Dinner Dates: Tips for Booking Your First Client(s)

(Read more about the Dinner Dates series here)

So you’ve started a wedding planning business. You’ve always wanted to do it, always been the “planner” among your friends & family, and you have a sweet obsession with all things wedding. You take the leap, name your business, purchase a web domain, register for an LLC and tax ID number & make a Facebook page…

Now what?

How do you book clients with almost no portfolio, and very low Instagram followers & Facebook pages likes. (Now, I am NOT saying that Facebook likes & Instagram followers will get you bookings… but the more people who see you, the more people that “like” it or share it or tag a friend on it, will know someone who’s getting married and send them to you. Social media is POWERFUL and has been SO important for the quick growth of my company.)

Below are a few tips for Booking Your First Clients… Disclaimer, these are NOT always going to work… this is not a “quick fix” system!!! Building clientele takes TIME, and I’m STILL building clientele; I JUST started DSE in September (Sometimes, I think people forget that!!!). I don’t have this down and I’m still learning & seeking advice from fellow business owners!!! These simple tips helped me; they are things I used and am continuing to use! I wanted to share them because I hope they can help you, too!!

– BLOG, BLOG, BLOG. I can honestly tell you that my blog has helped my business grow more than I ever thought possible in such a short amount of time. I’m not saying that to brag, I’m telling you so that YOU WILL DO IT TOO! I’ve been blogging 4-5 days a week since I launched in September. I got that business model from Katelyn. I follow her blog religiously & have been for 5 years. I love it. I love hearing about her business, her life, Bokeh, her home, whatever! Her blog shows clients the quality of her work, AND makes you WANT to work with her!! You want to get to know her over Diet Mountain Dew. You want to attend a coaching session even though you’re not a photographer. You know it’s true:) I’ve tried really hard to follow a similar model by blogging about clients, events I style/plan, personal things & things that fire me up (organizing, Jesus, decorating, etc.). I want my readers to connect with me, too. And my blog is a way to do that!

(If blogging isn’t something you ENJOY then don’t force yourself to do it!! Yes, I DO think it helps you grow because your clients get to know you & get to see your work, but if you hate it then by all means don’t do it!!! Maybe, instead of blogging 4-5 days a week, you can choose 2 days a week to blog? Blog on the same 2 days of the week so that readers know when to expect something knew from you! Maybe 1 day is a personal post and the other day is a “bride to bride” series or something geared toward your audience?? Find what you ENJOY talking about, and blog on that!)

– STYLE A SHOOT. Immediately. When I started, I didn’t have any professional images I felt confident in, except for the images from my own wedding. (My first blog didn’t even have a gallery page because I only had 1 wedding with pictures I felt confident in showing off!!!) I knew I needed images, and I needed them fast. So, I launched in September & had my first styled shoot in November. That shoot helped me SO MUCH! Within 3 months of launching, I had amazing images, a blog feature, sneak peeks to Instagram about (to build followers) and more credibility in the industry. Friends… I had NO IDEA what I was doing. I’d never styled a shoot before!! When I emailed Anna I don’t think I breathed until she emailed me back & said she loved to shoot it! I was SO NERVOUS of rejection, but I knew I needed to leap into it and not look back. And, yes, I’ve had vendors tell me that they didn’t want to work with me. Sure it hurts, but we have to get over it. That’s the WORST they could say to me, so oh well! Maybe they have too much on their plate, maybe the timing isn’t right, or maybe they didn’t want to work with a “newbie”. Whatever their reason, I knew in my heart I could rock it out & I was bound & determined to do just that! Stop telling yourself no one will work with you, stop telling yourself you don’t know what you’re doing, and just DO IT. Go send that email RIGHT NOW. I promise you, you will become hooked on them:) (I’m planning to blog Styled Shoot Planning Tips sometime this summer!)

– SAY HELLO. Send emails to vendors you know and love. Tell them just how MUCH you love them!!! “Katie, I’m Kat and I just wanted to say that I saw the wedding you blogged last week, and it was the perfect mix of southern elegance!! I just LOVED her pink cowgirl boots & the details in her reception! I’ve been a fan of your photography for a long time and I just wanted to reach out and say hello! I started a wedding planning business in Harrisonburg, and I’d love to treat you to coffee next time your in town. Let me know!! xo! kat” Voila. You have yourself a pretty little email that tells the vendor who you are, what you’re doing and just how much you admire their work. It also shows of your personality and makes them connect with you. You’re not asking for ANYTHING. You’re just saying “hello” and gushing over them a bit. Chances are, they’ll remember that. They’ll write you back. They’ll “like” you on Facebook & become a follower on Instagram. And you’ve just completed the easiest, most painless form of networking possible.

– MAKE FRIENDS. This goes along with Saying Hello. You need to reach out and be friendly to other vendors, ALL other vendors (even other wedding planners!). Word of mouth is very important, and you want to get vendors talking because you’re KIND! Not because you’re snooty & mean. I can’t tell you how many emails I’ve sent to vendors in the last few months. TOO MANY!!! Some of them respond with an encouraging message, some don’t respond at all, and, yes, some haven’t been the nicest. But, y’all, I’ve had to remind myself that their words cannot hurt me if I don’t allow them to. There’s this really strange stigma in the wedding planning & floral industry that it’s all about competition & not about being friends. I hate that. A lot. I WANT to reach out and be nice! Show kindness! Show passion for the industry! Form your own little community in your industry! We ALL need more friends – someone you can seek advice from, send a bride to when you’re booked or just grab coffee together because they understand what it’s like to work in the industry! This girl and I have become industry friends and I am SO excited that she’ll be helping me out for a shoot this month & a wedding in August! Photographers have second shooters at almost every wedding… wedding planners need assistants, too!! Offer to assist other planners at weddings to not only build your experience and your portfolio, but to show them that you care! Who knows, maybe the next time they’re booked up, they’ll send the bride you’re way! There are PLENTY of brides for everyone!!!

– INVEST IN EDUCATION. Find someone you trust, someone who’s business you value & invest in a conference or mentor session. As business owners, we HAVE to invest in our company so that we grow. Wedding Planners don’t need the equipment photographers need; we don’t need the software a stationary designer needs. But we STILL need to invest… we need to  invest in EDUCATING ourselves! How will spending money bring you clients?? Knowledge is power, right? Learning, growing & challenging yourself will ultimately make you a better business owner & wedding planner. We might not see the benefits of it immediately, but if you invest in the right thing, I promise you, you will see fruit from it! Now, I’m not telling you to take out a loan or go into debt. You need to be WISE with your finances, but you also can’t hold it so tightly that you never reap the benefits. In the Spring, I attended a Floral Workshop by Anthomanic  and did a Mentoring Session with Natalie Franke. Both of these women have changed me as a business owner. Both of them have supported me, given me advice, listened to me vent & truly loved on me in this industry. A text, an email, a sweet card in the mail… they have offered me just the right mix of practical business advice & encouragement for my heart. They were both an investment I took and I am SO GLAD I did!  Why would I want to spend money when I’m trying to save & go full time? Because I KNEW that both of these investments would be WORTH IT. I knew that I would grow because of it, and in the long run it would pay for itself.

Whew! That was a lot longer than I thought it would be:) But there you go… 5 little tips to help you book your first clients. I hope they help!! I hope they give you more confidence & help you put your name out there!!

Business owners – have I missed something you think helped you?! I’d LOVE more tips, myself:)

xo!! kat

(( Images by Michael and Carina Photography ))