07 Dec How to: Convert Your Wedding Guests into Future Clients
Wedding planning is practically superhero work – you always have to be on your A-game, going the EXTRA mile on wedding days, even to the point of exhaustion just to ensure the bride, groom and the guests’ needs are attended to. Then again, when the bride and groom are a handful to begin with, you might wonder, why should I bother catering to the wedding guests?
After all, these guests do not see most of these behind-the-scenes action that goes into planning and running the wedding. All they care about is the aesthetics of the venue, how delicious the food is and if everything’s running smoothly – that’s the tea. What you don’t see is that they are potential clients.
The big day is the perfect opportunity to convert your wedding guests into future clients – all while saving LOADS of money on advertising.
Take Artika Sulaiman’s word for it. She’s been doing this for years with her company, Artika Events & Celebrations. If you grabbed every opportunity as she did throughout her career, here’s what you will wind up saying, “We have never spent a dollar on marketing. If someone has attended (one of our) previous weddings, they will approach us and be like, ‘Oh my god, you have to do our wedding.’”
So first impressions? They are everything! Here are 6 tips from Sulaiman herself on how to engineer an unforgettable impression.
1. Customise, Personalise, Humanise
“The reason why I think we make an impression when it comes to guests and family, whoever it was that attended the wedding, is because we really do think about each person,” she explains. “Everything is customised.”
By that, she means to include guests in the preliminary planning process. Always ask the bride and groom:
- Where are your guests from?
- How old are they?
- What do they like to do?
You don’t want to, at any point, leave someone out – especially the older guests. Take, for instance, when you’re picking out music. The couple may enjoy reggae or EDM in their personal time. Yet, these songs are probably unheard of to the older generation! Plus, they are not exactly songs that will conjure the loving emotions one would expect of a wedding either. There are songs out there that will please everyone and “most of these songs are older songs,” Sulaiman notes.
2. Transport Matters
You don’t need to be extravagant with the wedding set up to make an impression. I think curating guest experience is really important,” Sulaiman exclaims. Think about the little things – you could do:
- play relaxing music at the hotel lobby for when the guests check in (especially after a long flight)
- place guests with physical disabilities in rooms that are easy to access (who in the right mind would place them in an area without ramps?)
- cater activities for all the kids so they don’t get bored and terrorize the wedding
and much more! Try placing yourself in the guests’ shoes and think about what you’d like to experience. It’s these little things that guests will remember. All in all, you’re setting different moods, atmospheres and emotions.
3. Resonate With Them
You don’t need to be extravagant with the wedding set up to make an impression. I think curating guest experience is really important,” Sulaiman exclaims. Think about the little things – you could do:
- play relaxing music at the hotel lobby for when the guests check in (especially after a long flight)
- place guests with physical disabilities in rooms that are easy to access (who in the right mind would place them in an area without ramps?)
- cater activities for all the kids so they don’t get bored and terrorize the wedding
and much more! Try placing yourself in the guests’ shoes and think about what you’d like to experience. It’s these little things that guests will remember. All in all, you’re setting different moods, atmospheres and emotions.
4. No Shortcuts
Given the staggering amount of details you need to attend to, there are no shortcuts when it comes to impressing your guests. Like Sulaiman, you might never get to do express weddings – just because of how slipshod they can get.
“The reason why we never do things like on-the-day wedding planning or like an express wedding planning where people just come to us like a month before just to execute (their ideas) is certainly because of this,” she stresses.
5. Choose Wisely
With that being said, you might wind up rejecting a good percentage of incoming clients. Specifically, those who have very different goals in mind. Sulaiman doesn’t accept everyone who comes knocking on her door.
“I choose people whom I know that I can 100% represent them. I understand what they want so they will be satisfied,” she continues. “Choose wisely. You are only as good as your last wedding,” she says, “It only takes one bad wedding for your (reputation) to completely crumble.”
Trust us – you don’t want to be part of the #(YourName)IsOver party.
6. Leave A Message
Finally, if you’ve had an enjoyable client with a successful wedding, don’t be shy to ask them for a testimonial and have these words of gratitude updated on your website. Otherwise, like how you’d give a hiring manager professional references, do the same with potential clients.
Have some of your past clients share their experience working with you (especially if they’ve never been to one of your weddings!) Of course, do ask for their permission before giving their numbers to prospective clients.
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