The Key to Booking More Events? Follow Up with your Leads!

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Thank you for tuning in to WedPro Business Solutions, I'm your host Kristina Stubblefield. Today I'm going to be talking about leads. However. It might not be the conversation that you're used to hearing people talk about when you hear leads most people talk about generating leads what platforms to use how many times to post. Where should I be running ads what should my ad spend be but that is not what I'm focusing this conversation on I want to talk about the key took booking more events when it comes to leads and that is. Follow up also nurturing the leads and this is a conversation that I feel like is not talked about enough. Everyone works so hard on putting content out. Making sure you're sharing pictures and video clips of events and you're doing things to generate a buzz and to generate leads all of that hard work. You hear me say a lot of times about time energy effort and money you're doing those things. However, when the leads come in.

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Are you spending the time energy and effort that you should be on nurturing them. Um, and following up with leads. So let's dive in in a little bit more detail. First of all I will ask you how easy is it for a potential client. To connect with you and what I mean by that if they're interested in booking your services or inquiring about your services. How easy is it to do that for example, on your website is there an inquire button or schedule a tour button if you're in a venue. Depending on what products and services you offer how easy is it for someone to connect to get more information to get your pricing to schedule a meeting with you and you might think to yourself. Well, that's a pretty simple question but a lot of times. It's overlooked. And we have to start with the basics a lot of times in marketing I talk about stripping things down... we really need to strip it down where it is easy. For anyone to navigate or to utilize so how easy is it have you taken off your business owner hat and thought about it from a potential client going to your website or visiting one of your social media channels.

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Do you have links there for people to get to the step you want them to after all it is your business How do you want that to flow. So after you answer that question. How does that work for someone that's interested in knowing more or moving forward in the process then you move to the next step and that one is how do you communicate with them. And this is what I mean by that how long does it take you to reply to an email to message back from a social channel and sometimes people say to me now wait wait wait I mean I'm busy I'm doing events I understand but. That person that's inquiring. It's ah their special day or it's their event. Do. We really think that they are worried about or even considering the fact that you're dealing with multiple other events and I say this because. I care I get it. You're running in multiple places but to that person their event is the most important so a lot of times when I have discussions when I'm coaching or consulting with wedding professionals one of the first questions I ask what's your response time.

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If someone inquires how long does it take you to get back and this is why it's so important how quickly are your competitors replying because if people are reaching out most of the time you will find engaged couples reach out to a few different vendors in a category. That they're potentially interested in meeting with having a conversation with moot taking that next step to learn more before they make their decision if your competitor replies in 2 hours and it takes you two days your potential client is also. Taking into account how you communicate how long it takes you what's in your messaging etc and I really want to stay honed in on the topic at hand because I feel like follow up and nurturing leads is so important it can really help you get the best return. On the money or time you do spend marketing or advertising your business. So this is just food for thought think about how long it takes you to reply now why I'm talking about this I'm going to share something else with you and prepare yourself. You may not like. This information I share if an engaged couple or potential client dms you on Instagram messages you on Tiktok send you a Facebook message whichever channel they message you on here's a piece of advice take the time.

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To not only message them back but to nurture that potential lead in the platform that they chose to contact you on and I know I'm sounding very Stern about this but really take in consideration this your preferred form of communication. Might not be your clients and here we go throw it right back at me but Kristina you said it's my business I get to decide yes I did however, when someone is making contact with your business if they choose to message you through Facebook. To Dmu and Instagram please do not just send a message that says send me an email to so and so at blank.com and far too often I have witnessed this I've had it happen to myself and i. Might not think so much about it. But for those who don't use email communication like the rest of us who prefer text message over phone calls. You're going to see where I'm going with this just take the time. To nurture the lead in the platform it came in just a small piece of advice there that I would encourage you to take seriously and not just push them directly into the way you want to communicate and I have done this before and I try to be better about it because.

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In the beginning. It's not all about me and they've taken time to reach out so take time to communicate on that platform. So now back to the topic at hand and it really does play into what I'm talking about with nurturing and follow up. What is your process. When a lead comes in pass the point of the initial return email return message return phone call or text message. However, that lead comes in what's your process and it's okay if you don't have one. That's the thing that I share with people I'm not. Here to place judgment I'm not here to say oh my goodness you've been doing this wrong for so long. That's not what this is about it's about providing solutions to help you move the needle in your business be more efficient, be more effective grow your business. Whatever you're wanting to do. That's what I'm all about. So anytime I share with you these tips it is not to say you've been doing it wrong and this is exactly how you should do it because it's not a magic Wanda wave and you just change completely how you've been doing things for x number of years. So what's your process. If. You don't have one I encourage you to think about it. What do you want that to look like what would your potential client. Maybe what that audience. What would they want it to look like or how would they like it to transpire. So maybe.

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Someone doesn't make a decision right? when you email them back. Hey let's schedule a time to get together here's my online booking link to schedule a meeting or schedule a tour. Maybe they don't take action right away how many of you don't follow back up. With that lead. Well I didn't hear anything back from them so they must not be arrested. Raise your hand I know I can't see you right now. But I'm raising my hand because I too have been guilty of that here's the truth though life happens. We get busy. You hear marketers talk all the time about staying top of mind what about with your leads what about with those leads if they reach out to multiple different vendors. They get sidetracked as I mentioned things happen follow up. Follow up. This is 1 thing that can separate you from your competitors because I hear all the time from wedding I don't have time to follow up I don't have time to send multiple emails if they're interested in my services. They'll get back to me and if you're that busy and you're not worried about. Converting leads or your conversion rate. Okay, but whether you have a small audience a large audience whether you've been in business a couple years or 20 years it doesn't matter the key is in the follow up.

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This will separate you from your competitors because so many people are not doing this now you can say well, that's just something else to add to the mix of everything I need to do you know? I'm already wearing these multiple hats. Well I'm here to tell you. Number 1 technology again can be your friend. There is software. You can utilize to help automate these processes that you can put in place I help people with that all the time. But if you're not to that point with utilizing a software There's other things you can do I'm going to give you a couple of suggestions number 1 when a lead comes in and you reply to them put a note in your calendar for however, many days or a week out about following up. Okay, you could say to me but I use a paper calendar. Then write it in your paper calendar put a note somewhere. However, your system is set up to follow up. Another thing you can block time. Let's just say on a Monday or a Tuesday you could block time to actually follow up. On the previous week or 2 the leads that came in that you have not heard anything back. You could have dedicated time in your schedule where you actually follow up that is one way to make sure you have allotted time to actually do the follow ups.

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Now I'm giving you some suggestions because those that are listening to this. You may already use Software. You may use Google Calendar you may use an actual paper planner. However, your method of doing things just incorporate a step in there. To do so or if you're interested in learning more about software or how you can automate and use systems and things you can always reach out to me that is something I work with people all the time with you can also do your own research out there. But. Technology is there to help you save time and money and I know some will say but yes that software costs money. Well heck yes, it does but the amount of time that it will save you and some of the steps that you can do to automate it. But back to the topic at hand. I Want you to make sure you realize so many people focus a lot of their energy on actually generating the leads. But when they come into their business. They have nothing in place. To nurture them through the process to have a process or as some of us refer to through the sales funnel to move them from just a lead um to a warmer lead converting them to a booked event or a sale.

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And in my opinion because of how much energy and effort and probably money goes into the marketing side of it. You owe it to yourself and your business to spend the time nurturing and following up on those leads and again I'm here to tell you with full transparency. We all get busy. We all have the best of intentions but this is something that you can do to get actual results just by communicating. Maybe they're not interested in making a decision right now. Maybe you're a service or a product that. They book closer to their wedding date. Well do you put them on your email list. Do you ask them? hey can I add you to my email list or would you like to subscribe to my email list and do you send out monthly or weekly email blast. Have tips and information that aren't just sales emails where you are working on nurturing that relationship and here we come back to relationships I've said it time and time again people want to do business with people. And when you nurture and just work on building a relationship building your no like and trust factor with a lead the conversions happen a lot easier I don't want.

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Wedding professionals to miss out on the opportunity to book events that are leads especially from content that they've put together. They've posted out there. They've been seen at wedding shows at networking events. But because they have nothing in place to make sure that they follow up with leads that come in that is a missed opportunity that honestly shouldn't happen and that's exactly why I wanted to take on this topic. Ah, hear so much about things that you can do to generate leads and generate sales and but let's talk about nurturing our audience our followers our email list to make the conversion rate. Go higher just with communication just with follow up I hope this topic helped you maybe open up some ideas or some ways that you can communicate with potential leads. In a way to help convert them into actual booked ah booked events for your business if you haven't already joined my free Facebook group please do so you will find the link below this or with this video.

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Where I share in that group additional resources tips strategies all kinds of information as well as software that is available to help you in your business until next time take care.