Biggest Vendor Turn-Offs
Don’t cause potential clients to swipe left.
So I’ve never considered myself a sales person. I’m a thinker/a maker/a doer! I don’t SELL, I CREATE! So what makes me qualified to give sales advice?
Well for one, I’ve worn every hat in the hospitality industry. Luckily I look good in hats. As Director of Development for a national non-profit, I was the client when we were planning events, seeking to hire the best venues and vendors to help accomplish our goals. As an Event Producer for a premier event planning and design agency, I was the liaison between every vendor and the end client, and as a Venue & Catering Director at a world-renowned art museum I was a vendor myself. So I’ve learned some tricks along the way. I know exactly what I needed to hear from vendors when I was a client, and saw those simple tactics work when I put them to use as a vendor myself.
As my husband will attest, I’m really great at poking holes in things and while I think I could write a dissertation on pitfalls so many vendors make during the inquiry process, I’ll spare you all of that and just point out a few of my top vendor turn-offs that are oh-so-easy to fix.
In case it needs further clarification, here is what I mean by the inquiry process. This process makes up the actions YOU as a vendor take when you are responding to clients reaching out to you. You’ve already done the hard work- the potential client did their research and found you. Not only found you, but liked you enough to reach out. So don’t blow it now, mmkay?
PS-these observations apply to the entire hospitality industry. I use weddings as my primary example with the end user being the bride, but really these apply to any client.
No robotic responses please.
1. DITCH THE AUTO RESPONSE. I recently wrote to a florist on behalf of one of my clients to request a proposal for services. The auto response said something like this: “I am currently busy in the shop designing and making dreams come true! I reply to emails on Tuesdays and Thursdays.” Where do I start with this one? First of all, it may be true that you only reply to emails on Tuesdays and Thursdays (I think this is another mistake but I know all you solopreneurs are doing your damn best!). That said, I had written on a Monday. She was going to respond to me the next day anyway, which I would have been totally satisfied with. But instead, the generic auto response told me that I’m only ever going to have her attention 2 days a week at best. As a planner I get that this can still work, but as a bride, I certainly don’t. I don’t want to know that you are busy making other people’s dreams come true- you should only be thinking about ME! NEXT! Seriously people, unless you are going to be truly out of pocket for over a week, get rid of the automatic responses. Try to be accessible and fast with these initial inquiries. Again, you did all of the pre-work to get them to contact you- they want YOU- being responsive with the initial inquiry is KEY. (And hint: if you just don’t think you can do this, I can help!).
2. BE AUTHENTIC & MATCH THE TONE. To tell someone not to be generic should be obvious, right? As a client I want to connect with the vendors I hire. Most clients reaching out are not the planner but the actual bride and groom who still believe this is the only time they’ll ever get to plan a wedding. So cute, right? So they want to connect with each of their vendors. And they are not going to fall in love with a template email. Sure, its easy to copy and paste, maybe throw in a personalized intro sentence: “Congrats on your engagement! May is such a great time for a wedding,” before moving on to your canned informational template with an attached PDF intended to answer any questions they might have so they don’t over email you while making their choice. Just don’t. (More below in item #3 on not including all possible answers to any question in an initial email). Make your response sound like YOU- something that makes you fun and personable. Make them like YOU, not just your work (remember, they already like your work, that’s why they reached out). And match their tone. This is hospitality- it’s parties for Pete’s sake. You aren’t selling legal services so you can simmadownnow on the formality. If the client emails you with an uber professional tone, then sure- do your best to follow suit while still being authentic to who you are. But if they are showing you some personality in their initial email (whether it be excited, casual, quirky, etc), you sure as hell better work to give it right back to them.
3. ANSWER WHAT WAS ASKED/DON’T GIVE AWAY THE FARM. I remember writing to a stationer I was interested in pitching to a client. I told her a few details about the event and that I was going to be in the area the following week and asked if there was a time I could stop by her studio to talk about some samples to present. She responded by saying “Thanks for thinking of me! I’d love to work with your client,” and then clearly copied a canned response with a form to fill out on what I was looking for. Didn’t address my visit, the samples, etc. In other words, she wasn’t listening. Nope. Swipe Left. Please actually read your inquiries guys. People spent time to write them- answer what was asked. And no need to OVER answer. Sending your price sheet, package options or a PDF of FAQ’s is not a good idea, especially if it isn’t something they asked for. It not only can sometimes come across like you are sending them away as opposed to really engaging with them, it also keeps these potential clients from continuing the conversation. Remember, giving them a reason to write back after your response is how the relationship starts.
To recap, recognize the value of the inquiry, listen to the client, prioritize giving a response and do so as YOU. And if the idea of being on the hook everyday to respond to each client with gusto makes you cringe, give me a call and let’s see how we can get this off your plate.
