Today I’m honored to have a returning guest blogger. The talented Lindsey, of Lovely Day Strategy, is here to share with us her wisdom on the best practices for networking with wedding vendors. She wrote a fantastic post a few months back called “3 Ways To Elevate Your Wedding Planner Business“—be sure to check it out. Lindsey is the go-to marketing and business strategist for wedding planners who want to be fully booked with wonderful clients. Her work is featured on CNN.com, Style Me Pretty, Brides, The Knot Yours Truly book, and more.
Networking with Wedding Vendors
What do you think of when you hear the word networking? Well, for many people when they hear the word networking, they think of attending mixers with a bunch of people they don’t know, a few people they want to meet, and an even smaller group of people they would be super excited to work with on a wedding. I can’t think of many people that love attending these events after a long day of work and having to put in the energy to get to know complete strangers that they may or may not work with again.
I remember when I first moved to California and I attended as many networking events as I could to meet other wedding vendors. It was so intimidating to go to an event where I didn’t know anyone. I remember sitting in my car in the parking lot before going in, my stomach in knots with anxiety, reading articles with tips all about networking. Do you know this feeling I’m talking about?
The truth is networking is one of the best ways to get awesome, qualified leads for your wedding planning business.
The key for turning networking into a lead is to be authentic and thoughtful. You need to get out from behind your computer and meet people in person. I know this can be hard and intimidating, especially when you are a new wedding planner. The good news is that you don’t have to attend these networking events to meet people!
In fact, I’m going to tell you how to meet fantastic wedding vendors right now and build genuine relationships that will turn into leads and sales. Here are your 4 must-dos when networking with wedding vendors:
1. RESEARCH
Start by researching other wedding vendors in your area. Pay attention to which vendors have similar couples, style, and approach to you. These are the wedding vendors you want to focus on meeting because you both want to book the same type of client. Make a list of these people and keep track of them. Start to follow them and interact with them on social media.
2. REACH OUT
Contact those vendors that you would like to meet. Start with a personal email and follow up in a few days with a phone call. Since you are already following them on social media, there is a better chance they will notice and respond to you. You are not (I repeat NOT) asking them to send you clients; you are getting to know them and starting to learn about each other. The slow season is a great time to invite a vendor to coffee, tour a venue, and get reacquainted with vendors you worked with during the year.
3. FOLLOW UP
After the meeting, be sure to follow up with an email or e-card thanking them for their time (or to really stand out, send a handwritten note). Be sure to post a photo from your get-together on social media with a shoutout about how awesome that vendor is at their job.
4. STAY IN TOUCH
The relationship doesn’t end there. To foster an authentic relationship, be sure to stay in touch. Consider sending holiday cards to your list of vendors (even if you haven’t met with them yet). To get creative, you can send Valentine’s or Thanksgiving holiday cards, rather than in December when they could get lost in the holiday shuffle.
You got this! Do you need ideas to get started? Grab my free list of 12 Ways to Network without Attending Mixers RIGHT HERE.
PRO TIP: The absolute best way to get referrals is to give referrals. Be generous when referring people to other vendors. Don’t be afraid to network and refer people that have the same job as you. There will be dates when you are booked or unavailable and need to refer a potential client to someone else and vice versa. Plus, if you have an emergency or an assistant who calls in sick, you may need to ask a friend who shares your skill set and style to help you out.
Lindsey provides doable, focused, action steps based on her many years as a wedding planner. Based in Napa, Calif. she is a Bay Area native with a passion for outdoor adventures and travel. Check out her wedding planner coaching business and get marketing tips for wedding planners on her website, lovelydaystrategy.com
