suddenly creates curiosity of what you’re missing out on and a desire to see what it would take to have access beyond the red velvet rope.
Especially if there is a private event going on with someone you’d love to have access to!
Create desire and curiosity for your wedding business
Successful business owners know how to leverage a perceived Red Velvet Rope to create instant curiosity and desire to work with them.
Not only does this keep them booked solid year after year, but also gives them the ability to work with their ideal client a majority of the time!
Use a Red Velvet Rope to get booked and overcome price haggling!
In this new blog series, I’m going over 4 ways you can implement a perceived Red Velvet Rope in your wedding business to cause your ideal wedding client to have the desire & curiosity to be pre-sold to hire you before they even see your prices!
A proper vetting system is essential!
In today’s post, I am talking about how setting up a proper vetting system is essential to instantly create a red velvet rope effect in your business! This is not only going to reduce price haggling, but also get you booked solid with your ideal wedding clients!
How to Set Up a Proper Vetting System to Get Booked Solid & Reduce Price Haggling!
“I work by consultation only!”
Start by never getting into a long conversation with a wedding lead who calls your office or mobile office. You can be polite and answer a few of their questions, but before it goes too long, just gently say: “You know I am happy to go into greater detail with you and your fiancée about your wedding, but I really work by consultation only. I am working on other client’s weddings today, but if you schedule a consultation with me, then I will be able to give you my undivided attention and focus in on exactly what you and your fiancé are looking for in your (wedding), (reception), (photos), (flowers), etc.”
You get the idea!
Give your wedding lead directions to follow
You need to find out If they follow your directions. Believe me, if you get a wedding couple that doesn’t want to jump through a few of your hoops, they probably are NOT going to be the right couple for you to work with.
Have them fill out a Consultation Questionnaire
Before they schedule a time with you, make them fill out a short questionnaire that allows you to get a feel for what type of couple they are and what type of wedding they hope to have. Their answers to your questions, including budget can determine right away if they are a good fit for you or not. I know I always say this, but you don’t have to work with everyone nor should you!
Ask that both of them be on the consultation
Make sure you ask the couple to choose a time where both of them can be on the consultation with you. This saves a lot of headaches on the back end when you have one of them sold on your services, but they have to “talk to their fiancée.” This usually doesn’t end well!
Don’t make yourself too available
Never let your scheduling calendar be too available. I only have a few times available each week for wedding couples to schedule their consultations. If you leave your calendar wide open, you will not look like you are in demand. Remember people want what they can’t have.
Give Your Couples an Example of Your Wedding “Superpower!”
During your consultation drop little nuggets of wisdom that show your wedding “superpower” to your couple. For example, when Lou was a wedding Dj, he would describe an amazing intro idea that he recently did.
If you are a wedding planner, drop little bits of ideas & knowledge about the different venues you have worked at before. The couple will get a taste of the excellence you will bring if they hire you for their wedding!
Add scarcity
After your consultation, send them your list of services along with your prices but also tell them you only do a limited number of weddings a year. If they want to work with you, they should fill out the contract and send it back in with the deposit in a timely fashion. You can also offer a limited discount if they book with you within a certain time range.
Give Some Breathing Room!
After you send them the contract & your list of services, let them know to follow up with you if you if they have any questions! Give them some breathing room. DON’T call them back right away.
Yes, it’s fine to send them an email asking if they have any questions about what you sent, but don’t beg for the booking.
I have had couples who consulted with me and suddenly were gone for a couple weeks. The couple did finally get back to me and booked a destination wedding! You never want to look desperate!
So, as you can see, a proper vetting system is ESSENTIAL to building that perceived “red velvet rope” around your business!
If you do it correctly, you will get booked solid year after year with your ideal wedding clients!
As always, please leave a comment below if you have any questions about this topic!
