Is Common Courtesy Common Anymore?
"When you first get engaged, the wedding excitement is all around you and you just can't help but submit an inquiry form to every single wedding business you come across. You ask for packages from 13 wedding coordinators, 17 photographers, 7 DJs, 10 videographers, 34 venues...and the list goes on. And then you put your name on the email list at the four bridal shows you attend so that adds a couple hundred more vendors right there.
If you've found the best wedding vendors, then you will receive a whole lot of very quick responses from all of them. And then it happens...
Wedding Overload.
As soon as the 50+ vendors reply to your email, you are overwhelmed to the max and don't know what to do with yourself. You get frustrated, annoyed, and ignore each and every one of them.
If you've done your research, you know your budget for each category. You can spend $10,000 on food and beverage and the catering quote comes back at $20,000 for your guest count and it's down to the bare minimum of what you want included.
So what would a typical bride do?
Delete. And the email is gone.
But what should you do????
Respond.
Whether or not you are going to book a vendor, it is IMPERATIVE that you respond to each and every inquiry you submit. Why? Because sending a simple email will save you a lot of time, headache, and frustration.
Any great vendor is going to follow up if they don't hear from you - They will check in to see if you received what they sent over (as sometimes it ends up in your Junk folder), they will see if you have any questions, they will ask to schedule a call or an in person meeting, and they will continue following up. No, they aren't trying to annoy you but they are just trying to help!
So save yourself that frustration, and reply to each and every email...
"Thank you for taking the time to respond to my inquiry. I have decided to go with another photographer."
And that is that! You are doing the vendor a favor and not wasting their time trying to get in touch with you. And you are doing yourself a favor by eliminating the endless inbox chimes you receive throughout the day. Because you are the one who asked for their email in the first place, right?
And no, it won't hurt our feelings. We know that couples inquire about hundreds of potential vendors so we actually appreciate it when you respond and just let us know that you no longer need our help.
I promise!
For A Couples Perspective and to find your perfect vendors please read our blog post "Are You Right for Me?" http://www.ohmygoshevents.com/#!Are-you-Right-For-Me/c1l86/56895b1e0cf22317a79a6348
Here Is 5 Etiquette Tips when searchig for your dream vendors-
1-When you send a vendor an inquiry, and we send you an email about our services or pricing list, we actually would absolutely love to hear back from you, please have a courtesy of replying back to us, don’t disappear from the face of the earth forever. We want to know if you got our email or not, we want to know if you are interested or not, at least, thank us for taking our time and responding to your inquiry, supplying you with information, etc…. This is really not much to ask.
2-When you e-mail for a quote. Be specific. A vague email serves us no good, if we have no idea what we are quoting for…Many times brides completely forget to even list a date!!! We might already be booked, there’s no point starting an entire process, if we might not even be available right?
3- “I need 10 round linens” means nothing to me as a vendor…What size do you need, what color do you want, do you have a fabric in mind? Do you only need linens? How about napkins, chair covers etc.”
“I need Beauty services for my wedding, you available?” Ok… What date, what time, how many people? which services? Location? etc.” Be specific ;)
4 – Returning phone calls is nice. You blew up our phone and e-mail asking for a quote. Now that you have received it, it would be nice if you would let us know you received it. When we e-mail to follow up, a simple “I’m still gathering quotes or I’m still thinking about it” would be nice. Please don’t ignore us, It’s rude.
5 – Don’t lie about your budget. When we ask what is your budget we don’t want to hear “I’m open as long as I like it” then respond with “Wow that’s expensive” or “You’re way out of my Price range”… SO YOU DO have a budget then…share it with us and don’t waste others time by being vague or neglecting to even read the “Rates” pages listed for vendors in question, requesting meet ups, etc.
You’d be surprised how many vendors can accommodate services, no matter what size the budget, or at the very least offer you alternate suggestions if you aren’t being realistic. Everyone has a budget, we know that, what we need to know is what’s YOUR Budget.
For A Couples Perspective and to find your perfect vendors please read our blog post "Are You Right for Me?" http://www.ohmygoshevents.com/#!Are-you-Right-For-Me/c1l86/56895b1e0cf22317a79a6348
