Getting on “The List”
One of my favorite ways to elevate my clients and colleagues is to help them take their destinies into their own hands. I recently had a photographer friend tell me she would be able to take more weddings each year if she could have a greater percentage of them be in Boston where she lives (as opposed to her current situation where she spends a great deal of time traveling all over New England and beyond, often getting home in the wee hours of the morning after a big wedding hours away). She went on to say that often she accepts the inquiries for weddings in Western MA, Maine, etc., and given the time these pull away from her family, along with physical strain from not getting home until 3AM after 12 hours on your feet (Event Hangover, anyone?), she is unable to take on too many consecutive weekends of work. This is crazy to me- especially given that our peak event season here in New England only lasts for about 5 minutes, I understand the need for my self-employed vendor friends to be able to milk it for all its worth. The answer to this seemed so obvious to me, but apparently not to her. Girl, you can control that shit!
Last February (juuuuuuust before covid barged in and crashed the party), I was invited to speak at a members -only event for the National Association for Catering & Events on “The Secret to Getting More Referrals.”
“The Secret to Getting More Referrals” NACE Event @Kataram Studios
The advice I gave during this conference was very similar to what I told my friend and is definitely relevant for all event vendors. It’s all about getting on THE LIST (and by THE LIST, I mean a venue’s preferred vendor list, not Miranda Priestley’s).
So here is the what, the why and the how.
What to do: Identify where you want to work –make a list of 5 or 6 key venues that represent your target clientele in your target location and do the work to get on their preferred vendor list.
Why do you want to be on a preferred vendor list? Maybe these answers go without saying, but maybe not. I’ve spoken with vendors over the years that like the variety of always working somewhere different, enjoy the travel and are afraid of getting pigeon-holed by only working in a limited number of venues, but for most the benefits outweigh any of these fears. The benefits of being on a venue’s preferred list:
The location fits your lifestyle & the venue’s style will fit your brand. Remember when you identified the places you’d like to work more? Well now you get to work there more.
Qualified Inquiries. Again, assuming you targeted venues that fit your aspirational client as opposed to the local Elk’s Club, the clients that will reach out to you from receiving this list will already be in the category of being able to afford a higher end venue. So unless they’ve made a choice that will make them venue-poor (Is that a thing? Like being house-poor?), they are going to have a healthy budget for other vendors as well.
Free, ongoing stream of potential clients. It’s like having a team of sales people working for you. Once you do the work to get on the list (and to stay there), the stream of inquiries will start happening with very little effort on your part.
The snowball effect. Once you’ve worked somewhere you can share your work at that venue on social media, blogs, etc. When a potential client sees your name on the venue’s preferred list, goes to check out your work and sees their venue featured in your work, they are yours. Giving you more client work to showcase from that venue. See? Like a snowball.
Less leg work on booked events. Working in a familiar venue lets you spend less time on site visits, doing research, etc. since you will know the space so well. You already know the measurements of a room, how much light comes in, the load-in regulations, the name of the person you need to ask for a favor, you name it! You also can describe ideas to potential clients showcasing your knowledge of their chosen venue, making you look like a WIZARD.
How to do it (and how not to do it): So now we’ve established that you WANT to be on the list. Is it easy? No. Is it doable? Yes. Here’s the approach:
1- Identify who from the venue is working with booked clients. It’s not typically the sales director or general manager, but the people detailing or producing the events. If you don’t already have a small in, figure out who they are and collect contact info.
2- Get a meeting. I recommend reaching out to one team member. Tell them you’d love to get a time to come in and meet with their team for a few moments so you can give them a little info about yourself and bring by x gift for the team. If you can have your initial contact collect Starbucks latte orders, that is a good one. Mini Facial or Manicure Kits. One vendor once brought me a gift card for a Drybar blow out when she came to introduce herself, but it doesn’t need to be that pricey. When in doubt, go with booze. A small split of sparkling rose for everyone on the team? Yes please.
3- Make a connection. Be charming and yourself. These people are not only the ones referring you, but will have to work with you on those loooong event days so be someone they want to spend time with. I can tell you I’d much rather refer someone to clients who is relaxed and will keep me laughing all day long as opposed to someone overly polished and professional. Keep it quick and light.
4- Ask how you can help. Yes, you want to give them a little info about yourself and your work, but you should ask how you can help THEM. “What is the one thing a (photographer/florist/designer/contortionist) can make your life easier on event days and during the production planning leading up to it?
5- Leave them with the tools to sell you (and it is NOT a stack of business cards). A photographer can create a curated photo album of their wedding work at venues that match the style and vibe of the one they are courting and sends a link for the venue team to include on their preferred list. A stationer can create a book of their work that doubles as a 101 on the different invitation styles that a venue can keep on hand to share with clients. A florist can create a PDF of their event work with venue specific design ideas. Anything the venue rep can easily send along and share with their clients they will. Make it easy for them to sell your work!
6- Stay in touch. Not by calling to find out if you’ve been added to their list or why you haven’t been getting referrals. But by continuing to ask how you can help, congratulating them when you see a feature, etc. Keep the relationship going and it will most certainly pay off.
I get it- it can be a big project, but definitely one worth undertaking. And of course if it feels too big or like it just keeps getting pushed off, I’ve got your back.
